Drive To Nature

RED PANDAS

2013-01-13T05:23:00.001-08:00

Physical description: The red panda has reddish brown fur with distinct white marks on its face and tail. It has a very long fluffy tail and small ears. Its whiskers are white and long.
Lifespan: 8 to 12 years is the average but can live to be 15 years old.
Communication: Squeaks, chattering noises, chipmunk like sounds.
Size: Weight is 8 to 12 pounds. Length is 20 to 24 inches.
Weight: 12 to 20 lbs (5.4 to 9 kg)
Social behavior: Solitary except during mating.
Conservation status: Endangered due to loss of habitat.
Population: Exact information difficult to obtain, estimated to be under 2400.
Predators: Snow leopards, martens.
Breeding frequency: 1 or 2 years.
Protection status: Endangered

DIET--
Bamboo is the main diet of the red panda and is abundant in its natural habitat. However it will also eat a variety of other foods such as fruits, nuts, eggs, flowers, and seeds.
Information from their droppings reveal additional diet facts, such as their taste for other prey such as rodents and small birds.
Red panda cubs eat bamboo until they are mature enough to expand their diet. Their bamboo ranges are endangered and threaten the life style of this unique species.

HABITAT--
The red panda lives, eats, and raises its babies in forest mountain terrains. Its habitat range includes central China, Nepal, Myanmar(Burma), and Bhutan. Precise information on their habitat distribution is not known since wild population facts are difficult to gather.

REPRODUCTION--
Breeding season is in the late fall through winter. The gestation period is about four months. Baby red pandas are born in an average litter size of one to four babies and are born in the late spring and summer.
They build a nest or use hollow tree trunks or small caves to give birth to their newborn. The mother red panda takes care of her cubs until they reach adulthood when the next mating season begins.
After birth adulthood is reached in 16 to 18 months. At 18 months both male and female are ready to mate and repeat the reproduction process.

The red panda is dwarfed by the black-and-white giant that shares its name. These pandas typically grow to the size of a house cat, though their big, bushy tails add an additional 18 inches (46 centimeters). The pandas use their ringed tails as wraparound blankets in the chilly mountain heights.
The red panda shares the giant panda's rainy, high-altitude forest habitat, but has a wider range. Red pandas live in the mountains of Nepal and northern Myanmar (Burma), as well as in central China.
These animals spend most of their lives in trees and even sleep aloft. When foraging, they are most active at night as well as in the gloaming hours of dusk and dawn.
Red pandas have a taste for bamboo but, unlike their larger relatives, they eat many other foods as well—fruit, acorns, roots, and eggs. Like giant pandas, they have an extended wrist bone that functions almost like a thumb and greatly aids their grip.
They are shy and solitary except when mating. Females give birth in the spring and summer, typically to one to four young. Young red pandas remain in their nests for about 90 days, during which time their mother cares for them. (Males take little or no interest in their offspring.)
The red panda has given scientists taxonomic fits. It has been classified as a relative of the giant panda, and also of the raccoon, with which it shares a ringed tail. Currently, red pandas are considered members of their own unique family—the Ailuridae.
Red pandas are endangered, victims of deforestation. Their natural space is shrinking as more and more forests are destroyed by logging and the spread of agriculture.

PANDA

2013-01-13T05:14:00.000-08:00

Giant pandas are black and white bears that live in temperate-zone bamboo forests in central China. Among the best recognized—but rarest—animals in the world, they have come to symbolize endangered species and conservation efforts. As few as 1,600 giant pandas survive in the mountain forests of central China. More than 300 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers around the world; most of these pandas are in China.

Giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are at the National Zoo under a Giant Panda Cooperative Research and Breeding Agreement, signed in January 2011, between the Zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. This extends the Zoo’s giant panda program through 2015. Mei and Tian are the focus of an ambitious research, conservation, and breeding program designed to preserve this endangered species.

Size--
About the size of an American black bear, giant pandas stand between two and three feet tall at the shoulder (on all four legs), and reach four to six feet long. Males are larger than females, weighing up to 250 pounds in the wild. Females rarely reach 220 pounds.

Habitat--
Giant pandas live in broadleaf and coniferous forests with a dense understory of bamboo, at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 feet. Torrential rains or dense mist throughout the year characterizes these forests, often shrouded in heavy clouds.

Life Span--
Scientists are not sure how long giant pandas live in the wild, but they are sure it is shorter than lifespans in zoos. Chinese scientists have reported zoo pandas as old as 35.

Diet--
A wild giant panda’s diet is almost exclusively (99 percent) bamboo. The balance consists of other grasses and occasional small rodents or musk deer fawns. In zoos, giant pandas eat bamboo, sugar cane, rice gruel, a special high-fiber biscuit, carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes.

Social Structure--
Adult giant pandas are generally solitary, but they do communicate periodically through scent marks, calls, and occasional meetings. Offspring stay with their mothers from one and a half to three years.

KILLER WHALES(ORCA)

2013-01-12T22:57:00.002-08:00

Fast Facts :-
Type:Mammal
Diet:Carnivore
Average life span in the wild:50 to 80 years
Size:23 to 32 ft (7 to 9.7 m)
Weight:Up to 6 tons (5,443 kg)
Group name:Pod

Size:
The average male orca grows to 23 feet long and weighs 7 to 10 tons. Females average 21 feet long and weigh 4 to 6 tons.

LIFESPAN:
Orcas live 30 to 50 years in the wild.

RANGE:
Found in all oceans of the world, orcas are most common in the Arctic and Antarctic and are often spotted off the west coast of the United States and Canada.

HABITAT:
Orcas are found in both coastal waters and open ocean.

OFFSPRING:
Orca gestation is 13 to 16 months. A calf is born in autumn weighing almost 400 pounds and measuring up to 7 feet in length.

Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators. They feast on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even whales, employing teeth that can be four inches (ten centimeters) long. They are known to grab seals right off the ice. They also eat fish, squid, and seabirds.

Though they often frequent cold, coastal waters, orcas can be found from the polar regions to the Equator.
Killer whales hunt in deadly pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals. There appear to be both resident and transient pod populations of killer whales. These different groups may prey on different animals and use different techniques to catch them. Resident pods tend to prefer fish, while transient pods target marine mammals. All pods use effective, cooperative hunting techniques that some liken to the behavior of wolf packs.
Whales make a wide variety of communicative sounds, and each pod has distinctive noises that its members will recognize even at a distance. They use echolocation to communicate and hunt, making sounds that travel underwater until they encounter objects, then bounce back, revealing their location, size, and shape.

Killer whales are protective of their young, and other adolescent females often assist the mother in caring for them. Mothers give birth every three to ten years, after a 17-month pregnancy.

Orcas are immediately recognizable by their distinctive black-and-white coloring and are the intelligent, trainable stars of many aquarium shows. Killer whales have never been extensively hunted by humans.

Cheetah

2011-09-09T02:38:00.000-07:00

Social behavior:-
Unlike other animals which have gender specific names - 'bull' and 'cow' for elephants; 'rooster' and 'hen' for chickens - humans apply the name 'cheetah' to both sexes. Cheetah in the wild may be divided into 2 groups: the family group/females and males.

Females/Family Group:-
Young females usually occupy the same range as their mother although ALL females are solitary except when they have a litter. Average female home ranges extend to 833 square kilometers (322 square miles). A female raises her cubs alone since adult male and female cheetahs mix only to mate. The average life span of wild radio-collared female cheetahs is 6.9 years which compares to 11.7 years for females in captivity.

Males:-
Only rarely will a male cheetah live alone. Generally 2 or 3 cheetah males, often brothers, will form a coalition. This small group will live and hunt together for life and usually claims a large area or range which may overlap several female territories. The average size of male territories is 37.4 square kilometers (14.4 square miles). Young males seek out an area at a great distance from their parent; sometimes as far as 482 kilometers (300 miles).

Food & Hunting:-

A cheetah is carnivorous and eats a variety of small animals. While most cats are nocturnal predators, the cheetah is primarily diurnal, hunting in early morning and late afternoon. Since it depends on sight rather than smell, it likes to scan the countryside from a tree limb or the top of a termite mound. Other big cats chase only a few hundred meters: the cheetah chases 3.4 miles (5500 meters) at an average speed of 45 miles per hour (72 kilometers per hour). Stalking is as important as the fast sprint: usually it will creep within 50 yards (46 meters) of an intended victim before the final acceleration. Full sprints last about 20 seconds and almost never exceed 1 full minute. If it succeeds in catching an animal the cheetah will suffocate it by clamping the animal's windpipe, sometimes holding a clamp as long as 5 minutes. Very small animals like hares are killed by a simple bite through the skull. But whatever the meal - large or small - cheetah eats quickly for if challenged it will most often lose. Cheetahs have unusually clean eating habits: they do not return to their kill nor do they eat carrion; they leave the skin, bones and entrails of their prey. At 6 weeks the young are strong enough to follow the hunt and when they are about 6 months old the mother will capture live prey for them to practice killing.

Habitat:-

Not so long ago cheetahs inhabited an area from North Africa to India, but they are now commonly found only in sub-Saharan Africa (south of the Sahara Desert). Their range includes sparse sub-desert, steppe (a treeless plain), medium and long-grass plains. They need an environment with bushes, tall grass and other large plants in order to hide from predators.

Conservation:-

Three international agencies set the standards for an "extinct" or "endangered" rating.They are the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).Several organizations are working to save the cheetah. The DeWildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre staff, located in South Africa and established in 1971, work tirelessly to rebuild populations of many native species - one of which is the cheetah. The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and The Africat Foundation, both located in Namibia, do research, educate local farmers in management techniques geared toward cheetah/livestock coexistence, and place rescued and rehabilitated animals in new habitats. Since larger predators have been eliminated from Namibian farmland the remaining cheetah and leopard populations find those areas most hospitable. About 95% of Namibian cheetah live on commercial farmland.

Snow Puma

2011-09-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

Type:Mammal

Diet:Carnivore

Size:Head and body, 3.25 to 5.25 ft (1 to 1.6 m); Tail, 23.5 to 33.5 in (60 to 85 cm)

Weight:136 lbs (62 kg)

Protection status:Endangered

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man

This powerful predator roams the Americas, where it is also known as a puma, cougar, and catamount. This big cat of many names is also found in many habitats, from Florida swamps to Canadian forests.

Mountain lions like to prey on deer, though they also eat smaller animals such as coyotes, porcupines, and raccoons. They usually hunt at night or during the gloaming hours of dawn and dusk. These cats employ a blend of stealth and power, stalking their prey until an opportunity arrives to pounce, then going for the back of the neck with a fatal bite. They will hide large carcasses and feed on them for several days.

Mountain lions once roamed nearly all of the United States. They were prized by hunters and despised by farmers and ranchers who suffered livestock losses at their hands. Subsequently, by the dawn of the 20th century, mountain lions were eliminated from nearly all of their range in the Midwest and Eastern U.S.—though the endangered Florida panther survives.

Today, whitetail deer populations have rebounded over much of the mountain lion's former range and a few animals have appeared in more eastern states such as Missouri and Arkansas. Some biologists believe that these big cats could eventually recolonize much of their Midwest and Eastern range—if humans allow them to do so. In most western U.S. states and Canadian provinces, populations are considered sustainable enough to allow managed sport hunting.

Mountain lions require a lot of room—only a few cats can survive in a 30-square-mile (78-square-kilometer) range. They are solitary and shy animals, seldom seen by humans. While they do occasionally attack people—usually children or solitary adults—statistics show that, on average, there are only four attacks and one human fatality each year in all of the U.S. and Canada.

Snow Owl

2011-09-09T00:04:00.000-07:00

This yellow-eyed, black billed white bird is easily recognizable. It is 52–71 centimetres (20–28 in) long with a 125–150 centimetres (49–59 in) wingspan. Also, these birds can weigh anywhere from 1.6–3 kilograms (3.5–6.6 lb).It is one of the largest species of owl and in North America is on average the heaviest owl species. The adult male is virtually pure white, but females and young birds have some dark scalloping; the young are heavily barred, and dark spotting may even predominate. Its thick plumage, heavily-feathered taloned feet, and coloration render the Snowy Owl well-adapted for life north of the Arctic Circle.

Snowy Owl calls are varied, but the alarm call is a barking, almost quacking krek-krek; the female also has a softer mewling pyee-pyee or prek-prek. The song is a deep repeated gawh. They may also clap their beak in response to threats or annoyances. While called clapping, it is believed this sound may actually be a clicking of the tongue, not the beak.

Ecology:-

The Snowy Owl is typically found in the northern circumpolar region, where it makes its summer home north of latitude 60 degrees north. However, it is a particularly nomadic bird, and because population fluctuations in its prey species can force it to relocate, it has been known to breed at more southerly latitudes. During the last glacial, there was a Central European paleosubspecies of this bird, Bubo scandiacus gallicus, but no modern subspecies are recognized.

This species of owl nests on the ground, building a scrape on top of a mound or boulder. A site with good visibility, ready access to hunting areas, and a lack of snow is chosen. Gravel bars and abandoned eagle nests may be used. Breeding occurs in May, and depending on the amount of prey available, clutch sizes range from 5 to 14 eggs, which are laid singly, approximately every other day over the course of several days. Hatching takes place approximately five weeks after laying, and the pure white young are cared for by both parents. Both the male and the female defend the nest and their young from predators. Some individuals stay on the breeding grounds while others migrate.

Range:-

Snowy Owls nest in the Arctic tundra of the northermost stretches of Alaska, Canada and Eurasia. They winter south through Canada and northern Eurasia, with irruptions occurring further south in some years. Snowy Owls are attracted to open areas like coastal dunes and prairies that appear somewhat similar to tundra. They have been reported as far south as Texas, Georgia, the American Gulf states, southernRussia, northern China and even the Caribbean. Between 1967 and 1975, Snowy Owls bred on the remote island of Fetlar in the Shetland Isles north of Scotland, UK. Females summered as recently as 1993, but their status in the British Isles is now that of a rare winter visitor toShetland, the Outer Hebrides and the Cairngorms.In January 2009, a Snowy Owl appeared in Spring Hill, Tennessee, the first reported sighting in the state since 1987.

Hunting and Diet:-

This powerful bird relies primarily on lemmings and other small rodents for food during the breeding season, but at times of low prey density, or during the ptarmigan nesting period, they may switch to juvenile ptarmigan. They are opportunistic hunters and prey species may vary considerably, especially in winter. They feed on a wide variety of small mammals such as meadow voles anddeer mice, but will take advantage of larger prey, frequently following traplines to find food. Some of the larger mammal prey includes hares, muskrats, marmots, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, prairie dogs, rats, moles, and entrapped furbearers. Birds preyed upon include ptarmigan, ducks, geese,shorebirds, ring-necked pheasants, grouse, American coots, grebes, gulls, songbirds, and even other raptors, including other owl species. Snowy Owls are also known to eat fish and carrion. Most of the owls' hunting is done in the "sit and wait" style; prey may be captured on the ground, in the air or fish may be snatched off the surface of bodies of water using their sharp talons. Each bird must capture roughly 7 to 12 mice per day to meet its food requirement and can eat more than 1,600 lemmings per year.

Snowy Owls, like many other birds, swallow their small prey whole. Strong stomach juices digest the flesh, while the indigestible bones, teeth, fur, and feathers are compacted into oval pellets that the bird regurgitates 18 to 24 hours after feeding. Regurgitation often takes place at regular perches, where dozens of pellets may be found. Biologists frequently examine these pellets to determine the quantity and types of prey the birds have eaten. When large prey are eaten in small pieces, pellets will not be produced.

SNOW FOX

2011-09-08T23:54:00.000-07:00

The arctic fox lives in some of the most frigid extremes on the planet. Among its adaptations for cold survival are its deep, thick fur, a system of countercurrent heat exchange in the circulation of paws to retain core temperature, and a good supply of body fat. The fox has a low surface area to volume ratio, as evidenced by its generally rounded body shape, short muzzle and legs, and short, thick ears. Since less of its surface area is exposed to the arctic cold, less heat escapes the body. Its furry paws allow it to walk on ice in search of food. The arctic fox has such keen hearing that it can precisely locate the position of prey under the snow. When it finds prey, it pounces and punches through the snow to catch its victim. Its fur changes colour with the seasons: in the winter it is white to blend in with snow, while in the summer months it changes to brown.

Reproduction:-
The arctic fox tends to be active from early September to early May. The gestation period is 53 days. Litters tend to average 5-8 kits but may be as many as 25. Both the mother and the father help to raise their young. The females leave the family and form their own groups and the males stay with the family.Foxes tend to form monogamous pairs in the breeding season. Litters are born in the early summer and the parents raise the young in a large den. Dens can be complex underground networks, housing many generations of foxes. Young from a previous year's litter may stay with the parents to help rear younger siblings.The kits are initially brownish; as they become older they turn white. Their coat of fur also changes color when summer arrives but in winter it is white.

Diet:-
The arctic fox will generally eat any small animal it can find: lemmings, hares, owls, eggs, and carrion, etc. Lemmings are the most common prey. A family of foxes can eat dozens of lemmings each day. During April and May the arctic fox also preys on ringed seal pups when the young animals are confined to a snow den and are relatively helpless. Fish beneath the ice are also part of its diet. If there is an overabundance of food hunted, the arctic fox will bury what the family cannot eat. When its normal prey is scarce, the arctic fox scavenges the leftovers and even feces of larger predators, such as the polar bear, even though the bear's prey includes the arctic fox itself.

Size:-
The average length is 85.3 cm (33.6 in), with a range of 83 to 110 cm (33 to 43 in), in the male and 82.1 cm (32.3 in), with a range of 71.3 to 85 cm (28.1 to 33 in), in the female. The tail is 31 cm (12.2 in) long in the male and 30 cm (11.8 in) long in the female. It is 25–30 cm (9.8–11.8 in) high at the shoulder.On average males weigh 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), with a range of 3.2 to 9.4 kg (7.1 to 21 lb), while females average 2.9 kg (6.4 lb), with a range of 1.4 to 3.2 kg (3.1 to 7.1 lb).

White Ermine

2011-09-08T23:45:00.000-07:00

Geographic Range

Ermine have a circumpolar distribution. They are found in the north temperate regions of Eurasia and North America. In the New World, they range from east to west in a broad belt from the Arctic Ocean and adjacent islands of the Canadian Archipelago southward into the northern United States. Ermine are absent from the Great Plains.

Habitat
Ermine prefer riparian woodlands, marshes, shrubby fencerows, and open areas adjacent to forests or shrub borders. Although ermine are primarily terrestrial, they climb trees and swim well. Tree roots, hollow logs, stone walls, and rodent burrows are used as dens. Dens are usually around 300mm below ground. Ermine line their nests with dry vegetation, and fur and feathers from prey. Side cavities of burrows are used as food caches and latrines. (Ruff and Wilson, 1999)

Physical Description
Mass: 25 to 116 g (0.88 to 4.08 oz)
Length: 170 to 330 mm (6.69 to 12.99 in)
At full adult size total body length from head to rump is 170mm to 330mm. Males are generally twice as large as females, with males weighing from 67 to 116 grams and females from 25 to 80 grams. The tail length is about 35% of the total body length, ranging from 42mm to 120mm. Ermine have the typical weasel form: long body, short legs, long neck supporting a triangular head, slightly protruding round ears, bright black eyes, and long whiskers. Their short, moderately fine fur is white in the winter and the tip of the tail is black. In the summer, the dorsal fur is chocolate brown while the ventral fur extending to the upper lip is yellowish white.

Reproduction
Breeding interval: Ermine generally breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Ermine mate in late spring to early summer.
Number of offspring: 3 to 18; avg. 4-9
Gestation period: 280 days (average)
Time to weaning: 8-10 weeks (average)
Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 60-70 days (average)
Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 years (average)
Ermine are a polygynous-promiscuous species, with males and females mating opportunistically.
Ermine mate in late spring to early summer. Females are polyestrous, but produce only 1 litter per year. Young are born in April or May after an average gestation period of 280 days, which includes an 8-9 month period of developmental delay. Longer days beginning in March trigger the resumption of fetal development. Litter size ranges from 3-18 offspring and averages 4-9. The sex ratio is unequal. Young are blind and helpless. They are covered with fine white hair, and a prominent dark mane of dense fur develops around the neck by the third week (function unknown). The young grow quickly and are able to hunt with their mother by their eighth week. Although females do not reach adult size until a least 6 weeks after birth, they are able to mate when they are 60-70 days old, often before they are weaned. Males do not breed or gain adult dimensions until their second summer.
Females exclusively care for their offspring, nursing and protecting them until they become independent. The young are born blind and helpless.Females in nature may survive for at least 2 breeding seasons, while males generally do not survive this long. Reproductive success is highly dependent on food availability.

Lifespan/Longevity
Longest known lifespan in wild
7 years (high)
Expected lifespan in wild
1-2 years (average)

Behavior
The ermine's lithe, agile body allows it to move swiftly both above ground and through underground burrows. Females hunt in tunnels more than males, which may explain the higher number of males that are trapped. Ermine can also run easily across snow. This ideal predator hunts in a zigzag pattern, progressing by a series of leaps of up to 50 cm each. Ermine investigate every hole and crevice, often stopping to survey their surroundings by raising their heads and standing upright on their hindlegs. They may travel up to 15 km in one night.
Adult males dominate females and young. Females tend to remain in their birth place throughout their lives. Males disperse and attain large territories that usually encompass or overlap females' territories.
Male and female ermine only associate with one another during the breeding season.

Home Range
Ermine population densities fluctuate with prey abundance. When conditions are good, an individual may occupy a 10ha area. The maximum home range size is about 20ha. Home ranges of males are usually twice the size of female home ranges. These solitary mammals maintain exclusive boundaries that are patrolled and marked by scent. (Ruff and Wilson, 1999)

Communication and Perception
Ermine have keen senses of smell, vision, hearing, and touch that help them to locate prey. Most mustelids are fairly quiet animals, but some vocalizations may be used in intra-specific communication. Chemical cues are probably the main means of communication reproductive readiness to potential mates.

Food Habits
Ermine are carnivores that hunt primarily at night. They are specialist predators on small, warm-blooded vertebrates, preferably mammals of rabbit size and smaller. When mammalian prey is scarce, ermine eat birds, eggs, frogs, fish, and insects. In severe climates, ermine frequently hunt under snow and survive entirely on small rodents and lemmings. Daily meals are essential to meet the ermine's exhorbitant energy and heat production demands. Ermine cache leftover meals as a way of dealing with these demands. (Ruff and Wilson, 1999)
Once a potential prey is identified, the ermine approaches as closely as possible. With incredible speed it grasps the back of the victim's head and neck with sharp teeth, and wraps its body and feet around the victim. The victim dies from repeated bites to the base of the skull. Ermine have keen senses that help them locate prey. Hares and rodents are mainly followed by scent, insects by sound, and fish by sight. (Ruff and Wilson, 1999)

Predation
Ermine are fierce and agressive, although diminutive, animals. Potential predators are larger carnivores including red fox, gray fox, martens, fishers, badgers, raptors, and occassionally domestic cats.

Wolves

2011-09-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

Type:Mammal

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:6 to 8 years

Size:Head and body, 36 to 63 in (91 to 160 cm); Tail, 13 to 20 in (33 to 51 cm)

Weight:40 to 175 lbs (18 to 79 kg)

Group name:Pack

Protection status:Endangered

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man

here are lots of different types of wolves. There are artic wolves, gray wolves, red wolves, Mexican wolves, Persian wolves, Indian wolves and Chinese wolves. On our website, we talk about the timber wolf, also known as the gray wolf. Gray wolves live in the Artic, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Minnesota, Idaho, Montana and Europe.Wolves are carnivores that live in the more wild parts of the world. They are great and majestic animals. They have been around for centuries and centuries. Wolves are very intelligent. They have a keen sense of smell and hearing. They know how to hunt together, bring down large prey, play to sharpen their hunting strategies, establish their own hierarchy, and many other things. Wolves are the great ancestors of the very animals many of you have at home, dogs. Dogs and wolves genetically diverged 135,00 years ago. Some dogs look like wolves, and some look nothing like them!

Wolves function as social predators and hunt in packs organised according to a strict social hierarchy and led by an alpha male and alpha female. This social structure allows the wolf to take prey many times its size. The size of the pack changes during the year and is controlled by factors such as mortality and food supply. Generally it's between 2 and 12, even if packs with more than 30 has been recorded. The hierarchy of the pack is strict, with the alpha on top and the omega at the bottom. The hierarchy controls all activity in the pack, from which wolf eats first to who is allowed to breed (generally only the alpha pair). Between the extremes of the alpha and the omega there is generally a beta pair, contesters for the alpha position that will take it if any of the alpha wolves are killed. Also, depending on the season there might be a number of pups and yearlings.

New packs are formed when a wolf leaves its birth pack and claims a territory. Wolves searching for other wolves to form packs with or suitable territories can travel very long distances. Packs frequently break apart when the alpha pair is killed.

Hunting:-

The wolf is somewhat opportunistic and will eat what it comes across as long as it is reasonably fresh. Packs of wolves hunt any large herbivore in their range, while lone wolves are more prone to take eat anything the come across, including rodents. The hunting methods ranges from surprise attacks on smaller animals such as rabbits and rodents to long lasting chases. Wolves can chase large prey for several hours before giving up, but the success rate is rather low.

Livestock predation:-
As long as there are enough prey animals, wolves seem to avoid taking livestock. However, some problem animals can specialize in hunting livestock. Sheep are frequently the most vulnerable, while horses and cattle are at less of a risk. Wolf-secure fences and the killing of problem animals are today the only known methods to effectively stop livestock predation.

Communication:-Wolves communicate with a wide range of sounds, from yips and growls to howls. Howls are frequently used to summon the pack to a location, announce their presence to other packs or simply to reinforce the bounds in the pack. Wolves howl more frequently when they have something to protect, such as a freshly killed prey or a border of their territory, and less frequently when avoiding conflicts with other packs.

Reproduction:-
Normally, only the alpha pair of the pack breed. This kind of organisation also occurs in other pack-hunting canids, such as the Dhole and the African Hunting Dog. Mating usually occurs in February to May and wolves, unlike dogs, only mate once a year. The gestation period is 61–63 days and the pups are born completely dependent on their mother. The wolf is sexually mature at two years old

Platypus Neither birds nor mammals

2011-08-01T00:54:00.000-07:00

It lays eggs. This is usually reserved exclusively for birds, reptiles, dinosaurs, etc. And these eggs are tiny! Mammals gestate with the eggs inside of them, giving birth to live young, but here’s a mammal that lays eggs!

It’s furry. Like mammals are — no feathers for this guy — the platypus is not only covered in fur, it’s got such a nice coat that it has historically been hunted for its fur!

It is venomous! This is extremely rare for mammals, and the platypus itself has three venomous compounds in it that are unique in all of nature to the platypus itself. The venom is emitted through a spur in the platypus’ foot, right around its ankle. And speaking of feet…

It has a beaver-like tail. Mammalian, I got it. I suppose we can go on and on, listing all the ways this animal is neither bird nor mammal, all of which I find fascinating. But this animal can do something that you and I cannot, no matter how hard we try. Your skin, your epidermal layer, is fantastic for sensing temperature, pressure, and pain. These three types of sensor suit us remarkably well, and allow us to experience all sorts of interesting sensations, like itch and ticklishness. But the platypus has us beat, because in addition to these, the platypus can detect electricity.

Bird of Paradies Part-3

2011-07-23T01:55:00.000-07:00

The Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise, Seleucidis melanoleucus or Seleucidis melanoleuca, is a medium-sized, approximately 33 cm long, velvet black and yellow Bird of Paradies. The male has a red iris, long black bill and rich yellow plumes along its flanks. From the rear of these plumes emerge twelve blackish, wire-like filaments, which bend back near their bases to sweep forward over the birds hindquarters. The female is a brown bird with black-barred buffy underparts. Its feet are strong, large-clawed and pink in color.The sole representative of the monotypic genus Seleucidis, the Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise is a bird of lowland forests. The male displays on an exposed vertical perch with its breast-shield flared. Its diet consists mainly of fruites and arthropods.Widely distributed throughout new goinea and salawati Island of lrian jaya, the Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Least Concern on the iucn red list of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of cites. However, it has not been easy to breed this bird in captivity. It has only been successfully bred in Singapore's jurong birds park.

Bird of Paradies Part-2

2011-07-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

Ribbon-tailed Astrapia

The Ribbon-tailed Astrapia also known as Shaw Mayer's Astrapia, Astrapia mayeri is a medium-sized, up to 32 cm long (without including the tail of the male, which can be over 1 meter), velvet black Bird of Paradies. The male has an irridesescent olive green and bronze plumage, and is adorned with ornamental "ball" plume above its bill and two extremely long, ribbon-like white tail feathers. The female is a brown bird with an irridesescent head. Hybrids between this species and the stephaniesastrapia, in the small area where their ranges overlap, have been named barnes astrapia.One of the most spectacular Bird of Paradies , the male Ribbon-tailed Astrapia has the longest tail feathers in relation to body size of any bird, over three times the length of its body.

The Ribbon-tailed Astrapia is distributed and endemic to subalpine forests in western part of the central highlands of papua new guinea. Like many other ornamental birds of paradise, the male is polygamous. The Ribbon-tailed Astrapia is the latest bird of paradise to be discovered.

The scientific name commemorates the great naturalist and new guinea explorer fred shaw mayer, who was believed to have discovered the bird in 1938. However, it is now believed that explorer jack hides discovered the bird, while Mayer became interested in it later.

Due to habitat lost and hunted for its plumes, the Ribbon-tailed Astrapia is listed as Near Threatened on the iucn red list of Threatened Species

Leopard Seal

2011-07-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

Leopard seals are large members of the seal family reaching between 2.41-3.4 m in length and weighing between 200-591 kg. Females are slightly larger than males. Their massive bodies have large heads and long broad foreflippers. Unlike other seal species that swim by moving their hind limbs side to side, leopard seals swim gracefully using long, powerful, simultaneous strokes of the forelimbs simultaneously. Adults are dark gray to black in color with varying dark spots on the dorsal side and pale on the ventral side. Pup's have soft, thick coats with a dorsal stripe and black spots on the light gray ventral side. Adults have well developed canine teeth, and three tubercles or lobes on the sides of their jaws that allow them to filter krill from the water.

Leopard seals eat a varied diet. They are the only pinnipeds whose diet includes a significant amount of warm-blooded animals. They have been known to attack and fur seals. They prey on krill (estimated at 45% of their diet), other seals (30%) particularly young crabeater seals,penguins (10%), and fish and cephalopods (10%). Proportions vary according to age and availability. Like other seals, they are also known to scavange the carrion of whales and other sealscrabeater.Leopard seals can dive up to 15 minutes, however because their diet includes warm-blooded animals they are not deep diving seals. Leopard seals are awkward on land, however, their unusually large fore-flippers give them speed and agility in the water. They are sometimes preyed on by orca mens killer whales

Male leopard seals reach sexual maturity between age 6-7, females 3-7. Mating season lasts from November to February. Males are thought to be serially polygynous. Gestation lasts around 11 months, but implantation appears to be delayed for about 2 months. Most births occur in October and November. The female gives birth to a single pup weighing about 30 kg and about 1.6 m long and nurses for about a month. Males do not seem to participate in parental care. The life span of leopard seals is about 26 years.

Snow Leopard

2011-07-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

Body Length(mm) -900-1350

Weight (kg) - 50 average

Litter Size - 2-3 average

Life Span - 15-18

Status - Endangered

U.u.uncia - Asia, Mongolia, Russia

U.u.uncioides - China, Himalayas

There are three main reasons that snow leopards are in trouble. The first reason is that the bones, skin and organs of large cats are valuable in traditional Asian medicine. Tigers are the prefered species for this purpose, but tigers are so rare that it is almost impossible to find one in the wild so snow leopards are substituted for tigers. When you consider that the people who live near snow leopards often earn less than 300 dollars per year and that a poacher can get perhaps $200 for a dead snow leopard (though a middleman can resell it for up to $10,000), it isn’t hard to understand why snow leopards are at risk.

Due to the often-harsh weather conditions that prevail, cubs are always born in the spring, with mating taking place some three months earlier in late winter. This ensures that a food source is abundant and less effort is needed to secure a kill. The litter size is usually between 1-4 (typically two) cubs and they are born after a gestation period of approximately 98 days. The cubs weigh between 320-708g at birth - have a daily average weight gain of approximately 48g per day and stay with their mothers until they are over 18 months old.

Mammoth

2011-07-02T04:17:00.000-07:00

Mammuthus primigenius is more commonly known as the Wooly Mammoth. This Ice Age mammal is similar to a mastodon, but with larger tusks and a sloping back. Even at nine feet tall, it is small for a mammoth.
Mammuthus primigenius has a trunk that is somewhat shorter that that of its cousin the elephant. The trunk ends in two fingers, which the Wooly Mammoth uses to bring food to its mouth. The tusks are larger than those of either an elephant or a mastodon and can be used to clear the snow off of its food. These tusks are curved and extend almost down to the ground to reach low-lying bushes.
The Wooly Mammoth's ability to find food beneath snow and ice made it possible for it to live on the tundra of Europe, Asia, and North America during the Ice Age. Even during the harsh winters, the Wooly Mammoth could find grass and moss under the snow. Wooly Mammoths can also forage for tree bark and other foods typically found above the snow.
Since the Wooly Mammoth prefers to live in colder climates, its coat is made up of a double layer of thick, coarse fur over a three-inch layer of fat. The Wooly Mammoth sheds its fur at the beginning of the summer and regrows it in time for the next winter. An extra hump of fat just behind the animal's skull is built up over the summer and used for nutrition when food is scarce during the winter.

Because of their build, Wooly Mammoths are able to travel long distances if necessary. This explains how their geographical range grew so large. Herds of mammoths will migrate with the seasons in search of forage. When forage grows scarce, they rely on their fatty humps to survive.
The decline in the numbers of wild wooly mammoths coincides with the rise of humans. Very early humans recorded their mammoth hunts on cave walls. Humans are more clever and effective than the Wooly Mammoths' natural predators, such as the Sabre-tooth Cats. As humans began to hunt them in earnest, the Wooly Mammoth herds began to disappear.

This is the teeth sample of mammoth.

Horseshoe Crab

2011-06-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

Horseshoe crabs, common along the Delaware coast, have evolved little in the last 250 million years. Still, they have survived because of their hard, curved shells, which have made it difficult for predators to overturn them and expose their soft, vulnerable underbellies. The horseshoe crab has also survived because it can go a year

without eating and endure extreme temperatures and salinity.The Delaware Bay region is home to the largest population of the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus),which is found along the western shores of the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to the Yucatan. Another three species live in the coastal waters from Japan to Indonesia.Once called "Horsefoot Crabs" because of the resemblance of its shell to a horse hoof, the Horseshoe Crab isn't really a crab. Related to scorpions, ticks and land spiders, horseshoe crabs have their own classification (Class Merostomata).
Horseshoe crabs, common along the Delaware coast, have evolved little in the last 250 million years. Still, they have survived because of their hard, curved shells, which have made it difficult for predators to overturn them and expose their soft, vulnerable underbellies. The horseshoe crab has also survived because it can go a year
without eating and endure extreme temperatures and salinity.The Delaware Bay region is home to the largest population of the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), which is found along the western shores of the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to the Yucatan. Another three species live in the coastal waters from Japan to Indonesia.Once called "Horsefoot Crabs" because of the resemblance of its shell to a horse hoof, the Horseshoe Crab isn't really a crab. Related to scorpions, ticks and land spiders, horseshoe crabs have their own classification (Class Merostomata).Click here to visit a new website from the University or Delaware College of Marine Studies devoted to the Horseshoe Crab.

Each spring during the high tides of the new and full moons, thousands of horseshoe crabs descend on the Delaware Bay shoreline to spawn.
Males, two-thirds the size of their mates, cluster along the water's edge as the females arrive. With glove-like claws on its first pair of legs, the male hangs on to the female's shell and is pulled up the beach to the high tide line.
The female pauses every few feet to dig a hole and deposit as many as 20,000 pearly green, birdshot-sized eggs. The male then fertilizes the eggs as he is pulled over the nest. After the spawning is complete, the crabs leave and the waves wash sand over the nest.

Horseshoe Crab Facts & Figures

Despite their size and intimidating appearance, horseshoe crabs are not dangerous.

A horseshoe crab's tail, while menacing, is not a weapon. Instead, the tail is used to plow the crab through the sand and muck, to act as a rudder, and to right the crab when it accidentally tips over.

The horseshoe crab's central mouth is surrounded by its legs and while harmless, it is advisable to handle a horseshoe crab with care since you could pinch your fingers between the two parts of its shell while holding it.
Horseshoe crabs have 2 compound eyes on the top of their shells with a range of about 3 feet. The eyes are used for locating mates.
Horseshoe crabs can swim upside down in the open ocean using their dozen legs (most with claws) and a flap hiding nearly 200 flattened gills to propel themselves.
Horseshoe crabs feed mostly at night and burrow for worms and mollusks. They will, however, feed at any time.
Horseshoe crabs grow by molting and emerge 25 percent larger with each molt. After 16 molts (usually between 9 and 12 years) they will be fully grown adults.
Horseshoe crab eggs are important food for migratory shore birds that pass over the Delaware Bay during the spring mating season. Fish also eat the juveniles or recent molts.
In the 1900s, horseshoe crabs were dried for use as fertilizer and poultry food supplements before the advent of artificial fertilizers.
The medical profession uses an extract from the horseshoe crab's blue, copper-based blood called lysate to test the purity of medicines. Certain properties of the shell have also been used to speed blood clotting and to make absorbable sutures.

Walruses

2011-06-27T00:11:00.000-07:00

Type:Mammal

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:Up to 40 years

Size:7.25 to 11.5 ft (2.2 to 3.5 m)

Weight:Upto1.5 tons (1.4 metric tons)

Group name:Herd

Protection status:Endangered

Habitat:Russia,coastal areas from northeastern to Alaska.

Appearance-The Walrus's skin is dark brown and wrinkled with little stiff hairs sticking out.Young calves usually have more hair then adults. A walrus's skin is very tough and thick and a polar bear must work very hard to chew through the skin of a dead walrus for food. Walruses molt their skin. Walrus tusks can be very big. Male tusks can be up to 4 ft. and females can be up to 2 ft. Adult males weigh 900 kg. and measure about 3.1m. Female adults weigh about 560 kg. and measure about 2.6m. The Pacific walrus is slightly bigger than the Atlantic. A Walrus is actually an overgrown seal.Walruses are surrounded with wiskers and they smell their food around them with their whiskers. A walruses eyes are very small and it's head looks like it's too big for it's body.

Habitat-Most walruses live in the Alaskan Sea, the Chuckuchi Sea, Bristol Bay, the Bering Sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Sea, the Arctic Sea, Rocky shores, icefloats and icecaps. Most walruses migrate in the spring and fall so they can follow the food.

Food-Most Walruses eat worms, snails, crabs, clams, seals, shellfish and mussels. Walruses can eat 3,000-6,000 lbs. at both of their 2 meals every day. Some Walruses also eat seals and small whales. The way walruses find food is they anchor them selves at the bottom of the ocean with their tails and then blow all the dust away so they can find food with their whiskers.

Enemies-The walruses enemies are ice, killer whales, people and polar bears. Ice is it's enemy because it can slip on it. The killer whale and the polar bears are the only animals that can chew through it's tough skin. A polar bear must work hard to chew through the a dead walrus's skin so he can eat his insides for food. Walruses are hunted for their skins by hunters from Norway, Russia, Great Britan, Greenland, Canada and the United States of America. Walruses will dive into the water at the slightest human scent.

Life Cycle-Walrus babies are called calves. They stay with their mother for 2 years. Calves are born every three years during May or June. When the calf's born it's a grayish silver but quickly turns to brown. When calves are born they weigh 85-150 lbs. Breeding occurs in February or March but the fetus dosnt start to grow till June. The mother walrus stores the milk in the fat parts of its body the first year after the calf is born. This helps the calf grow well. Most walruses live 16-30 years. Calves born approximately every three years are nursed upside down. Air sacks in female walrus's necks help them to nurse with their heads out of the water.

The mustached and long-tusked walrus is most often found near the Arctic Circle, lying on the ice with hundreds of companions. These marine mammals are extremely sociable, prone to loudly bellowing and snorting at one another, but are aggressive during mating season. With wrinkled brown and pink hides, walruses are distinguished by their long white tusks, grizzly whiskers, flat flipper, and bodies full of blubber.

Walruses use their iconic long tusks for a variety of reasons, each of which makes their lives in the Arctic a bit easier. They use them to haul their enormous bodies out of frigid waters, thus their "tooth-walking" label, and to break breathing holes into ice from below. Their tusks, which are found on both males and females, can extend to about three feet (one meter), and are, in fact, large canine teeth, which grow throughout their lives. Male walruses, or bulls, also employ their tusks aggressively to maintain territory and, during mating season, to protect their harems of females, or cows.

The walrus' other characteristic features are equally useful. As their favorite meals, particularly shellfish, are found near the dark ocean floor, walruses use their extremely sensitive whiskers, called mustacial vibrissae, as detection devices. Their blubbery bodies allow them to live comfortably in the Arctic region—walruses are capable of slowing their heartbeats in order to withstand the polar temperatures of the surrounding waters.

The two subspecies of walrus are divided geographically. Atlantic walruses inhabit coastal areas from northeastern Canada to Greenland, while Pacific walruses inhabit the northern seas off Russia and Alaska, migrating seasonally from their southern range in the Bering Sea—where they are found on the pack ice in winter—to the Chukchi Sea. Female Pacific walruses give birth to calves during the spring migration north.

Only Native Americans are currently allowed to hunt walruses, as the species' survival was threatened by past overhunting. Their tusks, oil, skin, and meat were so sought after in the 18th and 19th centuries that the walrus was hunted to extinction in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and around Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Male walruses enjoy making sounds for females. The scientific name for the walrus is Odobenus Rosmarus Divergens. Some walruses migrate more than 3,000 km. a year to follow the food. Walruses are called pinnepeds sometimes. Male walruses are called bulls and females are called cows.

Did you know?

The walrus' scientific name, Odobenus rosmarus, is Latin for "tooth-walking sea-horse."

Grizzly Bear

2011-06-26T23:43:00.000-07:00

The range of the grizzly bear once covered most of the western United States, Canada, and Mexico. Relentless human expansion and hunting has diminished the bears habitat to Alaska, western Canada, and a handful of northwest states. In the United States there are grizzly bears in reserves in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington.Grizzly bear habitat includes a wide range of territories. They can be found in valleys, brush meadows, mountains, and dense forests. They also live near rivers and coastal areas since they like fish.

The grizzly bear is a North American subspecies of the brown bear.These awe-inspiring giants tend to be solitary animals—with the exception of females and their cubs—but at times they do congregate. Dramatic gatherings of grizzly bears can be seen at prime Alaskan fishing spots when the salmon run upstream for summer spawning. In this season, dozens of bears may gather to feast on the fish, craving fats that will sustain them through the long winter ahead.Brown bears dig dens for winter hibernation, often holing up in a suitable-looking hillside. Females give birth during this winter rest and their offspring are often twins.

Grizzly bears are powerful, top-of-the-food-chain predators, yet much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to moose.Grizzlies are typically brown, though their fur can appear to be white-tipped, or grizzled, lending them their traditional name.
Despite their impressive size, grizzlies are quite fast and have been clocked at 30 miles (48 kilometers) an hour. They can be dangerous to humans, particularly if surprised or if humans come between a mother and her cubs. Grizzly bear paw prints will have partial or full nail prints with the tips measuring up to 4 inches. The print of the base will be more oval versus a rounded base.

Life span: About 20 to 30 years.

Diet: Omnivore

How big is a grizzly bear? Size is up to 4 feet when on all four paws. Standing height up to 7 feet.
Weight: 350 to 800 pounds for male bears, and roughly 25% less for females. Weight depends on what they eat, where they live, and season.

Hibernation: At the end of summer grizzlies eat as much as possible to accumulate additional fat for the winter. They enter their dens and hibernate. Grizzly hibernation is a light sleep. They can awaken anytime if disturbed.
Breeding: Mating season occurs for a few months in the middle of summer. Grizzly bear cubs are born in the late winter and spring like most bears of the world. A litter of twins is most common. Mother and cubs stay in their den until spring.
Range: Grizzly bears can migrate long distances. In fact many have been recorded to roam several hundred miles. They migrate to find food sources. Distances covered are reduced if food is more abundant, such as in parts of Alaska where salmon sources are plentiful.

Bird of Paradies Part-1

2011-06-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

There are more than three dozen species in the family Paradisaeidae, more commonly known as the birds of paradiseMost are distinguished by striking colors and bright plumage of yellow, blue, scarlet, and green. These colors distinguish them as some of the world's most dramatic and attractive birds. The facts about these birds are as extra-ordinarily as their mythology. All in all there are 43 species and they live in the remote mountainous jungle of New Guinea. Any self-respecting highlanders used these feathers for his or hers decoration. Scientist think they are distance cousins of starlings. Their sizes are from thrush to crow.These birds also lend their name to a colorful flower. South Africa's bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is a member of the banana family. It sports a beautiful flower believed to resemble the avian bird of paradise in flight.The name 'Birds of Paradise' came from the idea that they floated in heavenly paradise and therefore don't need any wings or limbs. Because the birds were so illusive that they were only found when they died and fell to earth. That is when the highlanders of New Guinea found the birds, hence the belief. A further reason gave the belief credibility that the highlanders presented the birds with the feathers on the skin and no wings . These birds are rarely seen and especially when they display their plumes in courtship.Birds of paradise are found in New Guinea and surrounding islands. The manucodes and riflebirds species also dwell in Australia. Birds of paradise are so attractive that their appearance once made them the target of skin hunters, who decimated some species.

WESTERN PAROTIA:-
The male is more colorfull than the female.
The western parotia is a blackbird with a shining top on its head. It clears the floor and when the female surround him he starts to dance. At first he hops around strangely. When it gets more exited it spread his feather to create a cloak. Then he bobs up and down and hops on the spot, at the same time jerking its head from side to side to whirl a ring of quills which stick out of its head.The whole performance is so unlike a bird's behaviour but the female seemed to be impressed and the best dancers get the lady. Furthermore, the juveniles practising before they watch the masters. They spent several years before their dance routine is perfect. Then they too take the centre stage.The traders brought these feathers back since the 15th century to Europe. The real climax came in the 19th century when it was the most fashionable thing to decorate the bonnets with the feather of the these birds.

Colossal squid

2011-06-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

Colossal Squid,is also known as the Giant Cranch or Antartic Squid.Measuring longer than a school bus it measured around 26 feet (8 meters) long and weighed about 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms), but scientists believe the species may grow as long as 46 feet (14 meters),Sporting tentacles covered in razor-sharp hooks, the colossal squid is the stuff of nightmares. However, new research suggests the enormous sea creature may not be the fierce hunter of legend.Colossal squid lives some 3,000 to 6,000 feet (914 to 1,830 meters) beneath the Antarctic sea.

Squid is a effective predator:-The colossal squid is a predator, and it hovers in the dark depths of the ocean looking for prey. We know that colossal squid eat toothfish the squid on display was hauled up on a toothfish, still attached to the fish it had been eating. Toothfish caught on longlines often show signs of squid damage. Adult toothfish can grow up to two metres long, so the colossal squid is clearly a capable hunter, even in the dark.

Eye:-Marine scientists studying the carcass of a rare colossal squid said that they had measured its eye at about 11 inches (28 centimeters) across—bigger than a dinner plate—making it the largest animal eye on Earth.with a lens as big as an orange, was found intact as the scientists examined the creature while it was slowly defrosted at New Zealand's national museum.

Feeding:-The colossal squid's beak is essentially its mouth. It is at the center of the ring of arms and tentacles.The beak has an upper part and a lower part, like that of a parrot, but with the lower part overlapping the upper one (kust like the parrot's is the other way around).The strong, sharp beak slices through the prey's flesh, reducing it to small pieces that pass into the buccal bulb,a mass of muscle that operates the beak. The food is further shredded by the rows of teeth on the radula, and the teeth that line the palatine palps.The chopped-up food goes through the narrow oesophagus (throat) which passes through the doughnut-shaped brain, then it goes into the stomach and caecum, where it is digested.One toothfish may sustain a colossal squid for several days.

Neither Lion nor Tiger but LIGER, Confused?

2011-06-21T04:03:00.000-07:00

The liger is a big cat born from the cross breeding of a male lion and a female tiger. This combination produces an offspring with more lionistic features than if the reverse pairing had occured. That would produce a more tigeristic creature known as a tigon. Both are members of genus Panthera.There is no scientific name assigned to this animal because of it’s human assisted ancestory.

A liger looks like a giant lion with muted stripes but like thier tiger ancestors, ligers like swimming. This goes against the nature of a lion but is what makes creature special. It gets the best of both parents. That is not always the case though with crossbreeds. Sometimes the results go the other way and the animal gets the worst of both parents. That would suck! Enjoy the site and I hope you fall in love with the liger, even if you don’t agree with the science… remember it’s not the liger’s fault.

Male ligers are sterile but female ligers can reproduce. The 10 feet Liger who’s still growing…

On a typical day he will devour 20lb of meat, usually beef or chicken, and is capable of eating 100lb at a single setting.Ligers are not able to live in the wlid,because of there huge body structure,they are not able to hide in the forest.They can't run fast as compared to lion or tiger.Normally,seen that the average speed is 50mph.Normally,they are depend on human.

Humpback Whales an endangered species

2011-06-20T04:55:00.000-07:00

Humpback Whales are endangered species on the earth,there are only between 30,000 and 40,000 humpback whales remain in the world. This is about one-third the number of whales that originally roamed the seven seas. It is important to protect humpback whales.

Humpback Whales belong to the group of whales known as rorquals, a group that includes the Blue Whale, Fin Whale, Bryde's Whale, Sei Whale, and Minke Whale.

Rorquals have 2 characteristics in common:

dorsal fins on their backs, and ventral pleats running from the tip of the lower jaw to the navel area.They are characterised by the possession of baleen plates for sieving the krill upon which they feed.Humpback Whales are regular visitors to the waters between Hervey Bay and Fraser Island.Many humpback whales arrive in Hervey Bay from late July and remain until November when they begin their return to the southern ocean.Mothers and calves are a common sight for whale watching visitors. Responsible cruise operators are dedicated to keeping whales off the endangered species list.Humpback whales eat krill, which is a tiny shrimp.

Size :-

Adult male humpback whales are between 40 and 48 feet long. Females are slightly longer, averaging between 45-50 feet. Adult humpbacks weigh between 25-40 tons and eat one and one-half tons of krill daily. Krill are tiny crustaceans similar to shrimp.Female humpback whales give birth to babies that are 10 to 15 feet long at birth and weigh around 2,000 pounds, one ton. The female is pregnant for 12 months and then nurses her calf for another year. She can give birth to a baby calf about once every three years.

Humpback whales can be found in all of the earth's seas. Except for one group of humpback whales that live in the Arabian Sea, these whales follow an annual migration. They go to the cooler temperate and polar oceans to feed in the summer and then swim south to the tropical seas to mate and give birth to their calves in winter.Hunting is not the only reason that the humpback whale is endangered. The destruction of their habitat also contributes to the disappearance of these animals e.g. humpback whales migrate from Mexico, Hawaii, and Japan to Alaska's Glacier Bay to feed on krill during the summer. This bay receives runoff from the waters that flow through the Tongass Forest. As long as it was a protected wilderness area, the bay was safe. However, since 2003, when the Healthy Forests Initiative opened 9 million acres of this forest to logging, the bay is at risk from runoff that contains sediment and nitrates from logging. This has the potential to kill the krill.

Giant Manta Rays

2011-05-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

The giant manta,Manta birostris,means devil ray, Atlantic manta, and the Pacific manta, are the most largest of the rays and are closely related to sharks. These harmless, majestic creatures have short tails and no stinging spines. They are very acrobatic and are able to leap high from the water. Remoras external link are frequently seen,with mantas near the mouth and even inside the gill cavities, hanging out to feed on parasites on the manta's body and bits of the manta's food.

The Manta genus is what is commonly thought of as manta rays. There is also a Mobula genus that are smaller bottom-dwelling rays. To confuse things even further, two of the Mobula species, Mobula mobular and Mobula hypostoma, are also commonly referred to as the devil fish and lesser devil ray, respectively.

It was previously thought that three species of giant manta existed:

1) Manta birostris - Atlantic manta ray
2) Manta hamiltoni - Pacific manta ray
3) Manta alfredi - Prince Alfred's manta ray

Recent studies of genetic samples, however, show that they are all the same species - Manta birostris.
These graceful swimmers swim by moving their wing-like pectoral fins, which can grow up to 9 external link m wide, but average about 6.7 external link m. The largest weigh about 1,350 external link kg. Mantas are dark brown to black on the dorsal side with pale margins; they are mostly white on the ventral side.

World Range & Habitat:
Giant mantas are found in temperate and tropical waters near continents and islands of all oceans. They are known to migrate around the world in search of plankton-rich waters.

Feeding Behavior:
Giant manta rays are primarily plankton feeders. They use the unfurled cephalic (head) fins on the head (which look like horns when they are not feeding) to funnel plankton-rich water into the mouth where gill rakers filter out the plankton. Some small crustaceans and fish may complement the diet. Like other filter feeders, manta rays have reduced, nonfunctional teeth. They are no threat to larger ocean animals unless threatened; their only defense is their size and large powerful wings. Mantas do not have venomous spines on the tail. According to Yapese external link myth, mantas can wrap their wings around humans to squeeze them to death, but this is untrue. They can, however, pack a very powerful punch with their wings.

Life History:
Giant mantas reproduces via aplacental viviparity, also called ovoviviparity, where the young hatch from eggs inside the female's body. Yolk nourishes the pups instead of placenta. Females give birth to a 1-2 pups that measure about 1.2 external link m wide and weigh roughly 45 external link kg. Young mantas grow very rapidly.
During the mating season (December to late April in Yap), mantas gather in large numbers and several males can bee seen courting single females. The actual mating is done belly-to-belly. A few months later, 1-2 manta pups are born rolled up like tubes. They become active as soon as they have rolled out their wings. The actual birth of a manta is something rarely seen by humans and it has only been captured on film once.On Yap external link, the young mantas are sometimes seen in the waters surrounding the mangrove system where they take shelter during their infancy.
Mantas gather at cleaning stations—shallow prominences on the reef that shelter cleaner fish. As mantas approach, small wrass and other cleaner fish pick off parasites and clean debris from their surface wounds. At San Benedicto, brilliant red clarion idol fish risk the shelter of the reef and cross the open water gap to waiting mantas. Since the remora fish tend to concentrate the manta ray’s parasites on their body, we often observe the clarion idols picking at the bodies and tails of the remoras as seen in the accompanying photo.
Mantas form a single-file train over the reef during mating. Twenty males may chase a single female. When she makes the final selection, she allows the male(s) to bite onto her long fin tip and slide beneath her for abdomen-to-abdomen copulation.

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