The Jungle Store

Hyenas Can Be Pests

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:34:00 +0000

Hyenas are famous scavengers, but they actually kill and eat several birds, lizards, snakes and insects. In Africa, hyenas and humans come in contact so frequently that the Maasai people actually leave their dead to be eaten by hyenas. However, the hyenas also raid food stores and crops and often kill livestock and sometimes even humans. Because of these incidents, the hyena is thought of as a pest. While many think that the hyena is related to the dog, it's actually more closely related to the cat.

Falcons Swoop Fast

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Peregrine falcons are one of the world's most common birds of prey, living on all continents except Antarctica. They hunt from the sky, and after seeing their prey, they drop down at 200 miles an hour to swoop up their next meal.

Diving Seals Take A Nap

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:47:00 +0000

When elephant seals migrate from California to the mid-Pacific and around Alaska, they can spend two to eight months without stopping. Because there's no land to bask in the sun on and the seabed is miles below the surface, scientists didn't know how they slept during this period. However, a new study shows that elephant seals may use their long dives — sometimes up to 984 feet — to take a little nap. During the dives, they lay back and allow themselves to sink.

Arctic Foxes Survive Everyday Blizzards

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:10:00 +0000

The Arctic Fox can survive in some of the harshest climates, as cold as –58°F (-50°C). Its white coat camouflages well against any arctic tundra. In the summer, its coat changes to a brown or gray color to adapt to the fox's surroundings. In order to stay out of blizzards, the arctic fox lives in burrows; however, sometimes it creates tunnels in the snow for shelter.

Ferrets Sleep the Day Away

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Black-footed ferrets sleep up to 21 hours a day, and mostly hunt during the night. They mainly prey on prairie dogs, hunting them in burrows and taking their shelter. Due to a government-assisted wipeout of prairie dog towns in the 20th century (because their underground burrows are destructive to farmers' fields), the black-footed ferret also suffered from lack of food and shelter. As a result, the animal is still endangered.

Hear Tigers Roar

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:43:00 +0000

At one point, there were eight tiger subspecies, and now there are only five. In the last 100 years, tiger populations have gone from hundreds of thousands to around 1,500. All of the remaining five subspecies are endangered because of hunting and deforestation issues.

Bonus Fact: A tiger's roar can be heard as far as 2 miles away.

Butterflyfish Camouflage With Patterns

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:31:00 +0000

There are over 114 species of butterflyfish. Most of them have intricate patterns with beautiful colors. These patterns work to their advantage too. Many have dark bands near their eyes, and dots on their flanks that make it hard for predators to figure out which end is their face. At night, butterflyfish stay in dark crevices where their colors camouflage with the natural reef surroundings.

The Pesty Cane Toad

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:48:00 +0000

The venomous cane toad was originally let out into the Australian wild in 1935 because scientists believed that they could help control the destructive cane beetle population. Unfortunately, the toads weren't very good at controlling beetles; however, they were quite good at reproducing themselves. When they were first released, there were about 3,000 of them; now there are over a million. Today they are considered pests, and the Australian government encourages the collection and disposal of them. Their venom can be painful, but very rarely does it kill humans.

Pandas Love Bamboo

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:44:00 +0000

The giant panda loves bamboo. On average, a single panda eats up to 28 pounds a day. It often takes them 12 hours to do so, and because of all that eating, the panda also spends a lot of time relieving itself — more than a dozen times a day. Talk about a feeding frenzy!

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:47:00 +0000

Porcupines have soft hair, but they have sharp quills mixed in on their back, sides and tail. The quills of Africa's crested porcupine can even grow up to a foot long.

Dwarf Lemur's Ghostly Features

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:17:00 +0000

Because of the Halloween holiday, I decided to write about the lemur. The word lemur actually means ghost. These ghostly creatures are nocturnal, emerging after sunset and returning to their nests at dawn. There are five families of lemurs, but the dwarf lemur is the smallest. They spend most of their time in the trees and are very active.

Find Love and Friendship in the Coy Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:35:00 +0000

Coy fish are widely cultivated in China and Japan. Their name comes from the word ‘Koi’, which means ‘carp’ in Japanese. They are found in several colors, including white, black, red, blue and yellow. Their price range depends on their rarity and their particular color pattern, making them sometimes worth thousands of dollars. Both the colorful and dull grey varieties of Coy fish represent love and friendship in Japan.

Baltimore Orioles Protect Young

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:46:00 +0000

The Baltimore oriole is Maryland's state bird, and also the name of its professional baseball team. Female Baltimore orioles create unique, hanging nests for their eggs. When they hatch, both parents feed and protect their young for up to two weeks.

Pictured: A father oriole is taking care of its young.

Massive Anacondas

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:01:00 +0000

The Green Anaconda is the largest snake in the world. Some are longer, but the anaconda's 29-foot-long body, combined with its weight of up to 550 pounds, make it the largest. In fact, when an anaconda is born, it's already 2 feet long.

Giraffes' Height: A Blessing and An Obstacle

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world. Their legs alone stand at about 6 feet, making a giraffe anywhere from 14 to 19 feet tall. Because of these long legs, giraffes can run for up to 35 miles per hour. They also can find food where many other animals can't; however, they still have to travel long distances to feed their diet of hundreds of pounds of leaves each week. Although giraffes get most of their water from the leaves they chew, these animals still need a drink every couple of days. This can be a hard task because they have to bend in an awkward position to reach any watering hole, leaving them as an easy target for predators. Their height also creates an obstacle for a giraffe when it's born. Because they give birth standing up, an infant gets dropped about 5 feet when it is comes out into the world. They're tough, however, because within 30 minutes they can stand.

Adopt a Crittercam Animal

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:03:00 +0000

Did you know that you can adopt a crittercam animal? Scientists learn how to protect endangered animals by studying their behaviors and the habitats they live in. And the only way to do that is by following them with a camera. Donate and watch a Humpback Whale, Elephant, Gray Seal, Loggerhead Turtle or White Shark in their environment. You can learn new animal behaviors and support scientific research with your donations. Check it out at NationalGeographic.com.

Unique Zebra Stripes

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:44:00 +0000

The zebra has the most distinctive coat out of any animal. Their stripes are unique to each animal — just like fingerprints to humans — no two are alike. Scientists believe that these stripes are used as a form of camouflage, maybe so that these stripes can make it hard for predators to identify a single zebra in a herd. Or the stripes may discourage insects that only see large areas of single-colored fur.

Bears Have Fun Too

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:42:00 +0000

Last Thursday, a black bear walked into a Hayward, Wis. grocery store and headed straight to the liquor department. The 125-pound bear walked into the beer cooler and climbed a 12-foot shelf. After about an hour on the shelf, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources removed it from the store. Luckily, there was no one in the liquor department at the time, and even better, not a single beer bottle was broken! Watch the footage from the surveillance cameras here.

Michael Vick Upsets Animal Rights Activists

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:06:00 +0000

As Michael Vick suits back up in his Philadelphia Eagles gear after spending 18 months in prison for his association with dog fighting, many animal rights activists are upset. And I’m one of them.

While I understand that there are legality issues involved that deter the NFL from banning him from the league, I’m more angry at the fans. As a pit bull owner (read Pit Bull Terriers Can Be Your Best Friend Too), I’m appalled that football fans are still wearing his jersey and forgiving him for what he did to all of those innocent dogs. The actual dog fights seemed like the least harmful crime he committed. The worst was the way he treated these animals to prepare them for fights. Confining dogs to small dark places, not feeding them, and allowing them to be raped by other dogs were among many things Vick and his entourage did to “toughen” up these dogs. Thankfully, the dogs have been put in animal shelters, and many pit bull lovers have adopted them in the past year and a half.

If you’re interested in adopting a pit bull, visit the Pit Bull Rescue Central website. These dogs are just as loving as any other breed; it’s the misuse of them that give them a bad reputation. And because of that, I could never respect Michael Vick or those who support him.

Pictured above are two photos of my loving dog, Sahara.

Prized Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:37:00 +0000

The Atlantic bluefin tuna is one of the world's largest, fastest and most colorful fish. It has a torpedo-shaped body built for speed. Humans have been eating this fish for hundreds of years, but in the 1970s, demand for them went up. Since then, they have been a prize among sport fishers. In fact, in January 2001, a 444-pound bluefin tuna sold in Japan for $173,600 (a world record).

Bald Eagles Steal Food

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Eagles are famous birds of prey; however, they actually get a lot of their meals by scavenging or stealing the kill of other animals. In fact, this thievery is a big reason why Ben Franklin argued against the bird being used as the United State's national symbol.

Bonus fact: The largest bald eagle nest was 9.5 feet wide and 20 feet high, weighing more than two tons!

Tasmanian Devils Strictly Carnivorous

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:23:00 +0000

The tasmanian devil, just like in the Looney Tunes cartoons, is known for going into a crazy rage when threatened by a predator. It is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world, reaching 30 inches in length and up to 26 pounds. It is strictly carnivorous, eating snakes, birds, fish and insects. Because it’s a marsupial, when a tasmanian devil is well fed, its tail swells up to store fat. Unfortunately, a horrible illness (a rare contagious cancer) discovered in the mid-1990s has killed thousands of Tasmanian devils.

Male Boars Keep to Themselves

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:54:00 +0000

Wild boars live in family herds of up to 50 females and youngsters. The young male always forms a bachelor group; however, the older male remains solitary except for during mating season. At age four, a male will usually join a female herd fighting off whoever challenges his position. Boars fight using their tusks to cut at each other’s shoulders.

Pikas Live High

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Pikas live at extremely high elevations, collecting leaves and grasses each summer. They lay the vegetation outside to dry and then make separate hay piles to sustain themselves through winter. Unfortunately, pikas are being driven to higher elevations because of global warming. At these levels, there is less vegetation, which means less food for these feisty little mammals.

Source: Clif Ashley, Yosemite Park Park Ranger

Chinchillas by the Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Jungle Jane) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:12:00 +0000

Chinchillas poop up to 200 times a day, according to the San Francisco Aquarium by the Bay. When I was there, the chinchilla on display was not pooping; however, I don't understand how they have time to do much else!