Animal of the day

Eld's Deer - Magazine Fights to Undo Human's Damage

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:28:00 +0100

The eld's deer (Panolia eldii) is a species of deer that live within Asia. The animal weighs between 270 to 380 pounds (125 - 175 kg) and are typically between 60 to 70 inches long (150 - 180 cm) with males being slightly larger than females. The fur on the eld's deer changes colors with the seasons, turning dark brown in the winter and a dark red in the summer months. The most unique physical feature about this creature, however, are the horns. Unlike other deer horns which grow upwards, the eld's horns grow outwards and inward, resulting in antlers that resemble a half-pipe.

Because the horns of the deer are so unique, the panolia eldii is often hunted by humans who consider the creature prized game. This has resulted in the species becoming extremely threated, ranking "Endangered" on the conservation status scale. Sadly, despite the fact that hunting these animals is illegal, hunters continue to do so, occasionally even sneaking into wildlife preserves to do so. Because there are so few panolia eldi left in existence, this makes humans their number one predictor.

A well-known Indian magazine for children, known as Chandamama, has taken to fighting for the rights of the eld's deer. In the magazine, stories told from the deer's point of view are featured in an effort to teach young children kindness and understanding towards the animal. The hope is that, if children are taught to respect the creature from a young age, there will be less poachers hunting the panolia eldii in the future.

In the wild, the eld's deer would typically live in dry forest areas and feed upon plants such as grasses, crops, and fruit. Because there are so few eld's deer left, the majority of them reside on wildlife preserves. The Keibul Lamjao National Park in India has played a key role in bring this species back from the brink of extinction. At the time the species was considered endangered, there were only 14 known living deer. Now, nearly 40 years later, the park has raised that number to nearly 200.

Not all deers are protected however. In Thailand, despite the species being endangered, there are no laws setup in order to protect the eld's deer. This is due to low funding and lack of politicians willing to protect the animal. Many fear that if this doesn't change soon, the eld's deer could become extinct in the very near future.

Picture of the eld's deer by Karelj, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Lowland Streaked Tenrec - Uses Its Spines to Make Sounds

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:58:00 +0100

The lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) is a small mammal with huge yellow and black stripes. A tenrec is a hedgehog-like mammal with a long snout. The lowland streaked tenrec lives only on the island of Madagascar’s eastern side. Unlike most mammals in Madagascar, this one is not endangered.

That can soon change if Madagascar’s rainforests and marshes continue to be destroyed. Lowland streaked tenrecs eat insects, especially earthworms, which thrive in wooded areas near water. Although there are tenrecs in protected areas of Madagascar, biologists fear that tourists or curious natives could disturb their life and communications to the point where they may die from stress.

Physical Description

The lowland streaked tenrec has a body similar to a pygmy hedgehog, but has a long snout like an anteater. The snout is tipped in pink skin. The undersides of this little mammal are a chestnut brown, but on top they are striped like a bumblebee in yellow and black. Adults grow to only 6.3 to 7.48 inches (16 to 19 centimeters) long and weigh 3.17 to 7.76 ounces (90 to 220 grams.)

But it’s this little mammal’s large spines that are truly remarkable. The spines along the flanks and back serve a dual purpose. They not only help protect the tenrec against predators such as domestic dogs, mongooses, Malagasy civets or the fossa, but are also used for communicating with other tenrecs. When a tenrec wants to communicate, it rubs specific pale spines together to generate an ultrasonic squeak. The sound carries a long way underground, where tenrecs spend most of their lives.

Life Cycle and Behavior

Lowland streaked tenrecs enjoy the company of tight-knit family groups. As many as 20 tenrecs can live in a single burrow. These very shy animals are opportunists, being active in both day and night to get food. Females become sexually active at the tender age of 5 weeks. Mating season is from September to December. After a gestation of 55 to 63 days, females give birth to a litter of one to eight babies that weigh a mere 0.28 ounces (8 grams) each. She will suckle them for only 25 days.

Tenrecs hunt for insects aboveground and below ground, using their long snouts to poke through dead leaves or other litter. They usually go out in pairs or small groups for safety. With luck, a lowland streaked tenrec can live two and a half years.

Picture of the lowland streaked tenrec by cliff1066, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Tucuxi - Two Subspecies of South American Dolphin

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:01:00 +0100

The tucuxi (Sotalia fluviatilis) is also called the bufeo negro, the grey dolphin or the marine tucuxi dolphin. “Tucuxi” is pronounced “too koo she.” It is unknown how many of these rare dolphins are left. It is also unknown what natural predators feed on them except people. Many dolphins die due to water pollution and from getting caught in fisherman’s nets. Since dolphins need to breathe air, they soon drown in the nets. River dolphins can become stranded when rivers hit their lowest during the dry season.

There are two subspecies of the tucuxi and it is unknown whether they can interbreed. The riverine subspecies, Sotalia fluviatilis fluviatilis lives in freshwater rivers cutting through the tropical rain forest. The marine subspecies, Sotalia fluviatilis guianensis, lives in the coastal ocean waters off of Brazil, Ecuador, Columbia and Peru.

Physical Description

Both subspecies of tucuxi look like, except the marine subspecies is slightly larger than the freshwater. Adult marine tucuxi grow up to 86.61 inches long (220 centimeters) while freshwater tucuxi grow to a length of only 59 inches (150 centimeters.) Adults of the marine subspecies weigh an average of 99.2 pounds (45 kilograms) while the freshwater subspecies weighs only 77.16 pounds (35 kilograms.)

Both subspecies strongly resemble a small bottlenose dolphin, with a dolphin’s characteristic “grin.” The upper part of the body varies from a light grey to a blue-grey. The bottom part varies from a pinkish-white to a pearly white. White spots may appear on the tip of the triangular dorsal (top) fin and the tip of the nose. The dorsal fin is often hooked or curved at the top.

Life Cycle and Behavior

Tucuxi prefer to live in small pods or family groups from 15 to 50. The salt-water subspecies tend to live in larger pods. Males do fight for females, which then mate with more than one male if presented with the opportunity. Both subspecies eat fish and shellfish. Since the water is dark and hard to see through, they rely on echolocation in order to find prey and to navigate. Females of both subspecies have a gestation of 11 to 12 months and give birth to a single calf, often in November.

Tucuxi are most active at dawn and at dusk. They are less playful than other dolphin species, but sometimes leap out of the water. With luck, a tucuxi can live to be 35 years old. They do not do well in captivity.

Picture of the tucuxi by Archilider, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported and GFDL.

Two Talking Cats - and What They Are Saying

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:10:00 +0100

Very adorable video of two talking cats, they really seem to have a conversation. After you have watched it, watch also the next video, where you hear what they say in English, very funny...

In this video, you hear what they were saying in English, good video.

Ninja cat

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:01:00 +0100

This video has more than 11 million views, i cannot believe it.

This cat has mastered the old ninja skill of moving without moving...

Dog escaping from prison

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:47:00 +0100

Amazing footage of a dog escaping from its prison. Michael Scofield eat your heart out! Very clever, at the beginning of the video you wouldn't figure out how the dog would escape, right?

Wolfish pair

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:50:00 +0100

Imagine relaxing in the sea, together, resting in the coral, would you see this picture in your mind? Click the picture of this wolfish pair to watch the video.

Funniest animal videos

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:01:00 +0100

This is one of the funniest animal videos featuring funny cats and dog videos, Tyson the skateboarding dog, penguins and even a polar bear. I really like the funny cats in the beginning, I am curious what you think? Half of the clip is of Tyson the skateboarding dog, so if you get tired of him, you can stop watching... Have fun!