Amazing Animals Facts

Elephant Shrew

2013-12-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Elephant Shrew, a family of small-sized mammals found exclusively in Africa. Elephant Shrew known as the jumping shrew and can hop like rabbits using their long back legs.The family is made up of four genera and about 20 different species. Elephant shrews has a long, narrow snout, brownish with white underparts and have a white ring around each eye. Elephant Shrews live in grasslands, forests, rocky regions. Elephant shrews are very wary and well camouflaged animals, and are able to run away from danger extremely quickly.

Body length ranges from 3.5 to 12 inches (9 to 30 cm), not including the 3.2- to 10-inch (8- to 25-cm) tail. They are very active mostly during daytime and are always out for food hunting during daytime.

Amazing Hedgehog

2013-03-08T08:45:00.001-08:00

image credits :rodonews.ru

Hedgehog is the spiny mammals, after few hours of birth, Hedgehog started growing soft white thorns and after a week old, hedgehog started growing brown thorns in between white ones. It is really amazing that after five weeks 2000 thorns and grown up about 5000 spikes. Hedgehog protect themselves by curling into a tight ball and tucking in their heads, tail and legs.

Hedgehog can swim, climb, dig and run fast. In winters, Hedgehog go off to sleep and feed on their fat stored in their body during summer. It can smell very well and uses its nose more than eyes and find food with the of help its nose. There are 11 kinds of hedgehog, lives about 10 years and we can easily find them in Asia, Africa and Europe. It is also known to eat eggs, small mammals, birds, frogs, reptiles, fruit, fungi and roots. Although not completely immune to toxins, Hedgehogs have enough resistance to allow them to eat poisonous snakes. Isn't it amazing!

Amazing Chinese Paddlefish - Giant Panda of the Rivers

2012-08-05T05:53:00.000-07:00

Chinese Paddlefish, Psephurus gladius (simplified Chinese: 白鲟; traditional Chinese: 白鱘; pinyin: báixún), also known as Chinese Swordfish, are among the largest freshwater fish. It is one of two extant paddlefish species, the other being the American Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula). It is also called "elephant fish" (象魚; xiàngyú) because its snout resembles an elephant trunk. It is recorded sometimes in Classical Chinese as wěi-fish (鮪). More poetically, it is sometimes referred to as the "Giant Panda of the Rivers", not because of any physical resemblance to a panda, but because of its rarity and protected status.

The Chinese Paddlefish is the People's Republic of China's first-level protected animal. Its belly is white and back and head gray. They live mostly in the middle or lower part of the Yangtze (Chang Jiang), occasionally in large lakes. They feed on other fish, as well as small amounts of crabs and crayfish. Paddlefish are sexually mature at age seven or eight, with a typical body length of 2 metres and a weight of 25 kilograms. The Chinese paddlefish is also known as the elephant fish, because its long snout resembles an elephant's trunk. The snouts contain sensors that help them locate the small fish and crustaceans they survive on. Prized for their rich, plentiful meat, the giant animals are said to have been commonly offered as gifts to the Chinese emperor during imperial times.

California Condor

2012-07-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

On April 19, 1987 the last known California Condor to exist in the wild was taken into captivity. The California Condor is one of the rarest of all North American birds and one of the rarest birds in the world. In fact, during the first half of the century there were only 60 individual condors. Now there is less than 40 despite the conservation efforts that are put forth by biologists and other American authorities. Today the California Condor's range is limited to a small region that is north of Los Angeles. Soaring at speeds of 35-40 miles per hour the California Condor cleaned carrion from roads, ranches and beaches. There is absolutely no record of these magnificent birds attacking a living animal, however they were routinely shot, mostly by farmers and ranchers. Also California Condors were being exterminated by lead poisoning. However, zoologists are trying to change the condor's upcoming fate. Molloko is the first ever captive condor that was bred in captivity in history, born in April, 1988 at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Its future lies in the hands of captive breeding and when it gets older, reintroduction to the wild. Hopefully Molloko's story will help educate the public.

The California Condor is about 3-4 feet in length and varies in weight from 20-30 pounds. The California condor has a huge wingspan which is about 9-10 and a half feet. When nesting they nest in cracks of rocks and lay only one egg.

This bird's plumage is black with a tint of blue metallic reflections. It has white bars underneath its wing.

For more information about the recovery of these birds, visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park Condorminium. Another great resource, which includes the total number of California Condors in zoos and in the wild, and the history of the condor's plight can be found at the L.A. Zoo.

Bilby - Amazing Facts

2012-06-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

The bilby 'also known as the rabbit-eared bandicoot', is a rabbit-like marsupial. It lives in deserts, dry forests, dry grasslands, and dry shrubby areas in Australia. The bilby's pouch faces backwards. These big-eared, burrowing mammals are at risk of extinction.

The bilby, like all bandicoots, could be a nocturnal animal 'most active at night'. Digging with its sturdy, clawed feet, this solitary mammal excavates long, advanced burrows. Its underground dens are up to 1.5 m long.

The bilby is 38 cm long with 20 cm tail. Its sense of hearing and smell are glorious however its vision is poor.

The bilby is an omnivore 'eating plants and animals'. It eats insects 'like termites', lizards, mice, worms, snails, fruit, seeds, and a few plants. The bilby wants little or no water; it gets the water it wants from its food. It obtains food principally at dawn and at dusk.

The bilby is hunted by foxes and feral cats 'cats that have reverted to the wild'. The bilby retreats into its burrow for cover.

Marbled Murrelet Facts

2012-04-14T05:11:00.001-07:00

The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the auk family. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow. Scientists at Redwood National Park have established a connection between human presence in marbled murrelet territory and corvid predation of marbled murrelet chicks. Marbled murrelets do not breed until they are at least 2 years old. It's listed as a threatened species as a result of loss of habitat as old-growth forest is logged. Oil spills off the coast and gill-net fishing have additionally affected this bird adversely. Falcons and owls prey upon the marbled murrelet.

Eggs and Nests: The marbled murrelet could be a solitary nester. It nests high within the branches of old-growth trees. (Other murrelets nest in burrows.) Females lay only one egg in every clutch (a set of eggs laid at one time. Its eggs and chicks also are eaten by predators, as well as crows and ravens.

Diet: The marbled murrelet could be a carnivore (meat-eater). It eats tiny fish and invertebrates from the ocean. It hunts throughout the day (it is diurnal).

The populations in Washington, Oregon and California were listed as threatened in 1992 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to concerns about loss of nesting habitat, entanglement in fishing gear and oil spills.

The Marbled Murrelet is considered globally endangered,with some evidence of decline across its range over the last few decades. The biggest threat to the marbled murrelet was long considered to be loss of nesting habitat. Another factors including high predation rates due to human disturbances and climate-driven changes in ocean conditions are also considered important now.

credits: homocidalpenguin

Takahe /Porphyrio hochstetteri Facts

2012-04-11T05:11:00.002-07:00

The flightless Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri) is the largest living member of the Rallidae family. Its average weight is about 2.75 kg (6 lbs) Haggis' is a people-friendly female Takahe at Maud Island, a restricted-entry DoC island in Pelorus Sound. It is a stocky bird, with reduced wings, strong legs and a massive bill.

The Takahe could be a rare flightless bird found solely in New Zealand. it had been thought to be extinct within the 1800’s however was rediscovered 1948 in many remote valleys on South Island. It's a plumage of sensible blue and copper-green with giant red bill and a red frontal defend that protrudes out from its head. It feeds by stripping seeds from grasses. It nests on the bottom and lays 2 cream colored eggs with black blotches. The young are black in color with downy feathers.

Takahes are endangered because ,their habitat has been destroyed for agriculture and construction of buildings, roads, and dams. When New Zealand was 1st discovered by explorers, they brought in several other forms of animals and these animals hunted the Takahe. The Takahe, being flightless and unable to fly away when in peril was quickly destroyed, rather like the Dodo Bird.

Ibex Facts

2012-04-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Ibexes are wild goats found on high mountain meadows, slopes and rocks of Europe, northeastern Africa and Asia.Their forelegs are slighter shorter than hind legs with a height of three feet at the shoulder. each sexes have horns that curve backwards from the forehead. throughout the winter, their fur is yellowish brown whereas within the summer their fur turns to ashy gray.

Ibexes live apart in little flocks most of the time however throughout mating season they'll combine off. they're extraordinarily agile, ready to survive in cliffs and crags. they're known to leap up to lengths as so much as forty feet. they're herbivores and eat no matter inexperienced vegetation is found in their sparse landscape.

Ibexes became endangered thanks to the excessive looking by man for game and sport. Hunters contemplate it a feat to be ready to reach the inaccessible habitat within which they live in and kill the Ibexes as 'souvenirs'. The Alpine Ibex has become terribly rare and are protected underneath the Italian government. they need been introduced to varied elements of the planet appropriate for his or her living to extend their numbers.

Bed Bugs Facts

2012-04-04T03:20:00.000-07:00

Bed bugs, known scientifically as Cimex lectularius (Cimicidae) are little wingless insects that feed by hematophagy - completely on the blood of heat blooded-animals. As we have a tendency to are warm-blooded animals we have a tendency to are ideal hosts for them.

Over various years bed bugs have evolved as nest parasites - inhabiting the nests of birds and also the roosts of bats. a number of them have learnt to adapt to the human atmosphere and live in our nests, i.e. our homes, and additional specifically, our beds. Newborns, referred to as hatchlings or nymphs, are tiny, concerning the dimensions of a poppy seed, whereas adults grow to concerning ¼ of an in. long. Their form is oval and flattened. each nymphs, eggs and adults are visible to the naked eye.

They are referred to as bed bugs owing to their most popular habitat in human homes: sofas, bed mattresses and different soft furnishings.People who became sensitive to bed bug bites - their saliva - have lesions kind of like mosquito or flea bites. Most humans can assume they need been bitten by some insect, like a mosquito, and never notice who the true culprit was.

They will reach their host either by crawling straight towards them, or climbing a wall and then across the ceiling till they feel a heat wave - after they jump down onto their host. The bug is drawn to the host by each its heat and also the presence of C02 (carbon dioxide).

A bed bug pierces the skin of its host with what's referred to as a stylet fascicle

The Bird of Paradise Facts

2012-04-04T00:55:00.001-07:00

The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes.For reasons of camouflage plumage of the females typically blends well with their habitat, unlike the bright attractive colors found on the males. The diet of the birds-of-paradise is dominated by fruit and arthropods. The centre of bird-of-paradise diversity is the large island of New Guinea; all but two genera are found in New Guinea.
The males' vibrant plumage is utilized to attract females throughout their breeding season. The females are uninteresting brown with scattered brown specks. Courting males will strut around on a specific perch or a cleared spacing on the forest floor for hours, showing off their magnificent feathers of assorted shapes and sizes. once mating, the females will explode and make a nest on their own, taking care of the young unaided.

Some birds of paradise have any long tail and flank feathers trailing behind as they fly whereas some are adorned with vibrant feathers around the neck which could be erected to form ruffs.

Naturally, when explorers from various countries came to the land, the brightly coloured birds caught their attention. many were brought back to their homeland and also the Bird of Paradise feathers soon became a fashion statement. The trade in skins and feathers of the birds-of-paradise has been going on for two thousand years. The birds have been of considerable interest to Western collectors, ornithologists and writers as well. A number of species are threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

Chiff Chaff, Willow Warbler and Wood Warbler

2012-03-12T00:42:00.003-07:00

The Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) is a common and widespread leaf-warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia. A small insectivorous bird. The Chiffchaff is a small, dumpy, 10–12 centimetres (4 in) long leaf warbler.Greenish-brown above and off-white below, it is named onomatopoeically for its simple chiff-chaff song. The best way of distinguishing the Chiffchaff from the Willow Warbler is by their song. The Chiffchaff's song sounds like its name "chiff chaff" or "zilp zalp", while the Willow Warbler's song is a melodic rippling phrase that rises quickly before slowly dying away. The Chiff Chaff's and Willow Warbler's calls are almost identical, "hweet" or "hooeet".

In the autumn, both species rarely sing so the call is often the easiest way of finding the warbler.

Willow Warbler

Chiff Chaff

Wood Wabler

The small bird chiff chaff , the willow warbler and wood warbler have distinctly different songs. however, since they looked some what similar, it was thought that they wre all the same species.It was an English naturalist, Gilbert White , who first noticed that they were actually three different species. The differences in their songs acted like an isolating mechanism when the female wanted to atrract male during mating and this ensured that the species remained distinct.

Tyranausaurus Rex Facts

2012-02-04T23:33:00.000-08:00

Fossil_Tyranausaurus_Rex_at_the_Royal_Tyrell_Museum,_Alberta,_Canada

Tyrannosaurus rex was certainly one of the largest terrestrial carnivores of all time. The recently discovered Giganotosaurus carolinii and Carcharodontosaurus may have been even more enormous. Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest land carnivores of all time, measuring up to 43.3 feet long, and 16.6 ft tall, with an estimated mass that goes up to 7 tons.T. rex left footprints 1.55 feetlong (although its feet were much longer, about 3.3 feet long; Tyrannosaurus rex like other dinosaurs, walked on its toes). It had a stride length of up to 12 to 15 feet . T. rex may have run at up to 24 kph. Tyrannosaurus rex's jaws were up to 4 feet long and had 50 to 60 thick, conical, bone-crunching teeth that ranged in size from very small to over 9 inches long.

This meat-eater had a huge head with large, pointed, replaceable teeth and well-developed jaw muscles. T. rex could eat up to 500 pounds of meat and bones in one bite. Tyrannosaurus rex had a slim, stiff, pointed tail that provided balance and allowed quick turns while running T. rex's brain had a very large area in the brain for processing odors. Its body was solidly built but its bones were hollow. Fossils of T. rex have been found in North American rock formations dating to the last three million years of the Cretaceous Period at the end of the Maastrichtian stage, approximately 68.5 to 65.5 million years ago, it was among the last dinosaurs to exist prior to the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event.

Gaur or Seladang Facts

2012-01-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

The Malayan gaur is termed seladang, and also the Burmese gaur is termed pyoung. The seladang or otherwise spoken as gaur or forest buffalo are found in India, Burma and Malaysia. Their build is larger than the other wild cattle with shoulder heights of up to 6 feet or plenty of. they're serious bodied with a high ridge on the forepart of the rear and possess curved horns on their heads and white stockinged feet.

The gaur (Bos gaurus), conjointly spoken as Indian bison, may be a giant bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. They're conjointly explore for their meat and for sport.The species is listed on the IUCN Red List since 1986 because the population decline in components of the species' vary is probably going to be well over seventieth over the last 3 generations. Population trends are stable in well-protected areas, and are rebuilding during many areas that had been neglected.The gaur is that the largest species of untamed cattle, larger than the African buffalo, the extinct aurochs, and wild water buffalo. The domesticated variety of the gaur, Bos frontalis, is termed gayal or mithun. The bulls are dark brown or blackish in color whereas the cows and also the young are reddish brown.

Amazing Killer Whale

2011-12-14T02:30:00.000-08:00

The Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) is the fastest sea mammals. It speeds through the ocean at 45 kilometers per hour (km/hr). The killer whale hunts fish and larger mammals. It has a mouthful of pointed teeth shaped to hold slippery food like squid. A killer whale is also known as the Orca. They hunts in packs. So also known as wolves of the sea.

Killer whales are regarded as apex predators, lacking natural predators and preying on even large sharks. Like dolphins, orcas use echolocation i.e. bouncing sound off of objects to determine their location to hunt and use a series of high-pitched clicks to stun prey.
Orcas are very fast swimmers. They can swim up to 30 mph

Recent studies have found that orcas are among the most contaminated marine mammals in the world. Pollution and chemical contamination make orcas more susceptible to disease and likely cause reproductive difficulties.
The IUCN currently assesses the orca's conservation status as data deficient because of the likelihood that one or more killer whale types are separate species. Some local populations are considered threatened or endangered due to prey depletion, habitat loss, pollution.

Great White Sturgeon Facts

2011-12-13T02:23:00.000-08:00

The white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus also known as the Pacific sturgeon, Oregon sturgeon, Columbia sturgeon, Sacramento sturgeon, and California white sturgeon. It is the largest freshwater fish in North America and is the third largest species of sturgeon, after the Beluga and the Kaluga.
The white sturgeon has a slender, long body, head and mouth. This fish has no scales; instead it has large bony scutes that serve as a form of armor. A sturgeon's taste buds are located on the outside of its mouth. The underside is a clean white. It can smell food with four barbels, used for sensing food, near its huge toothless mouth.

White Sturgeon can live to be over 100 years old. White sturgeon in the Kootenai River are at such a low level that they were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1994.

In addition to overfishing, dams constructed along the Columbia and Snake Rivers have also become a threat to sturgeon.

Tribal fishery managers have experimented with spawning sturgeon artificially and raising sturgeon in hatcheries with the goal of releasing juvenile sturgeon in the upstream areas of the Columbia and Snake Rivers to help rebuild sturgeon populations in these areas. Initial results are promising.

Lice Facts

2011-12-11T22:25:00.000-08:00

Lice (singular: louse) Pediculosis capitis or head lice.

The order has traditionally been divided into two suborders, the sucking lice (Anoplura) and the chewing lice (Mallophaga)the Mallophaga are paraphyletic and four suborders are recently recognized:

Anoplura: sucking lice, occurring on mammals exclusively.

Rhyncophthirina: parasites of elephants and warthogs.

Ischnocera: mostly avian chewing lice- one family parasitizes mammals.

Amblycera: a primitive suborder of chewing lice, widespread on birds.

Most lice are scavengers, feeding on skin and other debris found on the host's body, but some species feed on sebaceous secretions and blood.

Head lice are tiny insects that live on the skin covering the top of your head, called the scalp. They are not dangerous and do not cause any bodily harm. Lice can be spread by close contact with other people. Head lice infect hair on the head. Tiny eggs on the hair look like flakes of dandruff. However, instead of flaking off the scalp, they stay put. Head lice can live up to 30 days on a human. Their eggs can live for more than 2 weeks.

Jellyfish Facts

2011-12-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

A jellyfish is 98% water. Jellyfish also known as jellies or sea jellies or a stage of the life cycle of Medusozoa are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria.

Medusa is another word for jellyfish. Jellyfish are classified in the phylum Coelenterata, which means they have a very simple body with a large center mouth where food comes in and waste goes out.

Jellyfish have tiny stinging cells in their tentacles to stun or paralyze their prey before they eat them. Sea turtles relish the taste of jellyfish.

Jellyfish are invertebrates and don't have a backbone. All jellyfish sting, but the stings of small specimens and those with short tentacles often are not painful to humans.

Even dead jellyfish can sting. One of the smallest adult jellies is the Australian Irukandji, which is about the size of a fingernail. The lion's mane jellyfish, Cyanea capillata, were long-cited as the largest jellyfish. The rarely-encountered deep-sea jellyfish Stygiomedusa gigantea is another solid candidate for 'largest jellyfish'.

Jellyfish are also harvested for their collagen, which can be used for a variety of applications including the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Most jellyfish do not have a brain or central nervous system, but employ a loose network of nerves, located in the epidermis, which is called a 'nerve net'.

Jellyfish are the favorite meal of many seaturtles. Jellyfish are fish-eating animals that float in the sea only a few jellyfish live in fresh water. They have soft bodies and long, stinging, poisonous tentacles that they use to catch fish. Venom is sent out through stinging cells called nematocysts.

Crows Facts

2011-12-08T04:09:00.000-08:00

Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae.

Crows are now considered to be among the world's most intelligent animals. Crows and ravens often score very highly on intelligence tests. Certain species top the avian IQ scale. Crows have been found to engage in feats such as tool use, the ability to hide and store food across seasons, episodic-like memory, and the ability to use individual experience in predicting the behavior of environmental conspecifics. Recent research suggests that crows have the ability to recognize one individual human from another by facial features. Crows make a wide variety of calls or vocalizations. Whether the crows' system of communication constitutes a language is a topic of debate and study.

Two species of crow have been listed as endangered by the US fish and wildlife services: The Alala and the Mariana Crow.

Millipedes Facts

2011-12-05T03:49:00.000-08:00

Millipedes / Diplopoda are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment.
Most millipedes are poisonous. This protects them from being eaten.
They are usually slow movers.
Centipedes move faster, and only have one pair of legs per segment. Millipedes were among the first animals to colonize the land.
Millipedes all have relatively short antennae with 8 segments.
The oldest know fossil millipede is probably Kampecaris tuberculata from Silurian Red Sandstone.
Most millipedes have very elongated cylindrical bodies, although some are flattened dorso-ventrally, while pill millipedes are shorter and can roll into a ball, like a pillbug.
Illacme plenipes which has an amazing 750 legs or 350 pairs.

Centipede Facts

2011-12-05T01:05:00.000-08:00

Centipede 'hundred legs' is the common name for any member of the arthropod class Chilopoda, comprising species with long, flattened bodies with many segments, and with one pair of jointed appendages on each segment except the last two. The appendages on the first segment take on the form of jaw-like, venomous claws with poison glands that are used in capturing prey. Centipedes are covered by a hard exoskeleton, made out of protein and a tough polysaccharide called chitin. Centipedes play key roles in food webs. moreover, the house centipede, which may be seen as a household pest to be exterminated, actually is one of the most beneficial creatures to inhabit human dwellings, consuming actual household pests like bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, and so on.

The largest centipede, Scolopendra gigas , also eats mice and some small lizards. Scolopendra gigas grows to be about 10 inches. House centipedes feed on spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish, and other household pests. They kill their prey by injecting venom through their fangs. The house centipede is capable of biting a human, but this seldom occurs. Scientists who study centipedes are called myriapodologists.

Gazelles Facts

2011-12-04T23:50:00.000-08:00

Gazelles are known as fast animals - some are able to maintain speeds up to 60 miles per hour for long periods of time, or run at a speed of 30 mph for several miles. they can bounce off all four legs held in a rigid position, which is called pronking. Gazelles are herbivores (plant-eaters). They eat desert shrubs, acacias, young shoots, and grasses. They spend most of their time grazing. Gazelles are nimble and beautiful animals.

Chimpanzees - Amazing Facts

2011-12-03T05:27:00.000-08:00

Chimpanzees are members of the Hominidae family, along with gorillas, humans, and orangutans. The chimpanzee is the animal that is closest to people genetically Chimpanzees are great apes that are closely related to humans.
Recent studies have shown that chimpanzees engage in evidently unselfish behaviour within groups like
-adopting an orphan chimpanzee
-chimpanzee spirituality
-incipient romantic love
-rain dance
-empathy toward other species.
Chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans show laughter-like vocalizations in response to physical contact, such as wrestling, play chasing, or tickling. The average sleep time of a chimpanzee in captivity is said to be 9.7 hours per day.
Chimpanzees use large sticks and branches as clubs or throw them at enemies like leopards and humans.
Chimps supplement their diets with meat, such as young antelopes or goats. Their most frequent victims, however, are other primates such as young baboons, colobus monkeys and blue monkeys.
These clever primates live in a variety of environments in western & central Africa. Because of the fast deforestation of their habitats, chimpanzees are an endangered species.

Duiker Facts

2011-12-03T05:21:00.000-08:00

A duiker is antelope species from the subfamily Cephalophinae native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Duiker is a tiny, shy antelope with only the males having short horns. They eat fruit, pods and seeds, roots, bark, flowers, fungi, they supplement their diet with meat duikers take insects and carrion from time to time, and even stalk and capture rodents or small birds. The Blue Duiker has a fondness for ants. The alarm call is a nasal snort, if caught bleats loudly, a sound that attracts other Duikers, and calls mothers to assist lambs.

Amazing Facts- The elk or wapiti

2011-12-02T05:39:00.000-08:00

The elk or wapiti (Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest species of deer in the world. The elk is a large animal of the artiodactyle ungulate order, possessing an even number of toes on each foot, similar to those of camels, goats and cattle. Only the males have antlers, which start growing in the spring and are shed each winter.

Elk are susceptible to a number of infectious diseases, some of which can be transmitted to livestock.
Elk die from hunting, predation, starvation, disease and harsh winters. Mountain lions are their main predators, but wolves and grizzly bears can also prey upon the elk. their group is called Gang.

Bobcat or Lynx rufus Facts

2011-12-02T04:56:00.000-08:00

Bobcat /Lynx rufus , sometimes called wildcats , it is smaller than the Canada lynx but is about twice as large as the domestic cat. Its tail appears to be cut or'bobbed' so named as bobcat. The bobcat is the most abundant wildcat in the U.S. Bobcats have been hunted extensively by humans, both for sport and the fur.

Bobcats are elusive and nocturnal, so they are rarely seen by humans. Although the bobcat prefers rabbits and hares, it will hunt anything from insects and small rodents to deer.