Mammals

Gorilla Pictures

2009-06-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

Following are pictures of gorillas from across the web.

A western lowland gorilla. Original here.

Another capture of a lowland gorilla. Original here.

Priceless image of mountain gorillas in Uganda. Original here.

A young gorilla atop a tree. Original here.

A group of gorillas in a eucalyptus field in Rwanda. Original here.

A baby gorilla playing. Original here.

Kampanga of the Sabyinyo group of mountain gorillas feeding upon eucalyptus. Original here.

A female gorilla. Original here.

Atlantis the gorilla on the move. Original here.

Mtonge, a young male gorilla. Original here.

A western lowland Gorilla. Original here.

The baby gorilla Bwana. Original here.

Mountain gorilla Beringei of Susa group in Parc des Volcans, Rwanda. Original here.

Shirimpumu playing and being chased by Kampanga. Original here.

Kampanga of the Sabyinyo group of mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Original here.

Black and white portrait of a gorilla. Original here.

A mountain gorilla in Rwanda. Original here.

A mountain gorilla feeding in Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda. Original here.

Guhonda the silverback leading his family back to Virunga National Park in Rwanda. Original here.

A mountain gorilla of the Susa family group in Rwanda. Original here.

Wordless - Young Sperm Whale

2008-11-12T03:01:00.000-08:00

The future Lord of the Deep

Links

2008-06-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

Puppy training

Gorilla

2008-06-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Largest among primates, Gorillas are extremely strong yet quiet and peace loving animals. They share over ninety six percent of their genetic make up with humans and alongside Chimpanzees, are the closest living relatives of man. Great apes, gorillas seem to have evolved from lesser apes around twenty million years ago. They are currently divided variously into species and subspecies, though four distinct subspecies seem to be somewhat agreed upon: Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla Beringei Beringei), Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Diehli), Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla) and Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla Beringei Graueri).

Physical attributes vary amongst subspecies with Mountain Gorillas being the largest and hairiest of the four. They also are the darkest in color. Lowland Gorillas have longer arms and lighter coloration, being in the range of brown to gray in case of the Western Lowland Gorilla. Males of the species are bigger with weight averaging around four hundred pounds, though larger individuals of over five hundred pounds have been recorded in the wild and more often in captivity. Height is between five and a half to six feet. Females are nearly half that size with an average body weight of two hundred pounds and height generally under five feet. Overall body structure is bulky in case of both genders and upper body is very well developed including wide chest and strong shoulders with long and powerful limbs. Gorillas have opposable thumbs and move on all fours in a form known as knuckle-walking. The have been documented to use tools like chimps in the wild. Head is big with a prominent sagittal crest and strong jaws, including well developed canines. Eyes are small and brown and nose is uniquely patterned like human finger prints.

Gorillas are seen in countries of Central and West Africa. Mountain Gorillas are seen at high altitudes in Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Lowland Gorillas reside in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Congo, Republic of Congo, Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo. Unfortunately unstable political climate and the war like atmosphere of these parts has not been conductive towards the great apes in the past and as a result, gorillas exist in small pockets today on the map of Africa.

Despite their display in certain films and media as aggressive, dangerous beasts, gorillas are totally harmless and calm animals. They live in small groups headed by an adult male 'silverback' gorilla, named after a saddle shaped pattern of silver hair on the back. Younger 'blackback' males at times support the leader who makes all the choices regarding foraging and eating. They live in tropical and subtropical forests in equatorial Africa, usually occupying limited ranges of a few square kilometers per tribe. They spend their day eating leaves, twigs, fruits, branches, shoots, bamboos and even insects. Silverback leads them to their daily place of feeding and also takes care to supervise and protects its tribe. In case an intruder threatens to invade the group's space, silverbacks show aggression through roaring, beating of chest, breaking and throwing of bamboos and objects and charging. Though gorillas can climb trees, they spend most of their time on the ground. Every evening they prepare nests in which to spend their night. These nests are distinct and enable researchers to accurately predict the numbers of gorillas in a locality by simply counting of the nests.

Maturity is reached in gorillas at nearly ten years of age. Females give birth after every three to four years, following a gestation period of near eight and a half months. Mothers look after the young for up to three to four years. As adulthood is reached, the young often move off to establish their own families. Silverbacks are older than twelve years.

Over time, gorillas have captured human imagination as emblems of strength and fortitude. Still they have suffered largely at the hands of man. Poaching, loss of habitat and consumption as bush meat is having an adverse impact on the numbers of these grand animals in the wild. As few as six hundred and fifty Mountain Gorillas remain. Lowland Gorillas number in thousands but are still classified as endangered. Grazing, human encroachment and farming is taking a toll on the habitat of these exceptionally intelligent yet defenseless creatures who need our love and protection for them to continue to survive in nature.

Whale

2008-06-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

Largest mammal on earth, Whale is considered to be the biggest animal to have ever lived. A marine mammal, it is placed under the order Cetacea and is believed to have evolved from hoofed land animals around fifty four million years ago. The closest living relative is Hippopotamus, with the Whales entering water some fifty million years back.

Whales are divided into two suborders: Mysticeti meaning Baleen Whales and Odontoceti or Toothed Whales. Baleen Whales are larger and have a baleen, a sieve like structure that filters the small fish that they consume, from water. Toothed Whales have teeth that they use to consume fish and squid. They are also known for their ability to emit sounds and use them to navigate and forage, a phenomenon known as Echolocation. Whales produce the loudest sounds amongst animals and often vocalize songs that may last for as long as half an hour, possibly to communicate, track offsrpings, locate prey or attract mates.

Extremely large and strong, Whales have no natural threats. They may weigh up to one hundred and fifty to two hundred tons. Body length often exceeds one hundred feet. Physique is fusiform and streamlined, allowing it to swim freely. Vertebrae of neck are joined together, providing stability in movement. Heart is four chambered and body temperature is regulated like all warm blooded mammals, the thick layer of blubber underneath the skin acting as an insulator. It also serves as a reservoir of fat. Lungs are present instead of gills as in fish, meaning that Whales have to surface periodically to breathe, though they can stay submerged for long periods. The blowhole is used for this purpose, numbering in two in case of Baleen Whales and one for Toothed Whales. Dorsal fin is often present. Sometimes small hind quarters are also observed, possibly vestigial like the pelvic bone, propulsion being done mainly by the tail fins or fluke.

Classified as predators, Whales consume plankton as their primary food source, though larger fish are often taken. Tonnes of krill are consumed daily by the Blue Whale, the largest creature in history. Highly intelligent animals, Whales often live in groups called Pods. These pods contain greater number of individuals in case of Toothed Whales that often move and hunt together. Adult males are called Bulls, and females Cows. Annually Whales migrate from the polar regions during winter season, traveling thousands of miles in seas. Speed of movement is fastest in case of Killer Whale or Orca, reaching up to fifty kilometers per hour. During their aquatic activities, Whales display several moves including breaching where they jump above the water surface, possibly to get rid of parasites, play or socialize. At times they may skyhop, that is raise their head above water and look around. Then there is lobtailing, when Whales stick their muscular tail out of water, move it around and strike it on the water surface, possibly to send a warning through this loud sound.

Whales reproduce slowly, taking on average an year to give birth to a single offspring with a gap of two to three years between births. Calves are born tail first to prevent them from drowning and begin to swim almost immediately. In case of Blue Whales, they weigh two tons at birth and gain two hundred pounds daily during the first year of their lives. Mother feeds them through squirting the breast milk into their mouth, in order to prevent wastage. Bond is very strong between the calf and mother, who protects and feeds it up to one year of age. Lifespan is between forty to hundred years normally, though specimens older than two hundred years have been recorded, making Whales the longest living of all Mammals.

Despite their unparalleled magnificence, Whales have been victimized greatly by humans for meat, oil, baleen and production of perfumes. Recently it has emerged that seismic testing for oil and gas and sonar activities of some navies may interfere with the normal lifestyle of Whales. As a result some species are endangered today. International Whaling Commission, that comprises of many of the world's nations placed a ban on commercial whaling some two decades ago and this has stabilized the numbers in the wild somewhat. Of late, however, Japan, Norway and Iceland have decided to resume hunting of these most remarkable of Nature's assets, drawing widespread criticism from conservationists and from most of the civilized people around the globe that care for Whales, the greatest of all Mammals!

Subscription

2008-06-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

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Contact

2008-06-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

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About

2008-06-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

This is a blog about the Mammalian species of our world. I've set it up to highlight the various Mammals in nature and address their status and conservation issues in the wild. It is hoped that the knowledge gained by the reader will be of assistance one day in raising support for the protection of our planet's fauna and their environment.

For links, go here.

Start

2008-05-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody,

I'm so excited ~ after long thought I've finally decided to launch this new blog - World of Mammals - while blogging about felines on my cats blog ~ I've always continued to think that there are so many other mammals that require our understanding, love and protection for them to survive in nature. So......I've embarked on this herculean journey of covering as many mammalian species as possible on this blog...I wonder how I'm gonna manage with my other blogs, medical duties, professional exams etc etc ~ but here I am, about to enter the World of Mammals...

ps. there might be a lot of experimentation, template changes etc on this blog in the upcoming days so bear with me if you see some wacky layout/design ;)