Category Archives: Animals

Glass Lizard

By | |
Leave a comment
Glass Lizard

Glass lizards are not too fragile, although they may fragment!

  • Glass lizards are a group of approximately 15 species of animal, that have the appearance of snake-like reptilians, but are lizards.
  • ‘Glass lizards’ are also known as ‘glass snakes’ and ‘jointed snakes’.
  • Glass lizards have the scientific name Ophisaurus and are from the family Anguidae, a family of numerous Northern Hemisphere lizards.
  • Glass lizards grow to be 0.6 to 1.2 metres (2 to 4 feet) in length, which includes the long tail, and they have a weight of 300 to 600 grams (11 to 21 ounces).
  • The diet of glass lizards mainly consist of small rodents and reptiles, insects, and spiders.
Glass Lizard, Animal, Reptile, Ten Random Facts, Field, Wild, Ground, Splendid
A Glass Lizard
Image courtesy of vladeb/Flickr
  • Glass lizards have a head that is similar to the anatomy of lizards and they generally have no legs, although small stumps can sometimes be seen in place, in some species.
  • Glass lizards can be found primarily in some Asian countries like India, Indonesia and China, as well as North Africa and the United State’s southeast.
  • Glass lizards can fracture their tails into small, moving pieces, hence their name, and the tail can be regenerated after some time, although it will generally be shorter than the first.
  • Glass lizards come in a variety of colours including green, black, grey, brown, yellow and tan, depending on the species.
  • Glass lizards are typically preyed on by large mammals, birds and snakes, and they have a lifespan of ten to thirty years.
Bibliogrphy:
Glass Lizard, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/glass-lizard/
Glass Lizard, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_lizard

Amazon:     

Barnacle

By | |
Leave a comment
Barnacle

Whatever you do, do not have a barney over barnacles!

  • Barnacles are a group of over 1000 species of marine animal that have an exoskeleton and segmented body, and are typically found near or in saltwater of shallower depths.
  • Barnacles are an infraclass that have the scientific name, Cirripedia, and are from the class Maxillopoda, a class of various crustaceans such as copepods.
  • Barnacles live on a single sturdy object for its entire life of approximately 8 to 20 years, absorbing food such as plankton and algae from the surrounding water.
  • Mussels and limpets are common neighbours of barnacles; and the three animals often battle for space on available surfaces.
  • Barnacles are preyed on by many animals including fish and crabs during the larval phase as they have little protection, however, once they have settled and produced their outer shell, they are generally protected from most predators, but they are susceptible to whelks.

Barnacles, Animals, Ten Random Facts, Marine, Cement, Shell, Rock, Jetty, Stuck, Bradley Beach, Flickr

Barnacles
Image courtesy of Mo Riza/Flickr
  • Barnacles live in a shell made of 6 plates, that are grown once the young permanently attaches onto a surface, and they are commonly found in groups as another form of protection against predators.
  • Larvae of barnacles generally swim in the water for 6 months or more, until the animals find a permanent surface that they attach to via the head, using antennae and a glycoprotein based mixture.
  • Some countries eat ‘goose’ barnacles from the order Pedunculata, in their culinary dishes, including Spain and Portugal of Europe.
  • Barnacles are typically white, cream, black or yellow in colour, while shells are often a bleached white.
  • Barnacles attach themselves to objects such as rocks, but also animals including turtles, whales and crabs, or buildings and boats, which can be both hard to remove and damaging to the object, and can cause significant speed loss in boats.
Bibliography:
Barnacle, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/barnacle/
Barnacle, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnacle

Amazon:     

Kudu

By | |
Leave a comment
Kudu

Keep quiet while approaching a kudu.

  • Kudus are two species of mammals similar to an antelope, and they are native to the savannahs of south and east Africa.
  • Kudus have the scientific name Tragelaphus strepsiceros and Tragelaphus imberbis, known as the ‘greater’ and ‘lesser’ respectively, and are from the family Bovidae, the family of cloven-hoofed mammals.
  • ‘Kudu’ is derived from the word ‘koedoe’, a term from the South African language, Afrikaans, that originates from a native Xhosa word.
  • Female kudus can be found in herds of 24 or less, that usually include their young, and males generally live by themselves, although may collect in very small, same gender herds, and males may fight other males but are generally not territorial.
  • A kudu has a brown-grey coloured coat that has a number of thin, light coloured stripes on it, and the ‘lesser’ species can run at speeds of 95 km/hour (60 miles/hour).
Kudu, Animal, Mammal, Cloven Hoofed, Antelope, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, Savannah, Single, BrownA Kudu
Image courtesy of ale_speciale/Flickr
  • The diet of kudus generally consists of vegetation such as leaves or newly sprouted twigs, as well as fruit.
  • Kudus are preyed on by large cats, hyenas, snakes and wild dogs, and they often flee at the first sign of danger and hide among thick vegetation.
  • Humans are causing kudu numbers to dwindle due to hunting for the hide, low-fat meat and horns, as well as destruction of habitats; and the ‘lesser’ species are listed as near threatened.
  • Male kudus have long spiral horns that can be turned into musical instruments, that are often used during ceremonial occasions.
  • Kudus grow to be around 0.8 to 1.2 metres (31 to 47 inches) in height and typically weigh 120 to 256 kilograms (265 to 565 pounds).
Bibliography:
Kudu, 2014, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/kudu/
Kudu, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudu

Amazon:     

Olm

By | |
Leave a comment
Olm

Olms are not aliens from another dimension, but they certainly look strange!

  • Olms are amphibious animals that live in underwater cave habitats in Europe’s central and south-eastern areas.
  • An ‘olm’ is also known as a ‘proteus’, ‘cave salamander’ and a ‘human fish’, due to the animal’s colour being similar to European human skin colour.
  • The olm has the scientific name Proteus anguinus and comes from the family Proteidae, a family of aquatic salamanders, and the animal is the only living member of the Proteus genus.
  • Olms range in lengths from 2.5 to 40 centimetres (1 to 16 inches) and weigh between 2 and 150 grams (0.1 to 5.3 ounces).
  • The colour of an olm can be white, pink or pale yellow, due to the lack of colour-inducing chemicals in the animal’s skin, and while it looks somewhat similar, it is only distantly related to the axolotl.
Olm, Purple, Animal, Aquatic, Salamander, Amphibian, Ten Random Facts, Water, Rare, FlickrOlm
Image courtesy of SanShoot/Flickr
  • Olms have short frilly gills; a long eel-like body, that moves in similar ways; as well as four small legs, while the back legs have two digits and the front have three.
  • Most olms lack visible eyes, as they are covered with skin, and they sense their surroundings using receptors, as well as relying on hearing and smell.
  • Full maturity does not occur until olms are 10 years old or more, and females lay between 5 and 70 eggs at a time, deposited among rocks, after which the eggs hatch into roughly 2 centimetre (0.8 inch) long tadpoles.
  • While olms are protected in some countries and have few predators, they are classified as vulnerably endangered and are threatened by man-made chemicals seeping into the water.
  • Olms have a diet that mainly consists of worms, snails and insects, although they are said to be able to live without food for ten years, and they have a lifespan of up to 50 years or more.
Bibliography:
Olm, 2014, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/olm/
Olm, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olm

Amazon:     

Caracal

By | |
Leave a comment
Caracal

Don’t mistake the power of a caracal.

  • Caracals are a species of wild cat, native to parts of central and southwest Asia, and Africa, and are found in savannah, semi-arid and woodland habitats.
  • The Turkish words, ‘kara kulak’, meaning ‘black ear’, is where the ‘term ‘caracal’ originates from, and they have the scientific name Caracal caracal and are from the family Felidae, the family of felids or cats.
  • Although they are only related to lynx by family and not genera, a caracal is also known as a ‘desert lynx’, ‘Asian lynx’, ‘Persian lynx’ and ‘African lynx’.
  • Caracals range in length between 61 and 106 centimetres (2 to 3.5 feet), are 6 to 20 kilograms (13 to 44 pounds) in weight, and have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years.
  • Caracals have notably long, erect fur on their ears, which is typically black, while its fur coat ranges from tan, brown to black in colour.
Caracal, Animal, Felid, Ten Random Facts, Rare, Beauty, AmazingA Caracal
Image courtesy of Gopal Vijayaraghavan/Flickr
  • Caracals usually live by themselves, and they mark their territory with urine to discourage others of the same species from entering into their zone.
  • The diet of caracals mainly consists of small mammals, such as rodents, and birds, although they do stalk and attack larger animals like antelopes; and if their prey is airborne, they can leap high into the air to catch it.
  • Female adult caracals typically give birth to between one to six kittens in an enclosed area, such as an already existing den, burrow or hollow, and the females raise them alone.
  • Although their conservation status is classified as least concerned, caracals are negatively affected by the removal of habitats, causing limited populations in some areas, and they are a protected species in many countries.
  • Caracals are preyed on by lions and hyenas; are occasionally kept as pets; and have previously been used in countries, such as India, for hunting purposes.
Bibliography:
Caracal, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/caracal
Caracal, 2014, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/caracal
Caracal, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracal

Amazon:     

Gharial

By | |
Leave a comment
Gharial

One of the most unique creatures is the gharial, but is highly endangered.

  • Gharials are critically endangered, crocodile-related reptiles, found around India’s sandy banked rivers.
  • ‘Gharials’ are also known as ‘gavials’, ‘long-nosed crocodiles,’ ‘fish-eating crocodiles’ and ‘nakas,’ among others.
  • Gharials have the scientific name Gavialis gangeticus, and are said to be the only living species from the family Gavialidae, a family of reptiles.
  • A gharial can range from 3.5 metres (11 feet) in length, to the longest found – 6.25 metres (20.5 feet), and they can weigh between 150 to 977 kilograms (330 to 2154 pounds).
  • Gharials have a long snout and mouth, filled with up to 110 teeth, and they have scales that are typically black, grey, brown or olive in colour.
Gharial, Crocodile, Gavial, Ten Random Facts, Animal, Reptile, Endanged, Zoo
Gharial
Image courtesy of Ryan Somma/Flickr
  • The habitat of a gharial typically consists of deep, sandy rivers, and the reptile generally spends the majority of its time in water.
  • The diet of gharials mainly consists of fish, but also other aquatic animals, and they are not usually highly dangerous to humans, as they are not built for eating large prey.
  • During March and April, an adult female gharial typically makes a nest, a hole in the riverbank, and lays an average of 30 to 50 eggs in the hole.
  • Gharials are critically endangered due to pollution, over fishing and habitat removal; and populations have decreased by around 96% in less than a century, to a maximum total of 235 animals, in 2006.
  • As part of a conservation program, some zoos breed gharials and release them into the wild, and the animals have an average lifespan of 20 to 30 years.
Bibliography:
Gharial, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/gharial/
Gharial, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gharial

Amazon:      

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...