Category Archives: Animals

Sea otters are very unique and affectionate animals.

• Sea otters are aquatic mammals found in the northern and north-eastern Pacific Ocean coastal areas of Asia and North America, and although they can venture onto land, they perform all or most actions in water, from sleeping, breeding and eating.
• Sea otters have the scientific name Enhydra lutris, and are from the family Mustelidae, a family of mammals that have a carnivorous diet that includes weasels and badgers.
• Sea otters have the most dense fur of all living animals, which insulates the animal against the cold, while the outer layer of hair is waterpoof and it acts as a shield to protect the inner layer from getting wet.
• Sea otters have a lifespan of up to 23 years, but on average they live up to 10 to 20 years, and they grow to be 1 to 1.5 metres (3.3 to 4.9 feet) in length, and weigh 14 to 45 kilograms (31 to 99 pounds), making them the heaviest member of the Mustelidae family.
• Sea otter’s fur is coloured dark brown, black, brown-grey or yellow in colour, and is occasionally speckled with a silver colour.

Northern Sea Otters
Image courtesy of Gregory Smith/Flickr

• Sea otters can swim submerged at a rate of 9 km/h (5.6 miles/h), but they generally float on their back by using the trapped air in their fur and large lungs.
• Sea otters use their whiskers to sense underwater movement, along with their good sense of smell, as well as their vision and hearing abilities, and their diet mainly consists of fish, crustaceans, sea urchins and molluscs.
• Sea otters spend much of their time sleeping by floating on their backs in water, and grooming, which increases the air capacity of their fur, their floating ability, the fur’s water repelling ability, and protection from cold.
• Female sea otters generally have a single pup per litter, that is treated with much affection and attention, and any extra pups are generally abandoned.
• Sea otters remain endangered, due to the mammal almost being obliterated by human hunting from 1741 to 1911 for their valuable fur, causing the world population to drop from 150,000 – 300,000 down to 1,000 – 2,000 animals, and since they have been protected in various capacities since 1911, the population has somewhat recovered with 100,000 – 150,000 animals that now exist.

Bibliography:
Sea Otter, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/sea-otter/

Sea Otter, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_otter

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Aren’t fennec foxes cute?

• Fennec foxes are the smallest foxes on earth and live in dens located in the hot Sahara desert in North Africa, and they are the national animal of North Africa’s Algeria.
• ‘Fennec foxes’ are also known as ‘fennecs’ and have the scientific name Vulpes zerda, are from the Vulpes genus of true foxes, and are from the family Canidae, the family of canids or dog-like animals.
• Fennec foxes have cream coloured fur and a long tail that has a black tip, and they grow to be 24 to 41 centimetres (9 to 16 inches) in length, and weigh 0.7 to 1.6 kilograms (1.5 to 3.5 pounds).
• Compared to their body size, fennec foxes have large ears that are 10 to 15 centimetres (3.9 to 5.9 inches) long, that expel heat stored in the fox’s body via the position of blood vessels in the ears, to help balance body temperature.
• Fennec foxes communicate with barks, snarls and purrs; they live in packs of approximately ten; have litters that range between one and four babies; and the young live with their parents for a year or more.

Fennec Fox Image courtesy of Drew Anvery/Flickr

• Fennec foxes are nocturnal mammals, and have a diet that mainly consists of vegetation, eggs, insects, rodents, rabbits and birds.
• Fennec foxes have an average lifespan of 12 -16 years and they can live up to 14 years in captivity, and they are preyed on by eagle owls and possibly large canids (animals from the dog family), although this is uncertain.
• Fennec foxes can live without water for extended time periods, due to their uniquely functioning kidneys that reduce the loss of water from their body.
• Fennec foxes can be kept as pets, although numerous rules and restrictions exist, which vary depending on the state and country.
• Fennec foxes can leap lengths of 120 centimetres (4 feet), jump as high as 61 cm (2 feet), and can run up to 40 km per hour (25 miles per hour).

Bibliography: Fennec Fox, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/fennec-fox/

Fennec Fox, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/fennec-fox/

Fennec Fox, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennec_fox

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Munch, munch goes the ‘ferocious’ piranha.

• Piranhas are a type of fish, that are coloured yellow, grey, red or blue, and are native to South America’s freshwater rivers.
• A ‘piranha’ is also known as a ‘piraña’, and contrary to popular belief, they are not generally fierce and courageous, and as a result they live in schools for protection.
• Piranhas are from the family Characidae, a family of tropical and subtropical freshwater fish, and the subfamily Serrasalmidae, the serrated salmon fish, and there are at least three or four official genus groupings, with an estimated species count of 30 to 60.
• Piranhas generally range in length from 14 to 30 centimetres (5.5 to 11.8 inches), however lengths of up to 80 centimetres (31.5 inches) have been recorded.
• A piranha’s diet predominantly consists of meat, particularly fish, insects and snails, as well as vegetation in the water, and it can also include birds and mammals.

Piranha
Image courtesy of Georgios Michalogiorgakis/Flickr

• Indigenous South Americans sometimes use the sharp teeth of piranhas to create weapons or tools.
• Piranhas can be kept in captivity as a pet, but some governments have determined this illegal, and while they rarely cause human deaths by attacks, they can cause various injuries, particularly on the hands or feet.
• Between 1913 and 1914, the former president of the United States of America, Theodore Roosevelt, saw and documented piranhas, and stated that “They are the most ferocious fish in the world.”
• Female piranhas lay approximately 5000 eggs in a nest, in one season, and the eggs are heavily protected by the parents, causing a survival rate of up to 90 percent.
• Piranhas typically live to be 20 to 25 years old, although they are preyed upon by caimans (small crocodylians), some birds, other fish, turtles and dolphins.

Bibliography:
Piranha, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/piranha/

Piranha, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piranha

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Clouded leopards are not clouds or leopards.

• Clouded leopards, also known as ‘mint leopards’, are three subspecies of large cats, native to the forests of China and Southeast Asia.
• Clouded leopards are from the family Felidae, the family of cats, and have the scientific name Neofelis nebulosa.
• A clouded leopard’s fur is dark grey to earthy brown in colour, and it is marked with dark designs, usually in cloud like patterns, as well as stripes and spots.
• Despite their name, clouded leopards are not in the same genus as leopards and are only related because they belong in the same subfamily.
• Clouded leopards range from 60 to 108 centimetres (2 to 3.6 feet) in body length, and have a long tail, and can grow to be 11.5 to 23 kilograms (25 to 51 pounds) in weight.

Clouded Leopard Image courtesy of Cathleena Beams/Flickr

• Compared to their body size, clouded leopards have upper teeth that are exceptionally long, that can be at least 4 centimetres (1.6 inches) in length, and they have longer back legs that allow increased jumping capabilities.
• Clouded leopards have an average of two or three cubs per litter, with a possibility of one to five cubs.
• Clouded leopards are said to be the best climbers in the cat family, are good swimmers, and generally they reside in treetops.
• Clouded leopards have a carnivorous diet, that includes vertebrates that live on land, like pigs and monkeys, as well as birds, but specific prey, along with much other behavioural information, is largely unknown, even though their existence was first recorded in 1821.
• Clouded leopards are endangered, due to habitat loss and illegal hunting, particularly for fur coats, and in captivity they are known to reach the age of 17, although they are more likely to only live as long as 11 years of age.

Bibliography: Clouded Leopard, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/clouded-leopard/

Clouded Leopard, 2014, San Diego Zoo Animals, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/clouded-leopard

Clouded Leopard, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clouded_leopard

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Are tarsiers cute or creepy?

• Tarsiers are said to be native to Asia, Europe, Africa and North America, although they can only now be found in the islands of Southeast Asia, including areas of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
• Tarsiers are a family of nocturnal primates, with the family name Tarsiidae, that includes 18 species of the mammal.
• Tarsiers measure approximately 10 to 15 centimetres (4 to 6 inches) in length, excluding their long 20 to 25 centimetre (7.9 to 9.8 inch) tail.
• Tarsiers’ fur is soft, with a velvet texture, and is coloured brown, ochre, gold and grey.
• A tarsier has distinctly large eyes, around 1.6 centimetres (0.6 inches) in diameter, roughly the size, although heavier than its brain.

Tarsier
Image courtesy of yeowatzup/Flickr

• Tarsiers have five long fingers or toes on each hand and foot, with two claws replacing toenails on each foot.
• Tarsiers are the only primates alive to have a diet that consists of no vegetation, and they instead rely on insects, reptiles, birds and bats as their food.
• Tarsiers live in forest habitats, scrubland and mangroves, and they have excellent hearing.
• Tarsiers usually have one baby at a time and their lifespan typically ranges from 12 to 20 years.
• Despite their small size, some tarsiers can jump up to four metres (13 feet) or more in one leap, due to their long anklebones.

Bibliography:
Tarsier, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/tarsier/

Tarsier, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarsier

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