Tag Archives: Animal

I’m not surprised if you’ve never heard of saolas – they are just a little rare after all.

• Saolas are an antelope species native to regions of Laos and Vietnam in Southeast Asia.
• ‘Saolas’ are also known as ‘Vu Quang oxes’, ‘Vu Quang bovids’, ‘Asian unicorns’ and ‘Asian biocorns’.
• The scientific name of a saola is Pseudoryx nghetinhensis and it is from the family Bovidae, the family of bovids, or ruminant animals with cloven hooves.
• Typically saolas grow to be 80 to 90 centimetres (31.5 to 35.4) in height excluding the head, and 80 to 100 kilograms (176 to 220 pounds) in weight.
• The short fur of saolas is generally coloured a combination of brown, red and black shades, and they have horns reaching 35 to 50 centimetres (14 to 20 inches) in length.

Saola
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

• Saolas usually live in damp mountainous areas that contain dense forests and woodlands, near valleys and rivers and other water sources.
• Saolas, despite often living a solitary life, may group in herds of two to three, with some native observers noticing groups of up to seven.
• The diet of saolas consists of vegetation including leaves, stems and grasses, and it may also consist of seeds, berries and fruit.
• Saolas are listed as critically endangered due to hunting and habitat loss, with extant numbers estimated to be 250 or less.
• Saolas first became known to the modern world in 1992, in the Vu Quang Nature Reserve through a group survey, when the group came across a new horn type on a hunter’s wall; and as a result, many observations were later taken from captive species or native reports.

Bibliography:
Saola, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/saola/

Saola, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saola

Amazon:       

Afghan hounds are quite the lovable type.

• An Afghan hound is a breed of large domestic dog, that is commonly kept and bred as a pet, and it uses its sense of sight and fast moving ability when hunting, and therefore is listed as a ‘sighthound’.
• ‘Afghan hounds’ are also known as ‘Tazis’, ‘Sage Balochis’, ‘Ogar Afgans’, ‘Eastern greyhounds’, ‘Kabul hounds’, ‘Baluchi hounds’, and ‘Persian greyhounds’, as well as ‘Tāžī Spay’ and ‘Sag-e Tāzī’ in native languages.
• The long, thick hair with a silk-like appearance is a notable feature of Afghan hounds, along with their distinctly curled tails and particularly lengthy muzzles.
• The fur of Afghan hounds ranges from brown, grey, black, gold and white in colour, and it requires much grooming to keep a neat appearance.
• Afghan hounds originate from the cold mountainous regions of Afghanistan, in Asia, and were probably domesticated in the area around 4000 BC.

Afghan Hound
Image courtesy of Bryan Ungard/Flickr

• Afghan hounds generally grow to be 61 to 74 centimetres (24 to 29 inches) in height and 20 to 27 kilograms (44 to 59.5 pounds) in weight.
• Usually, Afghan hounds have a gentle and pleasant nature, although they have been used throughout history to hunt boar, deer, gazelle and goats, and guarding livestock from snow leopards, wolves and other animals.
• Afghan hounds were first imported into the United Kingdom in the 1880s, while afterwards in the United States of America in the 1920s, and they quickly became a popular breed and commonly exhibited at shows.
• Although originally quite an independent breed, Afghan hounds have had this tendency dulled through breeding attempts to create appealing varieties.
• Female Afghan hounds generally have around seven pups at a time, and they typically live twelve to fourteen years.

Bibliography:
Afghan Hound, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/afghan-hound/

Afghan Hound, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Hound

Amazon:        

Dholes are quite a bit more wild and free compared to the domesticated dog.

• Dholes are a medium sized mammal native to a variety of habitats in the wilderness of Asia, in the southern and eastern parts of the continent.
• Dholes have the scientific name Cuon alpinus, and are from the family Canidae, the family of dogs, and they have an average lifespan of 10 to 13 years.
• ‘Dholes’ are also known as ‘Indian wild dogs’, ‘red wolves’, ‘red dogs’, ‘whistling dogs’, ‘mountain wolves’, and ‘Asiatic wild dogs’.
• The length of dholes range from 75 to 110 centimetres (29.5 to 43 inches) and weigh around 12 to 20 kilograms (26 to 44 pounds).
• The fur coat of dholes can be grey, red or brown in colour, according to their environment, with white, tan, gold or black highlights.

Dhole
Image courtesy of Neil McIntosh/Flickr

• Dholes generally live in small groups of around five to twelve, but up to forty members, and they will usually hunt in groups from early morning.
• The diet of dholes consists of mammals including goats, deer, boar, buffalo, and rabbits; and they will usually rip open their prey.
• Dholes are listed as an endangered species, due to a combination of diminished numbers of prey and habitat loss, as well as other factors.
• Sounds made by dholes vary from growls, yaps, screams, chatters, whines and most notably, whistles.
• Five to twelve pups are born to a female dhole at one time, with both parents and others in the pack looking after the pups; and they start hunting with adults when they are around six months old.

Bibliography:
Dhole, 2015, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/dhole/

Dhole, 2015, San Diego Zoo Animals, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/dhole

Dhole, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Dhole