Tag Archives: Animal

Caracal

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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

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Gharial

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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.
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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

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Children’s Stick Insect

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Children’s Stick Insect

Children’s Stick Insects are masters of camouflage.

  • A Children’s Stick Insect is a winged insect native to eastern parts of Australia, that are medium in size, compared to other stick insects.
  • Children’s Stick Insects have the scientific name Tropidoderus childrenii and are from the family Phasmatidae, a family of stick insects that can regrow their own limbs.
  • ‘Children’s Stick Insects’ are also known as ‘yellow-winged spectres’ and they have the ability to fly, although females are less likely to do so.
  • Children’s Stick Insects range from 11 to 14 centimetres (4.3 to 5.5 inches) in length, and they have long legs.
  • The diet of a Children’s Stick Insect consists solely of Australian native eucalyptus leaves, and they spend most of their time in trees.

Children's Stick Insect, Green, Camp, Back, Animal, Insect, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • A Children’s Stick Insect has the ability to release its limbs, allowing it to escape from predators when caught.
  • Children’s Stick Insects range from green, red, brown, cream, pink and purple in colour, depending on the gender and the age of the insect, and wings are typically a faint yellow to green.
  • Camouflage is one of the primary protection techniques used by Children’s Stick Insects, as they often have the appearance of leaves.
  • Children’s Stick Insects lay small ovoid eggs in the trees, that drop down to the ground and are typically grey in colour, and they take approximately four months to hatch.
  • Fellow stick insects occasionally mistake Children’s Stick Insects’ wings for leaves, and as a result eat them, but they are generally not bothered by it, as the wings are insensitive.

 

Bibliography:
Chapman A, Children’s Stick Insect (Tropidoderus childrenii), n.d, OzAnimals.com, http://www.ozanimals.com/Insect/Children’s-Stick-Insect/Tropidoderus/childrenii.html
Children’s Stick Insect – Tropidoderus childrenii, n.d, Bugs Ed, http://www.bugsed.com/fact_sheets/childrens_stick_insect.html
Tropidoderus childrenii, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropidoderus_childrenii

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Honey Badger

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Honey Badger

Are you as crazy for honey as a honey badger?

  • Honey badgers are mammals that are native to parts of Asia and Africa, and they do not have the appearance of a typical badger.
  • ‘Honey badgers’ are also known as ‘ratels’, and they have the scientific name Mellivora capensis, and are from the family Mustelidae, the family of weasels and other mammals.
  • Most honey badgers have fur typically coloured black with an upper white stripe, and they have baggy skin that allows freedom of movement, that is particularly advantageous when being attacked.
  • Honey badgers range from 55 to 77 centimetres (22 to 30 inches) in length, excluding the tail, and weigh 5 to 16 kilograms (11 to 35 pounds).
  • A honey badger typically lives by itself, however, others may be found nearby when looking for food, especially in breeding periods.
Honey Badger, Animal, Mammal, White, Black, Ten Random Facts,
A Honey Badger
Image courtesy of Steve Slater/Flickr
  • Honey badgers live in 1 to 3 metres (3.3 to 9.8 feet) long burrows underground, that can be dug in as little as ten minutes, and they can also climb and swim.
  • Honey badgers have robust skin that can deflect bites, stings and punctures, making it a hard animal to kill, and they will also attack aggressively and release a smelly odour, and are therefore unpopular prey.
  • The diet of honey badgers includes honey, bee larvae, insects, eggs, rodents, birds, amphibious animals, vegetation, and reptiles, including venomous snakes and turtles, and they consume all components of their prey including shell, bones, fur, and feathers.
  • Honey badgers that live near livestock owned by humans can be a significant nuisance, as it is difficult to kill the badger and prevent it from capturing and eating the animals.
  • Female honey badgers typically give birth to one or two cubs at a time, and can live up to 24 to 26 years in captivity.
Bibliography:
Honey Badger, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_badger
Honey Badger (Ratel), 2014, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/honey-badger-ratel

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Walrus

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Walrus

Walruses are gentle giants with super strength.

  • Walruses are large mammals that live in the Arctic areas of the Northern Hemisphere, including the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
  • Walruses have the scientific name Odobenus rosmarus, of which there are up to three subspecies, and they are the only extant member of the family Odobenidae, a family of pinnipeds or seals.
  • Walruses can weigh 400 to 2,000 kilograms (880 to 4,400 pounds) in weight and grow up to 2.2 to 3.5 metres (7.2 to 11.5 feet) in length.
  • Walruses have two long tusks that can be 1 metre (3.3 feet) in length, that are used for latching onto and digging holes in ice, and in males they are used for fighting.
  • A female walrus usually gives birth to one pup during spring, not more than once every two years, around the time they migrate north, and the animal’s life span is generally between 20 to 50 years.
Walrus, herd, Blue, Animals, Marine, Ten Random Facts, Brown, Marine, Large, TuskA Herd of Walruses
Image courtesy of Claumoho/Flickr
  • Walruses generally hunt for food in the water in small groups, and typically eat shrimp, coral, worms, molluscs, sea cucumbers and other small aquatic animals.
  • Data relating to walrus populations has been difficult to obtain, making it difficult to determine whether they are endangered or not, however, they were heavily hunted in the 1700 and 1800s, causing a significant population decrease, and in some areas, extinction.
  • Legislation in some areas has protected the walrus for almost a century, however they have been illegally poached for their tusks, blubber, hide, meat and flippers, and now it is only legal for them to be hunted by local natives to the area, although permission has been granted to allow natives to include other hunters to participate in the hunt under special conditions.
  • A walrus has skin typically coloured brown to grey, that is scattered with hairs, and the animal also has whiskers above its mouth that are used as sensors.
  • Walruses live on ice in herds that can number in the thousands, with adult males usually living in a separate group to the females and their pups, and they are sometimes preyed on by orcas and polar bears.
Bibliography:
Walrus, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/walrus/
Walrus, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/walrus/
Walrus, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walrus

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Serval

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Serval

Servals, worshipped by Ancient Egyptians.

  • Servals are 19 subspecies of cat-like mammals native to Africa’s savannah habitats, south of the Sahara desert.
  • A ‘serval’ is also known as a ‘bush cat’, a ‘tiger bush cat’ and a ‘giraffe cat’.
  • Servals have the scientific name Leptailurus serval, although they are the only species in the Leptailurus genus, and they are from the family Felidae, the family of felids or cats.
  • Servals are most active during the night, when they hunt mostly for rodents, although they also consume birds, reptiles, frogs, insects, fish, hares and hyraxes, and they eat the meat and bones.
  • Servals have the longest legs of any cat in proportion to the animal’s body size, and the legs are used for jumping a height of 2 to 3 metres (7 to 10 feet) and they can run at top speeds of at least 64 kilometres/hour (40 miles/hour).
Serval, Animal, Cat, Spot, Zoo, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
A Serval
Image courtesy of Tambako the Jaguar/Flickr
  • Vocalisation among servals includes purrs, hisses, chirps, growls and meows, although meeting with others of the same species often results in fights as they are generally solitary animals.
  • Female servals have litters of one to four blind cubs, most often two, and they can have more than one litter in the year.
  • Servals, although they are classified as ‘least concerned’, have declined in numbers due to poaching and habitat loss.
  • Servals are typically coloured a yellow-orange to brown colour, with dark spots that pattern their coat, and they have very large ears compared with their head, that have distinct markings on the back.
  • Servals are occasionally preyed on by leopards and hyenas, while their lifespan is 10 to 20 years, and they can even reach up to age 23.
Bibliography:
Serval, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/serval/
Serval, 2014, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/serval
Serval, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serval

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