Tag Archives: Animal

Fossa

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Fossa

Fossas are Madagascar movie stars.

  • Fossas are mammals that have an appearance similar to cats, although they are more closely related to the mongoose, and they are found only in the forests of Madagascar, an African island.
  • Fossas have the scientific name Cryptoprocta ferox and are from the family Eupleridae, the family of carnivoran Malagasy animals.
  • Fossas grow to be around 61 to 80 centimetres (24 to 31 inches) in length and between 5.5 to 12 kilograms (12 to 29 pounds) in weight.
  • The word ‘fossa’ is also spelt ‘fosa’, which is the Malagasy word for the animal, and the pronunciation also varies, with an ‘o’ sound as in the word ‘clock’ or an ‘oo’ sound as in the word ‘food’.
  • Fossas generally live alone, although they may kill and share prey together, and they communicate with yelps, calls, purrs and mews, as well as other body movements.

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A Fossa
Image courtesy of Keith Williams/Flickr
  • Fossas are carnivorous, preying primarily on Malagasy lemurs, as well as other animals including birds, rodents, lizards and tenrecs.
  • Fossas have litters of one to six mixed gender cubs, born with closed eyes in isolated locations such as dens, and they live for 15 to 20 years and do not have any natural predators.
  • Fossas are vulnerably endangered due to habitat destruction, which has caused a 30% decrease in populations from 1987.
  • Fossas have short fur, typically light brown to black in colour, a long tail, marginally webbed toes and retractable claws.
  • Fossas spend much of their time in trees, and they mark their territory, as well as communicate, with their scent glands.
Bibliography:
Fossa (Animal), 2014 Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossa_(animal)
Fossa, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/fossa/
Fossa, 2014, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/fossa

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Tuatara

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Tuatara

Tuataras are not lizards… but they are reptiles!

  • A tuatara is a species of reptile native to New Zealand and its nearby islands, and are the only extant members of the order Rhynchocephalia.
  • The scientific name of a tuatara is Sphenodon, from the family Sphenodontidae, and there are two living species.
  • Tuataras can grow up to 70 to 80 centimetres (28 to 31 inches) in length, and they can weigh up to 0.6 to 1 kilogram (1.3 to 2.2 pounds).
  • ‘Tuatara’ is a native Maori word, which in English can be translated as ‘spines on the back’, referring to the crested spikes on the animal.
  • The tuatara was first classified in 1831 by the British Museum after studying the reptile’s skull, and it was classed as a lizard, however, in 1867 this was determined to be inaccurate and was changed.
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Tuatara
Image courtesy of Sid Mosdell/Flickr
  • The skin of tuataras can be grey, green or brown in colour, which is shed many times and the reptile also features a spiny back and three eyes, one of which sits on top of its head.
  • Tuataras have a life span that ranges from 60 to 100 years, and they are preyed on by rats, pigs and cats and other introduced species.
  • The diet of tuataras typically includes insects, frogs, spiders, lizards, young birds and eggs, and they live in burrows, generally venturing out at night.
  • Tuataras are mainly found on isolated islands, although they are being reintroduced to mainland New Zealand, and there has also been a concerted effort to protect them, as their numbers are dwindling due to habitat loss, and the eggs and young are very vulnerable to introduced predators.
  • A female tuatara lays up to 19 eggs approximately once every four or five years, although the eggs can take up to 15 months to incubate, and the incubation temperature determines the gender of the hatched reptile.
Bibliography:
Tuatara, 2014, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/tuatara/
Tuatara, 2014, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/tuatara
Tuatara, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatara

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Gerbil

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Gerbil

Gerbil… not just a pet.

  • Gerbils are a subfamily of approximately 110 species of mammals, or small rodents, native to Asian, Indian and African deserts and hot areas.
  • A gerbil was historically called a ‘desert rat’, while its scientific name is Gerbillinae, and it belongs to the family Muridae, a family of rodents.
  • Gerbils generally range from 7 to 20 centimetres (2.7 to 7.9 inches) in length, plus the tail that can be just as long, depending on the species, and weigh from 57 to 114 grams (2-4 ounces).
  • Mongolia gerbils were first made available as pets in the mid 1900s, and are now quite popular, although the pet can be illegal in some areas due to threats to agriculture and ecosystems.
  • Some species of gerbil live alone, while others reside in groups, and they use their sense of smell to determine whether fellow rodents belong to their family group or not.
Gerbil, Pet, Animal, Dirt, Brown, Animal, Rodent, Mammal, Ten Random Facts, FlickrA Gerbil
Image courtesy of Shankar S./Flickr
  • Gerbils generally live for three to five years and females have litters of approximately eight, that are born with no fur or sight.
  • The diet of gerbils generally consists of seeds, nuts and fruit, although insects, small birds and eggs, and other plant material are sometimes consumed, depending on the species.
  • Gerbils live in burrows and are prominent diggers, digging underground networks and tunnels with strong claws.
  • Gerbils have fur typically coloured brown, grey, black, white or tan, and those in the pet industry most commonly differ in colour due to select breeding.
  • A gerbil has the ability to shed their tail if it is trapped, and they are preyed on by snakes, birds, feral cats and other small mammals.
Bibliography:
Gerbil, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/gerbil/
Gerbil, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbil

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Quoll

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Quoll

Can you spot the cute and spotty quoll?

  • Quolls are six living species of a genus of marsupials, and four are native to Australia, while the remaining two are native to New Guinea, in the Pacific Ocean.
  • Quolls have the scientific name Dasyurus and are from the family Dasyuridae, the family of New Guinean and Australian marsupials.
  • Quolls typically grow to be 25 to 75 centimetres (10 to 29.5 inches) in length and grow to be 0.3 to 7 kilograms (0.7 to 15 pounds) in weight.
  • ‘Quolls’ were named by Australia’s notable European discoverer, Captain James Cook, derived from the native Aboriginal name, but the term only became popular in the 1960s, and were previously known as ‘native cats’ and ‘tiger cats’.
  • The diet of quolls typically consists of birds, insects, reptiles, and small mammals, as well as nuts, fruit and other vegetation, and the larger species also eat larger mammals including echidnas and possums.
Quoll, Tiger, Ten Random Facts, Animal, Mammal, Marsupial, Australia, Habitat, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Quoll
Image courtesy of Joshua Cunningham/Flickr
  • Up to thirty quolls can be born to a single mother at one time, although the very young ‘pups’ will die until only six remain, due to the number of teats available.
  • Five species of quoll are near threatened, while the sixth is endangered, and numbers are diminishing due to habitat loss; consumption of poisonous bait for pests; and the existence of introduced species of animals in there native habitat, including poisonous cane toads that are eaten, and foxes and feral cats that either hunt or compete against the marsupial.
  • Quolls are most active at night time; typically have a life span ranging three to six years; and are preyed on by crocodiles and snakes.
  • Quolls have a fur coat coloured black, brown, grey or tan, which is patterned with lightly coloured spots, and they have a long tail and a pointy snout.
  • Although they typically live on their own, quolls in a single area usually toilet in the same spot as their fellow species.
Bibliography:
Quoll, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/quoll/
Quoll, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quoll
Department of the Environment and Heritage, Quolls of Australia, n.d, Australian Government, http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/8ad3915e-57ee-4eb8-afd0-4f6bed036896/files/quolls.pdf

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Indri

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Indri

An indri is an exotic lemur of Madagascar.

  • Indris are primates, as well as the biggest extant lemur, and are native to Africa’s largest island, Madagascar.
  • Indris have the scientific name Indri indri, and are from the family Indriidae, the family of strepsirrhine primates of large and medium lemurs.
  • ‘Indris’ are also known as ‘babakotos’, meaning ‘father’ in the Malagasy language, and they are preyed on by snakes, birds of prey and fossas.
  • Indris can make sounds that are song-like, that have been compared to those of whales and can be projected for over three minutes, while roars, hums, wheezes and grunts are also common noises.
  • The diet of an indri mainly consists of recently sprouted leaves, as well as fruit, flowers and seeds and they spend most of their time in trees.
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Indri
Image courtesy of Frank Vassen/Flickr
  • Although protected in national parks, indris are endangered on a critical level due to habitat loss from logging and agricultural practices, much of which occurs illegally, as well as poaching.
  • Indris are typically considered sacred by native folk to the area, and are often depicted in legends associated with humans.
  • Indris can grow to be 64 to 72 centimetres (25 to 28 inches) in height and generally weigh 6 to 9.5 kilograms (13 to 21 pounds).
  • Indris have fur typically coloured in a combination of white, grey and black or brown, and usually have distinct areas of colour.
  • Indris typically live to be 15 to 22 years in the wild, while barely surviving in captivity, and they reproduce one baby at a time.
Bibliography:
Indri, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/indri/
Indri, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indri

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Giant Clam

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Giant Clam

You may not be a giant when next to a giant clam.

  • Giant clams are very large bivalves, shells with two pieces that are hinged together, and are native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, in coral reefs.
  • The giant clam has the scientific name Tridacna gigas, and is a mollusc from the family Cardiidae, the family of cockles, and it is commonly believed to be the largest extant bivalve, and while it is the heaviest, longer specimens of Kuphus polythalamia have been found.
  • Giant clams typically range from 90 to 120 centimetres (35 to 47 inches) in length, and can weigh 100 to 200 kilograms (220 to 440 pounds), although they can grow larger.
  • The diet of a giant clam primarily consists of nutrients produced by algae that the clam plays host to and with which it lives in a photosymbiosis relationship, and it also consumes plankton and sometimes other plant and animal matter.
  • Giant clams possibly grow around 12 centimetres in length annually, until maximum length has been reached, and they have a lifespan spanning approximately 20 to 100 years in the wild.
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Giant Clam
Image courtesy of Malcolm Browne/Flickr
  • Once a giant clam has found a favourable location, it settles there and does not re-position itself ever again, however, they do have predators, that include eels; fish; starfish; and snails, that are smaller than the clam itself, and once attacked, they will be slowly eaten by their enemies.
  • Giant clams are vulnerably endangered due to coral reef habitat destruction as well as over-fishing partly due to the clam being considered as a delicacy.
  • Giant clams usually close in self defense, but quite slowly, and often not all the way, and while they have often been regarded as highly dangerous and fatal, this is considered a myth and no known fatalities have occurred.
  • Giant clams have a combination of colours that vary, and include yellow, red, orange, green, pink, blue and brown, and it is said that every clam is unique in its appearance.
  • Giant clams are said to be able to produce 500 million eggs at once, that are released in the ocean and once fertilised, they quickly hatch and produce a shell.
Bibliography:
Giant Clam, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/giant-clam/
Giant Clam, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/invertebrates/giant-clam/
Giant Clam, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_clam

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