Tag Archives: Animal

Giraffe

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Giraffe

Very, very tall giraffe necks.

  • Giraffes are mammals native to Africa and are the tallest non-extinct, land dwelling animal.
  • Giraffes have large eyes, and almost 360° vision, very long legs and necks with two horn-like bumps on its head, known as ‘ossicones’.
  • The scientific name of giraffes is Giraffa vamelopardalis and they come from the small family, Giraffidae, the family of some long necked mammals.
  • Giraffes grow to five to six metres (16 to 20 feet) in height and weigh 830 to 1600 kilograms (1800 to 3500 pounds), depending on the gender, and can run up to speeds of 56 kilometres/hour (35 miles/hour) .
  • Giraffes have dark patches of colour on their bodies, which can be chestnut, brown, orange or almost black, separated by white or cream, and no two have the same coat pattern.

Giraffe, Yellow, Brown, Adult, Two Babies, Young, Day, Ruma Park, Kenya, Africa, National Geographic Stock, Rothchild's

Rothschild’s Giraffe
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • The giraffe species contains nine subspecies, recognised by the pattern on their coats, with some endangered, such as the Nubian giraffe that has an estimated population of 250.
  • Giraffes generally do not make noise but if they do, they make snoring, mooing, hissing and moaning type sounds.
  • Giraffes can live up to 25 years of age in the wild, although only one quarter to a half of the young grows to be an adult.
  • Giraffes are common tick hosts, and birds, usually billed ox-peckers, remove the ticks.
  • Giraffes have approximately 53 cm (21 inch) long tongues, are herbivorous and can eat 34 kg (75 lb) of plant material, generally leaves from trees, in one day.
Bibliography:
Giraffe, 2013, National Geographic, <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/giraffe/>
Giraffe, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe>

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Saltwater Crocodile

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Saltwater Crocodile

It is Saltie the Saltwater Crocodile!

  • Saltwater crocodiles are the world’s largest reptiles, growing an average of 3 to 5 meters (10 to 17 feet) in length, depending on the gender, and can grow up to 7 meters (23 feet) long.
  • ‘Saltwater crocodiles’ are also known as ‘salties’, ‘estuarine’ and ‘Indo-Pacific crocodiles’, and their scientific name is crocodylus porosus.
  • Saltwater crocodiles generally weigh between 400 to 1000 kilograms (880 to 2200 pounds) but they can be as heavy as 2000 kilograms (4400 pounds).
  • Saltwater crocodiles are typically found in mangrove swamps, deltas, lagoons, rivers, and estuaries, and can also be found swimming in the ocean, which they sometimes use to travel long distances during different seasons.
  • Saltwater crocodiles are native to South-east Asia, including India, and Australia.

Saltwater, Croc, Saltie, Two Third Body, Swamp, Sun Basking, Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, Jason Edwards

 

Saltwater Crocodile
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Saltwater crocodiles have vibration-sensing teeth, and their diet generally consists of fish, sharks, reptiles, birds, crustaceans and mammals although they cannot swallow their prey underwater.
  • A saltwater crocodile’s bite is the strongest of all non-extinct animals, as its teeth are designed to hold its prey and prevent it from escaping.
  • Saltwater crocodiles are the most dangerous crocodile, although attacks are not frequent, however there are usually a couple of human fatalities each year.
  • Saltwater crocodiles can lay up to 60 eggs at a time and baby salties are pale yellow in colour with black patterns, while the adults are generally murky green or greenish-black in colour with a pale yellow underbelly.
  • In 1971, 95% of the original Australian saltwater crocodile population had been hunted, commonly for its skin, however the species is now protected in Australia, and the population has recovered.
Bibliography:
Saltwater Crocodile, 2012, Northern Territory Tourism Central, <http://www.nttc.com.au/saltwater-crocodile>
Saltwater Crocodile, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltwater_crocodile>

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Pacific Black Duck

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Pacific Black Duck

Have you seen a pacific black duck’s speculum?

  • Pacific black ducks are dabbling ducks, which are ducks that generally feed on the surface of the water, and poke their head into the water for food, while the back half of the duck remains out of the water.
  • Pacific black ducks are native to most of Australasia and the Pacific islands and parts of Southeast Asia.
  • ‘Pacific black ducks’ are also known as ‘grey ducks’, ‘black ducks’, ‘brown ducks’, ‘wild ducks’, ‘blackies’, ‘Australian wild ducks’ and ‘Parera’, a New Zealand Maori term.
  • Pacific black ducks live in or near ponds, wetlands, lakes or marshes and nest in woven grass, leaves and other foliage, laying 7-13 white eggs.
  • Pacific black ducks are typically dark brown in colour, with a paler head and neck, with distinctive stripes on their face.

Pacific black ducks, Brown, lake, swimming, group, adult, water, lake, Ten Random Facts

  • Pacific black ducks are generally between 50 to 60 centimetres (1.6 to 2 feet) in length, with males generally larger than females.
  • The scientific name of pacific black ducks is Anas superciliosa and they are from the family Anatidae, which is the family of ducks, swans and geese.
  • Pacific black ducks are similar to their introduced cousins, mallards, that the ducks can and do breed with.
  • Pacific black ducks are covered with waterproof oil that the ducks produce, and have a magnificent green speculum (patch on their feathers), which is best seen when the ducks are in flight.
  • Pacific black ducks feed on seeds of aquatic vegetation, shrimps, yabbies, crustaceans and insects, and they will sometimes forage for food on the ground.
Bibliography:
Davis D, Pacific Black Duck, 2013, Wires Northern Rivers, <http://www.wiresnr.org/pacificblackduck.html>
Pacific Black Duck, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Black_Duck>

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Humpback Whale

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Humpback Whale

Humpback whales have bumps and bumps.

  • Humpback whales have long fins and bumpy heads and are warm-blooded baleen whales, which are whales that have baleen, bristle like filtering plates, instead of teeth.
  • The scientific name of a humpback whale is Megaptera novaeangliae and they are from the family Baleanopteridae, or rorquals, which includes nine species of baleen whales.
  • Humpback whales grow up to 12 to 16 meters (39 to 52 feet) in length and weigh up to 36,000 kilograms (79,000 pounds).
  • Humpback whales are typically dark blue to black, but white or grey whales are possible, although only two fully white humpback whales have ever been spotted.
  • Humpback whales are known for their unexplained surfacing behaviour, where you can see them jumping out of the water, which includes movements like breaching, spyhopping and lobtailing, making them popular among whale watchers.
Whale, Humpback, Leaping, Blue, Spray, Ocean, Mexico, Marias Island, Breaching, Animal, One, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic
Humpback Whale
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Male humpback whales can sing complex songs, believed to be possibly used during mating, which are often 10 to 20 minutes long, but the singing can last for hours, and both the female and male use clicks, groans, grunts, barks, snorts and thwops, by pushing air through their airways.
  • Humpback whales are found in most parts of the ocean around the world, migrating up to 25,000 kilometres (16,000 miles) in a year towards the equator to have their young in winter, although they are believed to never go pass the equator.
  • Humpback whales only feed in summer, on small fish, krill and plankton, and live on their own fat in winter.
  • Before 1966, an estimated total of 200,000 or 90% of the humpback whale population had been whaled, causing them to come close to extinction, which was halted by whaling bans.
  • Every humpback whale has a unique marking on its tail fluke make it distinguishable among other whales.
Bibliography:
Humpback Whale, 2010, Enchanted Learning, <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Humpbackwhale.shtml
Humpback Whale, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpback_whale>

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Antelope

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Antelope

Hoofed and horned, the antelopes.

  • Antelope are hoofed animals that look similar to deer and belong to the Bovidae family which is the family of cloven-hoofed mammals, that includes sheep, cattle, goats and buffalo.
  • Antelope are native to Africa, Asia and Europe, with about 70 of  the species, which is the majority, belonging to Africa.
  • All male antelope have permanent horns, which most females also have, that are used for fighting and defence.
  • Depending on the species, antelope can be as small as 24 cm (9.4 inches) in height like the royal antelope, or as large as 178cm (70 inches), like the common eland.
  • Antelope are typically brown, tan or red in colour, while a white underbelly is common, and their fastest speed is 70km/h (43m/h) with some species jumping over 2 meters (6 feet) high.

Antelope, Brown, herd, many, Impala, Serenget National Park, Tanzania, Ten Random Facts

Antelope
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Antelope have sharp hearing and eyesight, and they use these senses to detect predators like crocodiles, cheetahs, lions and hyenas.
  • Antelope typically live in herds, sometimes in herds of up to 800, which can be used as a defence against predators, although some of the forest species only have a handful of animals in a herd.
  • Many native people believe that some antelopes have horns with special powers, and the horns of the saiga antelope are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
  • Antelope are found in a variety of habitats including woodlands, savannahs, grasslands and forests, where their diet is mainly grass.
  • In 2009, 25 of the 91 species of antelope were endangered, which was worse than 13 years earlier in 1996.
Bibliography:
Antelope, 2013, A-Z Animals, <http://a-z-animals.com/animals/antelope/>
Antelope, 2013, San Diego Zoo, <http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/antelope>
 Antelope, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope>

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Stingray

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Stingray

Lightning fast reflex stingrays.

  • Stingrays are from the family Myliobatiformes, which is the family of fish, known as rays with a cartilage structure, and stingrays have no bones but instead have cartilage and are related to sharks.
  • There are more than 60 species of stingray, and they are typically found in warm, coastal waters throughout the world, although they can be seen in some other areas.
  • Stingrays can feel the electrical currents a fish produces when it swims, using its electroreceptors and its sense of smell to catch prey.
  • Stingrays can camouflage themselves by laying their flat body, coloured similar to the seabed, in the sand and partially burying themselves.
  • Stingrays often feed at high tide in reefs with their cousins the sharks, and once they have found their food, they crush their prey of clams, mussels, crabs and shrimps with their super strong teeth.

Float, Ray, Blue, Fish, Female, Body, Top, Ten Random Facts, Ocean, pretty

Stingray
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Stingrays typically have a litter of between 2 and 13 babies per year that are born as mini versions of an adult.
  • Stingrays do not normally attack people unless aggravated by being stepped on or are feeling threatened, although many people are afraid and suspicious of them, particularly since a stingray killed the legendary wildlife protector, Steve Irwin in 2006.
  • Stingrays usually have a barbed stinger, that sometimes contains venom, and if stung, it is not normally fatal unless stung near vital organs, but it can be extremely painful and may cause swelling and muscle cramps.
  • Stingrays are commonly eaten in Malaysia and Singapore served with a sambal sauce, and they have wing like fins that are served as a delicacy in some countries.
  • A stingray swims through the sea by moving side to side or flapping its fins up and down to glide, and they can weigh up to 358 kg (789 pounds) and grow up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) in length although some species grow up to twice that in length.

 

Bibliography:
Hughes C, Stingrays, 2013, National Geographic Kids, <http://kids.nationalgeographic.com.au/kids/animals/creaturefeature/stingray/>
Stingray, 2013, National Geographic, <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/fish/stingray/>
Stingray, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingray>

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