Tag Archives: Mammal

Western Gorilla

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Western Gorilla

Western gorillas are endangered giants.

  • Western gorillas consist of two primate subspecies and are found in the tropical woodlands of western to central parts of Africa.
  • Western gorillas have the scientific name Gorilla gorilla and are from the family Hominidae, the family of great apes.
  • Western gorillas typically have black or grey coloured hair, and the upper head is generally brown.
  • Western gorillas can grow to be 1.4 to 1.7 metres (4.7 to 5.5 feet) in length and generally weigh between 80 to 200 kilograms (220 to 440 pounds).
  • Western gorillas move at speeds of 40 kilometres per hour (25 miles per hour) and they show capabilities of tool using.
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Western Gorilla
Image courtesy of LaggedOnUser/Flickr
  • Western gorillas have a slow rate of reproduction, usually only having a single offspring per birth; the mother cares for the young for three to four years; and fatalities are common in the early years.
  • The diet of western gorillas primarily consists of vegetation including leaves, bark, fruit and nuts, as sometimes insects, rodents and lizards are consumed, and they are sometimes preyed on by leopards and crocodiles.
  • Western gorillas usually reside in troops of two to twenty gorillas, and have a lifespan of approximately 35 to 40 years in the wild, and up to 54 years in captivity.
  • Western gorillas are critically endangered due to poaching, habitat removal and viruses, and the population of the western lowland gorilla subspecies is said to be less than 200,000 and the Cross River gorilla subspecies is believed to have 300 or less.
  • Western gorillas use vegetation to make nests on the ground or in trees, that they sleep in, and they usually build a new nest each day.
Bibliography:
Csomos R, Gorilla gorilla, 2008, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Gorilla_gorilla/
Western Gorilla, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/western-gorilla/
Western Gorilla, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_gorilla

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Chinchilla

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Chinchilla

Chinchillas are cute and soft but endangered.

  • Chinchillas are a genus of two extant species of medium sized rodent mammals that move around mostly during twilight hours, and the animal lives in herds of 14 to 100.
  • Chinchillas live at elevations of up to 4,270 metres (14,000 feet) in South America’s Andes Mountains, and they belong to the family Chinchillidae, a family of squirrel-like rodents.
  • The term ‘chinchilla’ is said to have derived from ‘Chincha’, the name of the Andes Mountains indigenous people who wore garments made from their fur, however, it is also believed the term means ‘little bug’.
  • Chinchillas have become critically endangered, and one species is extinct, due to human hunting for its very soft fur.
  • Chinchillas grow to be 25 to 35 centimetres (10 to 14 inches) in length; weigh 400 to 500 grams (14 to 18 ounces); and can jump lengths of 1.8 metres (6 feet) in a single bound.
Chinchilla, Animals, pets, rodents, black, grey, white, Captive, Ten Random Facts
Chinchillas
Image courtesy of Ph!L!s/Flickr
  • Female chinchillas have litters averaging two or three, giving birth to young that have a body full of fur and open eyes, and they live on average 10 to 12 years, although they can live to age 20.
  • A chinchilla’s diet mainly consists of seeds, fruit, leaves and nuts, and they are preyed upon by birds like owls and hawks, snakes, foxes and other animals.
  • Chinchillas can be kept as pets, although the animal requires a specific diet and habitat, including a relatively cool environment.
  • The fur of chinchillas has been sold since the 1500s, while today the animal is bred commercially for their fur.
  • The fur colour of chinchillas is typically grey, although humans have bred them so that they produce different colours, including white, black, blue or beige.
Bibliography:
Chinchilla, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/chinchilla/
Chinchilla, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinchilla
The Chinchilla, 2014, Chinchilla Chronicles, http://www.chinchillachronicles.com/the_chinchilla.html

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Spider Monkey

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Spider Monkey

Eeek! Oh, it is just a spider monkey.

  • Spider monkeys are a group of monkeys, scientifically known as ‘Ateles’, that are native to Central and South America’s rainforests.
  • Spider monkeys have abnormally long arms, legs and tail, that somewhat resembles a spider, and they do not possess thumbs.
  • Spider monkeys’ diet mainly consists of fruit, as well as nuts, flowers, leaves, and insects.
  • Spider monkeys live high up in the tall trees, in troops of 10 to 40 monkeys, that generally split into smaller groups during daytime, and they vocalise by barking, screaming and whinnying.
  • Six of the seven species of spider monkey are endangered, some species critically, and the seventh is vulnerable, due to rainforest removal as well as hunting.
Spider Monkey, Brown, Crouch, Tree, Branches, Animal, Primate, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, Endangered, Long limbs,Spider Monkey
Image courtesy of Russel Street/Flickr
  • Spider monkeys are from the Atelidae family, the family of large New World Monkeys, and they have a life span, on average, of 22 years, and can live up to 27.
  • The fur of spider monkeys is typically coloured gold, brown, black, white or grey and the extremities are also black coloured, while the colour varies depending on the species.
  • When threatened, either by humans or other animals like eagles and jaguars, spider monkeys may bark, shake trees to provoke fear, drop branches or, rarely, attack.
  • Female spider monkeys typically have a single baby at a time, with a gap of 3 or 4 years before they reproduce again, and the young monkey travels with and relies on the mother for approximately six to ten months.
  • Spider monkeys grow to be around 35 to 66 centimetres (14 to 26 inches) in height, with a tail length that can be as long as 89 centimetres (35 inches), and they weigh approximately 6 to 11 kilograms (13.25 to 24 pounds).
Bibliography:
Spider Monkey, 2014, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/spider-monkey/
Spider Monkey, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/spider-monkey/
Spider Monkey, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_monkey

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Gopher

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Gopher

What secret underground gopher networks have you stumbled upon?

  • Gopher rodents are 35 species of mammal, notable for creating and living in tunnel networks underground.
  • Gophers are the family group with the scientific name Geomyidae, and they are native to North America and Central America.
  • ‘Gophers’ are also known as ‘pocket gophers’ due to the pouches they have in their cheeks, and the term is occasionally used to refer to some of the Sciuridae family’s ground squirrels.
  • Gophers grow to be 12.7 to 35.5 centimetres (5 to 14 inches) in length and range from 220 to 1000 grams (0.5 to 2.2 pounds) in weight.
  • Gophers typically live up to three years in the wild, although some reach up to seven years.

Gopher, Rodent, Mammal, Animal, Grass, Ten Random Facts, animal, Flickr

Gopher
Image courtesy of Sebastian Bergmann/Flickr
  • Gophers have brown, dirt camouflaging fur, long teeth, and a tail that is short.
  • Gophers are prey to weasels, owls, hawks, badgers, snakes and other animals.
  • Gophers are often classified as agriculture and domestic yard pests, as the burrowing under soil can make a visible mess, and they sometimes eat and destroy plants and crops.
  • Gophers are solitary animals and the females give birth to between two to five offspring at one time, that initially can not see.
  • The diet of gophers primarily consists of tubers and roots, as well as vegetables, and other plant material, that they store in their burrows, and they use their cheek pouches to carry their food.
Bibliography:
Gopher, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopher
Myers P, Geomyidae, 2001, Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Geomyidae/
Pocket Gophers, 2014, National Wildlife Federation, http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/mammals/pocket-gophers.aspx

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Okapi

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Okapi

Okapis are weird and wonderful creatures.

  • Okapis are solitary mammals that are endemic to central Africa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s rainforest habitats, and they are a prominent symbol of the country.
  • Okapis have fur coloured red to brown, and the legs are striped black and white like a zebra.
  • ‘Okapis’ are also known as ‘forest giraffes’ and ‘zebra giraffes’, and have the scientific name Okapia johnstoni.
  • Okapis are one of two living species from the family Giraffidae, the family of giraffes, and they have a longer neck than other similar shaped animals, and the males have short horns that look similar to those of a giraffe.
  • An okapi has a long tongue that can be up to 45 centimetre (18 inches) long, that is used for face cleaning and grabbing vegetation.
Okapi, Zoo, Mammal, Marwel, 2008, Ten Random Facts, Giraffe, Fossil, Unique, Endangered, Flickr
Okapi
Image courtesy of David/Flickr
  • Okapis range from 1.5 to 2 metres (4.9 to 6.6 feet) in height and 200 to 350 kilograms (440 to 770 pounds) in weight.
  • Okapis are shy creatures that live in remote areas, and are rarely seen in the wild by humans, and they have a lifespan of around 20 to 30 years.
  • Okapis eat only vegetation, including leaves, fruit, fungus and grass, although they also consume red coloured clay for its mineral and salt content.
  • Okapis are a protected species, and due to dwindling numbers by poaching and habitat loss, in 2013 they were classified as endangered.
  • Around 175 okapis can be found in captivity in zoos across the globe, some of which are involved in their conservation.
Bibliography:
Okapi, 2014, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/okapi/
Okapi, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi

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Mousetrap

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Mousetrap

Snap goes the mousetrap.

  • Mousetraps, also known as ‘mouse traps’, are devices typically used to catch, and sometimes kill mice.
  • Mousetraps are generally placed inside human shelters to remove mice that cause a nuisance, often by eating human food supplies.
  • The classic mousetrap is typically rectangular, and catches mice by using a weight trigger and spring mechanism to set off a crushing bar.
  • The first deadly mousetrap said to be patented, was invented by New York resident American James Keep in 1879, although previous traps for mice existed, and earlier patents included traps that were not fatal.
  • The traditional spring triggered mousetraps were first patented by American William Hooker in 1894, and later in Britain in 1898 by James Atkinson, and John Mast from the United States improved Hooker’s invention in 1899, by making the trap safer to set.

Mousetrap, Classic, Modern, Snap, Bait, Set, Tunnel, Alive, Ten Random Facts, invention, Flickr

  • Mousetrap bait options include cheese, peanut butter, bread, chocolate, oats or meat.
  • In addition to spring loaded traps, other mousetraps include devices that electrocute, drown or glue, although the latter generally are illegal under the animal cruelty act in some areas due to the slow death of the mouse.
  • There are a number of mousetraps that do not kill the mouse, often in the form of a cage, and simple ones can be made from household supplies.
  • Mousetraps are typically made of plastic, metal and/or wood, depending on the style of trap, and some are designed for single use, so that they can be easily disposed of with the mouse.
  • Disposal of a mouse caught in a non-fatal mousetrap can be tricky, especially if there is a desire to keep the mouse alive, as they have a natural instinct to return to their original dwelling, and are easily preyed upon in natural environments.
Bibliography:
Mouse Trap, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mousetrap
Mouse Trap Exhibition, n.d, Dorking Museum and Heritage Centre, http://www.dorkingmuseum.org.uk/mousetrap-exhibition/

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