Tag Archives: Mammal

Leopard

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Leopard

You will not see the leopard until too late!

  • Leopards are from the family Felidae, which is the family of cats, and are part of the Panthera genus, large cat family, of which they are the smallest.
  • Leopards are, depending on the species, native to the deserts, tropics and cool areas of either Africa or Asia.
  • Leopards grow from o.9 to 1.65 metres (3 feet to 5.4 feet) in length, have small, clustered black blotches, or rosettes as they are known, on a pale yellow to gold coloured skin, and have a lifespan from 12 to 17 years, in the wild.
  • Leopards can run at speeds of 58 kilometres/hour (36 miles/hour), jump at heights of 3 metres (10 feet) and at lengths of 6 metres (20 feet).
  • The scientific name of leopards is ‘Panthera pardus’ and includes nine official sub species, and are often mistaken for cheetahs and jaguars, but can be distinguished by their different rosettes or spots.

female leopard, yellow, black, cat, Kruger National Park, Africa, National Geographic Stock, Ten Random Facts

Leopard
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • ‘Leopard’ comes from the combination of Greek words ‘leōn’ and ‘pardos,’ meaning ‘lion’ and ‘mail panther’ respectively, since it was originally thought they were a cross between a lion and a panther.
  • Leopards are primarily nocturnal hunters that stalk prey stealthily, usually launching their attack at their victim’s neck, and then often dragging heavy carcasses, which can be twice the cat’s weight, with their mouth, up into high trees for protection.
  • Leopards are carnivores, and their diet is quite varied, consisting of animals like monkeys, warthogs, cheetah cubs and antelope, and smaller mammals, reptiles, birds, insects and amphibians, and while they do not often attack humans, in the early 1900s, two vicious man-eaters are said to have killed 525 people between them.
  • Although leopards have no natural predators, large cats, large primates and hyenas all compete for carcasses, and in large groups, will attack these spotted cats, sometimes fatally, for food.
  • Leopards generally have two to four cubs per litter, which stay with the mother for up to 2 years, who protects them from large predators such as crocodiles, large cats and primates.
Bibliography:
Leopard, 2013, San Diego Zoo Animals, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/leopard
Leopard, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard

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Rhinoceros

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Rhinoceros

Watch those poachers, big rhinoceros.

  • Rhinoceros are herbivorous mammals from the family Rhinocerotidae and is a group of five species.
  • The word ‘Rhinoceros’ can be shortened to ‘rhinos’, and ‘rhinoceroses’ can also be used as a plural.
  • Two rhinoceros, the ‘black’ and the ‘white’, are native to Africa and three, the ‘Indian’, the ‘Javan’ and the ‘Sumatran’ are native to Asia.
  • Rhinoceros have chunky skin, 1.5 to 5 centimetre (0.6 to 2 inches) thick, and one or two horns up to 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length that are made of keratin.
  • Rhinoceros are common targets for poachers, humans being their only predators, as their horns are considered as valuable as gold on the black market, and are used for ornamental and traditional medicine purposes.

Two Black Rhinoceros, Kenya, Solio, Africa, Forward, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic

Rhinos
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • ‘Rhinoceros’ is derived from the Ancient Greek words ‘rhino’ and ‘keras’, which mean ‘nose’ and ‘horn’ respectively.
  • Rhinoceros can weigh up to and beyond 3,500 kilograms (7,700 pounds) and can run at speeds of 48 kilometres/hour (30 miles/hour).
  • Rhinoceros have bad sight but have good hearing and smelling senses and can live up to 35 to 40 years in the wild.
  • Rhinoceros range from being ‘near threatened’ to ‘critically endangered’, with less than 70 of the Javan species of rhino alive.
  • Rhinoceros are the second largest land mammals alive and range from 2.4 – 4.6 metres (7 ft 10 in – 15 ft) in length and can be as tall as a human, depending on the species.
Bibliography:
Rhinoceros, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros Rhincerotidae, n.d, Kids Planet, http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/rhinoceros.html

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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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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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Rakali

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Rakali

Rakali, the swimming rat.

  • Rakali are also known as ‘water rats’, or ‘Australian water rat’ and are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea.
  • Rakali are amphibious rats that have webbed back feet, waterproof fur, a flat head and a long and thick, white tipped rudder like tail.
  • The scientific name of rakali is ‘Hydromys chrysogaster’ and they are one of the largest rodents native to Australia.
  • Rakali live in fresh or salt water environments, and burrow and dig along riverbanks, lakes, and estuaries.
  • The diet of a rakali includes water insects, mussels, fish, crustaceans, frogs, birds and their eggs.

 

 

Rakali, Water, Float, Sim, Water Rat, Igneous, Australia, Ten Random Facts

Image courtesy of Val Laird

 

  • Rakali have bodies that grow to 23 to 37 cm (9 to 15 inches) in length, and have a total length of approximately 60 cm (23 inches), including the tail, and are grey, black or brown in colour, with an orange, cream, white or golden belly.
  • The original name of ‘rakali’ was ‘water rat’ until an agreement occurred to change the name to the Australian indigenous name for the rat, ‘rakali’.
  • Rakali are most commonly seen and observed a little before sunset and look like otters when swimming in the water.
  • The typical litter of rakali is three to four babies, with up to five litters in a year.
  • Rakali are preyed on by large fish, birds, cats and foxes.
Bibliography: Rakali, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakali>
The Rakali – Australian Water Rat (Hydromys Chrysogaster), 2011, Bayside City Council, < http://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/walksandtrails_environmenttrail_rakali.htm>

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