Friday 09 May 2008
Neotropical River Otter
Mass: 5 to 15 kg (11 to 33 lbs)
Length: 36 to 66 cm (14.17 to 25.98 in)
The Neotropical River Otter (
Lontra longicaudis) resides in swamps, streams, lagoons and lakes in Mexico and parts of South America (especially Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay). It is the most widespread of the Lontra genus.
If you have seen a North American river otter, then you could easily imagine a Neotropical River Otter, for they are quite alike in appearance. However, the Neotropical River Otter is shorter, around the mouth, the areas are white, its body is long and circular. Neotropical River Otters possess a soft wool-like undercoat that is layered with guard hairs, the latter maintains dryness to the undercoat when it is wet. Unlike seals, the Neotropical River Otter does not have an insulating layer of fats, but instead they depend on this fur for dryness and warmth.
Its head is both round and flat, ears placed low, the muzzle is just short and whisker-filled. The neck is also short, it has eyes which are widely-spaced. The best description for the nose of a Neotropical River Otter would be trapezoid-like.
The back legs are longer than the front ones, allowing them to swim adequately. If an otter is relaxed and swimming slowly, it could be seen paddling using all 4 paws, but if it is engaged in fast swimming (for example, being pursued, or chasing a prey), short paws are maintained close to its sides, the tail acts as a propeller. Its nostrils/ears could be closed when one is submerged.
Their diet mainly consists of mollusks and fish, but they are what we call opportunistic eaters, they can also eat birds, small reptiles or mammals.
This otter has no set breeding period, and just like its relative otters, a delayed implantation prior to breeding might occur. A newborn is born fully furred, but the eyes are shut, and these would open after approximately 44 days.
Interesting fact: One marks by scent via the leaving of feces on places like bridges or logs, and you know why? Experts believe this is an advertisement of one's gender.
Picture of the Neotropical River Otter © 2006 Carla Antonini, licensed under
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5
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Monday 05 May 2008
Ribbon seal
The scientific name of the Ribbon seal (
Phoca fasciata) sounds like something straight from a "Lord of the Rings" genre, but the truth is, Phoca is 'seal, while "fasciata" is a band or ribbon, hence the name of this seal. The Ribbon Seal inhabits the periodically ice-covered waters in North Pacific. The Ribbon Seal actually has other names, such as: Qaqruliq or Kukupak in
Yupik.
They are of medium size, if we would compare them to other ice seals. Usually they would weigh around 70kgs, while a newborn would weigh about 10.5kgs. Newborn Ribbon Seals possess a pelage of white, soft hair, and this gives them protection from the elements. First year pelage would not exhibit the usual coloration of the adults, but by the time they reach their fourth year, color would be any of 4 particular, light-hued ribbons set on dark. They can be found on the following areas: encircling head/neck, encircling trunk or at the navel areas, one at each side of its body. The measurements of the ribbons vary, and fact is, in some individuals, they merge.
They have big eyes, a bit-flat whiskers and weak teeth. A female Ribbon Seal is sexually mature from 2 to 4 years, while the males are at ages 3 to 6. The young Ribbon Seals are born on an ice setting (floes), and the nursing time frame would go from three weeks to a month. Majority of the adult females get pregnant each year.
These seals consume a wide repertoire of foods, but in general, their diet consists of fish, and walleye pollocks, in territories where this kind of prey abounds. Besides fish, they survive on shrimps, crabs and squids.
Interesting fact: One's air sac overlies its ribs at the right side, and the purpose of this structure (it is absent from its relatives' bodies) is basically a mystery. Scientists speculate that it is most probably related to vocalization when underwater.
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Sunday 27 April 2008
Sable
Body length 35-36 cm (14 to 22 inches)
Mass 1,25 kg (44 oz)
The
Sable (
Martes zibellina) can be found all over north Asia, and also in Siberia. They inhabit flatlands, taiga forests and mountainous grounds. They stay away from the very barren mountaintops. The Sable's winter fur is longer than in the the summer. Their fur ranges from light brown to a deep shade of the same hue. They also have a patch of fur at the throat areas, and these can be yellow or white.
Breeding period of the Sable is from June up to August, and the number of newborns on average is 2 to 3. Specifically though, it could be anything from 1 to 7. Gestation time is from 200 to 300 days, while the weaning period would be around seven weeks. Reproductive maturity would be attained in 2 or 3 years' time. It has been observed that the male Sables do ruts, or in other words, grooves on the snow. These ruts would be around 1 meter long. At places where their numbers are few, courting may involve jumping, running but in places where a lot of males are present, violent fights could occur.
In the wild, the longest recorded lifespan was 8 years, while that in captivity was 18. The Sable is diurnal, and it utilizes the senses of hearing and smell to find prey. The Sable takes refuge during bad weather especially in cases of snowstorms, or when they know they are being targeted by man. They may be dangerous in the wild, but records exist asserting that if taken away from the parent at a very tender age, they could be tamed.
Categorically, they are carnivorous, and their diet consists of chipmunks, mice, birds, fish and even squirrels. However, they are also able to subsist on cedar nuts and berries if the animal-preys can not be found. On the other side of the coin, they have their predators too, and for these, nature equipped them with claws and pointed teeth.
Interesting fact: Around 66% of the whole population of the Sable is made up of members below 2 years old.
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Wednesday 23 April 2008
Crabeater Seal
The
Crabeater Seal (
Lobodon carcinophagus) lives in the pack ice around Antarctica. It weighs about 20 kgs upon birth, and is around 1.5 to 1.6 meters long. Male adults range from 203 cm to 241 cm and have a weight of up to 225kgs. They have a long, pronounced snout, which, when agitated, has foam at their mouth. The majority of Crabeater Seals are scarred, and these parallel scars traverse the sides and the back.
There have been sightings of hundreds of seals congregating on a singular ice floe, but it could not be determined whether this multitude is in fact a social manifestation or it just happened by chance. They are first and foremost pack-ice creatures, but a Crabeater Seal can sometimes be found at the shore's territories.
The newborns come out mainly in September and October, and it is very common during these periods for them to be in trios. The male, female and the young. Male Crabeater Seals would be aggressive if a leopard seal thinks it could encroach on its territory. It is known that it could be threatening humans as well.
Their diet has been estimated to consist of 45 percent krill, 35 percent seals, 10 percent penguins, and 10 percent fish and cephalopods. One captured individual was observed closely, and it was discovered that it could suck preys to its mouth in a single gulp from lengths of up to 50 centimeters. This food was kept inside its mouth by the seal pressing its tongue to the palate, at the same time, it would bring up its lips to release the water.
It may not have a lot of predators it has to escape from, but it sure has a lot of competitors for krill. These are whales, other seals and even humans.
Interesting fact: Facial scars and at the flippers come from wounds acquired during their breeding days.
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Tuesday 22 April 2008
African golden cat
An
African golden cat (
Profelis aurata) is a medium-sized cat, and it weighs about 18kgs on average. Under captivity it has shown that its base fur color can change, from one stage to another over time, depending on the age and external factors. Its underside of the chest and chin are ordinarily light-colored, and in rare cases, pure white.
The head of an African golden cat has light spots around the eyes. In the 60s, studies were done, and these showed that various colors of the African golden cat (red, brown, silver) were found in equal measure in most areas of their habitats, but the distinctive spots at the back were confined to West Africa.
Primarily, the habitat of the African golden cat is at the Tropical Rain Forest belt running across the equator in Africa. Some experts contend that the African golden cat opts to stay in virgin forests, but some experts say they are comfortable in secondary forests. Owing to the fact that they live in very thick forests, very scant information has been provided concerning lifestyle and biology. Again, some scientists say that these cats are solitary and crepuscular (moving in twilight hours), but then, there had been sightings that contradict at least part of this. Some individuals were seen hunting for prey in broad daylight, but of course, it could have been that rare exception.
The diet of these cats is made up of
duikers, antelopes,
rodents, birds and even poultry.
Interesting fact: They are not only little-known as far as the scientific world is concerned, they are also mysterious. Young monkeys had been reported to have been captured, and it strongly insinuates that they may be terrestrial, but they can also navigate the low branches of the jungle's canopy, and that they are good climbers too.
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Wednesday 16 April 2008
Brown hyena
The
Brown Hyena (
Parahyaena brunnea) inhabits the Kalahari and Namib deserts in the south of Africa in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and Botswana. The male on average weighs about 39 kilograms, with a big head, large teeth and sharp ears, and its coat is made up of long hair, colored with a deep shade of brown bearing black spots.
It resembles a
Striped hyena, but they would never meet, as the Striped hyena lives in the north of African and the Brown hyena in the south. It is smaller than the
Spotted hyena, and is mainly a scavenger, hunting for meat as its primary food, but it would not let go of vegetables and fruits if they are available. Other parts of their diet include insects and seal pups on the coastline of Namibia. Melons for the Brown Hyena are important sources of moisture for the dry months, eight months in theory.
They live in clans (4-15 members) and have their own hierarchy. The rank order determines its submission and dominance. Every Brown hyena exhibits scent-posting, and an individual Brown Hyena would defend its home against other males from a rival clan. The fascinating part is this: one would show very little aggressiveness to a nomadic individual. How they are able to differentiate between a nomadic one from a non-nomadic Brown Hyena is unknown.
Those who meet at a carcass probably tolerate each other. Still, up to 3 individuals only feed on that carcass and, if a fourth one comes up, he would have to wait. Spotted hyenas as well as African wild dogs are known to chase off the Brown hyenas from a kill.
Lions and
humans are predators of the Brown hyena.
Interesting fact: Those species scavenging along the Atlantic shoreline have been given the name 'strandloper', which can be translated as 'beach walker'.
Picture of the Brown hyena by
http://www.pistoleros.no, licensed under
GFDL.
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Friday 11 April 2008
Fishing cat
Unlike popular belief, not all cats dislike water. The
Fishing Cat (
Prionailurus viverrinus), not to be confused with the
Fisher, is a strongly-built cat, having short feet and a big head. Fishing Cats have a olive-gray pelage with black spots. The back has a pronounced white center spot. Akin to the
flat headed cat, the claws are shortened, yet the Fishing Cat has less established teeth. They can be found in mangrove swamps, creeks, oxbow lakes and reed beds of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia (Java, Sumatra), Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam.
The gestation of the Fishing Cat is around 60+ days, the female Fishing Cats gives birth to one to four kittens. They eyes of the young open after the sixteenth day. Weaning is about 4 to 6 months old, and this young would attain adult size when it is around 9 months of age. At the tenth month, it would be independent from the parents.
Longevity of this cat in captivity is about 12 years on average. It is believed that they are loners, but there were observations that the male Fishing Cat is sometimes helping with the rearing of the newborns.
Most of what they eat are just fish (surprisingly), and they can catch them in a number of ways. They mimic insects by lightly tapping the water, so fish think there are insects on the water, attracting them. They can either swim and rush after it, or they could scoop it out using the paws. They could also go after mollusks, crustaceans, snakes and frogs. Next to that, they are know to include civets, wild pigs, dogs, goats, poultry and rodents in their diet.
The Fishing cat is listed as vulnerable, they are threatened by hunting and habitat loss. Wetland areas have been cleared by humans to make room for farmland and road, also pollution from industries make Fishing cats sick. But there is hope, fishing cats appear to adapt well to suburban habitats.
Interesting fact: The Fishing Cat can use its short tail as a rudder while swimming.
Picture of the Fishing cat by Opencage, licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution ShareAlike 2.5
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Monday 07 April 2008
Canadian lynx
The Canada lynx or
Canadian lynx (
Lynx canadensis) has a pelage which is frosted in appearance, and just a bit spotted, and the pelage's color varies. It can be red-brown, or gray, and very rarely, what they call the blue-lynx. They have long back legs and a short tail, but their feet are fur-layered, making them look like snowshoes, which in fact they are.
A lot of people get confused in recognizing them, mistaking them for a bobcat, but they could be distinctively recognized by the tip of the tail. The Canada Lynx's tail tip is black all around, whereas the bobcat's tail tip has a white underside.
The Canadian lynx can be found in Alaska, Canada and some parts of the US. At the conclusion of gestation, females would give birth to one up to eight newborns. Weaning is approximately three to five months, and an individual Canada Lynx would attain sexual maturity after 2 years.
This lynx is solitary, except for a female with newborns. Their diet almost totally consists on the snowshoe hare, and because the latter's numbers go up every decade, so does the numbers of the Canada Lynxes. If a single hare is nowhere to be found, desperation would make a lynx go after birds or rodents.
Indeed, trapping is still one of the major dangers to the lynx's survival, as this particular animal is easily captured. It may sound alarming, but the future of these lynxes are not as bad as the other kind of felines- according to some experts.
Interesting fact: the debates continues whether this lynx is a separate breed from the Eurasian kind, or just a subspecies, and the jury is still out on this one. The number of experts on both sides of the fence are equally divided.
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Thursday 03 April 2008
South American sea lion
The
South American Sea Lion (
Otaria byronia), also known as the Southern sea lion, varies in size from one individual to another. Males can reach up to 300 kilograms while the females are half of that. The adult holds a dark brown back and the chest is lighter-shaded. A male South American Sea Lion's mane is lighter in color than the female's.
They could be sighted at the offshore islands of South America, North Peru and even parts of Ecuador. Their estimated numbers are as follows: 30,000 at Peru, 90,000 at Argentina and 3,000 at Falkland islands. At Brazil, just a few hundreds exist.
The female South American Sea Lions reach sexual maturation at four to six years, while the males reach it in five to six years. Pups are born just 3 days after the female's arrival in the nesting grounds (called rookeries). The male newborns average weight is 13.7kgs, while the females are 12.3kgs at average. Females (the parent) would usually mate about a week after birth, then, the feeding cycle would commence. The pups start swimming after a month, and when they reach 2 months old, they are already capable swimmers.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, they were hunted excessively, and it depleted a great part of their numbers. Furthermore, he salmon fishing line of Chile has caused these sea lions to get entangled in the nets. In the mid 90's, the Chilean government banned the "destruction" of the South American Sea Lion for five straight years.
There is another reason for the decline of their numbers, and this one is not to be blamed on mankind: the El Nino. At Peru and Chile, it had been reported that the El Nino of 97-98 greatly cut down the overall numbers of these animals.
Interesting fact: The less "courageous" males unable to set up territories have been observed to assault undefended females, and the pups too. In some cases, they would try to mate with it, killing it inadvertently.
Picture of the Mother South American sea lion and pup by
Carlos Ponte, licensed under
GFDL
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