The Wildlife: November 2011

Monday, 28 November 2011

Gecko | Wildlife

Gecko, any of more than 400 species of small harmless lizards found in warm climates. The gecko's name is derived from the sound of the cry of one species. Geckos are most numerous in southeastern Asia, Africa, and Australia. The largest gecko is the tokay of Malaysia, 10 to 14 inches (25 to 36 cm) long. Two geckos, both about 4 inches (10 cm) long, are native to the southwestern United States—the banded gecko (brownish with yellow bands) and the leaffingered gecko.

With Geckos, we all have seen the comercials and thought that they were very cute. Geckos are small to average sized lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae, which are found in warm climates throughout the world. Geckos are unique among lizards in their vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. There are 1,196 different species of geckos.

Most geckos have no eyelids and instead have a transparent membrane which they lick to clean. Many species will, in defense, expel a foul-smelling material and faeces onto their aggressors. Many species have specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth and vertical surfaces and even cross indoor ceilings with ease. These antics are well-known to people who live in warm regions of the world, where several species of geckos make their home inside human habitations. These species (for example the House Gecko) become part of the indoor menagerie and are often welcome guests, as they feed on insects, including mosquitoes.

The gecko's tapering head and short, flat body are covered with tiny scales that give the skin a soft appearance. Many species have brittle tails that break off easily. The leaf-fingered gecko is among the many species that have clinging pads at the tips of their toes, enabling them to run on walls and ceilings. Geckos move about only at night, feeding mainly on insects.

Gecko

Gazelle | Wildlife

Gazelle is an antelope of the genus Gazella. Gazelles are known as swift animals; they can reach speeds of up to 100 km/hour, and maintain speeds of 50 km/h for a long time. Gazelles are mostly found in the grasslands and savannas of Africa, but also in south-west Asia. They live in large herds and eat grass.

The Gazelle species are classified as part of the order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae and genus Gazella. Members of the Articodacycla order are principally distinguished by the foot; they have an even number of toes (The bovid family includes 49 genera and 59 species.) The taxonomy of the genus Gazella is a confused one, and the classification of species and subspecies has been an unsettled issue. Three species—the Red Gazelle, the Arabian Gazelle, and the Queen of Sheba's Gazelle—are extinct. All other gazelle species are listed as endangered, to varying degrees.

Gazelle

Thursday, 24 November 2011

Gar | Wildlife

The gar (also known as the garpike) is an elongated species of fish, generally found in freshwater habitats across North and Central America. Despite their similar appearance, the gar is not to be confused with the marine garfish or needlefish that is a common sight throughout the tropical reefs of south-east Asia. There are seven different species of gar found on the American continent where they can be found in fresh or brackish water habitats such as lakes and reservoirs, and in the larger slow-moving rivers. The gar is most commonly found in eastern parts of North America, Central America and also on a number of the Caribbean islands.

The gar is a carnivorous and dominant predator within its environment feeding only on other animals in the water. Gar primarily hunt fish, insects and other invertebrates such as crabs along with eggs and other animals in the water. Due to its large size and aggressive temperament, the gar has few natural predators within its native environment. Larger animals including crocodiles, alligators, large fish species and humans are the main predators of the gar

Many gar spawn during the warmer spring months between April and June although they have been known to mate until the autumn weather appears in early October. After mating, the female gar lays an average on 10 sticky eggs on a nearby leaf or branch, where they remain until they hatch. As with many other fish species, the gar parents do not look after their young once they have hatched. Today, the gar is not considered to be a species that is under threat from extinction although gar populations have been decreasing in specific areas mainly due to over-hunting and pollution in the water.

Gar

Gentoo Penguin | Wildlife

Gentoo penguins have a wide white stripe that goes across the tops of their heads from one eye to the other. They have a very bright orange beak. They are the largest members of the stiff-tailed family. They live on many of the islands of the Antarctic region but the main colony is on the Falklands. There are about 300,000 breeding pairs on the islands. They live in large and noisy breeding colonies.

Their nests are made on the rocky shores. They prefer the inland grasslands for nest building. They carry and pile stones, pebbles, grass, sticks, and anything they can find to make a circle. Gentoos can be very aggressive and will fight over stones or take stones and nest building material away from other birds' nests.

Two eggs are laid inside this circle. Both parents tend to the eggs. The eggs hatch after 34 to 36 days. If there is lots of food, both chicks will survive. The chicks stay in the rock nest for 30 days. Then it forms groups with other chicks called "cr�ches". They stay here while the parents hunt for food. After about 80 to 100 days the chicks grow their adult feathers and they go on their own. Gentoo penguins stand about 30 to 35 inches (75 to 95 centimeters) tall. They can weight about 13 pounds (6 kilometers). They eat mostly krill and some small fish.

Gentoo Penguin

Geoffroy's Tamarin | Wildlife

Geoffroy’s tamarin monkey is a small monkey found in Panama and Colombia. It is black and white with a red-brownish nape and a white triangle-shaped patch in the front of his head. The geoffroy’s tamarin monkey that you will see during your Monkey Island Panama tour is the smallest one in Central America. They like to live in dry and moist tropical forests specially in the Panama Canal zone.

The Geoffroy's tamarin has has a very distinctive "v" shape mark on it's head and has no fur on it's face. The Geoffroy's tamarin is highly territorial and is known to make numerous different calls and threats to approaching danger in the surrounding forest. The Geoffroy's tamarin is a diurnal primate which means that the Geoffroy's tamarin is most active during the day and rests in the safety of the tree tops during the night. Geoffroy's tamarins are very sociable animals and inhabit their territory with their rest of the Geoffroy's tamarin troop which generally have between 3 and 9 members. Geoffroy's tamarin troops are led by the eldest female and have predominantly male members.

The Geoffroy’s tamarin monkey likes to eat fruits, plants, insects and exudates. Most of the tamarin females give birth between april to june. The newborns look different than their parents, they have a beige color blaze, white face and black fur all over their bodies including the tail. All the family helps with the baby care including siblings. Mother and father carry them and groom them too. They start to be independent when they are about 15 weeks old.

Geoffroy's Tamarin

Gerbil | Wildlife

Gerbils are small furry animals with long tails. They come from Africa and Asia. They are kept as pets all over the world. There are 8 species of gerbils: small gerbil, larger gerbil, naked-soled gerbils, cape short-tail gerbil, fat tailed gerbil, jirds (Mongolian gerbil), Przewalski's gerbil, and the great gerbil.

Gerbils weigh 1 to 7 oz. They are 3 to 7 inches long with a 3 to 9 inch tail. They live for 4 years in the wild and 1 to 5 years if kept as a pet. After 3 weeks of being pregnant, a gerbil can have 1 to 8 young. Gerbils will often stand on their back feet to see what's going on, but they always walk on 4 feet. The picture on the right is of a female and male gerbil.

Wild gerbils like to eat seeds, flowers, roots, leaves, and insects. You should feed your pet gerbil every 1 to 2 weeks. When you feed your gerbil you should check the water. Pet gerbils like to eat lettuce, carrots, banana peels and food from pet stores. If you feed your gerbil banana peels don't give them too much at once. Gerbils love to gnaw. They are probably the most well know gnawer next to the beaver.

Gerbils make homes under the ground called burrows. Just like almost any other rodent there are rooms for sleeping and eating. The entrance to the burrow is round and is made a certain way so wind can't get in. Sometimes gerbils will build their burrows right next to each other and form a colony. Since gerbils are most active during the night they mostly stay in their burrow eating and sleeping.

Gerbil

Sunday, 13 November 2011

Giant Clam | Wildlife

The Wildlife | Giant Clam | The Giant Clam gets only one chance to find a nice home. Once it fastens itself to a spot on a reef, there it sits for the rest of its life. These bottom-dwelling behemoths are the largest mollusks on Earth, capable of reaching 4 feet (1.2 meters) in length and weighing more than 500 pounds (227 kg). They live in the warm waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Giant clams achieve their enormous proportions by consuming the sugars and proteins produced by the billions of algae that live in their tissues. In exchange, they offer the algae a safe home and regular access to sunlight for photosynthesis, basking by day below the water's surface with their fluted shells open and their multi-colored mantles exposed. They also use a siphon to draw in water to filter and consume passing plankton.

Giant clams have a wildly undeserved reputation as man-eaters, with South Pacific legends describing clams that lie in wait to trap unsuspecting swimmers or swallow them whole. No account of a human death by giant clam has ever been substantiated, and scientists say its adductor muscles, used to close the shell, move far too slowly to take a swimmer by surprise. Even the largest specimen would simply retreat into its shell rather than attempt to sample human prey. The adductor muscle of the giant clam is actually considered a delicacy, and overharvesting of the species for food, shells, and the aquarium trade have landed it on at least one group's "vulnerable" list. Click Here for more details.

Giant Clam

Gibbon | Wildlife

The Wildlife | Gibbon | Gibbons are the smallest members of the ape family and can live for up to fifty years in captivity. They are renowned for their acrobatic ability and have been known to leap for more than ten metres between trees when swinging through the canopy at high speeds. Pileated Gibbons are only found in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The females are white and the males black and they are among only 3 percent of mammals which are monogamous. Phnom Tamao also has one resident female Yellow Cheeked Gibbon who sports a more golden colored coat of fur. Gibbons can be heard singing in the early mornings.

Gibbons have very long arms which are often longer than the gibbon's legs. Gibbons use their arms to help them to move around in the trees and to balance whilst they are walking along branches. Gibbons are known to be the fastest, non-flying tree dwelling mammals in the world as they can move at speeds of up to 35mph and are able to swing themselves 15 meters from tree to tree. Gibbons are also incredible at leaping and can leap long distances of up to 8 meters. Like all other species of ape, gibbons do not have a tail. Gibbons are omnivorous animals meaning that they eat a mixture of both plant and animal matter. The main food of the gibbon is ripe fruit which grow around them in the trees, and makes up around three quarters of the gibbon's diet. Gibbons also prey on insects, eggs, spiders and small birds and reptiles.

This is thought to mark their territory but is also utilized to strengthen the bond between mates. They sing duets with their partners with males and females singing different parts of the song. All songs are highly individual and can be used to differentiate between individuals like thumbprints. Solos are only sung by single female gibbons.

Gibbon

Gibbons

Gibbon

Gharial | Wildlife

The Wildlife | Gharial | The Gharial is one of the largest crocodilian species. They are between 4 and 6 m (13 - 19.7 ft) in length and they can weigh up to 450 kgs (1,000 lbs). They have a life expectancy in the wild of 40 - 60 years. Gharial are large and slender with a distinctive narrow snout. The snout shape varies depending on the age of the animal - it becomes longer and thinner as they get older. Males have a bulbous growth, known as a ghara, on the end of their snout and this produces bubbles and sounds during courtship. They have extremely sharp teeth with there being 54 - 58 on their upper jaw and 50 - 52 on their lower jaw.

The gharial is a carnivorous animal and a dominant predator within its environment. The only time that this isn't the case is when the gharial share its territory with a large salt-water crocodile. Fish is the primary food of the gharial along with insects and occasionally small animals. Due to its large size, the gharial has no natural predators within its environment besides humans who hunt the gharial, often for leather or meat. The gharial has also been devastatingly affected by the increasingly levels of pollution in the water and is today considered to be critically endangered in the wild.

Gharial are found in the slow moving backwaters of large rivers in the northern Indian subcontinent. They spend most of their time in the water, only leaving it to bask in the sun or to lay eggs. Gharials feed almost exclusively on fish although occasionally they will feed on water birds or carrion. Young Gharials will eat insects, larvae and small frogs.

Gharial