The Wildlife: February 2012

Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Cheetah | Wildlife Info-Facts and Photos

Cheetah is a special animal which has particular drinking habit. There are three sources gained by cheetah when he wants to drink. He will take the drink from the blood of the prey, the water from the river or pool as well as from the moisture on the air by using the nostril. The size of cheetah is various. On average, the length lies between 3.5 up to 4.5 feet. That measurement is without measuring the tail. The weight of the male cheetah is counted at 75 up to 150 pounds.

Cheetahs are extremely shy creatures and although they roam widely, the Cheetah is not often seen as easily as some other cats due to their reclusive nature. Due to habitat destruction and loss of species to prey upon, Cheetahs have become extinct in many areas where they formerly ranged. These animals are also prone to disease due to the genetic weaknesses inherent from inbreeding and so close in metabolic structure they are the only animal on earth that could accept a skin graft from one another. Although this sounds like an amazing attribute, it is devastating genetically. This means there is no diversification making them very susceptible to fall victim to diseases with little defense in their immune systems

Cheetah has a slender, long-legged body with blunt semi-retractile claws. Its coat is tan with small, round, black spots, and the fur is coarse and short. The cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes. Black "tear marks," which run from the inside corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to the outside of its mouth, keep the sun out of its eyes, and aid in hunting.

Cheetah

Chicken | Info and Photos 2012

Chicken breeds are many and some people breed chickens for its eggs. There are also some that breed chicken both for its eggs and as table meat. The eggs that can be bought from the market are usually from the more popular breeds which are the Rhode Island Red and the Longhorn. They usually lay the white and brown eggs that we buy from supermarkets.

Chickens are very sociable birds and are at their happiest when surrounded by other chickens. In one chicken flock there can be any number of hens but generally only one cockerel who is the dominant male. The dominant cockerel pushes other cockerels out of their flock when they start becoming big enough to be a threat to him. The dominant male is usually the mating partner for all of the hens that he watches over. Chicken is one of the most widespread meats in the world with numerous cultures having their own special ways to prepare and eat chickens. The UK's most common dish is roast chicken, the USA's most common dish is fried chicken and in China they use every part of the chicken including their feet which are commonly found in soup.

Chicken

Chimpanzee | Wildlife Info and Photos-Images

Chimpanzee are mainly found in rain forests and wet savannas. While they spend equal time on land and in trees, they do most of their feeding and sleeping in trees.Chimpanzees are the great apes, which belongs to the genus Pan, very closely related to humans (splitted about 4-6 million years ago). They share the Hominidae family along with the gorilla, humans and thee orangutans. Two species of chimpanzee can be found today, viz. Pan troglodytes (found near the west and central Africa) and Pan paniscus (found in the forests of democratic republic of Congo). Due to rapid deforestation of their habitats they are listed under the endangered species. In 1973 Mary-Claire king found 99% similarity between human and chimpanzee DNA, since then in several researches upto94% of similarity have been found.

Chimpanzee are diurnal (but often active on moonlit nights) and begin their activities at dawn. After descending from their night nests they hungrily feed on fruits, their principal diet, and on leaves, buds and blossoms. After a while their feeding becomes more selective, and they will choose only the ripest fruit. They usually pick fruit with their hands, but they eat berries and seeds directly off the stem with their lips. Their diet consists of up to 80 different plant foods.

Chimpanzee live in communities having multi-males and multi-females. These communities are composed of about 50 animals having many families living together. One alpha (the highest) male leads the community. He is the highest-ranking male and controls the group maintaining order during any disputes or conflict. Chimpanzees are omnivores; they can eat fruits, nuts, seeds, insects and sometimes meat by hunting smaller animals. Socially they are the wisest of all the existing animals. They have been sighted using handmade tools for their day to day work. Average lifespan is about 50 years; gestation period is 8-9 months and at the age of about 12-13 years they are able to reproduce.

Chimpanzee

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Chinchilla | Info and Photos-Images

Chinchillas are peaceful, small rodents that do not disturb anyone. Their dense fur, long whiskers, and long bushy tail are distinctive. When threatened or pursued, they rely on their agility, their teeth, and their ability to shed patches of fur. When frightened or captured, they tend to give a pungent odor similar to that of scorched almonds. In addition, females have a further defense mechanism--they stand up on their hind legs and, lightening fast, excrete urine at a presumed attacker.

Chinchilla

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Chinstrap Penguin | Cute Photos-Images

Chinstrap Penguins are the most numerous penguins in the world. It is estimated there are 12 to 13 million located on the barren islands of the sub-Antarctic Region and the Antarctic Peninsula. These penguins live and breed in large colonies. They often live on large icebergs on the open ocean. They dive off to catch fish and krill. They are the boldest penguin and are most likely to fight other penguins.

Chinstrap penguins make a round nest out of stones and pebbles. The female lays two eggs and the eggs are kept warm by both male and female. They do this by taking turns for 5 to 10 days, while the other mate is feeding. The eggs hatch after about 33 to 15 days. The chicks stay in the nest until they are 20 to 30 days old. At this time they have feathers to keep them warm. They join the cr�ches, which are groups of young penguins huddling together for warmth and protection.

Chinstrap penguins mainly feed upon krill and small shoaling fish. They feed by diving for prey close to their colonies, each dive being less than 1 minute long and no more than 61 m (200 ft) in depth. They are considered to be near shore feeders, although they can occasionally be seen in the open sea.

Chinstrap Penguin

Clouded Leopard | Wildlife Photos-Info

Clouded leopards are two species of wild cat that live throughout the forests of Southeast Asia. The smallest of the big cats, they are secretive and rare in the wild, preferring to remain alone and hidden from view. Because of this, studying them is a unique challenge, and while we know much from watching cats in captivity, these two species of cat remain elusive and poorly understood.

Clouded leopards primarily live in lowland tropical rainforests, but can also be found in dry woodlands and secondary forests. They have been spotted at elevations up to 9000 feet in the Himalayan mountains. Historically, their range covered most of Southeast Asia from Nepal and southern China through Thailand, Indonesia, and Borneo. However, this range has shrunk due to habitat destruction and human poaching.

Clouded leopards are sexually mature around the age of 2 years. Mating can occur in any month, but in captivity most breeding occurs between December and March. The gestation period is 85 to 93 days long with 1 to 5 cubs per litter, although 2 is the most common number. Females can produce a litter every year. Cubs become independent at approximately 10 months of age.

Clouded Leopard

Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Clown Fish | Info and New Photos-Images

Clown Fish (also known as ANEMONE fish) is a small species of fish found around tropical coral reefs. The species most commonly known clown fish is orange with white spots, but the clownfish can be found in many different colors and can also vary in shape. There are 28 recognized species of clownfish that is found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The clown fish is also north to the Red Sea and inhabit the Great Barrier Reef, on the east coast of Australia.

Clown fish inhabit a single sea anemone in groups that include the breeding male and female and a number of younger male clown fish. All clown fish are born male and develop female reproductive organs when needed. When the female in the sea anemone group dies, the dominant male becomes female and breeds with one the males that is inhabiting the same sea anemone. Female clown fish lay their eggs on a flat surface close to the sea anemone which they inhabit. The female clown fish can lay hundreds or thousands of eggs at one time depending on the species. Clown fish lay their eggs around the same time as a full moon and the male clown fish guards the eggs until they hatch just over a week later.

Clown fish are protandrous hermaphrodites, meaning they are hatched as sexually immature fry. Based on signals from their environment and being physically mature (12-24 months) they will either remain sexually immature, change into a male or change into a male then female. A group of clownfish is always built into a hierarchy of this type, with the female (the largest and most aggressive) at the top. The change from juvenile to male, and male to female is irreversible. If the female should die or be removed from the group, the most dominant male then changes into a female, and the rest of the males move up a rank on the hierarchy.

Clown Fish