The Wildlife: March 2012

Saturday, 31 March 2012

King Cobra | Snake Facts and Photos-Images

King Cobra is a species of elapid snakes, typically characterized by their ability to expand the skin of their neck to form a hood when confronted. Even though it is the longest venomous snake in the world, it is quite agile and one of the most aggressive snake, which doesn't hesitate to take on an elephant either. Its ability to deliver venom in large amounts makes it one of the deadliest snake in the world. This species of snake is not at all shy of human beings, and that explains the popularity of King Cobra facts among the masses.

King Cobra can grow up to a length of 12-13 ft, and weigh approximately 13 lbs. However, a specimen as large as 18 ft in length have also been recorded. It generally sports an olive-green or black colored skin, with faint, yellow cross bands, running down the length of its body. This appearance of a King Cobra makes it a delight for the wildlife enthusiasts across the globe.

King Cobra population is by and large restricted to Southeast Asia, with India constituting a major share of the same. Studies pertaining to the habitat of King Cobras have revealed that these snakes tend to prefer dense forests, with water bodies in the vicinity. That being said, habitat destruction is one of the major problems being faced by this species today.

King Cobra Snake

Capybara | Facts and Photos 2012

Capybara is the largest of all living rodents. In the language of the Guarani Indians, capybara means “master of the grasses.” Capybaras live close to the water in groups of about 20. They are excellent swimmers and divers. If they sense danger, they will dive into the water and hide, and they can stay underwater for five minutes. If necessary they can even sleep underwater with only their noses poking out. Capybaras communicate with a variety of sounds including soft whimpers, clicking noises, purring and barking. All females within the group help care for and nurse the young.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest extant rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs. Native to South America, the capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests, and lives near waters. It is a very gregarious species, and can in groups as large as 100 individuals are found, but usually live in groups of 10-20 people. The capybara is not an endangered species even though it is hunted for their meat and skin. The capybara and the lower part of the subfamily Hydrochoerinae together with the rock guinea pigs. The living capybaras and their extinct relatives were previously classified within the family.

Capybara

Friday, 30 March 2012

Caracal | Wildlife Facts and New Photos

Caracals are also called desert lynx because of their resemblance to lynx. They can survive for long periods without water, obtaining moisture from their prey. “Karakal” is Turkish for “black ears.” Their ears are larger than most other cats, and they are topped by long, black tufts of fur. Caracals are agile tree-climbers, and will sometimes store the remains of their prey in the forks of trees or bushes. They are known for their bird-catching abilities. Their strong legs and big paws enable them to jump up and knock birds out of the air.

Caracal is a very territorial creature and it will become very aggressive to any types of animals that invade that space. They either live alone or in pairs. The females have a home range that is about 22 square miles. The males have a home range that can be four times larger. They use hissing, purring, and growling for communication. They also give a strange barking sound when they need to warn of dangers.

Caracal is a night time hunter. Their food sources include mainly hares and rodents. They also consume birds often. The design of their bodies allows them to leap very high. It is common for them to capture birds that are still in flight.It isn’t really known how many Caracal live in the wild. They hide very well and that makes it hard to count them. They are considered to be a nuisance by many because the will kill chickens and small goats or sheep. In the Moscow Zoo the Caracal has been bred successfully with the domestic cat.

Caracal

Thursday, 22 March 2012

Cassowary | Info-Facts and Photos 2012

Cassowary is considered as one of the most dangerous birds in the world. Whenever it was kept in a zoo, it had attacked and injured its caretaker seriously. The bird is capable of delivering fatal blows. This flightless bird is found in the rainforests of Australia and New Guinea. It is actually a shy bird and likes to lead a calm and quiet life. Only when irritated by human beings, it becomes furious. The dagger-like sharp claws can deliver a bone-breaking kick within a fraction of a second. Here are some interesting cassowary facts for kids.

Cassowary is one of the largest birds in the world. Only the ostrich and emu are larger than this funny looking bird. You have probably noticed that the feathers contrast greatly with the brightly coloured head and throat. The coarse, black feathers are adapted to handling the thick brush of the rainforest. It acts as a thick coat to protect the bird from being punctured while running full tilt through the bush.

Cassowary

Cat | Facts and Photos-Images

Cats are very clean animals. In general they will take care of their own grooming needs, grooming themselves with their rough tongue. Some long haired cats may need to be brushed. A cat who suddenly stops grooming themselves may be showing signs of illness and should be taken to the vet for a check up. Cats whiskers should never be cut as they are used for balance; their tail is also used for balance.

Cats can live solely indoors, indoors and outdoors, or solely outdoors. Cats who are kept solely outdoors need to have some sort of shelter provided, such as a barn. Cats are one of the essential elements on a working farm. They control the rodent population keeping them out of the feed. One farmer reports that he had a rat in every stall of his barn until he brought cats into his establishment. Since then he has not seen a single rat. Cats cannot be kept in cages such as rabbit hutches, they must live inside your home or free outside. A cat will go crazy if confined to a small cage for a long period of time. If you plan to keep your cat outdoors first consider the area you live, some areas are not safe for a cat to live outdoors. A cat is a good pet for apartment life.

Cat

Caterpillar | Info-Fact and Photos

Caterpillars are the larvae (the young) of butterflies and moths. They crawl and look like worms but they are not. They have six legs, chewing mouthparts, and no wings.They may be brown, yellow, white or green with black rings. They have a distinct head, a thorax of three segments, and an abdomen of ten segments. Legs are on the thorax. Some caterpillars have fleshy abdominal prolegs, but these are not true legs. The “skin” may be fuzzy, smooth, or bristly. The head bears a pair of antennae (feelers) and a few simple eyes.

Caterpillar

Sunday, 4 March 2012

Centipede | Info and Photos-Images 2012

Centipedes (Class Chilopoda) are fast-moving, venomous, predatory terrestrial arthropods that have long bodies and many jointed legs. Chiefly nocturnal, centipedes are found primarily in tropical climates. Like the closely-related millipedes, they are highly segmented (15 to 173 segments), with one pair of walking legs per segment. Centipedes are dorso-ventrally flattened, and are among the fastest and most agile of arthropod predators.

Centipedes body is 1 to 1-1/2 inch long, but its legs make it appear to seem much larger. The body is grayish-yellow with 3 dark stripes extending along the full length of the back. The legs are long in proportion to the body size, and they have alternate light and dark bands running around them.

Centipede

Chameleon | Info-Facts and New Photos

Chameleon, a tree-dwelling lizard having the ability to change color and to move each eye independently. The color change is involuntary, contrary to common belief, and is brought about by light, temperature, and nervous stimulation such as anger or fear. It is not related to the color of the substance on which the chameleon happens to be. All Chameleon species are diurnal. Their main activity is in the morning and in the evening. Chameleons are not active hunters but rather sit motionless for hours and wait for a prey to pass by. They mainly feed on different arthropods and small vertebrates. Chameleons live mostly solitary and are quite aggressive toward other members of the same species.

Chameleon species are able to change their body colour, which made them one of the most famous lizard families. Contrary to popular belief, this change of colour is not an adaptation to the surroundings but rather an expression of the physical and physiological condition of the lizard. The skin colour is changed under influence of mood, light and temperature. The skin colour also plays an important part in communication and rivalry fights.

Chameleon