The Wildlife: April 2012

Saturday, 7 April 2012

Butterfly Information-Facts and New Photos

Butterflies are beautiful, flying insects with large scaly wings. Like all insects, they have six jointed legs, 3 body parts, a pair of antennae, compound eyes, and an exoskeleton. The three body parts are the head, thorax (the chest), and abdomen (the tail end). The butterfly's body is covered by tiny sensory hairs. The four wings and the six legs of the butterfly are attached to the thorax. The thorax contains the muscles that make the legs and wings move.

Butterfly's wings are covered with scales that overlap to provide colour and beautiful patterns. The patterns on the top and bottom of their wings are usually different and sometimes differ between male and female. Males are identified by a slit at the tip of the abdomen, while females have a round hole where the eggs are laid. The antennae are organs of smell used to locate food and a mate. Butterflies have 3 pair of feet and each leg has a hairy pad which is used as a taste organ. Butterflies use their proboscis to suck up liquid to maintain their water balance and energy stores. As they fly from flower to flower feeding on nectar, pollen grains clinging to the body are exchanged which helps plant pollination. Butterflies have a heart that runs the length of its upper body. Butterflies are cold-blooded and seek shelter in cold and wet weather. They cannot fly if their body temperature falls below 30°C. Butterflies always have their eyes open and do not sleep. In most case the male dies soon after mating and the female dies soon after laying her eggs.

Butterfly

Butterfly Fish Facts and New Photos

Butterfly fish is a colorful marine fish, found mostly in coral reefs. This tropical fish is a common sight in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Butterfly fish and the angelfish look more or less similar due to the several similarities in their physical appearance. There are several interesting butterfly fish facts that are mentioned below. Let us take a look at it.

Butterfly fish have flattened bodies with external fins that form an arc over the top of the fish. The bodies of most butterfly fish are a darker color with lighter patterns of spots and stripes. Some species of butterfly fish are solitary animals. Others form relationships with one other fish, and the pair travel, hunt and live together their whole life.

Butterfly fish move by constant strokes of their pectoral fins and use their tails as a rudder. They are able to make quick, sharp movements, which help them avoid predators. Different species of butterfly fish have varying feeding patterns. Some feed on coral polyps, others on algae, while still others prefer small shrimp or plankton.

Butterfly Fish

Friday, 6 April 2012

Caiman Facts-Info and New Photos

Caiman is a large aquatic reptile found in the swamps and tropical rivers that cover Central and South America. Although the caimans have much narrower bodies, they are most closely related to alligators and crocodiles. Caimans are found in a variety of habitats throughout Central and South America from marshes and swamps to mangrove rivers and lakes. As with other reptiles, caimans have scaly skin and live a fairly nocturnal existence.

Caimans range in size from the dwarf caiman which measures just over a meter in length, to the black caiman which can to grow to be nearly 5 meters long. The black caiman is the largest caiman species in the world and is found in the slow-moving rivers and lakes that surround the Amazon basin. The Caimans look very much like Alligators, however they are generally smaller in size and weight. The smallest of the caiman species is the Cuvier’s dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), it will grow to 1.5 m (5 ft).

Caiman

Monday, 2 April 2012

Caiman Lizard | Info-Facts and New Photos 2012

Caiman Lizard has a red-orange head. The body on the other hand is green. They have a laterally flattened tail. The head of the Caiman lizard is large with moveable eyelids. There scales are large and heavy. They live in wet forested areas of south america, rainforests, and vegetated swamps.

Caiman Lizards are aquatic and terrestrial. They have powerful jaws, and use them to crush shelled insects, and then extract the soft parts using their flat, rounded teeth. Young caiman lizards may be eaten by birds and larger mammals. The name “caiman” comes from their appearance, which resembles the caiman crocodile of South America. Heavily hunted for the reptile leather trade, hundreds of thousands of these lizards are killed each year for their skin.

Caiman lizards in the wild will eat insects, snails, clams, and crawfish. Caiman lizards in captivity will eat insects, snails, canned at food, smelt, crawfish, and fidler crabs. The Adult size of the Fence Lizard is anywhere from 2 to 4 feet and weighs 3 to 6 lbs.

Caiman Lizard

Camel | Facts and Nice Photos-Images

Camels are domestic animals and found in dry and desert areas of Northern Africa and Asia. The average life expectancy of a camel is 50 to 60 years. Arabian camel has one hump on the body and Bactrian camel has two humps. It is believed that they use their humps to store water but the humps are reservoir of fatty tissue. However, when this tissue is metabolized, it is not only a source of energy, but yields through reaction with oxygen from the air 1,111 g of water per 1,000 g of fat converted. A fully-grown adult camel stands 1.85m/6 feet at the shoulder and 2.15m/7 feet at the hump. Camels can run up to 40mph in short bursts, and sustain speeds of up to 25mph.

Long legs and a small head make the camel appear oddly formed. Its gait also seems awkward as the front and back legs on the same side move forward together, creating a rocking motion. Camels have either one hump (Dromedary) or two humps (Bactrian). Both species store fat in their humps for use during lean times.

Camel