The Wildlife

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

Crocodile | Wildlife Info and Photos

Crocodile are the worlds largest and perhaps most exciting reptiles. They are also great survivors and their prehistoric ancestors, the Archosaurs, date back over 240 million years to the Triassic period. They have survived major upheavals such as the break up of the continents and the ice ages. They have witnessed the rise and fall of the dinosaurs and have seen the evolution of mammals and birds. Since man colonised the world, no species of crocodile has become extinct; however 17 out of the 23 species of crocodilians around the world are endangered.

Crocodiles are very fast over short distances, even out of water. They have extremely powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth for tearing flesh, but cannot open their mouth if it is held closed, hence there are stories of people escaping from the long-snouted Nile Crocodile by holding its jaws shut. All large crocodiles also have sharp and powerful claws. Crocodiles are ambush hunters, waiting for fish or land animals to come close, then attacking with a rush. As cold-blooded predators, they can survive long periods without food, and rarely need to actively go hunting. Despite their slow appearance, crocodiles are top-level predators in their chosen environment, and various species have been observed attacking and killing lions, large ungulates and even sharks.

Crocodiles have a tendency to retain hard, indigestible objects in their stomach and most crocodiles over two metres long have been found to have stones in their stomach. It is believed that the stones are used as gastroliths (to aid in grinding up food) and that they also may function as ballast (just as in a ship's hull). This tendency for retention of hard objects can also confound coroners' inquests where people have been killed by crocodiles. Along with the human remains, bullets are often recovered from the stomachs of large crocodiles. The bullets usually come from other animals that have been shot and have died, and are later eaten by crocodiles. The animals are digested but the bullets remain.

Crocodile

Cross River Gorilla | Wildlife Info and Photos

The Cross River Gorilla, with fewer than 300 individuals estimated to exist in the wild, and just a single identified member in captivity, is the most endangered of the gorilla subspecies, and is listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered. This is the highest ranking for species that remain in the wild, and means that the population has decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations. The continued fragmentation of Cross River Gorilla habitat across a large, complex area, together with the threat from hunting and the small number of gorillas remaining, has led to its critically endangered status.

The cross river gorilla tends to live in groups which are led and protected by the alpha male. The alpha male cross river gorilla also mates with the females in his group, producing generally single offspring, known as babies. The cross river gorilla babies remain with their mother until they are a few years old and become independent. Today, the cross river gorilla is a critically endangered species with an estimated wild population of just 280 individuals. Habitat loss and hunting by humans for their meat, has led to the cross river gorilla now being considered one of the 25 most endangered animals on the surface of the planet.

Cross River Gorilla

Deer | Wildlife Info-Facts and Photos

Deer are the only animals that have antlers. They are the fastest growing living tissue on earth. Antlers are usually only found on males. In some species, like caribou, you will also find them on females. Moose have the largest antlers. Antlers grow from spring until fall. While growing, antlers are covered with a soft tissue known as velvet. This tissue contains a network of nerves and blood vessels and is very sensitive. In the fall, the velvet is shed and the antlers harden. In the winter, the antlers are shed. Antlers should not be confused with horns. Horns are never shed and continue to grow throughout the animal's life. If they are broken, they won't grow back.

Deer can be found around the world. They are native to all continents except for Australia and Antarctica. There are about 100 types of deer, including the whitetail deer, reindeer, elk, moose, mule deer, blacktail deer and caribou.

Deer have an excellent sense of smell, which allows them to detect predators from a long distance away. Deer lick their nose to keep it moist, which helps odor particles stick to it, improving their sense of smell. The nose also plays a role in communication. Deer produce scents with glands located on their head, legs and hooves. These scents provide information to other deer about their gender, social status, physical condition and whether an area is safe.

Deer are born with four baby teeth and develop baby incisors and premolars in their first months. Their adult teeth come in and replace the baby teeth when they are about 18 months old. You can guess the age of deer by looking at the type of teeth they have and by how worn these teeth are. Each year, molars loose about one millimeter of height.

Deer

Friday, 27 January 2012

Desert Tortoise | Info and Photos

The Desert Tortoise is an herbivore that may attain a length of 9 to 15 inches in upper shell (carapace) length. The tortoise is able to live where ground temperatures may exceed 140 degrees F, because of its ability to dig underground burrows and escape the heat. At least 95% of its life is spent in burrows. There, it is also protected from freezing while dormant, November through February or March.

Desert tortoises inhabit semi-arid grasslands, gravelly desert washes, canyon bottoms and rocky hillsides below 3,530 ft. Tortoises north and west of the Colorado River inhabit valleys and on alluvial fans. In the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, however, the tortoises tend to live on steep, rocky hillside slopes in Palo Verde and Saguaro Cactus communities.

The desert tortoise is able to live where ground temperatures may exceed 140 degrees F because of its ability to dig underground burrows to escape the heat. It is one of the most elusive inhabitants of the desert, spending up to 95% of its time under ground to escape the heat of the summer and the cold of winter. They live in burrows which they dig. These can be 3-6 feet deep. They will spend November through February in a torpid or dormant state in their underground burrows.

The desert tortoise is very sensitive to human disturbances, and this has led to the decimation of many of its populations throughout the desert southwest. Increased urban development in the deserts of California and other states have fragmented and reduced suitable habitat. Certain fatal diseases appear to be spreading among tortoise populations. Poaching, the use of off-highway vehicles within tortoise habitat and crushing by automobiles have also continued to threaten tortoise populations.

Desert Tortoise

Dhole | Info and Photos

The Dhole or Asiatic Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus) is about the size of a border collie (12-18 kg), but looks quite different. The coat is usually a rusty red colour, but varies regionally from sandy yellow to dark grey. See our dhole map page for details of regional colour variation (frame-compliant browsers only). Usually it has a black bushy tail and white patches on its chest, paws and belly. Its ears are rounded, and its hooded amber eyes portray an intelligent nature. Within the canid family the dhole is something of an enigma. It doesn't fit neatly into any of the sub-families (i.e. the foxes or wolf-like dogs) and is classified in a genus of its own - Cuon. Among its unusual features is a strange whistle call which it uses to re-assemble the pack when animals become separated in dense forest. The dhole also has more teets than most other dogs and has a shorter jaw with one less molar on each side of its lower jaw.

The Dhole is a pack animal, thus living in packs of about 8 or 9 dholes. Packs of up to 30 have been reported. They have a varied diet and will feed on insects, lizards, berries, rodents, hares, and many other food sources. A number of dhole will often hunt and bring down larger animals such as a deer.

The Dhole mates between Sept to Feb in Northern India, and shorter periods in warmer climates, around Sept to December. The gestation period is 60 to 62 days before 5 or 6 pups are born. The litter can range in size from anywhere between 2 to 9. Dholes do not attack humans, in fact if they spot a human they will run the other way.

Dhole