The Wildlife

Saturday, 21 January 2012

Donkey | Info and Photos

Donkeys are gentle, intelligent animals who posses a keen sense of humor. They are herd animals and are happiest with others of their own kind. They can become friends with horses or other farm animals, but should never be kept alone, as they will become very lonely and anxious. Donkeys and mules are often said to be stubborn. This is not true. Donkeys and mules are very smart and cautious and like to be safe. They will often freeze and refuse to move when they sense danger. This is in contrast to the horse, whose first reflex is to flee from danger. Instead of bolting or running away, a donkey or mule will often stop and think about what is scaring them, trying to figure out the safest way to handle the situation.

Donkeys can survive on good quality hay alone. A good hay to feed donkeys is a mixture of alfalfa and grass. Pure alfalfa is too rich a feed for Miniature Donkeys and does not set well with their digestive systems. They can also become extremely fat. With severe droughts often occurring in different parts of the country, sometimes only poor quality hay is available and in this case, donkeys should be supplemented with a 10-12% protein equine sweet feed. Donkeys are termed as "easy keepers" meaning they utilize their feed very efficiently and you must be careful that they do not get fat. Fat donkeys will develop a "crest" - or fat roll - on their necks that will be there for life once it develops.

Donkeys communicate with their human owners and with other donkeys by "braying", also more commonly known as a hee-haw. Every donkey has his or her own style of braying with some sounding quite comical. They range from barely being audible to a loud thunderous bray. Donkeys develop schedules and if you are late in feeding, you will hear about it! Jacks pastured apart from their jennets will call to them several times a day. On the whole, donkeys are very quiet animals.

Donkey

Monday, 16 January 2012

Dormouse | Wildlife Info-Photos 2012

Dormouse, a squirrel-like, bushy-tailed mouse found in Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is not found in America. The dormouse hibernates during the winter, often sleeping six months at a time. (Dormouse means "sleeping mouse.'') When awake, it lives in trees and eats nuts, seeds, acorns, and fruit. In early fall it begins to store fat in its body, and by October it retires to a hollow tree or abandoned bird's nest to begin hibernation.

The European dormouse is about as large as a red squirrel. It is sometimes trapped for its fine, silky fur. The hazel dormouse, found in England, is a reddish-brown, alert animal. The rock dormouse, found in the mountain country of South Africa, has a peculiarly shaped flat skull, and is able to wedge itself into rocky crevices to avoid enemies.

The dormouse is an omnivorous animal meaning that it hunts and feeds on a variety of both plants and other animals. Fruits, nuts, insects, seeds, berries and flowers are the primary sources of food for the dormouse, although the exact diet of the dormouse depends on the species and the area which it inhabits. Due to their relatively small size, the dormouse is preyed upon by numerous predators in it's woodland habitat. Birds such as owls, falcons and small eagles prey on the dormouse from high in the sky, while mammals such as foxes, cats, stoats and weasels hunt the dormouse on ground level.

Dormouse

Dragonfly | Fact-Info and Photos 2012

Dragonflies are worldwide in distribution with more than 5,000 described species. There are about 450 species of dragonflies in North America. Dragonfly adults are medium to large insects. In fact, a fossilized dragonfly from 250 million years ago has a wingspan of 28 inches. Fortunately, present-day dragonflies are considerably smaller. Dragonfly adults are often brightly colored and have a long slender abdomen. They also have two pair of long, slender wings with many net-like veins. The wings do not fold and are held outstretched when at rest. Adults are usually found near water but are good fliers and may range several miles. They are active during the day, and can be observed hunting and mating. Males of some species are territorial, defending their domain from other males who enter.

The life cycle of the dragonfly, from egg to death of adult, is from six months to as much as six or seven years. Sometimes female dragonflies lay eggs in the small cleft between mud or moss. Most of their life time is spent in the larval (nymph) form, beneath the water surface, using their gills to breathe, catching other invertebrates, such as tadpoles, or even tiny fish. In the adult (flying) stage larger species of dragonfly can live as long as four months. Dragonflies have about 30,000 facets to their eyes, giving them nearly a 360° field of vision.

Dragonflies and damselflies together make up the order Odonata. Dragonflies make up the suborder Anisoptera, damselflies make up the suborder Zygoptera. The green darner is classified as Anax junius. The American ruby-spot is classified as Hetaerina americana; the black-winged damselfly is Calopteryx maculata.

Dragonfly

Thursday, 12 January 2012

Duck | Info and Photos

Ducks exploit a variety of food sources such as grasses, grains and water plants, fish, insects, and the like. The sound made by ducks is called a "quack"; a common urban legend is that quacks do not produce an echo. The males (drakes) of northern species often have showy plumage, but this is moulted in summer to give a more female-like appearance, the "eclipse" plumage. In many species, adult males are temporarily flightless; these birds seek out protected habitat with good food supplies during this period. This moult typically precedes migration.

Ducks should not be confused with several types of unrelated birds with similar forms, such as loons or divers, grebes, gallinules, and coots. Some species of duck, mainly those breeding in the temperate and arctic northern hemisphere, are migratory, but others are not. Some, particularly in Australia where rainfall is patchy and erratic, are nomadic, seeking out the temporary lakes and pools that form after localised heavy rain.

Ducks have many domestic uses, being farmed for their meat, eggs, and feathers and down. In particular, eiderdown is notable for being shed by wild eider ducks rather than being plucked. In many areas, ducks of various species are also hunted for food or sport. Click Here for more about Ducks

Duck

The Dugong | Info-Facts and Photos

The Dugong (Dugong dugon) is the smallest member of the order Sirenia (which also includes the manatees and Steller's Sea Cow). Adults are generally less than 3 meters long. The dugong swims about at a modest speed of around 10 km/h, but reportedly able to swim quite fast. They are also known to emit a whistling type sound, which is believed to happen if the dugong feels threatened.

The dugong is born a pale albino type colour, and as they age they darken to a deep grey. These great sea creatures weigh anywhere from 250kgs to 910kgs (about 500 to 2000 pounds). They have two flippers that average about 30-50 cms in length. Young dugongs use the flippers to swim, whilst the older dugongs use their tail to swim, and their flippers to steer. Their body has a thin cover of short hair, and tough smooth skin.

Dugongs feed on sea grasses and some types of algaes. This makes them aquatic herbivores, however reports of crabs have been found in the stomachs of dugongs. They usually feed in shallow water around two to five metres in depth.

The Dugong