Archive for the ‘Land’ Category

This monkey is primarily from the Central and South American jungles. It is also called the owl monkey due to the largeness of the eyes which allows for a greater amount of light to enter. They are nocturnal and have no color vision, but have excellent low level and night vision which enables them to catch insects and move in darkened conditions with greater ease then other types of primates. The more scientific name for the owl monkey is the douroucoulis. The female and male monkeys weigh very close to the same, with males weighing just a bit more, at 2.76 pounds.

The family unit is composed of pairs, with the offspring that is not mature yet. They use scent marking with vocal calls to defend territorial boundaries.  The unusual aspect of the pairing is that the night monkey offspring are raised by the male and usually one offspring is born per year.  This is different from most other types of primates where the female is the primary caregiver.

The variety of calls, whistles, hoots and other verbal communication is limited to about eight main types. The reason these are important is for use in defining territory, bounds and as warning about predators. The range of elevation these monkeys can be found at is large, and as a result, the amount of fur is greater among those living in higher forested elevations.

One of the reasons why the night monkeys are valued by humans is for medical research purposes. These are some of the species that are susceptible to the malaria virus that humans have, so they are used as test animals for vaccines. There are a variety of opinions as to the correct classification of the population of the owl monkey, with the most preferred classification being in one or two main groups. There are differences in chromosome varieties that lead more modern thinking naturalists to break up the species into a variety of classifications.  There are fossil species that are considered to be of a different species but the extant species are part of this classification. It is certain, however with a large range of forested areas in remote areas the night or owl monkey will remain alive and well for a number of years.

Night Monkey – South American Owl Monkey

Badgers are omnivores in the weasel family and there are nine different species, including those that live in Europe, Asia, and America. They are nocturnal animals and go out at night to hunt their food.

Physical Characteristics

Badgers are short and fat and have short legs, small ears, long heads and a short tail. Their faces are black and white and their bodies are grey with white stripes. They get to around 35 inches long and weight an average of around 20 to 24 pounds. The ones in Eurasia, however, can get twice that size. Read the rest of this entry »

Macaques are the second-most widespread primate, overshadowed only by the human population. There are more than 20 confirmed species of macaques, each with a unique and elaborate social hierarchy.

Physical Characteristics

Macaques range from light grey to dark brown in color, with the animals featuring nearly every shade between. Some have tails, such as the long-tailed macaque, while other species are tailless. Adult male macaques reach nearly two feet in height while females are shorter in stature at 18 inches. There is a significant weight variance between the genders as well, with full-grown males weighing as much as 38 pounds in comparison to 24 pounds for females.

Habitat and Location

Most species live in undisturbed forests, swamps and similar territory in the Asian region. The endangered Barbary macaque is the only species not found in Asia, instead residing Morocco. Macaques gravitate to areas bordering a reliable water source such as islands, riverbanks and high-density growth. Ideally, the monkeys select a region that is near a human settlement that provides easy access to gardens and crops for produce and sustainability. There is a large colony of macaques on Gibraltar.

Diet

The traditional diet of a macaque in the wild consists heavily of fruits, berries, leaves and twigs. Macaques that live near settlements will raid farms for fresh fruits and other crops. In the winter months and dry seasons when fruits are not as plentiful, the animals eat mushrooms, flowers, bird eggs and seeds.

Breeding Facts

Female macaques reach sexual maturity a full year before males. Mating season in the wild falls in the late fall and early winter months, typically occurring between October and January. In direct response to the winter mating season, new animals are born in the late spring and early summer, from the end of March through June. Groups of macaques vary in gender distribution with a common distribution of just under or just over one female per male.

Barbary Macaque Apes – Gibraltar Vacations – Macaques

Red Kite – Bird Of Prey

The Red Kite is a fairly large sized bird of prey that comes from the Accipitridae family of birds.

Physical Characteristics

The Red Kite gets between 24 and 27 inches long and has a wingspan of  between 175 and 195 cm. It weighs between 800 and 1300 grams and the female is slightly larger than the male. It has a long forked shaped tail, and a red and white body.

Habitat and Location

Red Kites are known to live in Europe, Africa, Turkey, and even have appeared in Finland, Israel and Libya.

Diet

The Red Kite eats little mammals like mice, shrews, voles, rabbits and hares. It also will eat carrion, sometimes finding dead sheep or game birds. They also have been known to eat birds, reptiles, amphibians and earthworms.

Breeding Facts

The adult red kites prefer to live alone except during breeding season.  They are migratory and breed in the UK, or Spain to name a couple of places. They may maintain as many as five alternate nest sites. Male and female both help to build the nest, which is made of sticks and grass and lined with sheep’s wool or vegetation. The nest is built high up in a tree on a limb or in a fork.
Red Kites mate when they are two or three years old and they mate for life.

The nest is built in March or April. The female lays two to four eggs at intervals of one every three days. The female sits on the eggs and the male brings her food. They hatch in about a month.

Since the eggs are laid so far apart, it is common for some chicks to be bigger and stronger, which can result in the smaller one dying for lack of food or being killed by the stronger one.

Polar Bears – Arctic Circle

Polar bears are related to brown bears, but are specialized to live in the freezing cold waters and lands of the Arctic. It is an endangered species.

Physical Characteristics

The polar bear is the world’s biggest meat eater on land and is the world’s biggest bear, although it may share that honor with the Kodiak Bear, which is about the same size. Adult polar bears weight up to about 1,500 pounds and the females are half as big as the males. Its body has been adapted to living in frigid areas and its paws are made to walk on ice and snow, as well as survive in open, freezing waters and with sharp claws to hunt with.

It has 42 teeth, and its paw pads have dermal bumps to give them traction when they walk over the ice. Their claws are shorter and stockier than other bears since they must handle heavy prey on the ice, plus they work well to dig in the ice. Its fur has both an under layer and an outer layer and they molt May through August.  An interesting fact is that the fur may turn green in captivity due to algae growing in the fur.

Polar bears can smell prey a mile away and can swim very fast.

Habitat and Location

The polar bear lives mainly in the Arctic Circle region around the Arctic Ocean. It stays mostly in the water and the land masses in and around it. The polar bear is many times called a marine mammal due to the fact it stays at sea for several months without going on permanent land masses. It prefers to live on the sea ice that covers the Arctic waters over the continental shelf areas.

Diet

Polar bears eat seals and live off their own fat reserves when hunting is lean. Grown polar bears normally only eat the seal’s skin and blubber, but younger bears eat the meat as well.

Breeding Facts

Polar bears have their mating and courtship rituals in April and May while on the sea ice. Males follow the females sometimes for more than 60 miles and may fight other males for the right to breed. The male and female remain together for about a week.  After mating, the egg is fertilized, but doesn’t start developing until August or September. The female tries to eat as much as possible until then and may double her weight.

The baby cubs are born sometime in-between November and February and are blind and their weight is less than two pounds. There are usually two of them.

The cubs and mother stay den bound until around Feb to April and the cubs nurse during that time. Cubs stay with the mother for about two years.

Polar Bear – The World’s Biggest Bear – Kodiak Bear

The Peacock is also called a peafowl. The peacock is India’s national bird and it is Punjab’s provincial bird. In Asia these birds are seen as a protective force, whereas for some reason in the western world they are considered bad luck, especially if they live in the house. Read the rest of this entry »

Kookaburras are very well known for their strange cry because it sounds somewhat like very loud and echoing laughter. Kookaburras are a type of big kingfishers. They can live up to 20 years old. Read the rest of this entry »

The okapi is related to the giraffe and became important in Europe in 1887 when it was discovered by discover Henry Morton Stanley. Later, in 1901 body parts were sent to England for study by the colonial administrator Harry Johnson.  It’s expected that this beast is endangered because there are less than 20,000 of them in the world as of 2011. Okapi are considered to be solitary animals that only come together at breeding times. It is sometimes called a living fossil. Read the rest of this entry »

Fairy Armadillos is one of the very tiniest of armadillos, and are unique of all other armadillos. Take a closer look at these tiny pink miracles and the world of nature will become that much more interesting to you.

Physical Characteristics

The fairy armadillo is pale rose to pink in color and measures 3.5 to 4.5 inches long, excluding the tail, and weighs less than a pound. It also has a pointed nose and small eyes and ears.

Fairy armadillos have long front claws, which are used to agitate the sand, allowing them to essentially swim through ground as if it was water.They are shaped like torpedoes and have a shielded head to protect them from abrasion from the sand.

Their legs, undersides of their bodies, and under their shells are covered with soft, fine white hairs.The dorsal shell of a fairy armadillo is almost completely separate from the body; a bone plate in the shell at the rear is securely attached to the pelvic bones.

A fairy armadillo’s tail is distinctively spatula-shaped and protrudes from a notch in the rear plate. The tail drags behind the fairy armadillo as it walks, because the tail cannot be raised.

Habitat and Location

Fairy armadillos can be found in central Argentina, where they inhabit grasslands and sandy plains with thorn bushes and cacti. They tend to burrow small holes near ant colonies.

Diet

Fairy armadillos mainly feast on ants and ant larvae. However, they will also eat worms, snails, insects, larvae, and various plant and root material.

Breeding Facts

Baby fairy armadillos resemble their parents, but their shells do not completely harden until they are fully grown. The female armadillo usually gives birth to only one pup at a time. Although, fairy armadillos tend to live solitary lives, they are polygamous when it comes to mating.

The Fairy Armadillo – Ant Eater – Pink Fairy Armadillo -World Of Nature

The Emperor Penguin is one of the most amusing and interesting creatures alive today. They do things a bit backwards, with the father typically caring for the eggs, and carrying it along with them. In fact, Emperor Penguins have actually been observed pairing off with animals of their own sex and raising an abandoned or stolen egg together.

Physical Characteristics

Emperor penguins are the largest type of penguin, standing up to four feet tall and weighing between 70 and 90 pounds. They are distinctive by their yellow, gray, and black markings of the upper body and wings. To maintain insulation and waterproofing, a gland near their tail secretes oil into the feathers. The penguins preen their feathers to spread the oil. They can swim up to fifteen kilometers an hour.

Habitat and Location

Emperor penguins enjoy residing in the coldest climate on Earth, all around the Antarctic continent. On the Antarctic ice, temperatures can drop as low as -140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Diet

The emperor penguin mainly feasts on fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. In particular, they enjoy Antarctic silverfish.

Breeding Facts

Once emperor penguins are four years old, they are ready to mate. After mating, the female penguin lays one large egg. Immediately, the egg is rolled to the top of the male penguin’s feet. A thick fold of skin hanging from the belly of the male keeps the egg warm, while it rests on his feet. The males stay huddles in groups for up to nine weeks, while the females return to the open sea to feed. During this time, the males can lose half of their weight due to not eating.

After the egg hatches, the female emperor penguin returns to care for the chick. It is now the male’s turn to go to the open sea to feed and regain his weight. In a few weeks the male returns to help keep the chick warm and fed from food in his stomach. Once the chicks are seven weeks old, they huddle together for protection and warmth, but are still fed by their parents. At the beginning of summer season in the Antarctic, the chicks are fully grown –typically they are at six months old.

Emperor Penguin – Facts – Emperor Penguin Habits

Grizzly Bears are among the most fierce occupants of the United States. They have been known to be very gentle, but can turn sometimes immediately on a keeper or trainer, and are assuredly animals best left in the wild.

Physical Characteristics

The grizzly bear, also known as the silver-tip bear, has a distinctive shoulder hump of muscle, concave face, and famously long claws. The fur color of grizzly bears can range from a grayish color through yellow-brown to a dark brown or nearly black collaboration. Fur color relies on the habitat and climate.

Depending on the food supply, the size of grizzly bears varies. On average, males weigh 850 pounds and females weigh 450 pounds.

When a grizzly bear stands on its hind legs, the bear can reach seven feet. Despite the grizzly bear’s large size, it can reach speeds of 35 mph.

Habitat and Location

Grizzly bears used to live in western North America and the Great Plains. Today, they still reside in Canada and Alaska in the wild. In the United States, 1,000 grizzly bears remain protected by the law. Here they can mostly be found in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Diet

A grizzly bear diet can consist of both vegetation and animals, depending on what’s available. Grizzly bears will consume grasses, roots, berries, fish, small mammals, and large mammals. They have even been known to “dumpster dive,” which can lead to conflicts with humans.

Breeding Facts

Mating season for grizzly bears is between May and July. The males rely on smell and olfactory clues to find their females. During the search, they have been known to go without food for hours. Female grizzly bears do not become pregnant immediately, because the fertilized egg floats in the womb for several months, until the conditions for developing the fetus are right. The grizzly bear cubs are born blind and toothless in the middle of winter. The number of cubs born is reliant on the local food supply, but twins are most common.

The mother Grizzly bear is one of the most fierce defenders of her cubs, being known to kill animals twice her size in defense of them.

Grizzly Bears – United States Occupants – Silver-Tip Bear – World Of Nature

The black bear ranges over a great deal of the United States, and in fact much of North America. It lives in forests and woodlands and most of the United States national park areas. The Black Bear is in good supply, and is listed among the animals of least concern on the Red List.

Appearance

The black bear is .. deep brown or black and has a very broad snout, a rounded skull which tapers in the front, and a set of small rounded ears that are set back on their head. They can actually range from deep brown, brownish black, all the way to a light sandy tone depending on the time of year and the heredity of the bear.

Breeding

The Black Bear breeds in mid summer, late June or early July, and will gestate for about 235 days, or nearly the same time span as a human. They give birth to a litter of cubs, usually two but as many as three or four and as few as just one. This takes place in late January or the early part of February.

The Young

The cubs will be tiny, hairless, and completely helpless, weighing under a pound when they are born. They will open their eyes at about a month old, and will drink milk from the mother for about 7 or 8 months time. At about six months old they will weigh in at around forty pounds. By the time they are 8 months old they may weigh 60 pounds and when they are 18 months old, typically the cubs will leave the den and become independent of the mother. At around three years, they will begin to produce their own litters. In the wild, the black bear will usually live about 18 years.

Habits

Black bear are very territorial animals and will mark their chosen area by rubbing or clawing it. They wil swim and climb very well and may pursue their enemies or prey as well as to get away from predators or hunters by running. Only rarely will the black bear turn to fight. Typically this is when they are with cubs. They are omnivores, eating nearly any kind of insect or vegetation, but will also feed on game as well as some domestic animals if the opportunity arises.

The Black Bear – Information – United States Black Bear – World Of Nature

The lion is one of the best known members of the cat family, known as the king of the beasts and an emblem of royalty for many different country’s crests and flags.

Lions are most found in the grasslands of sub-Sahara Africa, Asia, and an endangered remnant in India. The males and females appear different with the male larger and having a dark mane framing his head and neck.

Females are smaller and sleeker, able to do most of the hunting for the pride, which is made up of a few adult males, females and cubs.

Adult male lions can weigh between 330 to 550 pounds and the females tend to range from 264 to 400 pounds. The coloration of the lions is usually a tan or brownish yellow with the mane of the male being darker. Read the rest of this entry »

Size and Description

The Gaboon Viper is a short and very heavy snake. They are very round in comparison to their body length. The average grown Gaboon will weigh about 18-20 pounds while it may be just four or six feet long.  The Gaboon Viper is very heavy bodied. It is excellently camouflaged with  a black or dark brown body and brown markings that run the length of its body. The head is triangular, said to be shaped like the leaves on a tree.

The Gaboon Viper has the longest fangs of any venomous snake and also makes the most venom of any other venomous snake. It is a good thing that the snake is known for being more placid since the venom is also particularly toxic. They can be very harmful if not fatal to adult humans, but they have often been said to be so placid that they can be handled by experts with nearly as much ease as handling a non toxic snake

What they Eat

The Gaboon viper is nocturnal, meaning that it hunts at night. It is not limited to the rainforests and are often seen on the roadways or logging paths. They will eat small mammals, as well as birds, frogs, and other amphibians. The Gaboon Viper is an ambush hunter, who will lie in wait on a well camouflaged area and wait for prey.

Habitat and Location
The Gaboon Viper is found in the rainforests and other moist lowlands of the  Africa. It is also found  living in or near the cacao plantations in West Africa and has been noted to be found near the  coffee plantations in East Africa. In addition they seem to be prolific in the evergreen forests that are part of Zambia.

Breeding

Gaboon Viper males engage in some very odd “wrestling” matches or combats to gain the attention of the female. The victor is the breeder.

Gaboon Vipers give birth to live babies rather than laying eggs. The term for this is that they are viviparous.  They will give birth to anywhere from 25 babies up to fifty or more per breeding, but the average is about twenty or twenty five.
The Gaboon Viper babies take nearly a year to be born. The breeding cycle for these big snakes is thought to be about every 2 or 3 years.

Gaboon Viper – Venomous Rainforest Snake – African Gaboon Viper

Physical Characteristics

Musk Oxen are large and heavy, reaching 6 or 7 feet long in length and will have a height at the shoulder that may be as tall as 5 feet. They are very heavy bodied and full grown will weigh between 500 and 900 pounds.

They live in very cold areas and as compensation are covered in long wool that completely keeps them warm. The have an outer coat that is made of very long brown hairs, while the inner woolen coat, called qiviut was gathered by native peoples for use as spinning wool. The musk ox is well suited for life in the artic.

Males and females both have very large horns that meet in the center of their skull. The Males also grow an additoinal thing called a “boss” across their horns. The musk ox has a very strong and very musky scent that gives them their names.

Wikipedia CC Licensed Musk Ox Photo

Habitat and Location:

The Musk Ox is a tundra animal. It is found in more northern and cold locations. The Musk Ox can be found in Canada (The more northern parts) Greenland, Norway, Russian, Sweeden, Alaska. At one point the Musk Ox was extinct in Norway, Sweden and Russia, having been killed off completely but the Ox was successfullly introduced back into the wild there.

The Musk Ox is a herd animal that will roam the area in which it lives. The entire herd will range over a great area to gain access to food and water.

Diet: What They Eat:

The Musk Ox lives in a herd and will range with that herd well over the area in which they live. They will eat nearly any kind of vegetation that is available to them to eat. This includes the small shoots of trees, the lichens, tundra grasses, shrubs and any other vegetation that can be found. In winter they may paw their way through the snow to find grass.

Breeding Facts

Musk oxen undergo a male rutting season just as deer and elk do. They begin to rut in the late summer and early fall. The males will compete and do battle for possession of a harem. Only one male may mate with multiple females. The babies are born after about 8 months time. One female gives birth to just one baby every other year in the springtime.

Musk Ox-Endangered Tundra Animal – World Of Nature