Posts Tagged ‘Asia’

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

There are two species of this bird, the red-billed and the white-winged and its closest relative is the crow. They are not endangered. They are able to do amazing aerobatics and are considered excellent fliers.

Physical Characteristics

Choughs have black feathers, bright colored feet and legs, long wide wings. They are medium sized birds and are around 16 inches long with a 25-39 inch wingspan. Some species have a yellow bill and some have a red bill and both kinds have red legs. The young bird is a duller color than the adults and not as glossy. Read the rest of this entry »

A Lesser Kestrel is a small falcon.

Physical Characteristics

The lesser kestrel grows to as much as 33 cms long and has a wingspan as much as 72 cm long. It has a brown back and its underbelly has grey bars on it. Females and young one are paler than the males in color.  They make a very distinctive cry that has a sound like “chay, chay, chay.”  Unlike other falcons, the lesser kestrel has white talons instead of black ones. Pesticides and habitat destruction has led to the lesser kestrel starting to decline in numbers and it is endangered in some areas. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

Physical Characteristics
The Gibbon is a smaller primate type animal who lives in the treetops.
They have strong arms and hands and aare thickly furred animals.
The color of the Gibbon can change dramatically from nearly blond to nearly black on color. They are thickly furred and very fluffy animals with thin bodies. They may weigh about 12-15 pounds when fully grown. Gibbons have no tail.

They are not good swimmers so they are sometimes isolated by the rivers of the area and are not able to get across them.

Habitat and Location

The Gibbon is found in the southeastern portions of Asia. They spend nearly all of their time in the trees of the rainforests. They have long fingers that permit them to very gracefully swing the treetops from one branch to another. Only rarely will they go to ground.

What they Eat

Gibbons will generally eat fruit and berries, but they will change up and eat leaves, bark of trees, as well as plant roots and leaves. In addition, the Gibbon will eat smaller birds, as well as tree frogs, bugs, and some small animals. This is known as being omniverous.

Breeding Facts

There are just a few primates that breed or mate for life with just one partner unless that partner is killed. One of those species is the Gibbon, who will also mourn the death of a partner.
The Gibbon gives birth to one youngster after being pregnant for about seven months. Once in a while twins do take place but that is rare. The young Gibbon will stay with both parents in a family type arrangement until they are old enough to start their own families. Gibbons usually live between 25 and 40 years. They will live much longer in captivity than they do in the wild due to predation by animals and man

Gibbon Monkey – Rainforest Gibbon Monkey – Asian Monkey