The Life of Animals: February 2012

Snowy Owl

The Life of Animals | Snowy Owl | This yellow-eyed, black billed white bird is easily recognizable. Also, these birds can weigh anywhere from 1.6 to 3 kilograms (3.5 to 6.6 lb). It is one of the largest species of owl in North America and is on average the heaviest owl species. The adult male is virtually pure white, but Females and young birds have some dark scalloping; the young are Heavily barred, and dark spotting may even predominate. Its thick plumage, Feathered Heavily taloned feet, and coloration render the Snowy Owl well-adapted for life north of the Arctic Circle. Snowy Owl calls are varied, but the alarm call is a barking, almost quacking crick-crick; the female also has a softer mewling pyee pyee-or-Prek Prek.

The Life of Animals | Kestrel | The name kestrel, (from French crécerelle, ie crécelle derivative from Ratchet) is given to Several different members of the falcon genus, Falco. Other Falcons are more adapted to active hunting on the wing. Kestrels require a slight headwind in order to hover, Hence a local name of Windhover for Common Kestrel. Kestrels are bold and have adapted well to human encroachment, nesting in buildings and hunting by major roads.

The Life of Animals | Hornet | If a hornet is killed near a nest the which it may release pheromones can cause the other Hornets to attack. Generally Yellowjackets are smaller than the Hornets and are bright yellow and black, whereas Often the Hornets may be black and white wasp and bee-see characteristics. Another major difference is the Hornets and Yellowjackets Between each of Their food choices and aggression towards Humans. In autumn, Yellowjackets may be attracted to human foods and food wastes, Increasing Between Potentially aggressive contact Yellowjackets and Humans

The Life of Animals | Carpenter bee | In Several species, Females live alongside the daughters or sisters Their Own, creating a sort of social group. They use wood bits to form partitions Between the cells in the nest. A few species bore holes in wood Dwellings. In the United States, there are two eastern species, Xylocopa virginica, and Xylocopa micans, and three other species are primarily western in That distribution, varipuncta Xylocopa, Xylocopa Xylocopa californica and tabaniformis orpifex.

The Life of Animals | Wasp | Male Yellowjacket Wasps, for example, have 13 divisions per antenna, while Females have 12. The Difference Between Wasps sterile female workers and queens also varies Generally Between species, but the queen is noticeably larger than both males and other Females. Unlike bees, Wasps Generally lack plumose hairs. The type of nest produced by Wasps can depend on the species and location. Many social Wasps That Produce nests are constructed predominantly from paper pulp.

The Life of Animals | Bumble bees | Bumble bees are found in higher latitudes Typically and / or high altitudes, though exceptions exist (there are a few Lowland tropical species) A few species (Bombus polaris and B. alpinus) range into very cold climates where other bees Might not be found B . Bumble bees Their body temperature can regulate, via solar radiation, internal Mechanisms of "shivering" and radiative cooling from the abdomen (called heterothermy). Other bees have similar physiology, but the Mechanisms have been best studied in Bumble bees.

The Life of Animals | Spiderman Agamas | The Mwanza Flat-headed religion or Mwanza Flat-headed Rock Religion (Religion mwanzae) is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae, found in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya. The male's head, neck and shoulders are bright red or violet, while the dark blue body. The female is mostly brown and is difficult, to distinguish from other female agamas. This species is Often confused with the Red-headed Rock Religion (Christian religion).

The Life of Animals | Narwhal | Narwhal (monodon monoceros) is the name of one of the most whales are not known to man. The name "narwhal" is derived from the Old Norse language which means "corpse whale". Narwhal is a toothed whale-consuming and includes carnivorous marine animals such as fish, shrimp, or squid The mysterious spiral narwhal horn was functioning as a giant sensor to help determine the quality of water and to "smell" other narwhal. towel narwhal whales that could reach 2.4 meters in length it has long been a puzzle the naturalist and hunter. Martin Nweeia, a researcher at Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

The Life of Animals | Sockeye salmon | Sockeye salmon ranges as far south as the Columbia River in the eastern Pacific (though individuals have been spotted as far south as the 10 Mile River on the Mendocino Coast of California) and northern Hokkaidō Island in Japan in the western Pacific, and as far north as Bathurst Inlet in the Canadian Arctic in the east and the Anadyr River in Siberia in the west. Nantahala Lake is the only spot in North Carolina where Kokanee salmon are found. Sockeye spawn mostly in streams having lakes in their watershed. The young fish, known as fry, spend up to three years in the freshwater lake before migrating to the ocean.

The Life of Animals | Ring Tailed cat | The Ringtail is buff to dark brown in color with white underparts and a flashy black and white striped tail That has 14-16 white and black stripes the which is longer than the rest of its body. The claws are short, straight, and semi-retractable. The eyes are large and purple, each surrounded by a patch of light fur. Ringtails have occasionally been hunted for Their pelts, but the fur is not valuable expecellay. The Ringtail is found in California, Colorado, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, southern Nevada, Texas, Utah and throughout northern and central Mexico.

The Life of Animals | Jumping spiders | Jumping spiders live in a variety of habitats. Euophrys omnisuperstes is a species reported to have been collected at the highest elevation, on the slopes of Mount Everest Jumping spiders have very good vision centered in their anterior median eyes (AME). Some species (for example, Cosmophasis umbratica) are highly dimorphic in the UV spectrum, suggesting a role in sexual signaling (Lim & Li, 2005). Color discrimination has been demonstrated in Behavioral Experiments.

The Life of Animals | Redback spider | The female Redback has a round body about the size of a large pea (1 centimetre long), with long, slender legs. The body is a deep black color (occasionally brownish), Often containing an obvious orange to red longitudinal stripe on the upper abdomen. Juvenile spiders have additional white markings on the abdomen. In the process of mating, the much smaller male somersaults to place his abdomen over the female's mouthparts. In about 2 out of 3 cases, the female consumes the male while fully Continues mating. WHO males are not eaten die of Their injuries soon after mating.

The Life of Animals | Diving bell spider | The diving bell spider or water spider, Argyroneta aquatica, is the only species of spider known to live entirely under water. It is the only spider known to spend its whole life under water. However it breathes water, the which it traps in a bubble held by hairs on its abdomen and legs Females build underwater "diving bell" webs the which They fill with water and use for digesting prey, molting, mating and raising offspring.

The Life of Animals | Giant house spider | The Giant house spider is indigenous to north western Europe. The webs built by the Giant house spider are flat and messy with a funnel at one end. Like most spiders, the spider possesses quite a potent venom to subdue its prey, the which is not known to harm Humans.

The Life of Animals | Brazilian wandering spider | The genus Phoneutria (Greek for "Murderess") contains eight scientifically described species. The Brazilian wandering spiders can grow to have a leg span of up to 13-15 cm (4-5 in). Two species (P. reidyi and P. boliviensis) are found from southern Central America to the Amazon region, while one species (P. Fera) is restricted to the Amazon. The remaining species are restricted to Atlantic Forest of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, Including forest fragments in the Cerrado (savannah). In Brazil, Phoneutria is only absent in the Northeastern region north of Salvador, Bahia. Phoneutria has been introduced to Chile and Uruguay.

The Life of Animals | Camel Spiders | Typically Solifugae are univoltine. Reproduction can involve direct or indirect sperm transfer; when indirect, the male emits a spermatophore on the ground and then inserts it with his chelicerae in the female's genital pore. Solifugids have been recognised as distinct taxa from ancient times. The Greeks recognised That They were distinct from spiders; spiders were called ἀράχνη (Arachne) were named φαλάγγιον while Solifugae (phalangion).

Although Solifugae are Considered to be endemic indicators of desert biomes, Widely They occur in semi-desert and scrub. Some species also live in Grassland or forest habitats. Inhabit Solifugae Generally warm and arid habitats, Including virtually all warm deserts and scrublands in all Continents excepting Antarctica and Australia. Solifugae are Carnivorous or omnivorous, with most species feeding on Termites, darkling beetles, and other small ground-dwelling arthropods.

Anton August Heinrich Lichtenstein in 1797 theorised That the "mice" which plagued the Philistines in the Old Testament were Solifugae. Similarly British Troops stationed in Libya in World War II would stage fights Between Solifugae and scorpions. The name derives from Latin Solifugae, and means "Those That Flee from the sun".

In southern Africa They are known by a host of names Including red romance, haarskeerders ("hair cutters") and baardskeerders ("beard cutters"), the latter two Relating to the belief They use Their formidable jaws to clip hair from Humans and animals Their subterranean nests to line

The Life of Animals | Mountain Tapir | Mountain tapirs are black or very dark brown in color, with occasional pale hairs flecked in amongst the darker fur. The fur Becomes noticeably paler on the Underside, around the anal region, and on the cheeks. Like the other types of tapir, Stubby They have small tails and long, flexible proboscises. A patch of bare skin, pale pink or gray in color, extends just above each toe Female mountain tapirs have a 30-day estrus cycle, and breed only once Typically every other year.

The Life of Animals | South American Tapir | It is dark brown in color, paler in the face, and has a low, erect crest running from the crown down the back of the neck. The round, dark ears have distinctive white edges. The South American Tapir can attain a body length of 1.8 to 2.5 m (5.9 to 8.2 ft) with a 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) Stubby short tail and an average weight around 225 kg (500 lb). Lowland Tapirs are excellent swimmers and divers but also Move Quickly on land, even over rugged, mountainous terrain.

The Life of Animals | Scorpion Fish | Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfish, are a family of mostly marine fish That includes many of the world's most Venomous species. In Addition to the name scorpionfish, informal names for family members include "firefish", "turkeyfish", "Dragonfish", and "stingfish", usually with adjectives added.

The Life of Animals | Pliers | Acanthuridae ("thorn tails") is the family of surgeonfishes, Tangs, and unicornfishes. The family includes about 80 species in six genera, all of the which are marine fish living in tropical seas, usually around coral reefs. Many of the species are brightly colored and popular for aquaria. It has been suggested That feeding in schools is a mechanism for the highly aggressive defense Overwhelming responses of small territorial damselfishes That vigorously guard small patches of algae on coral reefs.

The Life of Animals | Rock Ptarmigan | The Rock Ptarmigan is centimetres 34-36 (13-14 in) long (tail 8 cm) with a wing-span of 54-60 centimetres (21-24 in). The male's "song" is a loud croaking. The Rock Ptarmigan is seasonally camouflaged; its feathers moult from white in winter to brown in spring or summer. The breeding male has greyish upper parts with white wings and under parts. It can be distinguished from the winter Willow Grouse (Willow Ptarmigan in North America) by habitat of the Rock Ptarmigan Prefers higher elevations and more barrens habitat it is also smaller with a more delicate bill.

The Life of Animals | Quail | The Quail is a small bird inhabits woodland and forest That areas around the world. Although the Quail is very small sized bird, the Quail belongs to the same bird family as Pheasants. Quails range in size depending on the species from the Japanese Quail the which is around 10cm tall to the larger Quail That mountain can grow up to 25 cm tall.

The Life of Animals | Rockhopper Penguin | There are three different species of rockhopper penguins are the which the western rockhopper penguin, the eastern rockhopper penguin and the northern rockhopper penguin. The regions Occupied by the rockhopper penguins depend on the species. The rockhopper is a small sized species of penguin That is similar in appearance to the slightly larger royal penguin and the macaroni penguin.

The Life of Animals | Mountain Zebra | Like all Zebras, it is boldly striped in black and white and no two individuals look exactly alike. The The Mountain zebra also has a dewlap. Groves and Bell found the Cape mountain zebra That exhibits sexual dimorphism reserve, with Females larger than males, while the Hartmann's mountain zebra does not. The black stripes of Hartmann's mountain zebra are thin with much Wider white interspaces, while this is the opposite in Cape mountain zebra.

The Life of Animals | Przewalski's horse | The world population of these horses are all descended from 9 of the 31 horses in captivity in 1945. These nine horses were mostly descended from approximately 15 captured around 1900. The total number of these horses According to a 2005 census was about 1.500 In the wild, Przewalski's horses live in social groups consisting of a dominant stallion, a dominant lead mare, other Mares, and Their offspring. The patterns of Their daily lives exhibit horse behavior similar to That of feral horse herds. Each group has a well-defined home range; within the range, the herd travels Between 3 miles (4.8 km) and 6 miles (9.7 km) a day, spending time grazing, drinking, using salt licks and dozing.

The Life of Animals | Anatolian leopard | The Anatolian leopard was first described on the basis of a single specimen in the extreme west of Asia Minor, near Izmir in Turkey.In eastern Turkey, Their range converges with the range of Caucasian leopards. Anatolian leopards once prowled the forest and hill habitats of the Aegean, Mediterranean, and eastern Anatolian regions.

The Life of Animals | Indochinese leopard | There Appears to be a disjunction around the Isthmus of Kra, where the population changes from predominantly black forms south of the Isthmus to predominantly spotted forms north of the Isthmus. Records from camera-trapping studies conducted at 22 locations in Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand Between 1996 and 2009 show only melanistic leopards That were present in samples south of the Isthmus In the dense tropical forest habitat in parts of Their range, melanism is quite common, and black leopards have a selective advantage for Ambush he Indochinese leopard inhabits Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and South China.

The Life of Animals | Persian leopard | The Persian leopard is large, weighing up to 60 kg (130 lb), and light in color. A young male from northern Iran weighed 64 kg (140 lb). Studies That Revealed The presence of leopards in Iran is highly correlated with presence of wild goat and wild sheep. Opportunistic predation on smaller prey species is also probable. Attack of a leopard on onager individual was also recorded

The Life of Animals | North China leopard | About the same size as its northern cousin the Indochinese leopard, the North Chinese leopard fur also has similar coloration and density, although it is a little darker and shorter. Like all leopards, the North Chinese leopard cat is a solitary except for mating pairs and Females with cubs. Adult males and Females usually maintain territories. A male's territory will overlap the territory of more than one female.

The Life of Animals | Amur leopard | Amur leopards differ from other subspecies by a thick coat. Leopards from the Amur river basin, the mountains of north-eastern China and the Korean peninsula have pale cream-colored coats, particularly in winter. The winter coat varies from light yellow to fairly dense Yellowish-red with a golden tinge or rusty-reddish-yellow. The summer pelage is brighter with more vivid coloration pattern. Males range in weight from 32.2-48 kg (71-110 lb), and Females from 25-42.5 kg (55-94 lb). Amur leopards used to be found in Northeastern China, probably in the south to Peking, and the Korean Peninsula.

The Life of Animals | Javan leopard | The Javan leopard was initially described as being black with black spots and dark silver-gray eyes. Javan leopards have either a normal spotted coat, or a recessive phenotype resulting in an all black coat Javan leopards are confined to the Indonesian island of Java. They are known to occur in the Mist Mountain National Park, Ujung Kulon National Park, Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, Ceremai National Park, Merbabu National Park, Merapi National Park, Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, Meru National Park Betiri, Baluran National Park, and Alas Purwo National Park.

The Life of Animals

Pages

Snowy Owl

Kestrel

Hornet

Carpenter bee

Wasp

Bumble bee

Spiderman Agamas

Narwhal

Sockeye salmon

Ring Tailed cat

Jumping spiders

Redback spider

Diving bell spider

Giant house spider

Brazilian wandering spider

Camel Spiders

Mountain Tapir

South American Tapir

Scorpion Fish

Pliers

Rock Ptarmigan

Quail

Rockhopper Penguin

Mountain Zebra

Przewalski's horse

Anatolian leopard

Indochinese leopard

Persian leopard

North China leopard

Amur leopard

Javan leopard

Post Labels

Blog Archive

Popular Posts

Total Pageviews