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Hawk | Eagle

25 Apr

The world’s 59 species of eagles are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are four major groups of eagles: fish eagles, booted eagles, snake eagles and giant forest eagles. America’s eagles are the Bald Eagle, which is a fish eagle, and the Golden Eagle, which is a booted eagle. Golden and Bald Eagles both reside in the United States.

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) is the only eagle species living strictly in North America. It is a fish eagle that has a presence in every state in the U.S.A. except Hawaii. The Bald Eagle can have a wing span of up to eight feet and can weigh up to 15 pounds. It inhabits areas near large bodies of water where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees in which to nest and roost. Bald Eagles are monogamous and remain faithful to their mate until death. Females lay one to three eggs annually in the spring time, and the incubation period is approximately 35 days.

American Blad Eagle

American Blad Eagle

Young (immature) Bald Eagles are dark brown in color when they fledge the nest at about 12 weeks of age, and the head and tail feathers turn predominantly white in their fourth or fifth year. Bald Eagles can live up to 40 years in the wild and longer in captivity. They are primarily fish eaters. Other fish eagles that can be found outside the United States around the world include: White-bellied Sea Eagle (White-breasted Sea Eagle), Solomon Sea Eagle (Sanford’s Sea Eagle), African Fish Eagle, Madagascar Fish Eagle, Pallas’ Fish Eagle (Band-tailed Fish Eagle), White-tailed (Sea) Eagle (Gray Sea Eagle), Lesser Fishing Eagle, Greater Fishing Eagle (Gray headed Fishing Eagle) and Steller’s Sea Eagle.

Immature Bald Eagle

Immature Bald Eagle

The Golden Eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos) is a large brown and golden colored booted eagle that can be found in mountainous areas of the U.S.A. This bird of prey can weigh up to 15 pounds and can have a wing span of up to eight feet. It ranges throughout the Western Hemisphere, Europe and Asia. It builds nests on mountain rocks and ledges, and feeds on small mammals and reptiles.

Other booted eagles that can be found outside the U.S. around the world include: Asian Black Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Gurney’s Eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle (African Black Eagle), Wahlberg’s Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, African Hawk Eagle, Booted Eagle, Little Eagle, Ayre’s Hawk Eagle, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Martial Eagle, Black & White Hawk Eagle, Long-crested Eagle, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Crested Hawk Eagle (Changeable Hawk Eagle), Mountain Hawk Eagle, Java Hawk Eagle, Celebes Hawk Eagle, Phillipine Hawk Eagle, Blyth’s Hawk Eagle, Wallace’s Hawk Eagle, African Crowned Eagle, Ornate Hawk Eagle, Black Hawk Eagle (Tyrant Hawk Eagle), and Black

Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle

The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a splendid example of a Giant Forest Eagle. It is a lovely grey, black and white bird with a prominent crest. It is endowed with thick legs and massive feet. It is perhaps the largest eagle in the world, with some females weighing 20 lbs. or more. It lives in the rainforests of Central and South America, and preys primarily on birds and various mammals, including sloths and monkeys. It builds a huge stick nest in the crotch of an emergent forest tree. It is currently a threatened species due to the destruction of the rainforests. Other Giant Forest Eagles that can be found around the world include: the highly endangered Philippine Eagle, the Guiana Crested Eagle, and the New Guinea Eagle.

Harpy eagle

Harpy eagle

The Bateleur Eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus) is an abberrent, but well known member of the Serpent or Snake Eagle group. Like other members of the group, the Bateleur Eagle has a large head covered with long feathers and stocky legs with short stubby toes – ideal for grasping snakes. Unlike some Snake Eagles, the Bateleur, which is “acrobat” in French, spends a lot of time soaring. It may cover 100 miles or more a day in search of food, which includes carrion and animals such as antelope, mice, birds and various reptiles. The Bateleur is a large, handsome jet black eagle with white under the wings, rufous tail and back, gray on the shoulders, bright crimson face and legs, and a black beak. Females are around 24 inches in length, and males are slightly smaller. Wingspans range from 6 to 7 feet. The Bateleur is found in the tree and brush savanna throughout Africa, south of the Sahara. Other Snake Eagles that can be found around the world include: Short-toed Eagle, Brown Snake Eagle, East African Snake Eagle (Southern Banded Snake Eagle), Banded Snake Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Kinabalu Serpent Eagle, Nicobar Serpent Eagle, Andaman Serpent Eagle, Congo Serpent Eagle (African Serpent Eagle) and Madagascar Serpent Eagle.

Bateleur Eagle

Bateleur Eagle

 
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Hawk – Buteos

25 Apr
Buteos have broad wings with deeply slit wing tips that are used for extensive
soaring flight. These hawks have short, stout legs with short toes. Buteos
are found nearly worldwide in open country and some forested areas.
large

Broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus)

The Broad-winged Hawk is one of the smallest buteos, about the size of a crow. It is 14 to 19 inches long, with a wingspan of about 3 feet. Its relatively short wings and tail give the bird a chunky appearance in flight.

The adult is grayish-brown on the back, and its underparts are white, heavily barred with reddish-brown. Its tail is dark, with two or three equally wide white bands. The immature is brown-backed, and its underparts are whitish with vertical brown streaks. The barring in the tail of the young bird is not as prominent as in the adult. Broad-winged Hawks breed throughout eastern North America, from Canada to Florida. Many nest in New Jersey in areas where proper habitat still exists, primarily deep deciduous forests. In early autumn they begin a spectacular migration southward, some going as far as South America. During this time huge concentrations of these hawks can be seen along the mountain and coastal flyways of our state.

Their diet consists of a wide variety of prey animals including small mammals, snakes, frogs and toads, grasshoppers and caterpillars.

Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Red-shouldered Hawks are medium-sized slender buteos, larger than Broad-wings but smaller than Red-tails. They have body lengths of 18 to 24 inches and wingspans of 3!/2 to 4 feet. Their backs are brown, flecked with white, and their shoulders are rufous. Immature birds have brown teardrop-shaped streaks on their white breasts; adults have pale robin-red underparts.

Red-shouldered Hawks inhabit low, wet, open woodlands usually near a river, stream or swamp. They prey upon the wide variety of animal life found there: small mammals, frogs, snakes, lizards, insects and birds.

Some Red-shoulders remain resident in New Jersey year round, but most migrate southward as winter approaches. They were once common here, but loss of their preferred habitat and other factors not yet clearly identified have reduced their numbers. At present their breeding population is considered endangered in the state.

Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

New Jersey’s most common large hawk, the Red-tail, is named for the rufous color of the adult’s tail. These buteos are often seen soaring in wide circles or perched conspicuously in trees along roadsides. Vocal hawks, their distinctive call – a high, shrill “kree-e-e” – is usually uttered in flight.

Red-tails stand about 2 feet tall and have wingspans of 4l/2 to 5 feet. They are dark brown above, white to cinnamon below, and usually have a band of dark streaks across the belly. Immature birds are similar to adults in plumage except for their tails – the young have brown tails for their first year. When they molt, these brown feathers are replaced by the characteristic red of the species.

Red-tailed Hawks are found throughout North America and many live in New Jersey year round. They prefer a habitat of fields and pastures mixed with open woodlands. Their large stick nests are usually built in the tallest available tree. From one to three young are raised each year.

Their diet consists mainly of mammals and includes mice, voles, squirrels and rabbits.

Rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus)

The Rough-legged Hawk breeds in the far north and occurs in New Jersey only as a rare winter visitor. Like many northern species, it is protected from the cold by feathers that cover even its legs and toes. Its common and scientific names both refer to the furry appearance of its legs; the Greek word lagopus means “hare-footed.”

Rough-legged Hawks are large, about 2 feet long with wingspans of 4l/2 feet. Plumage color varies greatly in this species from light to very dark (melanistic) individuals. All have a conspicuous white rump patch and a wide, dark band at the tip of the tail.

Birds of open country and graceful soarers, Rough-legs can be distinguished from other buteos in flight by their longer wings and tails. They have a habit of hovering in one spot, as Kestrels and Ospreys do.

Rough-legged Hawks are rodent eaters and feed on small animals, primarily meadow voles.

 
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Hawk | Accipiters

25 Apr

The northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and the sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) are the Alaskan representatives of a group of hawks known as accipiters, with short, rounded wings (short in comparison with other hawks) and long tails. The third North American accipiter, the Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii) is not found in Alaska. Both native species are abundant in the state but not commonly seen, for they spend the majority of their time in wooded habitats. When they do venture out into the open, the accipiters can be recognized easily by their “several flaps and a glide” style of flight.

sshawk

General Description: Adult northern goshawks are bluish- gray on the back, wings, and tail, and pearly gray on the breast and underparts. The dark gray cap is accented by a light gray stripe above the red eye. Like most birds of prey, female goshawks are larger than males. A typical female is 25 inches (65 cm) long, has a wingspread of 45 inches (115 cm) and weighs 2¼ pounds (1020 g) while the average male is 19½ inches (50 cm) in length with a wingspread of 39 inches (100 cm) and weighs 2 pounds (880 g).

Adult sharp-shinned hawks have gray backs, wings and tails (males tend to be bluish-gray, while females are browner) with white underparts barred heavily with brownish-orange. They also have red eyes but, unlike goshawks, have no eyestrip. A typical female weighs 6 ounces (170 g), is 13½ inches (35 cm) long with a wingspread of 25 inches (65 cm), while the average male weighs 3½ ounces (100 g), is 10 inches (25 cm) long and has a wingspread of 21 inches (55 cm).

In both species, immature birds are brown on the back, wings and tail, with buff-colored underparts streaked with brown. The eyes of young accipiters are yellow; it takes several years for them to change to the red of adults. Young goshawks have a buff eyestripe. In both species, the long tail is broadly banded with dark gray in adults and dark brown in immatures. The tail is tipped with white in adults and buff in immatures.

Food Habits: Accipiters are adept at flying quickly through dense woods in search of their favored prey. The hawks’ short, broad wings enable them to accelerate rapidly, and their long tails are efficient rudders for steering around trees. The birds employ this ability to negotiate wooded habitats in hunting. They perch quietly in trees or move stealthily from perch to perch. When prey is sighted, they make a rapid dash after it. If the intended prey is not caught quickly, the pursuit is dropped after a short distance. When the hawks do get close, they reach out with their long legs and grab the animal with powerful, taloned feet. Goshawks have tremendously strong feet and legs and are capable of subduing large prey, such as snowshoe hares, grouse, ptarmigan, and ducks. They also eat squirrels, voles, shrews, and some of the larger songbirds and shorebirds. In contrast, the more maneuverable sharpshinned hawks have proportionally longer, narrower toes and are more efficient at capturing songbirds. Sharp-shins also eat a few small mammals and occasionally catch large insects. Typically, a few feathers or tufts of fur are ingested with each meal. These, along with bones and fragments of insect exoskeleton, are not digested but are bundled into compact “pellets” and regurgitated. Pellets can often be found among prey remains near the birds’ favorite perches (accipiters usually take their kills to “plucking perches” or “butcher blocks” where they pull out the feathers or fur of prey before eating it). Pellets and other remains provide biologists with valuable clues to the hawks’ diets.

Life History: While accipiters can and do exploit a variety of habitats for hunting, they prefer to nest in mixed stands of coniferous and deciduous trees. They often return to the same general area in successive years and will occasionally reuse an old nest. The area immediately surrounding the nest is vigorously defended against intruders—the adults scream and dive at interlopers, slashing and grabbing at the offenders with their feet.

Northern goshawks build large stick nests, usually in a major crotch of birch or aspen trees. Nesting usually begins in early to mid-April, often when there is still snow on the ground. Goshawks lay one to four eggs, with three or four being the most common clutch sizes. Young goshawks hatch in late May or early June, grow quickly, and fledge in early to mid-July. The young birds remain in the vicinity of the nest as they develop their powers of flight and sharpen their hunting skills. The parents continue to feed their offspring for as long as the young birds remain in the area, often until early August. Northern goshawks do not make long-distance migrations and can be found year-round throughout their range in Alaska.

Sharp-shinned hawks nest most frequently in middle-age (25-45 years old) spruce trees. They usually build their bulky twig nests close to the trunk midway up the nest tree. Sharp-shins lay three to six eggs (most commonly five or six) in late April or early May, and the young hatch about 35 days later. Young sharp-shins grow rapidly and fledge 22 to 25 days after hatching—about the same time that young goshawks are leaving the nest.

Sharp-shins follow the same post-fledging pattern as goshawks, but their dispersal from the nest area is faster. Most sharp-shins follow waves of migrating songbirds in the fall and spend the winter in the warmer regions, although some individuals overwinter in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska.

Because young accipiters usually weigh less than their parents and have slightly longer flight feathers, their wing loading is lower (i.e., less weight distributed over a large wing area). This enables young birds to fly slower and more buoyantly than adults, but they still occasionally fall victim to their own clumsiness and fatally miscalculate a landing. A large number of birds succumb to other hazards, including disease, predation, flying into windows, being shot by humans, and being struck by vehicles. The first hard freeze of the year eliminates many birds, especially those sharp-shinned hawks which have not yet gone south. Goshawks also fall victim to the weather; birds which are barely able to catch enough food to stay alive in warm weather don’t survive for long when cold weather increases the food intake requirements. As many as 80-90 percent of birds die during their first winter.

Northern goshawks have few enemies in the wild other than the elements. They are rarely caught in a position where they are unable to either defend themselves or evade their attacker. They are most vulnerable when the female is incubating eggs or brooding small nestlings and when the young are first learning to fly. At these times, other large hawks or owls occasionally kill goshawks; and bears, lynx, and other climbing predators sometimes reach nests and eat young birds. Sharp-shinned hawks have similar enemies, including the goshawk itself. Although many goshawks are killed in the name of defense of poultry or other small livestock, only a few birds actually deserve the oft-applied title, “chicken hawk.”

While it is illegal to kill raptors, the goshawk and the sharp-shinned hawk may be kept in captivity by falconers, providing they have the required permit, which is issued jointly by state and federal authorities.

Preservation of Alaska’s raptors depends on research and habitat protection. Increased knowledge and preservation of critical habitat will help perpetuate the woodland hawks of Alaska.

 
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Cheetah

23 Apr

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is an atypical member of the cat family (Felidae) that is unique in its speed, while lacking climbing abilities. The species is the only living member of the genus Acinonyx. It is the fastest land animal, reaching speeds between 112 and 120 km/h (70 and 75 mph) in short bursts covering distances up to 460 m (1,510 ft), and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 103 km/h (64 mph) in three seconds, faster than most supercars. Recent studies confirm the cheetah’s status as the fastest land animal.

Cheetah

Cheetah

Genetics and classification

The genus name, Acinonyx, means “no-move-claw” in Greek, while the species name, jubatus, means “maned” in Latin, a reference to the mane found in cheetah cubs.

Mother with cub.

The cheetah has unusually low genetic variability and a very low sperm count, which also suffers from low motility and deformed flagella.[8] Skin grafts between non-related cheetahs illustrate this point in that there is no rejection of the donor skin. It is thought that it went through a prolonged period of inbreeding following a genetic bottleneck during the last ice age. It probably evolved in Africa during the Miocene epoch (26 million to 7.5 million years ago), before migrating to Asia. New research by a team led by Warren Johnson and Stephen O’Brien of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity (National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Maryland, United States) has recently placed the last common ancestor of all existing species as living in Asia 11 million years ago, which may lead to revision and refinement of existing ideas about cheetah evolution. Now-extinct species include: Acinonyx pardinensis (Pliocene epoch), much larger than the modern cheetah and found in Europe, India, and China; Acinonyx intermedius (mid-Pleistocene period), found over the same range. The extinct genus Miracinonyx was extremely cheetah-like, but recent DNA analysis has shown that Miracinonyx inexpectatus, Miracinonyx studeri, and Miracinonyx trumani (early to late Pleistocene epoch), found in North America and called the “North American cheetah” are not true cheetahs, instead being close relatives to the cougar.

Subspecies

Although many sources list six or more subspecies of cheetah, the taxonomic status of most of these subspecies is unresolved. Acinonyx rex—the king cheetah (see below)—was abandoned after it was discovered the variation was only a recessive gene. The subspecies Acinonyx jubatus guttatus, the woolly cheetah, may also have been a variation due to a recessive gene. Some of the most commonly recognized subspecies include:[9]

  • Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus): Asia (Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russia)
  • Northwest African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki): Northwest Africa (Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia and Western Sahara) and western Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal)
  • Acinonyx jubatus raineyii: eastern Africa (Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda)
  • Acinonyx jubatus jubatus: southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia)
  • Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii: central Africa (Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Niger, and Sudan)
  • Acinonyx jubatus velox

Description

The cheetah’s chest is deep and its waist is narrow. The coarse, short fur of the cheetah is tan with round black spots measuring from 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.2 in) across, affording it some camouflage while hunting. There are no spots on its white underside, but the tail has spots, which merge to form four to six dark rings at the end. The tail usually ends in a bushy white tuft. The cheetah has a small head with high-set eyes. Black “tear marks” run from the corner of its eyes down the sides of the nose to its mouth to keep sunlight out of its eyes and to aid in hunting and seeing long distances. Although it can reach high speeds, its body cannot stand long distance running. It is a sprinter.

The adult cheetah weighs from 36 to 65 kg (79 to 140 lb). Its total body length is from 115 to 135 cm (45 to 53 in), while the tail can measure up to 84 cm (33 in) in length. Cheetah are 67 to 94 cm (26 to 37 in) in high at the shoulder. Males tend to be slightly larger than females and have slightly bigger heads, but there is not a great variation in cheetah sizes and it is difficult to tell males and females apart by appearance alone. Compared to a similarly-sized leopard, the cheetah is generally shorter-bodied, but is longer tailed and taller (it averages about 90 cm (35 in) tall) and so it appears more streamlined.

Some cheetahs also have a rare fur pattern mutation: cheetahs with larger, blotchy, merged spots are known as “king cheetahs”. It was once thought to be a separate subspecies, but it is merely a mutation of the African cheetah. The “king cheetah” has only been seen in the wild a handful of times, but it has been bred in captivity.

A cheetah.

The cheetah’s paws have semi-retractable claws (known only in three other cat species: the Fishing Cat, the Flat-headed Cat and the Iriomote Cat) offering extra grip in its high-speed pursuits. The ligament structure of the cheetah’s claws is the same as those of other cats; it simply lacks the sheath of skin and fur present in other varieties, and therefore the claws are always visible, with the exception of the dewclaw. The dewclaw itself is much shorter and straighter than that of other cats.

Adaptations that enable the cheetah to run as fast as it does include large nostrils that allow for increased oxygen intake, and an enlarged heart and lungs that work together to circulate oxygen efficiently. During a typical chase its respiratory rate increases from 60 to 150 breaths per minute. While running, in addition to having good traction due to its semi-retractable claws, the cheetah uses its tail as a rudder-like means of steering[citation needed] to allow it to make sharp turns, necessary to outflank prey animals that often make such turns to escape.

Unlike “true” big cats, the cheetah can purr as it inhales, but cannot roar. By contrast, the big cats can roar but cannot purr, except while exhaling. However, the cheetah is still considered by some to be the smallest of the big cats. While it is often mistaken for the leopard, the cheetah does have distinguishing features, such as the aforementioned long “tear-streak” lines that run from the corners of its eyes to its mouth. The body frame of the cheetah is also very different from that of the leopard, most notably so in its thinner and longer tail and, unlike the leopard’s, its spots are not arranged into rosettes.

The cheetah is a vulnerable species. Out of all the big cats, it is the least able to adapt to new environments. It has always proved difficult to breed in captivity, although recently a few zoos have managed to succeed at this. Once widely hunted for its fur, the cheetah now suffers more from the loss of both habitat and prey.

The cheetah was formerly considered to be particularly primitive among the cats and to have evolved approximately 18 million years ago. New research, however, suggests that the last common ancestor of all 40 existing species of felines lived more recently than that—about 11 million years ago. The same research indicates that the cheetah, while highly derived morphologically, is not of particularly ancient lineage, having separated from its closest living relatives (Puma concolor, the cougar, and Puma yaguarondi, the jaguarundi) around five million years ago. These felids have not changed appreciably since they first appeared in the fossil record.

Morphs and variations

King cheetah

A king cheetah showing its unique coat pattern.

The king cheetah is a rare mutation of cheetah characterized by a distinct pelt pattern. It was first noted in Zimbabwe in 1926. In 1927, the naturalist Reginald Innes Pocock declared it a separate species, but reversed this decision in 1939 due to lack of evidence, but in 1928, a skin purchased by Walter Rothschild was found to be intermediate in pattern between the king cheetah and spotted cheetah and Abel Chapman considered it to be a color form of the spotted cheetah. Twenty-two such skins were found between 1926 and 1974. Since 1927, the king cheetah was reported five more times in the wild. Although strangely marked skins had come from Africa, a live king cheetah was not photographed until 1974 in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Cryptozoologists Paul and Lena Bottriell photographed one during an expedition in 1975. They also managed to obtain stuffed specimens. It appeared larger than a spotted cheetah and its fur had a different texture. There was another wild sighting in 1986—the first in seven years. By 1987, thirty-eight specimens had been recorded, many from pelts.

Its species status was resolved in 1981 when king cheetahs were born at the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre in South Africa. In May 1981, two spotted sisters gave birth there and each litter contained one king cheetah. The sisters had both mated with a wild-caught male from the Transvaal area (where king cheetahs had been recorded). Further king cheetahs were later born at the Centre. It has been known to exist in Zimbabwe, Botswana and in the northern part of South Africa’s Transvaal province. A recessive gene must be inherited from both parents in order for this pattern to appear- which is one reason why it is so rare.

Other color variations

Other rare color morphs of the species include speckles, melanism, albinism and gray coloration. Most have been reported in Indian cheetahs, particularly in captive specimens kept for hunting.

The Mughal Emperor of India, Jahangir, recorded having a white cheetah presented to him in 1608. In the memoirs of Tuzk-e-Jahangiri, the Emperor says that in the third year of his reign: Raja Bir Singh Deo brought a white cheetah to show me. Although other sorts of creatures, both birds and beasts have white varieties …. I had never seen a white cheetah. Its spots, which are (usually) black, were of a blue colour, and the whiteness of the body also inclined to blue-ishness. This suggests a chinchilla mutation which restricts the amount of pigment on the hair shaft. Although the spots were formed of black pigment, the less dense pigmentation gives a hazy, grayish effect. As well as Jahangir’s white cheetah at Agra, a report of “incipient albinism” has come from Beaufort West according to Guggisberg.

In a letter to “Nature in East Africa”, H. F. Stoneham reported a melanistic cheetah (black with ghost markings) in the Trans-Nzoia District of Kenya in 1925. Vesey Fitzgerald saw a melanistic cheetah in Zambia in the company of a spotted cheetah. Red (erythristic) cheetahs have dark tawny spots on a golden background. Cream (isabelline) cheetahs have pale red spots on a pale background. Some desert region cheetahs are unusually pale; probably they are better-camouflaged and therefore better hunters and more likely to breed and pass on their paler coloration. Blue (Maltese or grey) cheetahs have variously been described as white cheetahs with grey-blue spots (chinchilla) or pale grey cheetahs with darker grey spots (Maltese mutation). A cheetah with hardly any spots was shot in Tanzania on 1921 (Pocock), it had only a few spots on the neck and back and these were unusually small.

Range and habitat

A cheetah in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

There are several geographically isolated populations of cheetah, all of which are found in Africa or Southwestern Asia. A small population (estimated at about fifty) survive in the Khorasan Province of Iran, where conservationists are taking steps to protect them. It is possible, though doubtful, that some cheetahs remain in India. There have also been several unconfirmed reports of Asiatic Cheetahs in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, with at least one dead animal being discovered recently.

The cheetah thrives in areas with vast expanses of land where prey is abundant. The cheetah likes to live in an open biotope, such as semi-desert, prairie, and thick brush, though it can be found in a variety of habitats. In Namibia, for example, it lives in grasslands, savannahs, areas of dense vegetation, and mountainous terrain.

In much of its former range, the cheetah was tamed by aristocrats and used to hunt antelopes in much the same way as is still done with members of the greyhound group of dogs.

Reproduction and behavior

Cheetah cub.

Females reach maturity in twenty to twenty-four months, and males around twelve months (although they do not usually mate until at least three years old), and mating occurs throughout the year. A study of cheetahs in the Serengeti showed that females are sexually promiscuous and often have cubs by many different males.

Females give birth to up to nine cubs after a gestation period of ninety to ninety-eight days, although the average litter size is three to five. Cubs weigh from 150 to 300 g (5.3 to 11 oz) at birth. Unlike some other cats, the cheetah is born with its characteristic spots. Cubs are also born with a downy underlying fur on their necks, called a mantle, extending to mid-back. This gives them a mane or Mohawk-type appearance; this fur is shed as the cheetah grows older. It has been speculated that this mane gives a cheetah cub the appearance of the Honey Badger (Ratel), to scare away potential aggressors. Cubs leave their mother between thirteen and twenty months after birth. Life span is up to twelve years in the wild, but up to twenty years in captivity.

Unlike males, females are solitary and tend to avoid each other, though some mother/daughter pairs have been known to be formed for small periods of time. The cheetah has a unique, well-structured social order. Females live alone except when they are raising cubs and they raise their cubs on their own. The first eighteen months of a cub’s life are important; cubs learn many lessons because survival depends on knowing how to hunt wild prey species and avoid other predators. At eighteen months, the mother leaves the cubs, who then form a sibling, or “sib” group, that will stay together for another six months. At about two years, the female siblings leave the group, and the young males remain together for life.

Territories

Males

Males are very sociable and will group together for life, usually with their brothers in the same litter; although if a cub is the only male in the litter then two or three lone males may group up, or a lone male may join an existing group. These groups are called coalitions. In one Serengeti study by Caro and Collins (1987), 41% of the adult males were solitary, 40% lived in pairs and 19% lived in trios.

A coalition is six times more likely to obtain an animal territory than a lone male, although studies have shown that coalitions keep their territories just as long as lone males—between four and four and a half years.

Males are very territorial. Females’ home ranges can be very large and trying to build a territory around several females’ ranges is impossible to defend. Instead, males choose the points at which several of the females’ home ranges overlap, creating a much smaller space, which can be properly defended against intruders while maximizing the chance of reproduction. Coalitions will try their best to maintain territories in order to find females with whom they will mate. The size of the territory also depends on the available resources; depending on the part of Africa, the size of a male’s territory can vary greatly from 37 to 160 km2 (14 to 62 sq mi).

Males mark their territory by urinating on objects that stand out, such as trees, logs, or termite mounds. The whole coalition contributes to the scent. Males will attempt to kill any intruders and fights result in serious injury or death.

Females

Female cheetah and cubs in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Unlike males and other felines, females do not establish territories. Instead, the area they live in is termed a home range. These overlap with other females’ home ranges, often those of their daughters, mothers, or sisters. Females always hunt alone, although cubs will accompany their mothers to learn to hunt once they reach the age of five to six weeks.

The size of a home range depends entirely on the availability of prey. Cheetahs in southern African woodlands have ranges as small as 34 km2 (13 sq mi), while in some parts of Namibia they can reach 1,500 km2 (580 sq mi).

Vocalizations

The cheetah cannot roar, but does have the following vocalizations:

  • Chirping – When cheetahs attempt to find each other, or a mother tries to locate her cubs, it uses a high-pitched barking called chirping. The chirps made by a cheetah cub sound more like a bird chirping, and so are termed chirping.
  • Churring or stuttering – This vocalization is emitted by a cheetah during social meetings. A churr can be seen as a social invitation to other cheetahs, an expression of interest, uncertainty, or appeasement or during meetings with the opposite sex (although each sex churrs for different reasons).
  • Growling – This vocalization is often accompanied by hissing and spitting and is exhibited by the cheetah during annoyance, or when faced with danger.
  • Yowling – This is an escalated version of growling, usually displayed when danger worsens.
  • Purring – This is made when the cheetah is content, usually during pleasant social meetings (mostly between cubs and their mothers). A characteristic of purring is that it is realised on both egressive and ingressive airstream. A purring cheetah can be heard on Robert Eklund’s Ingressive Speech website  or on Robert Eklund’s Wildlife page .

Diet and hunting

A cheetah with impala kill.

The cheetah is a carnivore, eating mostly mammals under 40 kg (88 lb), including the Thomson’s Gazelle, the Grant’s gazelle, the springbok and the impala. The young of larger mammals such as wildebeests and zebras are taken at times, and adults too, when the cats hunt in groups. Guineafowl and hares are also prey. While the other big cats mainly hunt by night, the cheetah is a diurnal hunter. It hunts usually either early in the morning or later in the evening when it is not so hot, but there is still enough light.

The cheetah hunts by vision rather than by scent. Prey is stalked to within 10–30 m (33–98 ft), then chased. This is usually over in less than a minute, and if the cheetah fails to make a catch quickly, it will give up. The cheetah has an average hunting success rate of around 50% – half of its chases result in capture.

Running at speeds between 112 and 120 km/h (70 and 75 mph) puts a great deal of strain on the cheetah’s body. When sprinting, the cheetah’s body temperature becomes so high that it would be deadly to continue; this is why the cheetah is often seen resting after it has caught its prey. If it is a hard chase, it sometimes needs to rest for half an hour or more. The cheetah kills its prey by tripping it during the chase, then biting it on the underside of the throat to suffocate it, for the cheetah is not strong enough to break the necks of the four-legged prey it mainly hunts. The bite may also puncture a vital artery in the neck. Then the cheetah proceeds to devour its catch as quickly as possible before the kill is taken by stronger predators.

The diet of a cheetah is dependent upon the area in which it lives. For example, on the East African plains, its preferred prey is the Thomson’s Gazelle. This small antelope is shorter than the cheetah (about 53–67 cm (21–26 in) tall and 70–107 cm (28–42 in) long), and also cannot run faster than the cheetah (only up to 80 km/h (50 mph)), which combine to make it an appropriate prey. Cheetahs look for individuals which have strayed some distance from their group, and do not necessarily seek out old or weak ones.

A cheetah in pursuit of Thomson’s Gazelle. Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

Interspecific predatory relationships

Despite their speed and hunting prowess, cheetahs are largely outranked by other large predators in most of their range. Because they have evolved for short bursts of extreme speed at the expense of both power and the ability to climb trees, they cannot defend themselves against most of Africa’s other predator species. They usually avoid fighting and will surrender a kill immediately to even a single hyena, rather than risk injury. Because cheetahs rely on their speed to obtain their meals, any injury that slows them down could essentially be life threatening.

A cheetah has a 50% chance of losing its kill to other predators. Cheetahs avoid competition by hunting at different times of the day and by eating immediately after the kill. Due to the reduction in habitat in Africa, Cheetahs in recent years have faced greater pressure from other native African predators as available range declines.

The cheetah’s mortality is very high during the early weeks of its life; up to 90% of cheetah cubs are killed during this time by lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, or even by eagles. Cheetah cubs often hide in thick brush for safety. Mother cheetahs will defend their young and are at times successful in driving predators away from their cubs. Coalitions of male cheetahs can also chase away other predators, depending on the coalition size and the size and number of the predator. Because of its speed, a healthy adult cheetah has few predators.

 
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African Lion

22 Apr
African Lion

African Lion

Lions are the only cats that live in groups, which are called prides. Prides are family units that may include up to three males, a dozen or so females, and their young. All of a pride’s lionesses are related, and female cubs typically stay with the group as they age. Young males eventually leave and establish their own prides by taking over a group headed by another male.

Only male lions boast manes, the impressive fringe of long hair that encircles their heads. Males defend the pride’s territory, which may include some 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) of grasslands, scrub, or open woodlands. These intimidating animals mark the area with urine, roar menacingly to warn intruders, and chase off animals that encroach on their turf.

Female lions are the pride’s primary hunters. They often work together to prey upon antelopes, zebras, wildebeest, and other large animals of the open grasslands. Many of these animals are faster than lions, so teamwork pays off.

After the hunt, the group effort often degenerates to squabbling over the sharing of the kill, with cubs at the bottom of the pecking order. Young lions do not help to hunt until they are about a year old. Lions will hunt alone if the opportunity presents itself, and they also steal kills from hyenas or wild dogs.

Lions have been celebrated throughout history for their courage and strength. They once roamed most of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe. Today they are found only in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, except for one very small population of Asian lions that survives in India’s Gir Forest.

 
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Leopard

22 Apr

The leopard (pronounced /ˈlɛpərd/), Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four “big cats” in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion and jaguar. Once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, the leopard’s range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in Pakistan, India, Indochina, Malaysia, and China. Because of its declining range and population, it is listed as a “Near Threatened” species by the IUCN.

Northern Chinese Leopard

Northern Chinese Leopard

Compared to other members of the Felidae family, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but is smaller and more slightly built. Its fur is marked with rosettes similar to those of the jaguar, but the leopard’s rosettes are smaller and more densely packed, and do not usually have central spots as the jaguar’s do. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic (completely black or very dark) are known as black panthers.

The species’ success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth. The leopard consumes virtually any animal it can hunt down and catch. Its habitat ranges from rainforest to desert terrains.

Leopards are graceful and powerful big cats closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.

The leopard is so strong and comfortable in trees that it often hauls its kills into the branches. By dragging the bodies of large animals aloft it hopes to keep them safe from scavengers such as hyenas. Leopards can also hunt from trees, where their spotted coats allow them to blend with the leaves until they spring with a deadly pounce. These nocturnal predators also stalk antelope, deer, and pigs by stealthy movements in the tall grass. When human settlements are present, leopards often attack dogs and, occasionally, people.

Leopards are strong swimmers and very much at home in the water, where they sometimes eat fish or crabs.

Female leopards can give birth at any time of the year. They usually have two grayish cubs with barely visible spots. The mother hides her cubs and moves them from one safe location to the next until they are old enough to begin playing and learning to hunt. Cubs live with their mothers for about two years—otherwise, leopards are solitary animals.

Most leopards are light colored with distinctive dark spots that are called rosettes, because they resemble the shape of a rose. Black leopards, which appear to be almost solid in color because their spots are hard to distinguish, are commonly called black panthers.

 
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Bats

22 Apr

Bats are flying mammals in the order Chiroptera (pronounced /kaɪˈrɒptərə/). The forelimbs of bats are webbed and developed as wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums and colugos, glide rather than fly, and only for short distances. Bats do not flap their entire forelimbs, as birds do, but instead flap their spread out digits, which are very long and covered with a thin membrane or patagium. Chiroptera comes from two Greek words, cheir (χείρ) “hand” and pteron (πτερόν) “wing.”

There are about 1,100 bat species worldwide, which represent about twenty percent of all classified mammal species. About seventy percent of bats are insectivores. Most of the rest are frugivores, or fruit eaters. A few species feed from animals other than insects. Bats are present throughout most of the world and perform vital ecological roles such as pollinating flowers and dispersing fruit seeds. Many tropical plants depend entirely on bats for the distribution of their seeds.

Bats range in size from Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat measuring 29–33 mm (1.14–1.30 in) in length and 2 g (0.07 oz) in mass, to the Giant Golden-crowned Flying-fox, which has a wing span of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and weighs approximately 1.2 kg (3 lb).

Sleeping Bats

Sleeping Bats

 
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Posted in Bats, Nocturnal Animals | Night Animals

 

Badger

22 Apr

Badgers, occasionally referred to as brocks, are short-legged, heavy-set omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are eight species of badger, in three subfamilies (see links in species list below): Melinae (badgers of Europe and Asia), Mellivorinae (the Ratel or honey badger), and Taxideinae (the American badger). The Asiatic stink badgers of the genus Mydaus were formerly included in the Melinae and Mustelidae, but recent genetic evidence indicates that these are actually closer relatives of the skunks, now often put with them in the separate family Mephitidae.

Badgers include the species in the genera Meles, Arctonyx, Taxidea and Mellivora species. Their lower jaw is articulated to the upper by means of a transverse condyle firmly locked into a long cavity of the cranium, so that dislocation of the jaw is all but impossible. This enables the badger to maintain its hold with the utmost tenacity, but limits its jaw movement to hingeing open and shut, or sliding from side to side without the twisting movement possible for the jaws of most mammals.

Badger

Badger

Behavior

The behavior of badgers differs by family, but all shelter underground, living in burrows called setts which may be very extensive. Some are solitary, moving from home to home, while others are known to form clans. Clan size is variable from 2 to 15. Badgers can be fierce animals and will protect themselves and their young at all costs. Badgers are capable of fighting off much larger animals such as wolves, coyotes and bears. Badgers can run or gallop at up to 25–30 kilometres per hour (16–19 mph) for short periods of time.

North American Badgers (Taxidea taxus) and Coyotes (Canis latrans) have been seen hunting together, in a cooperative fashion.

Diet

The diet of the Eurasian badger consists largely of earthworms, insects, and grubs. They also eat small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds as well as roots and fruit.

The honey badger of Africa consumes honey, porcupines and even venomous snakes (such as the puff adder). They will climb trees to gain access to honey from bees’ nests.

American Badgers are fossorial carnivores. Unlike many carnivores that stalk their prey in open country, badgers catch most of their food by digging. They can tunnel after ground-dwelling rodents with amazing speed. They have been known to cache food.

In North America, coyotes sometimes eat badgers and vice versa, but the majority of their interactions seem to be mutual or neutral.

Badgers have been known to become intoxicated with alcohol after eating rotting fruit.[13]

Badgers and humans

Hunting badgers is common in many countries. Manipulating the badger population is prohibited in many European countries as badgers are listed in the Berne Convention, but they are not otherwise the subject of any international treaty or legislation.

The blood sport of badger-baiting was outlawed in the United Kingdom by the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 as well as the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 which makes it a serious offence to kill, injure or take a badger, or to damage or interfere with a sett unless a licence is obtained from a statutory authority. An exemption that allowed fox hunters to loosely block setts to prevent chased foxes escaping into them was brought to an end with the passage of the Hunting Act 2004.

Many badgers in Europe were gassed during the 1960s and 1970s to control rabies. Until the 1980s, gassing was also practised in the UK to control the spread of bovine TB.

A Scandinavian custom is to put eggshells or styrofoam in one’s boots when walking through badger territory, as badgers are believed to bite down until they can hear a crunch. The dachshund dog breed has a history with badgers; “dachs” is the German word for badger, and dachshunds were originally bred to be badger hounds.

As food

Although rarely eaten today in the United States or the United Kingdom,[15] badger was once one of the main meat sources in the diets of Native Americans and white colonists. Badgers were also eaten in Britain during World War II and the 1950s.

In Russia, the consumption of badger meat is still widespread. Badger, along with dog and pork, shish kebabs are cited as a major source of trichinellosis outbreaks in the Altai region of Russia. Consumption of badger meat also occurs in other European countries such as Croatia, where it is used in a variation of the traditional dish of goulash.[22] In contrast to Russia, there are no reports of trichinellosis related to the consumption of badger meat. This is credited to adequate preparation of the meat and good thermal processing of it.

In France, badger meat was used in the preparation of several dishes, such as Blarieur au sang and it was a relatively common ingredient in countryside cuisine.[23] Badger meat was eaten in some parts of Spain until recently as well.[24]

Badger remains a source of food in China, and the meat is freely available in market places. Other Asian countries also have traditions of consuming badger meat. In Japan, it is mentioned in folktales where it is regarded as a food for the humble.[27]

 
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Aye-aye

22 Apr

The Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth with a long, thin middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker. It is the world’s largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unusual method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts its elongated middle finger to pull the grubs out. The only other animal species known to find food in this way is the Striped Possum. From an ecological point of view the Aye-aye fills the niche of a woodpecker as it is capable of penetrating wood to extract the invertebrates within.

The Aye-aye is the only extant member of the genus Daubentonia and family Daubentoniidae (although it is currently classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN); a second species, Daubentonia robusta, appears to have become extinct at some point within the last 1000 years.

Aye-aye

Aye-aye

Habitat

The Aye-aye lives primarily on the east coast of Madagascar. Its natural habitat is rainforest or deciduous forest, but many live in cultivated areas due to deforesting. Rainforest Aye-ayes, the most common, dwell in canopy areas, and are usually sighted upwards of 700 meters altitude. The Aye-aye sleeps during the day in nests built in the forks of trees.

Behavior

Social interaction

The Aye-aye is classically considered ‘solitary’, but recent research suggests that they are more social than once thought. It usually sticks to foraging in its own personal home range, or territory. The home ranges of males often overlap and the males can be very social with each other. Female home ranges never overlap, though a male’s home range often overlaps that of several females. The male Aye-Aye live in large areas that are up to 80 acres (320,000 m2) while female have smaller living space that goes up to 20 acres (81,000 m2). Regular scent marking with their cheeks, neck and genitals is a way that aye-ayes let others know of their presence and repel intruders from their territory.[13] Like many other prosimians, the female Aye-aye is dominant to the male. The Aye-aye is not monogamous by any means, and often competes with each other for mates. Males are very aggressive in this regard, and sometimes even pull other males off a female during mating. Outside of mating, males and females interact only occasionally, usually while foraging.

After impregnating a female, the male usually stays in close proximity until the infant is born and has matured a bit. The father will sometimes share food with the infant, but otherwise infants’ primary source of social interaction is with their mothers. Mothers and infants often wrestle, chase, and play “peek-a-boo” for entertainment. After 13 weeks, infants are usually ready to interact with other young Aye-ayes, usually by play-fighting.

Foraging

The Aye-aye begins foraging anywhere between 30 minutes before or 3 hours after sunset. Up to 80% of the night is spent foraging in the canopy, separated by occasional rest periods. The monkey-like body of the Aye-aye enables it to move vertically with ease. It climbs trees by making successive vertical leaps, much like a squirrel. Horizontal movement is more difficult, but the Aye-aye rarely descends to jump to another tree, and can often cross up to 4 km (2.5 mi) a night.

Infants are fully dextrous within a month of birth. At first they can only climb on a branch hanging upside down, but they gradually work their way up to the various acrobatic feats that adults can perform. Curiously, walking and running on the ground is often hardest for an Aye-aye to master.

Diet

The Aye-aye commonly eats nuts, and also grubs, fruits, nectar, seeds, and fungi, classifying it as an omnivore. It often picks fruit off trees as it moves through the canopy, often barely stopping to do so. An Aye-aye not lucky enough to live in its natural habitat will often steal coconuts, mangoes, sugar cane, lychees and eggs from villages and plantations. Aye-ayes tap on the trunks and branches of the trees they visit up to 8 times per second and listen to the echo produced to find hollow chambers inside. Once a chamber is found they chew a hole into the wood and get grubs out of that hole with their elongated and bony middle fingers.

Social foraging

Though foraging is mostly solitary, it will occasionally forage in groups. Individual movements within the group are coordinated using both sound (vocalisations) and scent signals.

History

The original meaning of the name Aye-aye has been lost, as the originating language is extinct. There is a hypothesis that the word “aye aye” signifies simply a cry of alarm to alert others to the presence of this animal, which many Malagasy consider an ill omen.

With D. robusta’s extermination, the D. madagascariensis Aye-aye was thought to be extinct. However, it was later rediscovered in 1961. Six individuals were transported to Nosy Mangabe, an island near Maroantsetra in eastern Madagascar. Recent research shows that the Aye-aye is more widespread than was previously thought, but is still near threatened.

There are several Aye-ayes kept in zoos. The largest collection of Aye-ayes and the most successful breeding program with a current population of 22 individuals is at the Duke Lemur Center at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, US. Several also reside outside of the US at various locations.

 
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Posted in Aye-aye, Nocturnal Animals | Night Animals

 

Types of Dogs

21 Apr

All Types of Dogs with Pictures
Dog breeds are categorized into different groups, based on the purpose for which each dog was developed originally. The American Kennel Club(AKC) recognizes 7 dog breed groups. Let me introduce you with the list of types of dogs, with pictures in each group.

Hound Group
The hound group was developed hundreds of years back to assist man in hunting for food and sport. This group consists of different types of dogs which are different in size and appearance. Few dogs have a developed vision and are known as ‘sight hounds’ or gaze hounds’. They are fastest, tallest of all ancient breeds. They use their sharp eyesight to locate the prey and run down to catch it with swiftness and agility. Some dogs under this group are known as ‘scent hounds’, these dogs have a keen sense of smell. They have very high physical stamina and use their single minded determination to hunt. The following table will cover a few different types of dogs with pictures under the hound group.

Dog Picture Dog Name
Basenji Basenji
Basset Hound Basset Hound
Bavarian Mountain Hound Bavarian Mountain Hound
Beagle Beagle
Bloodhound Bloodhound
Borzoi Borzoi
Dachshund Dachshund
Deerhound Deerhound
Finnish Spitz Finnish Spitz
Foxhound Foxhound
Galgo Espanol Galgo Espanol
German Hunt Terrier German Hunt Terrier
Greyhound Greyhound
Irish Wolfhound Irish Wolfhound
Large Munsterlander Large Munsterlander
Pharaoh Hound Pharaoh Hound
Rhodesian Ridgeback Rhodesian Ridgeback
Saluki Saluki
Wippet Wippet

The other hound dogs under this group are Basset Bleu De Gascogne, Basset Fauve De Bretagne , Basset Griffon Vendeen (Grand), Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) Cirneco Dell’Etna, Grand Bleu De Gascogne, Hamiltonstovare, Ibizan Hound, Norwegian Elkhound, Otterhound, Segugio Italiano, Sloughi, Portuguese Podengo (Warren Hound).

Working Dogs Group
These dogs were bred to help man in various endeavors like protecting people, transportation of goods, pulling carts, search and rescue operations, etc. The variety of dogs that come under this group are large and powerful. These dogs are intelligent and their personalities match the physical hardiness. The following list of different types of dogs with pictures, under the working group, will give you an idea about these dogs.

Dog Picture Dog Name
Afghan Hound Afghan Hound
Alaskan Malamute Alaskan Malamute
Bernese Mountain Dog Bernese Mountain Dog
Boxer Boxer
Bullmastiff Bullmastiff
Canadian Eskimo Dog Canadian Eskimo Dog
Doberman Pinscher Doberman Pinscher
Dogue de Bordeaux Dogue de Bordeaux
Greenland Dog Greenland Dog
Giant Schnauzer Giant Schnauzer
Great Dane Great Dane
Hovawart Hovawart
Leonberger Leonberger
Mastiff Mastiff
Newfoundland Newfoundland
Portuguese Water Hound Portuguese Water Hound
Rottweiler Rottweiler
St. Bernard St. Bernard
Siberian Husky Siberian Husky
Tibetian Mastiff Tibetian Mastiff

The other working dogs under this group are German Pinscher, Russian Black Terrier.

Utility Group
This is a group of some dogs that are unable to ‘fit in’ the other dog groups. These different types of dogs were originally bred to help man in his endeavors. Over the years, these dogs became redundant and now have no role as working dogs. The utility group is also known as the ‘non-sporting group’. The following list of different types of dogs with pictures, under the utility group, will give you an idea about these dogs.

Dog Picture Dog Name
Akita Akita
Boston Terrier Boston Terrier
Chow Chow Chow Chow
Dalmatian Dalmatian
Eurasier Eurasier
French Bulldog French Bulldog
Keeshound Keeshound
Korean Jindo Korean Jindo
Lhasa Apso Lhasa Apso
Miniature Schnauzer Miniature Schnauzer
Miniature Poodle Miniature Poodle
Poodle Poodle
Toy Poodle Toy Poodle
Schipperke Schipperke
Schnauzer Schnauzer
Shar Pei Shar Pei
Shih Tzu Shih Tzu
Tibetian Terrier Tibetian Terrier

The other different types of dogs under utility group are Canaan Dog, German Spitz (Klein), German Spitz (Mittel), Japanese Akita Inu, Japanese Shiba Inu, Mexican Hairless, and Tibetan Spaniel.

Toy Group
The main attraction of the types of dogs under toy group is their small size. The different types of dogs under this group have forceful personalities and appealing appearance. These small dogs are very good watch dogs and have inexpensive maintenance requirements. These are lap dogs and in-spite of their delicate appearance are full of robust energy. These dogs quite rightly fit into the old adage, “Looks are often deceptive”. The following list of different types of dogs under toy group, will surely make you go, ‘Shoooooo, sweeeeeeettt’!

Dog Picture Dog Name
Affenpinscher Affenpinscher
Australian Silky Terrier Australian Silky Terrier
Bichon Frise Bichon Frise
Bolognese Bolognese
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Chihuahua Chihuahua
Chinese Crested Chinese Crested
Coton De Tulear Coton De Tulear
English Toy Terrier English Toy Terrier
Griffon Bruxellois Griffon Bruxellois
Havanese Havanese
Italian Greyhound Italian Greyhound
Japanese Chin Japanese Chin
King Charles Spaniel King Charles Spaniel
Lowchen Lowchen
Maltese Maltese
Miniature Pinscher Miniature Pinscher
Papillion Papillion
Pekingese Pekingese
Pomeranian Pomeranian
Pug Pug
Yorkshire Terrier Yorkshire Terrier

Terrier Group
These type of dogs have their group name ‘Terrier’, derived from a Latin word that means ‘earth’. These small terrier dog breeds are sturdy and can dig the ground when hunting for vermin. They are feitsy little creatures, full of energy and charming enough to bowl anyone over. The following list of types of dogs with pictures, of Terrier group, will give you a view of these bold dogs.

Dog Picture Dog Name
Airedale Terrier Airedale Terrier
American Staffordshire Bull Terrier American Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Bedlington Terrier Bedlington Terrier
Border Terrier Border Terrier
Bull Terrier Bull Terrier
Cairn Terrier Cairn Terrier
Dandie Dinmont Terrier Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Fox Terrier Fox Terrier
Irish Terier Irish Terrier
Jack Russell Terrier Jack Russell Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier Kerry Blue Terrier
Lakeland Terrier Lakeland Terrier
Manchester Terrier Manchester Terier
Miniature Bull Terrier Miniature Bull Terrier
Norwich Terrier Norwich Terrier
Parson Rusell Terrier Parson Rusell Terrier
Rat Terrier Rat Terrier
Scottish Terrier Scottish Terrier
Sealyham Terrier Sealyham Terrier
Staffordhire Bull Terrier Staffordhire Bull Terrier
Westhighland Terrier West highland Terrier

Sporting Group
Also known as the Gundog group, the dogs under this group mainly consist of the Spaniels, Retrievers, the Setters and the Hunting-Pointing-Retrieving breeds. These different types of dogs have been bred to drive the game into the hunting nets or retrieve animals that the hunter has wounded with his gun or arrows. These dogs are affectionate and prove to be companions for life. The different types of dogs with pictures, under this group are as follows:

Dog Picture Dog Name
American Water Spaniel American Water Spaniel
Brittany Spaniel Brittany Spaniel
Chesapeake Bay Retriever Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Cocker Spaniel Cocker Spaniel
English Setter English Setter
English Springer Spaniel English Springer Spaniel
Field Spaniel Field Spaniel
Flat Coated Retriever Flat Coated Retriever
German Shorthaired Pointer German Shorthaired Pointer
Golden Retriever Golden Retriever
Gordon Setter Gordon Setter
Griffon Griffon
Irish Setter Irish Setter
Irish Red and White Setter Irish Red and White Setter
Irish Water Spaniel Irish Water Spaniel
Labrador Retriever Labrador Retriever
Lagotto Romagnolo Lagotto Romagnolo
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Pointer Pointer
Spione Italiano Spione Italiano
Vizla Vizla
Weimaraner Weimaraner

Herding Group
The dogs under the herding group have been assisting man, for over hundreds of centuries in taking care of his flocks and herds of animals. These dogs have in built herding instinct. These dogs stalk, bark, push, nip at heels and help drive livestocks into groups. They also help protect the livestock from predators. They learn quickly and obey commands. The following is a list of different types of dogs with pictures:

Dog Picture Dog Name
Anatolian Shepherd Dog Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Australian Cattle Dog Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd Australian Shepherd
Bearded Collie Bearded Collie
Beauceron Beauceron
Belgian Malinosis Belgian Malinosis
Belgian Sheepdog Belgian Sheepdog
Belgian Tervuren Belgian Tervuren
Border Collie Border Collie
Bouvier des Flandres Bouvier des Flandres
Briard Braird
German Shepherd German Shepherd
Old English Sheepdog Old English Sheepdog
Polish Lowland Sheepdog Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Puli Puli
Pyrenean Shepherd Pyrenean Shepherd
Shetland Sheepdog Shetland Sheepdog
Welsh Corgi Welsh Corgi

Miscellaneous Group
The following list of different types of dogs with pictures are those, that are awaiting their turn to be eligible for full recognition, in any one of the AKC dog breed groups.

Dog Picture Dog Name
Cane Corso Cane Corso
Entlebucher Mountain Dog Entlebucher Mountain Dog
Norwegian Lundehund Norwegian Lundehund
Puggle Puggle

The other dogs awaiting recognition from AKC are Bluetick Coonhound ,Boykin Spaniel,Cesky Terrier, Icelandic Sheepdog, Redbone Coonhound, Black and Tan Coonhound, Treeing Walker Coonhound and Xoloitzcuintli. Dogo Argentino is another good hunter dog that is not recognized by the AKC.

If you are a dog lover then you will love to know more about the different types of dogs. Here’s your wish, granted:

  • Dog Breeds
  • Types of Dogs

This list of all types of dogs with pictures, is a little peek-a-boo at the various types of dogs that have been not only man’s best friend, but the most loyal and selfless companions. I hope you enjoy all the different types of dogs with pictures, just as much as I have enjoyed compiling the list of different types of dogs with pictures.

 
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