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Posts Tagged ‘facts’

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

 

Kangaroo

08 Dec

Kangaroos

Kangaroos are the symbol of Australia. They adorn its postage stamps, coat-of-arms, coinage, and even its major international airline. At the zoo or in their natural habitat of Australia (and New Guinea), they remain the most recognized and obvious of Australia’s fauna.

Their faces, the way they carry their young in a pouch, their phenomenal leaping power, and their deadly ‘karate kicking’ have long intrigued people.

The whole family is best known as the Macropodidae—literally the “big-footed” family. This includes not just the six largest living species commonly called “kangaroos,” but also a further 48 species found in Australia alone, and another 13 found in New Guinea—67 modern species in all.

The range of two Australian species, the agile wallaby and the red-legged pademelon, spills into New Guinea as well. The term ‘modern’ is applied because this vast empire was once much greater, with over 100 species in Australia alone.
The term ‘wallaby’ is applied to those species where the adult male has a body mass less than about 20 kg (44 lbs) and feet less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) long. However, scientists can recognize no major anatomical difference between these and kangaroos.

Kangaroos’ superb design, their sophisticated reproductive methods and their amazing, energy-efficient locomotion did not come by any evolutionary process. For example, unless the pouch and the joey’s ability to find it were fully functional, they would have left no offspring.

They varied enormously in size. The tiny, scampering musky rat-kangaroo still lives in the tropical rain-forests of northern Queensland (Australia). However, the massive, blunt-faced Procoptodon is extinct.

Three basic size ranges are recognized today. At the other end of the scale from the six large types mentioned above are the rat/rabbit-sized bettongs, potoroos and rat-kangaroos. In between are the tree kangaroos (a specialized group comprising nine species that live and move about in the trees), and those commonly called wallabies.

Kangaroo Reproduction—Why the pouch?


In the desert species, carrying the baby in the pouch is convenient for the female, who may travel many miles for fresh food and water. The youngster stands a greater chance of survival because it does not have to keep up with her and is tucked away from predators.

During prolonged drought, kangaroos stop breeding. In some species, a doe [the female] is able to delay the development of a fertilized egg inside her until an older joey dies or vacates the pouch.

This remarkable phenomenon occurs in the red kangaroo, the eastern gray kangaroo, the common wallaroo (euro), the brush-tailed bettong, and several of the larger wallabies. It has also been noted in the honey possum and some non-marsupial mammals such as bats and seals.2

Another incredible aspect is that the doe can determine the sex of her offspring. How she does this is unknown, but she tends to put off bearing males until she is older. Males move away after about two years, but females stay with their mothers longer and benefit from ongoing support.3

A doe is nearly always pregnant. From sexual maturity to death, she is rarely without three offspring—an embryo in the womb, a joey in her pouch, and a larger youngster at her heels.

The joey is born after a gestation period of about 35 days (depending on the species) and in the largest species is the size of a human thumb nail. In the smallest, it is only the size of a rice grain. Naked, blind and deaf, it must make its way unaided from the birth canal to the pouch.

All going well, the climb will take less than 10 minutes. The joey can survive only a few minutes unless it reaches the pouch and attaches to one of the four nipples. Once there, its mouth swells on the nipple so that it cannot be removed without injury. A ring of strong muscles, similar to human lips, seals off the opening to the pouch to protect the joey from bouncing out, and keeps the pouch waterproof if mother goes for a swim.

After three months, the developed joey emerges from the pouch to make short trips in the outside world. However, it will return to the pouch to suckle and sleep until eight months old.

 
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Posted in 2 leged animals, Kangaroo

 

Penguins

08 Dec

Penguins are birds. A penguin has wings, feathers, a beak and two legs, and lays eggs, and is warm-blooded like other birds, but penguins do not fly. They swim and dive well and spend most of their time at sea where they find food. They have sleek bodies and they use their wings as flippers. Penguins come ashore to breed. Penguins live in cold water. They have more feathers than birds that fly. The undercoat of feathers is downy and keeps the bird warm. The outer layer is a waterproof coat of overlapping feathers. Each year, penguins molt, losing their old feathers and growing new ones.
There are seventeen kinds of penguins. They live in the bottom half of the world, called the Southern Hemisphere. Many live in the polar region, but some live in cool waters near the Equator. Penguins are defenseless birds and usually live on islands where there are no predators or in remote areas away from predators.

Top Facts about Penguins

While you may be an avid fan of penguins, there is likely some information you aren’t familiar with. Learning various facts is a great way to expand your knowledge. It can also fuel your interest to learn more about specific species of penguins or certain aspects of their lives.

1. Penguins are birds

Penguins are birds highly adapted to the aquatic life.

Penguins are avid swimmers and they have changed their wings by flippers as part of the adaptation process.

2. Penguin feed in the Ocean

Penguins feed on squid, fish, krill and some other forms of sealife.

3. The Emperor Penguin is the largest penguin

The Emperor Penguins are about 1.1 meters tall and about 35 Kg weigh. The Little Blue Penguins are the smallest penguins and they are about 40 cm tall and 1 Kg. weigh

Types of Penguins:

Stiff  Tailed Penguins:

Chinstrap

The chinstrap can be identified by the black line on its chin, making it look as if it wears a hat that ties under its chin. It has orange feet and a black beak, and its eyes are black. It stands about 28 inches tall and weighs 9 to 14 pounds. Chinstraps live on icebergs in the ocean around Antarctica. Krill and small fish are their foods.
The chinstrap is the boldest of the penguins. It will fight if other penguins threaten it. These penguins make nests of pebbles and stones. The female lays two eggs, both of which are kept warm and hatch. Raising two chicks is unusual, as most penguins are able to raise only one.
Once the chicks are about a month old, the parents leave in groups for the open ocean to hunt for food. They return from time to time to feed the chicks. While the parents are gone, the chicks huddle together in crèches to stay warm and be safe from predators.  As the chicks grow, they lose their downy feathers by molting. New sleek, smooth feathers grow in.

Gentoo

The gentoo penguin has a white patch on its head. It is about 32 inches tall and weighs 10 to 19 pounds. The gentoo is the largest of the stiff-tailed penguins. Its has beak is red and its feet are orange.
Gentoos are the fastest swimmers. They eat mostly krill, but also eat some small fish. They hunt around the islands north of Antarctica where they live.
Gentoos live in large colonies. They make nests, sometimes using old bones and feathers that have molted. The female lays two eggs. Sometimes both chicks survive to adulthood.

Adelie

The Adélie penguin has a distinctive white ring around its eye. This eye ring is brighter during the mating season. The Adélie is about 28 inches tall and weighs 8 to 14 pounds. It has a orange feet and a short orange beak. The black feathers cover much of the beak. Adélies are strong swimmers and can jump high when leaving the water. On land, they move by tobogganing on their bellies. The Adélie is a stiff-tailed penguin. Its tail is long and drags behind it as it waddles.
Adélies nest on the shores of Antarctica where it is rocky. They gather in large colonies. They make nests of pebbles and stones, and sometimes Adélies steal the stones from each other. When the nest is ready, the female lays two eggs. Adélies are the fastest growing penguins, but only one chick survives.

Large Penguins:

Emperor

The emperor penguin stands about 4 feet tall and is the largest of the penguins. It weighs 70 to 90 pounds. It has yellow patches on each side of its head and a yellow patch on its breast. The feet and eyes are black. The beak is dark purple. It breeds on Antarctica, surviving the bitter cold.
The female emperor lays one egg during the winter, then gives it to the male to incubate or keep warm. He keeps it on his feet for nine weeks, warming it with his brood pouch. The female returns to the sea to feed. When she returns, the male goes to sea to feed. He returns, and they both feed the chick. The parent keeps the chick warm with the brood pouch. When the chicks are older, they huddle together in a crèche to keep warm and to be protected against
skuas.
The emperor penguin can dive up to 900 feet deep. That is as deep as three football fields end to end. By diving so deep, this penguin can catch large fish.


King

The king penguin is the most colorful penguin. It has an orange collar and a bright golden breast. The king penguin is the second largest penguin, standing about 3 feet tall. It weighs 30 to 40 pounds. The feet are black, and the eyes are black. The very long beak is black with orange on the sides. This penguin breeds on the islands north of Antarctica.
The female king penguin lays only one egg. Once it is laid, the female returns to the ocean to feed, while the male keeps the egg warm on his feet. When she returns, the male leaves to feed. He returns and both parents take turns feeding the chick. King penguins raise only one chick every other year.
King penguins were once hunted for their blubber which was made into oil.

Crested Penguins:

Rockhopper

The rockhopper penguin is one of the crested penguins. It moves not by waddling, but by hopping. It is an aggressive penguin and is quick to attack other penguins, if bothered. The rockhopper is about 20 inches tall, and weighs 5 to 10 pounds. It has long yellow feathers that form eyebrows and stick out from both sides of its head. The beak and feet are orange, and the eyes are red.
Rockhoppers live on the islands north of Antarctica. A pair makes a nest by creating a bowl shape in the ground and lining it with dried grasses. Usually, the female lays two eggs. The second is the larger, and that is the one that the parents raise. The male and female take turns caring for the egg. Once the egg hatches, the female goes to sea to feed, while the male cares for the chick. When the female returns, she feeds the chick by bringing food up from her belly.
Rockhoppers seem to “pop” out of the water onto the rocks when they return to shore. They live in huge colonies and one after the other can be seen jumping from the water onto the ice.

Little Penguins:

Little

The little blue penguin, also called fairy penguin, it is the smallest of all penguins. It is only about 14 inches tall and weighs 2 to 4 pounds. The feathers on its back are a bluish gray, thus giving it its name. This penguin’s beak is dark gray and the feet are pinkish.
Little blue penguins live on the southern shores of New Zealand and Australia. It is warmer here than in Antarctica, and the penguins are able to dig burrows to sleep in at night. During the day, they swim in the waters looking for small fish and squid to eat. They enter and leave the water in the dark, but because they swim in shallow water close to shore, they can be seen during the day.
Because little blues live where people have settled, dogs, rats, and foxes are predators. These penguins swim close to shore, hunting for small fish. Because the waters are more shallow here, leopard seals and killer whales are not major predators of the little blue penguins.

 
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Posted in 2 leged animals, Penguins