Category Zoology

Though only of the size of a small dog, the Tasmanian Devil is the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial. It became the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial in 1936 following the extinction of the thylacine.

The Tasmanian Devil is named after the Australian island of Tasmania; it is endemic to this region. The body of the animal is covered with a coat of coarse brown or black fur which gives it the appearance of a baby bear. It would be wrong to underestimate this animal because of its size. It can run fast, climb trees and can even swim. It also has sharp teeth and strong muscular jaws that can deliver one of the most powerful bites of any mammal.

Though they are good hunters, they sometime feed on carrion as well. Apart from these, they also prey on livestock when near human settlements. Because of this, they were hunted down. Tasmanian Devils sneeze sharply before a fight. Their shrieks can be heard from more than a mile away when they are in a feeding frenzy.

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The grizzly bear has a diverse diet; it feeds on small mammals, fish, calves of many hoofed animals, berries, plant roots and shoots. Sometimes, it would also eat birds and bird eggs. In addition to these, it occasionally feeds on carrion as well.

The grizzly bear is an awe-inspiring solitary animal found in western North America. Its fur is usually brown with a tinge of white at the tips. Grizzly bears usually gather near fishing spots when the salmon run upstream for summer spawning. They hog on as many fish as they can, hoping to store all the fat needed to survive the harsh winter climate.

Grizzly bears are overprotective mothers; they would not hesitate to attack anybody who comes between the mother and her cubs.

Despite their fierce nature, human settlements and aggressive hunting eliminated most of the grizzly bear populations. Though conservation measures have helped increase the numbers, the species remains endangered today.

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An apex species is an animal that is naturally not preyed on by other predators. Since the polar bear is not preyed on by any animals in its natural habitat, it is an apex predator. The polar bear is the largest of the land-living carnivores. It is also one of the most powerful predators in the Arctic though it mainly acquires food from the sea.

A polar bear spends almost half its lifetime in search of food. It predominantly hunts seals. It is known to crack the ice where a seal surfaces to breathe. It feeds on the flesh and blubber of seals. At times, it also feeds on the carcasses of whales. It is also known to attack walruses and their pups.

Polar bears are voracious eaters too; they can eat up to 40 kilograms of meat in one sitting. But a polar bear manages to catch only one or two out of 10 seals it hunts, depending on the time of year and other variables.

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The howls of a dhole are enough to chill the spine of a wild boar or a sambhar deer. The dhole is a wild Asian dog with a notorious reputation of being a ruthless killer. It lives and hunts in groups of up to 20 animals.

Dholes are surprisingly small in size; they weigh between 12-18 kilograms and are smaller than medium-sized dogs. They hunt mainly during the dawn and at times in the moonlit nights. Dhole hunting parties are known to employ a variety of tactics to bring down their prey, including splitting into small scouting groups. They usually prey on mammals like wild sheep and deer, but they are also reported to attack animals as large as tigers and bears.

Dholes roam the jungles and montane forests of Central and East Asia. They are now facing massive habitat loss due to rampant deforestation.

Yet, dholes have been almost wholly ignored by conservationists, researchers and the general public.

Hyenas are popular scavengers and this reputation overshadows the tales of their hunting skills. Hyenas are in fact good hunters. Hyenas have good strength and stamina that aid them in hunting. In addition to hunting, hyenas are also known to drive off larger predators, like lions, from their kills!

The spotted hyena is the largest of all the species of hyena. They actively hunt medium and large-sized hoofed animals, even if they scavenge occasionally.

They may kill as many as 95 per cent of all the animals they eat. They kill and eat birds, lizards, snakes, and insects. A solitary spotted hyena can chase an adult wildebeest for a distance of five kilometers at speeds of up to 60 km per hour and bring it down alone.

The striped hyena is primarily a scavenger. But it will also attack and kill any animal it can overcome. It supplements its diet with fruit as well. A clan of hyenas is usually made of ten to fifteen members. The clan leader is a female and so are many elder members of the clan.

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The red fox is an extremely adaptable predator. That is why they are seen throughout Europe, temperate Asia, northern Africa, and North America. In fact, it has the largest natural distribution of any land mammal except human beings. it is not a surprise that it is also called the common fox.

Unlike many other members of the canine family, red foxes are solitary hunters. They hunt either early in the morning before sunrise, or late in the evening. On an average, a red fox requires half a kilogram of meat a day. They prey on rodents, rabbits, birds, and other small animals. Their diet is as flexible as their choice of habitat. They also eat fruits and vegetables, fish, frogs, and even worms. They occasionally feed on garbage too.

Red fox is a species that has benefited from living near human habitats. There are domesticated red foxes in Russia.