Category Zoology

Cuvier’s have flipper pockets, a special adaption for diving which allows them to tuck their flippers in and make their bodies super-streamlined.

Cuvier’s beaked whales are amazing, but like so many species, they are vulnerable to human activities. They are especially vulnerable to intense noise created by military sonar. They suffer decompression sickness, or ‘the bends’, if they are frightened or panicked by man-made noise and surface too quickly.  Tragically, mass strandings of Cuvier’s beaked whales, some of whom were still alive, have occurred in places  around the world following naval sonar exercises.

 Cuvier’s beaked whale can dive to depths of almost 3 km (1.9 miles). One whale stayed underwater for a record 2 hours and 18 minutes.

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The snow leopard can leap as far as 15 m (50 ft) when chasing after prey such as wild goats. That is about 15 times its body length. They are insulated by thick hair, and their wide, fur-covered feet act as natural snowshoes. Snow leopards have powerful legs and are tremendous leapers, able to jump as far as 50 feet. They use their long tails for balance and as blankets to cover sensitive body parts against the severe mountain chill. Snow leopards prey upon the blue sheep of Tibet and the Himalaya, as well as the mountain ibex found over most of the rest of their range. Though these powerful predators can kill animals three times their weight, they also eat smaller fare, such as marmots, hares, and game birds. One Indian snow leopard, protected and observed in a national park, is reported to have consumed five blue sheep, nine Tibetan woolly hares, twenty-five marmots, five domestic goats, one domestic sheep, and fifteen birds in a single year.

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The sailfish can swim at a speed of 110 kph (68 mph) in short bursts. That means it can swim 10 times its body length 9 in 1 second. They are members of the billfish family, and as such, have an upper jaw that juts out well beyond their lower jaw and forms a distinctive spear. They are found near the ocean surface usually far from land feeding on schools of smaller fish like sardines and anchovies, which they often shepherd with their sails, making them easy prey. They also feast on squid and octopus. Their meat is fairly tough and not widely eaten, but they are prized as game fish. These powerful, streamlined beasts can grow to more than 10 feet and weigh up to 220 pounds. When hooked, they will fight vigorously, leaping and diving repeatedly, and sometimes taking hours to land.

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The cheetah can reach a speed of 115 kph (70 mph) in just 3 seconds. The fastest a human has ever run is 45 kph (28 mph). The cheetah’s excellent eyesight helps it find prey during the day. The cheetah is hard to see because its spotted coat blends with the tall, dry grass of the plains. Suddenly, the cheetah makes a lightning dash. It knocks its prey to the ground and then bites its throat. Once found throughout Asia and Africa, cheetahs today are racing toward extinction. Loss of habitat and declining numbers of their prey combine to threaten the future of these cats. Cheetahs live and hunt mainly in open grasslands and bushy areas in parts of Africa and the Middle East.

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Approach this lot at your peril! Not all animals are furry and friendly. Some specialize in producing poisons or venom. Poison is deadly if touched, but venom must be injected to have its toxic effect. Poisons can put off potential predators, but venomous fangs can be used to kill prey.

Box jellyfish

Box jellies, also called sea wasps and marine stingers, live primarily in coastal waters off Northern Australia and throughout the Indo-Pacific. They are pale blue and transparent in color and get their name from the cube-like shape of their bell. This scary stinger of the seas can kill in an instant. Each long venomous tentacle contains 5,000 stinging cells with the power to kill fish and other marine life, and even people, so doesn’t swim too close to one! Box jellies are highly advanced among jellyfish. They have developed the ability to move rather than just drift, jetting at up to four knots through the water. They also have eyes grouped in clusters of six on the four sides of their bell. Each cluster includes a pair of eyes with a sophisticated lens, retina, iris and cornea, although without a central nervous system, scientists aren’t sure how they process what they see.

Inland taipan

Nicknamed “the fierce snake”, Australia’s inland taipan has the most toxic venom of any snake in the world. Rats are its main prey and they are bitten several times before the snake swallows them whole. Inland Taipans are associated with the deep cracking-clays and cracking-loams of the floodplains, however they also venture onto nearby gibber plains, dunes and rocky outcrops if cover is available. The vegetation in these areas is usually sparse, consisting of chenopod shrubs, lignum and the occasional eucalypt near the water channels.

Golden poison dart frog

This frog has poisonous skin, and is the most poisonous animal in the world. A single golden poison dart frog could kill 10 people, but it is only found in the Colombian rainforest. Their coloring, which can be yellow, orange, or pale green, depending on their particular range, is deliberately ostentatious to ward off potential predators, a tactic called aposematic coloration. Their diet includes flies, crickets, ants, termites, and beetles.

Deathstalker scorpion

Taking the title of most deadly animal is the Deathstalker scorpion. Although its venom is less toxic than others, this desert scorpion kills the most people because it is aggressive, striking at night, and stinging on sight. It is not a common poison. It composed of neurotoxins and a significant amount of cardio toxins, which cause cardiovascular and respiratory dysfunction which can severely damage the body of sick or allergic persons or children.

Its sting is very painful, but far from its alarming reputation, does not usually kill a healthy adult human. Nevertheless, the medical attention is necessary.

In medicine, the Deathstalker venom has shown much potential for the treatment of human cancer tumors, thanks to a component called chlorotoxin. Similarly, other elements of the venom are useful against the effects of diabetes.

Brazilian wandering spider

The Brazilian wandering spider is a fast mover. In towns and cities, it hides during the day in dark places, such as a log pile or an old box, and will give a potentially fatal bite if it is accidentally disturbed. After a human is bitten by one of these spiders, he or she may experience initial symptoms such as severe burning pain at the site of the bite, sweating and goose bumps. Within 30 minutes, symptoms become systemic and include high or low blood pressure, fast or a slow heartbeat, nausea, abdominal cramping, hypothermia, vertigo, blurred vision, convulsions and excessive sweating associated with shock. People who are bitten by a Brazilian wandering spider should seek medical attention immediately.

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In the animal kingdom, there is not always a family resemblance between babies and their parents. Newborns may have different colours, textures, and patterns, or even take another shape before they mature into adulthood.

Dragonfly

Newborn animals may live in different habitats to their parents. Dragonfly nymphs, live underwater, but fly in the open air as adults. Usually, a dragonfly nymph lives in marshes or still water. They can also live in water with high salinity. (High salt levels)But they cannot live in polluted water; they usually require very clean water. They require shelter, sunlight, unpolluted water, emergent plants and hunting areas. The nymph can live in select areas; it prefers still, fresh water. They move around by squirting jets of water and pumping water in and out of the bottom of its abdomen. It also has gills so it stays under water for its nymph life. Nymphs have “lips” hinged in two places with grasping 
pincers on the end for catching prey. Brown and green bodies tend to provide
camouflage and allow the nymph to blend in with the habitat of plants and
pond bottoms. Gills inside the abdomen get the oxygen from the surrounding water. Water drawn into the
abdomen and through the gills is expelled to push the nymph through the water.

Brush-tailed possum

This Australian marsupial has a big, bushy tail and is covered in thick fur. Females carry one called a joey, inside a protective pouch. Brush-tailed possums are marsupials, and their young are usually born in May and June after a gestation period of 17 days (humans have a gestation period of nine months). The newborn possum finds its way to the mother’s pouch and attaches itself to a teat.

After feeding and growing for about 5 months in the pouch, the young possum spends another two months clinging to its mother’s back as she moves about. Usually only 1 young is born at a time, and males do not take part in looking after the young.

By the time they are 7 months old, the young possums are independent of their mothers. They are fully grown by about 10 months, and the females will usually start to breed for the first time when they reach 12 months of age.

Leaf monkey

Leaf monkeys live in Asia’s rainforests. The adults have dark grey fur, but the babies are brightly coloured so their mothers can find them. Breeding occurs periodically during the year. Gestation period is about 145 days, yielding a single young. Females produce offspring at intervals of 2 years, typically in January-March, although some may give birth in the summer months. During the first 20 days after birth, the infant is almost constantly with its mother. At around 1 year old, the baby begins climbing, venturing away from its mother and taking solid food. Individuals of both sexes reach sexual maturity at 3 – 4 years old.

Budgerigar

These colourful birds are the smallest members of the parrot family. Baby birds are born covered in fluffy down before growing full feathers. Budgies are physically able to breed after six months, but should not be allowed to do so until they are at least 10 months old. A younger bird will often fail to be a good parent. There’s no hurry – once they’ve matured, females will be able to breed for four years, and males for six.

First-time mothers sometimes lay eggs outside the nesting box. This is fine, as long as you put the egg in the box as a signal that this is where the others should be laid. Once she’s settled on an egg in the cosy box, she won’t repeat the mistake.

Tapir

Related to rhinoceroses and horses, tapirs begin life with protective camouflage. Adults lose their pattern as predators are less of a threat. Tapirs have no fixed breeding season. After a gestation period of about 390 days, a single baby is born (twins are rare). The baby can follow its mother within minutes of being born and all new-born tapirs have a reddish-brown coat dappled with white spots and stripes. This pattern helps to provide the young one with excellent camouflage. Whenever there is danger lurking nearby, the baby ‘freezes’ and becomes part of its background. These coat markings last until the baby is about six months old, and then fade as the young tapir grows its adult coat. The youngster will remain with its mother for up to twelve months and then goes off on its own.

Butterfly

Some insects, like butterflies, change into adults through an amazing process called metamorphosis. Their body changes shape completely. Butterflies reproduce the way other animals do — sperm from a male fertilizes eggs from a female. Males and females of the same species recognize one another by the size, color, shape and vein structure of the wings, all of which are species specific. Butterflies also recognize each other through pheromones, or scents. During mating, males use clasping organs on their abdomens to grasp females.

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