Category Animal World

Who are the smallest subspecies of elephant in the world?

The Borneo elephant also known as the Borneo pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is unique to the forests of northeastern Borneo, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Rotund appearance

As its name implies, it is the smallest subspecies of the Asian elephant. Just under 8 foot tall, these elephants have large ears round belies, and long tails, so long that they could even brush the ground as they walk. The females are smaller than the males and either have tiny tusks or none at all. At the end of their long trunk is a single, prehensile finger, which it uses to collect grasses, leaves, fruits and other plants. Reaching down for a drink of water is easy too. One adult can eat up to 150 kg of vegetation per day. Favourite food? Of course, it’s durian and wild bananas which are common in its habitat.

Gentle nature

Borneo elephants are gentler compared to Asian and African elephants. In fact, there are very tame and quite passive, which has led some to believe that they once belonged to a domesticated herd. The story goes that in the 17th Century, the Sultan of Sulu was given a collection of captive elephants, and these were released into the jungles of Borneo. Scientific evidence by way of DNA studies shows that Borneo elephants are local to the region. Their lifespan is anywhere between 50 and 70 years.

Matriarchal system

Borneo elephants are sociable animals and live in matriarchal hierarchy. They form small groups of 8 individuals on average, which are dominated by females. Families typically comprise mothers, daughters, sisters and immature males (occasionally – an adult male). Mature males tend to be solitary or form temporary bull herd.

Behaviour

Family units occasionally gather together. This association is highly beneficial for them, helping keep genetic diversity, which, in turn, is vital for their survival. These active elephants are known to wander throughout their habitat, travelling up to 25-30 miles a day. Borneo elephants are migratory animals. Seasonal migration helps them keep themselves in good physical shape. They are good swimmers too.

Breeding

Calves are born after a gestation of 19-22 months. Only one calf is born. Elephants give birth about every 4-6 years, although this period may be extended when conditions are unfavourable for survival, such as during drought. The little one is fed by its mother till the age of three or four. It is the centre of attention among a herd.

Endangered

Pygmy elephants are an endangered species with barely around 1,500 individuals left in the wild, mostly found in Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. The primary threat to these elephants is habitat loss. As human encroachment wipes out forests, the herds are no longer able to travel along their traditional migration routes and sources of food. These homeless elephants also get killed in conflicts when they enter farmland and trample on crops are eat them up. Some get caught in snares erected by humans to trap other animals.

Hence, conserving forests and maintaining elephant corridors is essential if these elephants are to be saved from becoming extinct.

Quick facts

  • Borneo Pygmy elephants are native to Borneo Island.
  • They are smaller than African elephants.
  • They belong to Elephantidae family.
  • Their average life expectancy is in the range of 60-75 years.
  • They are cute and baby-faced.
  • The female can grow to a height of around 4 to 7 feet.
  • Males grow up to a height of around 7 to 8.2 feet.
  • They weight between 3000 – 5000kg.
  • They are usually grey, but occasionally the colour varies from brownish to blackish grey.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Can half of your brain be asleep?

Birds such as swifts, songbirds, seabirds, and sandpipers also sleep unihemispherically, with half of their brain shut. This helps them during long flights.

Keeping one half of the brain at rest, called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, is in direct contrast to the typical situation where sleep and wakefulness are mutually exclusive states of the whole brain, the scientists say. “We have found that birds can detect approaching predators during unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, and that they can increase the use of unihemispheric sleep as the risk of predation increases,” they report.

The scientists studied groups of mallard ducks while they rested side by side and found that those at the edge of the group were significantly more likely to keep one eye open, with the closed eye being on the side of its nearest neighbour.

“We have found that birds sleeping under risky situations spend more time with one eye open and half the brain awake, and choose to direct the open eye towards a perceived threat,” added Dr Rattenborg.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Why do dolphins sleep with half their brain?

The dolphin sleeps with half its brain and one of its eyes shut at a time to keep a watch on approaching predators and other dolphins. After two hours or so, they shut the other eye and the other half of the brain, so both eyes and brain hemispheres get their due rest.

Dolphins have binocular vision (with their eyes sitting on opposite sides of their head), so the researchers trained one of the dolphins to recognized two shapes, either three horizontal red bars or one vertical green bar. They trained Say with her right eye first.

The scientists thought that because half of the dolphin’s brain would be asleep during testing, Say would only recognize the shapes with the eye connected to the conscious half of her brain. But she gave them a surprise: She trained her left eye on the shapes, even though that eye had not seen the shapes before.

Ridgway said this must mean that information is transferred between the two hemispheres of the brain.

The dolphins proved just as sharp with their eyes as they were with their ears: After 120 hours, they still saw the shapes.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Why animals huddle together?

Many creatures sleep in a group for protection from predators. Puppies, squirrels, bats and meerkats sleep huddled together for warmth and protection.

Puppies will often sleep on their stomach so that they can get up quickly and not miss any playtime. If a dog sleeps on its back, it is either very comfortable, as it’s organs are the most exposed, or it’s trying to cool off. If your dog cuddles with you, it’s showing you affection and trust.

Many dogs will circle before laying down, which is what their ancestors the wolves would do to trample grass down to make a comfortable bed. Digging is something their ancestors would do to keep them warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

If your dog sleeps during the day, it may be due to boredom. If there’s any kind of noise and their ears perk up, it means that they are just waiting for something exciting to happen and weren’t in deep sleep.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Which animal sleeps for 20 hours a day?

The large hairy armadillo sleeps for 20 hours a day. It is followed by the brown bat (19 hours), the North American opossum (18 hours), the python (18 hours) and the owl monkey (17 hours).

Armadillos live in temperate and warm habitats, including rain forests, grasslands, and semi-deserts. Because of their low metabolic rate and lack of fat stores, cold is their enemy, and spates of intemperate weather can wipe out whole populations.

Most species dig burrows and sleep prolifically, up to 16 hours per day, foraging in the early morning and evening for beetles, ants, termites, and other insects. They have very poor eyesight, and utilize their keen sense of smell to hunt. Strong legs and huge front claws are used for digging, and long, sticky tongues for extracting ants and termites from their tunnels. In addition to bugs, armadillos eat small vertebrates, plants, and some fruit, as well as the occasional carrion meal.

 

Picture Credit : Google

How many hours a day do sheep and giraffe sleep?

Prey animals such as deer and sheep sleep for 3 to 4 hours per night, and sheep typically sleep in a herd for added protection. The giraffe sleeps only about 30 to 90 minutes a day. Because getting up from the ground takes them a little time, laying down makes them more vulnerable to predators such as crocodiles and lions. For this reason, they will often sleep standing up and may rest their head on their rumps. Researchers until the 1950s believed that they didn’t sleep at all. Many prey animals sleep less than predatory animals. However, this rule does not apply to all species.

Since they are a prey species, they sleep extremely lightly and tend to nap during the day. They’ll sleep within the herd, and some sheep will stay awake whilst others to sleep to act as alarm bells in case of predators.

 

Picture Credit : Google