ajackson

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 32 - African Hare

The scientific name for this animal Lepus microtis but it is commonly called an African Hare. The taxonomic classifications are as follows: 

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Chordata

Class:Mammalia

Order:Lagomorpha

Family:Leporidae

Genus:Lepus

Species:L. microtis

The African savanna hare is a medium sized animal growing to a length of between 41 to 58 cm (16 to 23 in) and a weight of between 1.5 to 3 kilograms (3.3 to 6.6 lb). The ears have black tips, the head and body is grayish-brown, the flanks and limbs are reddish-brown and the underparts are white. The regular color is a different tone than other hares, especially in mountain regions where the hares are a rather darker shade. The tail is black above and white below. 

African hares live only in sub-Saharan Africa. They range from the Atlantic coast to Ethiopia and south to South Africa, but they do not live in the central African rain forest. True to their name, African savanna hares thrive on savannas, scrublands, and in semi-desert regions.

Female can get pregnant any time throughout the year, having a continuous breeding system. Females can reabsorb embryos if there is a problem with the pregnancy, this occurs most frequently during autumn, at a rate of 25%. Females can be pregnant multiple times throughout the year, giving birth to several babies. Their gestation period ranges from 25 to 50 days. A female can give birth to as many as four litters in a year. During breeding, multiple males will pursue one female; males often chase one another and fight.

African savanna hares are herbivores, so their diet is mostly grasses and herbs but some eat grasses more than herbs. The main plant that they eat are unidentified grasses. They are also known to gnaw on exposed roots, bark, shoots, the pulp of fallen fruit, berries, and occasionally pluck leaves or eat fungi. They circulate their food twice; this means they produce soft caecotroph pellets during the night that they consume again, to obtain the remaining nutrients.

And a fun fact about this organism is that when they are born they are born with their eyes closed shut and they are covered with fur and then they spread their eyes apart and blink so they can see.

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_savanna_hare

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lepus_microtis/

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/hare.html

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 31 - African Chimpanzee

The scientific name for this organism is Pan but it is commonly called an African Chimpanzee. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Chordata

Class:Mammalia

Order:Primates

Family:Hominidae

Genus: Pan

A chimpanzee's arms are longer than its legs. The male common chimp stands up to 1.2 m (3.9 ft) high. Male adult wild chimps weigh between 40 and 60 kg with females weighing between 27 and 50 kg. When extended, the common chimp's long arms span one and a half times the body's height. Chimpanzee faces are pinkish to black, their bodies are covered with long black hair. Chimps don't have a tail. Their opposable thumbs and toes help them grasp objects easily. Chimpanzees are quadrupedal, which means that they walk on all four limbs, although they can also walk upright (bipedal) for short distances.

Chimps prefer dense tropical rainforests but can also be found in secondary-growth forests, woodlands, bamboo forests, swamps, and even open savannah. Chimpanzees can be found from Southern Senegal across the forested belt north of the Congo River to Western Uganda and Western Tanzania. Gombe National Park in Tanzania is the first park in Africa specifically created for chimpanzees

Females can give birth at any time of year, typically to a single infant that clings to its mother's fur and later rides on her back until the age of two. Females reach reproductive age at 13, while males are not considered adults until they are 16 years old. 

(look at how cute!!!)

This organism is generally fruit and plant eaters, but they also consume insects, eggs, and meat, including carrion. They have a tremendously varied diet that includes hundreds of known foods.

And a fun fact about African Chimpanzees is that they groom each other. This is one way to show friendship. They comb and pull dirt and bugs out of each other’s fur.

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee

http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/chimpanzee.html

http://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/chimpanzee

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 30 - Gemsbok

The scientific name for this organism is Oryx gazella but it is commonly called Gemsbok. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Chordata

Class:Mammalia

Order:Artiodactyla

Family:Bovidae

Subfamily:Hippotraginae

Genus:Oryx

Species:O. gazella

Gemsbok are a light brown/grey to tan color and have lighter color patches towards the bottom near the rear end. Their tails are long and black. They have a black color stripe going down their backs. They stand about 1.2 m (3.9 ft) at the shoulder. The body length can be from 190 to 240 cm (75 to 94 in) and the tail measures 45 to 90 cm (18 to 35 in). Male gemsbok can weigh between 180 and 240 kg (400 and 530 lb) and females females weigh 100–210 kg (220–460 lb)

Originally, different oryx species were found in all of Africa's arid regions. They are now well-adapted to the conditions of their hot habitats. Their living can range from Kenya to Central Tanzania. The beisa oryx ranges from Ethiopia through Somalia into Northeastern Uganda and Kenya. 

Gemsboks do not have a specific breeding season. A calf can be born at any time of the year after a gestation period of 9 months. Males reach sexual maturity at about 5 years of age whereas females start breeding as young as 2 years of age. The young remain hidden in the grass and are suckled by their mother for 3 – 6 weeks after which calves will join their mothers and the rest of the herd or a nursery herd. The female Gemsbok comes into heat again shortly after giving birth. The horns of the calves grow extremely fast and when they emerge from concealment after birth their horns are very prominent. The life span of a gemsbok is 18 – 20 years.

They typically feed in early morning and late afternoon, feasting mainly on coarse grasses and thorny shrubs. In desert areas, they consume thick-leaved plants, wild melons, and roots and tubers they dig out of the ground. Plants collect dew, which is gradually released during the hotter parts of the day. Some plants increase their water content by 25 to 40%, so when oryxes feed late at night or early in the morning, they maximize both food and water consumption.

Fun Fact: After giving birth, a female gemsbok hides her calf for 3–6 weeks, and the babies are called “hiders” until they go out on their own. 

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemsbok

http://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/oryx

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Oryx_gazella/

https://animalcorner.co.uk/animals/gemsbok/

https://www.safaribookings.com/blog/309

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 29 - African Zebra

The scientific name for this organism is Equus Quagga, but it is commonly called an African Zebra. Throw taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Chordata

Class:Mammalia

Order:Perissodactyla

Family:Equidae

Genus:Equus

The common plains zebra is about 1.2–1.3 m (47–51 in) at the shoulder with a body ranging from 2–2.6 m (6.6–8.5 ft) long with a 0.5 m (20 in) tail. It can weigh up to 350 kg (770 lb), males being slightly bigger than females. The stripes are typically vertical on the head, neck, forequarters, and main body, with horizontal stripes at the rear and on the legs of the animal.

Plains zebras have a wide range in east and southern Africa. They usually live in treeless grasslands and savanna woodlands and are absent from deserts, rainforests, and wetlands. Zebra habitat can include open plains, semi-desert, open woodlands. Zebras are found in the more arid portions of eastern and southern Africa. This species’ habitat is shrinking and plains zebras are now extinct in Burundi and Lesotho. 

The females do not have a certain reproduction habit, but statistics show that the most births are recorded between September and April with a peak being reached in January. However, because they can give birth to a foal every 12 months, the size of a social group can double in just a couple of years if the offspring are predominantly female. The gestation period for zebra reproduction takes around 12 to 13 months. Similar to horses, the foal will be able to stand up and walk just a few minutes after it is born. 

The foals are nursed by their mothers until they reach maturity. Only 50% of them survive their first year as they fall prey to predators. During their first days, the mothers are the most protective with their offspring. This mechanism helps them recognize their mothers easier. After that period, the mothers will allow their foals to interact with others members of the group. When male foals reach maturity at about 18 months, they usually leave the group to join another or form their own. 

Zebras are herbivores and they feed predominantly on herbs, shrubs, leaves, twigs, barks of trees and roots. Even though this type of diet has a low-nutritional quality, it fulfills their nutritional needs due to their malleable digestive system. Zebras are generally adaptable grazers so they are able to feed on a lot of grasses as their stomach can digest it within 24 hours. 

Fun fact: After 15 minutes of birth, this organism is able to run.

Links:

http://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/zebra

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra

http://www.macroevolution.net/zebra-habitat.html

http://zebrafacts.net/what-do-zebras-eat.html

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 28 - Nile Crocodile

The scientific name for this organism is Crocodylus niloticus, but it is commonly called the Nile Crocodile. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Crocodilia

Family: Crocodylidae

Genus: Crocodylus

Species: C. niloticus

Africa's largest crocodile, has a maximum size of about 20 feet (6 meters) and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds (730 kilograms). Average sizes are in the range of 16 feet (5 meters) and 500 pounds (225 kilograms). Male Nile crocodiles are about 30 to 50 cm (12 to 20 in) longer at the sexual maturity age and grow more than females after becoming sexually mature, after going over the size of 4 m (13 ft 1 in) in length. Adult male Nile crocodiles usually go from about a length from 3.3 to 5 m (10 ft 10 in to 16 ft 5 in) long, at these weights, an average sized male may weigh from 150 to 700 kg (330 to 1,540 lb). In Limpopo, South Africa, males reportedly average 527 kg (1,162 lb). Very old, mature ones can grow to 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in) or more in length. Mature female Nile crocodiles typically measure 2.2 to 3.8 m (7 ft 3 in to 12 ft 6 in), at which lengths the average female specimen would weigh 40 to 250 kg (88 to 551 lb).

They live throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Basin, and Madagascar in rivers, freshwater marshes, and mangrove swamps. Today, Nile crocodiles are widely found in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Angola, South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Sudan, South Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon.[24]The Nile crocodile's current range of distribution extends from the regional tributaries of the Nile in Sudan and Lake Nasser in Egypt to the Cunene of Angola, the Okavango Delta of Botswana and the Olifants River in South Africa.

Male and female lift heads and rub jaws, gape the jaws widely, but do not bite. When male and female begin to swim beside each other, males draw the female near with his forelimb, and mate. Mating takes place in shallow water. Larger females mate earlier in the season than smaller females and they mate with the largest males. 

When a baby croc has hatched it will be about 28 cm (11 in) long and will weight 80 grams (2.8 oz). Usually, young crocodiles dig holes in river banks as shelter, and they use those tunnels for protection for the first 5 years of their lives. Males become sexually mature when they are over 9 ft long and females are mature when they are 8 feet long; and they are about 12 to 19 yeas of age. 

The diet of the Nile crocodile is mainly fish, but it will attack almost anything that has enough courage to cross its path, including zebras, small hippos, porcupines, birds, and other crocodiles. It will also scavenge carrion, and can eat up to half its body weight at a feeding.

Fun Fact: The Nile crocodile is the second largest reptile in the world.

Links:

http://ielc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=661021&sid=5475047

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/nile-crocodile/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_crocodile

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 27 - African Baboon

The scientific name for this organism is Papio, but it is commonly called an African Baboon. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates

Family: Cercopithecidae

Genus: Papio

A baboon is 50 cm (20 in) and weighs only 14 kg (31 lb), and the largest chacma baboon can be about 120 cm (47 in) and weigh 40 kg (88 lb). All baboons have long, dog-like muzzles, heavy, strong jaws with sharp canine teeth, close-set eyes, thick fur except on their muzzles, short tails, and rough spots on their protruding buttocks, called ischial callosities. These calluses are nerveless, hairless pads of skin that provide for the sitting comfort of the baboon.

Baboons are found in varied habitats and are extremely adaptable (able to get used to their environment). They generally prefer semiarid habitats, like savannas, but some live in tropical forests. The major requirements for any habitat seem to be water sources and safe sleeping places—either in tall trees or on cliff faces. These organisms are scattered across different habitats in Africa and Arabia. The baboon, like other old world monkeys, does not have a prehensile (which means gripping) tail, but it is still able to climb when they needed to.

Baboon mating behavior depends mainly depending on the social structure of the troop (family group). In the mixed groups of savanna baboons, each male can mate with any female. The mating order among the males depends partially on their social ranking, and fights between males are not unusual. There are, however, more subtle possibilities; in mixed groups, males sometimes try to win the friendship from females. To obtain the friendship, they may help groom the female, help care for her young, or supply her with food. 

Females typically give birth after a six-month gestation, usually to a single infant. The young baboon weighs approximately 400 g and has a black epidermis when born. The females tend to be the primary caretaker of the young, although several females will share the duties for all of their offspring. After about one year, the young animals are weaned. They reach sexual maturity in five to eight years. Baboon males leave their birth group, usually before they reach sexual maturity, whereas females are philopatric and stay in the same group their whole lives.

Baboons are opportunistic eaters and, fond of crops, become destructive pests to many African farmers. They eat fruits, grasses, seeds, bark, and roots, but also have a taste for meat. They eat birds, rodents, and even the young of larger mammals, such as antelopes and sheep.

Fun Facts: There are five species of baboons. The two most common species, olive baboons and yellow baboons, live in East Africa

Links:

https://onekindplanet.org/animal/baboon/

http://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/baboon

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/baboons/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baboon

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 26 - African Spotted Hyenas

The scientific name for this organism is Crocuta crocuta, but it is commonly called an African Spotted Hyena. The taxonomic classifications are as follows: 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Hyaenidae

Genus: Crocuta

Species: C. crocuta

This organism has a strong developed neck and arms but not good back legs. The rump is rounded, which prevents attackers coming from behind from getting a firm grip on it. The head is wide and flat with a muzzle.The ears of the spotted hyena are rounded instead of pointed. Each foot has four digits, which are webbed and armed with short, stout and blunt claws. The paw-pads are broad and very flat, with the whole undersurface of the foot around them being naked. The tail is relatively short, being 300–350 mm (12–14 in) long, and resembles a pompom in appearance.

Spotted hyenas live in Africa and can range in habitats from grasslands, savannas, woodlands, deserts, forests and mountains. They usually sleep in dens.

Copulation in spotted hyenas is a relatively short affair, lasting 4–12 minutes, and typically only occurs at night with no other hyenas present. The mating process is complicated, as the male enters and exits the female's reproductive parts through her sexual parts. Once the female retracts, the male enters the female by sliding under her. Once this is done, a typical mammal mating posture has happened. 

Cubs are born with soft, brownish black hair, and weigh 1.5 kg on average. Unique among carnivorous mammals, spotted hyenas are also born with their eyes open and with 6–7 mm long canine (dog) teeth and 4 mm long incisors. Also, cubs will attack each other shortly after birth. This is particularly apparent in same sexed litters, and can result in the death of the weaker cub. Male cubs which survive grow faster and are likelier to achieve reproductive faster. Lactating females can carry 3–4 kg (6.6–8.8 lb) of milk. Spotted hyena milk has the highest protein content of any terrestrial carnivore, and its fat content is second only to that of the polar bear and sea otter. Cubs will nurse from their mother for 12–16 months, though they can process solid food as early as three months.

Hyenas have a diet range and are both hunters and scavengers. In addition to scouring other predator's meals, hyenas will eat lizards, birds, snakes and insects but also have the ability to take down an antelope or wildebeest. Because their jaws are so strong, hyenas have the ability to eat bones, teeth and hooves. Generally, hyenas eat at night.

Fun fact: Hyenas may look like some what like dogs but they are more closely related to cats.

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_hyena

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/wild-kingdom/about-animals/hyena-facts/

http://interesting-africa-facts.com/Africa-Animal-Facts/African-Hyena-Facts.shtml

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 25 - Camel

The scientific name for this organism is Camelus, but it is commonly called a Camel. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyle

Family: Camelidae

Genus s.: Camelus

Camels are mammals with long legs, a big noses/snouta, and a humped back. There are two types of camels: dromedary camels, which have one hump, and Bactrian camels, which have two humps. Camels' humps consist of stored fat, which they can metabolize when food and water is scarce.

There are around 14 million camels alive as of 2010. Dromedaries alive today are domesticated animals (mostly living in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, Maghreb, Middle East and South Asia). The Horn region alone has the largest concentration of camels in the world,where the dromedaries play as an important part of local nomadic life. They provide nomadic people in Somalia (which has the largest camel herd in the world) and Ethiopia with milk, food, and transportation.

During rutting season, males fight for the opportunity to mate, biting and trying to knock each other over. Increased testosterone levels cause males to grow an extension of their soft palate called a dulla. They use saliva with these red sacs  from their mouths to make a mating call that attracts females. Their urine also contains pheromones that they wipe on their backs with their tails.

After a gestation of 12 to 14 months, a mother camel will find a private spot to have her young. Female camels usually only have one baby, but sometimes camels have twins. The newborn is able to walk within 30 minutes, though the two won't rejoin the herd until around two weeks later. Camels become fully mature when they are 7 years old.

Their lips allow them to eat things that most other animals couldn't, like thorny plants. Camels are herbivores so they won’t be eating meat. Filling up on water, when it's available, is very important for camels. They can drink 30 gallons (113 liters) of water in just 13 minutes. Their bodies rehydrate faster than any other mammal. When there is little food and water, the camel's hump fat releases water; 9.3 grams of fat releases 1.13 grams of water.

Fun fact:Camels have been domesticated for 3,000 years, according to the San Diego Zoo, and used for transportation, meat, fur, leather and milk. 

Links:

http://www.livescience.com/27503-camels.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 24 - African Giraffe

The scientific name for this organism is Giraffa camelopardalis peralta, but it is commonly called an African Giraffe. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Giraffidae

Genus: Giraffa

Fully grown giraffes stand 4.3–5.7 m (14.1–18.7 ft) tall, with males taller than females. The average weight is 1,192 kg (2,628 lb) for an adult male and 828 kg (1,825 lb) for an adult female with weights of 1,930 kg (4,250 lb) and 1,180 kg (2,600 lb) having been recorded for males and females, respectively. Despite its long neck and legs, the giraffe's body is relatively short. At both sides of the head, the giraffe's large eyes give it good all-round vision from its great height. 

Giraffes inhabit savannas, grasslands or open woodlands. Giraffes prefer areas with acacia growth (a genus of shrubs and trees). Most giraffes live either in East Africa or in Angola and Zambia in southwestern Africa. Until the middle of the 20th century giraffes were also commonly found in West Africa, which is south of the Sahara. 

When male giraffes are ready to breed, they begin the ritual combat over mates. Giraffes are non-territorial and a successful male giraffe will mate with female giraffes whenever and wherever it finds them. Gestation period is usually 13 – 15 months and when a pregnant female giraffe is ready to give birth, she makes her way to a calving area that she will use throughout her life. The moment of birth is dramatic, with the mother giraffe standing on all fours and the calf tumbling onto the ground. The calf is rarely injured by its fall.

Newborn giraffes are often on their feet within 20 minutes and are soon feeding on their mothers milk. Calves can walk about an hour after birth and can run within 24 hours of birth. Giraffe calves are about 2 metres (6 feet) tall at birth and weigh 104 – 154 pounds. Giraffe calves grow about 3 centimetres tall each day during the first week and double their height in their first year.

During the dry season, giraffes eat evergreen leaves, however, once the rainy season begins, they switch to new leaves and stems that sprout on deciduous trees. Also, twigs and branches are pulled into the mouth of the giraffe with their long and dextrous tongues. In the wild giraffes can eat up to 66 kilograms of food daily.

A fun fact about giraffe has its own unique coat pattern :)

Links:

https://animalcorner.co.uk/animals/giraffe/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe

[anaria-raquel]

OOW 23 - African Wild Cat

The scientific name for this organism is Felis Silvestris, but it is commonly called an African Wild Cat. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Genus: Felis

Species: F. silvestris

The fur on an African wildcat is a light grey, and sometimes it has a pale yellow or reddish color. Their ears are reddish or grey, with long faint yellow hairs are the ear, which on a car is called the pinna. Their strips around the face are dark ochre to a black color. A long dark stripe runs along the back and the stomach which is a white color. They have two dark rings around their legs and behind the legs are stripped. They can be measuered up 47-59.7 cm (which is 18.5-23.5 inches) for a male. Females can be up to 40.6-55.8 cm (which is 16.0-22.0 inches).

African wildcats are all across Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula to the Caspian sea. They have been noted to be seen in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. They are also found in the savannas of West Africa, Mauritania to the Horn of Africa, and also Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Sudan, and towards South Africa. They live in hilly and mountanious places like the Hoggar Mountains.

Female wildcats give birth to 1-3 kittens, mostly during the warm season. The African wildcat often gives birth in hollows in the ground. The gestation period lasts between 56 and 69 days. 

The kittens are born blind and need the care of the mother. They stay with their mother for five to six months and are fertile after six months.

This organism mainly preys on small rodents but they also eat small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and other invertebrates. The largest recorded preys for the wildcats are hares, springhares and birds up to the size of guineafowl. They also have been known to feed on jackal berries. Mice and rats are preferred, but if scare (not enough), they will switch up to arthropods and birds. African Wild Cats detect prey by sight or sound, stalks in crouch with head low. They rush forward to prey and pounce with the claws of the forefeet. 

Fun fact: African wild cats are very identical to domestic cats and have been found in the wild to be taken home as if they were a domestic cat :)

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_wildcat

http://www.africat.org/fact/african-wildcat

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OOW 22 - Pink Fairy armadillo

The scientific name for this organism is Chlamyphorus truncatus but it is mainly called the Pink Fairy Armadillo. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Cingulata

Family: Chlamyphoridae

Genus: Chlamyphorus

Species: C. truncatus

The pink fairy armadillo is 90–115 mm (3.5–4.5 in) long, and typically weighs about 120 g (4.2 oz). This species is the smallest living armadillo and is among the least known. This particular species of armadillo generally ranges between 90-115 mm in length, excluding its tail, and will weigh less than a pound. This is the only species of armadillo that has its dorsal shell almost completely separate from its body.

This unique animal lives in the dry grasslands and sandy plains of central Argentina. This sandy environment works well for the pink fairy armadillo since they are excellent diggers. In fact, they have the ability to completely bury themselves in a matter of seconds if threatened. This range contains a unique and crucial habitat for the pink fairy armadillo. It lives in grasslands that give away the variety of small shrubs of creosobush and Portulaca plants during spring and summer times. It also resides in sandy plains and dunes. The Mendoza region has both warm and cold seasons, and likewise, a wet and dry season. These varying average temperatures are important for the armadillo to adapt to. An average high during the warm season is approximately 26.6 °C (80 °F) and the cold season might only have a high of 15.5 °C (60 °F) with an average low of 2.2 °C (36 °F).

The armadillo mating season is 2-3 moths out of the year. Pink fairy armadillos are ready for reproduction when they are 9-12 months old and the gestation period is 60-120 days.

Pink fairy armadillos eat ants most of the time. Their diet also includes snails, worms, roots, and other plant material. The armadillos sometimes eat carrion, the flesh of dead animals. The pink fairy armadillo uses their digging skills to burrow in areas beside large ant colonies. Ants are also a food source for this species of armadillo. Ants are the armadillos number one choice.

Fun fact: they have very bad eye sight but really good hearing to make up for it.

Links:

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/pink-fairy-armadillo/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_fairy_armadillo

http://animals.jrank.org/pages/2752/Armadillos-Dasypodidae-PINK-FAIRY-ARMADILLO-Chlamyphorus-truncatus-SPECIES-ACCOUNTS.html

https://prezi.com/no5tc8ydp2hs/pink-fairy-armadillo/

https://haydensanimalfacts.com/2015/12/06/5-interesting-facts-about-pink-fairy-armadillos/

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OOW 21: The Rainbow Fish

The scientific name for this organism is Melanontaeniidae, but it is commonly called a Rainbow Fish. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Atheriniformes

Suborder: Melanotaenioidei

Family: Melanotaeniidae

Rainbowfish are usually less than 12 cm (4.7 in) in length, with some species are less than 6 cm (2.4 in). They are very colorful and look like regular fish but with more colors than the others. They live in a wide range of freshwater habitats, including rivers, lakes, and swamps. Although they spawn all year round, they lay a particularly large number of eggs at the start of the local rainy season. The eggs are attached to aquatic vegetation, and hatch seven to 18 days later. Rainbowfish are omnivorous, feeding on small crustaceans, insect larvae, and algae. They mainly stay in places like Madagascar, new guinea, parts of Indonesia, and Australia.  

Rainbowfish normally mate during early morning. The male will pick out a spawning (mating) place in the aquarium and court the female by swimming rapidly back and forth in front of the spot to get her attention. He will keep his anal fins full to look as strong and dazzling as possible. It is common for courting males to display an intensely dark fin margins, and many species will also be decorated with a neon stripe on the forehead. The female can watch him swim back and forth for several minutes before she decides if she wants to go to the spawning place. Sometimes the male can be seen nudging the female near her pelvic base now and then for a period of up to five minutes, before the actually spawning starts. During spawning, the two fishes will take up position next to each other with their heads pointing in the same direction. While the eggs are released, both fishes will tremble forcefully. Healthy and well-fed rainbowfishes are capable of laying eggs almost everyday during the breeding period.

Rainbow fish start out as eggs and hatch. There is usually about 30 eggs from the female. Once they hatch they will be about 1/6 inches long. When they are first born they immediately fall to the bottom or where they are because the are not able to swim because they don’t know how to. They grow to be about 4.7 inches.

Rainbow fish are omnivores that eat a variety of foods in the wild, including aquatic and terrestrial insects, insect larvae, crustaceans, phytoplankton, zooplankton and detritus. A suitable diet for the aquarium includes algae, vegetables, frozen and live mosquito larvae, daphnia and bloodworm.

Fun fact: the rainbow fish is the name and the cover of an old children’s book. 

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbowfish’

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/rainbowfish/breeding.php

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OOW 20 - Tufted Deer

The scientific name for this organism is Elaphodus cephalophus but it is commonly called a Tufted Deer. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Cervidae

Genus: Elaphodus

Species: E. cephalophus

The tufted deer looks like a muntjac (a barking deer), but have longer necks and legs give it a smaller appearance. The coat is coarse with short and stiff hairs, being almost black in the winter and chocolate brown in the summer. The lips, tip of the ears, and the underside of the tails are white. A tuft of horseshoe-shaped hair is present on the forehead, being brown to black, and can be up to 17 centimetres (6.7 in) long. 

The tufted deer is found mainly in China, where it occurs in the south from eastern coast to eastern Tibet. It is absent from the extreme south of the country. There are old records of this species in northeastern Myanmar, but recent surveys failed to find any, possibly due to the lack of surveys on the habitat. 

Tufted deer mate in the fall and early winter, the offsprings are born in the early summer after a gestation of 180 days. Tufted deer usually give birth to one or two fawns (baby deer) per year. Until the age of six months, a young deer is dependent on its mother. Tufted deer become sexually mature between eighteen months and two years of age. Young tufted deer are nursed and cared for by their mother until independence. They are capable of standing soon after birth.

“Its diet is grass, some browse, and fruits, bamboo and herbs. The species is secretive and crepuscular, and is usually solitary or found in pairs. Tufted Deer lives within well-defined home territories where it travels along well-established paths, rendering it vulnerable to snares. It lives on mountainous terrain covered by dense forests.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufted_deer

Fun fact: These deer are known for their fang teeth. That’s how they got their name; TUFTED Deer. 

Links:

http://eol.org/pages/308480/details

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufted_deer

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OOW 19 - Black Mamba Snake

The scientific name for this organism is Dendroaspis polylepis  but it is commonly called the Black Mamba snake. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Family: Elapidae

Genus: Dendroaspis

Species: D. polypepis

This organism varies in color from grey to dark brown, but not black. Younger black mambas tend to be lighter in color than adults and darken with age. It is the longest species of venomous snake to the African continent; mature specimens generally grow to be 2 meters (6.6 ft) and commonly attain 3 meters (9.8 ft). The head is often said to be "coffin-shaped" with a somewhat pronounced brow ridge and a medium-sized eye.

The black mamba has a wide range within sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, north east Democratic Republic of the Congo, south western Sudan to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, eastern Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, southwards to Mozambique, Swaziland, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and Namibia.

The mating season for black mambas in Africa begins in September. In this period, the males fight over females. Mating begins with the male inspecting the female with his forked tongue. Females lay an about an average of 15 eggs in a nest underground or a tree. The eggs hatch after three months, and the baby mamba snakes have a length of 1-2 feet. Newborn mamba snakes grow fast and are able to catch mice and other small rodents/animals right after they hatch. The female leaves the eggs immediately after they hatch.

The black mamba eats a variety of prey including small birds and mammals primarily. It has been known to eat small chickens, bats, and bushbabies. This snake will bite, and release it’s prey. This happens in a time span of only a few seconds. After that, the black mamba’s venom takes over, going to work on the prey animal’s muscular and central nervous system. The prey usually dies from respiratory failure, after which the mamba will track it down and eat it. This is the typical hunting and eating behavior.

And a fun fact about this organism is that it is the fastest moving snake in the world.

Links:

http://www.reptileknowledge.com/what-do-black-mambas-eat/

http://www.blackmambas.net/#reproduction

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OOW 18 - Malayan Tiger

The scientific name for this organism is Panthera Tigris Jacksoni, but it is commonly called a Malayan Tiger. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Genus/Species: Panthera

When you see this organism, you will see that it has orange, black, and white fur. It has thin black rises, and white around its eyes, stomach, cheeks. The male and female are different sizes. The male can be up to 8 foot 6, and the female can be 7 feet and 10 inches, and can weigh up to (male) 104-284 pounds, and (female) 52-195 pounds.

The habitat for these tigers is in the dense tropical forests in Malaysia. They are found in the states of Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Perak. Tigers were also found in Perlis, Malacca. 

Male Tigers become sexually mature at about 5 years old, and females become sexually mature at the age of 3. They mate year round, and the females go between November and March. The mating session is the typical sexually activity between big cats. 

The gestation period for these cats last for about 100-105. An average of about 3-4 cubs. When the cubs are born without sight and in such a helpless state. They are fed with milk for the first two of life. and they move to meat and go with their mothers on hunting trips. 

This organism are carnivores and their diet is a mainly deer, wild-boar, cattle, and sun bear.

And a fun fact is that this organism is the second smaller of the tiger subspecies after the Sumatran tiger.

Links:

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/malayan-tiger/

http://www.animalspot.net/malayan-tiger.html

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OOW 17 - Harp Seal

The scientific name for this organism is Pagophilus groenlandicus, but it is commonly called a Harp Seal. The taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Phocidae

Genus: Pagophilis

Species: P. groenlandicus

Adult Harp seals have a light gray fur with a black face and a black harp shaped mark on their backs (thats how they get their names). Harp seal babies are born with a fluffy white coat that helps them hide from the animals that prey on them.

This organism lives in the North Atlantic Ocean, where it is cold. An adult harp is mainly built for keeping warm, even in cold and icy water. Its layer of fat works as a thick coat. 

Harp Seals reproduce sexually. The males court the females on the i.e. and then move in the the water for the actual reproduction process to take place. The female will then end up getting pregnant and have a gestation period of about 11 and a half months. 

When a harp seal is born, they are born 5 1/2 inches and about 300 pounds. They become sexually mature at the age of (male) 5 years old and (female) 7 years old. They are nursed by their mother for 12-17 days.

Harp seals have a diet of fishes like capelin, cod, herring, sculpin, halibut, reddish, an plaice. They also eat amiphods, krill, and shrimps and prawns. 

Fun fact: they are knows as “earless” seals because they lack external ear flaps.

Links:

http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=302

http://www.seals-world.com/harp-seal/

https://www.wildrepublic.com/en/harp-seal-pup

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OOW 16 - African Colobus Monkey

The scientific name for this organism is Colobus guereza, but they are commonly called African Colobus Monkeys. Its taxonomic classifications are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates

Family: Cercopithecidae

Genus/Species: Colobus

Unlike other animals in this family of primates, this monkey has no thumbs. They have black fur that does not go with the long white whisker, tail, and beard around its face. They are easily seen by the U-shaped line of white hair/fur running on their shoulders to the lower back.

This animals is found in Kenya because they like costal forests and inland, high-country areas. They are also found in East Africa but are very rare. This organism also likes all types of closed forests, also montane and gallery forests.

Colobus monkeys usually don't breed during a certain period of time. Their birth rates usually vary. Once the monkey is sexually mature, they begin to mate. Sexual behavior is rally initiated by the female by tongue smacking. The female then goes through a gestation period of 6 months. The female then gives birth to usually one baby of her own.

When the baby is born, its born with white hair and the black hair grows after its an infant. While growing up the baby has a “household” of one father and 3 or 4 females. They grow up to be about 12-32 pounds and be 18-27 inches tall. They stay with the family until they hit the sexual mature age which for males is 4 years of age and for the female, she is sexually mature at the age of 6 years old. 

This organism main eats fruits, flowers, and leaves. Their diet usually varies on the season. Mainly this animal eats animals that are less suspect able to seasonal changes. They drink water from the dew and fluid content of their diet or rainwater from the trunk of a tree.

And a fun fact about this monkey is that they can jump from tree to tree. They are capable of jumping 19.7 feet, which is about 6 meters. Even when a female monkey is pregnant or her baby is hanging from there chest, she can still jump the same distance.

Links:

http://www.oregonzoo.org/discover/animals/colobus-monkey

http://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/colobus-monkey

http://ipfactly.com/colobus-monkey/

://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Colobus_guereza/