Organisms of the week. @jcarpenterasfa - Tumblr Blog

The fennec fox or fennec (Vulpes zerda) is a small nocturnal fox found in the Sahara of North Africa. The species was previously classified in the genus Fennecus, but has since been reclassified to the genus Vulpes which includes a variety of other types of foxes. Its most distinctive feature is its unusually large ears, which also serve to dissipate heat. The species is found in North Africa and Asia. The range is from Morocco through to Egypt, as far south as northern Niger and as far east as the Sinai Peninsula and Kuwait. The fennec fox reproduces secually. They come in litters of 2-5 pups. Male fox are not allowed in the kits den or to see the kits until they are 4 weeks old. At birth a fennecs ears are folded over and there eyes are closed shut. After 3 months of being in a den the kit is ready to leave its den. After 12-14 days a fennecs fox eyes open and ears are almost full grown. The ears are the fastest growing body part on foxes. The fennec fox is sexually matured by the age of 6-10 months. Fennec foxes are opportunistic eaters. They forage for plants but also eat rodents, eggs, reptiles, and insects. Like most desert dwellers, the fennec fox has developed the ability to go for long periods without water. Fun Fact: Fennec foxes mate for life. A couple produces one litter of 2-5 pups per year, and the offspring from one litter may stay with the family even as the next litter of pups is born. When the female is pregnant and nursing the pups, her mate will bring her food and also acts highly protective of her (aka goals).

The giant otter or giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is a South American carnivorous mammal. The giant otter is in the phylum chordata. The giant otter has the shortest fur of all otter species; it is typically chocolate brown, but may be reddish or fawn, and appears nearly black when wet. The fur is extremely dense, so much so that water cannot penetrate to the skin. The giant otter ranges across north-central South America; it lives mostly in and along the Amazon River and in the Pantanal. The giant otter subsists almost exclusively on a diet of fish, particularly characins and catfish, but may also eat crabs, turtles, snakes and small caiman. Giant otters reproduce sexually. Mothers give birth to furred and blind cubs in an underground den near the river shore and fishing sites. Pups open their eyes in their fourth week, begin walking in their fifth, and are able to swim confidently between 12 and 14 weeks old. They are weaned by nine months and begin hunting successfully soon after. The animal reaches sexual maturity at about two years of age and both male and female pups leave the group permanently after two to three years. They then search for new territory to begin a family of their own. Fun Fact: Giant river otters grow to be about 70 pounds.

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The eastern moose (Alces alces americana) is a subspecies of moose. that ranges throughout most of Eastern Canada and most of the New England states and northern New York. Eastern moose inhabit boreal forests and mixed deciduous forests, which provide camouflage from predators which are timber wolves and poachers. Moose are distinguished by the broad, flat (or palmate) antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic ("twig-like") configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal forests and temperate. Moose are distinguished by the broad, flat (or palmate) antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic ("twig-like") configuration. The eastern moose is the third largest North American subspecies of moose, behind the western moose and the Alaskan moose. Male eastern moose along with all the other moose species are extremely aggressive during mating season and will attack anything that provokes it. They reproduce sexually. Like other moose species, male eastern moose use mating calls to attract females to mate with or to challenge another bull moose for mating rights. At 10–11 months, yearling moose are chased off by their mothers to fend for themselves.Eastern moose have a diet similar to that of the other moose species and includes terrestrial vegetation forbs and shoots from trees such as willow and birch. Eastern moose also forage for aquatic plants such as lilies and pondweed during the spring and summer. Fun Fact: Moose don’t have upper front teeth, but the sharp incisors on the lower jaw, tongue, lips, gums, and six pairs of molars and premolars help in cutting and eating even woody vegetation.

The European chafer ( Rhizotrogus majalis) is a beetle of the Scarabaeidae family. Formerly found only in continental Europe, this invasive species is now found at temperate latitudes in North America, where they are commonly called June bugs. European chafer adults are 1/2 inch long. Males and females are a uniform tan or light brown color. Larvae are typical C-shaped white grubs, reaching a maximum size of 1/4 inch wide and 1 inch long. They reproduce sexually. Most European chafer grubs complete development in one year, but a small proportion of the population may require two years to complete development. Adult beetles emerge from the soil between the middle of June and early July. Eggs are deposited 2 to 4 inches below the soil surface. First instar (or larval stage) grubs emerge from eggs in early August and molt to second larval instar by the middle of August. By September 1, nearly all grubs are second instar (1/2 inch long), and by October 1, most of the larvae are mature, third instar grubs (3/4 to 1 inch long). They feed on the roots of most cool-latitude grasses, both wild and cultivated. This has made the European chafer an enemy of North American lawns. Fun Fact: Their life cycle is only one year long, which means that their population rapidly increases. Causing many infestations, destroying many people's lawns.

The giant panda (scientifically known as Ailuropoda melanoleuca) also known as panda bear or simply panda, is a bear native to south central China. It is easily recognized by the large, distinctive black patches around its eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes used to distinguish it from the unrelated red panda. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the giant panda's diet is over 99% bamboo. Giant pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion. Pandas reproduce sexually. When first born new born pandas are pink and naked with sparse covering of white hair. At 8-10 days, skin turns gray in areas where fur will be black. A wild infant spends almost all its time for first weeks directly on mother's body, and infants remain with mother up to 18 months. And ag the age of 6 to 26 male pandas are of reproductive age while females can reproduce between 6 and 20 years. In captivity pandas live up to 30 years, while in the wild few reach the age of 20. Fun Fact: Pandas are pigeon-toed; in other words, they walk with their front paws turned inward.

The manta ray is a large species of flattened fish in the genus Manta, and scientifically known as Manta birostris. The manta ray is the largest species of ray in the world with some manta ray individuals reaching up to 9 meters wide. Manta rays have a large and flattened body whose center is called “disco”. Their heads are wide, with eyes on each side and the long nose in front. Within it are several rows of small, square teeth that are not useful to chew food, but is used by the males to hold the female during mating. The manta ray is most commonly found in the warmer, tropical of waters of the world's oceans, typically around coral reefs and along the continental shelves where food is in abundance. However, due to their enormous size, manta rays are also commonly spotted hunting out in the open ocean. Manta rays eat tiny marine organisms including microscopic plankton, small fish and crustaceans. Manta rays reproduce sexually. After mating the female manta ray lays a couple of eggs which actually develop and then hatch inside her. This process is known as aplacental viviparity and is quite commonly seen in the reproduction of a number of shark and ray species. Within 6 weeks of hatching, the female manta ray gives birth to 1 or 2 manta ray pups, which develop into large adults fairly quickly. Fun Fact: Manta rays have the largest brain to body weight ratio of any living fish.

The ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families, and is the only member of the Lemur genus. Scientifically known as Lemur catta, the lemur is endemic to southern and southwestern Madagascar, the ring-tailed lemur ranges further into highland areas than other lemurs. It inhabits deciduous forests, dry scrub, montane humid forests, and gallery forests (forests along riverbanks). It strongly favors gallery forests, but such forests have now been cleared from much of Madagascar in order to create pasture for livestock. The ring-tailed lemur is an opportunistic omnivore primarily eating fruits and leaves, particularly those of the tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica), known natively as kily. The ring-tailed lemur is polygynandrous, although the dominant male in the troop typically breeds with more females than other males. Fighting is most common during the breeding season. A receptive female may initiate mating by presenting her backside, lifting her tail and looking at the desired male over her shoulder. Males may inspect the female's genitals to determine receptiveness. Females typically mate within their troop, but may seek outside males. The breeding season runs from mid-April to mid-May. Estrus lasts 4 to 6 hours and females mate with multiple males during this period. Within a troop, females stagger their receptivity so that each female comes into season on a different day during the breeding season, reducing competition for male attention. The young lemurs begin to eat solid food after two months and are fully weaned after five months. Sexual maturity is reached between 2.5 and 3 years. Male involvement in infant rearing is limited, although the entire troop, regardless of age or sex, can be seen caring for the young. Fun Fact: Lemurs have flat fingernails similar to human beings.

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Organisms of the week.