Sunday 14 January 2007 Culpeo

The Culpeo (Pseudalopex culpaeus) is a wild dog from South America, mostly the Western part. Culpeo societ is hierarchical and matriarchal, which means that the females try to stick with their territory and fight for it, while the males leave their natal territory. The dominant females eat first and also have exclusive breeding rights, which happens during the winter. The weight of the Culpeo ranges from 7 to 12 kilograms. Their main diet consists of hares, rabbits and rodents, but also insects, birds and berries. Culpeos are not endangered, but their main threat is habitat destruction as they are habitat specialists. Because they are habitat specialists, their population density is low and are quite rare, even though their range is quite large.

Picture of the Culpeo licensed under GDFL

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Friday 05 January 2007 Dugong

The Dugong (Dugong dugon) is the smallest member of the order of Sirenia. It derives its name from the Malay language, where duyung means "lady of the sea" or "mermaid". Their diet consists of sea grass (they are often called sea cows) on which they feed one to five meters below the surface and can grow up to three meters in length. Occasionally they feed on algae and crab. Dugongs are more strictly marine than manatees. Dungongs are listed as an endangered species. There are some excellent dugong movies on the internet here.

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