Monday 24 November 2008 Urial - ancestor of sheep

The Urial (Ovis vignei) is a wild sheep subspecies which is found in central Asia from the north of Iran to the west of Kazakhstan, and even in Ladakh, they’re also located in Balochistan. The Urial is noted for its large horns that curl backwards behind their heads and taper off in a large spiral, coming to finish pointing back toward the head – like a twisted letter C. The males have very large horns, as some can measure up to a full meter (about three feet) and they are also tall at being nearly a full meter in height (again, roughly three feet) although they are usually 8-9 decimeters. Their fur is usually brownish red in color, and they have white ‘beards’ on their faces below the mouths in males, while females are almost universally the same color all over with exception to the legs near the hooves.

Like most wild sheep, the Urial is found in hilly terrain, and are herbivores. They eat grasses, and lichen, along with other plants if needed. As social animals they live in flocks, this helps them in many ways. Firstly it keeps predators from singling out and killing one, secondly at night their combined body masses keep them warm, and thirdly it helps keep grazing organized. Most flocks are lead by an older Ram (male) which will guide, and lead the flock. Rams will fight each other with their horns for dominance, and mating rights. This behavior usually takes place in early fall, where the victor will take between 3-6 females as his own. Usually out of this, half will give birth to a single lamb, while others may give birth to two in about five months time.

The Urial is the ancestor of most of the modern domesticated sheep, and from that it is the oldest line of sheep. Because of this, its taxonomy, or rather, its species, is disputed. As of right now the classification that is accepted is that is Ovis Vignei, Ovis being the genus which also includes other sheep such as the Argali, the Domestic Sheep (Ovis orientalis aries), the Mouflon, the Bighorn, the Dall, and the Snow sheep. The genus Ovis belongs to the family Bovidae, which contains 140 different species of clove hoofed animals. Of this family, many names are familiar, as not only does it contain sheep, but it also has gazelles, antelopes, bison, and cattle. All Bovids belong to the order Artiodactyla, also known as even-toed ungulates. In this order you will see giraffes, deer, hippos, pigs, and many more. Indeed, it is thought that cetaceans (whales) evolved from Artiodactyla. This order belongs to the large superorder Laurasiatheria which holds within it the odd-toed ungulates (like horses), Carnivora (bears, dogs, seals, and cats), Chiroptera (bats), and many others (including whales, moles, and hedgehogs). Finally, following the chain up it s infraclass is Eutheria (placental mammals), which is a part of the subclass Theria, and is of the class Mammal.

Interesting Fact

Urials have several subspecies which are the subject of international dispute. However six subspecies are known, and are mostly named for regions and differences in horns and other characteristics.

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Friday 21 November 2008 Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine

The Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine or Tree Porcupine (Sphiggurus mexicanus) is a rodent that is found in many Latin American countries and surrounding areas, such as (as its name indicates) Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and possibly two other locations. It is not classed as endangered, and is in fact classed 'least concern' due to its abundance and population. Adult Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupines range in size from 20 to 32 inches (that's roughly 54.61 cm to 81.28 cm) in lengths with a long tail that is from anywhere around one third to two fifths of its total body length. They usually weight about 3.2 to 5.5 lbs (1.4 to 2.48 kg) and have dark fur, usually brown to black in color that covers most of their spines which in turn are present across the porcupine’s back. The head is usually marked by yellow or pale color spines that are visible through the fur itself, and also by light pale colored fur fuzz around the ears. The long tail has almost no fur and is prehensile (meaning it can be used rather than just for balance) and resembles a large rat tail.

The porcupine of this species prefers to remain nocturnal, they find safety in being arboreal (living above the ground) while others have been (rarely) seen making dens and living in darker secluded areas below ground and out of the way. They are very territorial and males will not tolerate other males near them – however they will allow females to remain close. During the night they hunt down good sources of fruits, seeds, and edible leaves along with buds. They are likely to prefer the fruit and seed varieties over leaves and buds, however when there is none of their preferred foods, they will eat the latter. Unfortunately for the Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine, they are used as a food-source for humans; however the collection and gathering must be done carefully.

The Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine's scientific classification name is Sphiggurus Mexicanus, which means its species is Mexicanus and its genus is Sphiggurus. Within the genus Sphiggurus there are eight other species of porcupine, and all live in the western hemisphere. They belong to the subfamily Erethizontinae, which in turn belongs to the family Erthizontidae, which has five Genera. These are different than the Old World porcupine (Eastern Hemisphere), and thus are called New World (Western Hemisphere) porcupine. In turn this family belongs to the parvorder Caviomorpha, which contains many other families (twelve living, three known extinct) and contain such animals as Chinchillas, Capybaras, and many more. Caviomorpha belongs to the infraorder Hystricognathi, which belongs to the suborder Hystricomorpha. Hystricomorpha is a huge selection of rodents; however it belongs to the order Rodentia, which contains all rodents – which makes up roughly 40% of all mammalian species – with 2,277 knowing living examples.

Their weapon, the quill, is a primarily defensive one, in which the specialized hairs are extremely sharp and detach easily. The quill, once embedded in flesh, will continue to go inward, as each quill has microscopic fibers that are pointed away from the tip toward the other end. The quills themselves can reach up to three inches in length, and make for a painful removal due to their microscopically barbed nature. A common misconception is that a porcupine can 'fire' a quill at you – this is not true as contact must be made for the quill to stick, and there is no mechanism for flinging a quill except for a minor shaking for grooming reasons.

Interesting Fact

Porcupines love salt, in fact many have been found causing chaos by chewing on wires under a car which have been coated with road salt, getting into cabinets for salty chips, and even eating plywood that has been treated with sodium nitrates. Often times areas with porcupine populations will place salt licks out of the way so that they do not get in trouble.

Picture of the Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine by Patrick Gijsbers, licensed under GFPL

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Monday 17 November 2008 Marsupial mole

The Marsupial Mole (Notoryctes typhlops) is a mole-like marsupial that evolved to its environment in Australia, and amazingly it is much like the Eutheria (placental mammal) mole. It is a very rare creature, seldom seen, and there are only two known species, however there could possibly be more. Exact data and numbering, along with information on whether or not it is endangered is unfortunately not available at this time, due to the difficulty in tracking them. They have evolved to forego the use of their eyes, and they only have small lenses in the skin where their eyes would have gone. Furthermore they have only two small holes where their ears are, and may have limited hearing.

Normally when caught or found, they weigh between 40-70 grams and have a length of around 5-6 inches. Additional to that length is their one inch bald tail. Their forepaws are highly specialized for digging and for burrowing, as they are shaped somewhat like shovels. The fur of the marsupial mole is very soft and silk like, while being of a golden color and helps when moving through sand, while their claws are very sharp, and their pouch is facing the opposite direction that it would normally face - so that dirt does not gather in it. They eat larva primarily and burrow constantly - without ever leaving the ground. They also do not leave any traces of having burrowed through, as the tunnel is buried behind them as they move by their back paws.

Controversial

The marsupial mole was a controversial subject for a while, originally thought to be eutheria (placental mammals, lacking pouches) due to an early specimen that had degraded and decomposed badly on a trip from Australia to England. It was later found that they are indeed a marsupial, and not the missing link between marsupials and eutherias, however it has now come to light that they are not related to the largest group of marsupials, and have since been given their own order, Notoryctemorphia. In this order there is only one family, Notoryctidae, and one genus, Notoryctes. There are thought to be, at this time, two species of marsupial moles. One from the north called the Northern Marsupial Mole, and one from the south called the Southern Marsupial Mole. They are closely related and no real distinguishing marks exist when compared to each other, and they may not be wholly different species at all.

Behavior and mating habits are universally unknown due to their short life in captivity, but it is assumed that they are solitary during most of the year and use their highly developed sense of smell to find a mate. Although the ear seems under developed, it could be seen as having a highly adapted middle ear that could allow for underground communication, as the marsupial mole does make a high pitched noise when removed from the ground or disturbed. It is thought the sound can travel under ground for a decent distance.

Some interesting facts about marsupial moles:

• The marsupial mole spends most of its time 1-10 centimeters below the surface on average.


• When burrowing, the marsupial mole burrows straight down at random times, going as far as three meters for no apparent reason.


• The marsupial mole has a highly unusual body temperature management, and it can change in the extreme, from 15-30°C (59-86 Fahrenheit), but does not seem to affect its metabolism.


• When at rest the metabolism of the marsupial mole is very low, however when it burrows it can increase up to sixty times, providing a large burst of energy and activity.

Picture of the marsupial mole by Bartus.malec, licensed under GFDL

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Wednesday 12 November 2008 Striped hyena - master scavenger

They have big heads, big eyes, and ears that are also big, yet this is not a giant animal. The Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena) has a strong jaw, and both genders do not have a significant difference in appearances. The coloring of the coat is either gray or brown, and dark stripes run the length of the Striped Hyena's body. In captivity, it could reach a life span of 24 years. Striped Hyenas live in thornbrushes, stony and desert grounds.

Thought of as a solitary being, the Striped Hyena has a complicated social setup. The striped hyenas do not emit whooping calls that the spotted hyenas emit. Instead, the former have greeting rituals, and far-distance communications are done via scent-marking. More often than not, the Striped Hyena is nocturnal, foraging alone or with a single companion. Group member may eat at a single setting, but it is a very rare occurrence. Fact is, they would avoid competitions over food, and speaking of foods, they are scavengers adn they spend a lot of time looking for carrion.

The newborns are blind, and they are produced after a gestation time of about ninety days, approximately. The female has half a dozen nipples, while the brown kind has less. The adults would bring food to the "nesting dens" to feed the young.

Just like so many other animals, the numbers of these hyenas are going down. The question now is: are they endangered at present? Not yet, but they are rare, and this rare could become 'threatened' sooner or later. This is due to two main reasons: habitat destruction and hunting. Those in the Arabian Peninsula are facing extinction actually, and if mankind does not do something dramatic to meet this developments, this kind of hyena may totally disappear in this part of the globe.

Interesting fact: This hyena could be called a "master scavenger", it is capable of digesting things other animals would not dare "touch". One could take in bones, while indigestible matters such as horns are regurgitated.

Picture of the striped hyena by Martin Bayer, licensed under GFDL

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Monday 03 November 2008 Canadian lynx

The Canada lynx or Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis) has a pelage which is frosted in appearance, and just a bit spotted, and the pelage's color varies. It can be red-brown, or gray, and very rarely, what they call the blue-lynx. They have long back legs and a short tail, but their feet are fur-layered, making them look like snowshoes, which in fact they are.

A lot of people get confused in recognizing them, mistaking them for a bobcat, but they could be distinctively recognized by the tip of the tail. The Canada Lynx's tail tip is black all around, whereas the bobcat's tail tip has a white underside.

The Canadian lynx can be found in Alaska, Canada and some parts of the US. At the conclusion of gestation, females would give birth to one up to eight newborns. Weaning is approximately three to five months, and an individual Canada Lynx would attain sexual maturity after 2 years.

This lynx is solitary, except for a female with newborns. Their diet almost totally consists on the snowshoe hare, and because the latter's numbers go up every decade, so does the numbers of the Canada Lynxes. If a single hare is nowhere to be found, desperation would make a lynx go after birds or rodents.

Indeed, trapping is still one of the major dangers to the lynx's survival, as this particular animal is easily captured. It may sound alarming, but the future of these lynxes are not as bad as the other kind of felines- according to some experts.

Interesting fact: the debates continues whether this lynx is a separate breed from the Eurasian kind, or just a subspecies, and the jury is still out on this one. The number of experts on both sides of the fence are equally divided.

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