Saturday 31 January 2009 Purple frog

A frog that was thought to be nearly extinct was found again recently, and is considered highly endangered. The name of the frog is the Purple Frog although it is also called the Pig Nosed frog. Its body appears like a normal frogs, however the nose and mouth are unique. It lives mostly under the soil throughout the year and only comes out when a monsoon soaks the land during the yearly monsoon season. For around two weeks they mate, lay their eggs, and then vanish back under the ground for another year.

The adaptation of their strange face allows them to feed while under the surface on mostly termites, and they are rarely seen above ground otherwise; the frog is around 3 inches (8 cm) in length and weighs 5 ounces (142 grams). It is because of this very nature that they are seldom found, and often times overlooked. A rare species that is listed as endangered is further threatened by habitat loss, and climate change.

Its binomial name is Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, and it is considered a living fossil, as it is the only remaining member of its genus. It is related to the Seychelles Frogs as they belong to the same family, however when the Purple frog diverged – it was over 100 million years ago.


Picture of the purple frog by Karthickbala, licensed under GFDL

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Sunday 25 January 2009 Nile lechwe

The Nile Lechwe (Kobus megaceros), pronounced 'letchway', is an antelope found in southern Sudan and western Ethiopia. 'Lechwe' is actually the Bantu word meaning 'antelope'. It is 90-100 centimeters in height (shoulder) and can weigh 70 to 110 kilograms. Nile Lechwe live in marsy environments where they consume aquatic plans. They are active in the early morning and in the late afternoon, when they gather in herds of up to fifty females with one male or an all-male (smaller) group.

Amphibious hooves

The Nile Lechwe can also be called the 'amphibious antelope', because it has adapted to seasonal flooding and the wet grounds. It has exceptionally long hooves compared to other antilopes. While this allows them to jump quickly through the water, it causes them to look clumsy on dry land, compared to other antelopes, and aren't adjusted to life on the open savanna. It is almost always in the shallow water on the edge of deep swamps where the water is between 10-40 centimeters.

There is extreme sexual dimorphism in the Nile lechwe in color and size. Males get much bigger and dark brown, while the females remain blonde dureing their lives.

Talking antelopes

The Nile Lechwe actually produces a lot of vocalizations in the form of snorts and croaks. Females call their calves and the calves have a special call with which they can respond. Males have them same call as the females, but snort more.

Threats

The wildlife in southern Sudan and south-western Ethiopia has been severely affected by civil wars, resettlement of humans, firearms, hunting for meat and water development projects. Nile Lechwe are constrained by the large numbers of cattle during the dry season. The last estimate of the IUCN was between 30,000 and 40,000, and considered low risk.

Picture of the Nile Lechwe by horn2000, licensed under GFDL

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Monday 19 January 2009 Aoudad

An Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) can range from 1.3 to 1.65 meters in length, with a tail length of 15 centimeter, and its weight ranges from 30 to 145kgs. The Aoudads' outer coverings are red or sandy brown. Bother sexes have a heavy covering of hair at the throat's area, but for the male, this covers its front feet and chest. The Aoudad has very thick, triangular-based horns. Their horns have rings, and as the Aoudad gets older, worn down, which gives a smooth facade. They live in the rocky mountains of North Africa.

The Aoudad has a gestation period of 160 days, and the average number in a litter is just one. Although it has been recorded that in rare occasions, they could go to three. The longevity of an Aoudad is 20 years, give or take a year or two. Breeding can occur at any time within the year, but the peak goes from September to November.

Principally, this is a desert dweller, and they are most busy at the cooler hours of the dusk/dawn, and they seek refuge during the day's heat. Talking of sure-footed animals, this animal is surely one, they can jump 2 meters without difficulties. They usually get water from the foods they get, but if water is within reach, they also drink. Their diet consists of lichens, acacia and grass. The leopard is their natural predator.

In North Africa, their numbers are dwindling, but they have been introduced to southern US and parts of Spain. Their numbers in this part of the world has been increasing so much, that they have begun infringing on the territories of the indigenous desert bighorn sheep.

Oh...this you should know, the word is pronounced as "Ow-dad", and this is the name used by the North African tribe of Berbers.

Interesting fact: The newborns are capable of traversing rocky hills just (almost immediately) after being born.

Picture of the Aoudad by Andrzej Barabasz (Chepry), licensed under GFDL

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Monday 12 January 2009 Bighorn sheep

Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) are sheep that live in North America and Siberia, they have very big horns which can grow to be massive, weighing in at 30lbs (around 14 kilograms). They are named for these massive horns, however only the males have them at such sizes, females have much smaller horns. Their coats range in colors of earthy tones, from browns to grays, and these colors can vary from sheep to sheep. Ewes (term for a female) can weigh 200lbs (~90kg) while rams (term for a male) typically weigh double that amount (400-500lbs or ~ 200-230kg), and sometimes can grow larger depending on the subspecies, while others are much smaller. The sheep usually graze on many shrubs and grasses, and during the winter they focus on the shrubs. They also seek out natural sources of vital minerals where there are salt deposits. A social herbivore, they live in large herds, but lack any real lead ram or ewe. Dominance is established during mating season by the males in a ritualistic event where they ram each other.

There are several species of Bighorn sheep. The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis Canadensis) lives from Canadian British Columbia along the Rocky Mountains down through Colorado into Arizona. The California Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis californiana) inhabits Canadian British Columbia down through Washington and Oregon into California, and interestingly also into North Dakota. Nelson’s Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelson) is a sheep subspecies most commonly found in the desert between California and Arizona in the mountain ranges. The Mexicana Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) inhabits ranges from Arizona and New Mexico south to Sonora and Chihuahua. The Peninsular Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis cremnobates) has its foothold in the Californian and Baja mountain ranges, down through the Baja peninsula and Weem’s Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis weemsi) also lives in Baja California. Audubon's Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis auduboni) used to live in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Nebraska – but they are now extinct.

The history of the Bighorn Sheep is a successful conservation story, as around 1800 Bighorns were widespread and numbered in the millions, however a hundred years later by 1900 there were very few left, as their numbers had been cut down to the thousands and were scarcely found in the wild. The reasons for the decline were diseases from domestic sheep, along with competition for food with domestic sheep, and hunting or killing to make room for the domesticated sheep. However, in the 1930s the Boy Scouts undertook a campaign to save the Bighorn sheep in Arizona, as the numbers there were hardest hit and they were at the brink of extinction in that state. Less than 200 were observed in the mountains of Arizona by Fredrick Burnham, and he began the conservation effort. After this more organizations joined the efforts and 1.5 million acres of land were given to help the Bighorn sheep and save it.

Other efforts included the reintroduction to areas it had gone extinct in, along with natural parks, and decreased domestic sheep numbers as the demand for wool went down after the end of the Second World War. Only one subspecies went extinct (Audobon’s Bighorn Sheep which lived in and on the Black Hills), while the rest were able to make a recovery. Today Bighorn Sheep are listed as Conservation Dependant, in that as long as we keep their status quo, do not destroy habitat, or cause competition with domestic sheep, or hunt them on a grand scale, they will continue to thrive.

The Binomial name of Bighorn Sheep is Ovis canadensis, which means it belongs to the Genus Ovis. Ovis consists of all sheep, from the Dall Sheep to the Argali Sheep and the Domestic Sheep. Ovis belongs to the Subfamily Caprinae which includes the goats, antelopes, takins, ibexes, gorals and many others. In this subfamily no less than five species are endangered, eight at risk, seven in a concerned status, and only seven as secure and not at risk of extinction. Caprinae belongs to Bovidae of which there are 140 species, from the extremely large Gaur (endangered) which can weigh 3,300lbs (1500kg) to the tiny Royal Antelope which is about a foot (30cm) at its tallest and weighs as much as an average housecat, and it also includes the domestic cow. Bovidae belongs to Artiodactyla, otherwise known as even-toed ungulates, and in this order pigs, hippos, camels, deer, and giraffes along with many more are a member. Artiodactyla belongs to the Superorder Laurasiatheria which includes the odd toed ungulates, the carnivores, bats, anteaters, moles and shrews, and hedgehogs in their various Suborders and Families. Laurasiatheria belongs to the infraclass Eutheria which is all placental mammals and their extinct relatives. Eutheria belongs to the subclass Theria which includes the Marsupials. Theria belongs to Mammalia, which belongs to the Phylum Chordata in the Kingdom Animalia.

Fact: The Bighorn Sheep is very adept at climbing and does so to avoid coyotes, cougars, and other threats.

Picture of the juvenile Bighorn sheep and the adult sheep by Alan D. Wilson, October 2007 for naturespicsonline.com, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0

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Sunday 04 January 2009 Black-backed jackal

The Black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas), also known as the Silver-backed jackal lives in two distinct regions in Africa. One region is South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and the other Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. The Black-backed jackal lives in scrubland, open woodlands, savanna, and bush. They live in pairs most of their lives and are very territorial. Black-backed jackals can team up together when hunting for antelopes or impala.

A Black-backed jackal weighs on the average about 5 to 10 kgs. They have black hair, from which their name is derived, found from the nape all the way to its tail's area. Their chest and underparts are white. The rest of their fur can go from red-brown to ginger shade. Its head is very much like a dog's, possessing a pronounced muzzle and ears that are high-pointed. The female Black-backed jackal's color is usually less pronounced.

They are mainly nocturnal, but jackals can be active both in nighttime and daytime. If it is living near the borders of human settlement, it only comes out at night. When they go after a prey, its ears are pricked. Their senses of smell and hearing are very well-developed. This particular kind of jackal is cautious when it comes to human beings, and against bigger animals, they are not aggressive, unless threatened.

Their diet can consist, besides impala, fur seal cubs, gazelle, guinea fowl, of insects, reptiles, birds, grass, fruits, snakes and they could even go through trash dumps just to look for something. Black-backed jackals are not endangered, and one major reason is their resourcefulness.

Interesting fact: Because of their speed, the black-backed jackal can snatch a bite or two from under a lion's, hyena's, or leopard's nose.

Picture of the black-backed jackal by Hans Hillewaert, licensed under Attribution ShareAlike 2.5

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Saturday 03 January 2009 Small Asian mongoose

The Small Asian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) can be found (either native or introduced) in so many places on earth,: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Viet Nam. They have also been introduced to the following nations/states: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Jamaica, Japan, Puerto Rico, Suriname and Hawaii. Why are they introduced so extensively, you may ask, well...one reason is to minimize the populations of both snakes and rodents in sugarcane fields. The mongoose introduction did not have the desired effect of rat control.

A Small Indian Mongoose has thick fur, and the undersides are lighter in color. Male Small Indian Mongooses are bigger than the opposite sex, but just by a bit. Diet of this mongoose encompasses as many kinds as the number of countries mentioned above, their diet is mainly insectivorous, but also consists of fish, fruits, rodents, reptiles, birds' eggs, snakes, frogs, slugs, snails, spiders, insects.

They are famous for killing snake. How do they kill snakes? Are they immune from the poison/venom? Answer is no, they are definitely not immune, but the mongooses strikes so fast that the snake has no time to bite. To kill a snake, it would lash out by successive bites until it could manage a lock behind the head, then it would hold the snake with the paws. Lastly, it would maneuver so that a hind leg paralyzes either side of the poor snake...

These mongooses are completely diurnal, living in burrows. Breeding season for the females happens two to three times a year.

Picture of the Small Asian Mongoose by Liné1, licensed under GFDL

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