Tuesday 22 February 2011 Galapagos fur seal - Nature's Most Insulated Fur Bearer

The Galapagos fur seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis) is one of the smallest eared seals and is only 1 1/2 meters in length (4.5 feet) and they generally weigh just under 64 Kilograms (141 lbs). These seals have a brownish coat and are found in the Galapagos Island Chain, just west of Ecuador. Though they were once completely endemic to this island chain, colonies of Galapagos fur seals have been established around the world by the Organization for Research and Conservation. As a result, they can now be found as far north as Peru.

Galapagos fur seals have a diet that consists of mainly fish and cephalopods, with their dietary preferences centering mainly around the Galapagos reef octopus and Broadclub Cuttlefish. The hunting duties of the colony are delegated to the female of the species and each female assumes a territory that is a satellite of the larger fur seal colony. The female will use this territory to hunt for food and breed her pups. Seal pups will nurse for approximately two years before they head off on their own and establish their own territories.

The food supply for Galapagos fur seals are plentiful for most years. This changes during an El Nino season, however. This is because an El Nino causes the waters around the islands to warm dramatically, thus driving their primary prey to cooler waters. This can have a devastating effect on the colonies of the fur seals because the adult seals tend to feed themselves before they feed their young, thereby causing many of the pups to die from starvation.

What makes the Galapagos fur seal so unique and distinguishable from other seal species is its lush coat. The fur coats of this species are fuller and thicker than other species, giving them the ability to dive to extraordinary depths, even in very cold waters. It also enables them to withstand temperatures below freezing, making them one of the most insulated animals in the Galapagos Island Chain. Unfortunately, their characteristic fur coat is also almost what drove them to extinction. During the late nineteenth century, these seals were extensively hunted for their fur coats, which were highly prized in the United States and Europe. In recent years this trend has been reversed and the Galapagos fur seal population is once again vibrant and healthy.

Picture of the Galapagos fur seal by Andy Jones (original), licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Monday 21 February 2011 Olingo - Expert Jumper

The Olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii) is a light brown and cream colored creature that has a length of between 35 and 48 centimeters or 14 and 19 inches and a weight of 10 to 15 kilograms or 22 to 33 pounds. They have tails that are quite long, usually about the length of the body. The Olingo also has a round head and small round ears. The eyes possess large pupils and are typically cinnamon in color. The creature has 40 razor sharp teeth in the form of canines, premolars, and molars.

Olingos typically eat during the night with this diet consisting primarily of fruits, lizards, and insects. The typical predators of the species consist of snakes as well as large cats such as the jaguar.

The Olingo has no definitive breeding season. The mating is started by the males of the species who produce penetrating and drawn out calls after they detect that a female in heat is nearby. Mating will then take place and will occur numerous times between the two animals.

The animal has an average gestation of 73 days with one birth resulting from the pregnancy. The newborn is deaf as well as blind and has short and sparse hair that is grey-black in color. The newborn is typically about 22 centimeters or 9 inches in length and 55 grams or 2 ounces in weight. The eyes and the ears will typically begin functioning within the first two weeks of life. It becomes fully mature when it reaches the age of 2 years.

It has been difficult for researchers to determine the exact behavior of the Olingo as it typically lives within thick forest environments and are primarily nocturnal, solitary, and arboreal. The creatures typically sleep within the cavities of trees and are excellent jumpers and climbers. In fact, they are able to jump as far as 3 meters from one limb to another. Because of this incredible ability to jump, they are able to often avoid their predators such as snakes and wildcats.

Olingos live in the rainforest located in Northeastern South America and Central America. They primarily live between sea level and 2,000 meters and remain in the tops of trees in the dense forest and they rarely travel from the treetop to the forest floor.

Olingos are quite rare, however, they are rated as IUCN which is the lower risk so they are fortunately not close to being extinct.

Picture of the olingo by Jeremy Gatten, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Monday 14 February 2011 Naked Mole Rat - More Than Meets The Eye

The naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a rodent, known for its burrowing and is indigenous to East Africa. The mole rat possesses a number of characteristics which allow it to survive in underground and harsh environments.

The average naked mole rat is between 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 centimeters) in length and weighs between 1.1 and 1.2 ounces (30 to 35 grams). They have small eyes, poor sight, and have legs that are quite short and thin. They are also able to move backward and forward at the same quick pace and have large teeth that allow them to dip. The term "naked" comes from the fact that they have very little hair and gray-pink skin.

The species is highly adapted to situations in which oxygen is limited within tunnels of their habitat. The lungs are small and their blood is greatly able to bond oxygen. They have very low metabolic and respiration rates. During periods of drought and hunger, the metabolic can decrease further to about 25% of its normal level.

The naked mole rat lives predominantly in the dry tropical grasslands in East Africa with large concentrations being concentrated in Somalia, Kenya, and southern Ethiopia. Groups of around 80 individual mole rats (although it can be as few as 20 and as many as 200) live within a complex burrowing system within the African desert. These tunnel systems can be quite long, between two to three miles in length.

There is a complex hierarchical structure where one queen and between 1 and 3 males reproduce, the other naked mole rats are workers and sterile. Dimorphism exists between the males, two forms of workers (tunnel digging/gathering and soldiers), and the breeding males. The breeding males and the queen can keep up their relationship for several years. The queens can live for a period of between 13 and 18 years and are quite hostile towards other females. Upon the death of the queen, another female will become queen in her place.

The naked mole rat mostly eats large tubers that they find underground during their mining exhibitions. However, they are also known for eating their own fecal matter. One tuber, depending upon its size, can feed a colony for several months or years as they only eat the inside of the tuber. They leave the outer parts so that the tuber is able to regenerate.

Naked mole rats are currently not a threatened species. Although their living conditions are tough, they are a widespr>