Wednesday 28 September 2011 The Charming and Social Degu

The degu (Octodon degus) is a small mammal belonging to the rodent family, and is most closely related to the guinea pig and chinchilla. Degus are sometimes referred to as brush-tailed rats, and originate from the grasslands of Chile. They average at about 25 to 30 centimeters (9.8–12.2 inches) in length and weigh 170 to 300 grams (6-11 ounces). The degu has small ears, powerful hind legs and a long tail similar to a rat's tail except furry. The degu's genus name, Octodon, comes from the appearance of its front teeth, which are in the shape of a figure 8.

Degus are strict herbivores, and in the wild their diet consists largely of dried grasses, shrubs and the occasional seed. One interesting fact about the degu's diet is that these animals seem to be highly susceptible to diabetes due to their natural diet consisting of very low amounts of sugar. For this reason, degus have become popular in the medical research field.

Degus are highly social creatures, and in the wild they live together as large families in burrows. They are communal diggers, and organize coordinated digging projects. Through teamwork, degus create vast circuits of tunnels and nests that couldn't be made by one individual degu. Even the female degus will sometimes nest and nurse their pups communally. Degus tend to forage for food in groups as well, in order to increase the chance of detecting nearby predators. They communicate primarily by sound, and can produce up to 15 unique sounds. Degus are diurnal, meaning they sleep during the peak daylight and nighttime hours and awaken during dusk and dawn, when it is harder for predators to find them as they forage for food.

Because of their popularity in diabetes research, degus were imported from Chile during the 1950s, and it was found that they make charming pets. While not mainstream pets yet, they are slowly becoming more popular. Degus are quite easily tamed, and remain active, playful and extremely social in captivity. They are very inquisitive and like to chew, however, so a large metal cage with plenty of running and climbing room is a must. Also, degu owners must make sure to provide their pets with other degu companions, since they are such social animals. They must also make sure to provide the right type of low-sugar diet. Degus will even bathe themselves in dust like chinchillas do.

Picture of the degu by Jessica Skinner (Daintiest at en.wikipedia), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Tuesday 27 September 2011 Northern Saw-Whet Owl - Cute Trickster

The Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius Acadicus), is a member of the Strigidae classification of owls from the 26 genera known as typical owls. This distinction is divided down to four Aegolius species commonly called 'small forest owls'. The Northern Saw-Whet is one of the smallest owls. They have a short, stocky build with a relatively short tail. The average Saw-Whet measures 7 - 8.5 or 18 - 22cm in length. Their weight ranges from 2.6 - 4.6 ounces or 75 - 130 grams. Wingspan of these forest owls are 17-21 inches or 23-53 cm.

Acadicus indicates where the owls were originally sighted. European explorers came across them in a North America location called Acadia which is now Nova Scotia. The name Saw-Whet was coined because of the unique sound these owls emit. They are an attractive bird with fluffy plumage of brownish red streaked with white and spotted underneath. Their flight feathers are spotted with white. The owls have a rather large head and unlike other owls, no ear tufts.

Northern Saw-Whet owls live and nest in dense forest areas. They prefer coniferous trees but will roost in heavy shrubs. They often build their nests in places where woodpeckers, like the Pileated and Northern Flicker, have hollowed out a hole. They prefer to nest alongside creeks and streams. Saw-Whet owls are carnivorous, existing mostly on small mammals, frogs and insects. They also kill and eat birds like sparrows, chickadees or even larger cardinals and doves. The Saw-Whet has a curious habit of 'freezing' their left-overs. Rarely do they eat an entire carcass but tear it in half and store the remaining meal inside the nest.

In breeding the male picks out the nest and lures the female with song, dance and a mouse in its bill. They breed from March through July, typical nest is five to six eggs. The male provides food during the broody season, about 21 days, but the female keeps the nest tidy. When the nestling are about 18 days old she finds a new home but helps feed the young owls for several weeks.

Northern Saw-Whet owls are not on an endangered list. Their predators are larger owls, Cooper'/script>