Friday 27 April 2012 Greater Grison -- South American Honey Badger

The greater grison (Galictis vittata) resembles a thin honey badger (Mellivora capensis.) Both species are related. They both belong in the weasel family. The “grison” part of their common name is an English variation on the French word for gray, “gris.” Like the honey badger, the greater grison is a temperamental carnivore. The greater grison is so fierce that it is unknown what, if any creatures outside of humans hunt them.

Fortunately for both the greater grison and the honey badger, they do not meet each other because they live on different continents. The honey badger lives in Africa, while the greater grison lives in Central and South America. Its range extends as far north as Mexico and as far south as Brazil. The greater grison is not listed as an endangered or threatened species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN.) This could be due to their adaptability. They make their homes in a variety of habitats, including grasslands and rainforests. They also do well in captivity and have been trained to hunt chinchillas and other small animals for people.

Physical Appearance

The head, forelegs and underside of a greater grison is covered in short sooty black fur while the back, sides and hind legs are covered in longer, silvery-gray fur. The body is long and slim with the hindquarters higher than the top of the animal’s head. The head is wedge-shaped with small, rounded ears and small, dark eyes. The legs are comparatively short to keep the greater grison low to the ground.

Males usually grow larger and heavier than females. From nose to the base of the tail, adults grow to a body length of 18.5 to 22 inches (47 to 55 centimeters.) The tail can grow anywhere from 5.5 to 8 inches (14 to 20 centimeters.) Adults weigh from 3.25 to 4.5 pounds (1.5 to 2 kilograms.)

Life Cycle and Behavior

The greater grison lives near water, under rock formations or under tree roots. Adults live in mated pairs but sometimes live alone. This creature is fiercely territorial and fights with any other greater grison that crosses its territory. The average territory size is 2.6 square miles (4.2 square kilometers.) Greater grisons sleep during the day and hunt at night, dusk and dawn. They eat fruits but mostly eat meat from large insects, frogs, snakes, lizards, small birds, eggs, chicks and small mammals like mice.

The mating season is in October. After a 40 day gestation, the female gives birth from 2 to 4 young, sometimes called “puppies.” The female does most of the work raising the young and teaching them to hunt. She nurses them for only a few weeks. With luck, a greater grison can live 10.5 years.

Picture of the greater grison by Tony Hisgett, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Thursday 26 April 2012 Javan langur -- The Monkey With a Mane

The Javan langur (Trachypithecus auratus) is a large monkey that sports a mane like a lion. They are also known as an Ebony letung or Javan letung. The adult Javan langur has long, black hair, which grows forward around the shiny black leather-like face giving it a unique look. The neck and chest are brownish colored. Some of the langurs are a reddish-gold in color even though black is the dominant color. The infant langurs are orange-red in color. Langurs weigh from 7.1-18.1 kg (15.7-40 lbs.). The Javan langur measures 44-65 cm (17.3-25.6 in) in length with a long prehensile tail of 61-98 cm (24-38.6in). The langur is diurnal and arboreal and rarely goes to the ground. However, when they do travel on the ground, they use all four limbs to walk. The Javan langur is found in Java, Bali, and Lombok, Indonesia. There are many different species of langurs that are found in India, Indonesia, and in Asia. The Javan langur resides in forested areas, mangroves, and fresh water swamps. These monkeys are herbivores and favorite foods include flower buds, flowers, ripe or unripe fruit, leaves, and occasionally insects and larvae. Researchers have also observed langurs living on teak plantations. All langurs have enlarged salivary glands along with an asacculated or chambered stomach to aid in the digestion of the cellulose plant material they consume.

The Javan langur is sexually mature at age 3-4. The females give birth to one offspring every 18-21 months. Gestation is 170-200 days, and the infants are born able to see and move around. The infants become independent at 1 year old and the adolescent males then leave the group or troop. They live in all-male groups until old enough and strong enough to become an alpha male. Each troop has one, or sometimes two males, and both of the males will both mate with the females in the troop. The Alpha males are also the protectors of the groups. Langurs are territorial and give out warning “hoots” to warn other troops. Males in the all-male troops rarely fight amongst themselves, whereas, the females tend to be more aggressive to other females within their troop. However, females care for all infants in the troop, which is known as allomothering. Langurs breed all year round so there are always infants in a troop. Troops usually have 7- 23 members.

The Javan langur is listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. Humans are the only known predator at this time. Langurs are illegally hunted for food or captured alive for pets. The habitat of the Javan langurs is being destroyed by deforestation for human habitats, agriculture, and illegal logging. Fortunately, some of these adorable monkeys live on protected reserves.

Picture of the javan langur by Belgianchoclate, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Wednesday 25 April 2012 Great Jerboa - Looks Like a Miniature Rabbit

The great jerboa (Allactaga major) is not a sandy-colored rabbit, despite having very long ears. It’s also not related to a kangaroo, despite hopping on its hind legs. This curious creature is a rodent, meaning its teeth grow throughout its life. There are 25 species of jerboas living throughout Asia and Africa. The great jerboa is the largest. In the past, biologists thought jerboas were long-eared gerbils, but now they know that jerboas are their own family of rodents.

There is not much known about the great jerboa because of their nocturnal nature and their extreme timidity. It is known that they are not in danger of extinction. They have a wide range in the arid grasslands, steppes and deserts of the Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Russia. It is thought their predators include birds of prey, foxes and wolves.

Physical Description

Great jerboas possess the body of a gerbil with long ears, elongated five-toed hind legs and rabbit-like long ears. Their color is a sandy brown with a pale belly, chest and legs. Their eyes appear very large in comparison to the rest of the head. The eyes need to be so large in order for the great jerboas to navigate at night. The tail is much longer than the rest of the body. It is very slim with a white and black tuft at the tip.

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