Wednesday 27 February 2013 Large Hairy Armadillo - The Delicious Omnivore

The Large Hairy Armadillo (Chaetophractus villosus) is the perfect name for this South American native, heavily armored around the body and head with thick bony plates. The difference from most other armadillos is a dense covering of long whitish or light brown hairs. These hairs cover his underparts and project from around the edges of his armor plating. It's Latin name, Chaetophractus Villosus, translates to "Hairy shell Hairy".

An adult weighs approximately two kilograms, or 4.4 pounds, with a snout to tail length varying from 31 cm (12.12 inches) to 57 cm (22.4 inches).

The Large Hairy Armadillo makes its home in Bolivia, Argentina,Chile, Paraguay, and Tierra del Fuego. They can be found from sea level to 1300 meters, in grasslands, savanna, forests, and farmland. Their species is widely distributed and highly adaptive. Some live close to human habitation, and indulge in "dumpster diving" meals, with maggots being a favorite treat.

Humans consider them pests, but also delicious. They are eaten and enjoyed quite extensively. Due to their heavy armor, the Large Hairy Armadillo's only serious predator is man. They are hunted for sport, food, or making musical instruments. They are often victims of road kill as well, due to their poor eyesight.

With their wide distribution and large population, these armadillos are considered to be of Least Concern on the Red List of the IUCN, the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. They are prolific breeders, reaching sexual maturity at an age of about nine months. Females commonly have three litters a year with two offspring. The Large Hairy Armadillo baby looks like a little piglet wearing soft leathery armor and it makes noises not unlike kitten mews.

Large Hairy Armadillos are powerful and fast diggers, due to the long sharp claws on their forefeet. They dig burrows, simple ones for temporary shelter, or complex burrows with branches that are used for living space and raising their young. They are usually nocturnal, but during the wintertime, some daylight activity is not unusual.

Except for humans and their appetites, dogs, and cars, the Large Hairy Armadillo doesn't have such a bad life. They can be quite long-lived, reaching over twenty three years in captivity. Due to their adaptability and omnivorous diet, they have made a presence in large parts of South America.

Picture of the large hairy armadillo by Guérin Nicolas, licensed under GFDL You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Tuesday 26 February 2013 Bengal fox

The Bengal fox (Vulpes bengalensis) is the species of fox most often found across the Indian subcontinent and Himalayan foothills, grayer, paler and smaller than its European cousins with the typically elongated muzzle, pointed ears and bushy tale. The Bengal fox typically weighs half of a European fox's weight, between 2.3 to 4.1 kilograms (five to nine pounds;) from the tip of its now to the tip of its tail, it measures 70 to 90 centimeter (28 to 38 inches.)

Within its extensive range, the Bengal fox's preferred habitat is open grasslands or and scrub forest; it's never found in jungles, tall grasslands or steep hillsides. The Bengal fox's favourite time of day is dawn or twilight; it spends the hottest hours of the day hiding from the sun under thick vegetation or dozing in its multi-chambered tunnel.

The Bengal fox is not a pack animal; it's sparsely distributed across its preferred habitat and populations can fluctuate wildly according to the availability of its prey. They live as male/female dyads but generally prefer to hunt alone. Like most foxes, male and female Bengal foxes mate for life and the male and the female share responsibility for the cubs. Their breeding period lasts from December to January, and the males make loud vocalizations throughout the act.

Often the female will begin digging a new tunnel or excavating an old tunnel before she mates; the tunnel later becomes her cubs' first home. Females bear young once a year after a gestation period of a little over 50 days. Average litter size is two cubs but females can bear up to six cubs.

Bengal foxes are omnivores and opportunistic eaters; their diets mostly consist of rodents, reptiles, crabs, termites, insects, small birds, and fruits.

The average lifespan of the Bengal fox is believed to be between 10 and 12 years in the wild. Its main predators are Asiatic wolves, feral dogs and -- man. As human populations expand and the species' preferred grassland habitat is repurposed for agricultural and industrial ends, the Bengal fox's habitat continues to shrink. While no specific conservation efforts have been targeted to the Bengal Fox, extinction is a possibility if its habitat continues to decline. Hunting of the animal is prohibited by the 1991 Indian Wildlife Protection Act, but the animal is occasionally hunted nonetheless since its teeth and tail are prized as folk medicine.

Picture of the bengal fox by A. T. Vanak, licensed under GFDL You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Monday 25 February 2013 Hartebeest - At Home on the African Range

Hartebeests (Alcelaphus buselaphus) are the African antelope. Had Dr. Brewster M. Higley, who wrote the poem "Home on the Range," visited Africa, the poem might well have said: "Home, home on the range, where the deer and the hartebeests roam." In 1876 when Dr. Higley penned the now famous poem, it ranged the entirety of Africa from Morocco and Egypt in the north, to South Africa, Nambia, and Botswana in South. Now, due largely to the extinction of the Bubal Hartebeest that grazed the grasslands and forests of Northern Africa, hartebeests are no longer found in the north.

The word hartebeest is derived the Dutch word for deer, hertebeest. In general, they stand nearly 5 feet at the shoulder (1.5m) and weigh between 265-440 lbs. (120-200 kg). Their body style is more muscular than other antelope with high withers and sloping hindquarters. Their elongated head gives them a horsey countenance.
Both males and females have horns that can extend as long as 27 inches (70 cm).

The shape of the hartebeest's horns is one way to determine the specific subspecies. There are three basic horn patterns for the hartebeests:

• The U-shaped horns distinguish hartebeests that graze in the west African countries of Cambela, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
• The V-shaped horns are found on hartebeests in southern Africa.
• The inverted-bracket horn pattern are seen on hartebeests in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia.

Hartebeests graze in medium and tall grass savannas and move about in herds. Female hartebeests form small groups to provide safety for their young. Male hartebeests move away from the herd and become more solitary as the reach sexual maturity. Whether alone or in herds, hartebeests keep a constant vigil for natural predators that include cheetahs, jackals, lions, hyenas, and leopards. In addition to natural predators, hartebeests are also hunted by humans for food and for sport.

There are many subspecies of hartebeests: Coke's, Jackson's, Red, Swayne's , Lelwel, Tora, and Bubal to name a few. Only one is extinct, the Bubal Hartebeest. The Bubal Hartebeests wercreateElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();