Monday 30 September 2013 Pampas deer - The World's Most Polymorphic Mammal

The Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) is known as the world's most polymorphic mammal. Their hide consists of tan fur that is lighter on the insides of their legs and their undersides. They have white patches under their throats and on their lips, and their coats do not change with the seasons.They have bushy, short tails and much like a white-tailed deer their tail is lifted when they run, thus revealing a white patch.

There are three subspecies of Pampas deer.
1. O.b. bezoarticus - dwell in central and eastern Brazil, south of the Amazon and into Uruguay, and is pale red-brown in color.
2. O.b. leucogaster - live in the southwest region of Brazil to the southeast section of Bolivia, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina and are a tawny-brown color.
3. O.b. celer - live in the southern section of Argentina and are a bay color. This is an endangered species and the most rare Pampas deer.

Females are lighter, normally weighing around 33.5 kg or approximately 74 pounds, while males weigh in at an average of 40 kg or 88 pounds. Pampas deer usually have a body length of 110-140 cm, or 43 to 55 inches, and have a shoulder height of about 70-75 cm, or about 27 to 29 inches. Males have antlers while the females have whorls that look like mini-antlers stubs. The males antlers upper prong is divided, but the front main prong is just one solid piece. Males also have a special gland in their back hooves that secretes a smell that can be detected up to 1.5 km or almost one mile.

The Pampas deer is currently classified as a "near threatened" species, meaning they could have the potential of becoming endangered in the future, but as of now there are enough of them that they do not qualify as a threatened species.

Their diet usually consists of herbs, shrubs, and new green growth. They don't consume as much grass as they do browse, which are twigs, leaves, and shoots, and forbs, which are flowering big-leafed plants that have soft stems. They will usually migrate to the where the source of food is the greatest. While the Pampas deers living in Argentina and Uruguay no longer have to worry about predators, those living in Brazil must still be wary of cougars.

Picture of the pampas deer by Carla Antonini, licensed under GFDL You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Wednesday 25 September 2013 Animal with the name "Fisher" not a fish-eater

The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a marten, living in North America. Despite its name, it seldom eats fish. Its name is believed to be derived from the French "fichet", which is the name for a pelt of the European polecat. They are solitary hunters. Interesting is that they are the only known predator to constently hunt porcupines and were reintroduced in some parts of North America to control the population of porcupines in the area. As a result, cats and dogs were also killed in the area by Fishers. They have a remarkable call, that sounds like a child screaming. You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Tuesday 24 September 2013 The Beautiful Fork-Marked Lemur of Madagascar

The Fork-marked lemur (Phaner furcifer) is a primate found in Madagascar. They tend to live in two main parts of the country, including the humid forests of the eastern portion of the country as well as the dry and temperate forests in the western part of Madagascar. They spend a majority of their time in gum-producing trees, where they live and eat. The fork-marked lemur is known for their harvesting skills of gum trees in this region. They also possess a dental comb, which is a row of teeth on the lower jaw that allows for gum to be extracted from the trees. The fork-marked lemurs also eat some insects, although to a lesser degree than they consume gum.

As a rule, the fork-marked lemur lives in a monogamous relationship with their mate. Once bonded, the lemurs live together in a hole in a tree and share their lives there. They reproduce only with one mate at a time. Both males and females participate in the raising of offspring, although the females tend to play a larger role in the lives of young ones than males do. This is a similar trait found in many primates, including other lemurs.

Many are dying because of deforestation in their homelands. Lemurs are tree-dwelling creatures, and forestry has become a popular industry that is taking the lives of these animals. For this reason, the fork-marked lemur is rapidly becoming more and more endangered each year. Among potential predators are carnivorous tenrecs, fossas, and herpestids native to Madagascar. These lemurs are also likely to fall victim to snakes and birds of prey.

The average life expectancy for the fork-marked lemur is around twelve years. One infant is born to a lemur pair each season, and infants are expected to live with their parents until able to fend for themselves. Actual life span has decreased greatly since many lemurs have no trees to live in while in the wild, but lemurs who are under the care of humans tend to live around twelve years.

These lemurs are most commonly known for their distinct markings on the face. The fork-marked lemur is named for its two black stripes that run from the eyes to the tip of the snout, making the animal stand out among its other lemur counterparts. These lemurs also possess large, bushy tails that can be between 29 and 37 centimeters long. You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Monday 23 September 2013 The Kouprey - the World's Rarest Mammal

The Kouprey (Bos Sauveli), is a wild ox-like creature that primarily lives in the peripherals of dense, Cambodian monsoon forests, and it was first discovered by the western world in 1937 when one of the species was shipped to the Zoological Garden of Paris. The animal has long been a cultural icon to the people of South-East Asia, and the animal's importance to eastern society was exemplified when, due to its rarity, elusiveness, and mysterious behavior, Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia named the Kouprey the national animal of the country; the animal's importance to all humanity, however, lies in its possible facilitation of the study of genetics. The Kouprey's resilience to disease and its ability to survive in harsh climates may contain information helpful to scientists.

Weighing between 680 and 910 kilograms, the Kouprey is an herbivore that feeds on herbaceous vegetation as well as the shoots and leaves from trees and shrubbery; the Kouprey inhabits deep forests that border extensive grassy plains, and it grazes in the grassland at night while retreating into the safety of the forest during the day. The most unique physical feature of the animal is its frayed horns; due to its constant habitual digging, the oxen's horns fray and peel back around the age of three, but they continue to grow following this natural mutilation.

Though this mammal once lived in parts of Laos, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, its natural habitat and population have been significantly reduced due to illegal civilian and military hunting, illegal logging, disease, and slash-and-burn agricultural techniques; the Kouprey's habitat is now confined to Northern and Eastern Cambodia. With the date of the most recent confirmable sighting of the animal debatable, the Kouprey has been labeled critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or the IUCN. The only evidences of the animals continued survival are various sets of tracks that match those of the creature and sporadic instances of Kouprey skulls in Cambodian marketplace. Current estimates by the IUCN place the total population between 150 and 300, and it is widely pontificated that the animal will become extinct in the near future without bureaucratic protection and increased Cambodian awareness of the creatures tentative condition.

Picture of the kouprey by Liger, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Wednesday 18 September 2013 The Tibetan Fox - Silent Stalker of the Steppes

The Tibetan Fox (Vulpes ferrilata), also known as the Wa or Wamo, is a smaller breed of fox that lives in the high altitude grassland plains of the Tibetan Plateau, China and India. They can also be found in the treeless slopes of Nepal, north of the Himalayas. They are characterized by soft, thick red fur with a grey undercoat and a white underbelly with a long, bushy tail that has a white tip. Their dense coat protects them from the fierce winds of the barren landscape. An adult Tibetan fox can grow as large as 2 feet in length (60 to 70 cm) and usually weighs 9 to 12 pounds (4 to 5.5 kg).

Discovered by Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1842, the Tibetan fox is best known for his uniquely square-shaped face and small, triangular ears that are set close to his head. Perhaps the square-shape is to facilitate hunting skills. These foxes have a very keen sense of hearing, making them excellent hunters. This fox lives in a burrow or hollow and rests throughout the day. They are most active at dawn and dusk, hunting for whatever they can find. Mainly feeding on pikas (small, black-lipped, rodents resembling rabbits), the Tibetan Fox are rarely found where pikas are not present. They also hunt other small mammals, lizards, insects, birds, and scavenge on the remains of dead carrion.

The Tibetan fox mates for life and often hunts in pairs. They begin mating in Late February through the end of March, usually having two to four kits after a 50 to 60 day gestation period. The kits are born in a den or burrow that has been dug by both of their parents. The young kits stay with their parents for about 8 to 10 months and then go off on their own to search for a mate, though not far, as these foxes are not territorial.

Domestic dogs have been known to kill the Tibetan Fox and can be considered a dangerous adversary. Other predators of the Tibetan Fox are human hunters, who kill them for their fur to wear as hats. Although not considered to be threatened or endangered at this time, a more indirect threat to the fox is the government sponsored poisoning of pikas, the fox’s main food source. If this program continues, the endangered status of the Tibetan Fox will need to be reassessed.

See also Jan Reurinks pictures of the Tibetan fox You can help spreading the word about this animal by liking it on facebook

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Tuesday 17 September 2013 The Peruvian Desert Fox, South America's Little Zorro

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