The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches 40–50 cm at the shoulders and weighs between 8 and 15.5 kg. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central, and South America, and to the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. Both sexes become sexually mature at around two years of age, they can breed throughout the year, though the peak mating season varies geographically. After a gestation period of two to three months, the female gives birth to a litter of one to three kittens. They stay with their mother for up to two years, after which they leave to establish their own home ranges.

The word "ocelot" comes from the Aztec word "tlalocelot," which means field tiger, according to the San Diego Zoo. Ocelots are also sometimes called painted leopards, because of their markings and dwarf leopards, because of their markings and their size. However, ocelots are only distantly related to true leopards or tigers. Leopards and tigers are members of the Pantherinae (roaring cats) subfamily, and ocelots are in the Felinae (small cats) subfamily.

The ocelot inhabits tropical forests, thorn forests, mangrove swamps, and savannas. They prefer habitats with good availability of prey and water and tend to avoid other predators. The ocelot favors areas with dense forest cover and water sources, far from roads and human settlement, avoiding steep slopes and highly elevated areas due to lack of prey. In areas where ocelots coexist with larger predators such as the cougar and human beings, they may tune their active hours to avoid them, and seek dense cover to avoid competitors. The ocelot can adapt well to its surroundings. The ocelot shares a large part of its range with the jaguar, jaguarundi, margay, oncilla, and cougar.

Typically active during twilight and at night, the ocelot tends to be solitary and territorial. During the daytime, it rests on trees, in dens below large trees, or other cool, sheltered sites on the ground. It is agile in climbing and leaping, and escapes predators by jumping on trees. The ocelot scent-marks its territory by spraying urine. The ocelot can be aggressive in defending its territory, fighting even to death.

Ocelots have been observed to follow scent trails to acquire prey. An ocelot typically prefers hunting in areas with vegetation cover, avoiding open areas, especially on moonlit nights, so as not to be seen by the prey. As a carnivore, it preys on small terrestrial mammals such as rodents, lagomorphs, armadillos, opossums, and also fish, insects, reptiles, and small birds. They also take to the trees and stalk monkeys or birds. Unlike many cats, they do not avoid water and can swim well.

Throughout its range, the ocelot is threatened by loss and fragmentation of habitat. The habitat is often fragmented into small pockets that cannot support ocelots well, leading to deaths due to starvation. Traffic accidents have emerged as a major threat over the years as ocelots try to expand beyond their natural habitat to new areas and get hit by vehicles. In the Atlantic Forest in northeastern Argentina, it is affected by logging and poaching of prey species.

Twice the size of the average house cat, the ocelot is a sleek animal with a gorgeous dappled coat. The fur trade was a flourishing business in the 1960s and the 1970s that resulted in severe exploitation of felids such as the ocelot and the jaguar. In the 1960s, ocelot skins were among the most highly preferred in the US, reaching an all-time high of 140,000 skins traded in 1970. This was followed by prohibitions on the commercial trade of spotted cat skins in several range states such as Brazil and the US, causing ocelot skins in trade to plummet. In 1986, the European Economic Community banned the import of ocelot skins, and in 1989, the ocelot was included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. However, hunting of ocelots for skins has continued and is still a major threat to ocelot survival.

Another threat has been the international pet trade, this typically involves capturing ocelot kittens by killing their mothers, these cats are then sold to tourists. Though it is banned in several countries, the pet trade survives, in some areas of Central and South America ocelots are still sold in a few local markets.

Ocelot hunting has been banned in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Trinidad, and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela; regulations have been placed on hunting in Peru. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and The Nature Conservancy are among the agencies actively involved in ocelot conservation efforts, such as the protection and regeneration of vegetation in the Rio Grande Valley.

#WildLife #Rainforest #DwarfLeopard

The Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) is also known as the Etruscan pygmy shrew and the white-toothed pygmy shrew. Etruscan shrew belongs to the class of Mammalia, similar to animals like dolphins and humans. The Etruscan shrew is the smallest living mammal. These species are often found in Europe and North Africa up to Malaysia. They are also found in the Maltese islands, situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Although widespread and not threatened overall, they are generally uncommon and are endangered in some countries.

The Etruscan shrew usually inhabits open terrains where grasslands and scrub meet deciduous forests. Etruscan shrews aren’t very good at digging, so they like making their nests in various natural shelters, crevices, and others' uninhabited burrows. If another animal has vacated their burrow, an Etruscan shrew will take advantage of the situation and move in. They frequent rocks, boulders, stone walls, and ruins, darting quickly in and out between them. The Etruscan shrew prefers warm and damp habitats covered with shrubs which is helpful for the shrew to hide from predators.

A unique aspect of Etruscan shrews is their skull size that's the smallest among mammals. The Etruscan shrew has a body length of about 4 centimeters. The body mass of individuals ranges from 1.6 to 2.4 g. They have poor eyesight but they have acute hearing, highly sensitive whiskers, and an amazing sense of smell, indeed, their long tin noses are mobile and can move about quite sinuously.

Being a small animal, it has slender body features with a relatively large head and hind limbs. Their ears are protuberant and large. Their fur color is pale brown on the back and light gray on the stomach. These shrews also have a fast heart beating rate along with a relatively large heart muscle mass.

This species has the highest mass-specific metabolic rate of all mammals. It must eat up to twice its own body weight every day to keep its small body warm. It feeds on various small vertebrates and invertebrates, mostly insects, and can hunt individuals of the same size as itself. It finds its food by smell and touch. It kills its prey with its poisonous bite and eats it immediately, but takes small insects back to its nest. The shrews are more active during the night

The Etruscan shrew is not only the smallest mammal but also one of the fastest and most tactile hunters.

They only eat live food which they catch and they catch between 20 and 30 prey animals a day. This becomes more impressive when one considers that they eat insects (which have wings and are sometimes bigger than the shrew) as well as spiders and myriapods which are armed with terrible stings and venoms. The shrew dines also on amphibians, baby rodents, worms, and larvae.

While The Etruscan shrew may turn out to be fatal for an insect's or animal's body. The shrew venom is not dangerous to humans. However, The Etruscan shrew shrew bites may result in swelling, pain, and body temperature.

They also eat plants like shrubs in damp areas. These small animals are constantly searching to find food throughout their lives to meet their high energy consumption demands.

They protect their territories by making chirping noises and signs of aggressiveness.

The Etruscan shrew has various ways to communicate; when they defend their territories, the shrew makes chirping noises and becomes aggressive towards intruders. When the Etruscan shrew is in torpor, and if suddenly awakened, it starts with its harsh shrieking sounds. in fact, the Etruscan shrew makes such noise only when it's unable to flee those areas.

Etruscan shrews are solitary animals who like living alone. Their mating system is the only way the shrews get to meet each other.

Etruscan shrews mate primarily from March to October, though they can be pregnant at any time of the year. Pairs usually form in the spring and may tolerate each other and their young for some time at the nest. The gestation period is 27–28 days, and they have 2–6 cubs per litter. Cubs are born naked and blind, weighing only 0.2 g. After their eyes open at 14 to 16 days old, they mature quickly. The mother usually moves the young when they are 9 to 10 days old, and if disturbed, she relocates them by leading them with her tail in a train-like formation, with each cub biting the tail of the one in front. The young Etruscan shrews are weaned at 20 days old. By three to four weeks of age, the young are independent and are soon sexually mature.

The largest threat to Etruscan shrews originates from human activities, particularly the destruction of their nesting grounds and habitats as a result of farming. Etruscan shrews are also sensitive to weather changes, such as cold winters and dry periods. Major predators are birds of prey.

#Wildlife #TactileHunters #Grassland

The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), also known as the sea iguana, saltwater iguana, or Galápagos marine iguana, is a species of iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador).

Scientists figure that land-dwelling iguanas from South America must have drifted out to sea millions of years ago on logs or other debris, eventually landing on the Galápagos. From that species emerged marine iguanas, which spread to nearly all the islands of the archipelago. Each island hosts marine iguanas of unique size, shape, and color.

Marine iguanas mostly eat seaweed and algae. Larger iguanas will dive into the sea in order to forage, sometimes diving as deep as 12 m and staying submerged for more than an hour. Under normal circumstances, they make shallow dives, usually lasting around 10 minutes. The smaller iguanas keep out of the water, feeding instead on algae on rocks in the tidal area.

Their short, blunt snouts and small, razor-sharp teeth help them scrape the algae off rocks, and their laterally flattened tails let them move crocodile-like through the water. Their claws are long and sharp for clinging to rocks onshore or underwater in heavy currents.

Before feeding the marine iguana must raise its body temperatures to approximately 36°C. These iguanas are ectotherms and can lose up to 10°C when in the ocean. To regulate their body temperature they must bask in the sun for long periods of time. Their black skin helps them to absorb lots of heat from the sun so they can dive into the cold ocean. And they even have special glands that clean their blood of extra salt, which they ingest while feeding.

They mainly live in colonies on rocky shores where they bask after visiting the relatively cold water or intertidal zone but can also be seen in marshes, mangroves, and beaches. Large males defend territories for a short period, but smaller males have other breeding strategies. After mating, the female digs a nest hole in the soil where she lays her eggs, leaving them to hatch on their own a few months later.

Their population is not well known. They are under constant pressure from non-native predators like the Galapagos hawk, the Galapagos racer snake, Lava heron, great blue heron, striated heron, short-eared owl, and frigate bird. They are protected throughout the archipelago and are considered vulnerable to extinction.

#Wildlife #RockyShores #Reptile

The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is a medium-large raptor in the family Accipitridae, which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers.

The Northern Goshawks are secretive birds that typically live in large tracts of forest, so they are hard to find. The Northern Goshawk is an extremely secretive and elusive woodland raptor that avoids humans and human activity. Goshawks range from Alaska and Canada south to California in the west and southern New England and the Appalachian Mountains in the east. The northern goshawk nests in mature, unfragmented forests. It is important that those forests are safeguarded from human activity and development. Breeding habitats for goshawks are forests that include large-sized trees, a closed canopy, and an open understory.

The Northern Goshawks build stick nests. It is primarily built by the female. Sometimes their nesting territories may contain several nests that are constructed over the years. Nests are located in large deciduous trees on large branches or in the main forks of trees. It is constructed of sticks and twigs and lined with bark strips, conifer needles, and down feathers.

The Northern Goshawks are monogamous, and the pair bonds are often long-term. Both birds aggressively defend the nest, attacking any interloper, including humans. The adult is pale whitish-gray below with faint, black barring on the underbody. The topside is blue-gray with a blackhead and bold white eye-line. Adult males are often bluer above than females. The eye is dark red. The juvenile is whitish below with extensive dark streaking throughout, even on the under tail coverts. A few are lightly streaked. Upperside is brown with pale mottling along the upper wing coverts that form a narrow "bar." The juvenile also has a broad, whitish eye-line. The eye is yellow slowly becoming red after a few years.

The Northern Goshawks are opportunistic, eating a wide variety of prey. Squirrels, snowshoe hares, grouse, corvids, woodpeckers, and another medium to large songbirds are all potential prey of the goshawk. Northern Goshawks hunt inside the forest or along its edge; they take their prey by putting on short bursts of amazingly fast flight, often twisting among branches and crashing through thickets in the intensity of pursuit. Hunts by perching quietly at mid-levels in trees, watching for prey, often moving from one perch to another. When prey is spotted, hawk attacks with a short flight, putting on a great burst of speed and often plunging through tangled branches and thickets in pursuit of quarry. Sometimes searches for prey by flying low through woods.

The Northern Goshawks are, for the most part, non-migratory. Some birds move to lower elevations in the winter, and irruptive movements into more southern areas occur occasionally, generally in response to the collapse of the prey population.

The Northern Goshawks depend entirely on extensive stands of mature, old-growth forests. Goshawk presence is an indicator of forest maturity and low human disturbance. Unfortunately, as mature and old-growth forests become rarer and rarer, so do goshawks. Logging is the largest threat to Northern Goshawks. As logging pressures have increased, the goshawk has experienced population declines as a result of severe habitat loss and degradation. Additionally, the noise and disruption caused by intense industrial logging operations such as road building, heavy machinery operations, and logging truck traffic, have caused nest failure, especially during pair bonding, nest-building, and incubation.

#WildLife #Chipmunk #Woodland

Octopuses are sea animals famous for their rounded bodies, bulging eyes, and eight long arms. They live in all the world’s oceans but are especially abundant in warm, tropical waters. Octopuses, like their cousin, the squid, are often considered “monsters of the deep,” though some species, or types, occupy relatively shallow waters.

Most octopuses stay along the ocean’s floor, although some species are pelagic, which means they live near the water’s surface. Other octopus species live in deep, dark waters, rising from below at dawn and dusk to search for food. Crabs, shrimps, and lobsters rank among their favorite foods, though some can attack larger prey, like sharks. Octopuses typically drop down on their prey from above and, using powerful suctions that line their arms, pull the animal into their mouth.

Octopuses bring captured prey to the den, where they can eat it safely. Sometimes the octopus catches more prey than it can eat, and the den is often surrounded by a midden of dead and uneaten food items. Other creatures, such as fish, crabs, mollusks, and echinoderms, often share the den with the octopus, either because they have arrived as scavengers, or because they have survived capture. On rare occasions, octopuses hunt cooperatively with other species, with fish as their partners.

Nearly all octopuses are predatory; bottom-dwelling octopuses eat mainly crustaceans, polychaete worms, and other mollusks such as whelks and clams.

Octopuses use camouflage when hunting and to avoid predators. To do this they use specialized skin cells which change the appearance of the skin by adjusting its color, opacity, or reflectivity. Chromatophores contain yellow, orange, red, brown, or black pigments; most species have three of these colors, while some have two or four. Other color-changing cells are reflective iridophores and white leucophores. This color-changing ability is also used to communicate with or warn other octopuses.

Aside from humans, octopuses may be preyed on by fishes, seabirds, sea otters, pinnipeds, cetaceans, and other cephalopods. Strategies to defend themselves against predators include the expulsion of ink, the use of camouflage and threat displays, the ability to jet quickly through the water and hide, and even deceit. When the octopus is approached, it may extend an arm to investigate. When under attack, some octopuses can perform arm autotomy. The crawling arm may distract would-be predators. Such severed arms remain sensitive to stimuli and move away from unpleasant sensations. Octopuses can replace lost limbs. An octopus may spend 40% of its time hidden away in its den.

Most species are solitary when not mating. the male uses a specially adapted arm to deliver a bundle of sperm directly into the female's mantle cavity. About forty days after mating, the female octopus attaches strings of small fertilized eggs to rocks in a crevice or under an overhang. Here she guards and cares for them for about five months until they hatch. The female aerates the eggs and keeps them clean, if left untended, many eggs will not hatch. She does not feed during this time and dies soon afterward. Males become senescent and die a few weeks after mating.

Octopuses are highly intelligent. It is not known precisely what contribution learning makes to adult octopus behavior. Young octopuses learn nothing from their parents, as adults provide no parental care beyond tending to their eggs until the young octopuses hatch.

#Nature #KelpForest #PyjamaShark

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg, making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals.
Unlike most marine mammals, the sea otter's primary form of insulation is an exceptionally thick coat of fur, the densest in the animal kingdom. Although it can walk on land, the sea otter is capable of living exclusively in the ocean.
Sea otters often float at the water's surface, lying on their backs in a posture of serene repose. They sleep this way, often gathered in groups.
Sea otters are the only otters to give birth in the water. Mothers nurture their young while floating on their backs. They hold infants on their chests to nurse them, and quickly teach them to swim and hunt.
The sea otter inhabits nearshore environments, where it dives to the sea floor to forage. It preys mostly on marine invertebrates such as sea urchins, various mollusks and crustaceans, crabs, squid, octopuses and some species of fish. Its foraging and eating habits are noteworthy in several respects. First, its use of rocks to dislodge prey and to open shells makes it one of the few mammal species to use tools.
In most of its range, it is a keystone species, controlling sea urchin populations which would otherwise inflict extensive damage to kelp forest ecosystems. Its diet includes prey species that are also valued by humans as food, leading to conflicts between sea otters and fisheries.
Sea otters were hunted for their fur to the point of near extinction. For these reasons, the sea otter remains classified as an endangered species. Today, sea otters are protected by law.
The recovery of the sea otter is considered an important success in marine conservation.

#Nature #KelpForest #Underwater

The Gila (HEE-la) is the largest venomous lizard native to the United States. They are named after the Arizona Gila River Basin, where they were first discovered. The Gila Monster lives in scrubland, succulent desert, and oak woodland. Though Gila Monster is a desert animal, it prefers to live close to water resources. Their habitat includes humidity supporting microclimate, hence they prefer underground burrows and thickets. They shelter in caves, crevices, and thickets in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. Sonora, Arizona, parts of California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.

Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) are heavy-bodied lizards covered with beadlike scales, called osteoderms, that are black and yellow or pink covering all but their belly. The color patterns on their skin help them camouflage under vegetation in the desert. Their bulky bodies, slow-moving stride, thick forked tongue, and snorting hisses reinforce the name Gila monster. Gila Monsters grow to weigh 1.8 kg and a length including the tail of up to 50 cm.

Gila monsters need high-protein food, but they cannot chase fast-moving prey like other meat-eaters. As carnivores, Gila monsters do not have very good eyesight; when they hunt, they use their senses of taste and smell. To track prey, the Gila monster flicks its forked tongue out to pick up scent particles in the air. These lizards are not very fast, so they need to sneak up on prey and bite them before they get away. Their prey includes birds’ eggs and nestlings, rodents, frogs, lizards, insects, centipedes, and worms, they may also eat carrion. It can eat almost a third of its body weight in one meal. The giant Gila Monster does not chew its food but directly swallows it. The monster’s venomous saliva may be more useful as a defense against predators rather than for hunting because most of the lizard’s prey is small enough to be subdued by the strength of the bite.

A Gila monster bite is painful to humans, but it rarely causes death. The bite of a Gila monster is very strong, and the lizard may not loosen its grip for several seconds. Gila monsters tend to avoid humans and other large wildlife. To warn off potential predators, they open their mouths very wide and hiss.

Although these tough "monsters" are often thought of as being practically predator-free, an assortment of animals is suspected of sometimes hunting them. These animals include foxes, mountain lions, coyotes, and birds of prey.

They are diurnal but most active in the morning. They spend about 95 percent of their time underground and emerge only to hunt for food or to take a sunbathe. They store fat both in their tails and their bodies. Gila Monsters can consume all the calories they need for a year in three or four large meals.

Gila Monsters are solitary animals. These reptiles live on their own except during mating. They live with other dessert animals in their habitat preying on one another.

The Gila Monster lives from 20-30 years in the wild. Brumation, also known as one of the hibernation processes of cold-blooded animals, helps them regulate their body temperature to survive harsh climates. They shed their skin like other reptiles, but the female sheds all of its skin a fortnight before laying the eggs.

Gila monsters seem to have a loose social structure and occasionally share shelters. Males compete for mates by engaging in carefully choreographed wrestling matches, in which the biggest and strongest wins.

They attain sexual maturity at four years of age. Breeding season for Gila monsters is usually in early summer. The male makes the first move, and if rejected the female bites the male and chases it away. Otherwise, the pair go into their shelter. The female digs a hole lays a clutch of large, leathery, oval-shaped eggs in the hole, and covers them. The eggs are not buried very deep, so the heat of the sun incubates them. A female lays a clutch of about six to thirteen eggs. The eggs are about 6.3 cm long and weigh about 40 grams. About four months later, the baby Gila monsters break out of their eggs and crawl to the surface. They are only a few inches long but look like miniature adults with more vivid coloring. The hatchlings are ready to begin life on their own.

The Gila monster has one of the worst reputations in the reptile world. This lizard is often feared and has been described as frightful and repulsive, especially in local folklore. It has been accused of many things, such as spitting venom, leaping several feet in the air to attack, stinging with its tongue, and killing people with gusts of poisonous breath.

In 1952, the Gila monster became the first venomous animal to be given legal protection. According to the IUCN Red List, Gila Monster's status is near threatened. With many predators, human encroachment in their habitats, their numbers have reduced.

#WildLife #SonoranDesert #VenomousLizard

A small species, it reaches about 30 cm in length including the tail, and a weight of 66–150 g. It has reddish-brown fur on its upper body and five dark brown stripes contrasting with light brown stripes along its back, ending in a dark tail. It has lighter fur on the lower part of its body. It has a tawny stripe that runs from its whiskers to below its ears, and light stripes over its eyes. It has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front legs, but five on the hind legs. The chipmunk's appearance "remains consistent throughout life.
The chipmunk lives in deciduous wooded areas and urban parks throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada. It prefers locations with rocky areas, brush or log piles, and shrubs to provide cover.
Chipmunk is mainly active during the day, spending most of its day foraging. It prefers bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs. It commonly transports food in pouches in its cheeks.
Chipmunks mostly forage on the ground, but they climb trees to obtain nuts such as hazelnuts and acorns. At the beginning of autumn, many species of chipmunk begin to stockpile nonperishable foods for winter. They mostly cache their foods in a larder in their burrows and remain in their nests until spring, unlike some other species which make multiple small caches of food. Cheek pouches allow chipmunks to carry food items to their burrows for either storage or consumption.
Chipmunk defends its burrow and lives a solitary life, except during mating season. During the winter, the chipmunk may enter long periods of torpor, but does not truly hibernate.

#Nature #EasternChipmunk #Woodland

White-throated capuchins also known as Colombian white-throated capuchins, white-faced capuchins, and white-headed capuchins, are New World monkeys native to the rainforests of western Colombia, western Ecuador, and Panama. Capuchins, considered among the most intelligent of the New World monkeys.

They are highly social and live in groups of 15 individuals on average with one adult male leading the troop. The group spends most of their time traveling and foraging; they will try to eat almost anything once and learn through trial and error.

White-throated capuchins live in mature (primary) and secondary forests that include evergreen, deciduous, mangrove, and montane. The monkeys inhabit home ranges between 79 and 213 acres. They forage between 0.62 and 1.86 miles a day, averaging 1.2 miles. Swamp forests may be important refuges for primates where are threatened with habitat loss. Mangrove and peat swam p forests, impenetrable, wet habitats, inaccessible and uninhabitable for humans. But these species occupy mangroves following their geographic distributions on terra firme forests. The presence of successful groups in the mangrove (resident groups) is possibly associated with historical changes in the terra firme forests and not with human factors such as habitat loss and illegal hunting.

White-throated capuchins are among the most intelligent of New World monkeys. In addition to their ability to fashion tools for foraging, they have been known to use sticks as weapons against snakes. Additionally, white-throated capuchins appear to have an innate understanding of herbal medicine. Wild white-throated capuchins will rub parts of certain plants into their hair. Scientific conjecture is that this self-care is a deliberate action to ward off ticks and other parasites.

White-throated capuchins eat mostly fruits and insects. Favorite fruits include figs and mangos. They prefer fruits that are ripe and test for ripeness by smelling, tasting, and poking each piece of fruit. But they eat only the pulp and juice and spit out the seeds and fibers. Insect prey includes beetle larvae, butterfly and moth caterpillars, ants, wasps, and ant and wasp larvae. However, white-throated capuchins also feast on larger prey, including birds, frogs, lizards, and squirrels. Bird eggs, crabs, clam, and mollusks are snack items.

They are a diurnal species; all that foraging is conducted during the daylight hours. At night, they sleep.

#Nature #Mangrove #IntelligentMonkey

The cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus), also called the cotton-headed tamarin, is native to a very small region of northwestern Colombia. Its limited distribution stretches from the Atrato River to the Magdalena River. These uniquely colored, clever primates are found in both humid and dry tropical forests. They are arboreal, those animals that spend most of their life on trees

Roughly the size of a squirrel, Male and female cotton-top tamarins weigh less than a pound (404-417 g). They are 23.2 cm tall with a 26.7 cm long tail. Cotton-top tamarins are strikingly colored and appropriately named, with a soft plume of white hair that encircles their small grey and silver faces in a bright halo. Their legs, belly, and chest are also white, and their backs and tail are a beautiful blend of brown and black. Most of their body is covered in long fur, with the exception of the very fine, short grey hair that covers their face and ears. They have claw-like nails, which help them leap, climb, and cling to trees.

Due to the small size of their digestive tract, cotton-top tamarins must only consume the highest quality food to stay healthy. Insects and fruits make up the bulk of their diets. Unlike marmosets, who have a long set of lower incisors to chew holes in tree trunks and eat the gum inside, tamarins lack the adaptations to pierce the bark. Therefore, they must rely on other animals or natural processes to open up holes in trees so they can reach the gum.

​Cotton-top tamarins have been observed consuming reptiles and amphibians. They can be seen stealthily hunting for insects by scurrying across, up, and down tree trunks, leaping across the canopy and exploring potential hiding spots for their prey. Like many other primates, cotton-top tamarins choose their feeding site based on the amount of food it provides, and usually forage in the middle layer of the canopy.

Cotton-top tamarins also play an important role in spreading seeds in tropical ecosystems. These tamarins commonly eat seeds that are fairly large, bigger even than those consumed by their more sizable fellow primates such as chimpanzees and baboons. Those seeds are eventually digested into feces that has proven an excellent fertilizer with a high success rate for germination.

Like their golden lion relatives, cotton-top tamarins form social family groups that include breeding parents, their adult offspring, and even unrelated adults who have migrated to the group. Since tamarin young are commonly born as twins and tend to be disproportionately heavy—they weigh in at about 15 to 20 percent of their mother’s body weight—these adult group members quite literally help tamarin parents shoulder the load. Cotton-top tamarins spend a lot of time grooming each other, leaving their coats clean and soft.

Since nursing and caring for their young requires so much energy, cotton-top tamarins typically give birth during the early half of the rainy season when the fruit is most abundant. Only the dominant female in each group gives birth to young. Though cotton-top tamarins reach sexual maturity between 15 and 18 months of age, researchers have observed that mother tamarins suppress the fertility of their daughters and other adult females in the group. When the mother dies or leaves the group, the oldest and highest-ranking daughter becomes fertile and takes over the dominant role.

Due to their small size, and the fact that they are active during the day, cotton-top tamarins are prey for many different predators. Their predators can include snakes, cats, and a variety of birds of prey. Tamarins try to avoid predators by staying in thick vegetation in the lower layers of the forest, and by working as a group to look out for danger and alerting each other by using alarm calls.

Cotton-top tamarins are critically endangered. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, 20,000 to 30,000 cotton-top tamarins were exported to the United States for biomedical research, specifically as subjects of studies related to colon cancer. Although it is now illegal to import cotton-top tamarins into the U.S., they are still being used for medical research and captive tamarins outnumber those in the wild.

Today, deforestation and human activity pose the most significant threats to the survival of cotton-top tamarins. Colombia is losing its tropical rainforest at a dramatic rate to development and agriculture—in fact, the South American country has recorded the fourth-highest loss of rainforest in the world.

#Wildlife #Rainforest #Arboreal

Aye-ayes can be found only on the island of Madagascar. These rare animals may not look like primates at first glance, but they are related to chimpanzees, apes, and humans. The aye-aye is the largest nocturnal lemur, best known for its distinct appearance and unusual diet. This strange lemur is a Frankenstein's monster of evolution. Ears like a bat, teeth like a rat and a witch's finger 🤣.

Aye-ayes are dark brown or black and are distinguished by a bushy tail that is larger than their body. They also feature big eyes, slender fingers, and large, sensitive ears. Aye-ayes have pointed claws on all their fingers and toes except for their opposable big toes, which enable them to dangle from branches

The aye-aye is about 40 cm long, excluding the bushy 55- to 60-cm tail. Covered with long, coarse, dark brown or black fur, it has a short face, large eyes, and ever-growing incisors like those of rodents.

The aye-aye lives primarily on the east coast of Madagascar. Its natural habitat is rainforest or deciduous forest, but many live in cultivated areas due to deforestation. Rainforest aye-ayes, the most common, dwell in canopy areas and are usually sighted above 70 meters altitude. They sleep during the day in nests built from interwoven twigs and dead leaves up in the canopy among the vines and branches.

The aye-aye is a nocturnal and arboreal animal meaning that it spends most of its life high in the trees. Although they are known to come down to the ground on occasion, aye-ayes sleep, eat, travel, and mate in the trees and are most commonly found close to the canopy where there is plenty of cover from the dense foliage. During the day, aye-ayes sleep in spherical nests in the forks of tree branches that are constructed out of leaves, branches, and vines before emerging after dark to begin their hunt for food.

The aye-aye is an omnivore and commonly eats seeds, fruits, nectar, and fungi, but also insect larvae and honey. Aye-ayes tap on the trunks and branches of trees at a rate of up to eight times per second and listen to the echo produced to find hollow chambers. Once a chamber is found, they chew a hole into the wood and get grubs out of that hole with their highly adapted narrow and bony middle fingers. It's also useful for scooping the flesh out of coconuts and other fruits that supplement the animal's insect diet.

The aye-aye begins foraging between 30 minutes before and three hours after sunset. Up to 80% of the night is spent foraging in the canopy, separated by occasional rest periods. It climbs trees by making successive vertical leaps, much like a squirrel. Horizontal movement is more difficult, but the aye-aye rarely descends to jump to another tree, and can often travel up to 4 km a night.

Aye-aye is solitary animals that mark their large home range with scent. The smaller territories of females often overlap those of at least a couple of males. Male aye-ayes tend to share their territories with other males and are even known to share the same nests (although not at the same time), and can seemingly tolerate each other until they hear the call of a female that is looking for a mate.

Though foraging is usually solitary, they occasionally forage in groups. Individual movements within the group are coordinated using both vocalizations and scent signals.

Aye-ayes are commonly thought to be bad omens by some of the Malagasy people, the forests of Madagascar are being destroyed, and the farmers will kill aye-ayes to protect their crops and for poaching. However, there is no direct evidence to suggest aye-ayes pose any legitimate threat to crops and therefore are killed based on superstition. The aye-aye is often viewed as a harbinger of evil and killed on sight. Others believe, if one points its narrowest finger at someone, they are marked for death. Some say that the appearance of an aye-aye in a village predicts the death of a villager, and the only way to prevent this is to kill it. The Sakalava people go so far as to claim aye-ayes sneak into houses through the thatched roofs and murder the sleeping occupants by using their middle fingers to puncture their victims' aorta. This has led to the death of so many aye-ayes. Such hunting, coupled with habitat destruction, have put aye-aye's population at risk. Today they are protected by law. Some researchers believe aye-aye comes from the phrase “I don’t know” in Malagasy, which may be because locals were afraid to speak the name.

The aye-aye is the only extant member of the genus Daubentonia and the family Daubentoniidae. It is currently classified as Endangered by the IUCN; and a second species, Daubentonia robusta (The giant aye-aye), appears to have become extinct at some point within the last 1000 years. Successful breeding colonies have been established on a few small islands near Madagascar, and some aye-ayes are kept in captivity in a few zoos outside the country.

#Wildlife #Rainforest #Madagascar

Abundant worldwide, most fungi are inconspicuous because of the small size of their structures, and their cryptic lifestyles in soil or on dead matter. Fungi include symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi and also parasites. They may become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or as molds.
Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange in the environment. They have long been used as a direct source of human food, in the form of mushrooms and truffles; as a leavening agent for bread; and in the fermentation of various food products, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce.
Since the 1940s, fungi have been used for the production of antibiotics, and, more recently, various enzymes produced by fungi are used industrially and in detergents.
Fungi are also used as biological pesticides to control weeds, plant diseases and insect pests. Many species produce bioactive compounds called mycotoxins, such as alkaloids and polyketides, that are toxic to animals including humans. The fruiting structures of a few species contain psychotropic compounds and are consumed recreationally or in traditional spiritual ceremonies.
Fungi can break down manufactured materials and buildings, and become significant pathogens of humans and other animals. Losses of crops due to fungal diseases (e.g., rice blast disease) or food spoilage can have a large impact on human food supplies and local economies.
Although often inconspicuous, fungi occur in every environment on Earth and play very important roles in most ecosystems. Along with bacteria, fungi are the major decomposers in most terrestrial (and some aquatic) ecosystems, and therefore play a critical role in biogeochemical cycles and in many food webs. As decomposers, they play an essential role in nutrient cycling, especially as saprotrophs and symbionts, degrading organic matter to inorganic molecules, which can then re-enter anabolic metabolic pathways in plants or other organisms.

#CalmingMusic #Fungus #Mushroom

The Luangwa Valley, an extension of the Great East African Rift Valley, is the honey-pot of Zambia. Here dramatic seasonal variations, a dynamic river system, fertile soils and lush vegetation ensure a prolific supply of wildlife. Home to the majority of big game – including lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo – the Luangwa Valley also boasts two endemic sub-species: Thornicroft’s Giraffe and Cookson’s Wildebeest. An impressive concentration of both hippos and crocodiles makes the Luangwa River one of the most wildlife-dense in Africa.

In addition to being a source of water, the oxbow lakes and pools increase the biodiversity of the valley in other ways. The hippopotami which live in them feed on land vegetation at night. Their dung feeds some fish and fertilises the pools, increasing fish life which in turn feed crocodiles and birds.

In the dry season, the grazing land animals and their predators congregate near the river and pools, and are easily seen. In the rainy season they graze further afield and are more easily hidden in the growth of new vegetation.

Smaller mammals and over 450 recorded species of birds add to the game viewing experiences, reinforcing the Luangwa Valley’s impressive reputation as the home of Zambia’s wildlife. The Luangwa Valley is home to four National parks: South Luangwa, North Luangwa, Luambe and Lukusuzi.

#Wildlife #LuangwaRiver #Africa

The roadrunners (genus Geococcyx), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. The roadrunner generally ranges in size from 56 to 61 cm from tail to beak. The average weight is about 230–430 g. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, usually in the desert. Some have been clocked at 32 km/h while a few have also been clocked up to 43 km/h.

The roadrunner usually lives alone or in pairs. Breeding pairs are monogamous and mate for life, and pairs may hold a territory all year. The roadrunner's nest is often composed of sticks, and may sometimes contain leaves, feathers, snakeskins, or dung. It is commonly placed 1 to 3 meters above ground level in a low tree, bush, or cactus. Roadrunner eggs are generally white. The greater roadrunner generally lays 2–6 eggs per clutch, but the lesser roadrunner's clutches are typically smaller.

The roadrunner is an opportunistic omnivore. Its diet normally consists of insects (such as grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, and beetles), small reptiles (such as lizards and snakes, including rattlesnakes), rodents and other small mammals, spiders (including tarantulas), scorpions, centipedes, snails, small birds (and nestlings), eggs, and fruits and seeds like those from prickly pear cactuses and sumacs. The lesser roadrunner eats mainly insects. The roadrunner forages on the ground and, when hunting, usually runs after prey from undercover. It may leap to catch insects, and commonly batters certain prey against the ground. Because of its quickness, the roadrunner is one of the few animals that preys upon rattlesnakes, it is also the only real predator of tarantula hawk wasps.

Known to most of the world simply as a cartoon character, roadrunners are a remarkable desert specialist. They can spend an entire lifetime without drinking, obtaining all their water from their food, and can hunt and breed year-round in temperatures reaching 50°C.


#Wildlife #SonoraDesert #RattleSnake