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Arctic Fox (White Fox)

white-foxDESCRIPTION: The arctic fox has a dense, bushy coatand a long, fluffy tail. There are two color phases. For the white phase, thefox has a thick, white coat during the colder, winter months and a shorterbrownish to gray coat in the summer. The blue phase fox, has a long blue-graycoat in the winter and a shorter darker gray coat in the summer.
SIZE:   109 cm (43 in)
WEIGHT:        2.7-4.5 kg (6-10 lb)
FUN FACTS:       
  • Communaland nomadic; the foxes form small bands and scavenge for food together.
  • A family group consists of one male,two females (called vixens), and their young - if any. One of the vixens is anonbreeding juvenile born the previous year, who stays to help care for thenext litter.
  • Arctic foxes are monogamous, usuallymating for life. The father helps care for the young.
  • The fur ofthe arctic fox has two phases: in the winter, it is entirely white, and in thesummer the coat ranges from gray to brown on the back, and somewhat lighter onthe belly. The foxes' paws are sheathed in dense fur during the winter (unlikeother canids), which is why they are named lagopus ("rabbit-footed").
  • Althoughthey have been hunted for their fur and driven away for their predation ondomestic sheep, arctic fox numbers remain relatively stable.

Baboons

baboonFUN FACTS:
  • Guineababoons are found in grassy, rocky, and steppe habitats in western Africa. They live in troops of up to 200 individuals,each with a set place in a hierarchy. Group living provides protection frompredators such as lions and hyenas. Baboons are omnivores, eating almostanything available, which allows them to occupy areas with few resources orharsh conditions. Their presence may help improve habitats because they dig forwater and spread seeds in their waste, encouraging plant growth.  
  • Baboons live everywhere in Africa where they can find drinking water. Thay havedog-like muzzles and limb modifications which allow them to walk long distanceson the ground.
  • Baboons can be an important food sourcefor other animals. Some of the largest eagles will feed on them or their young.The African crowned hawk eagle will often hunt in pairs. One swoops and perchesamong a troop of baboons, and while they mob it, the mate swoops from behindand picks up an unwary baboon.
  • Mother-daughter bonds among baboonslast into adulthood. The maternal bond with sons lasts until sexual maturity,when juvenile males leave their natal group to enter another group or becomesolitary.
  • The social structure of Guineababoons is multi-leveled. Adult males maintain separate social units,containing females, juveniles, and subadult males.
  • Guinea baboons are highlycommunicative animals. They communicate with one another by using a variety ofvocalizations and physical interactions. In addition to vocalizations to oneanother, these animals have vocal communications apparently intended to bereceived and interpreted by predators.

Bears

bearDESCRIPTION:  Bears have large, heavy bodies, massiveskulls, short limbs, five digit paws with well developed curved claws. They arecovered with thick fur and are usually black, brown or white in color. Somespecies have other coloration patterns and markings that distinguish them fromother bears. Capable of walking upright on hind legs for short distances.
SIZE:   Head/body length: 1,000-2,800 mm (3.28-9.19 ft.)
Taillength: 65-210 mm(2.5-8.27in.)
MALE: Males are approximately 20% larger than females. Weight: 27-780 kg. Males areapproximately 20% larger than females
DIET: Most bears are omnivorous with the exceptionof the polar bear which is primarily carnivorous
GESTATION: Varies, but delayed implantation extendspregnancy periods by 6-9 months SEXUALMATURITY: 2.5-6 years
LIFE SPAN: 15-30 years in the wild
RANGE: Throughout most of Eurasia, North America, Atlas Mountains of North Africa and Andesof South America

Beluga

belugaDESCRIPTION: In general, adult belugas are almostcompletely white, while young belugas are gray. The head region is rounded witha prominent melon and a short broad beak. One highly noticeable trait is thelack of a dorsal fin; instead belugas have a narrow dorsal ridge. The pectoralflippers of belugas are broad and the flukes become strongly convex on thetrailing edge in mature whales.In general, male belugas tend to be larger thanfemales
SIZE: Newborn beluga calves are up to 1.6 m in length.Male 3.4-4.6 m, Female 3-4 m
WEIGHT: At birth, calves are approximately 54-80 kg. Male - Up to 1500 kg, Female - Up to 1360 kg
FUN FACTS:
  • The English name "beluga"comes from the Russian word belukha, which translates into "white."Belugas are also known as white whales. At birth, beluga calves are generallydark gray. They gradually lighten with age, and upon reaching maturity, attainthe white coloration characteristic of adult belugas. This white colorationprotects belugas from predators by camouflaging them among the icebergs and icefloes of northern seas.
  • A highly social species, beluga whalesare extremely vocal. Long ago, scientists and sailors gave beluga whales thenickname "sea canaries," due to the birdlike sounds these whalesmake.
  • Beluga whales lack dorsal fins, buthave a low dorsal ridge. The lack of a dorsal fin means less surface area forlosing heat to the environment. And without a dorsal fin, a beluga can moreeasily swim beneath extensive ice sheets and locate breathing holes.
  • Belugas are among the few whales thathave un-fused neck vertebrae. This feature makes their necks quite flexible andgives their heads a wide range of motion.
  • Belugascan swim both forward and, unlike most other whales, backward.

Blue Whale

blue-whaleDESCRIPTION: Blue whales, named for theirbluish-gray coloration, are known for their immense size. Their colorationoften includes grayish or whitish areas. When viewed from above, the rostrumappears broad and U-shaped and a large splashguard surrounds two blowholes. Ablue whale's slender, vertical blow can reach a height of 9 m. Blue whales have55-68 vertical grooves extending back almost to the navel. The dorsal fin isvery small and set of the way back and the trailing edge of the flukes aresmooth except for a small notch in the center.Females tend to be slightly larger thanmales
SIZE: For adults, a maximum of 33.5 m, but lengths of 21 m are more common. Bluewhale calves measure about 7 min length.Male: For Antarctic adults at physical maturity,lengths of 25 m are common; specimens from the Northern hemisphere are typically smaller.Female: For Antarctic adults at physicalmaturity, lengths of 27 mare common; specimens from the Northern hemisphere are typically smaller
WEIGHT: Long ago, Antarctic blue whales weighed 145,280 kg. Newborncalves weigh 2,700-3,600 kg.
FUN FACTS:
  • Blue whales belong to the cetaceansuborder Mysticeti - the baleen whales. Whales in this suborder lack teeth.Instead, they have stiff, hair-like baleen plates that hang from their upperjaws. With the baleen plates, blue whales filter vast quantities of krill (tinyshrimp-like crustaceans), consuming as much as four tons per day.
  • Blue whales typically travel eithersingly or in pairs, although sometimes more whales may be found within closerange in areas high in krill concentrations.
  • Blue whales are capable of producinglow-frequency sounds, which can travel hundreds of miles in deep water. Thefunction of these long-ranging vocalizations is not quite known although it istheorized that some of the vocalizations aid in navigation by imagingseamounts, islands and other underwater masses.
  • Theblue whale is the largest animal in the world - probably the largest that everlived. Long ago, Antarctic blue whales measured 30.5 m (100 ft.) and weighed 145,280 kg (320,000 lb.). Whalehunters took the most massive whales - the biggest blue whales today measureabout 26 m(85 ft.),but lengths of 21 m(70 ft.)are more common. A blue whale's heart alone may weigh 908 kg (2,000 lb.), as much as asmall car.

Bottlenose Dolphins

bottlenose-dolphinDESCRIPTION:Bottlenosedolphins are light to dark gray over their dorsal surface, fading into a whiteor cream along their ventral region. They have a streamlined fusiform bodyshape. The source of their common name, bottlenose dolphins exhibit apronounced anterior rostrum (often referred to as a beak), typically 7-8cm (3 in.) in length. Said rostrumgenerally contains 76-98 conically-shaped, homogenous teeth - with tooth countsvarying among individuals. Their dorsal fin is falcate.It shouldbe noted that two distinct ecotypes are recognized. The coastal ecotypetypically exhibits smaller average body size with relatively larger flippersize. Comparatively, the offshore ecotype typically exhibit larger average bodysize and darker coloration - among other morphological distinctions.

SIZE:Coastalecotype = average 2.5-2.7 m
Offshoreecotype = 3.7 m
Atlanticbottlenose dolphins as a whole are typically smaller than Pacific bottlenosedolphins; however, bottlenose dolphins frequenting cooler, temperate waters ineither ocean tend to exhibit sizes indicative of the relatively larger offshoreecotype.
Calves areapproximately 106-132 cmat birth.

FUN FACTS:

  • Dolphins frequently ride the bow wakeor the stern wake of boats. They have been seen jumping as high as 4.9 m (16 ft.) out of the water andlanding on their backs or sides, in a behavior called a breach.
  • Both young and old dolphins chase oneanother, carry objects around, toss seaweed to one another, and use objects toinvite each other to interact. Such activity may be practice for catching food.
  • Bottlenose dolphins often cooperatewhen hunting and catching fish. In open waters, a dolphin pod sometimesencircles a large school of fish and herds them into a tight ball for easyfeeding. Then the dolphins take turns charging through the school to feed.Occasionally dolphins will herd fish to shallow water where they are easy prey.
  • Bottlenosedolphins generally do not need to dive very deeply to catch food. Depending onhabitat, most bottlenose dolphins regularly dive to depths of 3-46 m (10-150 ft.). They are, however,capable of diving to some depth. Under experimental conditions, a traineddolphin dove 547 m(1,795 ft.).
  • Bottlenosedolphins live in fluid social groups called pods. The size of a pod roughlyvaries from 2-15 individuals. Several pods may join temporarily to form largergroups called herds or aggregations. Up to several hundred animals have beenobserved traveling in a single herd.
  • The dolphin's sleek, fusiform body,together with its flippers, flukes, and dorsal fin, adapt this animal for oceanlife. A dolphin's forelimbs are pectoral flippers. As it swims, a dolphin usesits pectoral flippers to steer and, with the help of the flukes, to stop.
  • Bottlenose dolphins routinely swim atspeeds of about 5-11 kph (3-7mph).
  • On average, a dive may last 8-10minutes.
  • Group composition and structure oftenare based on age and sex. Adult males tend to group together in pairs or inthrees. Females with calves associate with one another. Individuals may leaveone group and join another.
  • Adultseat about 4-5% of their body weight per day. Bottlenose dolphins oftencooperate when hunting and catching fish. In open waters, a dolphin groupsometimes encircles a large school of fish and herds them into a tight, densemass for easy feeding. The dolphins take turns charging through the school tofeed while the others keep the fish from scattering. Occasionally dolphins herdfish to shallow water and trap them against a shore or sandbar.

Buffalo

buffaloCapebuffalo (Nare) are notoriously bad tempered and are often referred to as the"Okavango Tax men." Buffaloare mostly seen in small groups of 5 - 10 that consist only of males. Largerherds numbering 200 - 300 have been seen during boat trips up the Borochannel.A large Cape buffalo can weigh as much as 800kg and stands 1.4m to theshoulder. Mating usually takes place from March to May followed by +/- 330 daysgestation period.

Bushbuck

bushbuckBushbuck(Ngurungu) are beautiful medium sized antelopes that resemble the animatedcharacter "Bambi". Usually solitary, these antelope stick close tothick vegetation as described by the animal's name. It has the ability to jumpinto this cover to evade predators such as leopard. Grouped within theTragelaphus family (Kudu and Sitatunga), the bushbuck has characteristic spiralhorns, only found with males.

Camels

camelDESCRIPTION: Woolly coat, caramel in color thatoften looks shaggy from seasonal shedding. Both sexes have a single hump on theback.
FUN FACTS:
  • Thedromedary camel is capable of drinking 100 L (30 gal.) of water in just 10 minutes.
  • Camels store fat in the hump, notwater! In fact baby camels are born without a hump because the layer of fatdoes not develop until they eat solid food.
  • Unlike most mammals, a healthy camel'sbody temperature fluctuates throughout the day from 34C-41.7C (93F-107F.) This fluctuation isimportant because it allows the camel to conserve water by not sweating as theenvironmental temperature rises.
  • Thedromedary camel is no longer considered a wild animal. In Africa and Arabia it is a semi-domesticated animal that free rangesbut is under the control of herders.

Cats

catWhy do Cats Eyes Glow in the Dark?

Cats movearound at night, so they must be able to see in the dark. Where humans cannothing at all, cats can still see. A cat’s eye take in the tiniest bit oflight. Inside the eye the light is reflected backward and forward. That is thereason that their eyes glow brightly in the dark. The pupilof cats’ eye change to control the amount of light that enters the eye. Theynarrow to tiny slits in bright sunlight but widen to large orbs when it isdark. That is why cats see so well in the dark. In addition there is an areabehind the retina that reflects light, and that is why cats’ eye appear to glowin the dark.

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