Wild Facts

Photo by: Jörg Hempel

My nieces birthday is coming up later this week and her parents just finished giving her an early birthday present.  Believe it or not they got her a cute, little Hedgehog, although I think the parents wanted one just as much! As you may have guessed (or by reading the title) today’s post is of course about the Hedgehog. Now if you are like me than the first thing you think of is Sonic the Hedgehog which of course was a popular game for Sega. Is Sega still around? Anyway a real Hedgehog is not blue but it does have quills and it can curl up into a ball just like on the game.

There are actually 15 species of Hedgehog that can be found in Europe, Asia and Africa. Similarly they have also been introduced to places such as New Zealand. For the record the one my little niece received as an early birthday present is most likely the African Pygmy Hedgehog since they are most commonly used for pets.  As with most animals there is usually a reason for the animals name.  The Hedgehog is no different and received this name by their unique foraging behaviour. When this particular animal looks for food they stuff their heads down below the hedges and undergrowth while rooting around for insects, worms, mice, snails and of course frogs. While scurrying around underneath the hedges they would often make pig-like noises so they became known as “Hedgehogs”.  It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?

Photo by: Lars Karlsson

One of the first things you notice about the Hedgehog is their coat of spines which they use to protect themselves from predators.  When threatened they will often curl up in a ball leaving very few body parts unprotected.  As well, during the day they will usually sleep while curled up before venturing out to play at night.  Personally I prefer to sleep on my stomach cuddling my pillow but that is just me.

The Hedgehog will usually give birth to a litter from one to eleven baby Hedgehogs.  Keeping this litter alive is a difficult job for the mother even though the babies only stick around for 4 to 7 weeks before heading out on their own.  During this time the mother must be on guard for all types of predators including male hedgehogs which will often try to eat her young.  I guess these guys never truly got their paternal instinct.  Even crazier is the fact that mother has also been known to eat her cute little babies if the nest has been disturbed.  Normally, she would just move them to a new nest but strange things do happen.  I don’t see how anything could ever harm such a cute animal.

Hedgehog Fast Facts – If the Hedgehog is living in an area with cold climates than they will typically hibernate for the winter.  On the other hand if they live in the harsh deserts than they will also sleep through extreme heat and drought but this process isn’t quite the same as hibernation.  Finally the Hedgehogs hanging out in the temperate climate will remain active all year.

Well that is it for today’s pet.  I hope you all enjoyed learning about Sonic and I will see you all here tomorrow for another fun and exciting Wild Fact.

Wooohooo!! Another week of Wild Facts.  I know all of you wish that the weekend would just hurry up and get out of the way so you can start reading these interesting animal facts again.  Pesky weekends! Today we are going to look at the Cotton-Top Tamarin and they personally remind of a Gremlin. Does anyone else see this resemblance? You may remember we discussed a similar animal called the Emperor Tamarin, the one with the big mustache. Like their cousin the Cotton-Top Tamarin is also a small monkey found in the beautiful forests of South America.

The Cotton-Top is only about 18-30 cm (7-12″) long and is different than most monkey’s since they don’t have an opposable thumb or a prehensile tail. Don’t worry since this doesn’t make them any less of a monkey although I am sure they get teased by all of the other monkey’s during recess. This particular tamarin species has claws on all of their fingers and toes except for the big toe, which has the customary flat nail.  I would guess that the claws help this little monkey hang out in the trees with the rest of their friends.

If you want to get a glimpse of these little guys then you are in luck since they are diurnal animals which simply means they are most active during the day.  It is in the bright daylight hours that they will be on the hunt for both plants and animals to consume.  Among their favourites are fruit, insects and lush green plants.  They will also throw in the odd rodent or the eggs of an unsuspecting reptile, and to conquer that sweet tooth they will feast on tree sap.  Once the sun sets the Cotton-Top Tamarin will retreat to the tree tops for some much needed rest.

Photo by: Raimond Spekking

These little “Gremlins” can be a noisy bunch and have about 38 distinct sounds which express joy, curiosity, fear, warnings, playfulness and other important behavioural sounds. I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised to hear that this monkey is a complex animal. After all, we do have common ancestors, right? Judging by the hair I am pretty certain that the famous boxing promoter, Don King is directly related to the Cotton-Top Tamarin. I bet the scientist from Back to the Future is also closely related.

Cotton-Top Tamarin Fast Fact – This beautiful little creature is considered to be critically endangered with a population somewhere around 6000 individuals.  This is no surprise since they have lost about 75% of their habitat due to deforestation.  I am still holding out that someday we will realize that everything on this earth is connected and we are only hurting ourselves by decimating animal populations.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.  I have this crazy urge to go and watch Gremlins now.  I wonder what happens if you feed a Cotton-Top Tamarin after midnight?

A Gremlin

Photo by David Blank

Welcome back to another exciting and fun-filled week of Wild Facts.  Before we get started I wanted to personally thank everyone for the nice heart-felt Birthday Wishes.  I had a great birthday weekend and I hope all of you enjoyed your weekend as much as I did.  We are going to start this wonderful week off with a cute, furry mammal called the Masked Palm Civet.  This little creature can be found throughout the forests of south-east Asia and across the Indian sub-continent.

The Masked Palm Civet are solitary, nocturnal and arboreal animals which basically means they are loners that hang out in the trees during the night. During the day this particular Civet will create “day beds” which are often found in the top 10% of the tree and close to a water body.  They like these particular day beds so much that they spend about 80% of their time in them.  What a tough life they lead!

Photo by David Blank

I am not sure how they are able to get a good “days” rest when they have so many predators out there looking for a quick meal.  Some of their worst enemies include tigers, leopards, hawks, jaguars and of course humans. Luckily this nuts, berry and insect eating animal has a couple of tricks up their sleeve for would-be predators. Technically I suppose this trick is found in another part of their body instead of their sleeve.  The Masked Palm Civet is able to produce a noxious smelling chemical with their powerful anal glands.  This horrible scent is definitely a deterrent to predators and it is believed that their facial mask is a warning sign to everyone in the area.  And here I thought that mask was used for robbing banks and other nefarious activities.  If a predator doesn’t get sick from the horrible stench than the Civet needs to rely on its excellent climbing abilities to escape the clutches of death.

Masked Palm Civet – Humans may not be afraid of their horrible scent but the Masked Palm Civet has come up with another method to deter humans.  It is believed that this particular animal is at least partly responsible for the transfer of SARS to humans.  Anyone living in Toronto will remember the whole SARS disease incidents.  Perhaps the Civet didn’t willingly pass this disease on but you just never know.  How can you trust an animal wearing a mask, right?

Enjoy the rest of your Monday folks and I will see all of you back here tomorrow for another thrilling Wild Fact!

Sources:

Lundrigan, B. and S. Baker. 2003. “Paguma larvata” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed August 22, 2010 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Paguma_larvata.html.

Welcome to the last Wild Fact of the week before a 3 day weekend.  Well it is a long weekend if you are living in the Yukon.  Missing the August 1st holiday doesn’t seem so bad anymore. Today we are going to look at a misleading animal called the Raccoon Dog.  It is misleading since it is not even remotely related to the Raccoon, however, they do have a similar appearance.  The Raccoon Dog is actually a small canid native to parts of Eastern Asia, however, you can find them scattered throughout Central and Eastern Europe since they have been introduced for their valuable fur.

The Raccoon Dog is special among the dog species as they are the only canines known to hibernate during the early winter months.  Smartest dogs out there if you ask me. It is important for the Raccoon Dog to put on some weight prior to the cold winter months.  If they haven’t increased their subcutaneous fat by 18-23% or their internal fat by 3-5% then they will most likely perish during the harsh winter.  After all you need something for your body to feed on while you sleep.  Honestly, is that not the best behaviour ever? Pig out all summer on junk food and then lose all that weight while you sleep during the winter.  Personally I think that is the ultimate eating guide right there.

Photo by Jinsuk Kim

The Raccoon Dog may not feed on candy and chips all summer but they do enjoy feasting on insects, rodents, amphibians, reptiles and pretty much anything else they can get their paws on.When bored with all that meat they will compliment their diet with nuts, seeds, fruits, corn and even rifle through your garbage to see what they can find. Hmmm, I suppose they could feed on candy and chips provided you didn’t finish that bag of Zesty Doritos. I guess in this sense they are also like the Raccoon. Surprisingly the Raccoon Dog is an excellent swimmer and as such will also feed on waterfowl, fish and frogs.

Well before we start the long weekend I wanted to finish off the post by pointing out that the Raccoon Dog is very similar in appearance to the fox.  Only they have shorter legs and a shorter tail but the similarities are still there. They upstage the fox by being able to utilize their sharp claws to climb trees rather proficiently.  One more trait similar to the Raccoon.  Are we sure these two animals are not related?

Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend everyone!

Good news everyone!  The week of parasites is over and we are back to cute and cuddly Wild Facts.  I personally went out and found one of the cutest animals that we have yet to learn about just for you.  For the record, I still think the parasites were pretty cool.  Moving onto today’s animal, the Senegal Galago, also known as a Bush Baby. As you can probably tell by looking at them they are a nocturnal primate.  Well you may not have been able to tell that they are nocturnal but definitely a primate. Although, the large eyes provide excellent night vision and I am going to go out on a limb and say you noticed the eyes.

The Senegal Bushbaby can be found south of the Sahara Desert which is in Africa for my non-geographically inclined friends.  We are unclear how the term “Bushbaby” came to fruition but it is most likely due to either their appearance or the sharp cries that they make. These small primates have an average size of just 13 cm or 5 inches.  It is funny how small, furry things are cute while microscopic, blood-sucking, tongue replacing parasites are appalling.  I just don’t get it!

Bushbaby - www.junglewalk.com

The Senegal Galago has long, thick and wooly fur which is usually silvery gray to brown in colour. Like their eyes, their ears are large and contain four ridges that allow them to bend back and wrinkle individual parts of their ears.  How about that for a party trick? As you would expect this adaptation provides them with increased hearing in all directions.  Other unique features of this crazy little bushbaby are the thickened pads on the end of their fingers and toes and their second tongue.  I know you are excited about the second tongue but first let’s quickly discuss the thickened pads which are just flat discs of thickened skin that aid the bushbaby in climbing.  Okay, okay onto the second tongue.  Yes, the Senegal Galago has a cartilaginous protuberance underneath their real tongue.  This “second tongue” is used in conjunction with their front teeth for grooming.  Even bushbabies know good hygiene is important.

That just about does it for today’s Wild Fact and like I promised the bushbaby was cute, cuddly and doesn’t take advantage of other unsuspecting animals.  Well it might but not in a parasitic way. Have a great day folks and I will see you tomorrow for another fuzzy animal.

Photo by D. Gordon and E. Robertson

Can you believe it is Wednesday already? Well, actually it is still Sunday night as I am writing these posts ahead of time since I will be working in the field Monday and Tuesday.  Wow this is weird since it feels as if you are in the future reading this Wild Fact.  All right, I am done babbling.  Can you tell that I am getting tired? Today’s futuristic Wild Fact will be on an interesting little mammal called the Hyrax.  This is truly an unique mammal so sit back and enjoy.

The Hyrax, also known as a rock rabbit, is unlike any other animal which is why it gets classed in its very own special Order.  Believe it or not the elephant is the nearest living relative of this peculiar animal.  I know I don’t see it either. This relationship is in a weird, round about way since the hyrax, elephants and sea cows had a common ancestor way back when. Okay, so we know they are obscurely related to elephants but what else makes these animals so unique.  You will soon see why the Hyrax is unlike any other animal.

The Hyrax is a small furry mammal that sort of resembles a large, pudgy hamster.  They have no tail and stumpy toes with hoof-like nails. While we are talking about their toes I guess I should mention that they have four toes on their front feet but only three on their hind feet. You starting to see why they don’t fit in with other animals? Not yet, okay! Well the bottom of their feet also have a rubber-like texture which allows them to easily climb rock cliffs and trees.  Unlike more advanced mammals the Hyrax has poor internal temperature regulation which means they have to rely on huddling together and basking in the sun to stay warm.

Photo by Yair rand

So let’s see, these animals have characteristics similar to rodents, rabbits, ungulates and reptiles.  I think this is why they are in an Order all by themselves.  I told you they were unique little creatures.

Hyrax Fast Fact – So now that you are impressed with the Hyrax you want to go and find one.  Well you need to head over to Africa and the Middle East to catch a glimpse of these guys.

Well folks, that is all for today.  I should be back to civilization by now so it will be a “live” Wild Fact tomorrow.  Have a good one!

Photo by Christophe Meneboeuf

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is looking forward to another exciting week.  Today’s Wild Fact is going out to my parents and the most beautiful niece in the world. You see they are planning on taking a trip to visit a local Alpaca farm.  I thought it would be a good time to provide them with some information on these domesticated animals.

As I mentioned the Alpaca is a domesticated version of a South American camelid.  Yes, a camelid is just a fancy way of saying members of the Camelidae family which includes camels (of course) and llamas among others.  The Alpaca basically resembles a small llama in their appearance and are bred for their fiber.  No, not like the All Bran type of fibre.  Alpaca fiber is used for knitting and weaving blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, etc.   They are the perfect animal for creating all types of clothing since the Alpaca produces high quality and high quantities of fiber.

Amazingly the Alpaca has been domesticated for 1000′s of years and there are no known Alpaca’s living in the wild. Their closest relative is believed to be the Vicuna which resides in the high alpine areas of the Andes.  Similar to their Vicuna relatives the Alpaca is a social herd animal that lives in family groups.  Their group consists of a territorial “alpha” male, females and of course their young.  When they need to warn their family group the Alpaca will make sharp, noisy inhalations that sound similar to donkey sounds.  You know, the ol’ hee-haw!

Photo by Diligent Terrier

When faced with a predator the Alpaca herd will protect itself by kicking and spitting.  It sounds like a similar defense that a 7 year old child has against bullies.  Just so you know not all Alpacas will spit, however, they are all capable of doing so. The contents of this spit is usually their acidic stomach content, generally a green grassy mix.  Occasionally, their spit will just simply be a mixture of air with a little bit of saliva.  Personally, I would prefer to be hit with the latter mixture. Actually, I would prefer not to get spit on.

Alpaca Fast Fact – Most Alpacas do not like to be touched, however, some will tolerate being petted.  For the most part many Alpacas will not take kindly to people touching their feet, lower legs and especially their abdomens. I recommend you use caution when you are hanging out with a group of Alpacas.

That is all for today folks.  Mom, Dad and Taylor – I hope you have a great trip to the Alpaca farm.

Photo by José Luis Bartheld

Well it is the end of another week  and I thought we would continue our South American tour through the weekend. Since we are done looking at the Giant Anteater I thought we could head to southwestern South America to learn about the Monito del Monte.  Just so you have an idea of what you are in for today, this creature is also known as the Little Mountain Monkey, so you know it will be a fun Wild Fact.

The Monito del Monte is a not a monkey but rather a marsupial native to Chile and Argentina. Remember folks, marsupials are mammals that have their young mature inside of a nice, warm and comfy pouch (think about the kangaroo).  This little mountain monkey is a nocturnal animal that uses it partially prehensile tail to live a full life in the trees. They like to feed on insects and other small invertebrates but will mix it up with fruit.

The Monito del Monte is often considered to be a living fossil since it is the last remaining member of an extinct lineage.  Just how far does this lineage date back you ask? Well if the scientists did their estimates properly than this little mountain monkey is about 40 million years old.  Now you see why they consider them to be a living fossil?

So I mentioned that these little rascals are marsupials so you can imagine they have an unique breeding behaviour. Well, it isn’t that different compared to other pouched animals.  They will usually have a litter of 1 to 4 in the spring which mature in a fur-lined pouch.  Once the babies are old enough to leave the pouch they will be nursed in a nest and carried on their mother’s back.  The life of a baby Monito del Monte sounds pretty relaxing, doesn’t it?

Monito del Monte Fast Fact – It might be tough to tell from the picture but the Monito del Monte is about the size of a mouse.  If we have to put a number on it I would say they can get up to about 13 cm (5″) in length.  Did you realize that they were this small?

Well that does it for our short South American tour.  Take tomorrow off and enjoy the sights and sounds.  We fly home on Sunday!  Have a great weekend!

Photo by Graham Hughes

Buckle up everyone because we are all taking a trip to South America. Well, I guess the readers that live in South America aren’t really going to get much of a trip but the rest of us, we will have a blast! So why the impromptu trip to South America? Obviously you didn’t read the title but we are going to learn about the largest Anteater species in the world which is aptly named the Giant Anteater, pretty clever eh? As mentioned the Giant Anteater is found in Central and South America from Nicaragua to northern Argentina.

My favourite attribute of the Giant Anteater is the fact that they are edentate animals.  This is just a fancy, sciencey way of saying they have no teeth.  It is kind of like your old Grandpa Joe, well not really since your Grandpa has teeth, they are just in a glass beside his bed. Don’t worry about the Giant Anteater though since they make up for their lack of teeth with an extremely long tongue. I know you are dying to know how long their tongue is, who wouldn’t be curious? The tongue of the Giant Anteater is approximately 2 feet long.  They use this incredibly long tongue to lap up ants and termites all day.  In fact they will usually consume about 35 000 ants and termites in a single day. The first question that popped into my head was “how is it even possible for a Giant Anteater to find and consume 35 000 ants per day?”

Photo by Mateus Hidalgo

Well, first of all the Giant Anteater has an incredible sense of smell, which is thought to be about 40 times greater than ours. They use this sense to locate a nice big mound of ants/termites (which isn’t very tough in South America)  Once they find the mound they will use their sharp claws to tear it open. Now that they opened their dinner they will put their tongue in the hole and start eating as many ants/termites as possible. The Giant Anteater will only spend a minute or so at each mound since the ants generally fight back and begin stinging their attacker.   Interestingly enough the key to being able to consume 35000 ants/termites every day lies with the fact that the Giant Anteater will not destroy the mound.  Instead, he leaves it somewhat intact so he can continuously visit for a snack.  Who would have thought that the Giant Anteater has figured out how to sustainably harvest their food but humans can’t?

Giant Anteater Fast Fact – The Giant Anteater is the largest of all anteater species and can weigh between 18 to 64 kg (40 – 140 lbs).  Similarly, their bodies are approximately 1.2 m (3.6′) long while their tails can grow up to 1 m (3′).  They are called Giants for a reason!

If you have about 5 minutes to spare than I highly recommend you watch the video clip below.  It is from BBC’s Life of Mammals and does a great job showing you the life of the Giant Anteater.  Even if you don’t have 5 minutes, I recommend you watch it since it is an incredible video clip.

Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg /Magdeburg , Germany/

I find it funny that the hardest part with writing these Wild Facts is coming up with the opening line for the post.  I guess I am just not very “sharp” this evening.  I am usually pretty good at small talk but after 200 and some facts it is getting difficult.  What the heck am I going to come up with as I get closer to 1000? Maybe I should hire someone to write a bunch of ice-breaking opening statements. Any takers? . Well today we are going to look at another rodent.  Come on you know you enjoyed yesterday’s rodent so why not learn about another one? We are going to look at the Indian Crested Porcupine. This particular porcupine is a member of the Old World Porcupines and can be found throughout the Middle East and Southern Asia.

The Indian Crested Porcupine can weigh up to 20 kg (44 lbs) and get as long as 1 metre (3′) so they are fairly big rodents.  Much larger than our cute, little Dormouse which we saw yesterday.  Generally you don’t want to mess with porcupines but you definitely don’t want to mess with the Indian Crested Porcupine. They are known to be extremely defensive and obviously have very sharp quills that can do some major damage.  Their quills are the most distinctive feature so let’s take a second to learn a little more about them, shall we?  The longest quills of the Indian Crested Porcupine can grow up to 1/3 of their body length. Of course I will do the math for you.  This means that a 3′ long porcupine can have quills up to 1 foot long.  YIKES! These longer quills have often been known to provide a fatal blow to the oncoming predator.

Photo by Krzysztof Kozlowski

Of course not all of their quills are this long but the shorter ones also play an important role in self-defense.  The Indian Crested Porcupine is able to create a very loud rattling noise with the shorter quills.  This is their attempt to be proactive and warn everyone in the area that they are coming through and don’t want to be messed with! Next time you are walking through the “rough” part of town just bring a baby rattle with you.  Let me know how it works out! As a result of the dangerous quills only a few animals are brave enough to attack a Indian Crested Porcupine including tigers and leopards.

Indian Crested Porcupine Fast Fact – A male porcupine is called Boar while the female is called a Sow.  A group of porcupines are known as, wait for it……… a “prickle”.  I know! Finally a clever naming convention!

Have a great day everyone!