I promised all of you that we would head back from Australia and I didn’t lie.  Today we land back into North America and the first animal we see when we get off the plane is a Collared Peccary.  I know it may seem weird to see a collared peccary hanging around in a city but they are actually well adapted to living in the suburbs.  Anyone know where in North America we just landed? We landed somewhere in Southwestern USA! Perhaps, Texas, Arizona or New Mexico.  The Collared Peccary can be found in Central and South America as well.

The collared peccary is often referred to as a pig, however, it is no longer classed in the pig family.  I still think it looks like a pig though! Anyone have ideas what this pig-like animal eats? Well, I can tell you that this little piggy doesn’t eat roast beef.  Instead it prefers to forage on fruit, roots, grasses, insects as well as small reptiles. One of the other main sources of food for this cute, little peccary happens to be prickly pears.  It may be a tough food item to swallow but the prickly pear has a very high water content which is crucial for an animal living in Southwestern USA.

The nice thing about viewing the collared peccary is the fact that you will get to see several at one time.  They actually like to form a band of 6 to 12 animals although a larger group of 50 has also been recorded. Interestingly enough, these bands have a hierarchy in which a male collared peccary will usually be dominant while the rest of the “pecking” order is determined by size. Only the old and the wounded animals don’t band up since they prefer to die in solitude.  Other than dying though, the group does everything together.

Collared Peccary Fast Fact: The collared peccary is also known as the “Javelina” which is Spanish for javelin or spear.  They received this secondary name due to their razor sharp tusks.

Another week of Wild Facts is in the books!  Have a great weekend everyone and I will see you back here first thing Monday morning.

Well we all had a very nice trip to New Zealand yesterday but I think it is time to make one last stop in Australia before heading out on our next adventure.  Today we are going to look at yet another marsupial called the Numbat.  I kid you not folks! I don’t even think I could make these names up.

The numbat is also known as the Banded Anteater.  My guess is they prefer to be called the banded anteater over the “Numbat”.  This little marsupial can only be found in small colonies in Western Australia.   Does anyone have any idea what the Banded Anteater prefers to feed on?  Of course, the majority of their diet is composed of termites.  What?!? Did you think I was going to say something else? Surprisingly enough the numbat is able to consume almost 20 000 termites in a day. In order to be able to catch so many little termites in a day the numbat has evolved a long, sticky tongue which seems to work quite well.

Unlike most marsupials, the numbat is active mainly during the daylight hours.  The numbat is required to wait until the termites are active in order to feed.  Although, they have fairly strong claws, they are no match for the concrete-like termite mounds.  The banded anteater is smart and applies the brains over brawn strategy for finding food.  You see, they wait until the termites are in the underground tunnels between their feeding sites and their protective mound.  The numbat is able to sniff them out and strike them while they are vulnerable.  Pretty smart of the little numbat isn’t it?

Numbat Fast Fact: Although the numbat is a marsupial, they do not have a pouch that the young can climb into.  For this reason the little numbats must cling to the belly fur.

Have a great day everyone!

We keep talking about species of Australia and I feel bad for the beautiful country just south east of Australia. I am of course talking about New Zealand!  It looks like a great place to find intriguing animals yet it seems like we hardly talk about it.  Today is going to change all of that as we are going to discuss the Kakapo which in the wild is only found in New Zealand.

Oh, so what is a Kakapo!  Well, obviously it is a bird!  Didn’t you look at the picture above? Okay, I will stop being a smart alec. The kakapo is a flightless, nocturnal parrot. In fact it is the largest species of Parrot in the world, weighing between 2-4 kg (4.5-9 lbs).  It is the only parrot species that I know of which is flightless and nocturnal.  This is a very interesting bird.

Unfortunately, the kakapo is critically endangered with only 125 living birds left in the wild.  The kakapo use to flourish in New Zealand since they didn’t have to worry about mammalian predators back in the day. Without having any predators, the kakapo had no need to evolve any self-defense mechanisms.  The absence of these mammalian predators may also be the reason why this particular bird evolved to be flightless.  There was just no need for them to worry about being eaten.  Once mammals starting being introduced to the islands of New Zealand, these defenseless birds were no match for the predators.  I guess you could say it was like taking candy from a baby.  Today, efforts have been made to transfer some of these endangered but maginificent bird species to islands lacking mammalian predators.  The way I see it is that those 120 birds had better find a shortcut to evolution if they want to remain living in this world.

Well folks, today was just a quick Fact about the Kakapo.  I hope you enjoyed it and I will see you again tomorrow.

Photo by Michael Morcombe

Lately, I have been realizing that Australia is still a place that I will need to visit soon.  It has always been on the top of my “Must See” list, however, since starting Wild Facts it has dropped in the rankings due to places like Madagascar and Southern Africa which are just loaded with cool animals.  Today, we are going to look at another marsupial that is found in Australia (as well as in Papua New Guinea).  I would really like to make a visit to check out all of these unusual mammals. Anyone up for a road trip?

The Cuscus (no, not that rice-type stuff, couscous) is a sub-species of the possum. In fact it is the worlds largest possum species.  I would like to make it clear that the possum and opossum are two different species. The opossum can be found in North America and is actually the only marsupial found in North America. Although they may have similar names and some similar physical characteristics the possum and opossum are not closely related. Now that we got that mess cleared up, lets get back to our delicious couscous….. I mean, Cuscus!

The cuscus spends the majority of its life hanging around in the canopy of the beautiful Australian trees.  What is one of the best adaptations for an animal that spends most of their time in the trees? That’s right!  A long prehensile tail that acts as an extra arm for hanging in the branches. These little guys use their tail so well that when they were first discovered, Scientists believed that they were related to monkeys. Of course, we know that they are actually more closely related to the possum. Silly Scientists!

Since the cuscus spends most of its time in the trees and only comes out to feed at night, they actually have very few predators. Among them include snakes and birds of prey.  Although, humans are probably their biggest predator.  Apparently they are hunted for their meat and thick fur.  This doesn’t help their population status which is unfortunately dwindling.  The main cause for their population decline though is the destruction of their habitat.  Once again, humans need for natural resources are impacting the local populations of animals.

Cuscus Fast Fact: The cuscus is a very secretive animal so spotting them in the wild is very difficult.  I guess this means we will have to keep our eyes peeled during our road trip to Australia.  I want to be one  of the people lucky enough to see them in their natural habitat……..before it is cut down!

Enjoy the rest of your day everyone!

The people that know me well will know that hockey games will often affect my mood.  After watching the Americans beat the Canadians tonight, you should all know that I am no longer in a very jovial mood.  I figure doing a little bit of research about a cool animal will do me some good.  In fact today’s animal is so cool, it needs a Coati! No that is not a spelling mistake, that is me trying to make pun since we are indeed going to learn about the Coati today. In reality though, the Coati is pronounced (ko-WAH-ti) so that wrecks the pun a little.

You may not have heard of the coati before but have you ever heard of a Snookum Bear, hog-nosed coon or Brazilian aardvark? These are just some of the other names that people call the coati. So what exactly is this animal? Well, they are members of the raccoon family which can be found in North, Central and South America.  They tend to be a diurnal species foraging for food throughout the day and hanging around in the trees at night.  During those blistering hot moments of the day the coati will seek refuge in their home high above the ground.  Although they are considered to be a terrestrial animal, the coati will sleep, mate and give birth in the trees.  The amount of time spent in the trees may help explain the need for such a long tail.  This tail provides the balance necessary to manoeuvre through those tricky branches.

The coati are an omnivorous species which means they like to eat both plants and animals.  They have adapted an excellent sense of smell as well as strong digging claws to help with find the meat component of their diet.  They will often be seen sniffing along the ground until they catch a scent of their prey.  At this point they will begin to dig into the ground and will move the dirt around using their special pig-like nose that can actually rotate 60 degrees in any direction.  Maybe the police force should hire a few Coati’s for their Canine Unit. Well, I guess it would then be called a Coati Unit!  Hmmmm, that actually has a pretty cool ring to it.

Writing up this post has definitely put me into a better mood which I can thank each and everyone of you for!  Have a great day!

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If you have been following Wild Facts all week (and I know some of you have been) then you may have noticed that we have talked about a couple of Australian animals such as the wombat and the koala bear.  I figured I would end the week with another Australian animal.  Actually, this animal is also a marsupial. Anyone else find it interesting that their are a lot of pouched animals living in Australia? By this point, I am sure you have read the title and realize that I am of course talking about the Wallaby!

Wallabies are smaller than their kangaroo cousins but have some very similar characteristics. Earlier this week I mentioned that the koala bear and the wombat were also related to the kangaroo.  It seems that everything in Australia is related to that hippity-hop animal.  Their family reunions would be a blast although I bet it would be tough to convince them to come out of their pouches long enough to enjoy the company.

If you look at the picture above (go ahead and look again) you will notice that the wallaby has a very long tail. In fact, their tail can be as long as their entire body.  The wallaby puts this long, powerful tail to good use as it helps balance them while jumping around all day.  As well, they can use this tail to prop themselves up into a sitting position.  How weird would it be to come around a corner and see a bunch of wallabies just sitting on their tails. This is actually possible since wallabies tend to be a social animal and will often forage with other wallabies.  It makes sense since nobody likes eating alone! While we are on the topic of foraging, I guess I should let you know what these critters like to eat. The majority of their diet is made up of grasses, however, when they feel like mixing up their diet they will also feed on leaves, shrubs and berries.  Personally, I would take berries over grass, leaves or shrubs!

If you are bored and feel like watching a baby wallaby at the zoo then check out the video below.

Well folks, that just about does it for me today!  Have a great weekend and I will see you all on Monday.  Although, if I can get motivated, you may see me around the site this weekend but we shall see!

So far this week, we have looked at a couple of very cute animals with the wombat and the koala bear.  I figured I would take a different turn with today’s fact and talk about Barnacles.  That’s right the thing you find on the side of your boat.  Believe it or not, they really are animals! Go ahead and look it up if you don’t believe me.

Barnacles are a type of crustacean so they are related to crabs and lobsters. Personally, I would prefer to chow down on a nice tasty lobster but that is just me.  Juvenile barnacles are actually free floating until they decide to attach themselves to something nearby such as a rock or a boat.  They have to choose very wisely though since they will remain in that spot for the rest of their lives. I thought the koala bear and the wombat were lazy for sleeping for 18 hours. Barnacles don’t move for the majority of their life.  Now that is lazy! Some barnacles can be parasitic but most are suspension feeders that sit in the water column and draw particles into them using tiny, feathery appendages.  These feathery appendages are basically modified legs.  Who would have thought that barnacles actually have legs!

So how do these little crustaceans manage to stay stuck onto these objects? Wow, thank you for such a thought provoking question.  Believe it or not, free floating crustaceans (remember, these are the juvenile barnacles) actually have a cement gland that can be found at the base of their antennae. Basically, they cement themselves onto whatever they feel like living on for the rest of their lives.  You may have noticed that I said their cement gland was at the base of their antennae.  So now, what do you think this means? That’s right, this means that most barnacles are technically hanging upside down.  Did you know that barnacles were held in place by their heads? I think this might make barnacles one of the most headstrong animals that I know.

I hope you enjoyed today’s fact about barnacles.  Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for Friday’s Fun Wild Fact!

I realized tonight that I am starting to get too many Wild Facts as I am now having a tough time remembering which animals I have already talked about.  You know I don’t want to repeat the same fact over and over again. I can’t believe that I haven’t done a Wild Fact on the Koala Bear.  That is enough of my babbling, lets get on with the fact!

The Koala Bear isn’t actually a bear.  In fact the closest living relative of the koala bear is the……are you ready for it? The Wombat! That’s right, Wild Fact #874 and #873 are actually related.  Just like the wombat and the kangaroo, the koala bear is a marsupial.  You remember what the means right? I don’t want you to have to go back to yesterday’s fact to look up the definition so I will remind you.  A marsupial gives birth to live young just like other mammals but then the young hops into the comfy pouch where it continues to grow. The baby (also called a Joey) is only about a quarter of an inch long when it heads to the pouch.  It will stay in this external shelter for about 6 months feeding solely on milk.  Interestingly enough the pouch of the koala bear contains a drawstring-like muscle that the mama bear can close and open at will.  To me that is a pretty cool way to ensure your little joey doesn’t fall out.

The koala bear feeds primarily on Eucalyptus leaves, which are low in protein, hard to digest and contain chemicals that are deadly to most other animals.  So why do they feed on such problematic leaves? Simply because other animals can’t suvive off of these leaves, so it ensures food availability.  The koala bear has a very low metabolic rate which allows them to be able to survive off of such low quality leaves.  Due to this low metabolism, the koala bear tends to laze around for about 16-18 hours a day. If you ask me, they are living the dream life! I wish my job was just to sleep all day!

Koala Bear Fast Fact: The fingerprints of the koala bear are incredibly similar to humans. Apparently, it is even difficult to distinguish the two apart using an electron microscope. This is an unverified fact but an interesting one to think about.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Good news!  I managed to find some time in between my Olympic watching to sit down and write up a Wild Fact.  I figured I would take advantage of the delay in Long Track Speed Skating (Go Canada!) to write up Wild Fact #874.  I know it may seem like I am just squeezing these Facts in whenever I have time but they actually do take precedence over many things.  I enjoy writing these facts so much that I will always find time to write about some interesting animal.  You are all in for a treat today since we will be learning about the cute and pudgy, Wombat.

The wombat is a marsupial, which means it gives birth to tiny little babies that will crawl into their pouch to continue growing.  Yes, that is the same thing a Kangaroo does! In case you are wondering, the babies will remain in the wombat’s pouch for about 5 months. I really hope those little guys are not claustrophobic!  These furry animals are nocturnal which means they head out at night to look for food. The wombat tends to feed on grasses, roots and bark. Perhaps if they foraged during the day they would find something a little tastier to eat!

The wombat has very long claws which they use to dig burrows for themselves. Their underground homes can be quite extensive with several chambers located throughout.  I bet the lady wombats have a huge walk-in closet in their chamber. I was surprised to find out that that certain species of wombats are actually very sociable. These species will form colonies and live together in their elaborate underground homes. Nothing better than the whole family getting together at home!

Like a lot of other animals, some of the wombat species are considered endangered due to habitat destruction. You may have noticed a recurring theme for endangered species that focuses in on habitat destruction. I guess this is to be expected as the human population and our demand for natural resources continues to grow.

Thanks for reading and hopefully learning something about the interesting Australian wombat.  I am off to watch some more Olympic events.  Go Jeremy Wotherspoon!

Happy Monday, everyone!  I am trying to sit down and write up this Wild Fact but I am still pretty excited with the Gold Medal performance by Alexandre Bilodeau in the Men’s Moguls.  This is the first Gold Medal for a Canadian on home soil.  I wanted to congratulate all of the athletes that are at the games as their hard work and dedication is truly inspiring.  As you can tell, I have spent most of my weekend watching the Olympic events.  I really do love the winter Olympics and everything they stand for. But enough about the unity of sports, let’s get on with today’s Wild Fact!

I know I have written about lemur-like animals in the past but my better half showed me an article and a photo of the Greater Bamboo Lemur today so I wanted to share some information about this cute animal with all of you. This larger, grey coloured lemur is critically endangered and considered to be one of the world’s rarest animals.  Unfortunately, their population continues to decrease as a result of the destruction of their rain-forest home. I don’t know why everyone wants to destroy the rain-forest! It seems like such an incredible place.  I had better hurry up and witness it first hand before it is gone forever!

The Greater Bamboo Lemur is unique since it is one of the few animal species that rely solely on bamboo to survive.  These crazy animals are even able to digest the bamboo shoots which is known to contain cyanide.  At this point in time, we are unsure how they are able to process this harmful chemical.  This is an important trait for any of you people trying to poison your Greater Bamboo Lemur to collect the inheritance.  It won’t work on these guys! There really isn’t a lot of information on these particular lemur’s yet so if you are looking for a thesis project, may I suggest studying the Greater Bamboo Lemur, which can be found in Madagascar.  Hey, look at that!  One more reason to go to Madagascar.

Greater Bamboo Lemur Fast Fact: We may not know too much about the greater bamboo lemur but we do know that the young like to suck their thumbs.  Perhaps we should get them a pacifier!

Thanks for reading today’s post! I will be back tomorrow with another interesting animal species, provided I don’t get too caught up with the Olympics.