🍒Midnight Cherry🍒 - Jaunumi

Zebra Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 20:01:00 +0000

A glorious fixture of the African landscape, the zebra is a very flashy member of the normally mousy-colored horse family. Sporting a robust body of bold stripes, the zebra spends its busy life on the move seeking the best grazing in the mostly dusty world of the African savanna.

Because its skin is dark, many experts suggest that the zebra is a black (sometimes brown) furred animal with white stripes, while others will argue that the zebra has black stripes on a white field, pointing out the animals white undersides.

No matter, the effect is dazzling, and provides this gregarious herd animal with a confusing defense of fluctuating dark and light motion. When a group of zebras rumbles passed a lion, leopard or cheetah, it is virtually impossible for the predator to pick out just one individual target. For the zebra, as is the case with many herd animals, there is great security in numbers.

There are 3 main species of zebra. The most familiar are the plains zebras of which there are 5 subspecies each with slight variations in not only stripe pattern but color as well, some being decidedly brown instead of black. Of these, the Grant's, a hearty animal true, bold black and white stripes that grow wider as they reach the rump, is the classic zebra in type.

Although there are some more populous sub-species, and interbreeding occurs, the Grants remains one of the most iconic sights on the African plains. The mountain zebras consist of 2 subspecies most easily distinguished by the fishbone pattern across the top of the rump. Mountain zebras also have a dewlap - a flap of loose skin at the throat, the function of which is unclear.

Finally, the Grevy's zebra is in its own sub genus and is more donkey-like. It has thinner more numerous, and closely spaced stripes, often brown in color.

All the zebra species are herd animals, highly social and dependent on the camouflaging effect of a mass of striped bodies for survival. Constantly moving, always alert for danger, zebras have surprisingly good eyesight, and it is believed that, despite being monochrome themselves, they actually see the world around them in full color. - Zebra Facts

Why Does A Zebra Have Stripes?

Even at the edge of a watering hole there is danger, but zebras love a crowd. The herd instinct draws them together, the exquisite skin often keeps them in one piece in more ways than one.

Imagine a crouching lion or hidden crocodile trying to select just one target in a dazzling sea of stripes. For well-camouflaged animals such as the zebra, it is more often movement and not the outline of a form that attracts the predator to an individual. A stilted gait, the bobbing head that comes with a lame leg, a stumble, a hesitation, the curtain of healthy companions rush away and the target is revealed.

But despite being every bodies favorite meal, the plains zebra is an extraordinarily successful animal, and though nature channels are rife with scenes of tragic endings, the majority of zebras lead long lives of 15 to 20 years. Even with territories dwindling as human-kind encroaches, the plains zebra herds are over 3/4 of a million animals strong. - Zebra Facts

Zebra Reproduction

Zebra mothers and foals

The very social zebra requires the safety and comfort of a herd to survive. Two types of zebra herds exist, one being made up of a "harem" of females and their foals escorted by 1 stallion, the other being a "bachelor herd" of males who are either too young, too old, or too timid to gather a harem of their own.

Stallions are males at least 5 years of age who have fought with other males for the right to accompany and mate with the females in the harem. The females have a hierarchy and will often walk in line in the order in which they joined the group.

The senior mare will make most of the decisions for the herd, leading them to pastures and watering holes. The stallion will bring up the rear or patrol the flanks on the lookout for predators and other males who might steal his mares away.

Pregnancy lasts for a year and the newborn struggles to its feet in a matter of minutes. The skull of a newborn zebra is less than 1/2 the length of its mothers, but the babies legs are 95% the length of hers.

Speed really matters in the perilous world of a baby zebra and within moments of birth the infant is on its feet and ready to run, keeping to the center of the herd as much as possible and dodging the large hungry jaws of cheetahs, hyenas, lions and crocodiles on a daily basis. The mother does the parenting and will nurse the foal for up to 18 months.

Young males will leave the herd at between 1 and 2 years of age to join a herd of bachelors. Likewise, young females will leave when they come into their first estrus joining with a new dominant male who has chased away all suitors.

Because both the males and the females leave their original herd, the harems that are formed are actually groups of unrelated females who form strong bonds and live together as a family, usually their entire adult lives. - Zebra Facts

Fight Club And The "Super Herd"

In some regions where populations are large, the plains zebras social structure can be rather complex.

Multiple stallions with their harems and youngsters in tow, will come together to form a "super herd" of up to 300 individuals. When a bachelor herd approaches a "super herd" the stallions greet them as a unit and work together to fight them off.

When the battles are over the stallions will return to their own harems. Within the "super herd" the harem structure remains intact with each mare remaining devoted to only her stallion, and each stallion keeping to his own mares. - Zebra Facts

Zebra Identification Guide - A Tale Of Some Tushies

Look to the rear when trying to identify a zebra species or subspecies.

Our first example is the broad black stripes of the famous Grant's zebra (the rare Selous zebra is similar).

Second: The 2-toned "shadow" stripes, and sometimes stripe- less legs of the Burchell's. (the Chapman's and Crawshay's zebras are similar)

Third: The Grevy's has narrow, close-set, often brown lines, a prominent dorsal stripe with white outline and plush dark dorsal hair. The stripes do not go under the belly.

Fourth: The "fish bone", or "gridiron" pattern across the top of the rump of the mountain zebra. The mountain zebra tends to have the biggest variation in stripe width across the body (see small inset photo) with narrow, close-set stripes on the ribs changing abruptly to broad, wide-set stripes on the sides of the buttocks. Stripes do not go under the belly. Without a top view you can usually still identify the mountain zebra from the side- look for the tips of the fish bones! -Zebra Fact

Which Zebra Is This?

Grant's Zebra

Beefy build, thick neck, big, broad, black stripes it is the Grant's zebra. A mother and baby Grant's zebra in glorious black and white! Just look at the length of that foals legs - baby you were born to run!.

Burchell's Zebra

If the zebra has the Grant's sturdy build, but thinner two-toned stripes it is one of three subspecies. The Burchell's zebra, the Chapman's zebra and the Crawshay's zebras occasionally inter-breed and make positive identification tricky, but of the three, the Burchell's is the most common. In fact, the Burchell's is the most populous of all the zebra species. This is most likely a Burchell's zebra mare and foal. - Zebra Facts!

A Few More Zebra Facts

Contrary to some claims, zebras, like all other equines, identify each other by smell and vocalization, not by their stripes.
The zebras stripes make it more difficult for predators to target one individual out of the herd.
Albino zebras occasionally occur in the wild. Often called "golden zebras" they are not true albinos, but have pale tan or golden stripes and light brown or even blue eyes.

Wolverine Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:59:00 +0000

Portrait of a Wolverine

One of the coolest wolverine facts is that their claws are used like climbers crampons to help them ascend icey slopes.

The wolverine is the largest member of the weasel family, which includes an assortment of very tough, often aggressive carnivores.

Burly and bear-like, wolverines are about as big as a medium sized dog, about 3 feet long, and 30 to 50 pounds.

Some exceptional males may reach up to 60 or even 70 pounds.

They have long, powerful, arching claws, and muscular forelimbs and shoulders, allowing them to ramshackle through and tear open rotted stumps in search of grubs and other insects.

They will also use their claws to literally dig voles, gophers and rabbits straight out of the ground.

They have also been known to eat fox, beaver and even porcupine.

Wolverines spend most of their time rummaging around in search of anything edible, including a small amount of vegetation likes roots and berries, but their diet consists mainly of carrion.

They have poor eyesight and average hearing but a tremendous sense of smell with which they can detect the presence of a rotting corpse from miles away, or from beneath several feet of snow.

Wolverines are fearless and may stalk and take down remarkably large prey like deer, elk or young moose, but are usually only successful with the help of deep snow to aid their hunt.

The wolverine is an impressive animal, with a long, very dense, water-proof coat of brown fur.

A distinctive lighter colored band covers the rump and extends up both sides fading out around the shoulder.

The head is a very broad wedge with small, dark eyes, and neat, widely set ears.

Wolverines are found in the Northern tundra and subarctic regions of the world, such as Siberia and Alaska.

They move about both day and night, but are generally nocturnal.

They are mostly terrestrial animals who move about their large territories with a brisk, loping gate, but they can also climb trees, and will pursue prey up in the branches.

They will also store larger kills in the crook of trees, similar to what leopards do, or cover a cache of meat with snow or earth to save for later.

Wolverines are mostly solitary animals who mark their territories with anal gland secretions.

Females are more territorial than males and will chase intruders.

They are often called "stink bears" or even "skunk bears" because of the powerful, musty scent.

They live in permanent territories and males may form permanent relationships with the females in neighboring ranges.

Male wolverines who form partnerships with females will visit their territories a few times a year, and may even spend some time with their offspring.

A Few More Wolverine Facts

Wolverines have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell
They can smell a dead animal buried 10 or even 20 feet below the snow
A 30 pound wolverine can take down a deer weighing 150 pounds
Wolverines have special teeth for slicing through frozen flesh
Wolverine fur does not collect frost or ice and is used to line parkas and hoods
The wolverine has 4 inch long claws
Average lifespan for a wolverine is about 10 years

Wolf Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:56:00 +0000

Portrait of a Wolf

One of the least known wolf facts is that wolf pups are born with blue eyes. The wolf is the largest species in the dog or canid family. There are two species of wolf, the grey wolf which is found throughout the northern hemisphere, and the red wolf, which is limited to a tiny population in the state of North Carolina.

There are several subspecies of grey wolf in North America, and another 7 to 12 subspecies found in Europe and Asia. These subspecies vary only slightly in size and color, mostly as a result of the variations in climate, habitat and diet in the different locations they occur.

Wolves live in forest and mountain areas where large game animals like goat, deer and moose can be found. Many live in cold climates, and today, the largest numbers can be found in arctic regions, as the habitats in the south slowly disappear.

The Great Plains wolf, Mexican wolf, Arctic wolf, Rocky Mountain wolf and the Eastern timber wolf, (which some consider a separate species) are currently all considered subspecies of the grey wolf. Some of the largest individuals can be found in Alaska, including the largest on record, a huge male weighing 175 pounds.

Most grey wolves average between 70 and 100 pounds, 28 to 34 inches at the shoulder, with males averaging a bit bigger than females.

The domestic dog was once also classified as a subspecies of grey wolf, but recent DNA research shows that dogs and wolves have been evolving separately for more than 30,000 years. The ancestor of both the grey wolf and the dog was a small Eurasian wolf weighing less than 40 pounds, which has been extinct for nearly 15,000 years.

But wolves and dogs still carry many of the traits of that animal, such as an extremely cooperative personality, and a need for intense social interaction.

Wolves live in groups called packs, which are made up of a dominant male and female, called the Alpha pair, their offspring, and occasionally other relatives. On rare occasions unrelated individuals may win their way into the pack, but this takes lots of social skills.

The pack is a complex unit held together by a book of etiquette almost as intense as our own society.

Wolves are profoundly intelligent and remarkably expressive. Only primates display such a wide display of facial expressions and body postures, all with a specific message attached, and all part of their own unique politics.

Nothing exemplifies the spirit of the pack lifestyle more than the mutual howling that often takes place before they embark on a hunt. Like football players in a locker room, wolves boost eachother up with excited episodes of tussling, body slamming, and physical activity that is basically like hugging without arms.

They will occasionally place a foreleg over a packmate in the commotion to get close, but usually will wrap their necks around eachother and pull eachother near with their chins.

Howling sessions usually start with yips and short barks that build to howls that can last up to 15 seconds each. Group howling can take on a frenzied energy, and they will usually harmonize instead of all howling the same note, which makes it seem to the listener like there are twice as many pack members. Contrary to popular myth, a wolf howl does have an echo.

There is a bit of howling etiquette too, with the Alpha male and female correcting pack members or puppies that have howled at the wrong times.

Howling can build up spirit and bonding, but is also used by wolves to find eachother, or for solo wolves to find other solitary animals to form a new pack with. But it can be costly to howl at the wrong time, especially when they don't want hunters, prey or another pack to know their location.

Along with howling, wolves have a wide vocabulary of barks, yips, growls, grunts, whines and snorts that constitute an actual language, and wolves from different parts of the world have different dialects.

The Mind Of The Wolf

Wolves are some of the most gregarious creatures on Earth, emotionally bonded to eachother, and infused with an incredible drive to cooperate and conform to the social structure.

Pack life provides a clear order of dominance, and a powerful sense of community. Communal hunting and sharing of resources, the defending of common territory, and the cooperative raising of young, are the hallmarks of both humans and wolves.

The building blocks that made early wolves excellent subjects for domestication are still present in modern wolves, and clearly on display in the domestic dog.

One common suggestion is that wolves are far more intelligent than dogs, whose brains are actually much smaller. And experiments and studies comparing the two animals indicate that the wolf is a much better problem solver than the dog, able to learn by simply watching the actions of other wolves, but also far better at manipulating resources.

Wolves seem to have a better understanding of how things work, can solve mechanical problems like opening gates and retrieving hidden food, and are more willing to utilize their whole bodies if necessary, pushing things with their shoulders, getting low for leverage, or paddling water out of a trough to get to items on the bottom.

Dogs on the other hand, when faced with tricky problems, look to, and eventually implore humans to help them.

So wolves have the knowledge and logic to solve problems better than dogs. But it doesn't mean there is empty space in the dogs brain where this information used to be. No, there is a second language taking up space in the mind of the dog, and the complete text of an operators manual for one of the most ready resources and greatest tools available - people.

Consider the simple fact that many domestic dog puppies as young as a few weeks instinctively understand the human pointing gesture, while wolves, even those raised by people in a domestic environment, tend to ignore it.

Our Neanderthal ancestors had the brilliance and skill to survive an ice-age, but might have a little trouble using a GPS. On the other hand, think of all the knowledge we humans have lost over the last century or so. Most people today don't have the ability to start a fire, snare dinner or navigate by the stars, but we do have a grasp of technology and social outreach like no generation before.

So when it comes to modern dogs and modern humans, has evolution found us more perfect, or has it left us less intelligent and less capable...hmmm.

Wolf Lifestyle

The average wolf pack has 6 to 12 members and is very much like a big rowdy family.

The Alpha pair are the parents and make most of the decisions. The Alpha male and female are usually the only wolves in the pack that mate, will be the first to eat, and will control the packs comings and goings. Both the male and the female Alpha will mark their territory by lifting their legs and urinating around the perimeter. Other members of the pack, male and female, will scent mark as well, but only by squatting instead of lifting their legs. The Alphas retain their control over the pack by constantly asserting themselves.

They move about with confidence, head and tail held high, and expect pack members to show submission when approached. Submission can be displayed actively with the subordinate wolf crouching, keeping its tail tucked, slinking and ducking, licking at the lips of the Alpha as if pleading, or it can be displayed passively, by rolling over and exposing their bare belly and throat.

The Alphas may be benevolent rulers or may occasionally be overly dominant, biting and abusing pack members. Coups do occur, and one or both members of the Alpha pair may be deposed if all the other members rise up together. Leadership for the Alpha pair is a fine balancing act of political skill, and learning how to keep stress levels low while still displaying dominance. They rule together and will often stay together for life, but there is lots of intrigue in the world of wolves and some dramatic betrayals sometimes unfold.

Beta wolves are basically the second in command who may be siblings or other relative of the Alphas, or adult offspring. Beta wolves may challenge Alphas, and if they don't show the proper displays of submission actual fights may occur. Most Beta wolves will either mellow over time and sink back down in the ranks or leave to form their own pack.

Subordinates are the remaining adults in the pack. They may be on their way up or down in rank, or may be youngsters preparing to disperse. There is a clear hierarchy among these wolves and everyone knows their place, challenging and reaffirming themselves regularly with displays of dominance and submission played out on a much smaller scale than those involving the Alphas, but still clearly evident.

The Omega is the wolf at the bottom of the pecking order. This may be a male or a female, and generally gets the brunt of everyones frustrations. Omegas are the last to eat, and sometimes live more on the perimeter of the pack, not being allowed to participate in group play or howling sessions. Though the embodiment of powerlessness the Omega ultimately seems to play a very important role in the pack, reinforcing the structure of the society. And for those optimists out there, yes, occasionally they fight back and move up a few ranks, sending someone else to the bottom of the heap.

The wolf pack only uses a den in the springtime when pups are too young to travel, otherwise they are on the move throughout a territory that may be several hundred square miles in size. They spend over 30 percent of their lives on the move and can comfortably travel at 5 to 7 miles an hour over rugged terrain for hours at a time. If they leave the pack they must completely abandon their former territory and disperse as far as 500 miles away. Some tagged wolves have even been tracked over 1000 miles from their original location.

Wolves can hunt very large prey, often ten times their own size, because of their ability to live and work as a unit. They will approach a herd of elk, deer, caribou or musk ox, spread out their ranks and evaluate their prospects. Wolves will observe the herd and attempt to identify the weakest individual. They may begin to pressure the herd to move, judge their reactions and single out a target. They work in unison, weeding the target out and taking turns running it down in a type of relay race, and when the time is right they will strike as one.

Wolves don't generally use a kill bite on prey, and the kill may be long, messy and gruesome. All pack members will eat in order of their rank, and if there are puppies to feed, all pack members will regurgitate food for them, or present them with whole pieces.

Wolves spend a great deal of time tracking prey. They tend to live in desolate areas and have enormous territories, so a kill every 3 to 5 days is typical. When they make a kill they will rest beside it and feed from it until very little remains. They eat all organs, muscle and fat, and will also crush bones with their powerful back teeth to extract the marrow.

Antlers, horns, hooves and large bones become toys, and after feeding the entire pack will spend time playing which is a pastime wolves never outgrow.

Much like domestic dogs, wolves find great joy in the company of their pack mates, and may nap at the end of the day in a great pile, entangled together.

Wolf Reproduction

Generally only the Alpha male and female will mate, and only the Alpha female will find or create a den to have her puppies in. All female wolves of breeding age will come into estrus in late winter, but the Alpha pair will attempt to stop any breeding activity between subordinate wolves.

Occasionally, however, a Beta or subordinate female will mate and have a litter. This usually only happens when there is a good food supply and the pack is doing well. In lean times this is not allowed, and sometimes even the Alpha pair will not mate if food is scarce.

If another female does have a litter, the puppies may be welcomed by the pack, as long as the Alpha female allows it, and all the pups will all be raised together by the pack. Both mothers may nurse all the puppies, and females who haven't conceived may have a "false pregnancy" that allows them to lactate and nurse the youngsters as well. This can be an enormous benefit to the pack as the strain on the mother is reduced and the pups are well-nourished.

The female is pregnant for about 65 days, and will find a suitable den when she is within a few days of giving birth. Only the pregnant female will use the den, which may be a cave or a fox hole or badger cette she excavates to accommodate her.

She will have an average of 3 or 4 puppies that are born blind and helpless, and she will not leave the den for the first few days after their birth as they need to nurse and require her warmth and protection. During this time pack members will bring her food, both whole and also regurgitated, and they may regurgitate water for her as well.

At 10 days or so, the pups eyes open and are a startling blue color. They won't turn yellow or brown until about 10 weeks.

The entire pack is anxious to see the pups, who emerge from the den at about 4 weeks old. At this age they will begin to socialize with all the pack members, begin to receive some regurgitated meals and even join in group howls.

By 8 to 10 weeks the puppies are weaned off their mother's milk and can travel several miles a day with the pack. They may observe hunts, and will excitedly attack fresh kills.

As the youngsters grow, and their personalities emerge, it becomes clear who will accept life as a subordinate within the pack, and who will leave.

Leaving the pack, known as dispersal, is the most dangerous decision a wolf can make, but without that boldness the young wolf might never have the opportunity to reproduce. Male and female wolves may leave the pack usually between 2 and 4 years of age, occasionally with a sibling, but most often alone.

When they make the choice they commit to it, and they must completely remove themselves from their former territory. As they travel to find a place of their own they may be confronted by hostile wolves who have also dispersed or who are members of other packs. If they wander into the wrong territory, they may be torn apart by another wolf pack.

They may find a neighboring pack and shadow it for a while. Both males and females may do this, and they may sneakily try to lure a member of the opposite sex to join them. Rarely, they may be able to simply join a new pack and establish their own place in the hierarchy. If the wolf whose attention they have favored is part of the Alpha pair, there may be a mutiny. If this happens, the pack members may choose a side and run off the unwanted newcomer, or depose the former Alpha.

And sometimes they find some unclaimed turf, begin to define the boundaries by scent-marking around the perimeter and settle in. Before long a lone wolf of the opposite sex may wander through, and if the chemistry is right a new pack is born.

A Few More Wolf Facts

Wolves are born with blue eyes
When packs howl, they harmonize
The wolf is the largest species of canine
Wolves can be solid black and solid white as well as all shades of grey and brown
It is a myth that wolf howls don't echo
A wolf's sense of smell is 100 times more powerful than ours
A wolf packs size seems to be determined by the size of game available
Wolves regularly hunt animals like moose that may be 10 times their size
Wolves lift their legs to urinate on trees just like dogs

Wildebeest Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:54:00 +0000

Portrait of a Wildebeest

One of the most amazing wildebeest facts is that their journey across Africa is part of the Great Migration every year...

The wildebeest is the iconic antelope of the African plains, with a marvelous, rugged appearance, and unmistakable anvil-shaped head.

It is also commonly called the gnu - pronounced "new", and sometimes referred to as the "fool of the veld" or the "poor man's Buffalo"

Wildebeest live in massive herds of sometimes thousands, and many participate in the Great Migration, one of the most amazing spectacles in the animal kingdom.

Bizarrely proportioned, and seemingly anonymous in their large herds, the wildebeest is often overlooked, and sometimes even maligned as unattractive and unintelligent.

Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but from an intelligence standpoint wildebeests are actually very vibrant animals with playful personalities and some very admirable traits.

One of the toughest creatures in Africa, the wildebeest is always on the move, grazing day and night, napping occasionally, while some keep watch.

In nature documentaries they are every predators favorite meal and seem to fall victim constantly.

But the wildebeest is one of the few African residents that has increased in numbers since the 1960's, and the fact is, many live remarkably long lives on the plains, sometimes reaching 20 years of age.

There are two species of wildebeest, the black wildebeest, and the far more common blue wildebeest.

The blue wildebeest has a silvery blue hue to the coat, with black mane and tail.

The black wildebeest is actually primarily brown in color, with a flaxen colored tail and a stiff upright mane of black and pale tan.

From afar, however, the black wildebeest may appear decidedly dark and even black in color.

Black wildebeest weigh between 250 and 400 pounds and 44 to 48 inches at the shoulder, while the blue wildebeest averages 300 to 600 pounds and stands 4 to nearly 5 feet at the shoulder.

The horn placement of the two species is different also, with the black wildebeests horns protruding first forwards, before dropping down and back up, while the blues horns extend to the sides, then down and up again.

Both males and females have horns, but those of a mature male are larger overall, and thicker in particular.

A mature male blue wildebeest may have horns over 60 inches wide.

During breeding season male wildebeests attempt to establish territories and impress females by battling other males.

Bulls will charge eachother, bellow, and kneel down and thrash horns in a dramatic display.

Females give birth standing up in the center of the herd, to one large, well formed calf.

Within 15 minutes of the newborn hitting the ground, it will be up and moving with the herd.

Not all populations of wildebeests migrate.

Most black wildebeest are actually permanent residence throughout their range.

But some herds of blue wildebeest must journey long distances in search of food and breeding grounds.

Every year some 2 million wildebeest along with 800,000 zebras and gazelles form one giant, continuous herd and travel about 1,800 miles following the rains.

A Few More Wildebeest Facts

Wildebeest are energetic, active and playful
A wildebeest can run at 50 miles per hour
There are 2 species of wildebeest, blue wildebeest and black wildebeest
Wildebeest have a lifespan of up to 20 years
Both male and female wildebeests have horns
Some 2 million wildebeest take part in the great migration each year
Not all populations of wildebeests migrate

Tiger Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:52:00 +0000

Portrait of a Siberian Tiger

The tiger is, on average, the largest of the big cats, with the African lion a close second. A mature Siberian tiger can top out at 11 feet long and close to 700 pounds.

Tigers once inhabited most of Asia, from the tropical islands to Siberia. Today they are restricted to small patches of territory and very limited populations of each of the 6 living subspecies.

The largest of the tigers, the Siberian or Amur tiger, lives in the coniferous forests of Russia where its thick fur and full neck ruff keep it warm in deep snow.

In contrast, the much smaller Sumatran tiger lives in thick southern jungles and regularly bathes in ponds or streams to keep cool.

The Bengal tiger is the most common of the subspecies. They are almost as large as Siberians with top weights in the 500 pound range. Bengal tigers live in India, Bangladesh and Nepal in semi-tropical jungles.

The tiger is a stalk and ambush style hunter, and it's familiar stripes provide camouflage in thick underbrush as it waits for prey as large as 1000 pound water buffalo.

They have the largest fangs in the animal world and are very swift killers. The tiger is basically a solitary animal with a typical feline lifestyle. They roam wide and have very large overlapping territories but conflict and aggression between individuals is rare, and amazingly, wild tigers have been known to share their kill with other individuals, not always family members, who may happen upon them feeding.

This fascinating behavior, so different from the highly food-aggressive African lion, has been well documented.

The tiger, (and particularly the Bengal due to its proximity to civilization) is responsible for more human deaths then any other cat, hence the common term "man-eating tiger".

A symbol of conservation efforts, the tiger is critically endangered throughout much of its range, but many of its small, pocket populations have remained stable for years due to government crackdowns on poaching. - Tiger Facts

Tiger, Tiger

Bengal tigers

As the third largest carnivore on land, the tiger is smaller only than the polar bear and the brown bear.

But Bengal tigers in particular eat some of the largest prey, including gaur antelope, sambar deer, and massive water buffalo over 1200 pounds.

Tigers have been known to kill and eat sloth bears and Asian black bears, baby rhinos and even leopards. There have been isolated incidents reported of Bengal tigers taking down young elephants and even full grown infirmed adults.

Siberian tigers - the largest of the tiger subspecies - actually prey on smaller game than the Bengal, with deer and mountain goats being their most common fare.

The Bengal is also the most likely tiger to kill human beings because its range has been so severely impacted by advancing development.

Most wild tiger subspecies do not intermingle, because their populations are separated by wide swaths of civilization, but captive individuals in zoos, preserves and private possession have been housed together, and have inter-bred for decades and are not usually pure representatives of any one subspecies.

More often than not they are of mixed heritage, out crossed between the subspecies for so many generations of captivity that they are effectively "mutts". .

gorgeous tigers

Tiger Reproduction

mother tigress and cubs

Male and female tigers will pair up when the female is in estrus. After mating numerous times over the course of 4 or 5 days the male will return to a basically solitary life.

The female tigers pregnancy is 3 1/2 to 4 months long. In the last few days of pregnancy, the tigress will secure a safe nesting place because where she will deliver her 3 to 5 cubs.

The newborn tiger cubs weigh only about 2 pounds, are blind, completely helpless, and fully striped. The mother only stays in the same nest for a day or two and moves her cubs from hiding place to hiding place one at a time for the first few months of their lives.

This is a very dangerous time for the cubs, as she must leave them alone while she hunts. Often entire litters are lost when they are discovered by bears, leopards or snakes.

Fathers do not take part in the rearing of the cubs, although they have been known, on rare occasions, to return to visit and rest nearby.

Mother tigers begin to take their cubs on hunts when they are about 6 months old, but they won't be able to successfully hunt for themselves until they are about 2 years old.

Once the tiger cubs are fairly efficient hunters, they begin to branch off from their family, slowly developing their own territory, which they will mark by clawing trees, spraying urine and leaving strategic droppings.

Young females with their new litters will occasional visit with their mothers to show off the grandkids. Alliances of adult females occur briefly, from time to time, but food of the size and quantity that tigers must have is scarce and requires that tigers spread out in order to survive.

The depletion of large game animals throughout their native lands is the single factor in the endangered status of the tiger. Most of their habitat is compromised by human expansion and the undisturbed acres they need to survive are hard to come by.

Popular To A Fault

In a recent poll, the tiger was voted favorite animal in the world, beating out the humble domestic dog by one percentage point.

The Siberian tiger and the Bengal tiger, with their impressive size, spectacular coloring, and breathtaking beauty, have captured peoples imaginations for thousands of years.

Unfortunately, capturing some of the tigers magic is a human obsession, and potions, remedies and good luck charms made from almost every tiger body part are big business.

Tiger blood, crushed bones, and entire paws or skulls are highly prized to this day, and even as every sub-species of tiger is endangered in the wild, illegal poaching still goes on to supply the trade.

Fortunately for the survival of the species, many people still like their tigers alive, and while less than 5,000 tigers survive in the wild, there are at least 60,000 in captivity, with over 10,000 kept as personal pets in the United States alone.

This Cat Loves Water

Sumatran tiger going for a swim

Unlike most other cats, tigers do not shun water, in fact, they regularly play, lounge and otherwise recreate in the ponds, lakes and rivers of hot Asian jungles, swimming not just to cool off but just for the fun of it.

Exceptional Hardware

sabertooth tiger vs modern tiger

Tigers have the largest fangs in the animal kingdom, in fact, the longest Siberian tiger teeth on record were close to 5 inches long.

That's nothing to snarl about!

Another well equipped creature was the long extinct Saber-tooth tiger.

The saber-tooth had fangs as long as 10 inches, theoretically to pierce the tough hides of woolly mammoths!

The saber-tooth was not actually a tiger though, it was a bear-like creature called a smilodon.

There is no evidence that the smilodon was striped, but we do know it had only a 9 inch tail.

A Few More Tiger Facts

Siberian in the snow

The Siberian tiger is also known as the Amur tiger.
The tiger is the largest of the four "Big Cats"
Tigers love water! Playing, swimming and snoozing in it!
There are 3 times as many tigers kept as personal pets in the U.S. than exist in the wild.
Tigers can eat 60 pounds of meat at one time.
A group of tigers is called a "streak"
Tigers can be found both on tropical islands and in the snow covered wilderness of Siberia.

Tasmanian Devil Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:49:00 +0000

Portrait of a Tasmanian Devil

The fascinating Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous, semi-nocturnal creature, whose aggressive nature and wild hissing, growling and screaming earned it the name.

A full-grown Tasmanian devil is only about the size of a big housecat, but it is the largest meat-eating marsupial, and its voracious appetite is a thing of legend.

While devils are usually solitary, their excellent noses will often lead several of them to the same carcass at once, and communal feeding is rather common.

Tasmanian devils have powerful jaws filled with large sharp teeth, and a feeding group will devour every last bit of a meal, be it rabbit or kangaroo, bones and all.

Devils are mostly scavengers, and are considered very valuable to the environment as sort of 4-legged vacuum cleaners. They hunt as well, taking birds, insects and other small game.

Living in woodlands and eucalyptus forests on the Australian island state of Tasmania, devils can be seen out and about during daylight hours, but do most of their stalking and scavenging at night.

The growls, whines and cantankerous sounds of the devil are its single most fascinating characteristic, and it really isn't clear why they are so incredibly noisy, but the manic and popular cartoon character of the same name is quite accurate: massive head, full body, extra cranky. - Tasmanian Devil Facts

Tasmanian Devil Personality

Tasmanian devils fight allot, and are known for their fierceness, but they will often use a few clever techniques first, before resorting to full out combat.

When a dispute finds two devils face to face, their skin will flush red, turning the ears crimson, and they will gape their impressive jaws at each other, screaming and growling the whole time.

If the situation is stressful enough, the devil will release a musky odor that would clear most rooms. Finally, they will emit a stacatto sneeze that is sometimes so violent they loose their footing.

If all else fails, its time to rumble, and most devils have the scars to prove it.

It's not hard to snap a photo of a Tasmanian devil with its mouth agape - the familiar pose is used in many instances throughout the day, and expresses everything from joy to rage to the Tas version of nervous laughter.

Tasmanian Devil Reproduction

Tasmanian devil babies

Tasmanian devils are marsupials, like kangaroos and koala bears, which means that their babies start to develop in the womb, but then move to a pouch on the mothers abdomen to continue growing.

Female Tasmanian devils come into heat in springtime, and the month long mating season is filled with lots of extreme activity.

Males battle each other viciously for the attention of mature females, but it does not end there. Once the most powerful male sends weaker competition fleeing, he must prove his worth to his sweetheart. The mating pair will engage in loud, highly aggressive wrestling sessions, and if the female is not impressed, she will move on to another fellow.

If the male is powerful and dominant enough, the two will mate several times over the course of a few days. Both males and females may mate with numerous partners during the season, and it is actually possible for one litter of babies to have two, three, or even four different fathers.

After about three weeks of pregnancy the female Tasmanian devil finds a comfortable den and settles in.

She will give birth to as many as 30 tiny babies that are blind, hairless, and less than the size of a single grain of rice. They are effectively still just embryos, and must make it to the mothers pouch in order to continue development.

Without their mothers help, an army of squirming babies crawl through a forest of belly-hair from the birth canal to the mothers pouch, which is a distance of about 4 inches, (a long trip for a grain of rice).

Then, in a true example of "survival of the fittest" the baby Tasmanian devils find only four teats in the mothers pouch. The four that make it to a teat first survive, the rest perish.

Four months later, the tough little devils emerge from moms pouch and explore their world.

The sound of a litter of devils play fighting is blood-curdling and constant, and by the time they are eight months old, they start off on their own, complaining the whole way.

A Devils Life In Three Easy Steps

Like a miniature African lion the always ravenous Tasmanian devil is a "gorge feeder" filling up to the brim as long as food is available and then collapsing flat on the ready-to-bust belly, legs outstretched, to digest the huge meal.

It goes like this -

Step One: Scurry about wailing and complaining till you find something dead.

Step Two: Eat till you're ready to explode.

Step Three: Sprawl out like a bear-skin rug and process, process, process...

Devil Facial Tumor Disease

In the late 1990's an unusual cancer began to appear in the wild populations of Tasmanian devils. Know as "devil facial tumor disease" or "DFTD" it has caused a disturbing drop in devil population.

Recent efforts to find treatments and cures have been positive, but the terrible disease persists and may cause the demise of a truly unique and fascinating creature. Lets hope not...

A Few More Tasmanian Devil Facts

The Tasmanian devils jaws open a full 80 degrees and it has a bite strength of 1200 PSI!
The devil stores fat in its tail so when food is scarce the tail is narrow and limp, when life is good the tail is fat and happy.
Tasmanian devils spend more time biting each other than any other species
The huge head, massive neck and powerful jaws allow them to eat parts of carcasses that others might leave behind - like the bones!
The mothers pouch is called a "marsupium", and is where the word "marsupial" comes from.

Snow Leopard Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:44:00 +0000

Portrait of a Snow Leopard

One of the saddest snow leopard facts is that this beautiful feline is an endangered species.

The magnificent snow leopard is native to northern and central Asia, and can be found in China, Russia, Afghanistan and several other countries.

Over 60% of the world's snow leopards live in China.

They are at home in the Himalayan mountains, and live in snow covered peaks as high as 17,000 feet in elevation.

This is a brutally harsh environment of rocky cliffs and steep outcrops.

Although they live in high elevations, they do not have the oxygen carrying adaptions of their blood hemoglobin that other high-altitude animals have.

It is actually a bit of a scientific mystery how snow leopards survive at such high altitude without this modification.

They are otherwise very well specialized to their habitat.

Very large, powerful and flexible paws act as snow shoes in drifts, and snow tires on ice.

A muscular, extra-long tail aids in balance as they climb and leap, and provides extra warmth wrapped completely around their curled up form as they sleep.

They have an incredibly thick, plush coat of fur, that sheds out and fills back in again as the seasons change.

And the hair coloration, brown and black spots on a field of cream and grey, allows these fairly large animals to practically disappear into their environment.

The camouflage coat, coupled with their elusive nature, nocturnal habits and unfriendly habitat, make them a very rare sight in the wild.

But humans, particularly goat farmers, are pushing further into the snow leopards terrain.

Wild species of goat are one of the prime food sources of the snow leopard, and as humans encroach, the leopards are hunted down to protect goat herds and other livestock.

The leopards magnificent coat can also be worth several hundred dollars on the black market.

For some people, that is more than they earn in an entire year.

So, it is estimated that less than 6,000 snow leopards exist in the wild.

And they are spread out over hundreds of thousands of square miles of hostile terrain, making reproduction, management and conservation, extremely difficult.

Is The Snow Leopard Really A Big Cat?

The snow leopard was discovered and officially classified in the 1700's. It was placed in it's own genus - Uncia - because of marked unique differences in skull structure.

It was not classified as a big cat, not only because of skeletal differences, but because the fibro-elastic tissue that forms part of the vocal apparatus in the Snow Leopard is underdeveloped in the snow leopard compared to the "big cats".

In short, the snow leopard cannot roar, and so was not considered a "big cat."

The "big cats" are the lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar, the members of the genus panthera.

Genetic studies done in 2007 seemed to indicate that the snow leopard was more closely related to the tiger.

Another study suggested that they had, at one time, interbred with lions.

As a result of these studies, the snow leopard was reclassified. It was placed in the genus panthera, and became the fifth "big cat".

There has been a general trend toward favoring genetics over physiology in recent years, but the motivation here may have been political.

The snow leopards reclassification as a "big cat", may help raise awareness of the plight of this stunning animal.

But science should never be stretched, no matter what the cause.

A Few More Snow Leopard Facts

The snow leopard has been considered a "big cat" since 2008
Unlike the other "big cats" they cannot roar
Snow leopards are 22 to 24 inches tall at the shoulder
Snow leopards weigh between 60 and 100 pounds
Their large feet spread out and act like snowshoes
Snow leopards are nocturnal, and hunt at night
They can jump a distance of over 30 feet

Sea Lion Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:38:00 +0000

Portrait of a Sea Lion

Sea lions are 7 species of large marine mammals in the pinniped (seal) family. The sea lions ancient ancestors were land animals somewhat similar to bears.

For reasons unknown these creatures returned to the ocean about 20 million years ago, where they have since become the most successful and widely distributed family of carnivores in the world.

The sea lions entire body is structured for life in the water, with a smooth, torpedo shaped torso and flattened, powerful flippers, like four large swim fins instead of feet.

In fact, the swim-fins scuba divers and backyard snorkelers use were modeled after a sea lions unique, compressed and web-toed hind feet.

Sea lions live in very large social groups called colonies that may come together to sunbathe in masses of hundreds, and take to the beach to mate and raise young in tightly packed gatherings of thousands.

On land they are relatively cumbersome, but, unlike the "true seals", the sea lions can lift their bodies up off the sand and walk on all fours, and even run if necessary.

This ability finds sea lions and fur seals commonly referred to as the "walking seals", while their external ears are why they are also referred to as the "eared seals."

The "true seals", such as elephant seals and harp seals, do not have external ear structures and are not capable of walking, but rather must roll or wriggle from place to place when on land.

In the water, sea lions shine with balletic grace, spending the majority of their time hunting in reefs and ocean waters where they can dive as deep as 900 feet and remain submerged for over half an hour.

Sea lions are true carnivores and individuals may eat as much as 50 pounds of fish and squid in a day. They are solitary hunters and rarely if ever take large game such as penguins or seals, concentrating mostly on small squid and school fish such as herring and anchovy, which they can swallow whole, without any chewing at all.

Sea lions stalk schools of fish which they rush through with jaws agape spearing their quarry with impressively sharp teeth. They also forage through reefs using their long, stiff whiskers, known as vibrissae, to flush out assorted invertebrates, crabs, and their favorite food, squid.

Sea lions are highly social, and happy to live in very close company. They will notoriously pack together on beaches, rocks, boardwalks and boats, smushed against one another in huge, languorous piles.

Sea lions have thick fur and even thicker layers of blubber to keep them warm in their preferred cold climates, but they exist in all the oceans of the world except for the Atlantic ocean.

Species of sea lions and fur seals can be found on the Bering strait, Australia and New Zealand, South America and California.

Like many marine mammals, sea lions are remarkably intelligent with excellent senses of sight, hearing and smell.

In captivity, and when interacting with humans, they are extremely quick to learn, and have been exhibited in shows and circuses for centuries.

The typical performing seal is most likely a California sea lion, one of the most common and familiar of the seven sea lion species. - Sea Lion Facts

Sea Lion Lifestyle And Reproduction

Sea lions display extreme sexual dimorphism, (marked differences in appearance or size between males and females of the same species), with adult males being at least two times, and as much as four times larger than adult females.

In addition to just overall size, mature males over 10 years old are recognized by their impressive, crested foreheads and massive necks.

A bony ridge down the centerline of the skull known as a sagittal crest begins to develop at about 9 years of age and, over time, gives the males head a distinct, and impressive look.

Male sea lions gather at specific breeding grounds early in the mating season, and actively attempt to establish their own territories before females arrive.

The breeding ground is known as a "rookery" and is usually on a quiet island with sandy beaches. Much of a males dominance is related to size, with smaller animals almost always giving way to larger ones.

Males will develop a territory of only a few dozen feet in any direction and when another male attempts to enter, lots of bluffing, barking, roaring, hissing and growling occurs.

Actual fighting occurs as well, and injuries can be serious or fatal, but most disagreements are settled by ritualized, sumo-style shoving matches, and games of chicken involving extraordinarily loud full-speed charges at each other.

Once an area is established, the male will patrol his patch of beach and also a few yards of ocean in front of it, barking nearly constantly as he goes.

When all of the beach is claimed, younger, weaker or smaller males unable to gain a territory, form bachelor groups on the outskirts of the beach, and may continue to be chased about from one mating ground to another by the established males.

When the females arrive weeks later, the males try to attract them to their territory and gather a harem of as many as 15 females.

Males with prime, beach-front properties attract the most mates. This is a vitally important time in the life of a mature male sea lion, and he actually may not eat for the entire length of the mating season - up to 30 days- while he struggles to maintain control of his territory and the females who have chosen to reside there.

The female sea lion usually arrives already pregnant from the season prior, and the single pup that she delivers is probably not the offspring of the male whose territory she resides in this season, unless she happened to have hooked up with the same male the prior year.

Females will give birth within a few days of arriving at the rookery, and will be ready to mate 10 to 14 days later. The fertilized embryo develops in the womb for only a few weeks and then becomes dormant. It will not begin to grow again for another 4 months or so, when it will become implanted in the wall of the uterus and start to fully develop.

The entire pregnancy lasts between 8 and 12 months depending on species. This process is known as embryonic diapause and is fairly common in many large mammals.

The pup is quite large when born, weighing up to 55 pounds, sighted and fully furred. The mother remains on the beach with her new pup for the first 5 to 15 days, and fasts this entire time.

When she finally goes back to the sea to hunt and feed, she leaves the pup in a little playgroup of several other pups who will play and sleep together while they wait for their mothers to return.

A mother sea lion may be gone for days at a time, but when she returns, she will be able to find her own pup, in a sea of sea lions, by calling for it with her own distinct vocalization.

The pup has a distinct yelp of its own, and when it hears its mother nearby, begins to call to her desperately. Mother and pup may stay together for up to two years before the youngster heads out on its own.

awesome sea lions

Why Is It Called A "Sea Lion"?

Huge Male South American Sea Lion

Many of the sea lion species we commonly see, actually don't bear a very strong resemblance to lions, so where does the name come from?

All sea lion species are carnivores with large canine teeth, or "fangs", and a muzzle full of stiff whiskers, and may also make loud roaring noises which are all lionesque features, but the most shockingly lion-like species is the incredible South American sea lion.

Males of this species can reach 9 feet in length, weigh over 800 pounds and have huge, broad heads and necks that can be thicker than their torsos in circumference.

The neck and head structure are dazzlingly leonine, but the South American sea lion also has ruff of long hair that makes everything very clear.

The "mane" is most obvious when the fur is dry, and leaves no doubt that the name "sea lion" is deserving.

The largest species of sea lion, the Stellar sea lion, also has a noticable mane, and males of this species can reach 2200 pounds and 12 feet in length.

The California sea lion, notorious for staking its claim along the entire West coast of North America from Alaska to Mexico, is probably the most well-known of the sea lion species, and is the most likely to appear performing in circuses and water parks.

Male California sea lions do have a full, round neck and develop a bony sagittal crest atop the skull cap as they mature that makes for a cool silhouette, but without the mane it doesn't really read "lion", and females of all the species never develop the truly lion-like physical features that ultimately must have inspired the name.

After all, just look at these guys!.

What Is The Difference Between Sea Lions And Seals?

sea lion running

Sea lions are members of the seal or pinniped family. The word pinniped means "flipper feet" or "feather feet" and includes three types of semi-aquatic marine mammals. The walrus, the "true seals" and the "eared seals" or "walking seals".

There are 7 species of sea lions, and 9 species of fur seals that make up the "eared seals". Eared seals differ from true seals in that they have external ears, larger, more powerful forelimbs, and can rotate their hind limbs forward and beneath them.

These differences in skeletal structure allow the sea lion and fur seal to not only sit in a semi-upright position, (that classic pose) but also to walk and even run on all-fours.

The rear limbs of true seals are fused together and are permanently facing rearward, making walking impossible. All pinnipeds, even walruses, are considered seals in the broad sense that leopards are considered cats, so it is not incorrect to call a sea lion a seal, just less precise .

Eared seals spend a great deal of time on land, breeding and sunning on the shores. With long, powerful front flippers, their natural position is upright with the chest raised off the ground.

Their rear legs are two separate, front-facing flippers that can be rotated under the body and they can rise up and move around with a two beat gate. Also often referred to as the "walking seals", the eared seals can actually move, even run, quite rapidly when necessary.

The "true seals" have no external ear flaps, smaller front flippers and rearward facing hind limbs that are fused together into one scalloped flipper. They move across land by stretching their upper bodies out and arching their backs to pull themselves forward.

True seals also swim differently from eared seals, getting most of their propulsion from their fused, tail-like rear flippers and undulating motions similar to a dolphin to propel themselves, while the eared seals use their strong front flippers as big, highly effective oars, appearing to fly through the water like birds.

Walruses have skeletons designed more like the eared seals, but have no ears. They move like the true seals in the water, but like the eared seals on land, and so are somewhere in between these two groups, and are classified in a genus of their own. - Sea Lion Facts

Sea Lions Are Amazingly Noisy

Although sea lions do not make a wide range of sounds, they are very noisy, and easily one of the most vocal mammals on Earth.

Anyone who has observed large groups of sea lions sunning themselves on beaches or piers, knows that not only is there a continual racket while the animals move about to find good resting spots, but even while they are apparently fast asleep.

Grunts, groans and snores abound in a colony of sea lions. Groans and squeals may occur with the mouth closed, often accompanied by billowing cheeks, but classic barks and roars are delivered with jaws agape, and the noise is nearly constant.

Arguments erupt over possession of prime basking areas, yet they all seem to end up on top of each other.

Sea lions appear to have an innate need to be in close contact with each other, and to literally be surrounded by their peers. The social structure is loose and very uncomplicated except during breeding season. All other times a warm body and a friendly "ark, ark, ark" means this is home.

All In The Colony - Sea Lion Invasions

Some sea lion colonies are permanent residence throughout their range, while other species are partially migratory.

The California sea lion may or may not migrate. Many females live on barrier islands year round, raising their pups in large daycare groups with multiple mothers keeping an eye out for danger.

Most males migrate back to the mainland where they have been known to takeover private boats, beaches and even the famous pier 39 in San Francisco.

Legend has it that California sea lions began to appear in extremely large numbers after an earthquake struck California in 1989. On one pier in particular - pier 39- the numbers were uncontrollable.

These sea lions showed little concern for humans desires to utilize the docks, would show aggression when people attempted to move them, and transformed a peaceful dock into a noisy, odorous free for all.

Folks who had docked their boats in the area for decades simple moved out, and the wildlife took over. Now an amazing tourist attraction, the sea lions lounge while onlookers take pictures.

Crowding is a sea lion thing, and they would prefer to sleep three bodies deep than move to an unoccupied platform.

When they aren't crowding the San Francisco piers, the California sea lions are crowding the islands for mating season, where their bodies fill the water and the dunes, and their constant barking, roaring and growling can be heard from over 5 miles away. - Sea Lion Facts

A Few More Sea Lion Facts

Sea lions are known as eared or walking seals
A male sea lion is called a bull, a female is called a cow, and a baby is called a pup
A group of sea lions is called a colony on land, and a raft when in the water.
The male stellar sea lion can grow to the size of a compact car weighing over 2000 pounds and measuring over 10 feet long.
Some sea lions can stay underwater for over half an hour without taking a breath
Male sea lions may fast for up to 40 days during mating season.
Female sea lions may fast for up to 16 days when their pup is first born
The sea lion is known as the "angel of the sea" because their front flippers look like angels wings while they are swimming and sometimes when they are sleeping.
The trained seals seen in water parks and circuses are usually California sea lions.

Rhino Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:35:00 +0000

Portrait of a White Rhino

The rhino is the second largest land animal after the elephant. They have thick, bare skin, which is sometimes arranged over their bodies like plates of armor, barrel-like bodies, gigantic heads, and incredible horns protruding from their faces.

The mass is supported by short, stout legs and wide feet that have three both front and rear. Each individual toe ends in a hoof, which leave a footprint that looks like the Ace of clubs.

These animals have remained unchanged for thousands of years, so the resemblance to dinosaurs like triceratops is intriguing, but their closest relatives are actually tapirs and horses.

There are 5 species of rhinoceros, 3 living in Asia, and 2 in Africa. All rhino species are endangered, except for one subspecies of white rhino, which has recently been brought back from the brink of extinction.

The most familiar rhinoceros species are the black rhino and the white rhino, but both of these animals are actually grey in color. The term "white" stems from a misinterpretation of the word "wide" describing the shape of the white rhinos mouth, and the black rhino is so called because it is often the color of the mud it covers itself with.

The African rhinos can be 6 feet tall at the shoulder and average about 3000 pounds. They have massive, low-slung heads that feature unusually forward eye placement, and long, sharp, dramatic looking horns.

The word rhinoceros basically means "nose horn" in Latin.

The white, black and Javan rhinos have two horns, while the Indian (also known as the greater one-horned) and Sumatran, (also known as the hairy rhinoceros), have one. These horns are made of keratin, like human nails, and grow out of the skin in a similar fashion.

Rhinos are intimidating looking creatures, and will charge when confronted or threatened, but they are not generally aggressive towards humans, and only 2 or 3 attacks are reported a year. In comparison, fatalities from elephant attacks number 400 to 500 a year, and hippos kill about 2,900 people annually!

The Asian rhinos in particular, are shy, reclusive, and even timid.

The rhinoceros is strictly vegetarian, grazing on grasses or browsing trees and shrubs for leaves, shoots and fruits. They are mostly solitary, especially when feeding, since their food intake of 40 to 80 pounds of vegetation a day, requires them to spread out.

Small social groups do form, consisting of females and their young, or young males banding together, and herds of as many as 30 individuals may be created near water sources during drought conditions.

Wallowing in mud is somewhat of a social event as well, and favorite spots may attract large numbers of rhinos at a time, but generally, they are not gregarious. - Rhino Facts

Rhino Lifestyle

white rhinoceros

black rhinoceros

The white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros live in small pockets of grasslands on the floodplains of Southern and Eastern Africa. Because of their size they require a home range of about 5 square miles that is rich in resources.

Abundant vegetation is vital to survival, but unlike many African animals who regularly go for many days without drinking, the water from the plants rhinos eat is not sufficient for them, and they will visit watering holes multiple times a day, drinking heartily.

During drought, they may have to walk up to ten miles between their water source and their food source.

Wet areas also supply them with muddy banks that they will wallow and bathe in, coating their sensitive skin with mud as protection from heat and insect bites.

Rhinoceros skin is a paradox. It can be an inch thick in some areas to protect them from battles with other rhinos, but it is actually very soft, and subject to sores and sunburn.

The black rhinoceros is particularly prone to inflamed red areas of skin called "rhino sores". Usually forming in the region of skin behind the front legs, rhino sores are parasitic infestations of tiny worms living just below the skin.

Rhinoceroses spend over 12 hours a day foraging and grazing across their territory. They are both nocturnal and diurnal, being most active at dawn and dusk, and alternating a few hours each of feeding and resting throughout the day and night. During the hottest seasons, they will feed mostly at night, and rest and wallow in the heat of the day.

The white rhino is by far the most social species, often seen in small communal herds of 5 to 10 individuals, and it is believed that loss of territory is forcing them to become more and more tolerant of each other.

Black rhinos are far less gregarious, and are also the most pugnacious of the rhino species. Adult male black rhinos can be quite territorial and may battle to the death.

Although the rhinos within a given area may not see or socialize with each other much, they use communal dung heaps that act as message boards. Both males and females will relieve themselves in these areas, usually kicking around in the pile to spread their scent.

Rhinos have very poor eyesight, but excellent senses of smell and hearing. They are fairly vocal as well, with approximately 10 to 12 specific snorts and calls of warning, greeting, excitement, anger and delight.

- Amazing Rhino Facts

Rhino Reproduction

black rhino mother and baby

white rhino mother and baby

Dominant male rhinos establish territories by marking the perimeters with urine and dung, and actively defending the area against other aggressive males.

A large number of male rhinoceroses, although sexually mature, take a subordinate role in rhino society, and are tolerated by dominant males so long as they display submissive behavior. These males may never even attempt to establish a territory, and will never have the opportunity to mate.

The female rhinos home range may overlap several male rhinos territories. She and her youngsters freely move throughout these areas, and females themselves are not generally territorial with other females.

She comes into estrous several times a year, and males can detect her condition through the scent of her urine.

Dominant males will follow and court her, attempting to herd her into their territory. Once there, the male may try to keep her close until she is willing to mate. At this time, males may become extremely aggressive with each other, and violent fights may occur.

White, black and Indian rhinos have courtship rituals that involve males and females sparring with each other. The Javan and Sumatran rhinos are so shy and rare, that very little is known about their reproductive habits.

Once the female accepts a males overtures, the pair may stay together for a few days or even weeks, even sleeping in close contact. Or, the mating may be over in just a few hours, and she may go on to mate with other males during the same period.

The female is pregnant for approximately 16 months. When she is close to delivering she will drive off any youngster she currently has.

The birth may take place standing or lying down, and the newborn rhino is gigantic, weighing anywhere from 75 to 150 pounds.

The baby is born without a horn, which begins to grow within a few weeks, but is otherwise a miniature adult.

Their eyes are open, they are vocal, and they stand and nurse within minutes. Rhino calves begin to sample solid foods at just a week or two old, and are generally weaned at 2 years. They grow very quickly over the first few months of life, gaining as much as 5 pounds in a day!

When traveling, white rhino calves usually walk in front of their mother, probably because, with her poor eyesight, she can keep track of it better. Black rhino calves, however, always follow behind. This may be because the black rhino lives in heavier vegetation, and the mother must clear the way for her calf.

Young rhinos are raised by their mothers only, and will stay with her for 2 to 5 years, until she is ready to give birth to a new baby.

Juveniles that have been driven off by their mothers may band together in pairs or little groups until they reach sexual maturity at 3 to 6 years. Females usually have their first birth at 5 or 6 years old. Most males will not attempt to claim their own territory until they are at least 10 years old.

Rhinos reach full size, including full horn length, at about 8 years old, but males may continue to fill out for another 3 to 4 years, sometimes reaching 15 feet in total length, and weighing 6,000 pounds at the high end for white rhinos. - Rhino Facts

The Rhino's Horn

white rhino with two perfect horns

Both male and female rhinos of most species have horns, and in the black and white rhino, the females front horn is often longer, although thinner, than the males.

Rhinos have been hunted for thousands of years for the magical and medicinal powers people believe their horns possess.

Thought to cure anything from cancer to impotence, rhinoceros horn can demand thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars a pound.

At an average weight of 7 to 8 pounds each, a white rhino horn could be worth $100,000 dollars by the time it makes it to the markets of highest demand, China and Vietnam.

These are life changing numbers, and the temptation is worth the risk for many poachers finding a way out of poverty, and usually being exploited by other players.

Approximately 500 poachers were shot and killed by authorities in South Africa's Kruger National Park in the last 5 years. Many more are fined or imprisoned. But the trade remains a healthy one, and international efforts may not be enough to save the rhino in the wild.

The rhinoceros horn, like a human nail, will grow back in a few years if cut off, so some groups are choosing to tranquilize and de-horn adult rhinos. The operation is done with a chainsaw, and a large amount of the horns base, where nerve endings are still present, must remain in order not to harm the animal.

While most poachers kill rhinos outright in order to remove the horn, even if they were to tranquilize, they will not leave any priceless horn material behind, and the animal would still die.

Furthermore, in areas where dehorning is carried out by conservation groups, the poachers will kill de-horned individuals anyway, so that they don't waste time and resources tracking the same animal again. - Rhino Facts

rhinos!

The White Rhino

southern white rhino

The largest of all the rhinos, the white rhino can reach over 6 feet at the shoulder, 15 feet in length and 6,000 pounds! But the white rhino isn't white, it is grey.

The assumption is that the term "white" came from a misinterpretation of the word "wide", referring to the animals wide, squared-off lips. The species is also known as the square-lipped, or wide-lipped rhino, and the lip shape is the easiest way to identify the species

This is a grazing animal, built with a gigantic, downward dangling head, that is just long enough to mow the ground, with methodical, side to side sweeping motions. The top lip is soft and mobile while the bottom lip is stiffer and serves to shear grass blades very close to the ground.

The head of the white rhinoceros is proportionately larger than that of the other species, allowing it to comfortably graze for hours on end, and there is a corresponding shoulder hump of powerful muscles to support it.

When turning around in tight spots they will rotate their rear ends around their front legs in a movement reminiscent of a tractor trailer, but out in the open, and when moving in a straight line, they can be quite swift, with a powerful, and even graceful trotting gate.

There are two subspecies of white rhinoceros. At an estimated 20,000 wild individuals, the Southern white rhino is the most populous of all rhino subspecies, while the Northern white rhino is extinct in the wild, and is, as of 9/16, represented by only 3 captive individuals.

These 3 precious animals, 1 male and 2 females, are kept under armed guard at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a sanctuary in Kenya.

Attempts are being made to save the Northern white rhinoceros through in-vitro fertilization, but time is running out.

White rhinoceroses live on the grassy plains of Africa, and are specialized eaters. They mow grass blades close to the ground, massive mouth fulls at a time, with their broad muzzles and strong lip pads.

They are a bit more social than other species, and confrontations tend to be more ritualized and less violent. Dominant males maintain territories but allow submissive males to pass through without much incident. Females move through the territories of numerous males, and females with young will occasionally travel together.

Adult white rhinos have no natural predators, but juveniles may be taken by lions, hyenas and crocodiles. - White Rhino Facts

The Black Rhino

black rhinoceros covered with mud

The third largest of all rhino species, the black rhino can be 5 1/2 feet at the shoulder, 12 1/5 feet long and over 3,000 pounds.

The origin of their name isn't really understood, because, like the white rhino, the black rhinos skin is also grey. In fact, there really isn't any difference between their average skin color of the black and white rhinos, but it is possible that the mud black rhinos cover themselves with is darker, overall, in the areas that they live, occasionally making them appear black, or ashy in color.

Black rhinos are mostly solitary, with adult males staying almost exclusively by themselves, and females co-mingling mostly just with their own offspring.

The individuals in a particular range are called a "clan", and the dominant males will maintain territories whose boundaries overlap. When two males meet, they may engage in ritualistic horn wrestling, which allows for a test of strength, without the risk of injury or death.

Black rhinos are designed for foraging, not grazing. They don't require open grasslands, but instead live in more rugged terrain, often hilly, rocky or wooded. They make trails throughout their range that tunnel directly through the brush, and will simply crash through vegetation when no trails are present.

Black rhinos have much smaller heads than the white rhinos, and so don't have a prominent shoulder hump. They have a more forward head placement that puts their mouths in line with the low shrubs and bushes they feed on.

A pointed, prehensile upper lip, that almost resembles a birds beak, curls around shoots, leaves and fruits, and pulls them into the mouth. Because of this feature, the black rhinoceros is often referred to as the "hook-lipped" rhino.

The black rhino has a reputation for being a far more dangerous animal than the white rhino, but its habitat may be part of the reason, since most rhino attacks occur when the rhino is startled, and the black rhino lives in much denser areas where visibility may be limited.

The adult black rhinoceros has no natural predators, but elephants will often run them off, and mature female elephants, for whatever reason, are often intolerant of them.

Violent confrontations between black rhinos and African elephants have been documented, with fatalities reported on both sides. - Black Rhino Facts

The Indian Rhino

Indian Rhinoceros

The Indian rhino is more recently being referred to as the "Great one-horned" or "Great Indian one-horned", or simply "One-horned" rhinoceros. In the past, it was regularly referred to as the Asian rhino.

This is the second largest rhino species, but is sometimes considered the largest. Indian rhinos are, on average, taller than white rhinos, often at 6 1/2 feet at the shoulder, but white rhinos tend to be heavier, and the largest individuals recorded are white rhinos.

The Indian rhino has a single horn on its muzzle, and incredible, thickly folded skin, that absolutely looks like a full coat of armor. The skin even has numerous warty bumps, called tubercles, across the shoulders and flanks that look like rivets, and the effect is positively amazing.

Despite its aggressive appearance, the Great one-horned rhino is a relatively peaceful creature, with very little of the territorial jousting that occurs among the more familiar black and white rhinos of Africa.

In fact, the Indian rhino doesn't even use its single 2 foot long horn in battle. If they do have confrontations, they use their large, tusk-like lower incisor teeth, to bite or jab their opponent.

Indian rhinos eat both grass and brush, and so their lips are less pointed than the black rhino, but still have a small prehensile tip. They spend evenings and mornings feeding, and hot afternoons wallowing in swampy areas.

The indian rhino is mostly solitary, only coming together to mate. Babies are particular large, and are rarely under 125 pounds at birth.

This is an endangered species that has experienced an amazing comeback over the last several decades. With population estimates at less than 600 individuals in 1975, they have regained a solid foothold with well over 3,000 animals as of 2016.

The citizens and governments of Nepal and Indian have achieved an unprecedented conservation success, and continue to monitor and defend these incredible animals in the wild. - Indian Rhino Facts

The Sumatran Rhino

Sumatran Rhinoceros

The Sumatran rhino is the smallest of the five rhino species, with individuals rarely reaching 10 feet in length or more than 4 1/2 to 5 feet at the shoulder.

These rhinos have a reddish brown color, and can have quite a bit of hair, particularly on the legs and belly. The hair tends to disperse as the animals mature, and older Sumatran rhinos also tend to loose the reddish tinge.

Sumatran rhinos are solitary and secretive, living at higher elevations than the other species, in tropical rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. They have been recorded at altitudes of up to 6,500 feet, but logging ventures have depleted their available territory, and the future looks bleak for these fascinating creatures.

They are very critically endangered with only 80 to 100 individuals believed living in the wild as of 2016. There are some specimens living in Zoos, but they do not thrive in captivity, and many have perished, even under expert care.

Sumatran rhinos are rather primitive, and are most closely related to the extinct whoolly rhino, a common ancestor of the Asian rhino species.

Sumatran rhinos live in heavily forested and hilly terrain, and are remarkably adept climbers, pushing through the gnarliest brush, and straight up slopes too steep for a person to climb except on all fours.

They create tunnel like pathways through the thickest undergrowth, that remain for other animals to utilize.

They are far more likely to be heard in the wild than seen, because of the impenetrable nature of their jungle environment, and because they are reported to be very vocal, snorting, chirping and chortling to themselves as they go about their day. - Sumatran Rhino Facts

The Javan Rhino

Javan Rhinoceros

With its single horn and heavily pleated skin, the Javan rhino, also known as the Lesser one-horned rhino, looks and acts very much like the Indian rhino.

The Javan rhino has a small head by rhino standards, and the horn is also small, rarely reaching more than 10 inches. Females don't usually develop a pronounced horn at all, but the base is present.

The Javan rhino is one of the rarest large mammals in the world. In 2016 less than 50 individuals survive in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park, on the island of Java. These few are the only population left in the world, and none exist in zoos.

The Javan rhinoceros once existed throughout Cambodia, Sumatra, Thailand and Vietnam, but the last wild individual outside of Java was poached in Vietnam in 2010.

Vietnam is the largest consumer of rhino products, for medicinal, spiritual and ritualistic purposes, which are not only made from the horn, but from hide, hooves, blood and urine. Even rhino ears and tails are highly prized in Vietnam, so the Javan rhinos small horn, or the lack of a horn on Java rhino females, did not protect them from extreme poaching.

One encouraging point about poaching in Nepal and throughout Asia, is a trend since the late 1980's towards the use of liquid and powdered rhinoceros urine in place of rhino blood, for medicines to treat asthma, lung ailments and fever.

Some zoos and nature preserves collect the urine and supply it for free, which may have an impact on poaching. - Javan Rhino Facts

A Few More Rhino Facts

White rhinos and Black rhinos are both actually grey in color
White rhinos are probably called "white" due to a misinterpretation of the word for "wide" referring to their wide, straight lips.
The Black rhino may be called black because they often cover themselves with very dark mud.
The largest rhino horns can be over 4 feet in length!
Rhinoceros skin is over an inch thick in some parts of the body
Rhinos are not nearly as dangerous as they look, and only about 3 attacks a year are reported.
It is occasionally suggested that rhinos have "extra ribs", but they actually have 18 pairs, which is the same number of ribs that horses have.

Raccoon Facts

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:32:00 +0000

Portrait of a Raccoon

The clever, busy and beautiful raccoon is a very common sight across much of North America. They can be found in woodlands and farmlands, but they have also adapted to a variety of human habitats including suburbs and big cities.

Raccoons are mostly nocturnal, highly intelligent and will eat just about anything, so making their way through an urban environment is not challenging.

Their main requirement in any habitat is a water source. Raccoons are rarely found denning more than a few hundred yards from some constant source of water.

Streams and ponds are ideal, but in urban and suburban situations raccoons will make use of fountains, backyard pools and koi ponds.

The raccoon is a carnivore which enjoys catching lots of very small prey including insects, mice, birds and fish. They have been seen fishing with their hands, and will catch toads and turtles and crayfish with their front paws as well, coming in quickly with a kill bite lest their quarry escapes their grasp.

The raccoon does not have opposable thumbs, and in fact, their front paws do not look human, or even primate. They are similar in shape to a weasel or ferret paw, but there is no webbing between the front toes at all, giving the digits the look of fingers.

The "pinkie" finger and "thumb" are offset from the middle three digits and can come together across the middle of the palm allowing the raccoon to grasp things and manipulate items with reasonable strength and extreme dexterity.

Raccoons have been know to unscrew jars, undo locks and untie knots. The combination of bright mind and dexterous paws is highly effective and the raccoon has a reputation as a master thief and garbage-can ransacker.

Many a homeowner has spent their spare time in a backyard war with the unstoppable neighborhood raccoons, who somehow manage to get into sheds, feed bins, dumpsters and doggie doors defying all manor of bungee cords, twist ties, latches and ropes.

Once considered to be in the bear family, the raccoon is now placed in the family Procyonidae which includes the coatimundi and the kinkajou, both from South America. The raccoon is further separated into its own genus, Procyon, which includes 7 species of raccoon distributed across North and Central America, that vary only slightly in size and color. - Raccoon Facts

Do Raccoons Wash Their Food?

raccoon "washing" food

Although some consider the raccoon simply a common pest, it is actually anything but common.

Raccoons have several very unusual physical specialties that make them unique in the animal world, including a wildly advanced tactile ability that is highlighted by their having whiskers on their toes!

These whiskers are called vibrissae and extend just beyond the raccoons front claws. Like the whiskers on many animals faces, they transmit information when the tips touch an object.

In fact, the raccoon’s sense of touch, and in particular sensory input from the forepaws takes up more than 65% of the section of the brain that processes all sensory input. Raccoons are analyzing their world by feel and it is its most important and specialized sense.

The furless palms of the front paws are protected by a thin layer of horny skin - somewhat like a callous - which becomes soft and pliable when wet. This added sensitivity to already hyper sensitive hands, may be why raccoons are known to wash their food in water before eating it.

It may be a way for them to better "feel" and in a sense "see" what they are about to eat.

Raccoons will use the washing motion that they use with food items with inedible items as well, and will wash things they have no intention of eating.

raccoon paw showing vibrissae

They will also move food around in sand or snow prior to eating it if water is not available.

It seems that the famous washing motion is more of an aid to the raccoons senses, perhaps even heightening its enjoyment of its food, as we enjoy the aroma of a good meal while we dine.

Statements to the effect that raccoons must wet their food because they have no saliva glands are not correct.

Raccoons have saliva glands, and are capable of eating and digesting all kinds of foodstuffs without placing it in water first,(there are untold numbers of hidden-camera videos of raccoons stealing dry dog or cat kibble in the middle of the night and downing it quite happily without any water), they just seem to prefer, and enjoy, "washing" their food first. - Raccoon Facts

raccoon life

Raccoon Reproduction

Raccoon mother and babies

Racoon babies

Like many animals of greater intelligence, raccoons are considered to have a fission-fusion society where larger groups break off into smaller units and solo animals and may come together again at different times of the day or throughout the year.

Raccoons usually live in some sort of borrowed home. They do not dig a den like a badger does, but may use a badger den or abandoned rabbit den, or may drive those residence off in order to use their burrows.

Raccoons also regularly use holes in trees or any other kind of natural cave to bed down in. Raccoons may have several different den sites and may share one or all of them with other raccoons.

Females come into season once a year, and males and females will pair up for a few days, but the male leaves after mating and is not involved in the rearing of young.

Babies are born in about 65 days and are very lightly furred with tightly shut eyes and ears. Babies have faint masks around their eyes even when newborn, and their tail rings are visible at about five days old. The youngsters are active and venture from the nest at about 5 weeks.

They quickly learn to scavenge for just about anything, and by 5 months old can hunt mice or birds on their own.

Raccoon babies walk in single-file behind their mother like little ducks.

Cubs will leave around the time that a new litter is due, although females sometimes stay in close vicinity to their mother and may continue to share a den. Young males occasionally form small bachelor groups, but in general, the society is rather free-form with overlapping territories and casual socializing.

It was once thought that raccoons are solitary animals, but recent research suggests even adult males socialize with each other from time to time. - Raccoon Facts

The Urban Raccoon

Raccoons in the hood

One obvious testament to the raccoons intelligence has been its ability to adapt to urban environments.

These fairly sizable woodland creatures, who should be happily climbing trees and running down hills, have made their way into almost every major city in their habitat, tiptoeing across telephone poles and sliding down drainpipes instead.

Raccoons are conspicuously nocturnal in urban situations where they stay completely hidden during the day and invade dumpsters and parking lots by night.

The real problem arises when the common citizen is faced with an animal that is able to squeeze into locked garages, open secured garbage cans, unzip tents, and pry up Tupperware lids.

The suggestion is that society is actually making raccoons smarter and that these expert problem solvers are actually evolving faster than the supposedly raccoon-proof gadgets we devise. Urban raccoons are actually getting larger as well, coming in at about 15% to 20% heavier in cities than in the woods.

In the 1970's a Japanese childrens cartoon starring a rascally raccoon became so popular that the animals were exported by the hundreds for the pet trade.

So many of these difficult pets were released into the wild that there are now estimated to be hundreds of thousands of raccoons established in the cities and towns of Japan.

The raccoon has no natural enemy in Japan and has become an extremely destructive force causing destruction to temples and significant historical buildings throughout the nation. Over 10,000 raccoons are captured and killed in the nation annually but with little impact on the problem.

One concern many people have involves raccoons carrying rabies. Although raccoons, like many animals, can contract and pass rabies, there has never been a raccoon contracted reported case of rabies in a human being. This may be because of the high vigilance with which people treat any encounter with raccoons.

A raccoon, especially when cornered or threatened can be extremely aggressive and bite and scratches do occur, but these injuries are almost always aggressively treated, possibly curtailing the possibility of a rabies event. - Raccoon Facts

How Smart Are Raccoons?

bring it on

So just how intelligent are raccoons? Although they have been replaced by the rat as the animal of choice for experimentation, between the years 1907 and 1915 the raccoon was the subject of numerous high-profile experiments.

A psychologist by the name of Lawrence W. Cole, who studied an entire colony of raccoons established at the University of Oklahoma, and a doctoral student at Clark University named Herbert Burnham Davis, both published results on experiments using a puzzle box.

Raccoons were placed inside boxes that required a number of manipulations to escape, and the results were not only fascinating, but extremely controversial for the time.

The studies suggested that raccoons were far superior to either dogs or cats at these skills, and possessed reasoning and problem solving skills on a primate level.

These suggestions caused an uproar in some scientific circles, and soon after raccoons became a bit of a taboo subject.

The concept of behaviorism was more in favor, and emphasized how animals could learn behaviors through conditioning. like the famous "Pavlov's dog" experiments.

Behaviorists viewed animals as machine-like creatures that didn't possess reasoning minds, but were just responding to stimulus.

Lots of folks will argue to this day that animals don't "think", not taking into consideration that humans - just like all animals- can also be trained to salivate at the ringing of a bell.

But even John Watson, the famed psychologist who started the entire field of behaviorism, admitted that the raccoon experiments seemed scientifically valid, and he could not find a behaviorist explanation for their incredible abilities. - Raccoon Facts

A Few More Raccoon Facts

raccoon in the snow

A group of raccoons is called a "nursery" or a "gaze" of raccoons
The word raccoon comes from a Powhatan Native American word meaning "scrubs with hands"
Raccoons were once thought to be tiny bears.
Christopher Columbus was the first to put observations about this fascinating animal down in writing
Raccoons have whiskers on their front toes!
Raccoons do not have opposable thumbs, but their "pinkie" finger and thumb can meet across the palm.
Raccoons are born with very fine fuzz, and faint little masks around their eyes
The "raccoon dog"looks remarkably like a raccoon but is not related to the raccoon - it is in the canine family.- Raccoon Facts!