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RACCOON
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, . ORDER ~ Carnivora
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FAMILY
~ Procyonidae
KEY FACTS
SIZES Head and body: 18-30 in . Tail: 8-13 in. Weight: Up to 46 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: Males, 2 years. Females, 1 year. Breeding season: Mainly winter. Gestation: 60-73 days. No. of young: 1-7, usually 3-4.
LIFESTYLE Habit: Mainly solitary. Diet: Fruits, nuts, insects, reptiles,
Range of the raccoon .
garbage, crops. Lifespan: 10 or more years in the
DISTRIBUTION
wild. Longer in captivity.
The United States, except for areas of the Rocky Mountains, Utah, and Nevada. Also the southern edge of Canada.
RELATED SPECIES Related to pandas and coatimundis. Two subgenera and seven species of raccoon are currently recognized .
CONSERVATION Protected in national parks and nature reserves; numbers show no signs of decline. Considered a pest in parts of its range, particularly in farming areas.
THE RACCOON MOTHER AND HER YOUNG Raccoon young, or kits, develop very quickly, but they rely on their mother a great deal in their early phases of growth. They soon develop their characteristic black face stripes. They also learn tree-climbing at an early age in order to escape predators. A raccoon 's front toes are long and widely spaced, which helps it to climb easily.
Recognized by its striped face and ringed tail, the raccoon has invaded almost every habitat and is commonly found even in towns and cities.
The raccoon is curious, clever, and solitary-and deceptively cuddly-looking. It owes the success of its population to its ability
to live in a wide variety of
habitats and to survive on an extremely flexible diet.
~ FOOD &: HUNTING The raccoon normally feeds along waterways and lakes. It hunts as it swims, looking for fish, crayfish, frogs, turtles, and turtle eggs. The raccoon will catch mice and muskrats along the banks of streams and rivers and will also search the woodlands for insects, nuts, fruits, young birds, and bird eggs. In some areas, the raccoon is considered a pest. It raids poultry and wildfowl breeding sites and it eats corn and other
crops. In more populated areas, a raccoon will frequently knock over trash cans while scavenging for food. Raccoons use their hands as well as monkeys do. They pick up their food with them and then place it into their mouths. Right: Some raccoons, usually captive ones, will dip food in clear or muddy water before eating it to moisten the food or to remove any sand or grit that might be clinging to it.
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DID YOU KNOW? • The raccoon's Latin name, lotor, means" one who washes." • The raccoon has very nimble fingers that can twist handles and open doors. • Raccoon meat is good to eat
and tastes like lamb. • When the film about Davy Crockett was released in 1955, the title character wore a hat made from a raccoon skin and tail, which started a fashion trend .
takes place in the winter months, but may continue until June. About nine weeks after mating, the young are born
in a nest of leaves made by the female in a hollow tree or log. They are blind for their first three weeks, but they grow quickly. The female cares for the young exclusively, teaching them to hunt and to climb trees. With such predators as bobcats and cougars, the first weeks are a dangerous time for the young kits. Although some families break up in the fall, the young raccoons normally stay with their mother through the first winter, after which they gradually leave. The young females begin to breed when they are a year old; males generally begin at the age of two years.
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HABITS
The raccoon leads a largely solitary life. It is temperamental and will often fight with its own family members as well as with other raccoons. Although most raccoons live in the wild, close contact with humans does not bother them. They often nest in empty buildings, garages, sheds, and even the attics of houses. Since raccoons are nocturnal animals, they are most active at night. Raccoons do not hibernate in the winter; in the South they are active year-round. But those that live further north, where it is colder, grow thick coats to keep them warm and spend long periods sleeping.
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BREEDING
While the male raccoon mates with different females, the female will mate with only one male, avoiding all others that season. Mating usually
RACCOON &: MAN
Raccoons have long been hunted and trapped for their fur. In the United States, "coonskins" were once so prized that they were used as currency. They have also been killed because of the damage
they do to crops and poultry. Still, their overall number has not declined. Because of its fur, the raccoon has been introduced into other countries, notably Europe and Russia.
Left: Nine-dayold raccoon kits are still helpless and huddle together in their nest in a hollow tree. The young raccoons do not yet have defined stripes on their faces. Far left: A raccoon mother carries a kit in her mouth. She will defend them feraciously. Still, this is a dangerous time for her young kits.
] BUSH BABY
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ORDER
FAMILY
GENUS & SPECIES
Primates
Lorisidae
Ga/ago senega/ensis
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KE_Y_F_A_C_T_S_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
SIZES Length: Body 6-9 in ., tail 9-10 in . Newborn babies, 2 in. Weight: 3-1 0 oz. Newborn babies weigh 1/ 2 oz.
BREEDING Sexual maturity: 8 months. Breeding season : End of rains, so depends on location. Gestation: 4 months. litter size: 1 or 2. LIFESTYLE Habit: Family groups when foraging; larger groups when sleeping . Call: Rasping greeting sounds, "shout" in territorial defense. Diet: Mainly insects; also flowers, pollen, honey, seeds, fruit, lizards, mice, nestlings.
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RELATED SPECIES As primates, bush babies share ancestors with apes and humans.
Range of the bush baby.
DISTRIBUTION All four species are found in Africa south of the Sahara, but not in ra inforest areas. CONSERVATION Populations are stable and all species are currently secure; there is no threat to their survival as long as habitats remain stable.
!FEATURES OF THE BUSH BABY
, l arge ears can be folded down for safety while leaping .
The hind legs are longer than the forelegs to aid jumping. The elongated lower leg bones give greater leverage for moving quickly from a standing start. Fingers and toes are flattened at the ends, with pads of thick skin to give them a better grip on trunks and branches.
The eyes are very sensitive. During the day, the pupil is reduced to a tiny vertical slit; at night, it opens into a complete circle to allow for better vision in the dark.
With its large round eyes and big ears, the bush baby is one of the most peculiar looking animals of the African bush. Capable of leaping great distances, it often appears to fly among the treetops.
The bushy tail acts as a rudder and stabilizer as the bush baby flies through the air.
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HABITS The bush baby is a nocturnal animal. During the day, as many as twenty may crowd together to sleep in an enclosed space, such as a hollow tree trunk. At dusk, they wake and split into family groups and go searching for food . The groups forage separately all night, each group defending its own territory of 15-20 acres. They warn off other ~ groups with loud, ringing calls. ~ At dawn, the rivalry ends and g they return to their den to ~ sleep together again. ~ A typical foraging group ~ consists of a single adult male, a pregnant female, and her
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young from a previous litter. Adult males do not usually tolerate another male in the group and will fight fiercely if one intrudes . A family group defends its territory by marking it with the scent in their urine. They mark twigs and branches and any new or unfamiliar object in the area . Other groups recognize the lingering smell and keep away from the family's territory.
Right: Young bush babies
huddle together on a branch for their daytime sleep.
~ FOOD &: FEEDING
There are four species of African bush baby,
of which the Senegal galago, or lesser bush baby, is the most widespread. Usually less than 8 inches long, with a tai/larger than its body, the bush baby is capable of leaping great distances from tree to tree.
DID YOU KNOW? • Because the bush baby's call sounds like the shouts of an excited child, British explorers gave it its English name. • Some African tribes catch bush babies by leaving out saucers of palm wine for them
to drink. • The longest recorded leap by a bush baby from one tree to another was 23 feet. • Bush babies fertilize flowers by transferring pollen as they feed .
During the rainy season, bush babies eat mainly insects such as caterpillars and dung beetles, which they catch by pouncing on them. They are quick enough to catch mice and lizards. In addition, they raid birds' nests for the eggs. Bush babies eat flowers,
fruits, pollen, nectar, and honey from wild bees as well. In the dry season, their diet changes as food becomes scarce. They rely on the resin of acacia and albizzia trees, and they only survive in areas where these trees grow.
~· -B-USH-BABY&:-M-A-N
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BREEDING Bush babies mate at the end of the rainy season . In areas with one breeding season, twins are common, but where there are two breeding seasons, one baby is born at a time. When the female is ready to give birth, she goes into hiding so that the male will not kill the young. For 3 days, she remains
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youngsters cling tightly to her body, with their tails wrapped around her neck. The young bush babies are weaned after 6 weeks and can feed themselves by 8 weeks. At 4 months, they are fully grown. In captivity, when they are fed regularly all year round, bush babies breed constantly throughout the year. This suggests that their breeding season in the wild is determined by the availability of food as well as the seasonal changes.
Left: Leaping
through the air, a bush baby gets ready to grab hold of a branch. Right: A tiny
bush baby, just 10 hours old, supports its minute body by clinging to a slender plant stem.
Bush babies are easy to catch, and several African tribes keep them as pets. But in 1940, bush babies were persecuted as a severe outbreak of yellow fever swept through Africa. Bush babies can harbor the virus without becoming ill themselves. Mosquitoes pick up the virus from the bush babies and pass it on to humans. With the advent of inoculations, the danger of contracting yellow fever is now greatly reduced.
' " CARD 33
BADGER
~~----------------------------~--------~ GENUS & SPECIES ORDER FAMILY Mustelidae Meles Meles ~ Carnivora
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: 2-3 ft., nose to tail. Height: About 12 in . to shoulder. Weight: Males, 20-37 lb.; females, 14-28 lb . BREEDING Sexual maturity: Males, 2 years old . Females, from 1 year. Mating: Usually February-May. Birth: Usually the spring following mating. No. of young: 1-4 cubs. LIFESTYLE Habit: Nocturnal and solitary. Diet: Earthworms, roots, grasses, fruits, insects, mice, rats, shrews, gophers, and young rabbits. Lifespan: 15 years.
RELATED SPECIES There are 6 genera of badgers distributed worldwide.
Range of the badger.
DISTRIBUTION The badger inhabits open prairies and plains of the western United States and Canada . It is found widely throughout Europe and Asia . CONSERVATION It is illegal to mistreat badgers. It is necessary to get a license to kill badgers .
THE BADGER'S DEN
The underground den , or seU , contains a network of tunnels and chambers and often has many entrances. The badger lines the chambers with bedding of grass or leaves, which it replaces frequently , with fresh materials.
These reclusive animals spend most of their daylight hours underground, so their lifestyle is something of a mystery.
Badger cubs are born underground and spend the first 8 weeks in a special nursery area in the den. :OMCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
Badgers live mainly in sparsely inhabited open land and in the United States are usually found west of the Mississippi. They are distinguished by
black and white striped faces. Their broad, thick-set bodies on short legs make badgers look awkward when they run.
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BREEDING Badgers mate year-round but are most active from February to May. Implantation of the egg in the womb is usually delayed until December, and the young are born the following February. Usually one to four cubs are born underground in a special nursery area. They are suckled
by their mother in this nursery area for 8 weeks. Then they begin searching for food with her outside of the den, although they may not be completely weaned until they are 32 weeks old. Right: Four-week-old badger cubs. They are blind for about five weeks after birth.
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FOOD &: HUNTING The badger is a true omnivore; it eats both plant and animal life. Among its usual foods are earthworms, insects, slugs, and frogs, a wide variety of roots, plants, and fruits, and small mammals such as rabbits, moles, and rats-especially their young. Badgers usually leave their dens at dusk to search for
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HABITS Badgers live in family groups during spring and summer, when young are being reared. The size of a group depends on food supplies. Sometimes several groups live in the same location. Each group lives in an underground den . Group members scent-mark each
food. Because their eyesight is poor, they rely on their sharp senses of smell and hearing to detect food sources. Groups of badgers often forage together, although the dominant boar takes the best for himself. Below: A European badger forages through soft earth looking for earthworms.
BADGER &: MAN The badger's only natural enemy is humans . Probably the greatest danger comes from motorists. Hunters trap badgers for their fine hair, which is made into shaving and artists' brushes. The so-called sport of badger baiting, which results in slow and painful death, is now illegal but still continues in some places. Fox hunters sometimes block the entrances to badger dens to keep foxes from escaping into them. Although the badgers dig out their entrances again, naturalists say that the reduced air flow to the dens interferes with the badgers' feeding and causes undue stress to the animals .
NATUREWATCH Badgers are easiest to see in summer. The best location for viewing them is from the low branches of a tree above, and downwind from, a den's entrances. Arrive an hour before sunset, and stay still. With luck, you will see a snout appear from the entrance to sniff the air for danger; then the badger emerges, followed by others in the group.
DID YOU KNOW? other for recognition. Badgers often travel long distances over frequently used paths in search of food. Males, called boars, also roam during the breeding season, searching for mates. Badgers do not hibernate, but in cold weather they may sleep in the den for two or three nights in a row.
• A quarter of all badgers die before they are two months old . Only a th ird survive their first three years. • A badger holds fresh bedding between chin and forepaws and enters the den backwards. • Rabbits, mice, and foxes may share badgers' dens.
• The badger's strong jaw is designed in such a way that it cannot be dislocated without the skull's being fractured . • Scars above the tail indicate a recent skirmish with another badger to establish dominance. • The badger has a strong, flexible snout that helps it poke around through the soil.
GREAT AFRICAN "'" CAR D HIPPOPOTAMUS ~~--------------------------------------~ FAMILY GENUS &: SPECIES . . ORDER ~
Artiodactyla
Hippopotamidae
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Hippopotamus amphibius
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: 10-11 ft. Height: S ft. Weight: Males 3,300-7,000 lb. Females up to 3,300 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: Males, 7 years (though do not usually breed until age 20) . Females, 9 years. Gestation: 240 days. Birth season: Coincides with rainy season. No. of young: Single young . Range of the great African hippopotamus.
LIFESTYLE Habit: Sociable, living in groups of 10-20, but can be up to 1 SO . Diet: Grasses. Call: Roars and bellows. lifespan: 4S-S0 years. RELATED SPECIES The hippo family includes the rarer pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis).
DISTRIBUTION Hippos are found in western, central, eastern, and southern Africa, with the highest concentration in the Rift Valley of eastern and cent ral Africa . CONSERVATION Hippos are not in danger of extinction, and in many areas, overgrazing by large hippo populations has caused serious soil erosion, resulting in their removal by organized hunting .
SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE HIPPOPOTAMUS Threat display: Hippo may open jaws wi de to display teeth to deter a rival or pr.etJator.
The great African hippopotamus is second in weight only to the elephant. It spends up to 18 hours a day in water to keep cool and minimize heat loss, and to support its huge body.
~ FOOD & FEEDING The hippopotamus spends up to 18 hours a day in the water keeping cool. It feeds during the hours following sunset. With the exception of mothers and their offspring, the animals leave the water singly to make their way along well-worn paths to their feeding grounds. If the hippo finds a wallow of muddy water, it may remain immersed in it for much of the day. It may feed in the new area rather than returning to its usual feeding ground. For such a large animal, the hippo eats surprisingly littleabout 90 pounds a night. This is partly because it stays submerged in water most of the time, which uses up little energy. Left: As the only refuge from the scorching sun, a river offers the hippo a cooling, tranquil rest.
The great African hippopotamus is ideally adapted to the deep rivers and grassy feeding grounds that form its habitat. Its skin secretes a sticky pink mucus, that protects the animal and helps it to retain water on dry land.
~ HABITS The hippopotamus usually lives in groups of 15-20 animals, although the groups can be much larger. The hub of the group is the band of females and their young. This group lives on territory patrolled by a dominant, solitary male who is at least 20 years old. A dominant male is able to defend his territory for as
long as 10 years, until a fierce fight with a younger rival male may end his dominance-and even result in his death. Young males who do not have their own groups form small bachelor groups . If a male successfully challenges a rival, he leaves the bachelor group and becomes the dominant male in his new territory.
When a female is ready to mate, she will seek out an adult male. After approximately 34 weeks, the female leaves the group and gives birth to a single young . Sometimes the young is born underwater, and it must surface quickly to take its first breath. Within 5 minutes of birth, the young hippo can swim and walk. The mother suckles the young hippo for only 8 months, although it remains with her for several years. A female is often seen with several young following her; the youngest walking closest and the oldest following at the end . Right & inset: A mother guards her calf while young males indulge in a bout of wrestling.
DID YOU KNOW? • Because it loses water through its skin much faster than other mammals, a hippo can not survive for long on dry land in hot weather. • A hippo can stay underwater for up to 5 minutes and often walks along t he bottom of lakes . • Turt les, birds, and even young crocodiles often bask in the sun on the backs of hippos . • The term "sweating blood" comes from the hippo's function of secreting a pink fluid from glands beneath its skin .
~ CARD 35
~::PEAN:F~M:GEHO~GENUS~S~~~E:l: MAMMALS ~ ~ Insedivora
~ Erinaceidae
~ Erinaceus europaeus
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KEY FACTS
SIZES Length: 8-12 in. Weight: Average 25 oz. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 11 months. Mating: April or August. Gestation: 32 days. No. of young: Up to 7, but usually 4 to 5. LIFESTYLE Habit: Nocturnal and solitary. Diet: Caterpillars, beetles, earthworms, slugs, and snails. Territory: Hedgehogs roam 1-2 miles in search of food. Lifespan: Can live 5-6 years. Call: Snuffling while foraging. Louder when mating or disturbed. RELATED SPECIES There are 15 species of hedgehog found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. They differ very slightly in appearance and habits.
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Range of the Eu ropean hedgehog.
DISTRIBUTION Widespread, from sout hern Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, and from Great Britain to the Soviet Union. Hedgehogs have been introduced to New Zealand by settlers. CONSERVATION The hedgehog is protected in many countries where it is found, but it is not an endangered species.
THE HEDGEHOG'S SPINES There are about 3,000 spines on a hedgehog's back. Each one lasts about a year before it drops out and a replacement is grown .
Hollow and springy, each spine narrows at the base into a flexible, angled neck as it passes into the skin.
~ctual
The end of the spine forms a smooth ball so that any sudden impact to the hedgehog's body, such as a blow or a fall , bends the neck of the spine rather than driving it into the animal 's body.
Defense position of spine.
The hedgehog, as its name suggests, spends its day sleeping in hedges or under shrubs. Its prickly spines provide it with a formidable defense against predators.
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Hedgehogs are found on the outskirts of woods and in vacant lots, parks, and playgrounds. They eat many garden pests, and for that reason many people encourage them to live in their yards.
Much of the food left outdoors for dogs and cats is eaten by hedgehogs. The hedgehog is app reciated by many gardeners who depend on it to keep their gardens free of pests.
Right:
Hedgehogs are particularly fond of hens' eggs. They can open their jaws especially wide to eat them.
~ HABITS
~ BREEDING Hedgehogs mate during April and August. The male may circle the female for hours before she will mate. After mating, the two separate; the male takes no part in rearing the young, wh ich are born 32 days later. Litters born in late September rarely
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FOOD &: HUNTING Hedgehogs hunt at night, searching for earthworms and insects such as millipedes and earwigs. They also eat beetles, caterpillars, slugs, and mice. A hedgehog will also eat dead animals and soft fruit.
survive their first winter. Blind until they are 14 days old, the young are suckled by the mother until they are able to hunt for themselves. After four weeks, she takes them on their first foraging trip. The young are independent 10 days later.
A hedgehog is a solitary and nocturnal animal. During the day it sleeps in a temporary nest from which it emerges as it grows dark. The hedgehog hibernates in winter. It feeds as much as possible during the fall, and in October it builds an extra-thick
nest in which to spend the winter. It prefers to build its nest in woodpiles, compost piles, and haystacks. By being inactive during hibernation, the hedgehog is able to survive on its body fat. On warm days, it may wake up briefly to forage .
left: When hedgehogs are in danger, their defense is to roll up into a tight ball.
Right: A
mother and month-old young on a foraging trip. After 10 more days, the young will become entirely independent.
Below: Young
. NATUREWATCH
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in nest with ~ mother. At this l l -"'-.!I~--:~ stage, their § spines are very c3 soft. ::;;;
1~.iJ:!I......~~1 DID YOU KNOW? l • The hedgehog is host to the flea Archaeopsylla erinacei. Up to 500 fleas may be found on a single hedgehog, but they do not bother man . • When stimulated by certain strong smells or tastes, the hedgehog may cover its spines w ith its foamy saliva; no one knows why.
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HEDGEHOG &: MAN Gamekeepers used to kill hedgehogs because the animals ate birds' eggs. Today, most hedgehogs that are killed are run over by cars. Also, hedgehogs often hio bernate in piles of leaves in o '0 autumn. If the leaves are £Ii burned, the hedgehogs die Above: Hedgehogs are in most in their hidden nests. danger when crossing roads.
The best ti me to see hedgehogs is at dusk in the summe r and ea rly fa ll when t hey emerge fro m t heir nests to look fo r food . Animal lovers a nd gardeners sometimes make nests in which hedgehogs can hibernate. They put down b undles of loose straw o r hay in a d ry place such as a shed o r under a thick hedge. Some construct nests out of boxes like the one shown below. After making an entrance tunne l, they cover the box with a sheet of plastic and a mound of earth. Hibernati ng hedgehogs should never be d isturbed.
' " CARD 36
~,-E_O_P_A._R_D___
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FA_M_IL_Y _ _ _
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Felidae
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GENUS
~S:~C~~ MAMMAlS~~l 1:
Panthera pardus
KEY FACTS SIZES Height to shoulder: 20-24 in. Length: 40-50 in. from head to end of back. Weight: 80-175 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 2-3 years. Mating: Year-round in tropics, seasonal in other areas. Gestation: 90-11 2 days. No. of young: 2-3 cubs, occasionally up to 6.
LIFESTYLE Habit: Solitary. Diet: Mammals and birds. Call: Roar or growl. lifespan: 12 years in the wild. RELATED SPECIES The closely related South American jaguar, Panthera onea, has similar markings but is larger than the leopard and more powerfully built.
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Range of the leopard.
DISTRIBUTION Throughout most of Africa and much of Asia from the Middle East to the Soviet Union, Korea, China, India, and Malaysia. CONSERVATION Numbers greatly diminished . Largely disappeared from Asia M inor, Manchuria, and settled areas. The international fur trade is collaborating in regulating trade in leopard skins.
THE LEO PARD'S CAMOU FLAG E The leopard's strongly contrasting markings visually break up the outline of its body and allow it to blend in with its surroundings whether it is resting in a tree (right) or moving through the tall grass (below). With its silent movements and the excellent camouflage its coat provides, the leopard can get as cl ose as possible to its prey without being noticed , before attacking the surprised animal.
The solitary leopard is extremely difficult to spot in the wild. It is renowned for its sharp vision and keen sense of hearing, and for its unique ability to avoid detection.
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~ FOOD &: HUNTI NG
Although most frequently found in forest
The leopard usually hunts at dawn or dusk. After waiting silently among the brush or in a tree, the leopard ambushes its prey. The leopard kills by biting its prey on the throat or the back of the neck. It will then take its kill, which may be as heavy as itself, up into a tall tree, lodging it in the branches. Here it is safely stored beyond the reach of scavengers such as hyenas and jackals. After eating, the leopard usually visits a water hole to drink. The leopard eats a wide range of animals, from baboons, warthogs, and medium-sized antelopes to small mammals and birds. Individual leopards will sometimes develop a preference for particular types of food. It is thought that man~eating leopards, which are ~ rare, develop a liking for .~ human flesh after they have ~OJ tasted it once. C1l a: ~ left: Prey, even a large impala, , ~ is stored safely above ground. .
regions, the leopard can live successfully in a variety of habitats, from semidesert to the lower . altitudes of mountains just below the snowline. Its coat color varies from a very pale yellow to black, but it is always spotted.
~ HABITS Except for a brief time during mating and when the female is rearing her young, the leopard leads a solitary life within a defined territory. Like other members of the cat family, the leopard marks its territory with urine. It will also shred the bark of particular trees within its
territory. In areas rich in game, territories are smaller than in those areas that have less prey. The territories of males are usually larger than those of females and will often overlap several females' territories. However, males never share portions of their territories.
her cubs. But the short gesta-
tion period means that the cubs are born underdeveloped; they are helpless and weigh only 15-20 ounces. While the cubs are still small, their mother carries them to a new hiding place every few days to lessen their chance of falling prey to lions, hyenas, or even male leopards. At this stage in their growth, the spots on their coats are so dense that they appear to be solid gray. Their milky blue eyes, characteristic of the young of all species of cat, open after 9 days. The cubs generally stay with their mother for 2 years.
left: A leopard rests in a tree after a successful kill.
Below: A female and her cubs emerge from their lair.
Male and female leopards come together to breed for only 6-7 days when the female is in heat. The male is drawn to her by the strong smell of urine she sprays on trees during this time. After mating, the male returns to his territory, leaving the female to give birth and care for the young alone. The birth takes place in a hidden lair after a gestation period of 3 months. If the female carried her young for a longer period of time, it would restrict her ability to hunt, preventing her from killing enoughfoodforhe~e~and
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~ LEOPARD &: MAN The leopard has been hunted for its pelt for many years. In the early 1960s, leopard poaching reached an all-time high when an estimated 50,000 leopards were killed in East Africa. Today the leopard is a
protected species, but it is still hunted by herdsmen, shepherds, and poachers. But it is recognized by farmers as having a useful function: it controls such animals as baboons and bush pigs that damage crops.
• The range of a leopard's hearing is twice that of a human's, and, in dim light, its sight is six times better. • The leopard likes to drink daily but can go for as long as a month without water. • Leopards have a highly developed homing instinct. A group found wandering in a suburb of Nairobi was captured and released in the Tsavo National Park, 200
miles away. Within a few weeks, the leopards found their way back to Nairobi. • Black leopards, called black panthers, were once regarded as a separate species, but they are now considered true leopards. Although they are black, their rosettes of spots are still faintly visible, and sometimes they are even born int o the same litters as common leopards.
~CARD3 tJ
WALRUS ~ , . ORDER ~ Pinnipedia
GROUP 1: MAMMA~ FAMILY Odobenidae
GENUS & SPECIES Odobenus rosmarus
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: Bulls, 10-12 ft. Height: To 5 ft. Weight: 2,000-3,5000 lb . BREEDING Sexual maturity: Females, usually 6-7 years; males, 15 years . Mating season: January-March . Gestation: 15 months, including 3 months delayed implantation . No. of young: 1. Weaning time: 18-24 months. LIFESTYLE Habit: Gregarious, living mainly in herds. Diet: Mainly bivalve mollusks, but also other invertebrate marine animals, fish, and sometimes seals. Lifespan: Up to 40 years. RELATED SPECIES The only species in the genus. Related to fur seals and sea lions.
Range of the walrus.
DISTRIBUTION The walrus is found in the Arctic seas from Alaska to the Soviet Union. CONSERVATION Over-exploitation by commercial hunters has endangered the species throughout its range. The population has improved in the north Pacific, but those in the north Atlantic remain threatened.
THE WALRUS'S TUSKS
Tusks are modified canine teeth that continue to grow down from the upper jaw throughout the walrus's life. One fifth of the tusk's length is hidden in the jaw. The maximum tusk length for bulls is 3 feet, for cows, 2 feet.
The walrus lives in the Arctic. Despite this distant range, its long tusks, deeply wrinkled skin, and bristly mustache make the walrus familiar to all.
A walrus may use its tusks to get a firm grip when hauling out on the ice or to support its head as it rests. Tusks are used as weapons against rivals during the breeding season , and they are used as a status symbol in the herd. DMCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
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~ BREEDING
Left & inset: In the spring breeding season, walruses assemble with their calves in male-dominated groups.
At first the calf travels by hanging onto the mother's neck. After 2 weeks, it is able to swim. The young walrus nurses on its mother's rich milk for at least 18 months. At 6 months it begins to eat solid food, and after 12 months it has usually tripled in weight. Its tusks show at this age, but they are only about 1 inch long. At 24 months the calf leaves its mother and joins a herd of other young walruses . Because of the length of time that she cares for her calf, a female cannot breed more than once every 2 years.
Although it can dive as deep as 250 feet for up to 10 minutes, the walrus usually searches for food in much shallower water. The waters that the walrus feeds in are
often murky, so it probably uses the sensitive bristles of its mustache to locate food. It may also uncover mollusks from soft mud by squirting water from its mouth.
its arteries to enlarge, and the blood rushes to the skin. • When t he walrus bellows, the noise sometimes resembles the ringing of distan t church bells . • The skin from a bull's neck
can be 3 inches thick. It is valued for polishing and buffing metal objects . • The longest walrus tusk ever recorded was 37 inches long and 11 inches in diameter.
Large herds of walruses gather during the breeding season . The bulls fight for cows, and the largest bulls with the longest tusks usually win . Each winner will mate with several females. Birth occurs about 15 months after mating, often from April to June, as the herds are heading back north after the winter. The female hauls out onto an ice floe to give birth to a single calf measuring about 50 inches.
The walrus is equipped with immensely thick skin and blubber to protect it from the cold temperatures of Arctic waters. Its long tusks are not only weapons in defense or attack, but they also serve as ice picks.
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~ HABITS The walrus spends its days in open water near the shore or resting on ice floes. When there are no floes, it hauls out (pulls itself out of the sea) onto rocky shores, often alongside many other walruses . In limited space, walruses even lie on top of each other. Flat flippers, instead of feet, enable the walrus to swim. The forelimbs serve as rudders. Out of the water the walrus can walk almost
upright on all fours by turning its back flippers forward. The bumpy bottoms of the flippers help the walrus grip the ice. When the ice spreads and thickens into pack ice in the winter, walruses usually head south. They cannot break through the thick ice to make air holes to breathe through from underneath. Walruses' blubber (fat) and thick skin keep them warm in the freezing temperatures of
the Arctic. Blubber may be as much as 6 inches thick. Right: An unexpected meeting:
naturalists and a young walrus exchange cautious greetings.
DID YOU KNOW? • Odobenidae, the walrus's fam ily name, comes from an ancient Greek word t hat means "one who walks with his teeth ." • The walrus turns red when it sunbathes. The heat causes
numbers on the shore of Round Island, Alaska.
~ WALRUS &: MAN
FOOD &: FEEDING
The walrus gathers its main food from the seabed, including clams, cockles, mussels, shrimp, worms, sea cucumbers, and even octopuses, as well as some fish. Sometimes a large bull will eat a seal that it has attacked with its tusks.
Above: Walruses haul out in vast
Eskimos have hunted the walrus for hundreds of years. They use almost every part of the animal. Because they traditionally hunted using strong fishing lines, they did not catch enough walrus to reduce its population. Eskimos are still allowed to hunt the walrus, but now they use highpowered rifles. They can kill many more walruses than they did with fishing lines. In the last 300 years commercial hunters caught so many walruses that the species has become almost extinct. There are now about 250,000 walruses in the Bering Sea, but extinction is still a possibility because of their slow breeding rate and the fragile environment that they live in . Even though commercial hunting is no longer allowed, the walrus is still endangered.
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BLACK SPIDER MONKEY
,,~--------------------------------------~ . . . FAMILY . . . GENUS &: SPECIES
~ ORDER
~ Primates
~ Cebidae
~ Ateles paniscus
KEY FACTS SIZES Head &: body length: Males, 1520 in. Females, 16-22 in . Tail length: Males, 25-32 in. Females, 30-36 in. Weight: Males, 21 lb. Females, 191b. BREEDING Sexual maturity: Males, 5 years. Females, 4 years. Breeding season: Year-round . Gestation: 225-232 days. No. of young: 1 every 2-3 years. LIFESTYLE Habit: Social, day-active. Diet: Mainly nuts, fruit, leaves. lifespan: Typically, up to 20 years. Longest recorded, 33 years in captivity. RELATED SPECIES Other spider monkey species are the long-haired Ateles belzebuth the brown-headed A. fusciceps, and the black-handed A. geoffroyi.
Range of the black spider monkey.
DISTRIBUTION Once found as far north as Mexico, black spider monkeys now occur mainly in the heart of the Amazon- in Guyana, northwestern Brazil, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia. CONSERVATION The black spider monkey is currently classified as endangered, and its future will remain bleak until the destruction of its rainforest habit at is halted .
CLI MBING SKILLS OF THE BLACK SPIDER MONKEY Hands: Four long, hairless fingers, and a stumpy thumb. The hands are not very useful for manipulating objects, but they can be hooked over branches when swinging through the trees.
Tail: Used as a fifth limb to grasp a branch. The underside of the tip is bald and is used to pick up and carry small objects or food . Feet: Equipped, like the hands, with very long fingers for grasping branches. Their comparatively great length provides excel__ lent balance for running along branches.
The black spider monkey lives amidst the topmost branches of the Amazon rainforest. Using its long tail as a fifth limb, it is among the most acrobatic and agile of all monkeys. © MCM XCI IMP BV/IMP INC WI LDLIFE FACT FILETM
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~ FOOD &: FEED ING Each morning, the spider monkey troop breaks up into two or three smaller groups, which disperse to forage for food. The black spider monkey's large size means that it is not threatened by the eagles and hawks that prey on smaller primates. Consequently, it does not require the safety of a large group to be protected from predators. While feeding, the monkeys keep in contact with each other by their loud calls,
The black spider monkey is one of four species
of spider monkey, all of which live in different areas of South America. Its varied diet consists almost entirely of exotic plants, birds, and insects found in the forest canopy. It prefers habitats where food is plentiful and cover is dense.
~ HABITS The black spider monkey has exceptionally long, slender limbs and an even longer tail. Where possible, the spider monkey will run on all fours along the tops of branches. But where there is a break in the intertwined canopy of the trees, it will swing or leap from one tree to another. On the rare occasion when the spider monkey sets foot on the ground, it may walk upright on two legs with its long tail held stiffly up against its back. The spider monkey lives in loose-knit, nomadic troops which vary in size according
to the availability of food. There are usually no more than 18 monkeys per square mile of forest, but where food is plentiful, as many as 100 may live together. Within each troop, adult male spider monkeys generally coexist peacefully with each other, although there is usually a recognized pecking order. Higher-ranked spider monkeys enforce their position by grooming other troop members. Above: These casual poses display the versatility of the spider monkey's grasping tail and long, hooklike hands.
~ BREEDING The black spider monkey has no defined breeding season and gives birth at all times of year. Still, it is slow to mature and is unable to breed until it is five years old. Once the female is sexually mature, she comes into estrus every 24-27 days. She may then mate with any of the adult males in her troop. The baby monkey, born 20 weeks after mating, clings tightly to its mother's abdomen for its first four months.
When the young monkey is older, it rides on the mother's back, wrapping its tail around hers for security. Even when it becomes too big to be carried, the young rarely strays from its mother's side. Such prolonged maternal care means that many young spider monkeys successfully reach maturity. But because a female will not breed while her young is in her care, the reproductive rate of the species is fairly low.
~ BLACK SPIDER MONKEY &: MAN Throughout much of its range, the black spider monkey is hunted by man for food. Being both noisy and quite large, the spider monkey is an easy target for darts or arrows. But because the young mature slowly and the rate of reproduction is low, it is easily overhunted and, in some areas, its populations have been wiped out completely. The spider monkey is also
threatened by the destruction of rainforests. It is particularly vulnerable to habitat loss because it is unable to adapt to other habitats. Top right &: inset: The spider monkey's expressive face displays a full range of emotions, from surprise to rage.
Right: The spider monkey has well-developed balance.
DID YOU KNOW? which sound similar to the whinnying of a horse. The spider monkey feeds chiefly on fruit and nuts but also eats leaves, seeds, flower buds, birds' eggs, insects, and spiders. Fruit is an essential source of water. The spider monkey often suspends itself from a branch by a leg or its tail. This allows it to reach down to pluck fruit or flowers from the tip of a branch. Its long tail is so well adapted that it can pick up small objects such as nuts.
• Relative to its size, the spider monkey has a larger brain than other western hemisphere monkeys. • Spider monkeys pollinate certain plant species. When drinking a plant's nectar, they pick up pollen on their face and carry it to another plant, which is then fertilized . • The spider monkey will break off heavy branches and drop them from trees to scare off intruders.
KEY FACTS
RED KANGAROO . . . ORDER "IIIIIIIIIII Marsupia/ia
. . . FAMILY "IIIIIIIIIII Macropodidae
SIZES Height: Head and body length, up to 5 ft. Tail, up to 3 ft . Weight: Males, up to 200 lb., but usually 120 lb. Females, 65 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 8 months2 years. Mating: Year-round, but dependent on availability of food. Gestation: 33 days. 6-11 months spent in the pouch. No. of young: 1 . Range of the red kangaroo.
LIFESTYLE Habit: Nocturnal. Lives in herds. Diet: Grasses, shrubs, and leaves. lifespan: 12-18 years. Up to 25 years in captivity. RELATED SPECIES Wallabies belong to the same family as the kangaroo, and together there are over 50 different species.
DISTRIBUTION Found only in the interior of Australia, where it is widespread in desert and semidesert regions. CONSERVATION In spite of over 3 million kangaroos being killed each year because of competition with domestic livestock, the red kangaroo is still one of the most numerous of kangaroo species and in no danger of extinction .
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE YOUNG After birth, the young kangaroo uses its strong forearms to crawl into its mother's pouch by way of a trail of saliva she places on her abdomen . Kangaroos can breed continuously -a female often nurses two offspring at a time.
In its mother's pouch, the naked joey instantly takes hold of a nipple and remains attached to it for 70 days. By the time it leaves the pouch, it weighs about 7 pounds. A young kangaroo continues to feed from its mother until it is a year old.
The red kangaroo is the largest of the many species of marsupial, or pouched animal, and is found only in Australia. It sustains itself on a diet of nothing but grass and shrubs.
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Standing as tall as, or taller than, a man, the adult male red kangaroo is recognized by its reddish-colored fur. The females and young are a bluish-gray color. The red kangaroo is widespread throughout the arid central region of Australia and has few predators.
~ HABITS The red kangaroo is a grazing animal which inhabits Australia's arid interior region. The kangaroos are widespread and live together in groups, called mobs, of more than one hundred animals. The home range of the kangaroo is approximately 115 square miles. Each
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~ BREEDING group of kangaroos contains at least one adult male. If there are several males in the group, the dominant male will lead the mob. The red kangaroo is a nocturnal animal. Remaining inactive during the day helps it to stay cool. It rests under the shade of trees or shrubs, and sometimes digs a shallow
depression in the ground in which it lies to escape the heat. The kangaroo's forearms, which have no fur, carry blood vessels close to the surface of the skin. In high temperatures, the kangaroo will lick its forearms to help cool itself. It will also pant to get rid of excess body heat.
The dominant male in a mob of red kangaroos has access to all females for mating. A female is fertile throughout the year, but she can time her breeding to coincide with the availability of food and water. Gestation is little more than a month. The young kangaroo is still quite undeveloped when born, but its forearms are strong enough for it to
crawl into its mother's pouch. Because she can breed continuously, a female kangaroo produces different kinds of milk to meet the nutritional needs of more than one offspring at a time. A joey that has left the pouch requires fat-rich milk for energy; its pouch-bound younger sibling gets more carbohydrates.
Left: Dominance between rival males is established by fighting. The winner will head a mob of about 100 animals.
FOOD & FEEDING The red kangaroo feeds on grass and the foliage of lowgrowing shrubs. Kangaroos are usually found near watercourses-both natural and man-made-where plant growth is more plentiful. Red kangaroos wander extensively over their home range. When rain falls on the desert areas, they gather to feed on plant seedlings that suddenly germinate. The red kangaroo can go for long periods without water if necessary. Below: A mother feeds while her six-month-old joey ventures out.
Right: Its tail and a leg still dangling, a joey joins its parents in looking for the threat that has sent it scrambling into
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i~mo~er~ ~
~.}~~~ pouch.
~ RED KANGAROO & MAN
DID YOU KNOW? • A red kangaroo can travel up to 40 miles per hour. It can also jump more than 40 ,feet in a single leap. • Adult male red kangaroos
are called "boomers;" females are called "blue fliers." • At birth, a red kangaroo is no bigger than a human thumb, but a mature kangaroo can be
taller than a man . • Strong tendons in the kangaroo's hind legs provide effortless propulsion for its bounding leaps.
The red kangaroo has long been hunted by man for its meat and skin, first by the aborigines and then by settlers. Today, the red kangaroo is considered a
pest by farmers, whose sheep and cattle must compete with it for the available grass. Where man has created water holes for grazing livestock, the kangaroos also
take advantage of the supply. Because they can leap such great distances, farmers find it almost impossible to fence kangaroos out of their livestock grazing areas.
' " CARD 40
DINGO
,,~----------------------------------------~ GENUS &: SPECIES ORDER FAMILY Canis familiaris dingo Canidae ~ Carnivora
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: Body, 5ft. Tail, 14 in . Weight: 45 lb . BREEDING Sexual maturity: 2 years. Mating: June to August. Gestation: 63 days. No. of young: Up to 8 pups. LIFESTYLE Habit: Males territorial. Family groups may include young of previous litter. Diet: Rabbits, small marsupials, kangaroos, and farm animals. Lifespan: Up to 14 years. RELATED SPECIES Canis familiaris, the domestic dog, is the same species. The New Guinea Dog, Canis familiaris hal/stromi, is a closely related subspecies.
Range of the dingo.
DI STRI BUTION Throughout Australia, except Tasmania . CONSERVATION In spite of constant persecution by man, dingoes are still found in many parts of Austral ia. Only a few are purebred, as most interbreed with domestic dogs, especially in Queensland . In agricultural areas, dingoes are considered pests.
FEATURE S OF THE DI NGO The dingo is a member of the domestic dog family, Canis Because of the dingo's familiaris . However, it has lived in the wild for thousands of readiness to mate with years. The dingo is occasionally kept as a pet by aborigines , wild domestic dogs, but it is generally regarded as a pest because it preys on an estimated 75 livestock. percent of dingoes today are hybrids, that is, they are offspring of dogs of different
A tireless hunter that can cross large expanses of desert and open bush in search of prey, the dingo is thought to have originally been a domestic dog brought to Australia by the aborigines.
Measuring 20 in. high at the shoulder, the dingo (above left) is considerably smaller than a dog such as a German shepherd (above right), which has a shoulder height of up to 25 in. Other distinguishing features of the dingo, in comparison to those of domestic dogs, are its longer muzzle, larger molars, and longer canine teeth . ©MCMXCI IMP BVII MP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
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FOOD & HUNTING
Since most of their prey is nocturnal, dingoes hunt at night. They hunt alone or in packs. When a pack kills more than it can eat, the remains are buried and dug up later. When dingoes hunt a large animal, such as the gray kangaroo, they give chase and charge their prey. After biting it, they back off to avoid being kicked, as this can be fatal. As sheep farming has become widespread across Australia, dingoes have found the flocks to be easy prey. The
The muscular dingo varies in color from light gold to dark brown or black, but is most often a rich, reddish gold. Similar in appearance to the domestic dog, it has permanently pricked-up ears and a distinctive white tip at the end of its tail.
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HABITS
Dingoes live in family groups within a primary territory. Their home range, however, is much larger, often overlapping other groups. Young male dingoes
forage alone over a wide area, often covering as much as 40 miles in a night. They may join local family groups when food is abundant; when it is scarce, they will be driven away.
DID YOU KNOW? • Dingoes are descended from a family of Asian wild dogs which cannot bark. • When the first European settlers arrived in Australia, they found aborigine women suckling dingo pups. • The earliest known dingo skeleton is 3,000 years old,
but the first dingoes are thought to have reached Australia 4,000 years earlier. • One mother moved a litter of six pups individually over 5 miles in one night, a total journey of 60 miles. • Some varieties of dingo are born without tails .
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BREEDING
In fall or early winter, the female dingo comes into heat. She selects a mate, often the father of her previous litter of pups, from the pack of males that follow her. The pack then breaks up, leaving the pair alone to breed. Pups are born 9 weeks later. The female gives birth in the same hidden, sheltered location each year unless it is disturbed by humans or predators. Although the pups are weaned after 8 weeks, they remain with their parents for up to a year. The female suckles her pups and also feeds them with small pieces of regurgitated meat. The pups grow quickly, and both parents must hunt food for them. They travel long distances in search of prey, but prey close to their own territory is left untouched, so that the pups may learn to hunt it themselves.
dingoes usually kill only as much as they can eat, although pups can become overly excited, killing and injuring many sheep. When
Above: A dingo pack moves in to eat a fresh kill. Any remains will be buried and eaten later.
food is scarce, dingoes will eat birds' eggs, grubs, and wildfowl.
Left: Safe in their hideaway, these three-week-old
Old habits die weaned pup is pursuading its mother to provide an instant meal of regurgitated meat.
Below: Two dingo pups enjoy a playful fight.
