An Animal A Day
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Asiatic Honeybee
The Asiatic Honeybee or the Eastern Honeybee (Apis cerana) are small honeybees of southern and southeastern Asia, such as China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea.
Asiatic Honeybee, Apis cerana
In the wild, they prefer to nest in small spaces, such as the hole of tree trunks. Like the honeybee (Apis mellifera), they are partly domesticated and used in apiculture, mostly in wooden boxes with fixed frames. Their size is similar or somewhat smaller than the Apis mellifera. They also have a more prominent abdominal stripes. Their honey yield is smaller, because they form smaller colonies. Their beeswax is used to treat and heal wounds.
Apis cerana is the natural host to the mite genus Varroa destructor, a serious pest of the European honeybee (Apis mellifera). Through a more careful grooming, they have a better defense mechanism against Varroa mites.
Thermal defense
When their hive is invaded by the Japanese giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica), about 500 Japanese honeybees (A. cerana japonica) surround the hornet and vibrate until the temperature is raised to 47°C (117°F), heating the hornet to death, but still under their own lethal limit (48-50°C).
Subspecies
* Apis cerana javana
* Apis cerana indica
* Apis cerana sinensis
* Apis cerana japonica
Issue #233 -
Tarpon
The tarpons are large coastal fish notable as a prize of anglers. There are two species in a single genus Megalops in the family Megalopidae, one native to the Atlantic, and the other to the Indo-Pacific area.
The Atlantic tarpon, Megalops atlanticus (Valenciennes 1847), inhabits coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers. It feeds on various fish and crabs. It is capable of filling its swim bladder with air and absorbing oxygen from it. Specimens have been recorded at up to 250 cm in length and weighing up to 161 kg. The Atlantic tarpon is also known as the "silver king".
Atlantic tarpon, Megalops atlanticus
In appearance, it is greenish or bluish on top, and silver on the sides. The large mouth is turned upwards, the lower jaw containing an elongated bony plate. The last ray of the dorsal fin is much longer than the others, reaching nearly to the tail.
The tarpon is considered one of the great saltwater game fish, not only because of the size it can reach and its accessible haunts, but because of its fighting spirit when hooked; it is very strong, making spectacular leaps into the air. The flesh is desirable but bony. In Florida, a special permit is required to kill and keep a tarpon, so most tarpon fishing there is catch-and-release.
The Indo-Pacific tarpon, Megalops cyprinoides is a lesser-known and smaller fish.
Species
Megalops atlanticus
Megalops cyprinoides
Issue #234 -
Caribbean hermit crab
The Caribbean hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus), also known as the tree-climbing crab and the purple pincher, is a species of hermit crab commonly sold in the United States. The last of its common names is due to their distinctive purple claw. Coenobita clypeatus is a member of the phylum Arthropoda and the class Crustacea. They have four walking legs, four tiny legs to hold the shell in place, a small pincher, a large pincher, and four antennae. The shell of the hermit crab is that of various marine snails. Once deceased, the snail body decomposes and the empty shell eventually washes onto shore. The hermit crab can then occupy the shell. Shell switching is not uncommon, and necessary as the crab grows.
A Caribbean hermit crab, Coenobita clypeatus, outside its shell
Coenobita clypeatus makes a good pet if taken care of properly. They require food and water dishes, and something to climb on. It is best to have two or more Coenobita clypeatus; having just one will cause it to become depressed and it may die. Depressed Coenobita clypeatus go through a process of losing their limbs one by one.
A Caribbean hermit crab inside its shell
Coenobita clypeatus along with all species of hermit crabs grow through a process called molting where the exoskeleton of the animal is shed and a new, soft exoskeleton is exposed from beneath. Over a period of several days, the new exoskeleton hardens and the old, shed exoskeleton is eaten by the hermit crab, in order to regain the calcium.
Issue #235 -
Argentinosaurus
Argentinosaurus was a herbivorous sauropod dinosaur that is quite possibly the largest, heaviest land animal that ever lived. It developed on the island continent of South America during the Cretaceous period, after all of its more familiar Gondwanan Jurassic kin — like Apatosaurus — had long disappeared.
Argentinosaurus, Argentinosaurus huinculensis
Description
Not much of Argentinosaurus has been recovered: just some back vertebrae, tibia, fragmentary ribs, and sacrum. However, the spectacular proportions of these bones and the familiarity of the species' Sauropod relatives allows paleontologists to estimate that full-grown specimens reached some 35 to 45 metres (115 to 150 feet). Weight was perhaps 80 to 100 tonnes (90 to 110 tons). Vast wings on the vertebrae suited the attachment of massive muscles.
Classification and history
Argentinosaurus ("Argentina lizard") is a recent discovery. The type species, A. huinculensis, was only described and published (by the Argentinian palaeontologists José F. Bonaparte and Rodolfo Coria) in 1993. Its more specific time-frame within the Cretaceous is the Albian to Cenomanian epochs, 112.2 to 93.5 mya.
The fossil discovery site is in the RÃo Limay Formation in Neuquén Province, Argentina. Due to the enormous size of each bone, Rodolfo Coria apparently stated "God forbid we ever find a complete one" to National Geographic Magazine, who were covering the event.
Conservation status: Fossil
Issue #236 -
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a small breed of dog usually considered one of the toy dog breeds.
Appearance
The breed has four recognized colors: Blenheim (rich chestnut on pearly white background), Tricolor (black and white with tan markings), Black and Tan (black with tan markings), and Ruby (rich red all over).
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Temperament
The breed is highly affectionate, and some have called the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel "the ultimate lap dog". However, they require a great deal of human companionship and do not do well if left alone for long periods of time. Most dogs of the breed are extremely patient and eager to please. As such, dogs of the breed are usually good with children and other dogs.
History
For many centuries, small breeds of spaniels have been popular in the United Kingdom. In the eleventh century, in the reign of King Canute, it was illegal to hunt with any dog that could not fit through a gauge that was eleven inches in diameter. Hence, the "birth" of the Toy Spaniel in the United Kingdom. Some centuries later, Toy Spaniels became popular as pets, especially as pets of the royal family. In fact, the King Charles Spaniel was so named because a Blenheim-coated spaniel was the children's pet in the household of King Charles I. King Charles II went so far as to issue a decree that the King Charles Spaniel could not be forbidden entrance to any public place, including the Houses of Parliament. Such spaniels can be be seen in many paintings of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. These early spaniels had longer, pointier snouts and thinner-boned limbs than today's.
Over time, the toy spaniels were replaced in popularity by short-snouted, dome-headed dogs of asian descent, such as the Pug and Japanese Chin. The King Charles Spaniel was bred with these dogs, resulting in the similar-shaped head of today's breed. The King Charles Spaniel remained popular at Blenheim Castle, home to the Dukes of Marlborough, where the brown and white version was the most popular - resulting in the name Blenheim for that color combination.
In the beginning of the 1900s, an American named Roswell Eldrige offered twenty-five pounds as a prize for any King Charles Spaniel "of the old-fashioned type" with a longer nose, flat skull, and a lozenge (spot) in the middle of the crown of the head, commonly called "the kiss of Buddha". So, the breed was developed by selective breeding of short-snouted King Charles Spaniels. The result was a dog that resembled the boyhood pet of the future Charles II of England ("Cavalier King Charles"), whence the breed derives its name.
Two breed clubs are found in the United States: the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club (CKCSC) USA and the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club. The latter club is the breed club of the American Kennel Club.
Health
The breed suffers from a number of congenital defects, most significantly, syringomyelia, a condition affecting the brain and spine, causing symptoms ranging from mild discomfort to severe pain and partial paralysis. A major health issue that virtually all Cavaliers suffer from is mitral valve disease, causing progressively worsening heart murmurs leading to heart failure. This condition can begin to emerge at an early age, and is present in many Cavalier King Charles Spaniels by 5 years of age. It is extremely rare for a 10 year old to not have at least a slight murmur. Symptoms may only present as mild as heart murmurs, or the disease may progress rapidly, resulting in early death. Responsible breeders are attempting to breed only from dogs that exhibit a later onset of the disease.
Another common defect among Cavaliers is keratoconjunctivitis sicca, colloquially known as "dry eye". The usual cause of this condition is an autoimmune reaction against the dog's tear ducts, reducing the production of tears. The condition requires continual treatment and if untreated may result in partial or total blindness.
Miscellaneous
Puppy Mills
The increasing popularity of the breed has led to breeding of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in puppy mills. As for all breeds, prospective owners interested in purebred dogs should carefully research any potential puppy breeder.
Famous Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
* Rex, pet of Ronald Reagan
* Elizabeth Taylor, pet of Charlotte York in Sex and the City
* Hopper and Harley, pets of Courtney Cox
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Issue #237 -
Guanaco
The Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) (sometimes spelled Guanco) is an elegant, fine-boned lamoid animal that stands approximately 3 ft 6" (1.06 m) at the shoulder and weighs about 200 lb (90 kg). Like the llama, the guanaco is double coated with a coarse guard hair and soft undercoat, which is even finer and thus more highly prized than that of the alpaca, although they carry far less of it. The colour varies very little, ranging from a light brown to dark cinnamon and shading to white underneath. Guanacos have grey faces and small straight ears. They are extremely striking with their large, alert brown eyes, streamlined form, and energetic pace. They are particularly ideal for keeping in large groups in open parklands.
Guanaco, Lama guanicoe
It is an endangered species; poachers hunt it for its meat, skin, and wool.
The guanaco is common to South America: in Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. Its average life span is 20-25 years.
When the Europeans first arrived in South America, there were an estimated half billion guanacos, but current estimates place their numbers at 500,000.
Guanacos can run with speed of 56 km (35 mi) per hour. The running is important for their survival, because in the open places where they live there is no place to hide.
Conservation status: Vulnerable
Issue #238 -
Grey-crowned Crane
The Grey-crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats.
Grey-crowned Crane, Balearica regulorum
This species and the closely related Black-crowned Crane are the only cranes that can roost in trees, because of a long hind toe that can grasp branches. This habit, amongst other things, is a reason why the relatively small Balearica cranes are believed to closely resemble the ancestral members of the Gruidae.
The Grey-crowned Crane has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping. It has a booming call which involves inflation of the red gular sac. It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species.
The nest is a platform of grass and other plants in tall wetland vegetation. The Grey-crowned Crane lays a clutch of 2-5 eggs. Incubation is performed by both sexes and lasts 28-31 days. Chicks fledge at 56-100 days.
The Grey-crowned Crane is 116 cm tall and weighs 3.5 kg. Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are also predominantly white, but contain feathers with a range of colours. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers. The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black. The sexes are similar, although males tend to be slightly larger. Young birds are greyer than adults, with a feathered buff face.
Grey-crowned Cranes at Edinburgh Zoo
There are two subspecies. The East African B. r. gibbericeps (known as the "Crested Crane") occurs from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda and Kenya to eastern South Africa. It has a larger area of bare red facial skin above the white patch than the nominate B. r. regulorum which breeds from Angola south to South Africa.
The Crested Crane is the national bird of Uganda and features in the country's flag and coat of arms. Like all cranes, it eats insects, reptiles, and other small mammals.
Although the Grey-crowned Crane remains common over much of its range, it faces threats to its habitat due to drainage, overgrazing, and pesticide pollution.
Issue #239 -
Chinese Alligator
The Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinesis) is a small relative of the well-known American Alligator. Unlike its US cousin, the Chinese alligator rarely excedes 7 feet long, with 5 feet being a more common size.
Chinese Alligator, Alligator sinesis
While it originally ranged through much of China, this species' wild habitat has been reduced to little more than a few ponds containing a handful of animals, mostly due to conversion of its habitat to argicultural use. Poisoning of rats, which the alligators then eat, has also been blamed for their decline. In the past decade, only one wild nest has been found.
However, the species is prolific in captivity, with estimates of the total captive population at over 10,000 animals, mostly an the Anhui research center and the Madras Crocodile Bank, as well as numerous zoos.
Physically, this species is an almost perfect miniature of its American cousin. Chinese alligators have proportionally larger heads than young American alligators of the same size, as well as having scales that are more granular and a pattern of faint, light bands against their dark background.
This species is widely regarded as quite docile, but, as with any crocodilian, it is capable of inflicting immense damage on an unwary keeper and should thus be treated with caution.
Issue #240 -
Codling moth
The Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is an agricultural pest of the Lepidopteran family Tortricidae. Its larva is the common apple worm. It is native to Europe and was introduced to North America, where it has become one of the regular pests of apple orchards. It is found almost worldwide. It also attacks pears, walnuts, and other tree fruits.
Codling moth, Cydia pomonella
The codling moth is grayish with light gray and copper stripes on its wings, and has an average wingspan of 17 mm. The females lay eggs on fruit trees and the black-headed yellow larvae attack the fruit immediately upon hatching. Each larva burrows into the fruit, eats for around three weeks, then leaves the fruit to overwinter and pupate elsewhere.
Codling moth infestations are often prevented with pesticides. Many other methods of control are being utilized as techniques are refined. Pheromone traps are used to prevent successful mating by capturing male moths using female pheromone as an attractant. Mating disruption devices emit female pheromone in higher quantities so that males are not actually trapped, merely confused and unable to locate females. The unmated females then lay unfertilized eggs. Codling moth is also a good candidate for biological control by Trichogramma wasps. The wasps deposit their eggs into codling moth eggs, and the developing wasp larvae consume the moth embryo inside.
Issue #241 -
Silky anteater (Cyclopes didactylus)
Range: Southern Mexico to Bolivia/Brazil.
Primarily nocturnal and arboreal.
Eats termites and insects.
Possibly biparental care with both parents regurgitating insects to young.
Often found in silk-cotton trees (Ceiba) trees, which produce large silky seed pods very similar in appearance to the anteaters. -
Shortfin Mako Shark
The Shortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus "sharp nose"), commonly just called Mako Shark despite not being the only species of mako, is a large shark of the Lamnidae family with a full-grown size of 2.75–3.75 m (9-12 feet). It usually weighs around 250–700 kg (575–1,600 pounds) and has a bluish top and a white underside. Although the sexes grow at about the same rate, females are thought to have a longer life span. Females grow larger and weigh more than the males. Shortfin Makos are renowned for their speed and their ability to leap out of the water. The sharks have an average speed of 22 miles (35.2 kilometers) per hour, with a burst speed of up to 60 miles (96 kilometers) per hour. The name 'Mako' comes from the Maori.
Shortfin Mako Shark, Isurus oxyrinchus
This high leaping, boat attacking fish is sought as game worldwide. Some of the largest makos in the world can be found in New England waters. While the closely related Longfin Mako Shark, Isurus paucus, is found farther offshore in the Gulf Stream. Shortfin Makos were popularized in the movie Deep Blue Sea.
The Longfin Mako Shark is a yolk-sac oviviparous shark, meaning it gives birth to live young who feed off of a sac full of yolk in the womb. The gestation period for a Mako Shark is 15-18 months. Mako embryo in the female's body literally consume each other to get nutrients. This is called intrauterine cannibalism.
The "mako" name was also applied to a 1961 Chevrolet Corvette show car, the "Mako Shark" corvette, whose detailing was partly inspired by the look of that very fast fish.
Conservation status: Lower risk (nt)
Issue #242 -
Kimura-gumo
The Kimura-gumo (Heptathela kimurai) is a spider, named after Kimura Arika, who discovered it in 1920. It belongs to the sub-order Mesothelae (primitive burrowing spiders). Its burrows are covered by a camoflaged "pill box" flap.
Kimura-gumo spider, Heptathela kimurai
The ancestral traits of the Kimura-gumo include central spinnerets and signs of segmentation on the abdomen. These features are not seen on modern spiders, thus studying the Kimura-gumo can shed light on the evolution of all spiders.
The word kumo in Japanese means spider. ("Gumo" is a variation in pronunciation due to a linking phenomenon similar to that known as "liaison" in French.) The kimura spider is about 400 million years old, placing it among the most primitive living spiders. Its spinnerets are located in the middle of the body, as opposed to the more efficient location in modern spiders at the rear of the abdomen. It fixes its eggs on the surface of its burrow with silk so that they are well protected. The spider surrounds tunnels also with a cobweb. When it sets out on a hunt, it pays out a line of silk behind it. This "lifeline" helps it in orienting itself.
There are a number of Heptathela kimurai subspecies including; H. k. amamiensis, H. k. higoensis, H. k. yanbaruensis and H. k. yakushimaensis.
Issue #243 -
Aurochs
The Aurochs (Bos taurus) is an extinct European mammal of the Bovidae family. The word aurochs is both singular and plural; alternative plural forms are aurochsen or urus. The animal's original scientific name, Bos primigenius, translated the German term Auerochse or Urochs, literally "primeval ox", or "proto-ox". However, this scientific name is now considered invalid by ITIS, who classify aurochs under Bos taurus, the same species as domestic cattle.
Cave painting of Aurochs, Bos taurus
Origin
According to the Paleontologisk Museum, University of Oslo, aurochs evolved in India some two million years ago, migrated into the Middle East and further into Asia, and reached Europe about 250,000 years ago. They were once considered a distinct species from modern European cattle (Bos taurus), but more recent taxonomy has rejected this distinction. The South Asian domestic cattle, the zebu descended from different group of aurochs, presumably at the edge of Thar Desert in India which would explain zebu resistance to drought. Domestic yak, gayal and Javan cattle do not descend from aurochs. Modern cattle have become much smaller than their wild forebears: the height at the withers of a domesticated cow is about 1.4 meters, whereas an aurochs could reach about 1.75 meters.
The Worship of aurochs
Aurochs are depicted in many Paleolithic European cave paintings such as those found at Lascaux and Livernon in France. Their life force may have been attributed with magical qualities, for early carvings of the aurochs have also been found. The impressive and dangerous aurochs survived into the Iron Age in Anatolia and the Near East, and was worshiped throughout that area as a sacred animal, the Lunar Bull, associated with the Great Goddess and later with Mithras.
A 1999 archaeological dig in Peterborough, England, uncovered the skull of an aurochs. The front part of the skull had been removed but the horns remained attached. The supposition is that the killing of the aurochs in this instance was a sacrificial act.
The Aurochs were also the symbol of Moldavia; nowadays they can be found in the coat of arms of both Romania and Moldova.
Domestication and disappearance
Domestication of the aurochs began in the southern Caucasus and northern Mesopotamia from about the 6th millennium BC, while genetic evidence suggests that aurochs were independently domesticated in northern Africa and in India. Domestication caused dramatic changes to the physiology of the creatures, to the extent that domestic cattle must now be regarded as a separate species.
Genetic analysis has provided many insights about the aurochs. Though aurochs became extinct in Britain during the Bronze age, analysis of bones from aurochs that lived contemporaneously with domesticated cattle there showed no genetic contribution to modern breeds. So modern European cattle are thought to be descended directly from the Near East domestication event. Indian cattle (zebu), although domesticated eight to ten thousand years ago, are related to aurochs which diverged from the Near Eastern ones some 200,000 years ago. The African cattle are thought to descend from aurochs more closely related to the Near Eastern ones. The Near East and African aurochs groups are thought to have split some 25,000 years ago, probably 15,000 years before domestication. The "Turano-Mongolian" type of cattle now found in Northern China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan may represent a fourth domestication event (and a third event among Bos taurus–type aurochs). This group may have diverged from the Near East group some 35,000 years ago. Whether these separate genetic populations would have equated to separate subspecies is unclear.
Monument to the last aurochs in Jaktorów
The original range of the aurochs was from the British Isles, to Africa, the Middle East, India and central Asia. By the 13th century A.D., the aurochs' range was restricted to Poland, Lithuania and East Prussia. The right to hunt large animals on any land was restricted to nobles and gradually to the royal household. As the population of aurochs declined, hunting ceased but the royal court still required gamekeepers to provide open fields for the aurochs to graze in. The gamekeepers were exempted from local taxes in exchange for their service and a decree made poaching an aurochs punishable by death. In 1564, the gamekeepers knew of only 38 animals, according to the royal survey. The last recorded live aurochs (female) had died in 1627 in the Jaktorów Forest, Poland.
In the 1920s two German zookeepers, the brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck, attempted to breed the aurochs back into existence from the domestic cattle that were their descendants. Their plan was based on the pre-Darwinian conception of 'atavism', according to which "primitive" traits might reappear as 'throwbacks' to an earlier form. The result is the breed called Heck Cattle, 'Recreated Aurochs', or 'Heck Aurochs', which bears an incomplete resemblance to what is known about the physiology of the wild aurochs.
Conservation status: Extinct (1627)
Issue #244 -
Birman
The Birman is a breed of domestic cat. This breed has a pale cream coloured body and coloured points of Seal, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Lynx or Red Factor colors on the legs, tail and face. The body type varies from Persian-type to Siamese-type. Birmans differ from conventional colour-point cats with their white paws called mittens. The coat is medium-length, not as long and thick as a Persian's, and does not mat.
A blue point Birman
The Birman is said to have originated in western Burma; and certainly cats with similar markings are recorded in documents from ancient Thailand. One story claims that a pair was given as a gift to an Englishman named Major Gordon Russell and his friend August Pavie by the priests of the Khmer people; another that the cats were acquired by an American named Vanderbilt from a servant who had once been at the temple of Lao-Tsun where the cats were kept as sacred animals. Two cats were shipped to France in approximately 1919. The male died in transit, but the female was pregnant and gave birth to a litter of kittens in France. These formed the basis of a breeding program and the breed was registered with the French Cat Registry in 1925. The Birman breed was almost wiped out during World War II. Only two cats were alive in Europe at the end of the war, and they had to be heavily outcrossed and rebred to rebuild the breed. The restored breed was recognised in Britain in 1965 and by the American Cat Fanciers' Association in 1966.
In reality modern western Birmans are a hybrid of Siamese and Persian breeds and may differ considerable from Burma temple cats from which they originally obtained their white mittens.
Alternative Names: Sacred Birman
Country of origin: Burma or Thailand
Issue #245 -
Springbok
The Springbok (Afrikaans: spring = jump; bok = antelope, deer, or goat) (Antidorcas marsupialis) is a small brown and white antelope that stands about 75 cm high. The males can weigh up to 50 kg and the females up to 37 kg. The Latin name marsupialis derives from a pocket-like skin flap which extends along the middle of the back on to the tail. The springbok can lift this flap, which makes the white hairs underneath stand up in a conspicuous 'fan'.
Springbok in Etosha National Park, Namibia
Springboks inhabit the dry inland areas of central and western Africa. They used to be very common, but numbers have recently diminished due to an increase in hunting and more land being fenced off as farm land.
They remain common on privately owned land and within national parks and game reserves.
Pronking
Springboks often go into bouts of repeated high leaps (up to 4m - 12 feet) into the air in a practice known as "pronking" (Afrikaans: pronk = to show off) or "stotting". While pronking, the springbok leaps back into the air as soon as it comes down, with its back bowed and the white fan lifted. The exact cause of this behaviour is unknown, springboks exhibit this activity when they are nervous or otherwise excited. One theory is that pronking is meant to indicate to predators that they have been spotted, another is that springboks show off their individual strength and fitness, so that the predator will go for another, weaker, member of the group. When fleeing from a predator, springboks do not pronk, but rather run at speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour).
National symbol
The springbok was a national symbol of South Africa under white minority rule (including a significant period prior to the establishment of Apartheid). It was adopted as a nickname or mascot by a number of South African sports teams, most famously by the national rugby team. It appeared on the emblems of the South African Air Force, the logo of South African Airways (for which it remains their radio callsign) and the Coat of Arms of South Africa. It also featured as the logo of 'South Africa's Own Car', the Ranger, in the early 1970s.
The Springbok is currently the national animal of South Africa.
After the demise of apartheid, the ANC government decreed that South African sporting teams were to be known as the Proteas. The rugby team still maintain the name Springboks, however, after the intervention of then-president Nelson Mandela, who did so as a gesture of goodwill to the mainly white (and largely Afrikaner) rugby supporters. However, the emblem issue occasionally resurfaces, and leads to much controversy.
Conservation status: Vulnerable
Issue #246 -
Pink-backed Pelican
The Pink-backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) is a member of the pelican family of birds. It is a resident breeder in Africa, southern Arabia and Madagascar in swamps and shallow lakes. The nest is a large heap of sticks, into which 2-3 large white eggs are laid. The chicks feed by plunging their heads deep into the adultÂ’s pouch and taking the partially digested regurgitated fish.
Pink-backed Pelican, Pelecanus rufescens, at Bristol Zoo, Bristol, England.
This is a small pelican, but the wingspan is still around 2.4 m. It is much smaller and duller than the Great White Pelican. The plumage is grey and white, with a pink back. The top of the bill is yellow and the pouch is usually greyish. Breeding adults have long feather plumes on the head.
Food is usually fish and amphibians and is usually obtained by fishing in groups.
Issue #247 -
Russell's Viper
The Russell's Viper (Vipera russelli) is a common and highly venomous terrestrial snake, usually found in open country from India and Sri Lanka to Burma, Taiwan and Java. Within its range, it can be very common in some areas, while being scarce in others. Primarily nocturnal in nature, where it is common it is the most dreaded of all species and often responsible for the majority of snakebite incidents. It is one of the big four venomous snakes in India.
Russell's Viper, Vipera russelli
Also known by its native names, 'Doboia' and 'Tic-Polonga', this is a very dangerous species, large members of which can easily deliver a lethal bite. As well as haemotoxins, the venom includes a substantial neurotoxic fraction, allowing it to be fast acting as well as very painful. When alarmed, the Tic-Polonga (which means spotted snake) hisses loudly and can strike repeatedly. Even among professionals, these snakes have a reputation for being very difficult, and therefore dangerous to handle. This is because they often continue to struggle vigorously even after they are grasped firmly behind the head.
The Russell's Viper can grow to a length of about 1.5 m, although it is not built as heavily as most vipers. It is reddish or pale brown in color, with three series of dark brown spots running down the length of its body. Each of these spots has a black ring around it, the outer border of which is intensified with a rim of white or yellow. This species gives birth to live young, producing between 20 and 60 offspring at a time.
Finally, an interesting side note. Some herpetologists believe that, because the Russell's Viper is so successful as a species and has such a fearful reputation within its natural environment, another snake has even come to mimic its appearance. Superficially, the Rough-Scaled Sand Boa, Eryx conicus, has color pattern that often looks a lot like the Russell's Viper, although it is completely harmless.
Issue #248 -
Burying beetle
Burying beetles or sexton beetles (genus Nicrophorus) are the best-known members of the family Silphidae (carrion beetles). Most of these beetles are black with red markings on the elytra (forewings). They bury the carcasses of small vertebrates such as birds and rodents as a food source for their larvae. They are unusual among insects in that both the male and female parents take care of the brood (biparental care).
American Burrying Beetle, Nicrophorus americanus
Reproduction
Burying beetles have large club-like antennae equipped with chemoreceptors capable of detecting a dead animal from a long way away. After finding a carcass (most likely that of a small bird or a mouse), beetles fight amongst themselves (males fighting males, females fighting females) until the winning pair (usually the largest) remain. If a lone beetle finds a carcass, it can continue alone and await a partner. Single males attract a mate by releasing a pheromone from the tip of his abdomen. Females can raise a brood alone, fertilizing her eggs using sperm stored from previous copulations.
The carcass must be buried by the beetle(s) to get it out of the way of potential competitors, which are numerous.
The prospective parents begin to dig a hole below the carcass. While doing so, the beetles cover the animal with antibacterial and antifungal oral and anal secretions, slowing the decay of the carcass and preventing the smell of rotting flesh from attracting competition. The carcass is formed into a ball and the fur or feathers stripped away and used to line and reinforce the crypt, where the carcass will remain until the flesh has been completely consumed. The burial process can take around 8 hours.
The female burying beetle lays eggs in the soil around the crypt. The larvae hatch after a few days and move into a pit in the carcass which the parents have created. Although the larvae are able to feed themselves, both parents also feed the larvae: they digest the flesh and regurgitate liquid food for the larvae to feed on. This probably speeds up larval development.
At an early stage, the parents may cull their young. This infanticide functions to match the number of larvae to the size of the carcass so that there is enough food to go around. If there are too many young, they will all be underfed and will develop less quickly, reducing their chances of surviving to adulthood. If there are too few young, the resulting adult beetles will be large but the parents could have produced more of them. The most successful beetle parents will achieve a good balance between the size of offspring and the number produced. This unusual method of brood size regulation might be the result of the eggs being laid before the female has been able to gauge the size of the carcass and hence how many larvae it can provision.
Several pairs of beetles may cooperate to bury large carcasses and then raise their broods communally.
The adult beetles continue to protect the larvae, which take several days to mature. Many competitors make this task difficult, e.g. bluebottles and ants or burying beetles of either another or the same species.
The final stage larvae migrate into the soil and pupate, transforming from small white larvae to fully formed adult beetles.
Parental care is quite rare among insects, and burying beetles are remarkable exceptions.
Species
About eighty species have been described.
Common European species:
- N. humator
- N. investigator
- N. vespillo
- N. vespilloides
- N. vestigator
- N. interruptus
Extinct European species:
- N. germanicus
Common North American species:
- N. americanus - American Burying Beetle
- N. sayi
- N. orbicollis
- N. pustulatus
- N. defodiens
- N. tomentosus
- N. vespillo
- N. vespilloides
Issue #249 -
Jack Dempsey
The Jack Dempsey (Cichlasoma octofasciatum) is a cichlid fish named for the 1920's boxer Jack Dempsey. The name alludes to its aggressive nature. Like most cichlids it is territorial, especially against its own kind and similar species. The fish was once very popular due to its striking appearance and personable mannerisms. While it is a popular aquarium fish, due to its behavior it is not easy to keep.
Jack Dempsey, Cichlasoma octofasciatum
The coloration changes as the fish matures from a light gray or tan with faint turquoise flecks to a dark purple-gray with very bright, iridescent blue, green, and gold flecks. The dorsal and anal fins of mature males have long, pointed tips. Females lack these exaggerated tips.
The fish is native to Yucatan and Central America, where it is found in slow-moving waters, such as swampy areas with warm, murky water, weedy, mud- and sand-bottomed canals, drainage ditches, and rivers. It is also established as an introduced species in Australia, the USA and Thailand (presumably as an aquarium escape). The Jack Dempsey natively lives in a tropical climate and prefers water with a 7.0 - 8.0 pH, a water hardness of 9 - 20 dGH, and a temperature range of 72 - 86 °F (22 - 30 °C). It can reach up to 25 cm (10 in) in length. It is carnivorous, eating worms, crustaceans, insects and other fish.
Jack Dempseys lay their eggs on the substrate (the bottom of the aquarium or pool). Like most cichlids, they show substantial parental care: both parents help incubate the eggs and guard the fry when they hatch. Jack Dempseys are known to be attentive parents, pre-chewing food to feed to their offspring.
In 1997 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a man had died when he put a Jack Dempsey into his mouth as a joke: the fish presumably erected its fin spines to avoid being swallowed, a characteristic cichlid anti-predator response, and became wedged in the man's throat.
Conservation status: Secure
Issue #250 -
Apple snail
Apple snails (those of the Ampullaridae family) are tropical and sub-tropical freshwater snails. They are named for their round shell, which is apple shaped, technically referred to as a globose shell. They are particularly well adaped to areas which experience alternating drought and deluge; they possess a shell door or operculum which allows them to close their shell to prevent drying out during droughts.
A species of Apple snail, Pomacea bridgesii. Pomacea bridgesii is the most common apple snail available in pet shops. It's sold under different names (apple snail, mystery snail etc.) and exists in many colur variations.
Unlike many other freshwater gastropods, Apple Snails have both a lung and a gill. This allows them to live even in oxygen-poor waters. Apple snails are found in stagnant pools such as swamps and rice paddies. They feed on both plants and crustaceans with their radula, a U-shaped row of teeth. A characteristic feature of apple snails is its siphon, a tube like organ used to breath through while submerged.
Apple snails are edible by humans but must be cooked thoroughly to prevent the possibility of transferring parasites.
Introduction of foreign species of apple snails into new habitats can be very destructive to the native ecology.
Issue #251 -
Antarctosaurus
Antarctosaurus (southern lizard) was a herbivorous titanosaur which existed in the late Cretaceous, approximately 75 mya. This quadruped would have reached a length of around 18 m, a height of 6 m, and a weight of 40 to 70 tons, making it one of the largest South American sauropods and among the largest dinosaurs ever - it is related to the similarly gigantic Argentinosaurus.
Antarctosaurus, Antarctosaurus wichmannianus
The first fossils were found in 1916, and others have since been found in India, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Kazachstan and Africa, and it is possible that it really did live in Antarctica. Parts recovered include two femora, two incomplete pelvises and numerous other fragments. One of the femora was 2.20 m in length, and it is mainly from this that the astonishing size of the dinosaur is extrapolated. The postcrania, however, suggest that its head was barely 60 cm long.
The taxonomic classification of Antarctosaurus is, like that of many dinosaurs, highly disputed. The type specimen may actually be a small Antarctosaurus, as another specimen has recently been recovered that is double the size of the type specimen. Originally this dinosaur was placed in a separate species, but they are now both thought to be A. wichmannianus. There are other problems with the type specimen, including that its lower jaw is now thought to belong to a rebbachisaurid. Whether Antarctosaurus is even a titanosaur at all is now uncertain; it was placed into Diplodocidae in 1993, but returned to Titanosauridae in 1997. Also, Jainosaurus was originally thought to be a species of Antarctosaurus, A. septentrionalis, but it is now recognised as a distinct genus.
Species
A. giganteus
A. wichmannianus (type species)
?A. brasiliensis
Conservation status: Fossil
Issue #252 -
Mudhol Hound
The Mudhol Hound is an Indian breed of dog of the sight hound type. The breed is also known as Caravan hound and the feathered variety is commonly referred to as a Pashmi. It is a common companion amongst village folk in India's Deccan Plateau, who use the dog for hunting and guarding. However it is largely unknown to the general public or dog lovers, both in India and abroad.
A Mudhol Hound or Caravan Hound.
The Kennel Club of India and Indian National Kennel Club recognize the breed under different breed names. The KCI registers it as a Caravan Hound while the INKC goes with the name Mudhol Hound. The villagers know him as the Karwani.
Appearance
The Mudhol/Caravan of today has well-defined characteristics. It has a classic physique, sharp mental abilities, and striking aesthetic appeal.
Temperament
The breed is not spoilt; it leads a hard life that is essentially the survival of the fittest. It does not know veterinary care and food is in short supply. The hound is employed for hunting but it receives only very little of what it brings back. Its usual diet is roti and milk, supplemented with occasional table scraps. Still it is extraordinarily strong and resistant to a variety of diseases.
The breed is above all a working hound, capable of providing an excellent performance in the field on a consistent basis, under gruelling conditions that would decimate most other dogs. It is therefore elegant, graceful, and courageous. Its physical strength couples with great speed and plenty of stamina to allow it to catch and kill several types of game, from hare to blackbuck, over rough country.
History
The Mudhol/Caravan is an ancient breed, native to the Deccan Plateau of western India. This region covers parts of the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and, to a lesser degree, Andhra Pradesh. The breed is basically an offshoot of the Saluki and was first introduced into India by traders and mercenaries from various parts of Asia, who traveled in caravans. When local people saw the dogs running alongside the caravans, they began referring to them as “karwani”, meaning “of the caravans”. The name endures to this day in the villages, but it was anglicized to Caravan Hound when the Kennel Club of India recognized the breed.
In Karnataka, the breed is also known as the Mudhol Hound, after a small town in Bijapur district. A former ruler of Mudhol, Sri Srimanth Raja Malojirao Gorphade (Maloji Rao Ghorpade), is said to have presented a pair of hound puppies to King George V of England. Upon inspecting these curiosities, the monarch found them true to sighthound conformation and dubbed them “the hounds of Mudhol”.
It is found not only in Mudhol, but is widely kept throughout the Deccan; however, the Indian National Kennel Club uses the Mudhol Hound name.
Alternative names: Mudhol Dog, Caravan Hound, Karwani, Pashmi
Country of origin: India (Deccan Plateau)
Issue #253 -
Cottontop Tamarin
The Cottontop Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus), also known as the Pinché Tamarin, is a small New World monkey weighing less than 1 lb (0.5 kg). It is found in tropical forest edges and secondary forests where it is arboreal and diurnal.
Cottontop Tamarin, Saguinus oedipus
This tamarin species has a long crest, white hairs from forehead to nape flowing over the shoulders. The back is brown, and the underparts, arms and legs are whitish-yellow. Rump and inner thighs are reddish-orange. They are most active from sunrise to sunset, they spend a large portion of their activity time foraging for animal prey, searching through leaves and along branches, and peering and reaching into holes and crevices in branches and tree trunks. When alarmed or excited, Cottontop Tamarins raise the hair on the crown of their head and stand up tall to make themselves look bigger.
The Cottontop Tamarin eats fruit, insects, new leaves or buds, small lizards and nectar. It is called "Liszt Monkey" in German due to its supposed resemblance to the composer Franz Liszt.
Groups of Cottontop Tamarins usually include 3 - 9 individuals. Group members are not necessarily all related. In addition to a dominant mated pair and their young, there may be transient individuals, probably young animals of both sexes. The home ranges of adjacent groups overlap. Like most tamarins, the Cottontop Tamarin usually gives birth to twins, although single birhts and triplets happen occasionally. Tamarins reproduce year round with a gestation of 183 days. Both parents care for the young. Males and juveniles usually carry the young, giving them to the females for nursing. Weaning begins at four to five weeks and youngsters reach sexual maturity at 12 to 15 months.
Up to the 1980s, the Cottontop Tamarin was thought to occur from Costa Rica south to northern Colombia. By 1992 it could be found only in northern Colombia. Significant exports for biomedical research contributed to the Cottontop Tamarin's decline in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Currently, deforestation is the greatest threat.
Conservation status: Endangered
Issue #254 -
Scarlet Ibis
The Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a species of ibis that occurs in tropical South America and Trinidad and Tobago. It is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago and is featured on their coat of arms along with the Rufous-vented Chachalaca. Introduced or escaped birds of this species also occur in southern Florida.
Scarlet Ibis, Eudocimus ruber
Adults are 56-61 cm long and weigh 650 g. They are completely scarlet, except for black wing-tips. They nest in trees, laying two to four eggs. Their diet includes crustaceans and similar small marine animals.
This species is very closely related to the American White Ibis and is sometimes considered conspecific with it.
Conservation status: Lower risk (lc)
Issue #255 -
Russian Tortoise
The Russian Tortoise or Horsfield's Tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii, but often placed in the separate genus Agrionemys) is a popular pet, and is highly sold in the pet market. It is named after the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield.
Russian Tortoise, Testudo horsfieldii
In the wild, the Russian Tortoise lives anywhere from Afghanistan to north western China. It usually lives in dry areas with hardly any vegetation.
Russian Tortoises are popular pets, because they only range from about six inches to ten inches. The females tend to be larger. Besides just their size, there are other ways to differentiate between males and females. For instance, males have much larger tails that they carry to the side, while females have short stubby tails. Females also have flared scutes on their shells, while males do not.
Another reason that Russian Tortoises have become relatively popular pets is that they are very hardy. Most are content with eating weeds and grasses, although they enjoy a variety of greens, such as collards and mustard greens, along with common vegetables such as carrots or romaine lettuce.
Issue #256
