Sunday, December 2, 2012

The Facts And Information About Mountain Gorillas

There are roughly 700 mountain gorillas remaining on Earth, and nearly half live in the forests of the Virunga mountains in central Africa. These gorillas live on the green, volcanic slopes of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—areas that have seen much human violence from which the gorillas have not escaped unscathed.

Many conservation initiatives are meant to aid mountain gorillas, and it is believed that their numbers may be steady or slowly increasing. Still they continue to face major threats from habitat loss and poaching.

Mountain gorillas have longer hair and shorter arms than their lowland cousins. They also tend to be a bit larger than other gorillas.


Gorillas can climb trees, but are usually found on the ground in communities of up to 30 individuals. These troops are organized according to fascinating social structures. Troops are led by one dominant, older adult male, often called a silverback because of the swath of silver hair that adorns his otherwise dark fur. Troops also include several other young males, some females, and their offspring.

The leader organizes troop activities like eating, nesting in leaves, and moving about the group's 0.75-to-16-square-mile home range.

Those who challenge this alpha male are apt to be cowed by impressive shows of physical power. He may stand upright, throw things, make aggressive charges, and pound his huge chest while barking out powerful hoots or unleashing a frightening roar. Despite these displays and the animals' obvious physical power, gorillas are generally calm and nonaggressive unless they are disturbed.

In the thick forests of central and west Africa, troops find plentiful food for their vegetarian diet. They eat roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, and tree bark and pulp.

Female gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly nine months. Unlike their powerful parents, newborns are tiny — weighing four pounds — and able only to cling to their mothers' fur. These infants ride on their mothers' backs from the age of four months through the first two or three years of their lives.

Young gorillas, from three to six years old, remind human observers of children. Much of their day is spent in play, climbing trees, chasing one another, and swinging from branches. In captivity, gorillas have displayed significant intelligence and have even learned simple human sign language.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

These Facts About Rare Black Rhinoceros

Today, many animals are on the verge of extinction, thanks to years of relentless poaching but rhinoceros, even today are probably one of the most majestic animals to walk the earth. The fact that these animals have been around since the Miocene era, million of years ago, only adds to their aura. But, these animals are today almost extinct with almost ninety percent of the population being killed and poached since the 1970s. There are five species of rhinos existent in the world today and the black rhinoceros is one of them. In this article, we will give you some facts that will help you understand more about this animal that once ruled sub-Saharan African jungles.


Facts about Black Rhinoceros

There is a lot to learn about this mammal. But before we take a closer look at how its appearance is, where it lives, what its diet is and other such details, let us get an overview of some basic features of the black rhinoceros.

Appearance

While they are categorized as black rhinoceros, it is important to understand that even the species of white rhinoceros is actually gray in color. The difference between the two actually lies in the shape of their lip, with the black rhinoceros having a pointed upper lip. This shape of the lip is an adaptability to allow the animal to feed on twigs, leaves, herbs and shoots. This species of rhinos have two horns, with the one in front being more prominent than the other. Rhino horns grow about three inches every year. The horn of the rhino is made of thick hair that is matted. It grows from the skull with absolutely no support from the skeletal system. While male rhinos use horns to battle predators, females use it to protect their children. Rhinos have eyelashes and have hair on their ears and at the tip of their tail. If you study the different facts about rhinoceros, you will learn that like every other species of the rhino, even the black rhinoceros is odd toed and has three toes on each foot. Many are surprised by the fact that a black rhino is actually very fast and can run at a speed of almost 50 kilometers per hour.

Behavior

Rhinos are known to be solitary creatures which prefer to roam around alone than in a herd. They tend to interact with each other only when they mate and when the mother is raising its calf. They are territorial animals that defend their areas fiercely. They have a very sharp sense of smell and also have a keen hearing power. Despite being a large animal with a lot of power, the fact remains that it is not a natural predator which is what makes it an easy prey for humans. But, these animals tend to be aggressive and attack not out of an actual threat but normally out of fear and confusion. They often have been known to attack tree trunks and termite mounds and this is generally a result of their poor eyesight.

Habitat and Diet

The black rhino normally stays in areas that have a dense and woody vegetation. These mammals feed at night and often lie around in a water hole with wet mud, so as to coat their skin with the mud which acts as a bug repellent and a sun block. The vegetation that a black rhino feeds on includes buds, shoots, leaves, bushes and trees.

As mentioned before, these animals are often solitary and do not mingle in herds but they have a close relationship with their calves that lasts for two to four years. Black rhinos are extremely intriguing animals that tend to awe you by their sheer presence, but their numbers are fast depleting due to a high demand for their horn. If something is not done and their depreciating numbers are not reversed, the black rhino may soon join the ranks of extinct animals.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Baisc Facts About American Crocodiles You Need To Know

American crocodiles are well-armored with tough, scaly skin. They are gray-green or olive-green with long, slender snouts, which distinguish them from their cousin, the alligator. Also unlike the alligator, the fourth tooth on the bottom jaw of the American crocodile is visible when its mouth is closed. South Florida is the only place where you can find both crocodiles and alligators.


Diet

An American crocodile's diet consists mainly of small fish, invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Population

There are more than 1,000 American crocodiles, not including hatchlings, in Florida. American crocodiles are found in southern Florida, the Caribbean, southern Mexico and along the Central American coast south to Venezuela.

Behavior

American crocodiles inhabit brackish and saltwater habitats and are typically found in coastal mangrove wetlands, ponds, coves, creeks and canals. Decidedly less aggressive than the infamous Nile and Australian crocodiles, American crocodiles are shy, reclusive and rarely seen by people.

Threats

Once hunted intensively for their hides, today, loss of habitat to human development, illegal killing and roadkill are the greatest threats faced by American crocodiles. As sea level rises due to climate change, a significant portion of crocodiles’ coastal wetland habitat may face saltwater incursion or inundation.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Know More About The Panada

The panda, or more accurately known as the Giant Panda is a true bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognizable by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body.
The western world first learned of the giant panda in 1869 when the French missionary Armand David received a skin from a hunter on 11 March 1869. The first living giant panda to be seen outside China was by the German zoologist Hugo Weigold, who purchased a cub in 1916. In 1938, five giant pandas were sent to London, but no more to follow for the next half of the century due to the Second World War and its repercussions.
Panda Facts
The giant panda is an endangered species because it is threatened by continued habitat loss and by a very low birthrate, both in the wild and in captivity. Furthermore, the giant panda has been a target for poaching by locals since ancient times and then by foreigners since it was introduced to the West. Thankfully, starting in the 1930s, foreigners were unable to poach giant pandas in China because of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War, but pandas still remained a source of soft furs for the locals. The population boom in China after 1949 created further stress on the pandas' habitat, and the subsequent famines led to the increased hunting of wildlife, including the Giant Pandas.
Worse was to come because during the Cultural Revolution, all studies and conservation activities on the pandas were stopped. Then after the Chinese economic reform, demand for panda skins from Hong Kong and Japan led to illegal poaching for the black market - acts which were generally ignored by the local officials at the time.
The Wolong National Nature Reserve was set up by the PRC government in 1958 to save the declining panda population, but few advances in the conservation of pandas were made, due to inexperience and insufficient knowledge of Giant Panda ecology. Many believed that the best way to save the pandas was to cage them. As a result, pandas were caged at any sign of decline, and suffered further from the terrible conditions. Because of pollution and destruction of their natural habitat, along with segregation due to caging, reproduction of wild pandas was severely limited. But things began to change in the 1990s, when several laws (including gun control and the removal of resident humans from the reserves) helped the chances of survival for pandas. With these renewed efforts and improved conservation methods, wild pandas have started to increase in numbers in some areas, even though they still are classified as a rare species.

Friday, August 10, 2012

We All Need To Do Something To Protect Wild Tiger

There are millions of kinds of animals on the earth, and quite a lot of them are rare, with so much hurt to them, the numbers of animals are reducing now, especially the rare wild animals. Recently, I have been really disturbed by the plight of the wild tiger, the largest of all cats, and one of the most threatened species on earth.

Moreover, having grown up in South Africa, living on a farm and around game and nature reserves, animal conservation has always been an issue close to my heart. I hate to see an animal suffering or in need, and I cannot tolerate the endangerment of any animal species or habitats by irresponsible or destructive human behavior.


I started looking for a way to do something to help save these beautiful cats, and in the process I found some really great organizations doing amazing work for these animals. I hope that by sharing this information and supporting these organizations, I can do my small bit to help protect the majestic tiger.

Right now, we face the very real danger that we could lose the wild tiger. Their very survival is threatened by growing human populations, poaching (of both tigers and their prey species), illegal wildlife trade, and the loss of over 90% of their habitat. A century ago there were 100,000 tigers roaming the forests, swamps, and tundra of Asia. Today, there are as few as 3,200 left in the wild, and only 7% of historic tiger habitat still contains tigers. At this rate, wild tigers will be extinct in just a few decades.

We can save wild tigers. And by saving tigers, we also save the biologically rich and diverse landscapes where they still roam – Asia’s last great rain forests, jungles and wild lands.

WWF (World Wildlife Fund), the world’s leading conservation organization, has been helping to ensure the survival of wild animals all around the globe for over 50 years. You can support them by taking part in their Adopt a Tiger program. Save Tigers Now, a global campaign by WWF and Leonardo DiCaprio, aims to build political, financial and public support to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger. You can donate to the campaign to help save tigers in the wild. Save the Tiger Fund (STF) and Panthera have joined together in the fight to save tigers in the wild. You can contribute to the STF-Panthera Fund to help ensure that tigers will live on in the wild forever.

Friday, August 3, 2012

How Necessary Are The Outfits For Your Pet Dog

How do you think you're supposed to look after the merchandise? Does it call for specific laundering or is it a basic subject of throwing it into your washing machine? Check out to discover if your item must be hung dry or if it can be thrown into your dryer. Bear in mind that selected detergents could irritate your dog's skin so be aware of that when launder the apparel your select.

You don't have to restrict on your own to dressing your pet dog up only while in the winter. Many house owners have adorable t-shirts as well as other light-weight clothing for the warmer months. Spring would be the best period for light-weight puppy apparel. The moderate temperatures allow for them to wear different types of clothes with none discomfort.

Some tiny dogs tend to be more liable to the cool climate than much larger breeds. For example, Chihuahuas and Yorkshire Terriers are merely not tailored to live in chilly weather conditions, and as a result, we need to assist continue to keep them heat and safe and sound with apparel. A simple sweatshirt can establish a precious tool in achieving this.

Will you be searching for an merchandise which is for just a big day? The precise occasion or need to have will allow you to decide just whatever you want to acquire. Maybe you’d like a jersey to your favored football group to decorate your buddy up in time to the Super Bowl, or possibly you’re celebrating a household wedding ceremony as well as your dog might be incorporated. Whichever the special day, you’ll be able to rest assured you are going to be in a position to locate something which is simply correct and will fit your tastes and your dog’s demands.

If you reside in a cold local weather region, you’ll want to normally have a wardrobe available in your pet to have on. Even if it is really merely a sweater and jacket,dog apparel, you will probably obtain you working with it quite` normally that can help preserve your canine warm during the cold. For destinations by using a large amount of snow, a weather-proof raincoat is important to keep your dog protected from the freezing snow and rain.

When most people think about pet dog attire,puppy apparel, they consider cute Chihuahuas using lovely and stylish gowns or outfits. Whilst dog outfits do offer type and attractiveness,dog clothes, also they are significant for any number of other explanations. Right here,Large Dog Clothes, we will require a look at some of these reasons and reveal when dog attire are unquestionably needed.

An frequently neglected item is puppy sneakers. Certainly you observed me effectively, they make sneakers for dogs. Although a lot of people will brush this item off to be a unneeded commodity, they are really terrific for safeguarding your dogs sensitive paws. When it is raining or snowing outside the house, the freezing, slippery ground can verify risky and tough for a dogs paws. Very simple booties and footwear will help secure their paws by delivering a protecting layer of snug product. If you make your mind up on buying pet dog footwear, be sure to find types that conform for your pet dogs paws and aren’t stiff.