We belong to the order of Carnivora, subfamily of Felidae, which includes the jaguars, leopards, tigers, lions and snow leopards our species is Neofelis nebulosa. In relation to our body size among all the largest living cats we have the longest canines. We are -

The Clouded Leopard!

FACTS

• They are named for their camouflage coat pattern of cloud like spots and seldom seen in the wild because of there secretive nature scientist are unsure of how they act in the wild and think that they are probably a solitary critter like most cats.
• Most of their natural behavior has been learned by observing them in captivity.
• They are found in Southeast Asia, Nepal, Taiwan, Indonesia, the peninsula of Malaysia, Southern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, sited in the lowland tropical rainforests, secondary forest, and dry woodlands, mangrove swamp, logged forest, coastal forest, grasslands and scrub lands At elevation of 9000 feet they have also been spotted in the Himalayas foothills.
• In 2006 scientist have found a distinct species, Neofelis diarda living on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. They have a coloration and coat pattern that differs from those found on the Southeastern Asian mainland. They have smaller darker cloud markings with an overall darker coat.
• They have a pink nose with small black spots with shout round ears.
• The pupils of their eyes contact into a vertical slit and the iris can be a brownish yellow or grayish green.
• The Clouded leopard’s body is about 36 inches long this does not including their 30 inch tail that helps them balance on narrow branches and when jumping tree to tree
• The males can weigh up to 50pounds about 25-35 pounds for the females and they have short legs that provide a lower center of gravity while climbing.
• Their large paws with sharp claws provides a good grip which makes them a great climbers which enables them to even hang upside down beneath large branches.
• Their hind feet possess flexible ankle joints that allow the foot to rotate greatly. This adaptation allows clouded leopards to descend, squirrel-like, head first from a tree.[A]
• They have the longest canine teeth, (2 inches), in relation to their body and head size of any of the felids. And tiger jaw can open wider than any other cat.
• They can purr like the smaller cats.
• The pupils of the clouded leopards’ eyes are different from any other cats’ pupils: they never get fully round like big cats’ pupils do, yet they never shrink to vertical slits like the small cats’ pupils do. Instead, they stay in an oblong shape.[B]
• They are carnivores and solitary hunters that hunt both on the ground and in the trees preying on monkeys like the White-Cheeked Gibbons, cattle, poultry, deer, squirrels, fish, rodents wild pigs, goats, porcupine, goats, and birds.
• They are sexually mature at around 20-30 months old and the females can produce one litter every year.
• Gestation is 88-95 days, but can be 85-109 days, giving birth to litters of 1-5 babies/kittens/cubs every year. With an average of 2.
• Breeding can occur year round but in captivity breeding is usually between December and March. It is believed that in the wild they are not monogamous and breeding is often brutal and sometimes even fatal.
• They are one of the most difficult cats to breed in captivity.
• At birth their young weigh in at 4.9-9.8 oz. Their eyes open between at about 2 weeks; they begin walking at about 20 days and are able to climb as early as 6 weeks.
• At 7-10 weeks they will start to eat flesh.
• The young males usually develop faster over the females; they will suckle for 5 months and are fully weaned at 6 months, but will remain dependent on mom for about 10 months.
• At 6 months the young cubs will have their full adult coloration.
• They have a lifespan of 11 years in the wild and an average of 14-17 years in captivity.

But their lifespan in the wild has been limited due to hunting/poaching.

• The loss of habitat like with so many other wild critters adds to their decline.
• Their main predators are humans.

• Even though they are protected by laws they are still hunted for their beautiful fur.
• Some Asian cultures believe that their teeth and bones have healing powers.

• They are highly endangered in some areas.
• In Taiwan the Neofelis nebulosa brachyurus is thought to be extinct in the wild.

Sources

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsiaTrail/CloudedLeopard/factsheet.cfm

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/clouded-leopard.html

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Neofelis_nebulosa.html

http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/clouded-leopard.cfm

Other Sites To Visit

http://cloudedleopard.org/default.aspx?link=about_main

http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/clouded-leopard.cfm

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Neofelis_nebulosa.htmlhttp://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-clouded_leopard.html

http://www.tigerhomes.org/animal/clouded-leopard.cfm

http://www.thebigcats.com/cloudleo/cloudleo.htm

http://www.iloveindia.com/wildlife/indian-wild-animals/clouded-leopard/facts.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clouded_Leopard

[B] http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-clouded_leopard.html

These active hunters are found in Africa and South Asia in abundance, as well as in southern Europe and in some of the Caribbean Islands… They are also very common in India. Some of our species are nocturnal while other of us is found out during the day. Most snake charmers have one of us since we are easily domesticated and can be taught simple tricks.

FACTS:

• They can be found in a variety of habitats ranging from a rocky terrain, wetlands, grasslands, forests and woodlands.
• There are 35 known species of mongooses.
• They are a carnivorous mammal, and have a greater tolerance when it comes to venom, but are not completely immune.
• They are a weasel like critter, with small round ears, a long face, long body, short legs and a tapering tail.
• They have non-retractable claws, and their colors can vary in grays or browns with brown or gray streaks or ringed tails, copper-orange and striped.
• The can weigh in anywhere from 12oz to 11 pounds and be from 7” to 2’ long.
• They are most known for their ability to kill cobras.
• They are a very fast critter and can dodge strikes from a striking snake like the King Cobra easily, they are non-aggressive towards humans.
• When the snake is tired the Mongoose attacks, catches the snake by the back of the neck breaking its spine. After which the Mongoose will eat the snakes head and fangs. But it has to be careful because the snake’s fangs can still embed themselves in the mongoose’s stomach and inject enough venom to kill then even after the death of the snake.
• The Mongoose has no immunities to the hemotoxins from vipers that cause tissues and blood cells to decompose, which is very painful.
• They are primarily carnivorous; feed on the eggs of other critters, frogs, worms, birds, rodents, lizards, chickens, crabs, snakes and insects. They will also eat nut, seeds, fruits and carrion.
• Sent marking plays an important role in marking territories, much like the skunk family does.
• Their marking also represents their reproductive status along with their high pitched noises they make called “giggling”.
• Giggling is a form of courtship when they are choosing a mate as well as a warning to nearby danger.
• They live in borrows and crevices in the rocks. Seldom will they dig their own borrows, most of the time they will just take over burrows left behind by other critters.
• Yellow Mongoose live in a community life style while the Egyptian mongoose lives a solitary life.
• The females have a gestation period of about 2 months but, this can vary depending on the species.
• On average the female mongoose will give birth to 2-4 young twice a year.
• The pups will nurse until they are about 6 weeks old and then they are weaned.
• At about 4 months their young will begin foraging for food on their own.
• They have a lifespan of 7-12 years in the wild and 15-20 years in captivity.
• Their hair is used to make paintbrushes.
• It is illegal to import mongooses into the Untied States and many other countries.

SOURCES

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/mongoose-facts.html

http://mammals.suite101.com/article.cfm/facts_on_the_mongoose_herpestes_spp

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-mongoose-1868.html

http://www.mahalo.com/mongoose

Other sites to visit

http://www.essortment.com/all/mongoose_rhbg.htm

http://www.mahalo.com/mongoose

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/mongoose.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongoose

Q:  What do you get by crossing a spitting cobra with a dragon?
A:  A flame thrower.

Q:  What do you get when you cross and electric eel with a trout?
A:  A fish fry.

Q:  What do you get by crossing a vampire bat with an aerial toy?
A:  A fright kite.

Q:  What do you get if you cross a pig with an ostrich?
A:  Bacon and eggs.

Q:  What do you get by crossing a gecko with a ballerina?
A:  A leaping lizard.

Weighing in at about four pounds makes this kitty one of the smallest of the cat species found in southern Africa.

The Black Footed Cat

Facts:

• Other Names: !koirus, Bont-kat, Chat à Pieds Noirs, Gato de Pies Negros, Gato Patinegro, Ingwe Yeziduli, Klein Gekolde Kat, Lototsi, Miershooptier, Schwarzfusskatze, Sebala, Small-spotted Cat, Swart Poot Kat, Tutchu).[i]
• They are found in southern Africa in 3 countries, South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana in the more arid areas in these regions.
• They are considered to be a naturally rare species.
• The have very large eyes, rounded ears and a short black tipped tail. They have a large broad head in relationship to their smaller body with high energy.
• Their name comes from the black markings on the soles of the feet and their paws.
• They have a yellowish brown fur which varies from a light sandy brown to a reddish brown.
• They measure about 14-18 inches in length, males weigh in at 3.3-5.3 pounds and the females weigh about 1.1-3.5 pounds.
• They are a solitary critter and the adult black-footed maintains it’s home range by scent marking including scent rubbing on objects, leaving feces and urine spraying.
• Cats in general are sometimes called hypercarnivores because they need a much higher proportion of protein in their diet over any other mammal,
• Your domestic cat needs a diet that contains 12% protein to stay healthy, and kittens need 18% protein. Compared to adult dogs that can get by on just 4%.
• They are extremely secretive and rarely seen, spending their days resting in dense cover, borrows or abandoned termite mounds.
• They are strictly nocturnal and come out to hunt only after sunset.
• They prey on small birds, and mammals which are about half the total weight of prey they eat. About a third of their diet consists of hares/rabbits.
• They also prey on the farmer’s small livestock and locusts. This posse a significant threat to them since steel jaw traps and poisoned baits are set by farmers along with the poisoning of the locusts or poisoning carcass. Plus the over grazing by livestock also reduces the habitat for their prey.
• On a typical night regardless of conditions they are successful hunters.
• They can kill a mammal or bird every 50 minutes, that’s about 10-14 mammals or birds in one night, 20% of their body weight, with a 60% success rate.
• They will drink water when it is available but, they get all the moisture they need from the prey they kill.
• Females are reported to be sexually mature varying from about 8-12 months of age.
• They have a gestation period of between 63-68 days, about a week longer then our domestic cats. Giving birth to 1-4 kittens in a litter.
• Captive born kittens develop a bit faster than our domestic kittens.
• In captivity the black-footed cat can live up to 13 years old.
• It is estimated that there is below 10,000 mature breeding black-footed cats.
• They are as of 2002-2005 listed as vulnerable.

Sources:

http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=40

http://www.animalinfo.org/species/carnivor/felinigr.htm

Other sites to visit:

http://www.indiantiger.org/wild-cats/black-footed-cat.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-footed_Cat

http://black-footed-cat.wild-cat.org/ http://www.arkive.org/black-footed-cat/felis-nigripes/facts-and-status.html http://www.thebigcats.com/smallcat/blackfootcat.htm

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/black_footed_cat.htm

http://www.wildcatconservation.org/Black-footed-Cat-Project.html

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/agarman/blackfoo.html

http://www.ofcats.com/2008/05/black-footed-cat.html

http://www.tigerhomes.org/wild-cats/wc-black-footed-cat.cfm

Endnotes

We live in the Kalahari Desert which spread over Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana in the southern parts of Africa spreading across over one million square miles. The climate there is arid open plains with little rainfall. We live in a community called a gang or mob having up to 40 members depending on one another to survive, with one alpha female and one alpha male. We flourish in our habitat and are not endangered.

FACTS:

• The Meerkats scientific name is “Suricata suricatta”, first named in 1776 with 3 different subspecies with a suspected 4^th. Further research is needed to prove the 4^th species; they are a type of Mongoose.
• Ranging in color from brown to orange found in South Africa is the Suricata suricatta siricata.
• With banded eyes and whitish in color found in Nimibia you find the Suricata suricatta majoriae.
• Found in Angola, Suricata suricatta Iona.
• Their fur colors will vary with the colors of the sand within the areas where they live.
• At one year old they will weigh about 2 pounds, standing on average 12 inches, but when on all 4 feet their height is only 6 inches. The have a long tin body with short legs.
• They have a dark band around their eyes which help reduce the glare from the sun and by blinking they can remove the sand from their eyes.
• Their eye sight is outstanding but, not so good close up and they have a problem with depth perception. Because of their nearsightedness they will often miss food directly in from of them. Because of this they will depend on their sense of smell to find their food.
• They have the ability to close their ears which helps keep the dirt out while they are burrowing.
• In the winter months they can spread their out to create heat insulation much like the effects of a wet suit.
• The Meerkats posses a large vocabulary and are extremely communicative.
• Both females and males have short hair with tan or gray markings. Their making on their back are unique, no two are the same.
• They have curved non- retractable claws with 4 digits on each foot.
• They hunt during the day and are agile hunter like all mongooses.
• Primarily insectivorous with most of their food found underground. Their diet consists of crickets, worms, fly larvae, butterflies, moths, spiders, small snakes, beetle larvae, grasshoppers, lizards, fruit, small rodents, eggs, birds, and ant larvae which is their favorite, because they are a good source of nutrition. Along with some vegetation.
• They also like to eat poisonous scorpions that are plentiful; they seem to be resistant to many deadly types of venom. They will quickly bite off the stingers then eat the rest.
• They are an extremely social critter and like to groom one another.
• Meerkats are territory, marking their boundaries with saliva from their cheeks as well as secretions from there anal glands.
• Meerkats at night hang out in their burrows that have mounds, many access holes and a complex tunnel system with several sleeping chambers.
• They can have anywhere from 6-15 dens in their territory and will move dens every day or two. Except when their young are born they will stay at the breeding burrow for about 3 weeks. After 3 weeks they have to move because of the over load of parasites like fleas and ticks.
• When breeding is successful they will return to the same breeding burrows.
• Breeding once a year usually in September to October. They try but do not usually mate for life.
• They have a gestation period of 70 days, giving birth to a litter usually of 5 to 6 pups in November and December.
• The babies are born with little fur and closed eyes. After 10-14 days their eyes will open.

• Their young will stay in the sleeping chamber of their dens for the first two weeks.
• Both parents care for the young pups, along with the rest of their gang including the

• They are sensitive to the cold so they sleep in groups cuddled up or on top of each other to stay warm. Non-breeding members help by guarding, bringing food to the nursing mom and babies as well as babysitting.

• At about three weeks of age they will venture out of the den staying near by supervised by a babysitter.
• At 3-4 weeks the weaning begins, being fully weaned by 7-9 weeks.
• When their young pups are between 4-6 weeks of age will forage with their elders for food.
• Between 6-16 weeks old they will go out and find their own food along with being supplemented by their elders and no longer receiving milk.
• They reach adulthood at 11 months and sexual maturity at 10 months.
• The pregnant female weighs 2.8 pounds.
• Young pups will follow the adults to learn to search for food.
• Studies show that the pup that begs the loudest gets most of the food.
• Female Meerkats tend to mentor the female pups and the males mentor
• They are prone to bovine tuberculosis and have been know to get rabies.
• From the sky the Martial Eagles prey on Meerkats.
• One the ground their primary predator is the wild cats and Jackals. But when the Meerkats band together they can chase away a Jackal.
• Badgers can also be a threat to the Meerkats.
• They will mob a cobra that tries to enter there borrow and they are agile enough to avoid the cobra’s strikes plus the Meerkats have the ability to kill a cobra.
• Meerkats are also threatened by the summer rains which can flood their borrows.
• In captivity they can live to be 15 yeas old and up to 10 years old in the wild.
• In the movie the Lion King the character called Timon is a Meerkat.

SOURCES:

http://www.meerkats.net/info.htm

http://www.hazelwood.k12.mo.us/~czlkwski/summercamp06/meerkats/meerkat.html

http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=138

Other sites to visit:

http://www.hazelwood.k12.mo.us/~czlkwski/summercamp06/meerkats/meerkat.html

http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=138

http://www.meerkats.net/

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Suricata_suricatta.html

http://www.fellowearthlings.org/

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/meerkat.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerkat

http://www.e-meerkats.com/creature/

http://www.meerkatlearningzone.com/meerkat_facts.php

This critter is not a stranger to my home; about five years ago we had a stinky encounter. A SKUNK!

One day in my side yard at two in the afternoon, there it was.

So I called our local wildlife animal control guy. He told me given the time of year that it was it was not normal for me to see this critter when I did.  Not a good thing to hear, even though a large part of my back yard is fenced I was still concerned about my dogs; maybe this critter could get in. Oh great now what?

At this point I was told I had a couple options; he could come out and trap and remove, or for less money we could trap and he would just remove the critter from our property. We opted on the latter. I asked my oldest son to set out our live trap in the side yard.  He said he would.

Well he didn’t.

Two nights later when I let the dogs out for the last time that night, I heard a large commotion in the back yard. I ran out back to find Molly (my English Springer Spaniel) and Chance my (pit/lab mix) attacking the skunk.

My only thought at that time was to call in the rest of my dogs so there wouldn’t be pack frenzy over a kill.  The smell in my back yard was so over powering words can not explain. What was I thinking when I called the other dogs in?  The SMELL came with them YUCK!

I was able to get Chance and Molly in the house as well after they had killed the skunk. Chance got sprayed right in his eyes and Molly had a bite on her front leg. With all the other dogs out of the way I was able to tend to them. I repeatedly rinsed Chance’s eyes with saline solution as well as cleaned Molly’s leg.

In the midst of it all the commotion I called my son to tell him what had happened  and that  he needed to come home because he didn’t put the trap out. It was now his job to give all the dogs baths to get ride of the smell.

Of course I helped, but we had our work cut out for us with five dogs to de-skunk and the house to air out cuz I let the stinky dogs in.

What a night.

Even after all the baths the smell still seemed to be everywhere. It was now us who smelled! Off to the shower. Afterward my son when back out to hang with his friends.  A few hours later my son was calling me saying all his friends were complaining he stunk!

The next day at work my fellow co-workers told me they could smell SKUNK!

How could that be, I showered twice and washed my hair 3 times! We used all the remedies they say to, or did we?

Before I tell you what remedy really work to finally get rid of the smell, I want to share some facts with you about the skunk.

FACTS:

• They are able to spray their nauseating musk stink with the accuracy to about ten feet; this odor is expelled from two scent glands near the anus. But if left along they will not spray unless thy feel threatened.
• They are a primary carrier of rabies. Rabies is transmitted by the bit of an infected critter. [I was so glad that all my dogs were current with their vaccinations at the time of their encounter since Molly had been bitten. Another good reason to visit you vets regularly to protect our beloved pet family members.]
• 65% of skunks tested in California in the/ past 5 years tested positive for rabies. They also can carry canine distemper, leptospirosis, listeriosis and canine hepatitis.
• There are many different kind of skunks; most of which are native to the Western Hemisphere, with the majority of then living in the United State, Mexico and Canada. Found in a variety of habitats such as urban areas, they prefer open or forest edges areas.
• Several skunk species also live in the Caribbean islands and in the entire South American continent. The exception is the Oriental Stink Badger which is found in parts of Indonesia and the Philippines.
• Skunks are also heavily infested with fleas, mites and ticks; know transmitter and carriers of disease.
• The striped skunk weighs 4-10 pounds, about 10-18 inches long about the size of your average house cat. They have long black fur with two white stripes down their back.
• They are nocturnal, which means they prefer to hunt or forage only at dusk, or dawn, or during the night. So me seeing one during mid-afternoon is not normal
• They are opportunistic omnivore’s eaters and prey on small rodents like mice, carrion, eggs, poultry, insects, fruit, nestling birds, bees, wasps and their hives, larvae and honey as well as garbage and pet food left outside.
• They can be found living in other animal burrows, culverts, wood piles or even under your decks, sheds or house just about any sheltered place to make their dens.
• Skunks coexist with foxes, raccoons and coyotes, groups of skunks often using the same burrows as these species, but at different times of the year.[i]
• Skunks do not hibernate.
• They can breed as early as January but, usually in February and March.
• Gestation is about 9 weeks after breeding. Giving birth to 4-8 young.
• The young will stay with their mom for several months, but will leave by mid to late summer.
• Confrontation with this critter and our pets is not good as I can attest to, right along with the porcupine.
• Skunks can cause damage to our lawn, and gardens with their digging while searching to uproot subsoil insects like grubs But even thought they can be destructive they are valuable because of the vermin they destroy, like mice.

Now there are a lot of other facts out there on all the different species of skunks, so if you wish it learn more visit some of the sites I have listed or just surf the web. I have also listed some sites you might want to visit when it comes to the removal of your smelly encounter. I have found like with some other things not every thing will work for everyone, it all depends on your own individual situation.  I found the peroxide, baking soda, dish soup solution worked well with my dogs that had the least amount of contact.  The bleach solutions outside worked as well. Febreeze and Simple Green worked well in the house along with laundering the things that smelled.

The director and one of my bosses at the time told us to use regular Massengill douche. I had to laugh as I am sure you are too at this time, but it was the one thing that my son and I found that worked the best for us, as well as for Chance and Molly who got the brunt of the stink. A bit odd but what ever is in that stuff we found after we bathed both the dogs and ourselves with it the smell was gone! It worked. YEAH!!

It took the combination of several different remedies to finally eradicate the stink. I hope to never have to deal with that again.

Sources:

http://www.animalcapturewildlifecontrol.com/animal_skunks.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk

http://www.rodentproofaz.com/animal-facts/skunks/

Other sites to visit:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/skunk.html

http://fohn.net/skunk-pictures-facts/

http://fohn.net/skunk-pictures-facts/

http://www.vickifox.com/skunk_facts.php http://fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/livingwwildlife/skunks/sku_facts.html

http://pleasebekind.com/skunk.html

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/skunk.aspx

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/skunk.html

http://visitthefarm.com/animalfacts/skunk.php

http://www.kness.com/skunkfacts.html

Smell remedies sites to visit:

http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-skunk-smell.htm

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_remove_skunk_odor

http://dogs.about.com/cs/generalcare/p/skunk.htm

I have only seen this bird twice since I have moved to Door County, each time it was in the yard of two of my critter clients, I couldn’t believe my eyes, that is up until my last day off! While hanging out with my husband/editor in out front yard I was so excited when this bird came to our little bird sanctuary.

The sanctuary was created in our front yard, to attract the feathered wild life just under our soft needle pine trees. An area where we have my Mom’s bird bath filled with water, two bird feeders, one of which we can place suet blocks on the side of the feeder and a Sheppard’s pole so we can hang our Hummingbird [also see Kritter Facts] feeder as well as thistle bags for the finches that come to our yard.

I think my excitement expressed to my husband as he jumped up frightened the bird away.

Fact:

• “Dryocopus pileatus” a large North American Woodpecker found throughout eastern North America and also found in the Pacific Northwest and the Prairies provinces of Canada.
• They are mostly found along the major river valleys and costal plains. Preferring large old or even dead trees to live in.
• They are the largest North American Woodpeckers.
• They are crow sized with a long tail and neck about 16-19 1/2 inches long. With a wingspan of 26-30 inches and weigh in at 8.8-12.3oz.
• They are mostly black with a white striped that extends from their beak to their flank. Both male and female have a red crest that will be raised when excited or alarmed.
• They are primarily insectivorous. Their favorite food is the carpenter ant but they also eat beetle larvae, acorns, beechnuts, grapes, cherries, dogwood berries and other fruits, and nuts. They will spend much of their time on the ground tearing apart rotten logs in search of ants and beetles.
• Their territories may be as large as 150-200 acres pending the availability of suitable nesting trees.
• Both the male and the female will stay together in a shared territory throughout the year, returning to the same area and often the same tree each year.
• Their nesting holes are about 3 1/2 inches across at the opening and 10-24 inches deep.
• In the southern areas they will usually lay their eggs in March and in the North about May.
• The female will lay between 3-5 eggs.
• Both parents will incubate the eggs. The male will say in the nest over night while the female will roost nearby and will resume incubation during the day
• Ther eggs are a plain white and will hatch in 15-18 days.
• They have been seen moving their eggs which have fallen off the nest to another site.
• The hatchings are born blind and naked and are fed regurgitated food by both parents.
• At about 9-10 days the baby’s eyes are open and their feather sheaths begin to open. At 15 days they are able to look out of the nest.
• At about 27 days the babies will leave their nest but, will remain with their parents through the summer.
• They are losing their nesting places and territories due to suburban development and growth.
• Efforts need to be taken to protect woodlands so this shy bird has a future in the United States and Canada[1]
• They are not currently listed as endangered or threatened but they are a protected species.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pileated_woodpecker

http://www.birdhouses101.com/Pileated-Woodpecker.asp

http://www.shawcreekbirdsupply.com/pileated_woodpecker_info.htm

Other sites to visit:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/pileated-woodpecker.html

http://wild-birds.suite101.com/article.cfm/all_about_the_pileated_woodpecker

http://www.pileatedwoodpeckercentral.com/information.htm

http://kids.yahoo.com/animals/birds/2260–Pileated+Woodpecker

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5960/pileat.html

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Wo

They are known by other names such as Hylobates (Normascus) leucgenys or Hylobates concolor or small or lesser ape. Their four genera’s are differentiated by the number of their chromosomes. They are…

The White-Cheeked Gibbon!

White-Face Gibbon

FACTS:

• They belong to the family of Hylobatidae, class of Mammalia, order of Primata, genus of Hylobates and species of concolor.
• They are also called the crested Gibbon or Black Gibbon, but are a subspecies of.
• They are the smallest of the ape family that includes, gorillas, chimpanzees and  Orangutans.
• They are found in the primary, secondary and mature forests canopies of Northern Laos, Northwestern Vietnam and China with an estimated population of about 100.
• They live in a difficult habitat terrain, are shy when it comes to people plus they have a strictly arboreal lifestyle. So ecological studies on their behavior are few.
• They are strongly territorial and a social critter.
• Both male and females are about the same in size. They are about 18-25 inches in length and weigh 12.8 pounds for the males.
• Their circulatory system is the same as humans.

Males have coarse black fur and black skin with white fur on their cheeks and pronounced crests of hair on the crowns of their heads while females are golden or reddish buff-colored with black faces and dark brown or black fur on top of their heads, but no crown crests. Females do not have the characteristic white cheek fur but do have white fur in a halo around their faces. [A]

• They have very long legs and arms which they use for balance. They have opposable thumbs that they use for climbing and grooming.
• They have bi cheek pouches.
• They have extremely dense fur that protects them from the rain,
• They are efficient fast travelers and can move vertically in one swing up to 50 feet and horizontally 40 feet.
• They have very accurate eyesight.
• They are the most active of all the Gibbons but can not swing (arm over arm) nor can they swim so they avoid crossing open water.
• They eat leaves, flowers, blossoms, buds, bamboo tips, shoots, some insects; bird eggs an young birds and fruit such as mango berries, figs and grapes which are a largest part of their diet. Sometimes they will even eat tree frogs.
• In captivity they will eat bananas, apples seeds of sorts and monkey chow.
• They live in small a group that is centered around the male and its mates. Defending their territory by treat display and song.
• At night they sleep sitting up.
• The White-Cheeked are the only Gibbon this is not strictly monogamous.
• They reach maturity at 5-7 years of age.
• They have a gestation of 210-240 days and give birth to one baby every 2-3 years.
• Their young are born hairless, with open eyes and rely on Mom for warmth. They are a light in color when they are born and turn black after 6 months. With the females turning light again after they reach adolescence.
• The young will stay with their parents until they are chased off by them, this happens when the young are past the adolescence age.
• Most of their species are endangered or threatened because of loss of their forest habitat, like so many other wild critters.
• Predators in the wild are clouded Leopards and man due to the black market and destruction of habitat. They are also eaten by bigger apes and monkeys.
• They have a lifespan of 25-28 years in the wild.

SOURCES:

http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/white-cheeked_gibbon

http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/White-cheeked_Gibbon.asp

http://www.wellingtonzoo.com/animals/animals/primates/white-cheeked-gibbon.html

Other sites to visit:

http://www.wellingtonzoo.com/animals/animals/primates/white-cheeked-gibbon.html

https://secure.worldwildlife.org/ogc/ogcAC_speciesDetail.cfm?gid=70

http://www.tenan.vuurwerk.nl/reports/nevis/gibbon.htm

http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/white-cheeked_gibbon/behav

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[A] http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/white-cheeked_gibbon

A little girl asked her Mom, ‘Mom, may I take the dog for a walk around the block?’
Mom replies, ‘No, because she is in heat.’
‘What’s that mean?’ asked the child.
‘Go ask your father. I think he’s in the garage.’
The little girl goes to the garage and says, ‘Dad, may I take Belle for a walk around the block? I asked Mom, but she said the dog was in heat, and to come to you.’
Dad said, ‘Bring Belle over here.’ He took a rag, soaked it with gasoline, and scrubbed the dog’s backside with it to disguise the scent, and said ‘OK, you can go now, but keep Belle on the leash and only go one time round the block.’
The little girl left and returned a few minutes later with no dog on the leash.
Surprised, Dad asked, ‘Where’s Belle?’
The little girl said, ‘She ran out of gas about halfway down the block, so another dog is pushing her home.’

[Submitted by Diane S.]

These critters gets their name from the circular ring band around their eyes; they generally look the same, but their marking can very slightly making them unique to each other and these markings are used for identification. They are a very adaptable critter found in a variety of habitats, from dry coastal deserts to the steppe lands, cloud forest, coastal scrub desert land and rain forests. They are the Spectacled Bear –>

FACTS:

• They are found in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia and in the Andes Mountains of Venezuela. From the costal deserts to the treeless alpines and rainforests. They are very adaptable like the brown bear so they are found in a wide variety of habitats.
• They are also called Andean Bears, the smallest member of the Ursidae family and generally nocturnal.
• Their markings around their eyes are a cream to yellowish color and their body fur is shaggy and can be from brown in color to black and sometimes reddish in color.
• Each bears marking is unique like human fingerprints.
• As bears go the Spectacled is smaller as bears go weighting in at 220-340 pounds for the males and 140-180 pounds for the females.
• The males range in length from 60-72 inches with the females on average being 30% smaller.
• They are agile climbers and have been know to sit in a tree for days on a broken branch platform just waiting for fruit to ripen.
• The have a really strong jaw with flat wide molars that enable them to chew tough vegetations.
• They are primarily vegetarians feeding on fruit, berries, grasses, orchard bulbs, leaves but they will supplement their diet with rabbits, birds and mice.
• They will build nests in the tree tops which they will use as a place to sleep during the day or as a feeding platform.
• Generally they are a solitary critter but, they are seen together during the mating season.
• Mating season is from May through June and the pair will stay together at this time for up to 2 weeks.

• The females reach maturity between 4-7 years of age.
• Females give birth to 1-3 cubs between November to February.
• The cubs will weigh in at 10-11 oz. at birth.
• The males do not help raise their young.
• They become mobile after a month, and at 3 months they will follow Mom around, stay with her up to 8 months.
• Average lifespan in captivity is up to 25 years old.
• Once again like other critters in the wild destruction of habitat contributes to their decline, along with poachers killing them for body parts, fur and meat, and farmers killing them as agricultural pests.
• Currently they are listed as vulnerable to extinction.
• It is estimated that fewer than 3,000 spectacled bears remain in the wild today.

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Sources:

http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/specBear.html

http://www.bears.org/animals/spectacled/

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/spectacled-bear.html

Other sites to visit:

http://www.cecalc.ula.ve/bioinformatica/oso/spectacled_bear_cont.htm

http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=92

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectacled_Bear

http://www.americanbear.org/otherbears.htm

http://greennature.com/gallery/bear-pictures/spectacled-bear.html

http://www.nps.gov/archive/hafo/crittercorner/tremarct.htm