E-News
Demoiselle Crane
Anthropoides virgo Status: Least Concern Range: NW Africa to Japan, and W Europe. Habitat: steppe, meadows and damp marshes Diet: plants, grasses, seeds, insects ...Demoiselle Crane
Anthropoides virgoStatus: Least Concern
Range: NW Africa to Japan, and W Europe.
Habitat: steppe, meadows and damp marshes
Diet: plants, grasses, seeds, insects & grains.
Creature Feature: Demoiselle is a French word meaning damsel. The Demoiselle Crane is the smallest of the crane family standing at 3 feet tall. It has a bluish grey colouration to its body and a long dark neck. The eyes are red/ orange and directly behind each eye is an ornamental ear tuft that circles the sides and back of the head. Males are slightly larger than the females.
Cranes pair for life and courtship consists of dance-like motions that include behaviours such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing and wing flapping. Nesting occurs in patchy vegetation where the grasses are tall enough to conceal the nest but short enough for the adults to be able to watch out for predators. When threatened by predators the adult cranes will pretend to be injured to attract the attention away from the nest. Small pebbles and thin bedding is sometimes gathered but often 2 yellow/green eggs with lavender spots are laid directly onto the ground. Both the sexes incubate the eggs for 27 to 29 days although the males take a primary role in defending the nest. The chicks can forage for themselves soon after hatching.
Migration occurs in August and September, where flocks of up to 400 birds fly south for the winter to join flocks of up to 20,000 cranes at specific feeding grounds. The birds will return in March/ April.
Diana Monkey
Cercopithecus diana Status: Endangered Range: Sierra Leone to Ghana Habitat: mature semi-deciduous forest Diet: Fruit, leaves, shoots & flowers Creature Feature:The Diana Monkey is named ...Diana Monkey
Cercopithecus dianaStatus: Endangered
Range: Sierra Leone to Ghana
Habitat: mature semi-deciduous forest
Diet: Fruit, leaves, shoots & flowers
Creature Feature:The Diana Monkey is named after the Roman Goddess of hunting because the white markings across the monkey's forehead are thought to resemble her bow.
Females tend to weigh approximately 5.4Kg, while the males weigh slightly less at approximately 5Kg.
The Diana Monkey can generally be found in groups consisting of 5 to 50 individuals. Typically these groups are made up of 1 male and numerous females. Daughters will stay with their mothers for life.
Only one baby is born at a time after a gestation of 165 days. The average life span for Diana monkeys in the wild is 34 years.
They communicate to each other using various calls, ranging from a deep booming sound to a high pitched shriek. The white body markings are also used as visual cues to communicate each other's location in the treetops.
Domestic Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus Status: Lower risk/ least concern Range: Europe, N & S America, Africa, Australia. Habitat: Grasslands near water Diet: Grasses leaves, buds, tree ...Domestic Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculusStatus: Lower risk/ least concern
Range: Europe, N & S America, Africa, Australia.
Habitat: Grasslands near water
Diet: Grasses leaves, buds, tree bark and roots.
Creature Feature:Also known as the European Rabbit or the Old World Rabbit, these herbivores can be found anywhere in the world except in Asia or Antarctica. They measure between 38 and 50 cm in length and weigh 1 to 7 Kg. The fur is generally grey with black and brown tints however individuals with darker or black fur are not uncommon.
Domestic Rabbits are generalised herbivores eating most vegetation they come across. They will also re-ingest their own faeces to obtain extra nutrients from their food.
These rabbits can reproduce year round although most tend to restrict their breeding to the first half of the year. The young are called kittens and 6 to 10 naked and blind babies are born in each litter. The mother will only visit the nest for a few minutes each day to nurse and feed her young. Her milk is extremely rich and helps the kittens to grow very quickly. At 4 weeks old the kittens are weaned and must fend for themselves. The average lifespan for these rabbits is 9 years although mortality rates in the first year can be as high as 90%.
Domestic Turkey
Status: Domestic Range: N/A Habitat: N/A Diet: Seeds and grains. Creature Feature:Domestic turkeys are bred on farms for profit. They are twice the weight ...Domestic Turkey
Status: DomesticRange: N/A
Habitat: N/A
Diet: Seeds and grains.
Creature Feature:Domestic turkeys are bred on farms for profit. They are twice the weight of a Wild Turkey (Maleagris gallopavo) and because of this excess weight cannot fly. In the Wild, turkeys live in North American woodlands. They feed on acorns, seeds, insects and wild berries. Most of their time is spent foraging on the ground. They spend their nights roosting in the trees on low branches (as Wild Turkeys can fly). Wild Turkeys are covered in Dark feathers that enable them o blend into the forest background. Domestic Turkeys tend to be white in colour with dark markings on the tail feathers. In both the wild and domestic turkeys the bare skin on the throat and head can change colour from grey to red, white and blue when the turkey is excited or distressed.
Both Wild and Domestic turkeys tend to follow the same courtship rituals. The males will puff up their feathers and fan out their tail feathers just like a peacock does. The males will strut around making grunting noises and gobbling sounds. In the wild, after mating the female will prepare a nest under a bush in the woods and lay up to 18 tan & speckled brown eggs. The incubation period takes approximately 1 month. Baby Turkeys are known as Poults and will stay with their mother for about a year.
Dumeril's Boa
Acrantophis dumerili Status: Vulnerable Range: Southwest Madagascar Habitat: Forest Diet: small mammals Creature Feature: Dumeril's boa, also known as the Madagascar ground boa, is a ...Dumeril's Boa
Acrantophis dumeriliStatus: Vulnerable
Range: Southwest Madagascar
Habitat: Forest
Diet: small mammals
Creature Feature: Dumeril's boa, also known as the Madagascar ground boa, is a striking snake that grows up to 1.8 m in length. Like most members of the Boa snake family, it is a fairly chunky or stout snake with grey and brown bands along the length of the body, with black markings.
It has no venom and inhabits dry forests, often close to villages, where it presumably feeds on rats. Dumeril's boa kills small mammals by constricting the prey in coils of its body. They tend to hunt at night and posses heat sensitive pits around the mouth that help them to detect their prey. Boas give birth to live young.
Threats include the widespread habitat destruction for agriculture or livestock grazing, collection for food and the skins are used for leather. This snake is highly desirable in the pet trade and so international trade in wild specimens in banned under CITES.http://www.arkive.org/
Dwarf Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig
Sus scrofa domesticus Status: Domestic Range: South East Asia (originated) Diet: Tubers, roots, vegetation, berries, flowers. Creature Feature: The Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig is ...Dwarf Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig
Sus scrofa domesticusStatus: Domestic
Range: South East Asia (originated)
Diet: Tubers, roots, vegetation, berries, flowers.
Creature Feature: The Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig is found in South East Asia. They are round and heavy bodied with short legs, thick skin and a long rounded snout. Vietnamese pot bellied pigs are usually black in colour but can also have brown patches. Their backbone is bent like a saddle causing the abdomen to nearly drag on the ground. Pigs have poor vision but good senses of smell and hearing.
Pigs will eat almost anything they can find and are known to be very fond of roots and tubers. A group of piglets is called a farrow. Pigs give birth to farrows of 2 to 14 piglets after a gestation of 130 days. Pigs can often be found wallowing in mud to protect their skin from insects and sunburn. Wild pigs are often nocturnal, however once domesticated they adjust to a daytime schedule very easily.
Although often thought of as lazy animals, pigs can run and gallop quickly over short distances.
News
Search
