BREEDING Breeding season: Toward the end of winter. Female comes into season twice. Gestation: 98-103 days. No. of young: Each litter contains 2-5 cubs.
LIFESTYLE
01 STRI BUTION
Habit: Solitary due to scarcity of food and harsh terrain. Each snow leopard remains within its own
very large territory. Diet: Wild sheep, goats, deer, wild boar, small mammals, some birds.
Lifespan: 20 years in captivity.
The snow leopard inhabits northern India, the countries bordering the Himalayas, and the Soviet Union.
RELATED SPECIES The snow leopard is related to the big cats of the Panthera
species, but it does not roar.
CONSERVATION The snow leopard is internationally recognized as an endangered species. Hunt ing for fur trade is banned, but because of the high prices paid for its fur, the snow leopard continues to be a prime target for poachers.
FEATURES OF THE SNOW LEOPARD
SUMMER COAT
The background of the animal's coat turns darker in summer.
Hind legs: Extremely strong back legs allow leaps of up to 50 feet, useful for surprising prey.
Winter coat: Spots are arranged in distinct rows. They are round and charcoal gray, set against a light gray to yellow background, which grows paler in winter.
Paws: Thick cushions of hair protect the large paws from heat and cold .
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Face: High eye placement allows the
animal to stay low behind cover when
stalking prey.
0160200301 PACKET 30
The snow leopard lives high in the
Himalayas and has long been hunted by
humans for its beautiful coat. Now
protected by laws banning the sale
of its fur, it is still illegally hunted
and sold for high prices.
~ FOOD & HUNTING The snow leopard hunts alone because the rocky terrain and amount of food available in anyone area cannot support large packs. It preys on blue sheep, ibexes, wild goats, hares, and even birds and mice. In milder lower-altitude weather the snow leopard hunts deer, gazelle, and wild boar.
It stalks its prey, then
springs and fastens onto it. It can leap up to 50 feet to reach high rocky crags where it rests or watches for prey. Like most meat eaters, it devours its prey beginning with the stomach, ripping open the belly and eating the entrails before moving to the rump. Unlike other leopards, the snow leopard does not roar.
~HABITAT The snow leopard lives in caves or rock crevices in the high rhododendron forests of the Himalayas and in rocky wasteland above the vegetation line. Its light-colored coat protects it from summer heat
Left: Snow leopards live alone, except when mating.
~BREEDING The snow leopard breeds at the end of winter when the female comes into season for a week. If she does not mate, she comes into season again for up to 70 days.
After mating, the female makes a nest among the rocks. She gives birth to two to five cubs 14 weeks later.
Much darker than their
DID YOU KNOW? • The snow leopard is slightly smaller than the leopard, but its dense fur makes it look larger.
• Compared to other cats', the snow leopard's tail is longer in proportion to the
and freezing winters. Thick cushions of hair
around its paw pads act like snow shoes, enabling the leopard to move quickly over snow without sinking. In summer the hair cushions protect the animal's feet from jagged rocks and from rocks heated by the sun.
mother, the cubs are blind for the first week, but they start to crawl within 10 days. At two months old they can run and eat solid food as well as suckle milk. By midsummer they follow their mother to hunt, staying with her until they are a year old.
Right: Male snow leopards sometimes help rear the cubs.
actual size of its body.
• Hunting kills most snow leopards, but avalanches account for many fatalities.
• Snow leopard cubs depend on th~ir mother for at least a year after birth .
Left: Humans rarely see the snow leopard.
Right: The snow leopard has a large territory ranging up to 40 square miles.
~ SNOW LEOPARD & MAN Hunted for its fur, the snow
leopard is extremely rare. It has been protected in India since 1952, and is protected in the Soviet Union. International pressure has resulted in some protection for the snow leopard; it is now illegal to
possess or sell its fur. Still, the animal continues to be hunted by poachers.
Unlike lions and tigers, the snow leopard breeds unsuccessfully in captivity. The snow leopard needs protection in the wild to survive.
CARD 142
PRZEWALSKI'S HORSE
.. ORDER '1IIIIIIII Perissodactyla
.. FAMILY '1IIIIIIII Equidae
GROUP 1: MAMMALS .. GENUS &: SPECIES
'1IIIIIIII Equus cabal/us przewalskii
Przewalski's horse is the only truly wild horse left in the world. Descended from a prehistoric breed, it is the ancestor of all
modern horses but can now only be seen in zoos.
KEY FACTS
SIZES
Height: From about 12 hands high
(1 hand = 4 in .) .
Weight: About 800 lb.
BREEDING
Sexual maturity: 1 -2 years;
stallions (males) about 3 years.
Mating season: Usually April or
May.
Gestation: 11-12 months.
No. of young: 1 .
LIFESTYLE
Habit: lives in small herds.
Call: Neighs a greeting; squeals a
threat or warning .
Diet: Grass and plants .
lifespan: At least 20 years .
RELATED SPECIES
Range of Przewalski's horse.
DISTRIBUTION
Once found from the Ural Mountains to Mongolia. Now
confined to plains on either side of the Altai Mountains on
the borders of Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Siberia .
CONSERVATION Przewalski's horse is the only
subspecies of Equus cabal/us. All
other horses, asses, and zebras,
are members of the same family.
listed as an endangered species, it is probably extinct in the
wild. Breeding in captivity has saved it from complete
_ ex_t_inctio_n_. _Ab_out 300 horses live in zoos around the world. J
FEATURES OF PRZEWAlSKI'S HORSE
Mane: Short, stiff, _ brushlike hairs that stand erect. No forelock.
Head: Large and thick, with a broad muzzle . Sandy-colored nose.
Coat: Yellow-brown, paler on the belly, with black mane, tail , and lower legs. The coat grows very thick and woolly in the winter.
'flMCMXCIIMP BV/ IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
Body: Stocky, with short legs. Low-slung shoulders that blend into the back. This gives it a more primitive look than other domestic horses.
Skull: Heavy jaw, broad muzzle, and unusually large teeth.
almost to the ground. The base has a fan of short, stiffer hairs, similar to the mane.
1
0160200241 PACKET 24
Przewalski's horse is the only one of
several species to survive into the post-
glacial period. Its sturdy and rugged
appearance sets it apart from today's
domestic breeds. It is our last link with
an ancient, primitive breed of horse.
~ HABITAT At the end of the Ice Age, dense woodlands began to grow in areas that had once been tundra and grasslands. The horses that had lived there withdrew with the glaciers and migrated to Eurasia, where they found more
DID YOU KNOW? • Przewalski's horse is the only living wild horse species. • The foal of Przewalski's horse weighs about five percent of its mother's weight at birth . In contrast,
I the foals of domestic horses weigh about 10 percent of their mother's weight. • The Altai mountains where
suitable areas of grassy plains. One of these early horses,
now known as Przewalski's horse, originally roamed the Eurasian plains in large herds. Gradually over the centuries, its range and numbers dwindled until it only grazed on
Przewalski's horse once roamed are also known as The Mountains of the Yellow Horses. • Although Przewalski's horse is generally considered to be the ancestor of the modern horse, some experts think that the two descended from a now-extinct common ancestor and evolved inde-
~ BREEDING In its natural habitat, Przewalski's horse roams in small herds. These herds consist of a few mares (females) and young horses, lead by a stallion (male). Mares come into season at regular intervals, but usually mate in May so that the foals are born at about the
the arid, semidesert plains on either side of the mountains that form the boundary between Mongolia and China .
Przewalski's horse was last sighted in its natural habitat in 1968. It is uncertain whether it still exists in the wild.
pendently from one another. • The Przewalski's horse's order, Perissodactyla, includes all mammals with an odd number of toes. • The horse's foot is actually a single fingertip, with the last bone widened and rounded into a hoof. This special adaptation allows the horse to run swiftly. ____ -1
same time the following year. A mare usually gives birth
during the night to a single foal, which is strong enough by morning to move with the herd. If a foal lags behind a herd on the move the stallion will grip the base of the foal's
Left: Przewalski's horse has adapted to eat coarse grasses.
~ FOOD & FEEDING
Przewalski's horse is a grazer and lives on coarse grass and branches and sparse foliage from shrubby trees. It feeds at dusk, constantly on the move as it tears away at grass and leaves. In winter it may have to dig through layers of snow to find any food .
tail in its teeth and nudge it along.
The mare suckles her foal for several months to a year. However, when the foal is a few months old its teeth are developed enough to graze. A filly (female foal) may stay with the
herd. The stallion drives out the young males after a year. Young males wander together in small herds until they are strong enough to gather their own harems of mares.
Below: The mare protects the foal during its first year of life.
At daybreak, it returns to its ~ desert habitat to rest until sun- ~ PRZEWALSKI'S HORSE & MAN
set. As the horses move between resting areas and feeding grounds they etch wellworn and deeply trodden paths into the plains.
Below: These rare and wild beasts are now only seen in zoos.
Przewalski's horse has been domesticated for centuries, but man has never truly tamed it.
Although the horse was a familiar sight to local Asian tribes, it was deemed discovered in the 1880s by Russian explorer Nicolai Przhevalsky
and was named after him. Humans are responsible for
the decline of Przewalski's horse. It has been slaughtered for its meat, driven from its sparse grazing areas, and allowed to interbreed with other domestic horses.
""CARD 143 I LLAMA '(~----------------------------~~~~~~~~~ ~ ORDER
Artiodactyla
FAMILY Camelidae
GENUS &: SPECIES Lamaglama
More attractive than the closely related camel, the llama has the same facial expression. For many centuries this animal has provided
transportation and food for many South American people.
KEY FACTS
SIZES Length: Head and body, 4-7 ft. Tail, 6 in. Height to shoulder: 31/2-4 ft. Weight: 150-350 lb.
BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 -2 years. Breeding season: August to September in South America. Gestation: 11-12 months. No. of young: 1 .
LIFESTYLE Habit: Sociable and friendly, but can be stubborn. Diet: Grasses, herbs, shrubs, and lichen. Lifespan: Up to 20 years.
RELATED SPECIES The llama is related to the bactrian
camel, Camelus bactrianus ferus,
and to the dromedary camel, C. dromedarius.
Range of the llama.
DISTRIBUTION Southern Peru through western Bolivia, northwest Argentina,
and northeast Chile.
CONSERVATION Nearly three and a half million llamas live in South America. They are being replaced by modern means of transportation,
and their wool is not in great demand.
THE LLAMA AND ITS RELATIVES
The guanaco and vicuna are the only two species in their genus. The jJ domesticated llama and alpaca are .-subspecies derived from the wild guanaco.
l<JMCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
Guanaco: A slim animal with a long neck and a shaggy, reddish brown coat. These are the most widespread of all the wild llamas.
Alpaca: Its long, thick coat helps the alpaca graze at high altitudes. Its fine wool is considered better than the llama's.
Vicuna: Smaller and more graceful than the llama. Its head is shorter and its ears longer. Has a long white mane at the base of the neck.
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Used primarily as a pack animal,
the llama had already been domesticated
by the Indians of South America when the Spanish
conquistadores arrived in the sixteenth century.
It is believed to have been bred from the wild
guanaco, a relative of the camel found on the
South American pampas and plateaus.
~HABITS Found in the alpine grasslands and shrublands of South America, the llama is the principal beast of burden in the Andes. Unlike horses and mules, it does not suffer from mountain sickness at high altitudes and it can walk surefootedly through high mountain paths and gravel slopes.
The llama is docile by nature, but it can be stubborn, stopping completely or lying down when its burden is too heavy. When upset, the llama will spit up a foul-smelling liquid from its stomach into
the face of its handler. Males are used for pack
animals while females breed and supply wool for the Indians. Little is known about their social behavior because they are domesticated and most males are castrated at an early age. Judging from other members of the Cam
elidae family, they would most likely gather in small herds with a male and a small harem of breeding females.
Right: The llama's thick, woolly fleece protects it from the harsh mountain climate.
DID YOU KNOW? • The llama is the largest member of the Camelidae
family in South America and is the only native beast of burden to be domesticated in the western hemisphere.
• A llama can carry a 110-pound load 16 miles a day at altitudes of 1 6,404 feet.
~ BREEDING The llama breeds seasonally so that the birth of its young coincides with the seasonal growth of vegetation. In the southern hemisphere breeding season lasts from August to September. Llamas mate in a sitting position.
The female stands to give birth to a single young. Unlike most other mammals, she neither licks the newborn nor eats the afterbirth. The young walks and follows her 30 minutes after birth. It suckles for about four months.
• When the Spaniards invaded South America to plunder the Incan riches, 300,000 llamas were used to carry supplies in and out of the silver mines.
• A llama only allows itself to be loaded with a heavy pack when it is part of a group.
~ FOOD &: FEEDING An herbivore (plant eater), the llama grazes mainly on grasses and herbs. It also eats
shrubs, lichen" and other plants growing on the high mountains. It gets most of its moisture from vegetation and goes without water for days.
Like camels, the llama is a
Left: Large, well-fed llamas can breed before they are a year old, but most breed at two years.
Far left: The llama is an ideal domesticated breed because it survives with little care in the harsh Andes mountains.
ruminant; it has a multichambered stomach and chews its cud (partly digested food) twice to help digest the tough, fibrous vegetable matter. In this manner the llama gets plenty of nutrition from food with low nutritional value.
~LLAMA&:MAN Nearly 1,000 years ago, settled, crop-growing tribes domesticated the llama as a source of meat. Since then it has been used mainly as a beast of burden. The Andean Indians use the
llama to carry loads, and to provide meat, wool, and leather. They make candles out of fatty tissue, ropes out of llamas' braided long hair, and fuel out of dried dung.
In recent decades the llama has been introduced into other countries, mostly as a novelty pet.
CARD 144
AARDWOLF
'" " ORDER .. ~ Carnivora ~
FAMILY Hyaenidae
GROUP 1: MAMMALS GENUS &: SPECIES Proteles cristatus
The aardwolf is the smallest member of the hyena family. It feeds almost exclusively on harvester termites, which it
laps up with its long, sticky tongue.
'\:l KEY FACTS
I ~~I SIZES ~ Height: About 1l,!;1 ft. at shoulder.
Length: Head and body, 1 %-2% ft . Tail, %-1 ft. Weight: 18-26 lb.
BREEDING Sexual maturity: 2 years. Breeding season: Varies with location. Gestation: Usually 60 days. No. of young: 1-5, usually 2 or 3.
LIFESTYLE Habit: Lives in den. Nocturnal, solitary. Diet: Termites and other insect larvae. Lifespan: Up to 15 years in captivity.
RELATED SPECIES There are 3 other species in the Hyaenidae family: the spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta; the striped hyena, Hyaena hyaena; and the brown hyena, H. brunnea.
Range of the aardwolf.
DISTRIBUTION
Found in parts of Africa, including southern Egypt, East Africa, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
CONSERVATION
The aardwolf is hunted for food and for its skin, and because it is mistakenly thought to prey on livestock. In recent years the aardwolf population has declined in some areas.
FEATURES OF THE AARDWOLF
Mane: Long mane runs down neck and back. It is raised to make the animal appear larger when threatened .
Cubs: Quickly develop adult color and markings. Usually stay with mother until next breeding season.
Ears: Large and pointed. Acute hearing allows aardwolf to track sound of termites.
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The aardwolf is a solitary nighttime creature.
It sleeps in a den taken over from other burrowing
animals during the day. At dusk it comes out
to hunt insects using its highly developed hearing
and its acute sense of smell.
~ HABITS The aardwolf lives on the open plains and in the bush country of Africa. It wanders alone within a territory shared with other adults. To mark off its territory, it leaves a musky secretion on rocks and grass.
Right: The aardwolf does not destroy the colony of the termites it eats. In this way it ensures a continued food supply.
The territory contains up to a dozen dens, which the aardwolf uses in turn for six weeks at a time. Although the aardwolf can dig its own burrow, it is more likely to enlarge an abandoned den.
~ BREEDING During breeding season, the male aardwolf roams widely in search of females. It often strays into another animal's territory, causing a fight. Each male barks loudly and raises his mane to appear fiercer. A dominant territory holder can usually drive out intruders, but two evenly matched aardwolves may engage in a violent fight.
Breeding usually occurs in fall and spring. Most females mate with the male in their
Left: The aardwolf changes burrows often, in part to avoid detection by predators.
territory, but they may also breed with intruders.
The female gives birth to two or three cubs in an underground den. The cubs stay in the den for up to two months. At three months they begin to accompany their parents on feeding trips. By about four months they are self-sufficient, but they stay with their mother until the next breeding season, when they leave to establish their own territories.
Right: Aardwolf cubs leave the den at three months to learn survival skills.
~ FOOD & HUNTING Unlike the hyena, which is a scavenger, the aardwolf eats insects almost exclusively and rarely feeds on small mammals or birds. Its primary food is the harvester termite, but it may eat the larvae and carrion beetles on dead animals.
The aardwolf is so dependent on termites that its range and habits closely mirror those of its insect prey. It hunts at night when the termites leave their nest to
Left: An aardwolf feeds from the same termite nest several times.
DID YOU KNOW? • An aardwolf can eat as many as 200,000 termites in one night. • If an aardwolf is threatened, it may spray its attacker with a strongsmelling fluid. This musky substance is secreted by a
feed. Because the termite sites are scattered, the aardwolf hunts alone. In cold or wet seasons the night-active harvester termites are hard to find. Then the aardwolf feeds on larger, day-active termites.
The aardwolf can remember the location of various termite nests in its territory. It also tracks termites through the sound they make as they move over hard ground. When it locates its prey, the aardwolf laps the insect up with its long, sticky tongue.
special anal gland. The aardwolf also uses this substance to mark off its territory. • The aardwolf often loses its teeth later in life. But it does not need them for its diet of soft-bodied insects.
'" CARD 145 I PIPISTRELLE
,,~------------------------------------------~ ~ ORDER
Chiroptera FAMILY Vespertilionidae
GENUS &: SPECIES Pipistrellus pipistrellus
The pipistrelle emerges at dusk to hunt for flying insects. The smallest of the European bats, it beats its wings rapidly as it
twists and turns through the air in pursuit of prey.
KEY FACTS
SIZES
Length: 1-2 in.
Wingspan: 71/2-10 in. Weight: Up to 1/2 oz.
BREEDING
Sexual maturity: Female, 1 year.
Male, 2 years.
Mating season: Fall.
Gestation: 44-50 days.
No. of young: Usually 1.
Weaning: 30-40 days.
LIFESTYLE
Habit: Nocturnal. Occurs in
colonies up to 1,000. Hibernates in winter.
Diet: Small flying insects. Lifespan: Average 4-5 years.
RELATED SPECIES
There are 48 species of pipistrelle
distributed throughout most of
the world .
Range of the pipistrelle.
DISTRIBUTION
Europe, except the far north, east across western Asia as far as Lake Baikal in the Soviet Un ion and down to Kashmir and the Alta i mountain range.
CONSERVATION
One of the more common bats across its range, the
pipistrelle has recently suffered sharp population declines in some areas.
FEATURES OF THE PIPISTREllE
THE PIPISTRELLE'S EARS
Fleshy spike in the center of the ears is known as the tragus. Its shape varies between species.
Wings: Modified hands made up of a tough membrane stretched between the bat's four digits and the feet.
Tail~ PRINTED IN U.S.A.
Body: Small , mouselike body entirely covered with fur and supported by large wings.
0160200281 PACKET 28
The pipistrelle is widespread and common
over much of its range. Versatile and adaptable, it
thrives in a variety of habitats from woodlands to the
middle of cities. Many colonies have set up house
at artificial roosting sites in buildings.
~HABITS Pipistrelles form summer nursing colonies and winter hibernation colonies that can contain up to 1,000 bats. They roost in trees, rock crevices, buildings, and haystacks. The small pipistrelle
can fit in gaps just half an inch wide.
From spring to fall the pipistrelle sleeps during the day. It feeds after sunset but occasionally appears during the day in midsummer. The
DID YOU KNOW? • Most pipistrelles have brown fur, but some may be gray, olive, reddish brown, black, or white.
• Pipistrelles have been found in a variety of unusual places: in curtains and vases, under floorboards, and between the panes of double glass .
• Nearly 100,000 pipistrelles hibernate in a certain Romanian cave.
• Scientists attach coded bands to the pipistrelle's forearm to track its longdistance migration . Some of those banded in the Ukraine were found to have flown more than 650 miles in fall to
Bulgaria and Greece.
bat is most active at dusk and just before dawn. Each bat spends two to five hours
every day away from the colony making short feeding flights and stopping off at temporary roosts.
Above: Dense, warm fur protects the bat during the cold winter hibernation.
left: During the summer males live together in small groups.
Above right: The pipistrelle must perch to eat larger insects.
~ HIBERNATION The pipistrelle goes into hibernation in October to avoid the cold winter. The colony gradually stops feeding and finds a sheltered ,site. During the next few months each bat uses up its fat stores to stay alive. After hibernation the bat weighs only a fraction of an ounce.
The pipistrelle hibernates in quiet spots in large houses, church roofs, bell towers, gaps behind shutters, hollow
~ FOOD &: FEEDING The pipistrelle mainly feeds on small flying insects, catching and eating them while in the air. It eats larger prey on a perch. The bat must eat several hundred insects every day to survive.
The pipistrelle usually hunts in the same open area near a tree or building. It flies quickly and erratically, with rapid wing beats, dodging and turning in the air 20 feet above ground.
trees, and rock crevices. The bat hangs or wedges itself head-down, gripping the surface with its feet.
The pipistrelle does not sleep as deeply as other hibernating mammals and it regularly awakens, often because it needs to expel waste. At other times, it is disturbed by other bats and wakes up. During winter warm spells it may temporarily come out of hibernation and fly around.
NATUREWATCH Common throughout Europe, the pipistrelle lives in a wide range of habitats in both rural and urban areas . These include woodlands, wetlands, grasslands, farms, and gardens.
It prefers open grassy areas surrounded by trees or bushes, but it also flies low over the water to feed on mayflie~ and insects .
Above: Pipistrelles cling together for warmth during hibernation.
Below: An archway provides an ideal roost for a pipistrelle.
~BREEDING Pipistrelles mate before hibernation in September, but the sperm does not fertilize the female's eggs until spring. The young's development depends on the weather and food supply. Poor conditions halt the development of the fetus.
Female pipistrelles form roosting groups in early summer. They move apart from the roosting group to give birth but then carry their blind newborn back to the nursery group. The young develop rapidly and fly after about three weeks.
"" CARD 1461
MANATEE ,,~------------------------------------------~ ~ ORDER ~ Sirenia
FAMILY Trichechidae
GENUS &: SPECIES Trichechu5 manatu5
One of the most endangered aquatic species, the manatee gives birth every other year at most. It keeps waterways free
of vegetation by consuming large amounts of food.
KEY FACTS
SIZES
Length: Up to 15 ft. Average 8-1 3 ft. Weight: Up to 1,500 lb. Average
Tropical and subtropical waters of southwestern United
States as far west as Texas. Also off West Indies and along
coast of northern South America .
CONSERVATION
Listed as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union, it has
legal protection in most countries, but this protection is not
always enforced.
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Exploited for its meat and hide
since the eighteenth century, the harmless
manatee is now a protected species.
Certain parts of the world value its
voracious appetite for underwater plants,
which keeps vital waterways clear of
choking vegetation.
The manatee favors muddy bays, lagoons, slow rivers, and estuaries. It prefers water temperatures of 68° F or above, since it cannot survive in temperatures below 46° F. It migrates in the winter to warmer spots. The Amazonian manatee lives only in fresh water, but the other two species can survive in both fresh and saltwater.
The manatee occurs singly
DID YOU KNOW? • Spanish colonists in the West Indies named the manatee from mana, meaning "hand" and tener, meaning "to hold ."
• Known as sea cows, manatees and the related dugongmembers of the Sirenian
or in small family groups, but during tropical cold spells large numbers gather around heated water from power plants or the warm outflow of a spring . They float vertically in the water during cold mornings with just their snouts showing. As the sun gets hotter, more of their bodies rise above the surface.
In large groups, manatees have been observed pressing
family-are the only mammals that eat sea vegetation.
• The manatee's intestines measure more than 150 feet long.
• The manatee uses its extremely sensitive mouth
~ FOOD &: FEEDING As an herbivore, the manatee eats only aquatic vegetation. It feeds and rests in short periods throughout the day. It uses its dextrous forelimbs or large, deeply split upper lip to put vegetation in its mouth .
The manatee's teeth wear down very quickly from sea grass and the large amounts of sand that it takes in with each mouthful. New teeth constantly grow at the back of the mouth and move forward at a rate of .04 inch a month, pushing out worn front teeth at regular intervals.
Left: The manatee swims well, and it relies completely on its aquatic environment.
Right: The manatee uses its forelimbs like hands and arms to gather its food.
their big snouts together as if kissing, in what is thought to be a greeting gesture.
The manatee is a mammal, so it comes to the water's surface to breathe. It can stay submerged for up to 15 minutes but usually surfaces at 5- to 10-minute intervals. It cannot survive out of water because it can't move, and its body weight makes it impossible to breathe without water support.
when searching for food and when communicating and bonding with other manatees, which is called mouthing .
• Nearly all mammals have seven neck vertebrae; the manatee has only six.
The manatee needs large amounts of food to maintain its great weight. It eats 8 to 1 5 percent of its own body we ht each . Its dense
~ BREEDING The manatee reproduces slowly. The female gives birth to a single calf every other year at most.
Groups of males gather around a female ready to mate, nuzzling her and
bulk keeps it steady in the water as it feeds. The manatee usually feeds while submerged, but it sometimes rises above the water.
attempting to push rivals away. She may mate with more than one male.
More than a year later, she gives birth underwater, immediately bringing the calf up to the surface on her
~ MANATEE &: MAN The manatee has no natural enemies. It is man who has brought the manatee to its current vulnerable state. The manatee has long been hunted for its meat, hide, and o il. Between 1838 and 1942, several thousand manatee hides and countless cans of meat were exported from Brazil.
More recently, pollution and loss of habitat through the damming of waterways have threatened the manatee's existence.
Manatees are slowmoving, inquisitive animals, and a great number of them have sustained injury or have died after being caught in the propellers of high-speed boats.
back to take its first breath. She suckles the calf for 12 to 18 months, feeding it vegetation as well.
Below: "Mouthing" confirms the strong bond between mothers and calves.
LONG-NOSED BANDICOOT '\ GROUP 1: MAMMALS .... ORDER
'11IIIIIIII Marsupialia FAMILY GENUS Peramelidae Perameles
Long-nosed bandicoots look like a cross between a small kangaroo and a shrew. These insect-eating marsupials are found only
in Australia and Tasmania.
KEY FACTS
SIZES
Length: Head and body, 8-17 in. Tail, 3 ~ - 7 in .
Weight: About 6~ lb. Male larger than female.
BREEDING
Sexual maturity: Possibly 3 months but usually later.
Mating season: Any month . Gestation: About 12 days.
No. of young: 1-7, usually 2-4 .
LIFESTYLE
Habit: Solitary; feeds at night.
Diet: Mainly insects and grubs but
also roots, tubers, and small mammals.
Lifespan: Not known exactly but
probably 3-5 years.
RELATED SPECIES
There are 19 bandicoot species in
8 genera. The family Peramelidae has 7 genera.
• Range of long-nosed bandicoots.
DISTRIBUTION Found in an isolated area in central Australia and around the Australian coast. Also found throughout Tasmania .
CONSERVATION Long-nosed bandicoots are protected by law in Australia. They are not as endangered as many of the other bandicoot species.
FEATURES OF LONG-NOSED BANDICOOTS
Coat: Sleek, coarse hairs, generally a light grayish brown. They lack the darker stripes on the back and rump of all the other bandicoot species in the family.
Nose: Long and slender, tapering to a point. Adapted for rooting in soil , rotting wood, or crevices.
Limbs: Hind legs are longer and stronger than forelegs and carry most of the weight. Long, sharp toes are adapted for digging.
Pouch: Opens to the rear to protect the young from soil when the mother is digging. It contains 8 teats from which the
~r-:-~ __ young feed.
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Long-nosed bandicoots are odd-looking members
of the marsupial family. They have a trunklike snout,
powerful hind legs, and a pouch that opens
to the rear. They feed at night, darting quickly
here and there to avoid detection
by their many predators.
~ HABITAT The four species of long-nosed bandicoot inhabit open plains, cleared grassland, and wooded areas along the coasts of Australia and in Tasmania. They also live in undergrowth and even in drainpipes near towns.
Both the males and the females have home ranges. The male's range is larger than
the female's, and he often has to defend it from invading males, sometimes fighting with teeth and claws.
Long-nosed bandicoots are active mainly at night and sleep most of the day in a nest. They build their nests from grasses or sticks in a sheltered spot on the ground.
Left: Using their powerful hind legs, bandicoots run with sudden bursts of speed and change direction quickly to outmaneuver predators.
Right: Bandicoots hunt and feed at night. They have good hearing and excellent night vision.
DID YOU KNOW? • The name bandicoot derives from a word in an Indian dialect meaning "pig rat./I It was originally applied to a rodent of the genus Bandicota found in India and Sri Lanka.
• Long-nosed bandicoots are among the few bandi-
~ FOOD & FEEDING Long-nosed bandicoots eat mostly insects and larvae. They use their powerful claws to dig prey out of the ground and their long snouts to root prey out of crevices. Usually they find insects in the top four inches of soil. After a nightly forage, the area may
Left: Having caught an insect, a bandicoot crushes it with small, needle-sharp teeth.
coots that make a noise. They emit a high-pitched call if disturbed . • Bandicoot species range in size from one foot to more than two feet long. • Bandicoots have the highest rate of reproduction among marsupials.
be dotted with shallow holes. Besides insects, long-nosed
bandicoots dig and eat roots and tubers. They also kill small rodents such as mice. After catching an animal, a bandicoot rapidly kneads it into a pulp with its forefeet before eating it.
Right: A bandicoot uses its toes and snout to dig insects and roots from the ground.
~ BREEDING Bandicoots are solitary animals and come together only to mate. They can breed at any time of year. During his nightly forages for food, the male searches for females that are ready to mate.
The gestation period is about 12 days. Newborns crawl into the mother's pouch and re-
~ ENEMIES Bandicoots are prey to many predators, including dingoes, snakes, and foxes. The Aborigines hunt them for food, and farmers and gardeners often kill them because they damage crops and gardens as they dig for insects.
Even though bandicoots have a high rate of reproduction, many species are threatened with extinction and some are already extinct. The main threat comes from humans, who have destroyed bandicoots' habitats through cultivation. Another problem is the introduction of rabbits, whose grazing pattern alters the land and renders it unsuitable for bandicoots.
main attached to her by a placental cord that nourishes them from her uterus.
Long-nosed bandicoots' pouches open backward, unlike kangaroos', which open to the front. The young stay in the pouch for about seven weeks. After another week, they are weaned and leave.
BROWN HARE "~----------------------------~~~~~~~-~.~,, • . j
~ ORDER Lagomorpha
FAMILY Lepridae
GENUS &: SPECIES Lepus europaeus
A sleeker, larger, and more athletic relative of the rabbit, the brown hare is able to adapt to a variety of climates. It has
one of the largest distributions of any mammal species.
SIZES Length: Head and body 11/2-2 ft. Ears 4 in. Tail 4 in. Hind feet 5-6 in .
Weight: 81/2-13 lb.
BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: January to October. Gestation: 42-44 days. No. of young: 2-4 per litter.
Litters per year: 3-4.
LIFESTYLE Habit: Active mainly at night. Normally solitary outside the breeding season . Diet: Mainly grasses and herbs, but also occasionally cereal crops, roots, and bark. Lifespan: 10-12 years.
RELATED SPECIES There are about 18 species in the genus Lepus. Related to all other
hares, rabbits, and pikas.
Range of the brown hare.
DISTRIBUTION Widespread across Europe except in Ireland and Scotland. Also found in Asia to central China and in parts of Africa.
Introduced to Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and the United
States.
CONSERVATION Modern farming techniques have eliminated many of the hare's food plants thus causing its numbers to decline.
FEATURES OF THE BROWN HARE OTHER SPECIES OF HARE
Ears: Longer than the head and tipped with black. Laid flat along the head when the hare lies low to hide from predators or when it feeds in the open.
Legs: Long, with powerful hind limbs
~)MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
Coat: Brown fur with white underside. Yellow fur on
cheeks and insides of limbs. Coat becomes denser and
redder from late summer to early fall. The tail has a black
stripe on its upper surface.
Mountain hare: Smaller anD stockier than brown hare, with shorter ears. Coat is similar to brown hare but is not as rich in color.
Arctic hare: Pure white winter coat with black-tipped ears.
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During springtime, brown hares
can be seen running around, leaping in the air,
and engaging in bouts of boxing. This frantic display
occurs before mating and has given rise to the
expression "mad as a March hare."
~ HABITS The brown hare lives in many habitats, favoring farmland, meadows, pastures, and fields of cereal crops. It also lives in marshes, open woodlands, and sand dunes, and up to 5,000 feet high in the Alps.
Instead of digging burrows like the rabbit, the brown hare rests and sleeps by day in a form. A form is a shallow hole the hare scrapes out in a sheltered spot in the ground. The hare lies with its hind-
quarters in the deepest part, with its coat color blending into the surroundings.
If disturbed, the brown hare lies still with its ears flat against its body. If the enemy comes too close, the hare can outrun most predators with its long hind legs and sleek body. The brown hare outwits them by swerving and running a zigzag route, backtracking and recrossing its own path.
~ FOOD & FEEDI NG At dusk the brown hare feeds, staying close to the ground with its ears flattened along its back. Instead of hopping, it moves carefully, taking one step at a time.
The brown hare mainly eats grasses and herbs, roots, cultivated cereal crops, buds, twigs, and tree bark.
Rabbits and hares have
Left: The brown hare uses its keen senses of smell and hearing to detect predators.
NATUREWATCH The brown hare rests during the day in long grass, scrub, o r open woodland . Look for it feeding at dawn or dusk in fi elds of short
DID YOU KNOW? • When frightened or hurt, the hare screams loudly. It also grates its teeth together to make a warning noise when annoyed .
• Some say the brown hare
special ways to digest large amounts of plant food . During the day they produce soft feces, which they eat to digest the food a second time.
In addition to nutritional value, the feces also contain bacteria that help to break down the food in the stomach . The hares pass round, hard feces during the night.
Right: A leveret (young hare) feeds on solid food at two to three weeks old.
crops such as winter corn . The brown hare's foot
prints are larger and deeper than the rabbit's. Forefeet p ri nts are side-by-side.
is the origina l Easter Bunny and that the Greek goddess of spring, Ester, created the first hare from a bird .
• In isolated cases, ha res have eaten their own young.
Left: The leveret (baby hare) is well developed at birth and has its own nest.
Right: Boxing occurs during breeding when females defend themselves from aggressive males.
The brown hare breeds throughout the year, but it mates mainly in spring. Most young are born from March to September. Males race around fields, leaping in the air, chasing and boxing with
males and females during "mad March ."
The male mates aggressively, often mauling the female. She gives birth in early spring to two to four young and may have up to three litters a yea r.
The leverets (young) .are born in a grass-lined nest in a form. Unlike rabbits, the hares are born fully furred with their eyes open. The mother puts each leveret in its own form and visits each night to suckle them. She gives a low call and they answer to help her to locate them in the dark.
The leverets are independent of their mother at three weeks; they reach adult weight at eight months.
GAUR
ORDER Artiodactyla
FAMILY Bovidae
CARD 149
GROUP 1: MAMMALS ~ GENUS &: SPECIES ~ Bas gaurus
With its rich dark coat and long white socks, the gaur is the largest and most impressive of all the wild cattle. This rare animal lives
in a few mountainous forest areas in Asia.
'\l~K_EY~FA~CTS [j] SIZES
Length: 8-10 ft. Height: About 5 ft. Horn length: Male, up to 3)1 ft.
Weight: Female, 1,500 lb. Male,
2,1001bs.
BREEDING Sexual maturity: Female, 3 years. Male, much later.
Breeding season: Summer. Gestation: 9 months.
No. of young: 1.
LIFESTYLE Habit: Forms small herds. Diet: Grass, herbs, and shrubs. Calls: Sharp, loud snort for alarm. Long, loud bellow for bull's mating call.
RELATED SPECIES The gayal is a domesticated form of the gaur. It is slightly smaller and is highly valued for the quality of its meat and hide.
FEATURES OF THE GAUR
• Range of the gaur.
DISTRIBUTION Scattered herds on the Indian peninsula, Mayanmar, Nepal, western Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
CONSERVATION The gaur is threatened by a reduction in its upland forest habitat. There have probably never been large numbers of gaur because their habitat requirements are very specific.
Forehead: Raised ridge of bone between horns. Lowered against opponent in threat display.
Dorsal hump: Flexed and displayed by the bull to impress a rival with his bulk. In this way males can establish dominance without fighting .
Horns: 2 to 3J.f feet long, curving upward and inward. Horns of old bulls are sometimes shorter because they are broken or have worn down.
Dewlap: Loose folds of skin that give off body heat and cool the animal.
The gaur is a wild ox that lives mainly in small herds
of no more than a dozen animals. Active during
the day and most of the night, the gaur
alternates between grazing, chewing cud,
and sleeping for short spells.
~ HABITS The gaur lives in herds to protect itself. Its main enemy is the tiger, which can kill a fullgrown adult.
Related females and their young make up the largest herds. They are joined by a mature bull during breeding season. Individual bulls sometimes stay with the cows all year and keep watch for predators. The gaur benefits from sharing its range with wild pigs, deer, and birds that give loud warnings if there is an enemy approaching.
The gaur favors upland tropical forests. In the high mountain areas where it resides, cold is not a problem. But this wild ox needs woodland to protect it from the burning midday sun.
In place of the long, hairy coat of yak and bison from cold climates, the gaur has folds of loose skin that hang from the neck, known as dewlaps. It also has a hairy hump called the dorsal ridge. Both disperse body heat to cool the animal.
~ BREEDING The gaur mates in summer, and the young are born in spring when grass is plentiful.
A bull knows when a cow is in heat (ready to mate) by sniffing her genitals and her urine. He then challenges his rivals for a chance to mate with her. Fighting is rare. Instead, the winner is usually the one that threatens loudest. The dominant bull may mate with 10 cows in one season, but the hierarchy of bulls changes regularly.
A cow leaves her herd to give birth alone. She keeps a careful watch for predators,
left: The gaur has a high ridge on its forehead between its two curved horns.
since unattended calves are often killed by tigers.
About four days after birth, the mother and calf rejoin the herd. The calf soon copies its mother's feeding posture. It noses the ground but does not yet nibble the grass.
The calf remains close to its mother and nurses for about two months. The young are very playful, chasing each other and leaping around. But they are closely guarded on all sides by cows.
Young cows mature in the herd. At three years the bull joins a bachelor group.
Right: Despite its size, the gaur is shy and retreats if it detects an unfamiliar scent.
~ FOOD & FEEDING The gaur grazes most of the day, although it takes time off early in the morning and in the afternoon to sleep and to chew cud (regurgitated food).
Glades within the forest provide grass, but the gaur may also feed on lower slopes in the cool of the evening. Despite its size and bulk, the
left: A herd of gaur drinks at a water hole.
DID YOU KNOW? • Wild cattle species often synchronize their actions. When threatened, a herd of gaur all thump the ground with their forelegs in unison. • At one time the gaur was prized by big game hunters, who considered it a challenging quarry because of its elusive habits.
gaur is agile and can climb down steep gullies for food.
The gaur grazes at night as well. Research suggests that wild cattle rarely sleep longer than an hour in any 24-hour period. Even this short period of sleep is made up of a large number of short, five-minute naps. In areas where a herd is constantly disturbed, this timetable may be confused.
• Cattle farmers sometimes allow their herds to share pastures with the gaur. This practice can endanger the wild herd, which may catch diseases, such as foot-andmouth disease.
• The gaur can attack a predatory tiger and gore it on its massive horns.
GRAY WHALE ,,~--------------------------~~~~~~~~ ~ ORDER
Cetacea FAMILY Eschrichtiidae
GENUS &: SPECIES Eschrichtius robustus
The huge gray whale can be readily identified as it cruises coastal waters. Its skin is dotted with white blotches and encrusted
SIZES Length: 30-50 ft. Female slightly larger than male. Width of tail: 10ft. Weight: 25-40 tons.
BREEDING Breeding season: Winter. Gestation: 11-12 months. No. of young: Single calf. Weaning: 6-8 months.
LIFESTYLE
Habit: Yearly coastal migrations of up to 6,200 miles (each way).
Migrate in groups of 1-3. Range of the gray whale.
Diet: Plankton, shrimp, mollusks, and small fish.
RELATED SPECIES
The gray whale is the only member of this whale family. Its closest relatives are the 9 other baleen whale species, including the blue whale, the right whale, and the minke whale.
DISTRIBUTION
Mainly confined to the coastal seas of the North Pacific.
CONSERVATION
Whaling has greatly reduced the number of gray whales. There are fewer than 200 on the Asian coast, but there are
about 17,000 on the North American coast, where the whale is protected. Until the 1 600s there were gray whales in the I North Atlantic, but they were hunted to extinction. ----.-J
FEATURES OF THE GRAY WHALE
Dorsal bumps: The gray whale has no dorsal fin . Instead it has a series of 7 to 10 bumps running along the lower back.
Coloring: Dark gray but varies with individuals. Some have light blotches resulting from skin discoloration and from patches of barnacles.
Barnacles: These crustaceans are found mainly on the head , around the mouth, and on the tail fin . One species is unique to the gray whale.
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Blowhole: There are actually two holes through which the whale breathes. The blast rises to 13 feet and on a still day can be heard over a halfmile away. The spout of water rises vertically and appears as a single column of spray.
Whale lice: The whale is infested with small crustaceans, found mainly on the flippers and in the folds of skin around the eyes and throat.
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The gray whale differs from other species of whales in
many of its habits. Every year it travels up to 12,500
miles round-trip between its feeding and breeding
grounds. This journey is the longest migration
undertaken by a mammal.
~ HABITS The gray whale may be the most coastal of the great whales and often appears within half a mile of shore. It is found along the northern Pacific coast, with separate populations on the Asian and North American coasts.
The whale's year is divided into distinct phases of feeding, migrating, and breeding. The North American population spends the summer in the rich feeding grounds of the Bering and Chukchi seas off Alaska's coast. At the end of summer the whales begin a three-month journey south, swimming down the Cana-
dian and U.S. coasts to their Mexican breeding grounds. The pregnant females give birth in these warm win-ter waters, but after a few months they return to the northern feeding waters.
The small Asian population of gray whales, which may be close to extinction, feeds in northern stretches of the Sea of Okhotsk off Siberia.
Above: During migration the whale swims close to shore at five to six miles per hour.
Right: Gray whales twist their bodies to the right when feeding and use their snouts to rake up prey from the bottom.
~ BREEDING Mating and birth take place in winter in the warm waters off Baja California and Korea . On the migration south, a female may be accompanied by two males, but she mates with only one. Not long after mating, the whales return north.
Gestation takes 11 to 1 2 months. When the females swim south the next year, they are ready to give birth.
Calves are 13 to 16 feet long at birth and grow rapidly, adding another 16 feet in the first year. At two months, they accompany their moth-
ers on the migration north. Weaning takes place in late summer. From then on, the calf fends for itself. It makes the next southward migration
~ FOOD & FEEDING The gray whale does most of its feeding in summer, taking in great quantities of plankton, shrimp, mollusks, and small fish. It must build up fat reserves to live on during migration and breeding.
Like most great whales, the gray whale feeds by taking in water and straining it through rows of baleen plates on the sides of its mouth . Unlike other whales, the gray whale is a bottom feeder. It dives down and stirs up sediment with its snout. After sucking in this cloud, it expels water and silt through its baleen but traps the bottom-dwelling animals .
Above: Two calves frolic off the shore of Baja California.
alone. By then its mother is ready to mate again.
Left: Baleen plates are made of compressed hair that becomes frayed. As water rushes out, food is trapped in the fibers.
DID YOU KNOW? • Instead of a small dorsal fin, the gray whale has a line of up to 10 ridges along its lower back.
• Gray whales may help an injured or sick companion by pushing it to the surface to breathe.
• On the Siberian coast, where ice-cold waterfalls descend some of the sea cliffs, gray whales have been seen taking "showers." They may drive off skin parasites in this way.
• A count on the body of one gray whale revealed 100,000 whale lice.
