Know More About Galápagos Tortoise

Tortoises or land turtles are land-dwelling reptiles of the family of Testudinidae, order Testudines. Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise has both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton. Tortoises can vary in size from a few centimeters to two meters. Tortoises tend to be diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals.

It is possible, though perhaps unlikely, that among the remaining giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands, there exists an old-timer that was a hatchling at the time of Charles Darwin's famous visit in 1835. Giant tortoises are the longest-lived of all vertebrates, averaging over 100 years. The oldest on record lived to be 152.
They are also the world's largest tortoises, with some specimens exceeding 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length and reaching 550 pounds (250 kilograms).
There are now only 11 types of giant tortoises left in the Galápagos, down from 15 when Darwin arrived. Hunted as food by pirates, whalers, and merchantmen during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, more than 100,000 tortoises are estimated to have been killed off. Nonnative species such as feral pigs, dogs, cats, rats, goats, and cattle are a continuing threat to their food supply and eggs. Today, only about 15,000 remain.
The tortoises are now listed as endangered and have been strictly protected by the Ecuadorian government since 1970. Captive breeding efforts by the Charles Darwin Research Station are also having positive effects.
Galápagos tortoises lead an uncomplicated life, grazing on grass, leaves, and cactus, basking in the sun, and napping nearly 16 hours per day. A slow metabolism and large internal stores of water mean they can survive up to a year without eating or drinking.
Spanish sailors who discovered the archipelago in 1535 actually named it after the abundant tortoises; the Spanish word for tortoise is galápago.

The Rhinoceroses Who Live In Africa

There are a lot of kinds of wild animals in Africa, it is a very large animal world. I believe that we all have seen the huge rhinoceros in African dessert. A few centuries ago, the Indian rhinoceros ranged across the north Indian plains in the wet lands of the rivers Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra. There are five kinds of rhinoceros found in the world, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, Indian rhinoceros, Javan rhinoceros, and Sumatran rhinoceros. The white and black rhinoceroses are live in Africa, while Indian, Javan and Sumatran are Asian rhinoceroses, found in North Pakistan, Assam in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

The usual weight of an Indian Rhino is 2,000 kg. The one way to distinguish between a an Indian rhinoceros and an African rhinoceros is the single horn. Both white and black African rhinoceros have two horns. Another distinguishing feature of the Indian Rhinoceros is its skin, which is knobbly and falls into deep folds at its joints, giving a look like the Rhino is wearing a coat of armour.

 All the rhinoceroses are vegetarian and Indian rhinoceroses mostly eat grass, fruits, leaves and crops. Their well developed upper lip helps them to eat out tall elephant grasses, which they like the best. It also helps them to pull out aquatic plants by the roots. Indian rhinoceroses usually prefer to roam around in the morning and evening hours to avoid the heat of the day and live for about 40 years.

Today this survivor from the prehistoric times is found only in pockets in the north eastern state of Assam and in Nepal. In Assam, their rhinoceros habitat is limited to just two national parks – Kaziranga and Manas.

Lying along the mighty Brahmaputra river, the Kaziranaga National Park covers an area of about 430-sq-kms. Its swamps and grasslands with tall thickets of elephant grass and patches of ever green forest support the largest number of rhinoceros population in the whole of Indian subcontinent. Once reached to an alarming point due to hunting and poaching, this area came under wildlife conservation in 1926 and in 1940, Kaziranga was declared a sanctuary.

Kaziranga National Park is a birding paradise; the grasslands are a raptor country that can be seen on safari makes a remarkable experience. These include the Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black-Shouldered Kite, Black Kite, Brahminy Kite, Pallas’s Fishing Eagle, White Tailed Eagle, Grey-Headed Fishing Eagle, Himalayan Griffon, etc. Huge numbers of migratory birds descend on the parks lakes and marshy areas during winters, including Greylag Geese, Bar-Headed Geese, Ruddy Shelduck, Gadwall, Falcated Duck, Red-Crested Pochard and Northern Shoveller.

Red Wolves Are Only One Of Two Species Of Wolves In The World

Red Wolves are only one of two species of wolves in the world. The other species is the larger Gray Wolf. In 1973 they were declared an endangered species and in 1980 the USFWS officially declared the Red Wolf extinct in the wild. However the USFWS captured 17 red wolves prior to 1980 and has used an extensive breading program in over 38 zoos and nature centers around the US to bring their numbers back to around 265 individuals as of August 2005. In 1987 the Red Wolf was reintroduced first into the wilds of North Carolina and it is estimated that there are over 100 Red Wolves in the wild now. Another 165 or so are still in the captive breeding programs. Read the USFWS pamphlet to your right for more detailed information about this reintroduction.
　　

Red Wolf Reproduction
　　
Red Wolves tend to pair off with a mate for life. Once bonded, they breed once a year, usually in late winter. Gestation period is between 60 and 63 days. After this time, the female gives birth to between 2 - 6 pups. Both parents help raise the offspring who are mature enough to leave behind parental support at 6 months of age. Red Wolves in captivity can live up to 15 years old, however, there life span in the wild is somewhat shorter averaging around 6 - 7 years.
　　
Red Wolf Diet
　　
Unlike the Grey Wolf, the Red Wolf eats mainly small animals including rabbits, raccoons and rodents. Red Wolves will occasionally eat insects and berries. Because they are smaller than the Grey Wolf, large prey is difficult to capture and therefore it is rare for them to eat larger prey such as deer unless they have help from other wolves.
　　
Red Wolf Behaviour
　　
Red Wolves are shy and secretive animals and tend to hunt alone or in small packs that include the breeding adult pair (the alpha male and female) and their offspring. Size of the pack varies with the size depending on the availability of prey.
　　
A hierarchy of dominant and subordinate animals within the pack help it to function as a unit. Red wolves are primarily nocturnal and mainly active at night. They communicate by scent marking, vocalizations (including howling), facial expressions and body postures. . (For more information see Wolf Behaviour).
　　
In their historical range, red wolves were considered to be one of the most dominant predatorswithin their environment, only coming under threat from larger canines such as grey wolves or the occasional coyote. Human hunters wiped out the red wolf population in large parts of their natural range, and the population was finally thought to become extinct primarily due to habitatloss.
　　
Red wolves are usually able to reproduce by the time they are 2 years old and begin mating in the warmer spring months of February and March. The female red wolf gives birth to a litter of up to 10 cubs after a gestation period that lasts for around 60 days. Cubs are born blind and are nursed by the rest of the pack until they are able to hunt for themselves and either remain with their parents or leave to start a pack of their own.
　　
Today, the red wolf is no longer extinct in the wild since their reintroduction to North Carolina in 1987, and the population their is now thought to be just over 100 red wolf individuals. Nevertheless, the red wolf is still considered to be a critically endangered animal and is regarded as the 10th most endangered animal species in the world.
　　
While red wolves do live within family units they are not particularly receptive to other wolves stepping in to their territory and in an effort to deter foreign wolves from stepping in to their territory and reducing the availability of food they will mark territory with their scent – this process is done by urination on boundary trees. Within their family pack; however, the red wolf acts as a particularly attentive parent with the mother taking precautions to ensure the safety of her young. Even though the red wolf is a nurturing parent; however, it still feeds in a hierarchy with the older and stronger pack members eating first. Red wolves tend to eat alone with distinct portions of food designated to each individual in the pack. By establishing hierarchical order within the pack red wolves do not just make sure that each member of the pack knows its place in the social order but they also enable more fluid function of the pack as a whole. While the young within a pack move from their family pack to their own pack the parental units within the pack generally mate for life.
　　
But really, what is the big deal about saving the red wolf species? The red wolf is just one of two wolf species, the second species being the grey wolf. Within the red wolf species are three subspecies; the Canis rufus floridanus that went extinct in 1930, the Canus rufus gregoryi which went extinct in the wild in 1970 and the Canus rufus rufus which went extinct in the wild in 1980. It is the Canus rufus rufus that has been impacted by the reintroduction of red wolves in to North Carolina but even with increasing numbers the red wolf Canus rufus rufus species is still considered to be critically endangered. With only two subspecies of red wolf remaining and only two species of wolf remaining can the world really afford to miss this Canid species?

Without the wolves present it seems that prey numbers would still be maintained by other predators such as coyotes and black bears but what role did these creatures play in their ecosystems? Red wolves were top predators within their ecosystems that helped to manage the population of other mammals and even with other species taking over this role the lack of red wolves in the ecosystem would still leave a gap. This gap would result in the expansion of other animal populations which would topple the balance of the ecosystem. It is not just that the red wolf is an amazing animal that is worth keeping around simply so that other generations can enjoy its presence but it is also an animal worth keeping around because without it the health of other species and forest ecosystems will be at risk.

What Is The Cheetah Habitat Is A Natural Question

Cheetah is a member of the cat family. It is known for its speed, hence it is also known as the fastest land animal and can reach speeds of 112 to 120 kilometers per hour. It is also known to accelerate from 0 to 103 kilometers per hour in as short as 3 seconds. Do you realize it is much faster than the most of the fastest cars? With all their speeding abilities, it lacks climbing abilities. The name 'cheetah' is derived from a Sanskrit word, which means 'variegated body'. The name cheetah actually came into use through Hindi. The name given to the cheetah is appropriate, as cheetah in Hindi does mean the spotted one. Since they are known to have high bursts of speed, what is the cheetah habitat is a natural question, so that they are able to use their speeding abilities.

Cheetah Habitat Information

Previously the cheetahs were more widespread. One of the cheetah habitat facts, is that they inhabited as far as extreme east India and as north as Southern Kazakhstan. Ancient time fossils of cheetah have also been discovered from China. However with the depleting forest reserve and also with the declining number of these cats, cheetah habitats are indeed dwindling fast.

Today the cheetahs are almost limited to the sub-Saharan Africa. These animals are now mainly found in eastern Africa, around the border between southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They can also be seen in southern Africa, primarily in northern Namibia, Botswana and western Zambia. It is not that these cats are found in Africa. The largest population of cheetahs, estimated to be at 3000 is said to be in southern and eastern Africa in Namibia. Although in very small numbers, these cats can also be found in northeastern Iran and Northwest Afghanistan. Along with Iran and Afghanistan, they can also be found in northern India. The cheetahs found in India are also known as Asiatic cheetah.

To give a more specific answer to your query, about where do cheetahs live, is that they prefer to live in semi-desert areas, in the savannas, prairies, open woodlands and thick bush areas. Since they rely on their speed to hunt, and do not have good climbing abilities, they avoid dense forest areas. They can also be found in the plains. The cheetahs are known to make good use of elevation, such as termite mounds, etc, which dot the landscape and gain a good view of its territory and a potential good meal. You can plan to take a safari and visit the Namib and Kalahari deserts and to be more precise Masai Mara and Serengeti Parks to spot a cheetah.

The African population of the cheetahs is also threatened and is depleting, because of loss of habitat, which has resulted in decline in prey, poaching for various parts to be sold in the international market. And not to forget, that the cheetahs have been shot down as they become livestock predator, when they visit human settlements in search of food. Different conservation measures are being taken to avoid the cheetah from becoming an entry in the endangered species list. The mortality rate during the first three months after birth is as high as 90%, in spite of the precautions taken by the mother. The mother shifts the cubs to different locations every few days to keep them away from their predators such as a lion, hyena or leopard. Who are often able to sniff the cubs out, when the mother cheetah is out hunting for her meal. One of the cheetah facts is, that if the average is to be considered, less than one third of the cubs survive to become adults. In other words, if we are to see these animals in the future as well, apart from the care about the habitat and protect them from poaching, care will also have to be taken, to lower the mortality rate.

Now that you know, where do cheetahs live, are you planning to take an African safari and see these beautiful creatures with your eyes. It will certainly make for a dream come true, to watch a cheetah in action in its own habitat.

Border Collie Is A Dog That Does Best If He Has Something To Do

The Border collie comes from a long line of herding dogs that originated in Scotland and England. Almost all the purebred Border Collies that we know today can be traced back to a dog named Old Hemp.

Old Hemp lived back in the 1890's; he was a herding dog and what made him special was the fact that he had a unique way of herding sheep...this style quickly got the interest of the local shepherds and they all wanted him as a stud for their female dogs...so started the Border collie breed.

There was one other dog that became very famous, his name was Winston Cap; he sired not only Supreme Champions and grand-sired three others but this is also the dog that the International Sheep Dog Society badges portrays in the Border collie herding pose.

The Border Collies were at one time only known as "collies" although several other names have been used to describe the dog, such as old-fashioned collie and farm collie. The term Border collie came from the fact that both the ISDS and the Kennel Club had dogs named collie that came from basically the same blood lines, the only difference was the fact that the Kennel Club's collie had started to take on different characteristics, especially the ones bred to be in the show ring.

The Border collie has been bred for their ability to get the job done not for their appearance, that is why there is a wide range in looks when it comes to this beautiful dog.

Border collies are medium dogs that have a good double coat on them, the double coat can be anything from slick to almost too thick...black and white are by far the favorite colors when it comes to this breed, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other colors...you can find Border collies that are red and white, black and tan and white, you can also get a blue merle...one of the most rare colors is the pure white Border collie; but you can find them.... sometimes.

Border collie ears can be all the way down or all the way up...they can have eyes that are the same color or they can have eyes that are different colors (one eye of each color). Because the dogs that are bred for the show ring have to conform to the breed standard, they will all look the same.

One thing to note: in the show ring, scars that have been "earned" in the line of duty are not to be counted against the animal.

Border collies were bred to do nothing more than herd sheep...at first. These dogs excelled at sheep herding, they could receive direction from their shepherd by voice or whistle...these day they are used to herd a lot more animals then just sheep; the Border Collie is used to herd ostriches, pigs, cattle and poultry, they are also used to keep pest off the public land.

Did you know that the Border collie could do the work that normally would take three men to do? People have also tried to replace the Border collie with mechanical herders but most shepherds have realized that the Border collie is the more reliable of the two.

Because of the agility of the Border collie, they have proven themselves to be champions not only in agility competitions but also in jumping competitions and dancing, they have even been used in search and rescue...truly a dog that can do a little bit of everything.

Hip dysplasia and epilepsy are considered to be the most common problems in these dogs, that is why if you are considering on getting a Border collie it would be a lot easier on you and on your pocketbook if you would find a breeder that has a good reputation...good breeders set up a good breeding program and they work towards eliminating health problems that are typical to the breed.

The Border collie is a dog that does best if he has something to do, something to keep him occupied, it is because of this that he does not make the best apartment dog.

Always think everything through before you make an investment in an animal that will be there depending on you for the next 10 to 15 years