After a week of playing in the ocean, flying with beautiful coloured birds and risking our lives with a carnivorous caterpillar, I thought we would end with an even more bizarre animal. You just need to take one look at the Hammer-Headed Bat to realize it will be a fun animal to learn more about. I mean, just look at their head! To catch a glimpse of this megabit, we need to take a quick trip to equatorial Africa where will will find them hanging out around rivers, mangrove swamps, and palm forests. Now let’s find out why their head is shaped like a hammer.
That is One Big Nose
Only the male Hammer-Headed Bat is blessed with such a large head, which they use to create incredibly loud honking noises. The large nose, larynx and lips allow the male bat create sounds that are extremely resonant. The females on the other hand have a head that is about 3 times smaller than their male counterparts. In fact, their head looks more like a regular ol’ fruit bat. It is funny how the males are always the ones that have to go out of their way to try and impress their female friends.
Image Credit: www.davidhiggins.net
Pick Me, Pick Me
Competition for female attention is quite fierce in the Hammer-Headed Bat population. Typically, males will all gather together in a group, which can contain as many as 130 individuals, At this point the female will fly over and assess the entire group of males. She will pick her favourite by landing on a branch next to the lucky winner. I guess it is kind of like picking baseball teams when you were a kid…..I feel bad for the last bat that never gets picked, but I guess that is life. He will just need to go back and work on getting an even larger nose for next year.
The Deadly Megabat
The Hammer-Headed Bat is the largest bat in Africa with a wingspan between 686 to 970 mm (2.3 – 3.2 feet). Typically, the males are larger than the females, which makes sense since they need to be able to carry that big head around all day. Although, it may be tempting to go up and pet this large, hammer-headed creature, iyou need to realize that this particular bat species is one of the 3 fruit bats in Africa that carry the Ebola virus, without showing any symptoms. Not only are they huge but they can also be deadly!
After spending some time in the ocean, I thought we could shift gears today and head inland to this little island called Hawaii. Have you heard of it? Besides enjoying a nice relaxing day on the beach, we are going to head the forest to discover one of the most amazing caterpillars you will ever find. Of course I am talking about the unique Predatory Hawaiian Caterpillar. What makes this animal so unique? Well, they are one of the few caterpillars that are carnivores feeding on insects and snails. I guess they just couldn’t handle being a vegetarian any longer and had to switch.
Filling a Void
Actually, the Predatory Hawaiian Caterpillar evolved into a killing machine since that niche existed on the isolated islands of Hawaii. Normally, this particular niche would have been filled by a Praying Mantis or something similar. Since they don’t exist on the island, it provided the opportunity for this little caterpillar to adapt and take over their spot on the food chain. The question I have is, how in the world does a friendly, little caterpillar kill and eat other animals? Actually, their technique is pretty impressive.
Photo by Jane Memmott
A Deadly Attack
These Predatory Caterpillar’s have long, thin appendages on their abdomen which act as sensory organs. When an unsuspecting insect (and they would be unsuspecting because caterpillar’s eat plants, right?) touches these sensory appendages, our deadly caterpillar will bend back and quickly strike the confused insect. To make the Predatory Hawaiian Caterpillar even deadlier are their raptorial claws which they use to hold down any struggling prey items. They sound cruel, don’t they?
The Disappearing Caterpillar
If these caterpillars are so deadly, why do insects keep brushing up against them? Not only is the Predatory Hawaiian Caterpillar dangerous, they are also excellent at concealing themselves. They blend in perfectly with their vegetated forest so all they need to do is sit and wait until a clumsy snail knocks into the hungry caterpillar. In some cases, the Predatory Hawaiian Caterpillar has adapted their appearance to blend in with specific tree species, making them practically invisible. I guess if you are a small insect or a snail, life in Hawaii can be pretty tough – a lot tougher than just lazing around on the beach all day, that’s for sure.
Earlier this week, we were studying an intriguing deep sea creature known as the Frilled Shark. Today, we are heading back to the ocean where we will be discovering another bizarre animal, the Tripod Fish. We will talk about their name in a second but I am sure you can guess the reasoning from the picture. This particular fish is found anywhere in the ocean between the northern latitude of 40 degrees and the southern latitude of 40 degrees. For some reason, they just love hanging out in this middle zone. While we are swimming around the bottom of the ocean, you will want to take some pictures of this unique fish so make sure to grab your camera – oh, and don’t worry about bringing your tripod, there is one down there already.
Tripod Fish – The Fish With Legs
As you can tell the Tripod Fish has three long fin rays, two protruding from their pelvic fin while the third extends from the lower portion of their tail. Oddly enough, the Tripod Fish will simply stand on these “stilts” for most of their day. Why? It could be that they don’t like lying down on the icky ocean bottom but I think the more appropriate answer is, food! Yes, the motionless Tripod Fish will just stand their all day waiting for the current to bring shrimp and small fish into their zone.
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The Pelvic Fins Come in Handy
The Tripod Fish has tiny eyes that are absolutely useless at 4700 m (15,400 feet) below the surface of the ocean. So how do they know when dinner comes swimming by? Well, they use their pectoral fins much like we use our hands. When they feel a scrumptious snack drifting by, they will use their fins to knock the poor unsuspecting animal into their mouth. I guess you can’t blame the prey since I would never suspect a tripod of eating me.
Not Quite Love at First Sight
One of the issues when you live in the darkest depths of the ocean is finding a suitable mate. To solve this issue the Tripod Fish evolved into a hermaphrodite (both male and female sexual organs). This allows our tiny, deep sea fish to create offspring all on their own. Of course, if they do happen to swim into another Tripod Fish then they will mate the standard way. This is an interesting approach to love but I guess it works for the Tripod Fish.
Currently in the Northern hemisphere we are battling the dreary days of winter, so to help brighten up your day, we are going to learn about a colourful bird known as the Temminck’s Tragopan. As well, a nice trip to India, Japan or China to find this bird may also help with the winter blues. I should probably wait until we get to Asia before telling you that these beautiful birds prefer living at an altitude between 914 and 3,657 meters (3000 and 12000 feet) so it is going to be quite the hike. But I promise it will be worth it. So let’s grab our hiking boots, binoculars and oxygen tanks so we can start our trek to find one of the most stunning birds you will ever see.
Fashion Statement
You may be able to tell by looking at the Temminck’s Tragopan that they are a member of the pheasant family and probably the most beautiful pheasant species roaming the earth. The males are mostly a reddish-orange colour with the abdomen being brighter than their rump. For me, it is the fluorescent blue face that grabs my attention. Similarly, the male has a nice blue lappet (a flap on their head), however, this it is usually tucked away unless he is trying to impress a female friend. Like many other birds, the female tends to be a little more boring than their male counterpart. The colouring of the female is typically a dull brownish-grey with black marks.
Photo by Mat?j Ba?ha (Wikimedia)
Mating Display
So we found out that the male Temminck’s Tragopan will use a decorative head piece to show off for the ladies but it doesn’t stop there. This bird actually has a whole dance routine and surprisingly, they are much better dancers that I am….okay, maybe it isn’t that much of a surprise. Instead of explaining their mating display, I am going to show you. Check out the short video below to see some pretty nifty dance moves.
Not too bad, eh?
Temminck’s Tragopan Fast Fact
You would never know from watching the video but the Temminck’s Tragopan is typically a solitary bird, with the obvious exception of mating season. As well, they are more arboreal (likes trees) than most other pheasants.
That does it for today’s Wild Fact. I hope your dull winter day is a little brighter!
Reports of Loch Ness Monster sightings are most likely going to increase after today’s Wild Fact. Yes, the Frilled Shark has often been referred to as a “Real Life Loch Ness Monster” or simply a “Sea Serpent” but the truth is, they are just a really old and odd looking shark. In fact, they are so old that they have also be referred to as “living fossils”. How old? Researchers believe the Frilled Shark first existed about 95 to 150 million years ago. This would mean the Frilled Shark most likely had play dates with the Dinosaurs! So are you excited to go and find one of these “living fossils” or what?
The Loch Ness Monster?
Although this particular shark is rather uncommon there have been scattered reports of their existence all around the world. Some places they have been found include, the Eastern Atlantic around Norway, Ireland and Scotland (can you say Loch Ness Monster?), the western Pacific around Japan and Australia and in the Eastern Pacific around California and Hawaii. These reports are uncommon simply because this crazy old Sea Serpent prefers to stay about 500 to 1000 meters (1640 – 3280 feet) below the surface. Personally, I would prefer these creepy looking sharks to be at these depths than hanging around the wading areas at the beach.
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One Mean Looking Shark
We can’t have a Wild Fact about the Frilled Shark and not mention their physical appearance. They basically have the body of an eel but their head, with 300 trident-shaped teeth, are definitely all shark. Just behind all those teeth are a set of 6 “Frilled” gills, which obviously leads to the common name of this incredibly bizarre shark. The way the fins are organized on this shark leads to a odd looking tail, which has been compared to the wings of a throwing dart. I think the best way to fully appreciate the appearance of the Frilled Shark is to watch a short video about them.
Absolutely amazing, aren’t they?
Frilled Shark Fast Fact
The Frilled Shark may have one of the longest gestation periods in the world. Believe it or not, researchers think that the Frilled Shark as a gestation period between three and three and a half years! Could you imagine being pregnant for 3.5 years? I personally can’t imagine being pregnant for 9 months, let along over 3 years. I guess we need to be thankful that we didn’t evolve from the Frilled Shark.
I hope you enjoyed today’s lesson on a living fossil. Have a great day and I will see you tomorrow for another fun and exciting Wild Fact.
Don’t you just love Fridays? Not only do you get to sit back and enjoy the weekend but you also get to learn about the incredible Blue-Eyed Black Lemur! This lemur, also known as the Sclater’s Lemur, is typically found throughout the forests on the north-western tip of Madagascar. Until recently the Blue-Eyed Black Lemur was classified as a sub-species of the Black Lemur. In 2008, a decision was made to recognize today’s animal as an unique species. You will notice that they look similar to the Black Lemur but they are pretty easy to tell apart. Just look at the eyes. One species has an orange-red eye colour while another has blue eyes. I will let you figure out which is which .
Battle of the Sexes
The Blue-Eyed Black Lemur has a characteristic not normally found throughout the primate world. The males and females are completely different colours. The males are typically a solid black while the females tend to be a reddish-brown colour. I will let you pick which variety you like best. Personally, I think the dark black colour really contrasts the amazing blue eyes but what do I know about fashion? Incidentally there are only a few primates known to have blue eyes, so this should make the Blue-Eyed Black Lemur that much more special.
Photo by Anrie (Wikimedia)
Are You On Facebook?
Like other lemur’s this particular species is a social animal living in groups between 2 and 15 individuals with group sizes between 7 and 10 being the most common. To communicate with each other the Blue-Eyed Black Lemur will use scent marking, vocalizations, facial expressions and from time to time, they will write romantic poems. Yes, I am just kidding about the poems. Similar to other lemur’s the use of scent marking is probably their most important form of communication with both males and females using their anal glands to mark their territory. The males will also use wrist and palm glands by twisting twigs, leaves and branches. Unfortunately, I am not fluent in Lemur Scent Communication so I would have know idea what the little guys are trying to tell me, which I am sure would be frustrating for them.
Well that does it for this week of Wild Facts. Enjoy the weekend and make sure you tune in on Monday for another interesting animal.
Today’s Wild Fact may be creepy but I promise it won’t bite……on second thought, it probably will bite a little. The Rabid Wolf Spider is known to be rather aggressive, however, they are not typically dangerous to humans. This is a good thing since they are one of the most common spiders found throughout the United States. Although, they are typically found on the western side towards Texas, they have been spotted as far east as Maine and Florida….which is pretty much as far east as you can go. So is anyone up for a quick trip to the States to find one of these magnificent creatures? How come it’s always harder to get people to come on a spider expedition then it is for something cute like a monkey?
What’s My Name!?
The Rabid Wolf Spider probably has one of the coolest names in the Animal Kingdom. They received this wicked name as a result of their hunting ability. Apparently, this spider prefers to hunt their prey, which includes crickets, ants, grasshoppers and other spiders, by slowly stalking them from a distance over a certain period of time. Yes, this is a similar hunting strategy that wolves and wild dogs employ, hence the name. I am guessing the “Rabid” tag was added on as a result of their aggressive nature but this is just my own hypothesis.
E.R. Degginger / Color-Pic, Inc.
A Grumpy Spider
As mentioned, the Rabid Wolf Spider is one of the most common spiders in the United States of America and as such they have adapted to a wide variety of environments. This particular spider has a tough time staying in one location and is known to wander from spot to spot for most of their lives. As a result, they have a lot of interactions with humans and other spiders. Perhaps, this is why they are so aggressive – they are just tired from traveling and want to get to their “next” home without being bothered. The Rabid Wolf Spider is often preyed on by larger animals such as dogs, cats, snakes and other wolf spiders, which means they need to be cautious when traveling around the country. This is why you will typically find these spiders under bushes and throughout the litter of the forest floor – they are trying to hide, so make sure you don’t take them out of their awesome hiding spot.
That does it for today’s Wild Fact. I hope you enjoyed learning about the impressive Rabid Wolf Spider.
Today is a great day for the people looking forward to the weekend. Yes, you have made it over the hump and it is all smooth sailing from here on out. To make the trip to the weekend even better, I figured we would take our own trip. You have a few places to choose from including India, Nepal, Myanmar, Taiwan and southern China. All of these places will provide you with the opportunity to witness the intriguing but endangered Chinese Pangolin. Personally, I think I am going to take a trip to Nepal, which place did you choose for you mid-week getaway?
The Shy Type
We may have a difficult time spotting a Chinese Pangolin, not only because their population is rapidly decreasing but because they tend to be nocturnal, solitary creatures that are rarely seen. Nonetheless, we should probably go over what they look like just in case we get lucky. The Chinese Pangolin specializes in feasting on ants and termites and as such, dictates their appearance. They have strong, powerful claws capable of digging through a termite mound as well as long, sticky tongues which are perfect for licking up all of those tasty insects. Their body is composed of large scales, which act as an amazing self-defence mechanism. Anytime the Chinese Pangolin is threatened, they will simply roll up in a ball leaving nothing exposed.
Distribution Map - Photo by Chermundy (Wikimedia)
Nocturnal Hunters
As mentioned, the Chinese Pangolin is a solitary animal that spends the majority of their day sleeping in a burrow. As night falls, they leave the comfort of their underground home to look for those tasty ants and termites. Hunting at night doesn’t really bother the Chinese Pangolin since their eyesight is not very good to begin with. Nope, this intriguing animal relies heavily on their sense of smell, which is typically impacted by the dark! Surprisingly, these armoured animals are capable of climbing trees and are actually good swimmers.
Poached Pangolin
As mentioned, the population of the Chinese Pangolin is decreasing as a result of human hunting. Apparently the meat of the Chinese Pangolin is a delicacy while their skin, scales and blood is often used in Chinese medicine. Fortunately, this particular animal is getting some protection through CITES which is attempting to stop the export of any wild Chinese Pangolins. Unfortunately, this International legislation does not seem to be enough to stop human poaching so their population is still at risk.
That does it for Wednesday’s Wild Fact. I hope you enjoyed learning about the Chinese Pangolin. See you tomorrow for another interesting animal species.
Photograph by Merlin D. Tuttle/Bat Conservation-International Inc.
There was such a positive response to the Tube Nosed Fruit Bat that I thought we should examine another adorable bat. Today’s featured animal is the Ozark Big-Eared Bat. Okay, so maybe our little Yoda Bat was cuter but this one is just as interesting. I am not sure if this bat likes being referred to as the “Big-Eared Bat” so perhaps we should call them by one of their other names. They are also known as the Western Big-Eared Bat, the Long-Eared Bat and finally the Lump-Nosed Bat. Hmmm… none of these names are very flattering, are they? Poor little bat must have a tough life. Let’s find out by heading to the caves of southern, central United States to observe this endangered bat in their natural habitat.
Elves of the Bat World?
After looking at the names of this unique bat, it is obvious that the Ozark Big-Eared Bat is defined by their incredibly large ears and lumpy nose. Interestingly enough, the body length of this bat is only about 10 cm (4″) long, however, their ears typically extend to a length of 2.5 cm (1′). That may not seem that large but proportionally, it would be equivalent to a 6′ tall human having ears that extend more than a foot and a half. The ears of the Big-Eared Bat are usually held straight up, however, during hibernation some bats will coil their ears similar to a ram’s horn. I have absolutely no idea why they do this!
Photo from Wikimedia
Follow Your Nose
Besides the ears, the Lump-Nosed Bat also has….well…. a lumpy nose. Technically, the lumps are facial glands that oddly enough, resemble a pair of mittens. I guess the Ozark Big-Eared Bat is prepared for a cold winter. Another large feature of the Big-Eared Bat that seems to be forgotten is their wingspan. This particular bat species has a wingspan that measures between 30 and 34 cm (12 to 13 inches), which is quite impressive for such a small animal.
Population Dwindling
Unfortunately, human activity has caused the population numbers of the Ozark Big-Eared Bat to reduce dramatically. It is believed that there are only 1800 of these bats remaining in the wild. Luckily, conservationist are working diligently to reduce human disturbance, which may help the population rebound. Bats play a huge role in any ecosystem, so preserving them should be of utmost importance.
Thanks for checking out today’s Wild Fact. Enjoy the rest of your day and I will see you tomorrow for another fun and exciting animal.
After ending last week with an interesting Wild Fact on the newly discovered Montane Mouse, I thought we would start this week with the typical nemesis of any mouse…..a cat! Wait! What do you mean the Ring-Tailed Cat is not actually a furry feline? That’s right, the Ring-Tailed Cat is not really a cat. So if they are not part of the feline family, what kind of animal are they? Take a minute to guess, I will give you the answer soon. To help you figure out what family this animal belongs to, you may want to take a trip to a nice desert-like area of North America such as Arizona, California or even Texas to get a closer look.
What Am I?
Okay, so did you figure out what the Ring-Tailed Cat really is? Did you guess a lemur? Perhaps the canine family? While these would have been good guesses the real answer is obvious once you hear it. The Ring-Tailed Cat is actually a member of Procyonidae family! See, I told you it was obvious once you hear it. In case you were wondering, the Procyonidae family is also known as the “Raccoon” family. This makes a lot of sense when you look at the face of this adorable desert “cat”.
The Perfect Climber
Would you believe me if I told you that this desert animal has several adaptations that make them phenomenal climbers? It’s true! For starters, they have an incredibly long tail that provides them with amazing balance. Secondly, their ankle joint is capable of rotating more than 180 degrees, which makes them a very agile climber. So why in the world would a desert animal need to be a good climber in a desert? This is a great question.
Photo by Robertbody (Wikimedia)
A Real Cliffhanger
Although, their habitat may lack trees, it does have a lot of rocky cliffs and embankments that the Ring-Tailed Cat loves living in. The Ring-Tailed Cat may be one of the best rock climbers in the Animal Kingdom. For instance, these animals have been known to shimmy up crevices by placing their back against one wall with all four feet against the other as they climb at a 90 degree angle. If that doesn’t impress you, they have also been known to perform cartwheels using their long, balancing tail. I can’t even do a cartwheel so that amazes me.
Well, I hope you enjoyed today’s Wild Fact on the misleading Ring-Tailed Cat. Enjoy the rest of your day and I will see you tomorrow for another exciting animal fact.
Welcome to my ongoing project to provide you with 1000 Animal Facts. Every week-day I will provide a new and interesting animal fact counting down from 1000. My goal is to hopefully educate the young and old alike about the interesting adaptations of the animal kingdom. As well, I am hoping people will gain a greater appreciation of the animals we share earth with. If you have any questions, please feel free to use the Contact form or leave a comment.
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