Wild Facts

Photo by Dawson (Wikimedia)

Welcome to a monumental Wild Fact. You may have noticed that we are officially at the half-way mark of our little Wild Facts project. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm up to this milestone. It has been an incredible journey so far and we are just getting started. So buckle up and enjoy the next 500 Animal Facts! To celebrate the mid-point we are going to learn about a cuddly animal called the Sugar Glider. Before we glide through the rest of the Wild Facts, let’s take a quick trip to Australia to check out the Sugar Glider.

As mentioned, the Sugar Glider is native to Australia and New Guinea but can be found in homes throughout the world. That’s right, these lovable little creatures are very popular among pet owners. In fact, they are some of the most common pets that are being plucked out of their natural habitat and illegally traded. Don’t worry though, there are plenty of breeders that will provide the Sugar Glider to you legally but make sure you check your appropriate laws before rushing out and buying one. So before you buy your children a new pet, we should probably find out what they are, right?

Photo by Anke Meyring (Wikimedia)

Of course we should.

The Sugar Glider is a gliding possum that has a long, partially prehensile tail, which is quite important for these little critters.  Even though they live in a warm climate, this little marsupial still has a beautiful, soft fur coat that is usually a blue-grey colour; however, some individuals like to be different so they will mix things up with a yellow or tan coloured coat. Okay, it is time to learn about the most interesting feature of the Sugar Glider. In order to glide long distances, they have a thin membrane that stretches out from their fifth finger to their ankle. When they properly utilize this membrane the Sugar Glider is capable of gliding distances of 100 m (300′) as they go from tree to tree. Remember that long, partially prehensile tail I mentioned earlier? Well it is basically their steering wheel while in flight as they use it to stabilize themselves, steer and even land. Maybe we can start a project where we count down a 1000 uses for a tail!

Sugar Glider Fast Fact – The Sugar Glider is playful when hanging out with their own family but the minute you introduce a non-clan member or another animal, they will become fierce attackers. As well, the dominant male in the group will typically scent mark his clan members and their territory. That seems a little possessive but whatever works, right?

I guess we are now officially on the downside of our countdown. I hope you enjoyed the first 500 Facts and I look forward to interacting with all of you as we make our way to zero.

Photo by Charles Miller (Wikimedia)

Well, we have made it to the middle of another week and our reward on this beautiful Wednesday is a look into the life of the Golden Lion Tamarin.  I hope you were not expecting money or candy?!? Trust me, today’s Wild Fact will be an awesome treat.   How can it not when we are learning about a small monkey, which is native to the rainforests of Brazil.  Not only do we get to play with monkey’s but we get to go on a sweet road trip.  Who is up for a quick trip to South America?

Unfortunately, there are only about 1000 Golden Lion Tamarins’ left in the wild so we will have to keep our eyes peeled if we want to catch a glimpse of this endangered species.  You can probably tell from the picture how this tiny primate ended up with their name.  Not only do they have a beautiful golden coloured coat but they also have a thick mane that looks oddly reminiscent of a Lion.  So do you need to be worried that this lion-like monkey will attack you while roaming through the forests of Brazil?

Photo by Mistvan (Wikimedia)

Nah, of course not.  These social monkey’s tend to feed on fruit, insects, small mammals and of course reptiles.  Considering the Golden Lion Tamarin  is only about 33.5 cm (8″) tall, you don’t have much to worry about.  Besides, these animals are far too busy taking care of their family to bother you.  Believe it or not, it is the male that is responsible for most of the rearing duties.  Wait a minute! Why is that so hard to believe?  You will often see the males carrying the little ones on their back.  You know what, humans are not that different since I still remember my dad carrying me up the stairs like a “sack of potatoes”.  The mother is smart to hand over the rearing duties to “dad” since the Golden Lion Tamarin typically has twins.  Nothing better than a 2 for 1 deal.

Wow!  That Wild Fact seemed to go by way to quick.  I hope you enjoyed a little bit of monkey fun today.  Have a great day!

As promised, I am providing all of my readers with the link to the Segment of Daily Planet which featured Wild Facts.  I want to thank all of you for reading and supporting Wild Facts.  It feels great knowing that people are actually enjoying this passion of mine.

So sit back, grab some popcorn and tune into the Daily Planet.  Don’t worry, this particular clip is only 1.18 minutes. Although, I do encourage all of you to watch Daily Planet on a regular basis since it really is an incredible show.

Okay, here is the link:

Daily Planet – March 9, 2010 – Wild Facts

Hi Everyone,

I plan on heading over to Alaska for the weekend but before I go I wanted to post the new changes to the website. In an attempt for the website to look more “wild” I have tried changing the theme.  I would really appreciate any comments on the new look.  I still have some fine tuning to complete but I would love to hear what my readers have to say about the site!

Just a reminder to check out Lee’s Photoblog at http://wildlife.aminus3.com/ .  On Saturday, the photo will be related to the most recent Wild Fact.  You won’t be disappointed with his photos!

Thanks!

Nathan