https://www.marylewey.com/about daily 0.75 2025-05-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/ff5d810f-209b-46f3-a513-b543b4193def/Mary+Lewey+Artist about https://www.marylewey.com/contact daily 0.75 2025-05-04 https://www.marylewey.com/iwt-mammalia daily 0.75 2020-04-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521759817898-DZMLFKD932GVSIU3FVUP/228+Aardvark.jpg mammalia - earth pig Here is one of the most curious animals in the world. South Africans call it the earth pig. It has the snout of a pig, the body of a kangaroo, and the ears of a mule. And it digs underground burrows like a mole! Aardvarks are found in non-forested areas of central and southern Africa, preferably where there is a sandy or clay soil. This solitary, nocturnal animal sleeps during the day in its burrow. At nightfall it goes out to hunt for food. It cannot run quickly and is, therefore, cautious and fearful. If it senses the slightest danger, it stops, supports itself on its strong tail, and quickly digs a shelter in which to hide. It is so strong that it can dig such a shelter in a few minutes, escaping in this way from most of its enemies. Its hearing and sense of smell are well developed. Termites and ants are the aardvark's preferred food. It destroys their nests with the long, sharp claws of its forefeet and then collects the insects with its sticky tongue. It swallows them by the hundreds until it is satisfied. If it does not return to its own burrow, the aardvark will dig a new one, where it will spend the day. Each year, in October or November, the female gives birth to a hairless baby. The young stays in the burrow for two weeks, after which it goes out with its mother. At the age of six months, it is strong enough to dig its own shelter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507433601-VO51DSMW1MHLRMUOBFTG/229+Aardwolf.jpg mammalia - hunter of insects and carrion The aardwolf is one of the hairiest and least attractive animals of southeastern and central Africa. Somewhat smaller than a fox, it has the typical profile of a hyena, with humped back and low hindquarters. Unlike that of the hyena, its hump has a mane of long, bristly hair. Some characteristics (pointed nose and long, wide-spaced ears) led zoologists of the last century to think the aardwolf was a larger civet. It differs from the hyena in its teeth and the number of its toes. Hyenas have strong, grinding molars and four toes on each foot. The aardwolf has small molars, spaced quite far apart, and a fifth toe on each hind foot. The aardwolf is an incompletely evolved carnivore, in that it has become an insect eater without giving up entirely the carrion-eating habits of its family. It survives with difficulty in an environment of savannas (open grassy woodlands and plains), where most predators are very specialized. It is, therefore, strictly protected from Somalia to the Cape of Good Hope. The aardwolf hunts only at night. It is the last one--after the lion, the hyena, the jackal, and the vulture--to attack the body of a larger animal already killed by a lion or wolf. By day it sleeps in the debris of the piles of dry earth that are the giant nests of termites. These termites are the aardwolf's principal food. Bantu sorcerers used to think that the aardwolf was a fearful messenger of death. It does sometimes dig up dead animals but only to feed on the insects in their carcasses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507434718-7H7HQJZFSY69Y25BDVKY/230+Abyssinian+Cat.jpg mammalia - living image of the sacred cats of egypt // sold The first domestic cats appeared in Egypt about 2500 B.C. They were important as hunters of rats and birds that fed on the Egyptian grain supply. So important were cats that a holy cult was established in their honor. Like the Pharaohs these sacred animals were mummified, represented on the friezes of tombs and temples, and carved as statues. There are many bronzes depicting the cat-goddess Bast. Only one of the domestic cats now in existence bears a striking resemblance, in manner and appearance, to the cat-goddess of Egypt. That one is the Abyssinian cat. This likeness, however, does not prove that the Abyssinian is of Egyptian origin. As a matter of fact, its first appearance was in England in 1868! It may have been the descendant of a cat brought home from Ethiopia by a British diplomat. The Abyssinian is shy and gentle, slow to become fond of its master or mistress. But once its friendship is given, it becomes playful and even mischievous. It needs lost of space for exercise. There are two kinds of Abyssinians, different in coat color. One is a light brown, with varied color in each hair. It is almost speckled, from very light to very dark. The fur of the other is a warm auburn red. Its chest is a lighter apricot color. The Abyssinian's large eyes are yellow, green, or hazel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507435110-XZVL12CQ5TIYYUDN6QYA/231+African+Black+Rhinoceros.jpg mammalia - two horns and a bad disposition This animal is the most widespread of African rhinoceroses. It has a large body and short, strong legs. Its neck is fuller than its head. Its front horn, about 30 inches long, curves back. The rear horn is smaller and almost straight. If the horns are broken off, they grow back but not in the same shape. The black rhinoceros lives alone or in small herds of four to ten animals. It is not very friendly. Its habitual indifference to its surroundings, except for food, can give way to destructive fury. It fears nothing. Even the largest animals hesitate to attack it, protected as it is by its very thick skin. It is easy to escape its two-horned, 4,400-pound charge by jumping sideways when it is 10 or 15 paces away. It will miss its target. Its lowered head sees only straight in front of it, and it will lose sight of its enemy. On flat terrain it sometimes runs along with raised head, but usually moves slowly. It is a good swimmer and likes damp places. The black rhino needs a daily mud bath to protect it from biting insects. The cattle egret is its friend. This bird will sometimes sit on the rhinoceros' back, feeding on the insects that torment it. The egret also acts as a sentinel. The black rhinoceros feeds on grasses and young branches. Its skin looks smooth. But, close up, it is seen to be a wrinkled tangle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507435556-1QAGGO5WVP14Q5JGMZ0K/232+African+Elephant.jpg mammalia - bulldozer of the animal world No, it was neither a hurricane nor a battering ram that knocked over or pulled up those trees of the savanna (tropical, grassy woodlands). It was just a herd of elephants passing through in search of water. These bulldozers of the animal world are endowed with extraordinary strength. If they cannot break off a branch, they just pull up the whole tree. There is no vandalism involved. The African elephant is a peaceable animal that never attacks unless it feels that it is in danger. But it lives in its own way. A small action for the elephant can be a disaster for men! The African elephant differs from its Asiatic brother in its larger size and its characteristically big ears. There are about 100,000 elephants in the tropical regions of Africa, especially in the Sudan, Guinea, and Rhodesia. They live in herds consisting of several families. The herd is usually led by an old female. This pachyderm loves baths and gives itself long showers with its trunk. To get rid of parasites that get under its skin, it rolls in the mud and sprinkles itself with dust before lying in the sun. The female bears one calf at a time after a gestation period of 20 months. The young elephant is carefully watched over by all members of the herd. They spend long years on its education. They protect it in case of danger and help it over such difficulties as the crossing of a river. It is not considered an adult until it is about 18 years old. Unlike the Indian elephant the African elephant is not easily trained to work for men. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507435866-TP20CG282MSEO1JU82B6/233+African+Wild+Cat.jpg mammalia - an ill-defined species The African wild cat looks like an "alley cat" and has almost as varied a coat. Some experts claim that this variability is the result of frequent crossings between domestic cats of many regions and authentic African cats which were slightly larger than their domestic cousin and had a skull of a different size and shape. This African cat, which was domesticated by the ancient Egyptians, is believed to be, along with the pallas cat of Asia, the second most important ancestor of the modern domestic cat. With so many cross-breedings, it isn't surprising that there is some confusion about the exact definition of this species. The African wild cat has been found all over the African continent and into southern Asia, except in tropical forestland. It lives in dry regions, especially thorny savanna, and its range extends quite far into deserts such as the Sahara. The least cross-bred populations of such cats are apparently found in southern Africa, in Angola and Zimbabwe. As might be expected in a hot and dry climate, the African wild cat is active chiefly at dusk. It is then that it hunts. The cat is not choosy: when there are no birds or rodents to hand, it eats lizards and even various kinds of insects. During the daytime, the African wild cat rests in the shade, either in one of the abandoned burrows that aardvarks so obligingly make available to many African species, or else simply in a thicket. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507436510-ZKRM8XZZS1A8WPYKIE9Z/234+Agouti.jpg mammalia - a small nervous creature This little mammal looks like an oversized guinea pig with long legs. It lives in Central and South America, from Mexico to Peru and Brazil. It generally spends the day in its burrow with its family, going out to look for food at night. The agouti is vegetarian, feeding on fruit and leaves. It often buries food for future use. But beware! Although it seems timid, the agouti is nervous and touchy and can be a fierce fighter. In the face of danger there is nothing it will not do, even leading its fellows over a steep cliff to a collective suicide. The female, after a gestation period of three months, gives birth to two or three young at a time. While the little ones are in the nest, the father is not permitted to come near. Agoutis escape from their meat-eating enemies by the speed of their flight rather than by hiding in their burrows. Without great effort they can jump as far as 20 feet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507436846-XOM39ZQGCV7VA6ZRJ17W/235+Alpaca.jpg mammalia - smoother than sheep but much less tame The alpaca is a domesticated animal. It is the result of selective breeding of llamas to achieve the highest quality of wool. It lives in flocks, like sheep, in the vicinity of Lake Titicaca is South America. About two million alpaca are found there. But this elegant, grass-eating animal is not as tame as it looks. Of the same family as the camel and the vicuna, it has a touchy, obstinate nature. Neither threats nor caresses have any effect on the alpaca. To catch one for shearing is no easy matter. Its soft, silky fleece can be as long as four inches. It is usually of one color--white, brown, or black--but is sometimes mixed. This fleece has long been highly valued for its warmth and lightness. The Incas used it for fabrics and clothing. The white man intensified the breeding of the alpaca for the material that has the same name. Today "alpaca" is often made from ordinary wool and synthetic material. The alpaca lives all year on the humid plateaus of the Cordillera range of the Andes in Peru in Bolivia. It leaves its pastures only at shearing time, when it is led, noisily protesting, into the villages. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507437769-FVW4836IAL0E46RE779W/236+Alpine+Goat.jpg mammalia - a lover of freedom! Goats have been domesticated by man for over seven thousand years. But domestic goats have kept their love for freedom. They will run wild if they can break their tethers or escape from their enclosures. The Alpine goat, usually fawn-colored and black-bearded, often has no horns. It is bred for its very rich milk, which is used in making many kinds of delicious cheese. During the mating season domesticated females may mate with wild he-goats. The period of gestation is five months, and two kids are born at a time. Kids are valued for their skin, from which fine leather (kid) is made. Goats feed on foliage, mosses, and lichens. They crop closely and are very destructive of vegetation. When goats leave a pasture, nothing remains but bare and unproductive soil. The Alpine goat is a good climber. In its wild state it stays high in the mountains in summer and is hard to catch. The American mountain goat, which lives in the Rockies, belongs to a different species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507437851-ANSJ2YR8V5HBH6GRK71Y/237+Alticamelus.jpg mammalia - "tall camel" The earliest forms of the modern-day camel--existing some 50 million years ago--were about the size of a rabbit. But several later branches of those early camels reached a much greater height. Alticamelus (al-te-ke-MEE-les) was one of the most unusual among these. It stood 18 feet tall and probably looked somewhat like a giraffe. Fossil remains indicate that Alticamelus had a long neck, narrow legs, though its back was level and without a slope in the direction of its tail. Alticamelus browsed on high-growing leaves near plains, like the modern-day giraffe. Alticamelus had sharp, narrow hooves with two padded toes. This structural adaption permitted Alticamelus to walk with ease on sandy ground just as the modern-day camel does. Unlike the camel of today, Alticamelus lacked a hump for storing food. In fact, scientists believe that Alticamelus developed on a different line from the ancestors of modern-day camels. Modern-day camels appear to have evolved from a branch of the camel family much shorter in height than Alticamelus. Living 20 million years ago, Alticamelus spread from Asia to North America. It would appear from fossil evidence that the ice age then wiped out this early mammal, and it left no descendants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507441546-609B7QZWT19NXMVHVJYA/238+American+Badger.jpg mammalia - a real carnivore Unlike the Eurasian badger, which supplements its diet with fruit and hazelnuts, the American badger is solely carnivorous. It feeds mainly on rodents which it catches by tearing open their burrows with its powerful claws. The American badger is widespread in the whole of the west and center of the United States, as well as in southern Canada. Unlike its Old World cousin, whose habitat is restricted to forest, the American badger prefers open country. The two species look very similar, the only difference being the markings on their heads. The European badger has a white head with two very distinct black stripes running down from its ears to the sides of its snout. The head of its American relation is mainly dark, with narrower and less straight white markings. The rest of its body is covered with very thick, rather coarse hair of a grayish red color. The American badger is a shy, nocturnal animal that has few enemies. When threatened, it puffs itself up and seems to double in size. And if the attacker isn't daunted by this display, it will discover, perhaps to its cost, that the badger can defend itself fiercely, bite nastily, and use the formidable claws on its forelegs with considerable skill. Mating takes place in autumn; but the embryos do not begin to grow until the end of winter, and the young are born in the spring, in their mother's sett, when she has finished hibernating. She suckles them for six weeks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507441779-496QV9W8MHN75NHKLT5T/239+American+Bison.jpg mammalia - the victim of buffalo bill Centuries were needed to wipe out the European bison. But a few dozen years were all that it took for the almost complete disappearance of the American variety, more familiarly known to many as the buffalo. More than fifty million bison lived in North America before the coming of the whites. Bison were the favorite game of Indian hunters; many tribes depended on them almost completely for food, clothing, and shelter. In 1880 fewer than one thousand remained. Their disappearance was closely tied to the building of the transcontinental railroad. Their meat was food for the workers; their hides, carried in trains to large cities, made the fortunes of the hunters. The best known of these men hunted so much and so well that he became known as Buffalo Bill. Larger and more powerful than his European cousin, the American bison prefers open prairies to damp forests. In the spring, before mating season, the bison sheds its coat, changing from a bright brown to a gray-brown. In the month of May, before the calves are born, the herd divides into three groups: females, males, and young animals up to two years old. The future mothers then isolate themselves to give birth. Today the buffalo hers have made a strong comeback in the parks and preserves of the U.S.A. and Canada. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507471193-S5Z4N986HO188Z6DTRVE/240+American+Mastodon.jpg mammalia - american mastodon // sold https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507471277-M5T59R97LOXO3M7BLQPI/241+Angwantibo.jpg mammalia - specialized hunter ...very quick, and fond of insects, the angwantibo specializes in hunting caterpillars. Having a very keen sense of smell, it finds them by their odor. Some caterpillars are covered with stinging hairs, but that doesn't bother the angwantibo. It scrapes them, stretches them out, and skins them before swallowing them. It makes no sound except for groaning or hissing when frightened. It holds to branches so tightly that it is very hard to make it loosen its grip. Observations of the angwantibo in captivity have shown that its hands will grasp the bars of a cage with a reflex motion like that of a bird's claws. This small, tailless primate is very sensitive to noise. It moves about at night, very quietly, in the brushwood and forests of equatorial Africa. It can even, when in danger, move with motions so slow as to be imperceptible. In this way it escapes its carnivorous enemies, which find monkeys by watching for the disturbance of leaves in the trees. Each angwantibo lives apart from its fellows and, in spite of its small size, has a large territory (several acres). With its close relative the potto, also African, it resembles the loris of Asia. These three animals form the family of lorisidae. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507471654-G9DD6S4BL7U6KXZQRMIO/242+Anteater.jpg mammalia - hiding in the treetops... The anteater pictured on this card is the dwarf or silky anteater, one of several South American species. This one is hard to find. No larger than a squirrel, it lives in remote tropical forests. It spends its days sleeping, curled up high in the trees. It moves only at night, and then not very much. And it never comes to the ground. Although a tree-dweller, it has no thumb. Each hand has only two fingers, but it also has strong, curving claws that make grasping easy. In addition, the silky anteater is helped to be at home in the trees by a strong, prehensile tail, longer than its body. This tail also steadies the silky anteater when it uses its claws for defense or to dig out ant and termite nests. This is its only food. Its mouth is larger and its snout shorter than those of other anteaters. The silky anteater lives alone except during the mating season. The single baby is cared for by both parents. It is fed first on milk, then on an insect broth regurgitated by the parents. The young anteater rides on its parents' backs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507471801-SJ9BATPDE7HN9JNA596S/243+Arabian+Horse.jpg mammalia - the ancestor of race horses The Bedouins have been breeding horses for a very long time, and the Arabian is doubtless the oldest domestic breed that still exists in its original state. However, the Europeans were slow to take an interest in the horse and to import it. The most striking example of that attitude was what happened when the sultan gave an Arabian stallion to the French King Louis XIV. At that time in France, it was thought that a Roman nose was the mark of a "fine horse." Arabian horses, on the contrary, have a slightly concave face and a slightly raised nose with wide nostrils. The King, then, lost no time in getting rid of his gift, and the horse ended up, a little later, pulling a water-carrier's cart. One day it was noticed by a passer-by, who happened to be the English racehorse breeder, Darley. The horse was dubbed Darley Arabian, and in 1704 became the second Arabian stallion ever imported to England. It sired the most celebrated racehorse of all time, Eclipse. Eclipse is one of the three stallions from which all "English" thoroughbreds are descended. The Arabian thoroughbred horse is now bred in many countries all over the world. It is rather small and very high-spirited horse, which can be gray, chestnut, or bay. Its chest is broad and deep, its back short, its neck slightly arched, and its head high. The Arab's limbs are lean, strong, and sinewy. Although less powerful than the Anglo-Arab thoroughbred, the Arab is just as elegant as a horse, and the ease and nimbleness of its gallop are legendary. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507473598-29F8BX11HLMIIS9GQY7Z/244+Arctic+Fox.jpg mammalia - a good winter costume What careless hunter could overlook that beautiful white-furred catch lying on the frozen ground? A bird comes close to have a look. In a flash the pretended corpse is on its feet. With one leap the rash intruder is caught and swallowed. This is only one of the many tricks the Arctic fox uses to catch its food in the frozen northlands of Canada, Greenland, and Siberia. It feeds on rodents when it can find them. But more often it must be satisfied with dead animals and scraps washed up on the banks of rivers and lakes. The Arctic fox has another favorite way of getting food. If a hunters' camp is well supplied with tempting food, dried meat and other provisions will disappear after the secret visit of this hungry animal. The Arctic fox lives as far south as the 60th parallel. Its white winter fur, which becomes grayish in spring and summer, is an excellent camouflage in snow. It is also a good insulator, making it possible for the fox to live in temperatures as low as -60 degrees Fahrenheit. To make sure of surviving the bitter cold, the fox digs a regular storehouse where it buries its provisions. The female bears a litter of as many as ten young in March. How many live depends on whether the mother has had enough to eat through the winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507473636-ETFCXUTD2UESYSVQMZ34/245+Argali.jpg mammalia - tremendous horns "The horns of the argali are so big that shepherds use them to keep their food in." So wrote Marco Polo, the great Venetian traveler of the 13th century. He was impressed with the gigantic size of this animal, also known as the Marco Polo sheep. It is the largest of all sheep. Its famous horns can measure nearly four feet from root to tip. But it is probably that the breed will disappear one day, because it is so eagerly hunted by man. It is still found in the mountains of central and eastern Russia and in western China. In spite of its imposing size, the argali is a handsome animal. It likes damp valleys and woods as well as high mountain tops. It usually stays at an altitude of four to six thousand feet, on slopes where it can find the sparse brush that suffices for its food. At mating time the males battle without quarter for the female of their choice. Five months after mating the female gives birth to one lamb, occasionally two. Only two hours after birth the young are able to follow their mother along the steepest slopes. But beware of the wolf, which loves fresh argali meat! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507474288-HR9HZ23NTF5YIFMVTHRQ/246+Armadillo.jpg mammalia - it's hard to get at an armadillo // sold The armadillo is well protected. It is not as big as its prehistoric cousins, which were sometimes the size of a small elephant. But it has kept its horny carapace, or shell. This gives it the strange look of a medieval warrior in his coat of armor. Nine easily moved bands across the middle of the body of the nine-banded armadillo allow it to roll itself into a ball when it is threatened. Its head and tail are also protected with overlapping scales. So the armadillo is like an armored car! There are 20 species of these strange, nocturnal edentates in the Americas. They differ mostly according to size and habitat. The nine-banded armadillo is widespread from central United States to South America. It digs deep tunnels in light forest soil and sleeps in them all day. Each burrow has several openings and shelters several armadillos. They go out at night to look for food. This consists mostly of insects (often harmful ones) and poisonous snakes. The armadillo's short legs and strong claws make it an excellent digger. It moves quickly on dry land and can also swim. Mating season is in July or August. The young are born nine months later. Those born in the same litter are all of the same sex and are well developed at birth. They can follow their mother as soon as they are born. Their skin is soft but hardens little by little into the protective carapace. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507474359-E6LGA0MVW5NCC1QN86IH/247+Arsinoitherium.jpg mammalia - arsinoitherium // sold https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507475006-O1OQ5MVYAITJUEWOK9GA/248+Asiatic+Lion.jpg mammalia - the lion of hercules The Nemean lion, which Hercules strangled to death before using its skin to clothe himself, was probably an ancestor of the present-day Asiatic lion. The gradual decline of numbers of this lion have followed the course of history, from the time when it was fairly common in Greece (about 450 B.C.) to its expulsion from Palestine in the 13th century and its quite recent disappearance from Iran. Man is of course responsible for the lion's decline in the western part of its territory. But in the east, in India, where it was once very common, it has gradually given way to the tiger. There are now only about 200 Asiatic lions that have survived in the Gir forest on the western tip of India. But these woods are being encroached upon every year as cattle forage in them and farmers seek new land for crops. The last Asiatic lions are not long for this world. But it is the Asiatic lion in fact a distinct species from the African lion? It would seem that it it not, despite differences in the shape of its head. Externally, anyway, there are only minimal divergences: the Asiatic lion usually has a shorter mane, but thicker fur, than its African relation, and there is a bigger tuft of hair on the end of its tail. But such differences are no more marked that those that exist between two different specimens of African lion. And the habits of the two varieties are exactly the same. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507475333-Y92YY56BT1KJ25W9FIK4/249+Axis+Deer.jpg mammalia - a pig's disposition Axis deer are distinguished by their white-spotted coats. There are two species in southern Asia: the chital and the hog-deer. The latter lives in northern India and Indonesia. Its dumpy and short-legged body has a vaguely pig-like appearance. Sometimes it even acts like a bad-tempered pig. At mating time the male will attack anything within its reach. It hurts itself at trees and shrubs, plows the ground with its antlers, and threatens whatever comes near, man or beast. It will even attack other kinds of deer bigger than itself. This combative temperament makes it difficult to keep in captivity. Axis deer usually live alone at the edge of a forest but sometimes make up small herds. The deer's branching horns, shaped a bit like a lyre, are not shed at any special time of year. The animal rests in undergrowth during the day, feeding only at night. When startled, it runs away clumsily. After a gestation period of seven or eight months, the female gives birth to one fawn, rarely two. The chital is bigger and heavier than the hog-deer. It is found through most of India. Its mating time is irregular, sometimes running through the whole year. The young, one to three at a time, are usually born in the cool season, but a female may have fawns at other seasons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507476689-CWC3KPGKMN584XUKEFE9/250+Babirusa.jpg mammalia - teeth that grow upside down That's what happens to the male babirusa. It might seem that this animal has horns growing out of its muzzle. Not at all; they are the canines of the upper jaw. These canines grow up rather than down. They grow right through the skin of the snout and keep getting longer, like horns. The canines of the lower jaw grow from each side of the mouth. So the babirusa really seems to be armed to the teeth. But this is not the case. The four canines are too fragile to be used as weapons. They are more apt to be a danger to the babirusa itself; as they curve around, they sometimes touch and injure its forehead. Babirusas are wild pigs, distant ancestors or boars. They have so little hair that their skin seems to be bare. Few zoos have babirusas; to find them in the wild you must go to southeastern Asia and the area of the Sunda Islands and the Celebes. There the babirusa lives, alone or in small family groups. It is found in damp parts of the densest jungles, along rivers and in swamps. It is a nocturnal animal, feeding on nuts, fruits, roots, and tree shoots. The babirusa is very agile, able to run quickly and to swim; it can even swim across an arm of the sea. Babirusas have been hunted so much for their meat that they are disappearing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507478030-7NJKYJEK0VE5KCEAP9JD/251+Baboon.jpg mammalia - a life of pleasure Imagine you are watching a band of baboons. You think they are disorganized. There seems at first to be no definite hierarchy among them. But they do have leaders. The dominant males exercise authority over the others and have privileges. When a dominant male sits down, his subjects hurry to delouse him. If food is thrown to the band, the dominant males have first choice. The others don't even bother to look at it. Because the subjects accept their inferior position, there are almost no quarrels among a band of baboons--at most a little bickering. And there are never quarrels over the possession of females. When these are in heat, they mate freely with all males. These monkeys, which are found throughout most of Africa, usually live in open country. The sharp barking of sentries warns the band of the presence of an enemy. Baboons are omnivorous, but their diet varies according to the season, the territory, and the age and sex of the individual. The females, with their newborn offspring, feed on grasses; the more developed young eat bark, insects, and lizards. Births take place throughout the year. The infant at first clings to the mother's breast but soon is able to ride on her back. The young can take care of themselves soon after weaning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507512959-5J6Y48KWX4F9BJ9JR2GU/252+Badger.jpg mammalia - it likes its comfort The badger digs a burrow--in itself nothing unusual. But this digger is not satisfied with a simple burrow, such as that of a fox. It puts together a snug nest inside the burrow, such as that of a fox. It puts together a snug nest inside the burrow. Collecting moss, ferns, and dried leaves, the badger holds them tightly between chest and chin and carries them into its home. It does housework regularly, getting rid of waste and changing its bed. So much for those who call the badger a dirty animal! If it smells bad, that is because of the musk gland it has in common with all mustelidae. The badger is a nocturnal animal, spending the day in its large burrow with its family, or event with several families, and coming out after nightfall. It is omnivorous rather than carnivorous. It eats roots, fruit, and grain as well as small rodents, birds, and even snakes. The most widespread of the badgers is the European species, which is found throughout Europe and Asia. Other kinds, such as the Chinese and American badgers, differ slightly in appearance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507513493-K2QYPFZGKH439DIWUVHA/253+Baluchitherium.jpg mammalia - "beasts from baluchistan" Baluchitherium (be-loo-che-THIH-ree-em) may have been the largest land mammal of all time. It stood about 18 feet at the shoulder, had a head about 5 feet long, and weighed about 2 tons. From fossil evidence, scientists think that its thigh bone alone was taller than an average adult person. Baluchitherium could easily browse on leaves and twigs 20 feet or more off the ground. That's tall enough to look over the top of a two-story house. It chewed up the vegetation with apple-sized grinding teeth. Remains of Baluchitherium have been found in Baluchistan in north-western Pakistan (hence its name), and in Mongolia. It lived about 20 million years ago. The living animal closest to the Baluchitherium seems to be the rhinoceros, but the prehistoric animal lacked a horn on its nose. Fossil remains show that there were other major differences in structure. Why did Baluchitherium finally die out? Some scientists believe it had adapted all too well to its diet of high-growing leaves and twigs. When the tall plants became scarce, perhaps because of changes in climate, Baluchitherium couldn't switch to another diet. And this early mammal was probably too big and lumbering to move on to another area to find food sources. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507515128-DFLXXLT250XAHVAHIXNJ/254+Bandicoot.jpg mammalia - short-handled shovels or fine combs? The small, strong paws of this animal have sharp, sickle-shaped nails. Are they used as shovels or as combs? The answer is both. This small Australian marsupial looks like both a rat and a kangaroo. It spends much of the day digging spiral burrows, often as deep as five feet. In this way it gets its food, which consists of insects, worms, larvae, and roots. Then, upon coming out of its hole, it takes the trouble to groom itself. It uses the nails of its hind feet as a comb, running them through its fur. There are 19 species of bandicoot, ranging in size from that of a rat to that of a rabbit. The smallest is the pig-footed bandicoot, with gray and brown fur, discovered by an explorer in 1836. The largest is the rabbit bandicoot, with gray coat and black-and-white tail. It does great damage to cultivated fields and vegetable gardens. In addition, it carries in its coat parasites that are harmful to domesticated animals. For these reasons it is hunted without mercy by farmers and has thus become quite rare. Unlike other marsupials, the bandicoot has a pouch that opens at the bottom. Essentially nocturnal, it spends the day in its burrow on a bed of dried leaves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507517390-5BH3S8HNT9UDY666ANQ1/255+Banteng.jpg mammalia - a handsome father and mate When the farmers of Java want to improve their breed of cattle, they simply open the barn doors at night and let the cows wander freely into the forest. There they meet the wild ox, or banteng. After mating the female comes back to the farm, where food will be waiting. With its great height, its russet coat, white hindquarters, and heavy, curving horns, the banteng is one of the most handsome of all cattle. The hair on the lower legs is white. The color of the females is brighter than that of the males. The banteng is found in Burma, Thailand, Malacca, Java, and Borneo. It lives in jungle and forest, at altitudes of 3,300 to 6,500 feet. It gathers in small herds, usually led by a female. It feeds at night and rests during the day. The diet of this ruminant consists of grasses, leaves, and young plant shoots. It is in danger of disappearing. In Bali, however, an attempt is being made to domesticate it because of its breeding qualities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507517524-X9ED4HRA4SL5VYPIMAC4/256+Barbary+Ape.jpg mammalia - not a barbarian! Barbary apes (really monkeys) take their name from the ancient name of northern Africa. Both Barbary and barbarian come from a Greek word meaning foreigner. Even today, inhabitants of Algeria and part of Morocco are often known as Berbers. And it is in the land where these people live that the Barbary ape is found. It is also the only monkey found in Europe. There it lives only on the Rock of Gibraltar at the southern tip of Spain. Its presence has given rise to many legends. One says that the monkeys reached the rock through a mysterious tunnel under the Mediterranean Sea. (The tunnel has never been found.) Did the Barbary ape originate in Europe, or was it brought to Spain by the ancient Greeks? These questions have not been answered. However it got to Gibraltar, the Barbary ape is the joy of tourists and the despair of gardeners. It visits all the orchards in season. Like its relatives. the macaques of India, it specializes in stealing and scrounging. It is, in fact, a macaque, but with almost no tail and a larger head. It learns and imitates readily and is often used in circuses. It is easily caught but not recommended as a pet; it may bite when overexcited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507518668-6SN3VG64MSKZG70Y9BNJ/257+Barylambda.jpg mammalia - "heavily sutured" Although not huge, Barylambda (bar-e-LAMDAH) was large compared with other primitive mammals of its time. It lived about 50 million years ago. From fossil remains scientists estimate Barylambda stood 4 feet tall and was 8 feet long, not much bigger than a large bull. Yet Barylambda probably wasn't a threat to smaller animals. Its blunt nose and the structure of its teeth indicate that it may have lived on roots grubbed from the ground, with possibly some decayed meat for variety. In general, Barylambda probably had a heavy, thickset appearance. Its long, thick tail may have helped balance it during rambles over meadows and through swampy areas. Each of its large legs had five toes that formed a hoof-like structure. In examining the fossil skull of the ancient mammal, scientists found it to contain several immovable joints where skull bones came together. Such immovable joints are called sutures. That is how Barylambda, or "heavily" sutured, got its name. Barylambda lived in the western United States at a time when the climate had turned somewhat cooler and drier than in previous eras. Probably Barylambda's relatively large size helped it to survive. But this apparently nonthreatening animal died out with no known descendants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507518907-2BNBW4KYD2GJ5Q3HPC4O/258+Basilosaurus.jpg mammalia - "king lizard" Basilosaurus (bas-e-lo-SAWR-es) looked much like what you might imagine a sea serpent to look like. It was between 55 and 75 feet long, had a slender body, and was equipped with strong jaws and sharp teeth. But Basilosaurus was not a serpent. It was, scientists believe, an early relative of certain whales. Basilosaurus lived about 50 million ears ago and some scientists believe it descended from mammals that lived on land. Today, its closest whale relatives (all mammals) may be the toothed whales, narwhals, and porpoises. The possible relationship of Basilosaurus to modern toothless whales is not clear. Fossils of Basilosaurus are found along the Atlantic coast. Another name for Basilosaurus is Zeuglodon (ZOO-gle-dahn), or "yoke-toothed," from its double-rooted, or pronged, cheek teeth. Unlike most modern whales, Basilosaurus probably captured and ate other large sea creatures. Fossil evidence shows that this early whale had many of the same adaptations for living in the sea as modern whales. Its front limbs had become modified into flippers, while its back limbs never completed development but remained inside its body. The nostrils of Basilosaurus had moved from the front of the snout in its ancestors towards the back of the snout and formed a kind of blowhole for surface breathing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507520155-2U0B8VYOL33PHWV52DOC/259+Beaked+Whale.jpg mammalia - too brave to survive! Beaked whales are no longer hunted. Hunting them does not pay because few remain after years in which men killed them in great numbers. Beaked whales are very alert. They have extraordinary hearing. They can stay underwater for a long time. Then how could they have been taken in such quantities? The answer is simple. They live in herds, under the leadership of an old male. If one is wounded, its companions will not abandon it. The whole herd stays with the injured whale until it is captured or dies. All the whalers had to do was to injure one whale badly, and the capture of the whole herd was almost assured. Beaked whales look like very large dolphins. They have no whalebone. They belong to the suborder Odontoceti, or toothed whales, even though certain species have no teeth at all. The most widespread is the hyperoodon, or giant beaked whale. The male has only two teeth, in the lower jaw. The female has none. Beaked whales migrate to cooler waters in the summer. They eat only cuttlefish and octopus--up to 10,000 at a meal! Remains found in their stomachs indicate that they take their prey at depths of 1,400 feet or more. They stay underwater for 40 minutes at a time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507520265-F2LDCG3Q09PZD479OAXN/260+Beaver.jpg mammalia - engineer in danger To build its lodge better, it makes dams--without the help of any tool. We are talking not of a clever woodsman but of a large rodent, the beaver. It has strong teeth and busy little forefeet. Canadian Indians called it brother, as they saw it on a river bank, supported by its large, broad tail and looking over its territory. This wonderful scaly tail serves as a third foot, as a rudder, and as an oar. In spite of its sharp sight, the beaver is easily caught. The beaver was long over-hunted for its thick fur. Men realized too late that it was disappearing. Beaver dams hundreds of yards in length fell into ruins, and severe floods resulted. This aquatic rodent lives in colonies on the wooded banks of norther rivers. It works at night as woodsman, mason, and engineer. It turns rapid streams into calm ponds, digging and re-digging outlets for the water. Near the edge of the pond it buries its lodge, which has an underwater entrance, an antechamber of brush, and a raised living space. The walls are cemented with mud. The ventilating hole at the top is hidden by a roof of branches. To this lodge the beaver retires in winter with an ample supply of the bark that is its only food. With the male are the female and their young, who will leave at the age of two years to find their own territory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507521321-W0ZDDYRQS2OZU6RCJ0TF/261+Beluga.jpg mammalia - thousand pound canaries! No, that's not a joke. Although belugas don't fly like birds, their whistles are a bit like those of pretty birds. Fisherman call them canaries of the sea. Like canaries belugas sometimes find themselves in a cage. Belugas live usually in the Arctic seas, at the edge of the ice pack. Freezing temperatures sometimes turn the surface of the water suddenly to ice. The ice can be so thick that these large crustaceans are unable to break it with their padded foreheads. they then die from lack of air. During severe winters, belugas go south. Several long-distance migrators have been found as far from the Arctic as Japan. Belugas usually live in schools of about a dozen. Sometimes, though, these schools include thousands of animals. Belugas have formidable enemies, principally the killer whale, an enormous cetacean known as one of the fiercest of creatures. Human fisherman also hunt belugas for their fat and their skin. The skin makes a very tough leather. The beluga fishes for its own food in shallow water. When the baby beluga has developed for a year inside its mother, it is born tail-first. As soon as her baby is born, the mother mates again. Every fifth year she takes a year off from childbearing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507521560-NNFYDT30ZZMC7VLXB7J6/262+Bighorn.jpg mammalia - more noise than harm The bighorn, a wild mountain sheep, takes its name from its horns, which can weigh as much as seven pounds. When two males hurl themselves against each other on a Rocky Mountain ledge, the whole valley echoes with the shock of their collision. The noise has been compared to an explosion of dynamite. But neither contestant is generally harmed--unless one loses its balance and falls to the ravine below. The duels take place both during and after the mating season, apparently just to see who is the stronger! Sometimes several males join in the battle. Even females attack each other. Winners, beware! Because losers may wait for a chance to get even. The bighorn is not easy to approach. Only the most skillful hunters succeed. This sheep lives in the most inaccessible heights of the Rocky Mountains. Both its meat and its hide are prized by hunters. But it has been able to survive because it is an excellent climber. The lambs are born in June and stay in a band with their mothers. The males live apart from the females in organized groups, each of which has a well-defined range. They join the females only in December, the mating time, and their battles then become more violent than ever. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507521893-X9WVZE5TY8BN13OVL4AN/263+Black+Bear.jpg mammalia - some blessings of tourism Wild bears avoid people. But there are more and more "civilized" bears in the national parks of Canada and the United States. They spend the summer feasting on delicacies and sweets from hotels and tourist camps. As it is against the law--and dangerous--to molest them, the bears are mostly let alone by tourists. But restaurant keepers are not surprised to number these large, shaggy creatures among their regular customers. The American black bear is actually bright brown. It has a narrower head than its European cousin and a brighter coat. Except for tourist delicacies, it lives mostly on plants and berries. It also loves fish and is agile enough to catch salmon with its paws. Its clumsy appearance is misleading. The bear is an excellent climber and a good swimmer, and no man could catch one in a race. The bear winters alone, sleeping in a cave on a comfortable bed of leaves. It is there that the young are born, not much larger than kittens. They stay with their mother until, at the age of two years, they attain the size and ability of adults. The Alaskan grizzly bear is not a true black bear. It is a variety of the brown bear. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507661681-OSDH8BCAVDCC79P0AKKD/264+Blackbuck.jpg mammalia - servant of myth and magic The blackbuck has an important place in Asian legends. Hindu mythology uses it as one of the signs of the zodiac. It is pictured as yoked to the chariot of the moon, in which are seated the gods. Masses of hair, called bezoars, found in the blackbuck's stomach, were used by tribal magicians in the treatment of sever illness. The blackbuck, which lives in India and western Pakistan, is also called the Indian antelope. It spends its time grazing on the short grasses of open plains, in herds of about a hundred. Its best defense against its enemies--tigers, panthers, and wolves--is its agility. It discourages them by its ability to run at a speed of 50 miles an hour, and to jump more than six feet into the air. The mating season is from February to March, depending on the region. The male finds a partner and performs a courting dance to win her. The female usually bears a single calf, which is kept hidden for a few days before mother and child rejoin the herd. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507661926-PMJ7LMO8X18FR6G02GN3/265+Blue+Whale.jpg mammalia - one hundred tons on one balance of a scale... // sold ...and the blue whale on the other. The blue whale would be the heavier. It can weigh up to 115 tons. It is the largest animal that has ever lived. Each day it swallows 2 tons of small plankton-nourished shrimp. In spite of its great size and weight, the blue whale can jump out of the water, swim on its back, and dive deeply. And this huge animal can move swiftly. At one time its speed of over 20 miles an hour enabled it to escape from whalers, who feared it for its habit of diving when once harpooned. The blue whale lives mostly in Arctic waters. In winter it moves north from the Antarctic as far as the coasts of Africa but avoids the tropics. Young are usually born one at a time. They can swim and dive at birth. For six months the mother feeds the calf a rich milk that resembles melted butter--150 pounds a day. The calf swallows seawater as it nurses. It is 40 feet long when weaned. Today these giant whales, inadequately protected by international law, are in danger of becoming extinct. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507662502-3N82GBVI3SP7Y4HHXCKS/266+Bobcat.jpg mammalia - a cat fond of water The bobcat, like its northern cousin, the Canadian lynx, is much more willing than most species of the cat family to swim across a river or lake, or even to hunt crustaceans and fish. It is found in marshy regions as well as among bush-covered scree, its favorite hunting ground. It also lives in forests, in almost desert areas, and on high slopes of the Rockies. It is widespread over most of the United States, and is even found on the outskirts of villages. But it is cautious and shy so is rarely seen. The bobcat differs from the Canadian lynx in being slightly smaller and having smaller ear tufts and a black and white, instead of a black, tip to its tail. Bobcats have short bodies, long, thick legs, and furry feet. The bobcat is chiefly a nocturnal animal and lives alone except during the breeding season. Each animal marks out its territory by scratching the bark of trees with its claws and leaving traces of urine. Bobcats hunt by lying in wait, then suddenly pouncing on their prey. They are thus able to take hares, for instance, which they would never be able to catch by running after them. They will eat any animal smaller than themselves, from bear cubs to quail. Only rarely will they attack wild sheep or deer. The young are born in the bobcat's lair and remain with their mother for six to nine months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507662625-ML5TVGKGJ9NTUOG3SZCK/267+Bottle-Nosed+Dolphin.jpg mammalia - very much in its own element One reason why the bottle-nosed dolphin is so popular with the crowds at oceanariums is that its long, curved mouth seems to be set in a perpetual smile. It is also capable of winking. This probably has nothing to do with the feelings of the animal. However, in the wild, the bottle-nosed dolphin does seem to be a "happy" animal, spending much of its time frolicking with other dolphins of its own species. Deep-sea divers have often been surrounded by friendly and inquisitive groups of dolphins. The dolphin is also extremely intelligent. It appears to be so well adapted to its environment that it needs to spend very little time finding food. Further, it has never shown any signs of aggression towards man. This doesn't mean that it is not well-equipped for attack and defense. Bottle-nosed dolphins can easily kill large sharks by ramming them in the area of the liver, causing it to rupture. Scientists all over the world study bottle-nosed dolphins not only because of their intelligence and their ability to communicate with each other by ultrasonic sound, but also because their unusual skin is believed to contribute to the animal's ability to swim at very high speeds without causing any turbulence in the water. Bottle-nosed dolphins are active in the daytime. During the night, they sleep just below the surface of the water, rising to breathe every 10 minutes or so. In the daytime, they hunt at around 65 feet below the ocean's surface and can remain there for more than a quarter of an hour before having to go up for air. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507667724-06DRDHVEDEARN8VH26EU/268+Bowhead.jpg mammalia - a much-hunted animal The bowhead, or right whale, was for many years an easy and worthwhile prey for whalers. It swims slowly and floats on the surface when killed. it was thus easily butchered. And nothing went to waste. The baleen, or whalebone, was used by our great grandmothers for corset stays. The bones were ground for meal. And to the tons of meat and edible fats were added hundreds of barrels of oil. But no Jonah was ever found inside a bowhead. The huge mouth led to a narrow throat that could admit only small crustaceans screened out by baleen plates. By now, the bowhead has been hunted almost to extinction and is no longer taken. The northern bowhead lives in the seas surrounding the North Pole. It never goes far from ice fields. In the Bering Strait it seldom moves south of 65 degrees of latitude. A sociable animal, it lives in herds of four or five and migrates in groups. It comes to the surface to breathe every 15 minutes and blows out great jets of water. Mating takes place at the end of summer. The female, larger than the male, has one calf at a time. She feeds the young one for a year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507668994-BA9J9OOLINQEFQ3XBEDW/269+Brontops.jpg mammalia - "thunderhead" Brontops (BRAHN-tahps) was a giant plant-eating animal that scientists believe lived 35 million years ago. Brontops looked much like a modern-day rhinoceros, but it was larger--growing to a length of 14 feet and standing 6 to 8 feet high at its shoulder. The body of Brontops was broad and deep and it must have lumbered along on thick elephant-like legs indicated by its fossil remains. These same remains show that Brontops had a long saddle-shaped head with two broad, blunt, bony horns growing side by side on the top of its nose. There is some evidence that male Brontops probably used their horns to batter predators and other males of their species--some of which apparently carried away broken ribs as a result of battle. In spite of its immense size and power, Brontops survived only a short time on Earth. Scientists believe that one reason for its extinction may have been because its brain was very small. Although Brontops was a huge animal, skull fossils show that its brain was only the size of a clenched human fist. With such a small brain relative to its body size, Brontops may not have been intelligent enough to adapt to a changing climate that caused its favorite foods to disappear. There is also some evidence that leads scientists to believe that the teeth of Brontops may not have adapted in structure to help the animal digest new plants that replaced its traditional food supply when the climate changed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507670500-ZGUUMTU3GCMJQ22UEVCR/270+Brown+Bear.jpg mammalia - a good meal after a long sleep Toward November the brown bear becomes restless and loses its appetite. It is in a hurry to find a shelter for the winter. It chooses a cave or a hollow tree. This it will line with moss, dry leaves, and soft branches. In order not to leave tracks for its enemies, it retreats into its den before the first snow. It usually stays awake for about a month, listening for trouble. Then it goes to sleep. During its hibernation it neither eats nor eliminates waste. Once disturbed during this period, it is unable to go back to sleep. With nothing to eat, it may at such a time attack cattle. The brown bear hibernates because of lack of winter food. It does not hibernate in captivity. The female retreats to her cave in mid-November. The young are born two or three months later. They are cared for by their mother for two years. Newly born cubs, not much bigger than a cat, are covered with bluish hair. They are able to climb trees but lose this ability as they grow older. The adult bear is lean and hungry after its winter fast. In the spring it starts by eating moss, dirt, and ants. Then it goes back to its life as a big eater and a lover of sleeping and bathing. While it is an omnivorous carnivore, among its favorite foods are berries and pine cones. It drinks great quantities of water. It loves honey and takes refuge in water if the honeybees attack too fiercely. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507671483-J384BPQGSJHI53A5VE00/271+Brown+Rat.jpg mammalia - an unwanted guest The rat is a resourceful traveler. It once lived only in Asia. How it spread is not certain. Some probably traveled on trading ships. Many may have fled from great earthquakes. Brown rats can swim across rivers, one holding another's tail in its mouth as support. They are now widespread in all countries of the world. They are clever and cunning but not well liked by man. Their grayish brown or sandy color is unpleasant. The tail is covered with scaly rings, which help the rat to climb the smoothest walls. Worst of all, they are dirty animals. They frequent holes, ditches, sewers, and riverbanks. The brown rat is a spreader of disease among men. It likes human company because there it finds abundant food. Through history it has been a destroyer of harvested grains. It will eat anything--rotten meat, and even bark. It must keep eating or gnawing or else its teeth will become so long that it cannot close its mouth. The mother must protect the young--as many as 50 a year--from the father, who is quite willing to eat them. The brown rat is a fighter. Even the cat, its natural enemy, hesitates to attack it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507672748-W8SOGMI2QURF5171X4AM/272+Canis+Dirus.jpg mammalia - "dire wolf" Dire (DIGH-er) means "fearful" or "dreaded," and Canis Dirus (KAY-nes DIGH-res), a large ice-age wolf, probably lived up to its name. Canis Dirus, which seems to have died out about 10,000 years ago, was 5 to 6 feet long, or not much longer than the modern-day gray wolf. But the ancient animal appears to have had a much heavier, more muscular body and a larger head. Teeth and jaw remains of Canis Dirus show that they were probably stronger than those of a modern-day wolf and were well adapted for ripping the toughest flesh off the bones of its prey. The size of skull and shoulder bones of Canis Dirus seems to indicate that much of its diet may have been carrion--already dead or decaying flesh--rather than live animals killed by the wolf itself. Skeletons of Canis Dirus have been found together in great numbers throughout North America. The greatest collection was uncovered in the La Brea Tar Pits near Los Angeles, where Canis Dirus skeletons outnumbered those of all other animals. Canis Dirus undoubtedly lived in large family groups, or packs. These packs roamed the plains and forests of ice-age North America along with saber-toothed tigers, Mastodons, and other now-extinct ice-age mammals. The vast herds of American bison, or buffalo, that once covered the Great Plains seem to have been the source of most of the food Canis Dirus ate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507672912-JKJ61RHSNYH9IV2M5TLM/273+Castoroides.jpg mammalia - "formed like a beaver" Castoroides (kast-e-ROI-deez) looked much like a modern beaver--with one important difference. Castoroides was as large as a bear! This huge beaver measured 8 to 10 feet from its nose to the tip of its tail. Beaver fossils dating back 35 million years have been discovered. But similar evidence shows that Castoroides lived only 10,000 years ago, during the last ice age. Thus it shared the same habitat with other giant ice age mammals such as the mastodon and the giant sloth. Although skeletons of Castoroides have been found from Alaska to Florida, scientists believe that most of these animals lived in and around the Great Lakes. Like modern beavers, Castoroides had two large cutting teeth located in the front of its mouth. These acted like highly specialized chisels, which enabled Castoroides to strip tree bark and other highly fibrous material and reduce it to edible shreds. Scientists believe, however, that most of the diet of Castoroides must have been water plants, not tree bark. There is no fossil evidence that these bear-sized, ice age beavers built houses, or dams, or lived in complex "families" as beavers do today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507675555-RIX58K9ZYHA6L3D9H3LP/274+Cervalces.jpg mammalia - "elk-moose" Cervalces (ser-VAHL-ses), or "elk-moose," appears to have lived for thousands of years, but apparently never thrived in large numbers. Cervalces resembled the moose, which was living at the same time, according to fossil evidence. Unlike the moose, Cervalces didn't survive into modern times, having died out about 15,000 years ago. Cervalces was about the same size as a modern-day moose, growing to 7 1/2 feet at the shoulders. The antlers of Cervalces were a little narrower than those of the moose, spreading to about 6 feet. Fossil remains seem to show, however, that the antler rack of Cervalces probably had at least one more branch than that of the moose. Fossil bones show that Cervalces had long legs and a short neck. This leads some scientists to think that the animal fed on the lower branches of trees. (It would have had trouble bending down to eat plants on the ground.) The animal probably also waded into the water to feed on aquatic plants as evidenced by wide fossil hooves of Cervalces that have been found. These would allow Cervalces to wade into water without sinking into the mud. No one knows why Cervalces became extinct, since it seemed well-adapted to the conditions of the late ice age and able to cope with change. One theory proposes that disease spread by insects might have killed the animals off along with other large ice-age mammals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507675718-C99FPKLWO7WSCUPXQXTB/275+Cuscus.jpg mammalia - a marsupial "monkey" The marsupial animals of Australia are remarkable examples of the evolution of species. Starting with a model that is different from other mammals, the evolutionary process produced various types that were capable, in the absence of competitors, of filling every available ecological niche. Fascinatingly, the "substitutes" for the various placental mammals have ended up by resembling them. The cuscus, a kind of marsupial "monkey" (or perhaps "sloth" would be a more accurate word) is a typical example. With its round head, claws, and long prehensile tail, it looks very much like a monkey and has deceived more than one observer. Yet it is a marsupial, and its young grow up in their mother's pouch like those of the kangaroo. The various species of cuscus are found in the forests of northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea. They differ only in minor details of shape and coat. The commonest species of cuscus is the spotted cuscus. The male has an off-white coat marked with irregular dark spots, while the female is uniform in color. Both sexes have a prehensile tail with a hairless tip, which gives them a better grip on branches. Cuscus seldom leave their tree habitat, and move about slowly from branch to branch. They become active at dusk and during the night, when they feed on leaves and small animals. During the daytime, they sleep in the fork of a very high branch, clinging to it securely with their front and hind feet and their tails. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507749381-D8Q89P9TJ1C3DOTC0MZ6/276+De+Brazza%27s+Monkey.jpg mammalia - well-protected young De Brazza's monkeys keep the special coat of their infancy longer than other species. This coat acts as a scent releaser and causes adults to instinctively adopt a protective attitude toward the young. In captivity, an adult De Brazza's monkey does not mind if a human handles another member of its species unless that member is still wearing the coat of an infant; if it is, it will attack the human or at least put on an aggressive display. The De Brazza's monkey lives in the dense, humid forests of the Congo river basin. It is a medium-sized, strong and stocky ape. Its fairly long fur is pearly gray, except on the belly, tail and arms, which are black (the young have a white belly). Its face has a white beard and an orange-red "diadem" topped by a black strip. Its thighs are marked with white streaks. Like the talapoin, the De Brazza's monkey lives in the lower levels of jungle swamps and the floodlands of great rivers. Like its tiny cousin, it dives and swims very well. The two species often live side by side without any friction--they feed on different plants. It is not uncommon to find mixed groups of the two species. Like the talapoin, the De Brazza's monkey is silent and unobtrusive. Much of the communicating between individuals is done with gestures and grimaces. Mating takes place at any time of the year and without any prior ceremony. Each group apparently has one dominant male, but there does not seem to be a very clear hierarchy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507750138-XYZCP3OUGRQ6TNE3JE4W/277+Deinotherium.jpg mammalia - "terrible beast" About 13 feet high at the shoulder, Deinotherium (digh-ne-thi-REE-em) probably roamed the woodlands of Africa, Europe, and Asia. It seems to have belonged to the elephant family but was different in important ways from modern-day elephants. Fossil remains show that Deinotherium lacked tusks in the upper jaw but had large, down-curving tusks in the lower jaw. But aside from the tusks, scientists believe Deinotherium probably had the general appearance of a modern-day elephant--with a thick neck, broad feet, and a long trunk. Deinotherium appears to have survived for millions of years. The family of these huge mammals steadily increased in size an in distribution over three continents. Deinotherium survived longest in Africa but apparently never reached North America. How is Deinotherium related to the modern-day elephant? This isn't clear. Fossil ancestors of Deinotherium are not known, and the beast apparently had no descendants. Deinotherium was apparently a side-branch of the modern-day elephant family--but one that succeeded well enough to outlast most other species. It lumbered along through most of the world for millions of years and finally out of existence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507750232-43X5Y1TBP5Z3X0ZFJ48T/278+Dicerorhinus.jpg mammalia - "wooly nose horn" // sold Stone Age people painted the Dicerorhinus (digh-sehr-oh-RIGH-nes), or Woolly Rhinoceros, on their caves. This species of rhinoceros may have lived for more than 2 1/2 million years and seems to have died out about 10,000 years ago. Woolly Rhinoceros probably survived across Europe and Asia during the ice age because of its coat of long, shaggy hair. Fossils show that the Woolly Rhinoceros was a big, ox-like animal with a great curving horn on its snout and a smaller horn farther back on the nose. To judge from the behavior of modern rhinoceroses, the Woolly Rhinoceros probably could run quickly despite its bulk. A Stone Age hunter must have considered himself lucky to kill one. Our detailed knowledge of the Woolly Rhinoceros comes not only from ancient cave paintings but from preserved specimens. Some have been found frozen in Siberia, other protected by oil deposits in central Europe. These show that the undercoat of the great, hairy mammal was yellowish-red. A small modern-day, related species of rhinoceros, also hairy, lives in southeast Asia. The familiar white rhinoceros of Africa is still another species related to the Woolly Rhinoceros. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507751151-OK0I93FJNGX1S3EBDZC0/279+Dinictis.jpg mammalia - "terrible stabber" Dinictis (di-NIK-tes) may well have been one of the most formidable predators that ever roamed the North American continent. From fossil evidence, this ferocious cat thrived about 35 million years ago. Certain skull features seem to suggest that Dinictis was a peculiar mixture of extinct saber-toothed cats and of modern-day cats, such as the common house cat and the tiger. For this reason, Dinictis is sometimes called the "false saber-toothed cat," though it did not have the long, stabbing canine teeth typical of the saber-toothed cat group. Fossil evidence shows the body of Dinictis to have been that of a primitive carnivore, or meat eater. The cat measured about 40 inches from the tip of its nose to the base of its tail. It had short, non-catlike legs. The animal's true cat characteristics show best in fossil remains of its feet and skull. Typical of cats, Dinictis had sharp canine teeth on both the upper and lower jaws. These were followed by premolars and located farther back were the scissorlike shearing teeth typical of modern-day cats. The location of Dinictis fossils in the Dakota Badlands and other western states show that Dinictis preferred to live and hunt near good rivers and on the open plains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507751229-M4GUY9IKZ2TC083FTNKP/280+Dinohyus.jpg mammalia - "terrible pig" Dinohyus (digh-noh-HIGH-es), a giant mammal, appears to have roamed the western United States about 25 million years ago. Scientists believe it had the appearance of a pig that was 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Fossil skeletons indicate that Dinohyus was also 11 feet long with a 3-foot-long skull. Two large tusks curved up from its lower jaw. These tusks and its front teeth suggest to scientists that Dinohyus was a meat eater. Despite its heavy body and humped back, Dinohyus had slender legs like a pig and two-toed feet like the cloven hooves of a pig. Was Dinohyus a giant pig? Not exactly, although some scientists consider it to be an ancestor of the peccary (PEK-e-ree) of North and South America, a nocturnal animal related to the pig. Dinohyus seems to have eaten both plants and meat like a pig and had back grinding teeth like a pig's. And its use of its tusks may have been pig-like. Yet Dinohyus appears to have been as much related in some ways to modern-day sheep as it is to pigs. Dinohyus' bones and teeth are found in great numbers in Nebraska. It is not known whether the broken condition of these fossils indicates that the "terrible pig" was in the habit of fighting. If so, its tusks and huge size would have helped in any struggle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507751601-6FIJB1ETW06JHDHYHSRN/281+Douroucouli.jpg mammalia - owl-like // sold The douroucouli is the only completely nocturnal monkey, which explains why it is also known as the "night monkey" or "owl monkey." It does have an owl-like look, with its huge round eyes, its flat face topped by white "eyebrows," and its tiny ears almost totally hidden by fur. Douroucoulis are found in all the American tropical rain forests, from Central America to norther Argentina. Their nocturnal activity is difficult to observe. But although they are seldom seen, they can certainly be heard! Under their chins there is a sac that makes their cries resonate with extraordinary power. The kind of call they make varies greatly, from squeaks, hisses, and barks to a loud roar. During the daytime, douroucoulis sleep rolled up into a ball in the hollow of a tree, usually together in small groups, which may be loosely-knit families. When disturbed, they appear, blinking, at the entrance of their hole, just as owls do. They see so well in the dark that they can catch insects in flight when there is virtually no light at all. They also feed on fruit and small animals. Douroucoulis leap with great agility from one branch to another, using their bushy tails, in the same way as squirrels do, to keep their balance and to direct themselves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507751806-MVCNPTLXVJ16VMAWCDZT/282+Felis+Atrox.jpg mammalia - "fierce cat" Felis Atrox (FEE-lis e-TRAHKS) appears to have been a lion that once roamed the continent of North America. What's more, it was one-third larger than any modern species of lion. Felis Atrox stood taller than 4 feet at the shoulder, had a broad muzzle, and legs longer than those of modern-day lions. Fossil remains show that the shape of its skull was much like that of the modern-day lion, and that Felis Atrox had similar teeth, mane, and a long tail. This fierce meat-eating predator fed on camels, horses, bison, and other grazing animals. Because of its size, Felis Atrox is believed to have been able to run down these animals, rather than pounce on and cling to them in the manner of modern-day lions. Felis Atrox ranged through North America from Alaska into Mexico and as far east as the Mississippi River. Scientists believe it lived through the ice age until about 8,000 years ago. That this big cat roamed the Western mountains is known by the number of its bones found there. Probably it lived in the heights and charged down to the plains where herds of its prey grazed. Remains of Felis Atrox have also been found in California's famed La Brea Tar Pits. It was a true "king of the beasts" in prehistoric North America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507752362-EF4ERSLSNNBMMBTQI2L4/283+Flying+Fox.jpg mammalia - it has a cape and a fan In cold weather the flying fox wraps itself in its membrane instead of becoming inactive like the small bats of Europe and America. It covers its head, its nose, and even one of its feet, and it hangs b the other foot. If the temperature goes above 95 degrees F., it uses one of its wings as a fan; it even wets itself with saliva and is cooled by the evaporation. Flying foxes belong to the suborder megachiroptera, which includes all large bats. All are fruit-eaters; some feed also on nectar. They are widespread in all tropical areas except in the Americas. The Malaysian flying fox is the largest; that of India is similar but smaller. The common African flying foxes gather in flocks of thousands to sleep in the daytime; they roost even in cities, apparently undisturbed by the noise. At night they go off in small groups to look for fruit, the juice of which is their food. Unlike insect eating bats, flying foxes have large eyes, and they do not use ultrasonic sound to get about in daylight. If there is no light at all, they are guided to fruit in the dark by their keen sense of smell. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507752534-3EF8HU519YIT4N8CVSP9/284+Fox.jpg mammalia - an animal with many homes The common fox of Eurasia and North America has the widest ecological and geographic distribution of any land mammal. It runs and hunts over plains and mountains in two-thirds of the world's dry-land area. The one-third where it is not found includes deserts, the tropical and equatorial zones, the polar regions, and Australia. The great variety of its color (tawny, dark gray, yellow, mixed) depends on what parents it happens to have. There are as many variations as there are cubs, ranging from bright red through smoky gray that is almost blue to straw-yellow. Under these thousand and one coats is the same animal with its five sharp senses. It has a prying nose, slanting eyes, and dark, erect ears. The fox is a slender, long-legged hunter, almost as graceful as a cat. Its relative of the far north, the silver fox, is a variety of the Canadian red fox, which is in turn a variety of the common fox. The silver color of the silver fox is an optical illusion. The animal is really black and white, but the brilliant white tips of its long hairs make it seem to be striped or speckled with silver. Fox-hunting is an old sport in England and parts of Europe and eastern United States. Elsewhere the fox is hunted for its fur; that of the silver fox is five times as valuable as that of the red. The animal is often hunted with poison. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507754194-JLR0BN4UEQSMNV3ROXDD/285+Gerbil.jpg mammalia - sophisticated burrows Gerbils live on desert steppes and on the fringe of true deserts. They are chiefly nocturnal animals, spending the day in deep burrows in dry, sandy areas. Sometimes the sand falls over the entrance to the burrows are hard to find. These burrows, which vary depending on the species, are often highly complex and comprise several chambers, storerooms and entrances. They are frequently located near other burrows, forming small "towns." There are many species of gerbil, found in such widely differing regions as southern Africa, Sri Lanka, and central Asia. They are rodents of the rat family, as their appearance strongly suggests. But their adaptation to the desert has given them certain characteristics in common with the jerboa: large ears which facilitate heat loss, a concentration of urine and a lack of perspiration, both of which cut water consumption down to a minimum, and highly developed hind legs which enable the animal to leap across the sand. Gerbils move on four legs when undisturbed, but when alarmed, they bound away like kangaroos. Gerbils mainly eat grass, but they also consume seeds, roots, and insects. Some species also eat eggs and young birds. They always keep supplies of food in their burrows. As winter approaches, they amass a large amount of provisions, for unlike jerboas, they continue to eat while hibernating. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507754294-CT2PVAGVCVIOC87U2MDJ/286+Glyptodon.jpg mammalia - "grooved tooth" Glyptodon (GLIP-te-dahn) seems to have been an armored mammal, 9 feet or more long, and may have stood as high as 5 1/2 feet. Some related species had a tail tipped with bony spikes that was probably used as a weapon. But scientists think Glyptodon, however, was much larger and more heavily armored than the armadillo. Fossil remains of Glyptodon show that it had peg-like teeth with grooves in them, which inspired its name. Those teeth would have been useful only for eating plants and rotting meat. Glyptodon appears to have ranged from southern North America down to the pampas, or grassy plains, of South America. There, the armored beast sometimes grew as large as an auto. Glyptodon probably lived until about a million years ago. That the species survived for millions of years before dying out is probably due to its massive armor, which must have offered a serious barrier to predators. Only its size, which probably hampered fast movement and required much food, may have worked against Glyptodon. Built on a similar body plan though much smaller, the armadillo still thrives in South America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507749501-CF9OYFWGSW4XOFL6OEAK/287+Golden+Cat.jpg mammalia - golden--but not always! The golden cat of Africa and a related species that lives in south-east Asia, are the felines that have the most variable coats. They can range in color from light gray to jet-black, with a whole succession of fawns and reds in between. Their fur is almost uniform in color, like that of the puma, apart from black stripes on the cheeks and horizontal brown streaks on the inside of the forelegs; but it also occasionally is mottled. With its long legs and powerful build, the golden cat is often regarded as the "puma of Africa." Its head does indeed resemble that of the puma, but its habits are completely different. Its favorite habitat is the dense rain forest: it is widespread throughout equatorial Africa, as far as the mountains which bound the eastern side of the Congo river basin. It is also occasionally found in wooded savanna, but such cases are rare. As with all animals living in the equatorial forest, little is known of the golden cat apart from what can be learnt from skins or skeletons. The few individuals that have found their way into zoos have not survived for long, and nothing is known of the golden cat's reproductive habits. It would seem that, in certain areas at least, they live in pairs, hunt at night, and rest in trees during the day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507849598-2E2E3DLQ66TNZTHF25O9/288+Gopher+or+Ground+Squirrel.jpg mammalia - its burrow is a treasure house The gopher looks much like its cousin the squirrel, and it is often called a ground squirrel. This is because it never lives in trees; it lives on the ground and digs a burrow where it sleeps at night and hibernates in winter. A gopher's burrow is easily recognized by its smell. It can also be identified by its contents. If the burrow contains small, brightly colored objects, one can be sure that it belongs to a gopher. This animal likes to store up all kinds of treasures in addition to its food. Gophers are sociable, daytime animals. They are found in sunny, sandy or grassy areas of eastern Europe, western Asia, and North America. They feed on grain, fruit, roots, bulbs, and underground mushrooms. They will also eat insects, eggs, and even birds and mice. Like hamsters, they carry their provisions in cheek pouches. The gopher hibernates in cold regions; where the weather is hot, it sleeps during the summer in order not to suffer from drought. There are several species of gopher: seven in the old world, 14 in the new world. The coat of the American gopher has dark lateral stripes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507850094-ARZMTRMU8P9UJNH8T3FB/289+Gray+Squirrel.jpg mammalia - a peerless acrobat The American gray squirrel is extremely agile and uses its flat, bushy tail with great skill. It helps both to balance and direct the squirrel when it leaps from one branch to another--sometimes over a distance of many feet. The animal can also use its tail as a parachute. When pursued by a marten, for instance, the squirrel knows that, if it leaps to the ground from a height of 30 feet or more, its fall will be slowed by its tail. The marten is the squirrel's most feared enemy and can leap just as agilely from tree to tree--but it does not have a parachute! The gray squirrel is very common in the eastern half of the United States, especially in forests of broad-leaved trees. It has no fear of man, and is very common in parks. The gray squirrel has, unfortunately, been introduced into Great Britain, where it has increasingly taken over the territory of the native red squirrel. This less powerful and less aggressive animal has tended more and more to retreat to the coniferous forests. The gray squirrel, like its red cousin, feeds mainly on hazelnuts, berries and seeds, but is also willing to round out its diet with small animals, eggs, and fledglings. The breeding season lasts from January to August, as gray squirrels bear two litters per year. Their young are born blind and naked, and spend six weeks in the nest, which consists of a large ball of leaves and twigs in the fork of a branch or in a hollow tree. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507850171-D7RYWMO3MI2NSGEPF9ES/290+Green+Monkey.jpg mammalia - a greedy band Green monkeys raid farms when they are least expected. Their black faces, surrounded by white hair on the cheeks and brows, make them look like helmeted wise men. All green monkeys live on the African continent south of the Sahara. They form bands, each of which has a territory consisting of a few trees. The size of the feeding range depends not on the number of monkeys but on what food is available. Green monkeys rarely go far from the woods or plains where they live. They never go so far that they lose sight of their shelter, to which they return quickly in case of danger. Green monkeys, which are omnivorous, will take whatever they can carry: shrubs, seeds, insects, small vertebrates. They stuff everything into expandable cheek pouches and soak it with saliva. When they have collected what they need, the monkey's return to their shelter where they can chew their food in peace. This way of feeding is a survival technique; it enables the green monkey to avoid its enemies by staying out in the open for only a short time. Its chief enemy is man, who uses green monkeys as laboratory animals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507850528-YSMH11KI6BOBG8W388QD/291+Guenon+%28also+Blue+or+White-Throated+Monkey%29.jpg mammalia - 291 | GUENON (ALSO BLUE- OR WHITE-THROATED MONKEY) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507850883-ZHXX84GE8FG9VFN8MQ2R/292+Harvest+Mouse+%28European%29.jpg mammalia - a bird's home As its name suggests, the small, active, graceful harvest mouse loves cultivated fields, especially where wheat is grown. During the summer this ground animal picks a place in a bush or shrub fairly high off the ground. The nest is built slowly and carefully. The mouse starts with about 20 long sedge leaves cut into ribbons with its pointed teeth. The ribbons are braided into an oval pouch, into which the mouse then weaves twigs, feathers, and down. Once its home is complete, the harvest mouse goes into the fields, where it can be seen climbing wheat stalks to eat the grain. The diet also includes insects. Food is stored up for the winter. As cold weather approaches, the little creature moves into a burrow or a barn with its harvest. It spends most of the winter in a lethargic state that is almost hibernation. This small rodent is usually found in fertile fields, but it also frequents reedy marshes. Like all of its species, the harvest mouse is very fertile. It lives everywhere in Asia and Europe, except Scandinavia. It should not be confused with the similar American harvest mouse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507851010-YMNLVD1VGCNI3BZTV24X/293+Honey+Badger.jpg mammalia - a tropical badger Closely related to the badger, the honey badger is the largest of the mustelidae except for the wolverine, a fierce animal of the far north. Like others of its family it is a fighter and will attack almost any animal. Its instinct to dominate is so strong that it seems to have been born for battle. The honey badger, with its low, heavy shape, bears some resemblance to both a dog and a bear. Its heavy legs are short and bowed. The jaws are strong, and the small eyes are bright. The fleshy lips sometimes seem to be grinning. It is a great hunter of rats. The three principal varieties, found in the Congo, eastern Africa, and southern India, have glossy black coats. The Sengal variety has a large white patch that it wears like a cape over its head, shoulders, and neck. The omnivorous honey badger is a night prowler. It moves at a trot, nose to the ground, looking for the scent of a rat or young rabbit, the trace of a snail or a slug. Like the badger it is fond of honey. It waits for the appearance of a small bird called a honey guide which will lead the way to a hive in a hollow tree. There the honey badger, using its clawed, shovel-like paws, digs out the hive and the honey. The burrow usually includes a main hole about six feet deep, with seven or eight tunnels leading from it in a star-shaped pattern. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507851269-L4KBRRVDHUDJO4X1ZPSF/294+Horseshoe+Bat.jpg mammalia - an adjustable amplifier This bat has three prominent features on its face. First is the horseshoe-shaped part that carries the nostrils; above that is a crest; on top is a flap of skin shaped like a lance. The bat uses these features as a megaphone to direct the hypersonic sounds it makes with its throat. Using these sounds it is able, like the long-eared bat, to avoid obstacles in the dark. The distance to an object can be told by the strength of the sound echoed from it; its direction is sensed by the ears. In other words, the bat uses its two ears just as we use our two eyes to distinguish distance and direction. By crinkling its nose the bat can vary the intensity of the sound it emits. In flight the female carries her young attached to her belly; its head is to the rear. The baby bat hooks its feet over its mother's shoulders and, with its teeth, holds onto false nipples on her belly. The true nipples are on the mother's chest. There are 60 species of horseshoe bat, found in all tropical areas except those of the Americas. Two, the greater horseshoe bat and the lesser horseshoe bat, are common in the Temperate Zone of southern and central Europe. Both hibernate in winter; even in the summer, if the weather is cool, they become lethargic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507851397-UGYXM36RGB4GJEY7L5NY/295+House+Mouse.jpg mammalia - a real star // sold Walt Disney, at the start of his career, made a picture of a little gray mouse that had visited him in his home. This picture represented the birth of Mickey Mouse, the greatest star of animated films. Attractive and intelligent, with bright eyes, pointed nose, and hairless ears, the house mouse has always been common in homes. It goes everywhere--from cellar to attic, from kitchen to library, with great agility. It chews away obstacles with its sharp teeth and is always looking for food. It will eat almost anything: cheese, sweets, fat, cereals, and even cloth, paper, candles, and soap. It is more active at night than in the day; like the ant, it stores food. The house mouse lives in communities. The community territory is carefully marked with urine, and no intruder is permitted. The territory has its storerooms, resting places, passageways, and even places for excrement. The mother mouse builds a large nest of rags, paper, and straw. Here she gives birth every 45 days to six or eight baby mice; she takes great care of them while they are young. The traditional enemy of the house mouse is the domestic cat; other enemies are owls, weasels, and hedgehogs. People dislike mice both for the damage they do and for diseases they may carry. But the white mouse, an albino house mouse, has been very valuable in medical research. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507851901-QECBZLJQ8EXRRHYK61OG/296+Indian+Rhinoceros.jpg mammalia - it wears heavy armor Unlike its African counterpart, the Indian rhinoceros has only one horn. It is somewhat less aggressive. The horn is used to break a path through the undergrowth and it as important to the female as to the male. This pachyderm (thick-skinned animal) has a short head and large body. Its skin is thicker than that of an elephant. The skin of the thighs, back and hindquarters is divided into large plates separated by deep grooves. It looks like a coat of armor. These plates consist of many small warts arranged like scales and attached to a base of flexible tissue. The hanging tail is completely hidden by the anal plate. The color of the Indian rhinoceros varies from dark gray to a reddish brown. This animal was long hunted without mercy, and is now found only on plains near the Himalayas. Exceptions are a few dozen in game reserves in Assam and Nepal. The rhinoceros does not like great heat. It prefers a habitat near water, where it can sleep standing up during the day and feed at night. There are three other Asiatic species: the Java rhinoceros; the Sunda rhinoceros; and the Sumatra rhinoceros, which is smaller and, like the African rhinoceros, has three horns. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507852259-Y8GJI208TMNZ7FEKU8EL/297+Jungle+Cat.jpg mammalia - it's a cat that looks like a dog With its long legs and its short, bushy tail, the jungle cat does not have a typically catlike appearance. Also confusing are its rather long nose and pointed ears. Indeed, people have sometimes mistaken it for a jackal--until it bounds up a tree! At that point there can be no doubt that it is truly a cat, and a particularly agile one among branches. The jungle cat is found over almost the whole area from the Nile delta to southern China. It lives as far north as the Caucasus, and as far south as Sri Lanka. Its habitat is jungle, usually in rather humid country. But it is also found in the Himalayan forest up to an altitude of 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). On lowlands, its favorite haunts are dense reeds on the edges of rivers and marshes (the Nile and the Euphrates, for example). The jungle cat hunts at dusk and usually feeds on small rodents; but in swampy areas it takes a heavy toll of aquatic birds. It also eats insects. During the day, the jungle cat sleeps in a burrow abandoned by some other animal, or simply in a lair in the heart of a thicket. It seems to spend most of the year alone. It is difficult to determine its breeding season, as cubs have been observed at all times of the year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507852384-UTBY0ZR8KIFONT3YCUD9/298+Kob+or+Waterbuck.jpg mammalia - no apparent pattern A herd of kobs in the savanna seems to be broken up into small groups of a few individuals, with isolated animals moving in between them. But there is a definite pattern to it; the herd is like a village, with each male parent reigning over a territory of several hundred square feet, separated from its neighbor's territory by a narrow no-man's-land. From time to time, each male will make a pugnacious display on the edge of its domain in order to assert its rights. The females and the young males stay within these territories. The latter remain there until they grow big enough to prove a threat to the male, at which point they are expelled. These are the isolated animals that can be seen wandering in search of a territory and of females to corral into it. The kob is found in the savanna of eastern Africa. Although it has the same name as the Defassa waterbuck, it is a very different animal: It is smaller and slenderer, its coat is much shorter and not so thick, and its horns are of a different shape. But the habits of the kob are much the same as those of the Defassa waterbuck. For example, it also likes well-watered savanna near a river. Yet in areas where the two species coexist, hey do not compete, since they feed on different types of grasses. This specialization, which is widespread among African herbivores, makes it possible for a given area of savanna to support a considerable number of animals without being destroyed. Unfortunately, the territories of these ecologically well-balanced antelopes are growing smaller to make room for native cattle that feed on only a fraction of the available vegetation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507852737-HGDUI2EH8R4KTLASERRM/299+Leopard+Cat.jpg mammalia - larger to the north When a warm-blooded species has a range that covers various latitudes, members of it living in cold regions have often been observed to be larger than those in hot regions. The explanation for this phenomenon lies in the need to retain or lose heat: since volume increases more quickly than surface, larger individuals are better equipped than smaller ones of the same shape to combat cold. The most eloquent example of the phenomenon is to be found in Asiatic bears: they get progressively larger towards the colder regions, from the Malay bear, which is the size of a dog, to the giant Kodiak bear of Sakhalin. The leopard cat shows the same characteristics in a single species: it is larger in China that it is in Malaysia, and larger again in Siberia. The leopard cat has a very wide range that covers not only the Indian peninsula but the whole of eastern Asia from Borneo to Manchuria, and is even found in the Philippines. Not only does it live in every conceivable type of forest, from jungle to taiga, but it is found in open country, on farmland, and even near human habitations. The cat's coat varies depending on the region (it is much thicker and less conspicuously colored in Siberia), but always shows distinctive dark-colored round spots, which stand out to a varying degree. The leopard cat hunts at night, feeding mainly on rodents, but also on birds. It does not fear water and has been observed fishing. During the daytime, it rests in a hollow tree or in a crevice in the rocks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507852825-OKLNKN0852DW967JA5GS/300+Macrauchenia.jpg mammalia - "great-neck mammal" Macrauchenia (ma-kraw-KEE-nee-e) may have looked like an animal that could have been invented by Dr. Seuss. All fossil evidence indicates it was an odd-looking mammal that lived only on the South American continent. That evidence also indicates that Macrauchenia became extinct about 1 million years ago. Macrauchenia had a broad body and stood about 5 feet high. It had thick legs and feet with three toes. Its neck and head made it look somewhat like a modern-day camel, except for one thing: Macrauchenia had a short, muscular trunk at the end of its nose. This strange creature had broad, flat teeth, which suggests that is was probably an animal that grazed on plant life. It probably used its trunk to bring food into its mouth like modern-day elephants do. Some scientists think the trunk may also have been used as a snorkel when the animal was underwater. Other scientists question whether Macrauchenia even had a trunk. These scientists interpret Macrauchenia fossils to indicate that the beast had nostrils on top of its head between its ears. This would have allowed Macrauchenia to breathe while eating with its nose deep in the water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507853255-3GZV2RGIS4J7H1TMLB43/301+Megaceros.jpg mammalia - "irish elk" Megaceros (me-GAS-e-rahs), or the "great-horned," was a giant deer in the days of early humankind. It is also called the "Irish Elk" because many skeletons of Megaceros have been found well-preserved in bogs in Ireland. The antlers of Megaceros are the largest ever found for any member of the deer family. Some of the animals had an antler rack that was 10 feet across and nearly 4 inches thick. Megaceros itself stood almost 6 feet tall at its shoulders. Some scientists believe that Megaceros became extinct because of the huge size of its antlers. These scientists think that the weight of the huge antler rack made the animal fall forward when it leaned down to eat or drink. Since many skeleton fossils of Megaceros come from swamps, scientists think the Irish Elk may have fallen into bogs and drowned. Early humans also may have helped to make this animal disappear. Early human tools and weapons made from antlers of Megaceros have been found. And there is other evidence that indicates that early humans ate the meat of Megaceros. Since the size of its antlers must have made running very difficult for Megaceros, early hunters were probably easily able to chase down the antlered animal and kill it. Huge skeletons and antlers of Megaceros are found in almost every museum. The swampy areas where many of these animals died turned out to be perfect for preserving their bones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507854148-JLLQZEA5NGX2PZT56M3P/302+Megatherium.jpg mammalia - "great beast" Megatherium (meg-e-THIR-ee-em) was the biggest of all ice age animals. It was an ancestor of today's sloth, a slow-moving, small jungle mammal that hangs upside down in trees. Fossil bones of Megatherium lead scientists to believe it grew to be 20 feet long and often weighed nearly 10,000 pounds. It was larger than an elephant and looked something like a bear. Despite its huge size, Megatherium was probably a gentle, slow-moving animal that ate nothing but plants. Megatherium had a narrow face with thick, bony plates near the eyes. It had broad, flat teeth for grinding the leaves it ate. On its front legs were three large claws, which were used for grabbing onto tree branches. On each hind foot was a large, curved claw. Megatherium also had a huge, thick tail, which apparently provided balance while the animal stood up and ate. While standing on its back legs, Megatherium stood more than 18 feet high. Because Megatherium was so big, there likely were few animals that would attack it. And most that did were probably injured or killed by the huge claws on Megatherium's front legs. The fossil skeletons of Megatherium have been found in North and South America, and the animal has long been extinct. Some scientists wonder how an animal so large and well-protected could become extinct. So far they have not found an answer to that question. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507854237-BBXZ5YDLPH0545GI5DHK/303+Merycoidodon.jpg mammalia - "grazing teeth" Scientists in the United States have found more fossil remains of Merycoidodon (mer-ee-KOI-de-dahn) than any other prehistoric mammal. This animal with a piglike body was about the size of a large dog. Because of the flat teeth of this plant-eating animal, some scientists believe that Merycoidodon might have been the ancestor of the modern camel, even though it did not have a hump. This animal had four toes on each of its feet. Fossil evidence of throat structure indicates that one species may have had a very powerful cry. Merycoidodon traveled in large herds across the are of the United States that today is South Dakota. The mammal fed on the long grasses that grew on the flat lands of this area. Some scientists think Merycoidodon was a ruminating mammal, one that chews its cud (food it has already digested) the way a cow or camel does. There is evidence that Merycoidodon was probably a favorite meal of fierce prehistoric tigers and hyenas. But since Merycoidodon traveled in such large numbers, and some at least could make loud, warning noises, it may have protected itself well. Merycoidodon appears to have lived around 35 million years ago. As this mammal changed over thousands of years, it spent more and more time in the water. It developed eyes toward the top of its head. Thus it could keep its body underwater and still see. This helped protect it from predators. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507854632-A9A2T8LVLGXQXG4N80K0/304+Mink.jpg mammalia - victim of its own beauty Warm, long-lasting, and light in weight, the fur of this little carnivore is so sought after that almost no wild mink are left. The pelts sold in fashionable stores are mostly from animals raised in the northern United States, Canada and the Soviet Union. All mink raised in Europe are of American stock. Their diet, carefully fortified with vitamins, is scientifically planned. Cross-breeding has developed new, hardier varieties with thicker fur. The European mink, with a smooth, shiny brown coat, was once found throughout the center of the continent from western France to the Caucasus, and as far north as Finland and Siberia; it has almost completely disappeared. Its habits are similar to those of the American mink, of which there are 14 subspecies. Mink live near ponds, rivers, streams, and waterfalls. Like the otter, the mink digs its burrows in the bushy banks of bodies of water. For the most part it fishes for its food, which includes fish, crawfish, snails, and mollusks; sometimes it catches birds hidden in the reeds. An excellent swimmer, the mink is also agile on dry land. The mating period starts in February. The male mates with several females but lives with only one when the young are born. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507854709-E3ABC0M50UDPR3BGW2WF/305+Moeritherium.jpg mammalia - "ancient elephant" // sold Moeritherium (mire-THIH-ree-em) is believed by some scientists to be the first ancestor of today's elephant. Unlike the elephant, Moeritherium was a small animal about 5 feet long and 3 feet tall, or about the size of a large pig. Its body was thick and round, and this ancient mammal stood on thick legs with stubby toes. Moeritherium did not have a trunk; instead, nostrils were located high on its face, where the trunk of a modern-day elephant begins. Moeritherium had two small tusks in its upper jaw. Scientists think it used these to rake leaves and plants into its mouth. Its four broad, flat teeth were used to grind the food to small bits. Moeritherium lived near lakes and rivers and apparently never wandered too far from water. Like elephants, Moeritherium ate plants that grew in the water. It probably went into the water to keep cool and to protect itself from biting insects and dangerous predators. Scientists had wondered for many years about the place where elephants originated. They knew that mammoths and mastodons looked like elephants, but they were never able to find the "first" elephant. Then they decided to go to Africa, where modern-day elephants live. Sure enough, they found the first fossil remains of Moeritherium in northern Egypt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507855671-CN4M26XSEDATOB88U2S7/306+Mole.jpg mammalia - a real digging machine The mole is completely adapted for its principal activity, tunneling. Its cylindrical, streamlined body ends in a sharp, conical snout; its smooth, soft hair offers no resistance to the soil; its chest muscles give its forelegs the strength they need to do their digging. The mole run is both home and hunting ground. Ridges appear in our lawns as molehills; below is a labyrinth of galleries that can be 160 feet long. The central living room is surrounded by circular tunnels with several exits. The mole moves constantly through its tunnels--or out of them, at night--in search for its food: mostly earthworms and insect larvae, but also some shrew mice, frogs, and lizards. It is mostly blind, and guides itself with its sharp sense of smell. Fierce and bad-tempered, the mole defends its territory jealously. Male and female dig tunnels together during the mating period. The common European mole is found also in Asia, including Japan and northern India. There are several American species; one, the star-nosed mole, is almost entirely subterranean. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507855710-D39M51ZQB6FQSLRRVRB3/307+Moropus.jpg mammalia - "foolish footed" Moropus (MAWR-e-pes) was probably one of the oddest looking of prehistoric animals. Scientists who have studied its fossil remains think Moropus may have looked like a cross between a mule, a bear, and a rhinoceros. Its head was like a mule's, with a thick elongated nose. Moropus had thick front legs like those of a rhinoceros and strong, stubby back legs that resembled those of a bear. Full-grown, Moropus was about the size of a modern-day adult horse. Because its back legs were shorter than its front legs, scientists think that Moropus always held its head high. Moropus had no front teeth, but it did have heavy grinding teeth like those of grazing animals. Most prehistoric plant eaters had hooves, like such present-day descendants as deer. But fossil remains indicate that Moropus had very large claws on its front and hind legs. That is why scientists named the ancient mammal "foolish footed." Scientists think Moropus may have used its claws for digging roots and bulbs from the ground. It may also have used them for protection. Moropus probably couldn't run too fast because its claws would get in the way. Moropus lived in the western part of North America. Other members of the Moropus family were found in Asia and Africa, but they were smaller than the North American Moropus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507856167-UI8MZPG2GKXVI8Q9TTKS/308+Muskrat.jpg mammalia - it fights for its fur. The muskrat gets its name from the whitish, smelly liquid secreted by two small musk glands under its tail. It is also known as the Canadian beaver to trappers who make money selling its soft, shiny fur. The muskrat is found in North America; it lives in families or colonies on the banks of rivers and ponds. This distant cousin of the beaver swims quietly through the water or rests lazily; its only wish is to live peacefully undisturbed by man. The muskrat's many burrows, with their underwater entrances, undermine riverbanks and can do great damage. To these burrows supplies of food are brought from spring to autumn, and in them mating takes place. The female bears three to nine young several times a year. The muskrat, hunted by humans, lynx, foxes, eagles, and bears, will fight hard for its life. If captured when full-grown, it cannot be tamed and must be kept in a double-barred steel cage. The muskrat was taken to Europe 50 years ago by fur-breeders. Some escaped and became wild; their descendants have become a plague in fields of wheat and grain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507856363-JHL02WH3EHJ72MC4FT7Q/309+North+American+Red+Squirrel.jpg mammalia - specialized in pines and firs Where the gray squirrel prefers broad-leaved trees, its smaller red cousin is usually found in coniferous forests. There are two species of North American red squirrel--the Hudson squirrel, which is widespread in the vast Canadian forests, the north of the United States and the Rockies, and the Douglas squirrel, which is found only in the pine forests of the West Coast. They are both small squirrels, not quite as large as the European red squirrel. They have less well developed tails and do not spend as much time in trees. Some of them live in burrows abandoned by other animals, piles of logs, or even heaps of rocks. Their staple diet consists of pine and fir seeds. They gather the cones when they are still green and bury them, sometimes in very large numbers. These reserve supplies of food enable the squirrels to survive the winter in cold regions. They do not hibernate even when the surrounding landscape is covered in a thick blanket of snow. Red squirrels are active during the day and spend the night sleeping in one of their nests. Their young are born in one such nest, once it has been given increased insulation and a lining of hairs. There are two litters a year. The mating season begins at the end of winter, and is notable for the way the squirrels chase each other from branch to branch. The parents build the nest together, and their young remain in it until the age of five weeks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507856615-874QEP1D0GCAD11DIJNV/310+Notharctus.jpg mammalia - "false bear" Often scientists first discovered the fossil remains of Notharctus (ne-HAHRK-tes) they thought it was an early type of bear. Later they found other evidence that the animal actually belonged to the ape family, so they named it "false bear." Notharctus seems to have had a fox-like face with eyes located on the sides of its head. From fossil skull evidence the brain of Notharctus appears to have been quite large for such a small animal. Notharctus seems to have spent most of its time in trees, most likely for protection. Its front and back legs had fingers and toes, much like modern apes. Notharctus also had a very strong prehensile tail, that is, one adapted for grasping tree limbs. Like modern-day animals with prehensile tails (opossum, spider monkey), Notharctus probably used its tail as if it were a third arm. The first toes and fingers on the feet and hands of Notharctus were set apart from other toes and fingers, much like the human thumb is set apart from the other fingers of the hand. Very importantly, this meant that Notharctus could pick things up to look at them as well as grab and hold tree limbs. Fossil evidence indicates that the main foods of Notharctus were fruits, bugs, and bird eggs. Evidence shows that the small, "false bear," Notharctus, lived almost 50 million years ago in the forests of what is today called Wyoming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507856822-DM2A3AFM0K6K4MHJCW3X/311+Paleomastodon.jpg mammalia - "ancient elephant" Paleomastodon (pay-lee-oh-MAS-te-dahn) probably represents a very early stage in the development of the elephant and mastodon families. Paleomastodon is believed to have lived about 35 million years ago in swampy jungles. In fact, those jungles were located in northern Egypt, in what is now a desert! Paleomastodon had four small tusks that were considerably smaller than the tusks of modern-day elephants. Scientists believe that the two tusks in the upper jaw of the Paleomastodon were used to defend itself from enemies. The two tusks in the lower jaw were probably used to dig up roots and to shovel plants into the mammal's mouth. Paleomastodon had a nose and upper lip that are thought to have been the beginnings of a trunk. Wide, flat, fossil teeth of Paleomastodon indicate that the beast must have ground coarse plants before swallowing them. Paleomastodon stood from 3 to 6 feet high, considerably shorter than modern-day elephants weighed about two tons, had thick legs and blunt feet, and there is evidence that it had hairy skin. That evidence is surprising since Paleomastodon lived in a hot, humid climate. Scientists think Paleomastodon is related to mastodons that roamed Europe and North America about 30 million years ago. These great beasts had huge bodies, trunks, and tusks, but not the two tusks in the lower jaw that were characteristic of Paleomastodon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507857898-RUVK5ZSSHTTHO9OGXVFE/312+Pallas+Cat+or+Steppe+Cat.jpg mammalia - mountain palace and valley steps The pallas is a very unusual sort of feline. Its eyes have round pupils that open wide at night and close to the size of a pinhead in bright light. Unlike the lynx, it is short-legged and has a flat face and very small ears. Its fur is long, especially on the underside of its body and at the end of its tail. Its coat is a pale yellow-gray and white, with some black markings. The pallas cat is found in central Asia, from Mongolia to Afganistan. Its favorite habitat is mountainous terrain where there is a combination of rocks and grass. It is sometimes encountered at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters (16,500 feet), for instance, on the Tibetan plateaus. But is also lives on lowland steppes or wooded valleys, particularly when exceptionally cold winters force it to migrate locally. With its thick-set body and extremely long and abundant fur, the pallas cat is well equipped to resist cold. Its very short ears, almost invisible in its fur, are another adaptation to a particularly harsh climate. The pallas cat, which lives alone, hunts in the morning and at dusk. It can run very fast and leap nimbly from rock to rock, but like most cats, its favorite hunting technique is to crawl toward its prey, flattened against the ground. It feeds mainly on rodents but also takes partridge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507857986-AUQJQH8KS9NYDI727JH7/313+Patriofelis.jpg mammalia - "father cat" Patriofelis (pat-ree-oh-FEE-les) is believed to be one of the earliest and most primitive of the carnivorous, or meat-eating, animals. Fossil reconstructions show a full-grown Patriofelis to have been 10 feet long from nose to tail. Covered with thick, coarse hair, this probably ferocious animal seems to have resembled a cross between a lion and a bear. Especially notable is the large size of the animal's head, which, from studies of fossil remains, measured 34 inches in length. The lower jaws of Patriofelis were huge and were probably powered by very strong muscles. These would have given the beast the immense crushing power that scientists say it must have had judging from the fossil remains of the animals it ate. Patriofelis had relatively short legs. This indicates that the animal did not hunt the way a modern-day lion does. Instead of chasing prey, Patriofelis is believed to have been a scavenger. Like the modern-day hyena, Patriofelis ate the remains of animals killed by predators. But some scientists think the ancient Patriofelis also ate fish it caught with its sharp claws as it swam in rivers and lakes. This theory is based primarily on fossil evidence that the animal had a large tail that was probably adapted for propelling it through water. Patriofelis lived in what is now Wyoming and other western states between 45 and 60 million years ago, say scientists. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507858398-DNA4DH3B78XEQ3JB5UY8/314+Polecat.jpg mammalia - hungry and smelly This Eurasian meat-eater has an unpleasant reputation. Its foul smell is rivaled only by that of its cousin, the American skunk. It is a killer and a marauder of hen yards. The polecat is protected by its odor, its cleverness, its agility, and its ferocity. It defends itself with teeth and claws, and from its anal glands it can shoot a stream of nauseating liquid into the face of its pursuer. The victim is subject to a loss of appetite and fits of sneezing. Few animals will risk an attack on a polecat. Its unpleasant-tasting flesh is tempting only to some nocturnal predators, such as owls, that have little sense of taste or smell. Raising young polecats takes a long time. The period of gestation may last 6 months, and it is followed by 20 days of nursing. After that comes a three-month period of education in which the male does not participate. The polecat feeds at night. At twilight it leaves its lair in a hollow tree or abandoned rabbit hole and makes the rounds of the small burrows of mice, moles, and snakes. It also visits neighboring chicken coops. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507858875-VC96H5FT34VRJXW9HZ3K/315+Protoceras.jpg mammalia - "first deer" Protoceras (pre-TAH-se-res) seems to have lived between 10 and 50 million years ago. Fossil evidence shows that Protoceras was small in stature, generally about the size of a greyhound dog. But some were even small as an ordinary rabbit. The mammal seems to have had a graceful, gazelle-like body with a large head. Scientists believe the female had no horns, but that the male had two tusks and several blunt hornlike growths, one pair over its eyes, one above its mouth, and one on the back of its head. The horns were covered with skin, unlike the harder material forming the outer covering of antlers of modern deer. Fossil canine teeth of male Protoceras are long and sharp. They were probably used in fights for leadership of the herd. Scientists believe the defensive use of the horns probably helped Protoceras survive for a long time. The feet of Protoceras were unusual. Those in front had four toes, each with a small hoof, but the hind feet were most often two-toed. Fossil skeletons seem to indicate that Protoceras may have stood in a continuous crouch. Scientists are doubtful about the relationship of Protoceras to the modern-day deer because of the difference between the horny growths of both animals. However, some believe that an animal in Africa and parts of Asia called the chevrotain (SHEV-re-tain), or mouse deer, may be the only living link to Protoceras. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507858942-YVGKGBMN4NJRP9MMA0HX/316+Protylopus.jpg mammalia - "early camel" Protylopus (pre-TIL-e-pes) seems to have first appeared on Earth some 50 million years ago. This ancient mammal, not much larger than a jackrabbit, is the first known member of the camel family. It seems to have reached the western United States millions of years after Eohippus (eh-oh-HIP-es), ancestor of the modern-day horse. Unlike the descendants of Eohippus, those of Protylopus are no longer found in the United States. Fossil remains indicate that Protylopus had rather long head with 44 teeth, of which the canines looked like incisors. The legs of the animal were short, with four toes in front and two behind. These fossil findings suggest that ancestors of Protylopus may have had two additional toes. The hooves of Protylopus were pointed like those deer, making them much different from those of the modern-day camel. Fossil evidence indicates that the animal's hind legs were shorter than those in front. This most likely means that Protylopus leaped as it ran. Scientists believe that Protylopus had no hump, which apparently developed later in the evolution of the modern-day camel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507859408-PK1C3MLDFETXF51UBFRB/317+Puma.jpg mammalia - a hungry cat The puma is also known as cougar or mountain lion. A single puma is said to have killed 15 wild sheep in the course of one hunt. On the other hand, the puma rarely attacks man and is so frightened of dogs that it takes to the trees to get away from them when being hunted. The puma is found in the Americas from southern Canada almost to the tip of South America. Its coat is usually a rosy beige, but it may be gray, brown, or rust-colored. Length of hair varies with the habitat from short to quite long. The puma is at home in trees; it uses its tufted tail to balance itself as it jumps from branch to branch. The territory of an animal is marked with small mounds of twigs and leaves on which droppings are placed. A solitary animal, the puma prefers to live in places--forests, deserts, and mountains--that are hard to reach; it will, however, sometimes be seen near inhabited places. It may hunt at any time of day or night, but usually it does so at twilight. Wild sheep, deer, and peccaries are its usual prey. After a kill, the puma may save some of the carcass for another meal. Adults communicate by means of a shrill whistling sound, especially when the male and female are looking for each other at mating time. The female bears her young in a cave or a hollow stump. If anything happens to the litter, she mates again. The cubs open their eyes after ten days and stay with their mother for 20 months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507859445-ZANA9M50R1T6HVSRUBAZ/318+Raccoon+or+Coon.jpg mammalia - a clever animal The raccoon seems to have black spectacles over its eyes. It can jump from tree to tree like an acrobat. It sometimes seems to be a small bear, a monkey, a squirrel, or a rat--but it is none of these. Common in parts of Canada, most of the United States, and Mexico, it is often caught and kept as a pet. It can climb, swim, fish, jump, steal the bait set to catch it, and lead its enemies into water and drown them. In the 19th century trappers like Davy Crockett used raccoon fur for their hats. Today the raccoon has ventured into cities. Raccoons have been found even in New York, where they feast on the plentiful food in garbage pails! The strangest habit of this small mammal is its custom of dipping everything it eats in water, probably because it associates it with its favorite food, crayfish and frogs. It is called the washing rat, the washing bear, or similar names in various languages. The omnivorous raccoon also eats birds, toads, fruit, various crustaceans, insects, and fish. Whatever is caught is dipped into water and rubbed with the forepaws before being eaten. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507859840-CDMDRF0ZQ9BP4JMFUYRX/319+Reindeer.jpg mammalia - she has horns, too! The reindeer has been hunted by man on steppes and in frozen forests since the Stone Age. It was the chosen game of the Lapps, as the buffalo was of the American Indians. Man cut up the reindeer for his meat and used its fat for light. From its bones he made spears, arrows, and tools. He made pictures of the reindeer on the walls of his caves. Later, when he had his own herds, he drank the reindeer's milk. But the reindeer was never completely domesticated. Even today one can find large, closely packed herds on the tundra. In the mating season the air rings with the sound of the clashing horns of fighting males. Not only the male reindeer have horns. This is the only species of deer (unless caribou are regarded as a separate species) in which the female has horns. As the herd moves to fresh pastures, it is led by the most experienced males. But, after it has arrived, it feeds under the protection of old females! There are many varieties of reindeer. Those that live in mountains have never been domesticated as have those of the forests. Reindeer are widespread in Greenland, Scandinavia, Asia, and especially Siberia. The caribou or Canadian reindeer developed from a wild variety in North America. Its horns are more developed than those of the European reindeer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507859979-VNDXMARXVJP478XV7RR4/320+Saiga.jpg mammalia - an unusual nose The nose of the saiga looks like an ugly, long, curved trumpet. It filters wind-blown dust and sand from the air the animal breathes. It also acts as a heat-exchange device; the nasal mucus warms the freezing air of the Eurasian steppes, where the saiga has no natural shelter. Only because of its nose has the saiga been able to adapt to the vast desert areas of Mongolia and Kasakhatan--frozen in the winter, scorching hot in the summer, with only very sparse vegetation. Packed together like sheep, herds of saigas are always on the move, and always on guard against attack by predatory animals. But wolves and other carnivores are not their only enemies. Many saigas die of thirst, and others are drowned trying to swim across the Volga. In addition, they used to be heavily hunted by people who thought their horns had miraculous healing power. They are now a protected species, and their number has increased from a few thousand to over a million in the past 45 years. Mating takes place at the start of winter. The herds break up into harems, each led by an old male. The young males form bachelor herds of their own. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507860265-073CKNXSE4G0X2AYB4VS/321+Seal.jpg mammalia - it always comes back. The common seal, also known as the harbor seal, will be seen by cod-fishermen as far north as the Arctic ice pack. It is never found on the pack, but it does float on ice floes off the Greenland coast. A fine swimmer, it has the cold, gray-blue color of the ocean waves. The seal's food is fish, which it likes to catch in calm water. It prefers inlets or clear water surrounded by flat rocks, with here and there a patch of sand or pebbles. The young are born in May on an island in the northern ocean. Here all members of the colony were also born. The young, after five or six months of learning, are good enough swimmers to follow the adults to sea. The colony will go south to its summer and autumn feeding grounds. Some seals will follow the high tides of autumn up rivers to freshwater lakes. Seals are found along all the ocean coasts of North America and Eurasia. The greatest threat to the harbor seal is the hunting of the pups for their fur, which is most desirable just at birth. Many efforts are being made to control this hunting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507860386-5OUV0ARYPKZ527D91BVD/322+Serval.jpg mammalia - a deadly paw Unlike most wild members of the cat family, the serval likes to prowl about the outskirts of African villages. The probable reason is that it can find there are an abundance of its favorite foods: small lambs, rodents, and a few frogs. The fur of the serval has either of two different patterns. The usual coat is fawn-colored with round black spots on the sides and several parallel black streaks on the neck, spine, and back. The other coloration, once thought to be that of a separate species, has a fawn base with many small brown and black spots arranged in irregular rows; there is also a large black band on the back. The serval hunts in such a way as to take advantage of its long legs. It can jump high in the air, and it is easily able to catch a bird in flight six feet above the ground. The prey is killed with a blow of one of the forepaws. The strong forepaws are also used to dig rodents out of their burrows. The serval hunts at night, alone, and takes refuge in tree if it is pursued. Its cry is a harsh meowing. Little is known of the family life. The female usually finds a burrow in which to bear her young, which weigh eight or nine ounces. In spite of its size the serval is easily tamed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507860906-3T2VP8OPRZDH4O0VPIJ0/323+Shire+Horse.jpg mammalia - less expensive to run than a truck Very heavy draft horses like the Clydesdale, the Belgian, and the Shire, as well as the slightly lighter Percheron and Boulonnais, may have a fine future ahead of them in an era of oil restrictions. They are still used for work involving short distances and frequent stops (such as beer deliveries) because they are more economical than a truck. To many people, they are much more likeable, too. The Shire horse is a thoroughbred, that is, the complex combination of different breeds that has resulted in the Shire has produced a type of horse of stable characteristics that has not varied for a great many years. The Shire is descended from the Great Horse of the Middle Ages, which was bred for warfare. Through the Great Horse, the Shire has an admixture of Arabian horse blood, although not as much as the Percheron does. The size and strength of the breed, which is the largest in Great Britain and one of the heaviest in the world, is partly due to imported Belgian stallions, which also played a role in the development of the Clydesdale breed, a slightly smaller horse than the Shire. Whether black, bay, or gray, the Shire horse's chief characteristic is its "feather," a shock of long hair at the fetlocks that completely covers the hooves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507860949-WF4S95EHS2NS1H8ON0CN/324+Short-Tailed+Weasel.jpg mammalia - a deadly dance The pure-white fur of the short-tailed weasel, known in England as the stoat or ermine, was once reserved for royalty, and the animal was also a symbol on many coats of arms. But the short-tailed weasel wears this beautiful, snow-colored coat only in the winter. The white hairs fall off in the spring, and the animal is then bright brown. The tip of the tail is always black. This weasel usually spends the day in a burrow or hole in a tree. When night falls, it goes out to hunt, creeping through the underbrush or along the banks of streams. It can run, jump, climb, and swim so well that its prey seldom escapes. Its keen sense of smell identifies at a distance the birds, snakes, amphibians, and even hares on which it feeds. The short-tailed weasel is a merciless hunter. There is an old tale that, when it catches its victim, it does a dance that paralyzes the prey with such fear that there is no attempt to escape. The short-tailed weasel is found mainly in the colder parts of North America and Europe and in the Asiatic tundra as far east as Japan. The female, fertilized in the spring, usually makes her next in an abandoned mole hole. Before winter comes, the four or five young have learned to hunt with their parents. Short-tailed weasels have few enemies. In captivity they become irritable, refuse to eat, and die quickly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507861514-Z91YBAM17KVO0UJCXREN/325+Siamang.jpg mammalia - the voice of the forest This large monkey is a gibbon. It has long arms and a slender body, and it looks as if it were dressed in elegant black tights. It was once thought by some naturalists that siamangs were not anthropoid apes, close relatives of man, because they seemed less intelligent that chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Like all members of its family, the siamang is a tree-climber of great agility. It moves through the tropical forests of Sumatra and Malacca as quickly as a spider crossing its web. It seems to use all four hands (or feet) as it goes. Actually, it reaches out with one or both hands and balances on its hind feet, grasping the new branch at the end of the leap. The siamang feeds on nuts and young shoots. It comes down from the trees only to drink during the dry season. At the time of the monsoon it can get enough water from drops that form on the leaves. Siamangs live in moving bands of eight to 15 monkeys. When the warning cry of the leader indicates that a panther is near, the whole troop flees to the treetops, the young hanging on to the thick fur of their mothers. The loud evening and morning callings is said by the Malaysians to be the voice of the forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507861889-TTQWC9FDENHQDXO9KCV8/326+Slow+Loris.jpg mammalia - a firm grip The nycticebus, or slow loris, can spend the whole day hanging from a branch by its four legs, without moving or appearing to get tired. It sleeps in the same position. And when the mother wants to forage for food by herself, she simply "hangs up" her young: She knows that once it is made to cling to a branch it will never let go. The hands of the slow loris have strong fingers that broaden out towards the tip. They have flat nails except for the index finger, which possesses a curved claw that the loris uses, like a comb, to untangle its fur. The circulatory system of the creature's limbs is adapted to long periods of immobility in a hanging position: the downward flow of blood is slowed down, and thus stiffness is prevented. The larger slow loris is found in Indochina and Indonesia. It is very awkward on the ground and scarcely ever leaves the branches of the trees. It moves along the foliage at night in search of fruit, leaves, insects, and small mammals. Extremely slow-moving (as its name would suggest), it will lift one limb only if the other three have a firm grip on the branches. Once the fourth limb is securely anchored, then it will move one of the others. The slow loris lives in dense humid forest, where there are very few seasonal changes, and it breeds at any time of the year. The young (usually only one) is able to cling to its mother's fur as soon as it is born. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507862257-ODC1ZO8CW7UU1XQ3PGU8/327+Smilodon.jpg mammalia - "saber-tooth cat" Smilodon (SMIGH-le-dahn) is often called a tiger, but it was actually not a tiger at all. All fossil evidence indicates that Smilodon was a smaller member of the cat family, more like a bobcat than a tiger. Smilodon appears to have stood about 3 feet tall and had thick legs and very muscular shoulders. Scientists believe its neck was also tightly muscled. The most notable feature of Smilodon was its huge fangs. These fangs were about 9 inches long and were very sharp. Smilodon had the perfect build for a meat-eating killer. The front parts of its body were very strong and perfect for hanging onto the necks of victims. The nose of Smilodon was located toward the rear of its skull. This adaptation allowed the animal to breathe even while its fangs were buried deep into the flesh of its prey. Fossils show that the lower jaw of Smilodon opened very wide. This probably meant the beast tore large chunks of meat from its prey. One thing puzzles scientists, however. They think Smilodon may not have been able to chew those chunks very well. Scientists conclude this from their studies of the other teeth of Smilodon. Thus, Smilodon may have swallowed large chunks of meat whole, or possibly may have lived on the blood of its victims. Smilodon may have killed old, sick animals, or those that had become trapped in swampy areas. The remains of Smilodon have been found in many areas of California. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507862408-PHMO7DTETOATTOI52DGN/328+Solenodon.jpg mammalia - beware, a poisonous insect eater! At a glance the solenodon seems to have the size and shape of a giant, long-nosed rat; it has a scaly, almost hairless tail, a rough coat, and fleshy hindquarters. This nocturnal animal specializes in hunting insects and small lizards. Its forefeet have long, curved claws. The long, hairless snout enables the solenodon to dig its prey from under stones or out of old stumps. Until the 15th century solenodons were found in most of the islands of the West Indies. Only two closely related species remain. One is found in small numbers in the mountains of Cuba. The other survives only in northern Santo Domingo and on the southern peninsula of Haiti. The latter is being killed off by the mongoose, which was brought to the island at the end of the 19th century to eliminate poisonous snakes. At dawn, after feeding on locusts, crickets, and fireflies, or perhaps a bit of carrion, the solenodon swims in a pond or stream. It is very aggressive when threatened, and it will try to kill any animal that attacks it. Even though it is an insect eater, it is dangerous because it has poison glands at the base of two of its lower incisors. These teeth have grooves through which the venom comes out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507862681-OMKHLUZ994KURNDR22E7/329+Sperm+Whale.jpg mammalia - the heroic days are gone. No more drownings, no more broken arms and legs, no more battles with the monster. Today the sperm whale is hunted from a distance with a harpoon cannon. When the huge animal is dead, it is brought to a factory ship. There it is grasped by strong metal hooks and hoisted on board. The enormous body will soon be cut to pieces with stem saws. Huge boilers will take from the whale's flesh or blubber oils that will be used for soap and margarine. From what is left will come fertilizers and cattle feed. A large fatty mass on the head produces spermaceti, source of substances used in candles, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. Most valuable is the bad-smelling ambergris, which is made into expensive perfumes. Because the sperm whale is in danger of extinction, the United States has forbidden the hunting of this animal. In fact, no whale products may be imported into the United States. Sperm whales live in herds. One male will gather several females and will keep the young bulls at a distance. When hunting the giant squid, sperm whales can stay underwater for an hour. Before diving the whale takes in a huge amount of air. Afterward, the nostrils are closed tight. When the animal resurfaces, the nostrils or vents open, and a huge cloud of vapor is given off. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507862955-CZF87HXXLJDWQZ97H26K/330+Star-Nosed+Mole.jpg mammalia - quivering nostrils The nose of the star-nosed mole is unique in the animal world: It is surrounded by 22 pink appendages called rays or tentacles, which quiver constantly and make its nose look like a sea anemone. Only the two rays at the top remain motionless, pointing forward at all times. This almost preposterous organ serves to detect vibrations: it is simply a more spectacular version of the very sensitive detecting organs, which are found in all moles and enable them to pick up, from some distance, the vibrations caused by the movements of an earthworm, for example. The star-nosed mole is found in the north-east of the United States and the whole of eastern Canada. Its range extends very far north and includes most of Labrador. A feature, apart from its extraordinary nose, that distinguishes the star-nosed mole from the common mole (which is slightly larger) is its much longer tail. The tail contains reserves of fat that enable the animal to "hold out" till the spring at a time when food is scarce: although it lives in cold regions, the star-nosed mole does not hibernate, and can often be found fully active when snow is thick on the ground. The star-nosed mole is less attached to its own burrow than the common mole. It ventures from it quite often and does not restrict its activities to the underground world: it is a good swimmer and diver, and hunts insects, crustaceans, and even small fish underwater. Its coat is impermeable, and when the animal is swimming, its broad shovel-like feet perform a second function--that of flippers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507863459-YCZP5VCI3JWB9Y3EG988/331+Stenomylus.jpg mammalia - "gazelle camel" Stenomylus (sten-oh-MIGH-les) appears to have been a small, graceful animal that was an early relative of the modern-day camel, though not in direct line with its evolution. Fossil remains show that Stenomylus was about the size of a large dog and had a long, thin neck. Even though Stenomylus was related to the camel, fossil remains show that it did not have a hump. It did, however, have jaws similar to those of a camel. Stenomylus was probably a very fast animal, having long, slender legs. These ended in two pointed hooves. Scientists think these structures adapted Stenomylus to cover ground quickly with long, bounding leaps. Stenomylus is believed to have traveled in large herds probably for protection. One of the unusual features of Stenomylus was its teeth. Even though the animal was a plant eater, it did not have the broad, flat teeth that were specialized for grinding vegetation that other plant-eating mammals had. Instead, Stenomylus had only sharp, incisor-type teeth. Scientists think this meant that Stenomylus ate very rough types of woody plants that were difficult to chop into pieces. Scientists who have discovered remains of Stenomylus often find hundreds of their fossil skeletons together, indicating that entire herds may have died from disease or from lack of water sources. The remains of Stenomylus have been found in Nebraska and other states in the western U.S. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507863602-8XW1SXTA0J7FBH7CUTL0/332+Tahr.jpg mammalia - goat or sheep? The tahr, which lives in high mountains, is a little bit of both. It has the goat's hairless tail. Like the he-goat, the male tahr has, at the base of its tail, glands that have an odor during mating season; it also has horns larger than those of the female. But, like the sheep, the tahr is beardless. The large body is covered with a heavy coat, which may be dark brown or gray with touches of red. The male has a mane on the neck and back. There are three related subspecies in the forested mountains of the southern Himalayas. The Arabian tahr lives in desert mountains that are not quite as dry as the plains. It is the only tahr with whiskers on the sides of its face. The Nilgiri tahr is found in southern India. In winter tahrs live in herds of 25 or 30, feeding on leaves. This is the mating season, and there are violent fights between males. After fertilization the females look for mountain pastures, where the young are born in June or July. They watch over their offspring with no help from the males. The young nurse for six months and are adult after another year. The fierce, solitary males feed in the forest until winter, when the mating instinct leads them to rejoin the herd. Tahrs live for an average of 20 years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507863998-GUDUWHNCN50DWH9RWIBN/333+Takin.jpg mammalia - the golden fleece Was there ever really a golden fleece? Old myths often have a foundation in reality. A traveler who sees a takin, its luxurious coat flecked with gold, might well think he has found the legendary ram. Like the golden fleece, the takin is hard to find. It lives in the almost inaccessible mountain forests of the southeastern Himalayas, between western China and Assam. Only two pairs are in captivity, one in Rangoon, the other in New York. Neither has reproduced. The heavily built takin is somewhat like the gnu and the musk-ox. The horns are triangular in cross-section and are shaped roughly like horseshoes. They point toward the rear and lie flat on the large, short head. The takin lives on steep slopes covered with bamboo, its favorite food, the rhododendron. It stays at heights of 6,500 to 10,000 feet. The repeated passing of these heavy animals, to springs where they can drink and places where they can find salt, leaves well-marked trails in the forest. Until mating season they gather in herds of 200 or 300. In June and July the males, always aggressive, become dangerous and fight furiously with each other. Then each goes off with his small group of females. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507864076-JF8TV8WME2YZTQLRKYTY/334+Talapoin.jpg mammalia - a small water-loving monkey The talapoin lives in the swampy and often flooded forests of equatorial Africa. An extremely agile mover among the foliage, it stays in the low branches and bushes of the jungle, just above the surface of the water. Although the talapoin almost never comes to the ground, it does dive and swim well. It is particularly at home in the mangrove swamps of estuaries, among a tangle of branches and roots half in and half out of the water. It is an environment into which the tree-dwelling monkeys' chief enemies, the birds of prey, do not venture; the only real danger to the talapoin comes from reptiles. There are three varieties of talapoins, in the west and central Congo basin and in Angola. They differ only in details of their coat. They are the smallest monkeys of Africa, scarcely larger than a squirrel. Like many guenons, talapoins have green backs. Their bellies are off-white, and their faces are pink with yellow "side-whiskers." Their tails are long, and become darker towards the trip. Talapoins live in groups of sometimes several dozen individuals. During the daytime, they look for food--leaves, fruits, flowers, and, quite often, insects as well. If danger threatens, they give a whistling warning signal. At night they sleep in dense foliage. There is no particular breeding season as such. The infant talapoin (there is usually only one young) spends the first few weeks of its life clinging to its mother's fur. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507864781-P2ZTG7AC2VQ01GBP3LG5/335+Tapir.jpg mammalia - a harmless animal A Thai legend tells how, when the world was made, God put together the tapir with parts borrowed from other animals. This would explain why the tapir has the shape of a pig, the feet of a rhinoceros, hoofs like those of cattle, and a snout like a small elephant trunk. The nature of the tapir, however, is like those of none of these animals. It is a peaceful, shy animal that stays hidden during the day and comes out at night to feed on leaves, grass, and roots. It likes to bathe and has never harmed anyone. Only the female, definitely larger than the male, will defy an enemy that tries to attack her young. The tapir hides in water whenever it is threatened. For this reason it never goes far from bodies of water. The old male, like a male boar, keeps to himself but is much more cautious. Other tapirs live in family groups. The young have short, thick hair like that of the adults; it is covered with longitudinal spots and streaks that disappear as the animal matures. There are four species of tapir. Three, Baird's tapir, the Brazilian tapir, and the mountain tapir, are found in the tropical forests and mountains of South America. The Asiatic Malayan tapir has a cape of white hair on half of its back. This makes it easy game for the tigers that feed on it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507864836-QGO0BUFICLKW1A2ECRBE/336+Tarpan.jpg mammalia - the ancestor of the domesticated horse About 5,500 years ago, man domesticated the horse, which lived in the wild over large areas of Asia and Europe. There were two main varieties of horse: In the east, Przewalski's horse, a few herds of which still live in Mongolia, and elsewhere, from Turkestan to western Europe, the tarpan, which was still found in large numbers on the Ukrainian steppes in the 19th century. But the tarpan was systematically massacred by horse breeders, who accused the animal of luring away domestic mares. The last surviving tarpans became extinct by 1900. The tarpan was a small horse with a short head, flat nose and pointed ears. Its coat was gray with a dark stripe along the back. Its mane and tail were short, stiff, and not very bushy. The picture here shows two "tarpans" of a herd that has been bred to have most of the characteristics of the original horse. The latest studies suggest that the domestication of the horse first took place in southern Ukraine, in an area where the tarpan lived. Scientists can ell from a horse's skull, (by examining the state of its teeth), and researchers can then tell how old the skull is. It is highly probable that the tarpan is the ancestor of our present-day domestic horses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507865617-F33M2FN4CH08SI2PS95I/337+Tenrec.jpg mammalia - passive defence The completely harmless tenrec has two natural defences. It is covered with spiny bristles, and it has an unbearable musky smell that keeps its enemies away. But neither of those things protects it from the people of Madagascar, who hunt the tenrec for its meat. There are 23 species of these small, nocturnal, insect-eating animals. They are found only on Madagascar and two neighboring islands. The preferred habit is mountainous areas rich in mosses and shrubs. The tenrec is shy and timid. It digs long tunnels, in which it sleeps and hides during the day. It comes out after sunset and searches the ground with its long, pointed snout for its food, which consists of insects, worms, lizards, slugs, and fruit. This animal likes to play in water. The tenrec becomes lethargic in May and sleeps in its burrow all through the southern winter, which coincides with summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not seen again until spring. The female is very prolific. She bears 12 to 16 young in a litter. The young open their eyes nine days after birth and are independent after four weeks. The mother defends them against any attack, even at the risk of her own life. The tenrec can be raised in captivity. It should be fed on cooked rice, raw meat, and bananas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507865756-HAE9OX15DPDSKUFTWDWV/338+Thoroughbred+Horse.jpg mammalia - a royal horse During the 17th and 18th centuries the kings of England decided to cross English mares with Arabian stallions: the Godolphin Arabian, the Byerley Turk, and the Darley Arabian. Today, when a jockey speaks of a thoroughbred, he means a horse descended from this cross-breeding. The first English-Arabian horses were Eclipse, Matchem, and Harold. From these three came most racehorses: short-distance sprinters and slower but more enduring long-distance horses called stayers. Racehorses have long, smooth bodies, long legs, and muscles that can be seen under the short, glossy, bay or chestnut coat. From its Arab ancestors the thoroughbred gets its high spirits, its square forehead, its long legs, and its thin ears; its broad chest and affectionate nature are its English heritage. Half-bred horses are those born from the mating of a thoroughbred stallion and a mare that is not a thoroughbred. Many are saddle horses. Some are hunters or jumpers. There are trotters and harness racers. Still others are used in bull-fighting. A special breed, the Lipizzan, is the famous dancing horse of Vienna. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507866460-X7OI9MTBWX3NJHZCO5B7/339+Tiger.jpg mammalia - a royal animal // sold The stripes of a tiger seem to form the design of an old Chinese symbol of royalty, and this animal is important in Chinese mythology. The original habitat of the tiger was Siberia. From there it spread to India, Indochina, Burma, Turkey, and the Caucasus. The biggest tigers have heavy fur and live in the coldest parts of Siberia. Jungle tigers are sensitive to heat and take to the water to cool off. They are excellent swimmers and have been known to swim as far as three miles in the delta of the Ganges. The tiger's coat varies from pale beige to brick red; there are occasional albinos. With its strong claws and sharp teeth the tiger will attack any animal, including the largest carnivores. An old, weak, or wounded tiger will even attack man. Tigers can do so much damage that governments put a price on their heads. There are now only about 6,000 left in the world. Tigers move quickly, especially in winter, their most active season. Their sight is not good, but they have sharp ears and a keen sense of smell. They use sound and scent to track the deer, wild boar, and antelope on which they feed. A tiger may eat more than 200 pounds of meat in one meal. This is a solitary animal except at mating time, when male and female share a common territory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507866547-PLBQECGOJNCNPM0JYP6D/340+Titanotherium.jpg mammalia - "titanic" Titanotherium (tigh-ta-ne-THE-ree-em) may well have been one of the biggest and most numerous mammals ever to live on Earth. Fossils show that Titanotherium stood over 8 feet tall, with a body that grew to be 15 feet long. The huge beast may have weighed as much as 5 tons. Titanotherium seems to have looked somewhat like a giant rhinoceros, with a thick, deep-chested body and stocky legs that had three hoof-bearing toes on each foot. The head of Titanotherium was long and lower than its huge shoulders. At that end of an upturned snout, this giant mammal bore two, odd-looking broad horns that were larger in the male than in the female. The horns of Titanotherium were covered with skin, but they likely were still very dangerous weapons because of the tremendous weight Titanotherium could put behind them. Nonetheless, lacking fossil evidence, some scientists think Titanotherium had no predators. These scientists think the animal probably used its horn when fighting with other members of its own kind. Titanotherium was a plant eater that grazed in the open plains of the prehistoric world. It also ate leaves and branches from tall trees. Scientists think Titanotherium finally died out because its teeth were not specialized enough to chew the grasses it had to eat. In effect, the species starved to death. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507866912-RT6FFA8VG3BOJ4OUXYKI/341+Toxodon.jpg mammalia - "bow tooth" Toxodon (TAHK-se-dahn) seems to have been as big as a rhinoceros. But it may have had a face that looked more like that of a hippopotamus. Toxodon was a giant mammal that lumbered through South America between 1 and 60 million years ago, according to fossil records. Some of these giants were 4 feet high at the shoulder and grew to a length of up to 10 feet. Some may have weighed as much as 3 tons. Because its three-toed feet seem too small to have supported such a massive body, scientists believe the animals may have been semi-aquatic, perhaps escaping to water for safety. Skeletal remains of some kinds of Toxodon indicate that it had short, rhinoceros-like horns. The mammal's head was out of proportion to the rest of its massive body. There is some evidence that some of the animals may have been humpbacked. Scientists don't know how Toxodon came to be in South America. And it is still a mystery why some types became extinct. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507867074-BLMRF6JPPKC2WV27339E/342+Tree+Porcupine+or+Porcupine.jpg mammalia - spines under its coat In a discussion of animals of the world names can be confusing. The card for porcupine dealt mainly with the crested porcupine of Europe. The tree porcupine is the common porcupine of Canada and the United States, sometimes call the Canadian porcupine. Distantly related to the European species, it is a tree-dwelling rodent that is a fairly good climber. It has an armory of short spines under a thick coat of bright hair. The porcupine is not an aggressive animal; it makes its way through the woods with no fear of attack, even from wolves and bears. If an attack should come, the black, sharp-pointed spines are erected; if the attacker persists, it will find the spines painfully implanted in paw or throat. It is possible for a careful person to pull out the spines without being hurt. This is a bark-eating rodent that will chew on the logs of woodland cabins. It is so fond of salt that it will go to any length to get at wood that has salt on it. There are two related North American species, one on the western plains and one in eastern United States. In all porcupines, the young are the largest of all mammals, compared with the size of their parents, at birth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507867412-V8E9IRPUYCXI7WXI6XAB/343+Two-Toed+Sloth.jpg mammalia - slow motion living // sold The two-toed and three-toed sloths belong to the same family. Both are found in the tropical forests of Guyana, Venezuela, and northern Brazil; both feed on leaves and fruit. There are some differences. The two-toed sloth has longer legs. Like the three-toed sloth it has three toes on its hind feet; but its forefeet have only two. These are strong claws, three inches long, which are an effective defense against enemies. The two-toed sloth is as lazy as the three-toed. It, too, spends the day in a state of torpor, hanging back down from a tree branch. It is essentially nocturnal. Even at night it moves about slowly, swinging from branch to branch with its long arms as it looks for food. It must spend most of its time in trees because it can only cover about a quarter of a mile in an hour on the ground, where it is easy prey for carnivores. This sloth does better in water than the three-toed sloth; it swims quickly on its left side. It is a hardy animal that recovers easily from injuries. But its internal temperature is unstable, and it is quite sensitive to heat and cold. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507867705-A8G5NLEXKTLTM0KMMJJX/344+Vampire+Bat.jpg mammalia - hero of horror movies The vampire bat, flying noiselessly through the night, has always inspired fear. Its diet explains its mouth structure and its simple digestive system. The vampire bat has several advantages over its victims. It has padded cushions on its feet; it can alight on an animal without awakening it. There are 20 very sharp teeth, including the large incisors or "fangs." And this bat flies quickly. The unwilling blood-donors include horses, cattle, other farm animals, dogs, and sometimes people. The vampire bat sleeps in its cave by day and attacks only at night. The bite is gentle, quick, and almost unfelt by a sleeping animal. The bat takes very little blood--a few cubic centimeters--but the wound may bleed for some time because the bat's saliva contains a substance that prevents clotting. The real danger is the risk of infection and the spreading of dangerous diseases such as rabies. This bat is held in such fear that drastic measures have been taken to kill it off. The result has usually been the killing of such harmless species as the false vampire bat, which feeds on fruit and insects. Vampire bats belong to a New-World family--desmodontidae--containing two genera and three species. They are found in Mexico, Central America, and southern North America. They live in various regions, from plains to high plateaus, occasionally being found as high as 1,500 or 1,600 feet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507867868-Q5GBHUHBES248Q6OUBP9/345+Vicuna.jpg mammalia - the most beautiful wool in the world -- too bad! The vicuna is threatened with extinction. It lives on high plateaus in the Andes of South America; its few natural enemies can be seen far off, and the vicuna has the speed to escape from them. But this does not take into account the one remaining enemy, man, who hunts the animals for their wool, the softest and most valuable in the world. This is a case where fashion overrules the law. In spite of the fact that hunting the vicuna is completely forbidden, poachers continue to track down the few survivors, selling their coats of wool at high prices on the black market. And this is really not necessary; these animals can easily be raised like alpacas, and the coats sheared without killing the animals. The vicuna is the smallest of the camel-like animals of the Andes. It is slighter than the guanaco. The bright-red coat shades to white on the chest and belly, where it may be four or five inches long. The vicuna lives at altitudes of 11,500 to 18,500 feet in bands of five to 15 females led by a male. It does not like dampness and stays on the dry, high peaks during the rainy season. Because its sensitive feet cannot hold onto rocks, as can those of the guanaco, the vicuna prefers grassy areas. The herd needs a large territory because vegetation is sparse at such high altitudes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507868252-IVZSRUAV5D3Z6KTXJGTQ/346+Wallaby.jpg mammalia - the kangaroo's little cousin Thirty species of herbivorous leaping animals related to the kangaroo are found in Tasmania, New Zealand, and New Guinea. They are wallabies, which are strictly vegetarian. They are the same as kangaroos in general appearance: long, strong hind legs; strong tail; short forelegs. Like kangaroos they move about by jumping, landing on their hind feet. The best-known wallaby is the rock wallaby, which lives on the steep slopes of the rocky regions of central and southern Australia. It is an excellent climber that can scale cliffs and jump from rock to rock with the agility of a monkey. The rock wallaby is easily recognized by its small size and its thin tail with a large tuft at the end. The pandemelon or short-tailed wallaby is a little larger. It is found in the forests of western Australia, and it feeds by grazing like sheep. The bush wallaby, which lives in thickets and underbrush, is more graceful in appearance. It licks its forearms as a way of quenching its thirst in hot weather. The dwarf rock wallaby is much like the rock wallaby but it only 12 inches long. There is also the banded hare wallaby, which is fairly common in the woods and prairies of Australia. The hare wallabies are smaller; these nocturnal animals, which jump quickly and well, are now found only in the south. Wallabies of many species are hunted for their fur. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507868306-610ZA7BIYCVG5Q8JKPLN/347+Wapiti+or+North+American+Elk.jpg mammalia - hunter's pride and joy The head of a bull wapiti would make a handsome addition to any big-game hunter's trophy room. The wapiti's spreading antlers can measure 5 to 6 feet across. Until quite recently, the wapiti also was hunted for its teeth, which were used as emblems by a fraternal society. Although it once roamed over most of North America, the wapiti is now restricted to remote mountainous areas and national parks in Canada and the United States. Wapitis migrate up mountains in the fall and down into the valleys and plains in spring. Wapitis wander together in groups of 25 or more. Older bulls travel during summer in separate groups from the females and young wapitis. In winter, males and females herd together. Wapiti calves are able to walk a few minutes after birth. The male wapiti has a high-pitched bugling call, heard during its autumn mating season. Females and calves emit a high-pitched squeal when in danger and females often make a barking sound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507868686-R79W489DWBYOWGGDFASM/348+Water+Vole.jpg mammalia - underwater and underground // sold The water vole, often called the "water rat," can swim and dive with great agility. If it is disturbed while having a meal on the river bank, it will disappear into the water, often reappearing cautiously a little farther along. It rarely ventures far from water, and builds its burrow in the bank, sometimes with an underwater entrance. Such burrows, which run just below the surface of the ground, contain several chambers and storerooms connected by zigzagging tunnels. The vole always keeps them in good repair. As these complex burrows are often very close to each other, they can sometimes completely undermine the bank of a canal. The water vole is common over an area from the Atlantic to Siberia. The only parts of Europe where it is not found are Spain and southern Italy. It is a stocky rodent with a short, broad head. Its ears scarcely project from its long, thick coat. Its rather short tail is hairless and scaly. The vole has very deft "hands" and uses them to carry food to its mouth. Water voles are nocturnal animals, and feed chiefly on aquatic plants and those that grow on the bank. They pull down reeds and nibble them, but also forage for fallen fruit and seeds. Their activity slows down in winter, but they do not hibernate. They amass very large stores of food to keep them going during this period. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507868863-6961MOSZMD3SEV71DFWU/349+Wild+Boar.jpg mammalia - an evening visitor If it is not disturbed, the wild boar is a peaceable animal that divides its day between sleeping and bathing. But this quiet creature can become a murderous beast in a twinkling of an eye if it is threatened. Holding its tusks level with the ground, it will charge any enemy and can inflict serious wounds. The wild boar is a hardy nocturnal animal. It looks like the domestic pig whose ancestor it is. The coat is long, rough, and dark. This animal lives in bands of females, baby pigs, and young males. Old males are solitary and join the band only during mating season. The boar will eat anything, from roots that it digs up with its snout to other boars. It spends part of the day lying in a bathtub-size hole, dug in the ground and lined with grass and twigs. In such a comfortable, well-hidden spot the sow bears four to a dozen fawn-colored, yellow-banded piglets. There are 21 species of wild boar in the world. Particularly widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, the animal has been introduced to Australia and South America. The banded boar is found on the islands of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo; the warty and bearded boars are found only on Borneo. The pygmy boar of the forests and mountains of central Asia is on its way to extinction. The boar was a game animal in many parts of the world and is still hunted for sport in many places. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507869035-TD3XWCFRWBHU7L7A98B2/350+Wombat.jpg mammalia - nothing stops it. When it has decided what path to follow, the wombat goes straight ahead through any brambles or underbrush that may be in its way. This obstinacy is not aggressive; it is the wombat's way of peacefully doing what it likes. Few animals are easier to tame. This small burrowing animal is nocturnal in the wild but quickly changes to daytime activity in captivity. Its heavy fur and rounded body make it look a little like a bear; it does not, however, act like one. It runs away quickly when threatened. If it must defend itself, it does so by kicking furiously. The wombat lives in the forests of Tasmania and southern Australia. Using its five strongly clawed toes, it digs deep underground tunnels. During the day it stays at the bottom of its burrow. It comes out when night falls and hunts for food, which consists of roots and various grasses. There are two genera and two species of wombat. Like rodents, they lack canines but have long teeth with which they can bite and chew hard substances. These teeth continue to grow as they are worn down. The female's marsupial pouch, which opens forward, has only two teats, and she bears only two young in a litter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507869498-D0L0Z7G95730D6T5KSMF/351+Xerus.jpg mammalia - it lives under the fiery sun. The xerus is an African ground squirrel. It is found in the torrid areas of Maghreb, and from Mauritania to Uganda. There are four species. How can the xerus survive in this harsh environment of arid land, feeding only on plants that contain little water? In the first place, it spends the day in its burrow, where the temperature is cooler, and goes out only at night to visit a grove of palm trees in an oasis. It urinates infrequently and has no sweat glands. If the temperature in the burrow reaches 105 F, the xerus bathes in its own saliva and cools off by evaporation. The xerus has rough, thin hair that is thicker at the end than at the base. On the tail, which is almost as long as the body, these unusual hairs are arranged in two rows. The xerus looks like a squirrel, but the head is more pointed, the ears rounded, and the legs longer. This animal often lives in groups in collections of burrows somewhat like the villages of prairie dogs; sometimes the home is the abandoned shelter of another animal, or simply a tuft of grass. Food consists of plants, seeds, eggs, and insects. The xerus, which is active and quarrelsome, is curious about people instead of fearing them. The chipmunk and the ground squirrel are related American species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1521507849597-80LKJN6EXQZD1ZK350W7/352+Zebu.jpg mammalia - a useful hump Like all the large ruminants in our barns and on our farms, the zebu is a kind of domestic cattle descended from the wild aurochs. It is characterized by an elongated head, a dewlap or fold of flesh hanging from its neck, and especially by the big hump on is shoulders. The original function of the hump was probably as a food reserve; it becomes flabby if the animal goes without food for an extended period. The zebu is a good work animal, quiet and hardy; it can live in dry climates and can withstand heat and humidity far better than ordinary cattle. Originating in India, where it was traditionally held to be sacred, the zebu has spread through southern Asia to Egypt, Sudan, Madagascar, and even South Africa. In Texas and in South America it has been crossed with domestic cattle to obtain hybrids remarkably resistant to disease and ticks. The many varieties differ in size, the length and shape of the horns, and color. The Indian zebu is light-colored. The African zebu is darker, black or spotted with black, and has well-developed horns. These may be five feet long and 20 inches around at the base. The zebu has become a very useful animal. https://www.marylewey.com/illustrated-wildlife-treasury-2015 daily 0.75 2020-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1589355901447-WJM2JM6QDVZS2J0DMDQX/158+Albatross+WEB.jpg illustrated wildlife treasury, 2015 - aves https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1588954085766-EYWY2F8EPNQRO1TIBFQF/249+Axis+Deer.jpg illustrated wildlife treasury, 2015 - mammalia https://www.marylewey.com/iwt-aves daily 0.75 2020-04-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284230769-UQVW98KXW36M80RXTOO3/158+Albatross+WEB.jpg aves - a master of soaring flight This bird, so heavy and awkward on the ground, has a remarkable flight technique. It can cover great distances with little effort. To pick up speed it dives, with the wind at its back, to the surface of the sea. Then it turns and regains altitude by gliding into the wind, which moves faster higher above the sea. When the albatross has lost all air speed, it simply turns and repeats the maneuver. To gain extra speed in diving the bird party folds its wings, taking on the shape of a delta-winged airplane. The hardest job for an albatross is the takeoff. If there are no thermal currents or air movements of any kind near the cliffs where it nests, it has to run a long way to gain sufficient speed for flight. The albatross family consists of 13 species, found in the Southern Hemisphere and the North Pacific. These solitary birds feed on fish, crustaceans, and refuse thrown from ships. They come together, in tens of thousands, only for the breeding season on bluffs overlooking the sea. During the mating display several males dance around one female. Only one egg is laid, incubated for 65 days by both parents. The young bird is cared for for several weeks after birth and then left to itself. It will finish its growth alone, living on its reserves of fat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284230878-2HC6Y6EJ3D1QCLL0BUER/159+Archaeopteryx+WEB.jpg aves - "ancient wing" Archaeopteryx (ahr-kee-AHP-te-riks), the world's first-known bird, was not a strong flier. The ancient bird had wings much like those of a modern bird and bones made light by large air spaces in them. But Archaeopteryx probably did not have the large breast muscles required for real flight. From fossil evidence, it has been determined that the bird was small, about the size of a crow. The bird survived by living in thickly wooded areas where bigger animals could not reach. It perched in trees and glided or flapped down to the ground for food. Archaeopteryx lived about 150 million years ago and is especially interesting as a possible link between birds and the reptile ancestors of birds. It had a long tail, sharp teeth, and three claws at the tip of each wing--all similar to the tail, teeth, and claws of a reptile such as a crocodile. The body of Archaeopteryx was covered mostly by feathers, believed by some scientists to have had their origin in reptilian scales. A backward-pointing toe on each foot enabled this prehistoric bird to perch on branches. The traces of feathers in Archaeopteryx fossils found in Germany convinced scientists that this animal was really a bird rather than a reptile. Still, no one knows just why this animal with reptile ancestors took to the air. Whatever reason, life among trees and the ability to soar helped Archaeopteryx and, finally, modern birds to survive among bigger and more aggressive animals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284231499-6ED2RR0NWQ2G7XNJ2JUR/160+Auk+WEB.jpg aves - shared love This web-footed bird waddles awkwardly rather than walks. It is also known as the razorbill. A good swimmer, it uses its narrow wings rather than its feet as fins. It is also a wonderful diver, being able to reach a depth of 25 feet. It flies easily and quickly. The auk spends most of the year on the water. In the depth of winter it comes to rocky shores and cliffs, where it nests in colonies. In mating season, auks caress each other with their beaks. One will stand with beak upraised, making a noise with its jaws like that of castanets, while the other strokes its breast. The female lays a single egg in whatever crevice she can find. Male and female take turns incubating it for 34 days. Fifteen days after birth the young paddle in the waves with their parents. The heavy down and the coat of oil on their bodies protect them from shocks and extreme cold. Auks, like terns, feed their young for a long time, until they have learned to fish. They are sociable birds, never going far from their friends. Head and neck are black in summer, with a white line joining the eye and the beak. In winter, the throat and the sides of the neck are white. Auks feed on fish, snails, and marine worms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284231729-XTQUA6XYPI7P8OSSREF1/161+Baltimore+Oriole+WEB.jpg aves - living feathers of fire Who hasn't marveled at the beautiful orange and black coat of the male oriole as it flies to a branch of an elm tree and watches its mate build the nest? Yes the male is lazy at nest-building time; the less colorful female does all the work. The nest is made of fine plant fibers carefully woven together into a snug, deep sack. Because the nest is so deep and high in the tree, the baby orioles are safer from their enemies than are many other baby birds. The Baltimore oriole is shy and keeps well to the tops of trees. But even if you cannot see the bird, you can recognize it by its song. The song is a rich whistle that seems to say, "Oh here, here, see me up here." At times it may sing a shorter song that sounds like "Johnny, Joe, and Jim." The Baltimore oriole can be found as far north as New Brunswick and Saskatchewan and as far south as eastern Texas and Florida. Baltimore orioles are also common residents of the Rocky Mountains. But farther west the white-shouldered Bullock's oriole is more common. All species of orioles are beneficial because they eat many harmful insects. When it turns cold, generally in late September, the Baltimore oriole migrates to its winter home in Mexico and Colombia in South America. The oriole has relatives that look quite different from this colorful bird. Among them are grackles, meadow larks, and the cowbird which lays its eggs in other birds' nests, including those of orioles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284232035-L66JCFYH3MYBV7DGY4CM/162+Barn+Owl+WEB.jpg aves - a useful ghost With its pale mask, its long white feathers spotted with gray, and its large eyes, this nocturnal bird of prey may seem a frightening ghost. When you add to that its whistling cry in the moonlight, the dread in which it was once held is easy to understand. This bad reputation led to its being hunted without mercy--even hung on the barn door by some fearful people. But this owl has a better reputation now that its role in the balance of nature is known. It is, in fact, a large consumer of rodents of all sizes, especially those that are a threat to crops. There are 30 species of barn owls, in Europe, Africa, Southeastern Asia, Australia, and above all, in America. Toward the middle of April, the male barn owl lays in a good supply of rodents, birds, and large insects to attract a female and encourage her to mate. The young are raised on the ground, on a nest of vegetable debris and dry pellets of regurgitated food. Their hunger is such that they cry and fight for more even while they are eating. The weaker may die of starvation. At the age of three months, as soon as they can feed themselves, the young are driven from the nest like any other intruders! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284232276-445W62YD98JLZ0BHRXJ8/163+Bean+Goose+WEB.jpg aves - a well-deserved name Great flocks of geese arrive in the fall in the countries of northwestern Europe. They alight in open fields and feed on grains of wheat and beans left over from the harvest--hence their name. They can also be seen, earlier in the year, searching for fresh young shoots that they can pull up and eat. The bean goose is a migratory bird, as much at ease on the water as in the air. It is found in Iceland, in Lapland, and on the tundras of Europe and Asia. Its migrations take it as far south as the Mediterranean. It is sometimes found even in North America, where other species of geese are more common. With dark-brown neck and back, gray breast, and white belly, it is easy to identify. Its beak is black with an orange band. Like all geese it builds its nest in marshes where predatory animals will have trouble finding it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284232529-3FNFF6GTCST847HU3DQ8/164+Bird+of+Paradise+WEB.jpg aves - no wings or feet? The bird of paradise was named for its colorful feathers, or plumes. It was named by Europeans who hadn't seen the bird itself, only skin and plumage brought back from distant lands. One legend of the 1500's was that the bird of paradise had no feet and thus had to fly all of its life. In 1522 Antonio Pigafetta, one of Magellan's companions, said that he had seen dead birds of paradise. They had long, thin feet, he claimed. But no one believed him. Pigafetta had another strange tale. According to him, the bird had no wings, only fans of long feathers. And these allowed it to fly only in a strong wind! There are 43 species of birds of paradise. All live in New Guinea, on the coast of northern Australia, and on some of the islands in that part of the world. The males have splendid plumage, especially during the mating season, which extends through much of the year. They make a display on a branch or a bit of ground cleared for the purpose. From it they chase away any other male. They lure one female after another, but lose interest as soon as mating has taken place. They do not bother with the nest, the brooding, or the young. The fashion of feathered hats would have eliminated these birds if they had not lived in such inaccessible places. Even so, 50,000 were killed each year until 1920, when hunting them was forbidden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284232808-B95D7VXV3U7BTVXOJ5KP/165+Bittern+WEB.jpg aves - cattle in trouble? What is that strange, unexpected booming that can be heard over an area more than two and a half miles wide? A cow mired in a swamp? Don't waste your time looking. The booming is produced by a male bittern perfectly hidden among the reeds. This bird looks like a small heron, with yellow plumage speckled with black. No one knows just how it makes such a strange cry. It is certainly not by burying its beak in mud, as was long thought to be the case. The bittern is distributed over a vast area. The most common European species is the star bittern, which has a white chin and a black cap. The American bittern has black chin feathers. The bittern is found in many parts of temperate Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America. Many species tend to be migratory, as are most herons (of which the bitterns are a subfamily). It has on part of its body a light, crumbly down. This can be used by the bird as a powder with which to clean its plumage. The bittern is not fierce. But, if disturbed, it will defend itself bravely with repeated jabs of its long, pointed beak. Its only enemy is man, who has systematically hunted it for hundreds of years for its tasty meat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284233633-XAG8ATDNGKMY44KNULE8/166+Blue+Jay+WEB.jpg aves - planter of oak forests Just about everyone is familiar with the harsh sound of "jay, jay, jay" made by the northern blue jay. But this noisy quarrelsome bird can sing a much sweeter song. The jay's flutelike "kerdle, kerdle, kerdle" is a common sound heard during early spring. The blue jay has a bad reputation because it robs the nests of other birds and feeds on the eggs and the young. But in doing so the jay is performing a service by keeping nature in balance, like hawks and owls. Nature does not allow any species of animal to become too numerous. In addition, jays eat a wide variety of other food. Included in their diet are many large insects, frogs, toads, and even seeds and nuts. The jay, much like the squirrel, will hide acorns in woodland soil for later use. But often the bird forgets where he hides the nuts. Many of the acorns will then sprout and grow into oak trees. For this reason the jay has been called "the planter of oak forests." Blue jays come readily to feeding stations. Their activities and songs can help brighten a gloomy winter day. Jays are probably one of the boldest species of birds. During certain seasons of the year they flock together in noisy bands. If the family cat happens to be out in the backyard, the birds, racket and dive-bombing tactics may drive the poor cat to the nearest shelter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284233322-3FOZJLJ4F0UR0SP0KX0N/167+Bower+Bird+WEB.jpg aves - a house-painting bird The satin bower bird paints the walls of its twig building. Its choice of color is almost always blue, which it gets from nearby berries. Its method is simple smearing. It takes juicy berries in its beak, crushes them against the twigs it has laced together, and daubs the twigs thoroughly. Sometimes it does even better. It mixes a paint of saliva and whatever colored materials it can find, such as berries and burnt wood. Then it uses a bit of bark held in its beak as a brush. Only the male undertakes this decoration, and it is not a nest that he is painting. It is a mating theater. On a platform of branches it builds a bower six inches wide, two to three feet long, and sometimes with walls that meet overhead at a height of one foot. All around, the bird puts decorative objects--pebbles, bright feathers, snail shells, bits of glass, and even flowers that are replaced when they fade. When the bower is ready, the male entices the female. Once she has come into the bower, he starts a mating dance, going from one of his trinkets to another as if to present them to her. After mating, the female builds her own rough nest, where she hatches her two eggs and cares for the young alone. The male never goes far from the bower, from which other males are chased away. Food is whatever can be found nearby insects,--fruit, and seeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284233766-HHVDKHCG6AJQMUVUDVHE/168+Bulbul+WEB.jpg aves - too much fruit punch! This brown or green sparrow is fond of ripe fruit--so much so that the fermented fruit sometimes is too much for the bird. It is not unusual in the summertime to find bulbuls that have died from intoxication. The bulbul gets its name from the Arab word bulbul, intended to describe its song. Some species (there are 119!) sing so beautifully that they have been taken for nightingales. These birds have two tufts of hair on each side of the beak. This pair of mustaches serves to catch and trap the insects that they eat. Bulbuls are found throughout South Africa; there are also Asiatic species. The red-whiskered, white-cheeked, and black bulbuls are three of the many kinds known. The courting display of the bulbul is unusual. The male, as he approaches the female, puffs out his feathers to show the patches of color that ornament his body near the base of the tail. The female flutters her wings and sings a special song. The nest, in a low tree branch, is made of grass, vegetable debris, and bits of bamboo. The female lays two or three eggs, which she hatches by herself. The male feeds her while she is on the nest. He also keeps a sharp watch for possible enemies--mongooses, crows, owls, and other predators. Bulbuls know that there is strength in numbers. When the alarm is sounded, the flock gathers and attacks the enemy with beaks and claws. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284234030-87VSR18XREVFNUL72FHY/169+Bullfinch+WEB.jpg aves - a methodical pest The bullfinch has a bad reputation. It causes great destruction to orchards. In the spring it attacks the buds and blossoms of fruit trees. It starts from the end of a branch and works its way to the trunk, eating the tender center of each bud that it finds. Using this efficient technique, a bullfinch can consume as many as 30 buds a minute! Orchard keepers have tried for years to reduce the numbers of these birds, but with little success. The reason is that they reproduce so rapidly. The female can lay as many as three clutches of eggs a year, with four or five eggs in each. The father helps the mother in hatching the eggs and in bringing food for the young. The young are fed on a mixture of seeds and small insects. They make their first flight at the age of about two weeks and are then ready to attack the fruit trees. The bullfinch is widespread in Europe and Asia. In Europe, the breast of the male is a bright red, that of the female a pinkish gray. The several species of bullfinches are distinguished by the roughness or smoothness of their plumage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284234460-JFQGB20NB5SH1D11Z9UD/170+Butcher-Bird+WEB.jpg aves - meat on display Butcher-birds, like shrikes, like to impale the bodies of their prey (usually birds or lizards) on the thorns of trees or hedges. This technique facilitates the task of tearing off pieces of meat, but also perhaps to set up provisions. Their prey is not always impaled, in fact, but sometimes wedged into the fork of a branch. There are several species of butcher-birds, found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. They are strong birds with a powerful, curved bill. Their plumage is black and white in varying proportions. The Australian or black-throated butcher-bird, shown here, looks very much like a magpie. In this species, the female's back is brown. Butcher-birds live in pairs throughout the year and defend their territory even outside the breeding season. They feed on large insects, small reptiles, birds, and rodents. The butcher-bird lies in wait for them on a fairly low perch, and pounces on them when they are on the ground. Unlike most other carnivorous birds, butcher-birds are good songsters, and the male and female often perform duets, taking turns singing the same themes. Their nest is a rough, cup-shaped construction of twigs, built several feet from the ground. The number of eggs varies depending on the region. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284234910-6AI7A8QHXTV5ZOKM85X9/171+Cattle+Egret+WEB.jpg aves - an effective colonizer Until the beginning of this century, the species of heron known as the cattle egret lived only in Africa and in the south of Europe and Western Asia. But at some point a small group of them must have been blown to America by a storm. They multiplied there so successfully that they are now found over an area from Latin America to Canada. This colonization is thought to be due to the lack of competitors in regions where herons are aquatic and where stock farming, on which the egrets rely for their food, has been a relatively recent development. The cattle egret is the only heron that does not live permanently in marshland. Found on grassland, it forms large flocks which hunt insects either by tracking them down themselves or, more often, by following herds of cattle and eating the insects disturbed by them as they move. Moreover, cattle egrets often perch on the backs of large mammals such as cattle, buffaloes, and even elephants, to feed on ticks and other parasites. Their "hosts" do not seem to mind giving a free ride to one or several such vermin-eaters. During the mating season, cattle egrets grow tufts of reddish feathers on their heads and breasts. This is also the time of year when they temporarily become "true" herons again, building their nests near water, in trees or in reeds, sometimes in the company of other species. It is reported that the male cattle egret will steal materials from neighboring birds of other species and carry them to the female, which builds the nest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284235181-A7IKQN8DRZQMLUTUHVA9/172+Common+Pintail+WEB.jpg aves - from the tundra to the tropics Pintail ducks nest on the vast marshy wastes of the Arctic, to the north of both Eurasia and North America. In the autumn, they assemble in large flocks and migrate south. Those of Europe go as far down as the Sudan (they are depicted in Ancient Egyptian paintings), while American pintails fly to the Caribbean. In temperate regions they are chiefly birds of passage which suffer heavy losses at the hands of hunters when, during their migration, they rest for a moment in small groups on the edges of ponds and lakes, or in larger flocks along the sea coast. The pintail is much more slenderly shaped than other ducks. Its neck is longer and its wings are narrower; the drake has two greatly elongated feathers in its tail. The female duck is brown with black speckles, like the female mallard. For most of the year, the drake's plumage is much more conspicuous. Apart from the two long feathers in its tail, other distinctive markings include its white breast, which extends into a white stripe up the sides of its neck, and its silver wings, which have a dark green speculum or patch. Pintails feed by dabbling for aquatic plants and small animals on the surface of the water. They do not dive. The nest is simply a small hollow on dry land lined with down. The ducklings leave it as soon as they hatch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284235533-TGIZHN1328D25FXWQODK/173+Crested+Lark+WEB.jpg aves - the art of camouflage Like all birds that nest on the ground in open country, crested larks need effective camouflage. They are well protected by their mottled reddish-gray plumage, which is like that of the other larks. But they have also been observed to choose a nesting ground against which their coloring can melt away particularly well, such as reddish or gray sand. Crested larks are common along a broad belt running from the Mediterranean to northern China and extending into Africa as far as Somalia. They are small passerines chiefly remarkable for the crests that give them their name and the very long claw on their hind toes. The two sexes look alike. The crested lark is a very good songster, like the skylark; but unlike its cousin it delivers its song from a perch, and not while soaring. Normally found on dry steppes and on the fringes of deserts, the crested lark also thrives in the company of man, in gardens or on wasteland. It feeds mainly on seeds and cereals, and lives in groups for most of the year. Each pair builds a nest of grass and twigs at ground level. Only the female incubates, but she is joined by the male when it is time to feed their young. As is often the case with seed eaters, the new-born fledglings are fed on insects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284236030-GVUQAEW3X92AZCZPTK5F/174+Crested+of+Tree+Swift+WEB.jpg aves - a tiny, fragile nest The crested of tree swift's nest is about the size and shape of a tablespoon. It is made of thin strips of bark held together with saliva and stuck to a branch. It is not strong enough to bear the weight of an adult tree swift, and it is not known how the female lays her single, quite large egg in it. The egg is stuck to the nest with saliva, then the parents take turns in "incubating" it--they perch on the branch above the next and fluff up their feathers to cover the egg. This method would probably be impossible anywhere else than in the warm tropics. The tree swift is found all over south-east Asia, from India to the Pacific islands. It is very common in Malaysia, where it is apparently beginning to settle in cities. Its normal habitat is damp forest or mangrove swamps, but it is also found on plantations. The crest to which it owes its name is located at the base of its bill. It is erect when the bird is perched, and flat when it is in flight. Less of an aerial acrobat than the common swift, the tree swift perches frequently, and brings insects it has captured in flight back to its perch to eat them. Small groups of them can often be seen lined up on a branch, exchanging a constant flow of high-pitched calls. Crested swifts are active throughout the day, not only in the evening like many other tropical species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284236115-OCPFDEKISMULSA3Y7565/175+Cuckoo-Shrike+WEB.jpg aves - a cushion on its rump There are a great many species of cuckoo-shrike, which differ in their appearance and their habits. But they have one thing in common--a tuft of broad, downy feathers forming a kind of cushion on their rump. These are not firmly attached to the bird, and can easily be pulled away. There are 72 species of cuckoo-shrike found in all the hot regions of the Old World, Africa, and Australia. They are small passerines with a powerful notched bill that is often curved at the tip. They have short legs, a long tail, and pointed wings. Almost all cuckoo-shrikes are tree-dwelling and sedentary. The exceptions are found in Australia, where the southernmost species, a running cuckoo-shrike, has legs much better developed than those of other members of the family. The plumage of most cuckoo-shrikes is basically black and white, like cuckoos, but they are in no way related to the true cuckoos. Their scientific name, Campephaga, means "caterpillar eater," and most species do indeed wreak havoc among caterpillars, which they capture on the branches of trees. But cuckoo-shrikes also take insects in flight and return to their perches to eat them. Their nests are always carefully built, high in the fork of a tree, and have a lining of spiders' webs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284236744-ZUG8DDB3SW7MSGIVHENP/176+Diatryma+WEB.jpg aves - "giant ground bird" Diatryma (digh-e-TREE-me) was a flightless bird whose fossil remains indicate that it was bigger than an adult human. Diatryma stood 7 feet tall, had a 17-inch-long skull and a 9-inch beak. Yet there is evidence that it had only tiny wings and hardly any tail. Diatryma probably hunted on the ground using its apparently muscular legs to chase prey. With its powerful beak, Diatryma must have crushed smaller animals the way a nutcracker shatters a walnut. Since Diatryma was probably not able to fly at any point in its development, this condition may have proved fatal for the species. Diatryma remains have been traced to about 50 million years ago in the American West. Great strength seems to have enabled the flightless bird to compete for a time with nearby mammals. In fact, some scientists thing the leg bones of Diatryma were stronger even than those of an ostrich, a modern-day flightless bird. Yet Diatryma finally could not survive and died off without descendants. Perhaps, some scientists believe, a change of climate changed the condition of the prairies where Diatryma roved. Flight, it turned out, was the skill ancient birds needed to survive into modern times. The fate of Diatryma proved that even a giant bird was at a disadvantage on the ground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284236982-OZESQVOBN16DSFAEL2R4/177+Drongo+WEB.jpg aves - quite fearless // sold The drongo is a smallish bird that acts on the principle that the best means of defence is attack. It will allow small birds to perch nearby, but when a larger bird such as an owl or a crow comes close, it attacks the intruder fiercely and often succeeds in routing it! Small birds such as orioles and doves take advantage of such protection, building their nests in the same trees as the drongos do. There are some 20 species of drongo, found in Africa, Madagascar, the whole of southern Asia, and Australia. Almost all of them are shiny black with blue or green metallic glints, and their eyes are often red. Some species also have two extremely long feathers in their tail which are almost entirely bare except for two small "rackets" of barbs at the tip. Drongos feed on insects, which they capture either on the ground or in flight, and seem to be particularly fond of bees, whose stings do not affect them. They usually bring what they have caught back to their perch before eating it. Drongos are noisy birds, but while some species have a beautiful song, others emit discordant cries. They apparently live in pairs, at least for much of the year. Their nests, perched very high up trees in the fork of slender branches, are cup-shaped, have a rather thin wall of grass, and are lined with spiders' webs. The young are fed by both parents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284237446-1CMD8NYOIO211E5S4VBB/178+Fairy+Bluebird+WEB.jpg aves - the "monkey's sentry" In certain parts of the Philippines, the fairy bluebird is called the "monkeys' sentry" because of its habit of accompanying groups of macaques as they move through the branches. According to local superstition, it is the bird's task to warn the monkeys of any impending danger. Actually, the bluebird follows the monkeys so that it can snap up the insects disturbed by them. There are two species of fairy bluebirds--the fairy bluebird of the Philippines, and the blue-backed fairy bluebird, which is found all over southeast Asia. In the latter species, the male has a light blue back, while the rest of his body, including the wings, is shiny black with a metallic iridescence; the female is greenish-blue color all over. They are gregarious birds that inhabit the very densest jungle in small groups. Fairy bluebirds spend all their time going from tree to tree in search of ripe fruits, and fly down to the ground only to drink. Although they will take insects, fruit is their staple diet. They are particularly fond of figs, and at the time of year when they are ripe, the birds sometimes assemble in large flocks. At the beginning of the mating season, the groups break up and the birds pair off. Little is known of their reproductive habits, as the jungle makes their nests inaccessible. Apparently, the female incubates alone, while the male remains near the nest. Then both parents share the task of bringing up their young. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284237729-PB5DCALNJ38ZSF2HZUIO/179+Frogmouth+WEB.jpg aves - a big mouth There are a dozen species of frogmouth, spread over an area from India to the Pacific islands and Australia. The most remarkable feature of these owl-like birds is the great width of their bills, the corners of which open well behind their eyes, giving them their name "frogmouth". The rim of the frogmouth's bill is lined with stiff bristles and the inside of its mouth is bright yellow or red. During the daytime, frogmouths perch quietly on a branch, making no attempt to hide themselves. They hardly need to, since they are protected by and extraordinarily-effective camouflage: When they are motionless, their bodies stiff and necks outstretched, the spots, streaks, and blotches of their plumage make them look just like a dead branch with a piece or two of bark still stuck to it. Although frogmouths spend the whole day in a state of immobility, they become quite active at night, as might be expected of a large bird that feeds chiefly on insects. The frogmouth sits on a low branch, waiting to swoop down on insects on the ground, or it hunts them in the foliage, flying silently through the trees. Some species of frogmouth also eat mice and reptiles. Their nest, a rather large one, is built in the fork of a tree. The parents take turns sitting on the eggs and share the task of feeding their young. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284238077-W8URX5PPXNCSSUMQFMPT/180+Goldfinch+WEB.jpg aves - late nest builder "Look up into the trees. I see a big flock of wild canaries!" This cry is often heard in early spring when the goldfinches come back to nest. It is a beautiful sight. The male is a handsome bird, always in formal dress. Over his chest is a vest of lemon yellow. His wings and tail are black marked with white. The bird's head is topped with a solid black cap. The female is not dressed so handsomely...her color is mostly pale yellow on the underside; the uppder parts are olive yellow streaked with brown. Goldfinches are among the last birds to build their nests. Nest building may even extend into the latter part of August. The nests are made of grass, bark, and plant stems; they are lined with down. Generally the nesting sites are close to the ground in the fork of a bush or tree. The eggs are pale blue. During the summer, the birds like open wooded areas where they feed on weeds, conifer seeds, and some insects. Partially digested seeds serve as food for the young. Goldfinches occupy a wide territory. Their range extends from Labrador and Manitoba in the north, south to Virginia and Missouri, and west to the Rocky Mountains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284238363-FFMJ2K5YX2LD85M4DYFY/181+Gouldian+Finch+WEB.jpg aves - a patchwork of colors Gouldian finches are among the most multi-colored of all birds: green wings, a belly that is half bright yellow and half violet, a blue rump, and white under tail coverts. It has a sky-blue collar and a black throat, and the top of its head is usually black, or dark red, and very rarely, yellow. These variations do not affect pairing in any way, nor do they denote different species. The female's plumage is similar to the male's, though less contrasting. These resplendent colors, combined with the bird's small size and the ease with which it can be bred, make it a great favorite with bird fanciers. In the wild, the Gouldian finch lives on the borderline between forest and savanna in northern Australia. It prefers wooded savanna, but moves up towards the forest during the dry season. It is easy to tell from its strong, conical bill that it feeds chiefly on seeds. It climbs the stems of plants, foraging for them, and rarely is seen on the ground. During the breeding season, however, it changes its diet and eats insects, especially termites. With his brilliant plumage, the male doesn't need to do much for his courtship display--he simply ruffles up his feathers and sits proudly on a branch. The nest is a simple one made of blades of grass and usually located in the hollow of a tree or a termites' nest. Both parents incubate in turn, and share the task of feeding their young. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284239323-W0EEAEVMG15ZS9ROIZ4Y/182+Green+Broadbill+WEB.jpg aves - hanging nests // sold The nests of broadbills are like long sacks or soft baskets woven together from grasses and other fibers. Sometimes more than 40 inches long, they are suspended from a low branch by a "rope" made of similar materials, and usually hang over water. The entrance, which is on one side near the base, sometimes leads into a short corridor. The nest is built by both the male and the female, and sometimes even, it appears, by several birds together. Its exterior is camouflaged, insofar as this is possible for a construction of such a size, with scraps of moss. There are three species of green broadbills, and they all live in the region of Malaysia. They differ from other broadbills in that the top of their bill is almost completely covered by a thick tuft of very fine feathers; the bill is also slightly narrower than those of other species and has a short hook at the end. They have powerful feet and a head that is large in proportion to the body. Their plumage is bright green, occasionally with a few black or white markings. The green broadbill differs from its cousins in its habits: Where they are noisy and gregarious, it remains solitary and silent for much of the year. It lives on fruit, supplementing its diet occasionally with insects, whereas other broadbills are insectivorous and, in the case of the larger species, carnivorous. Green broadbills live in damp thickets, especially in the secondary forest that takes over abandoned farmland. Little is known of how they raise their young. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284239338-4WOR22ITPL5N5AO91UBR/183+Greenfinch+WEB.jpg aves - the gardener's enemy The greenfinch is a seed-lover. There are many other birds that eat seeds, but this one is not satisfied with those it can find on the ground; it digs up seeds that have been planted. Gardeners try to frighten it off with scarecrows, but it takes more than a rag doll to bother the greenfinch. If the gardener coats the seeds with a bad-smelling substance, the greenfinch will peel it off. So the finch wins. But the bird also eats weed seeds; and it is almost the only bird that feeds on a destructive snail in the spring. For this reason it is forgiven its few garden seeds, and special flower beds are covered with nets. The greenfinch and similar species are very common throughout Europe, northern Africa, and Asia Minor. It winters in the south and comes north in the spring. It usually lives in cultivated areas, where it builds its large nests in trees, about ten feet above the ground. The nest, not as pretty as nests of other finches, is made of plant shoots and moss lined with feathers and wool. It will give shelter to two and sometimes three broods in a single spring. The male feeds the female during the two weeks she spends on her bluish-white, brown-speckled eggs. The young birds leave their parents as soon as they can fly but come back to them at the end of summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284240242-KH606L4QMDOTDJKJ5QTE/184+Grouse+or+Capercaillie+WEB.jpg aves - a gathering of hermits The male of the large European grouse, also known as the capercaillie, is so colorful and aggressive that it must live alone to avoid continual battles with its companions. During the day it hunts for buds, berries, and seeds in the bushes; at night it sleeps in a tree. It spends the winter in mountain forests, while the females, in small flocks, go down into valleys at this season. Everything changes when good weather returns. As soon as the April sun shines, the solitary males gather in flocks on the eastern slopes of the mountains. The females are there, too, early in the morning, ready for the nuptial parade and display. Necks extended, feathers fluffed out, the males advance with slow steps, turning cartwheels and strutting to show off their shining color. The dance is accompanied by a strange song that sounds like a metallic sputtering. Mating goes on all day. Each male will mate with several females, and each female with several males. Four weeks later the males return to their lonely lives; the females care for their nests by themselves. The grouse family consists of 17 species spread through North America, Europe, and Asia. Among the American Species are the sage grouse, the prairie chicken, and the sharp-tailed grouse. The typical Eurasian black grouse is also called the black game. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284240033-6JMTWIDJJ1RDNQ8C8TWX/185+Hesperornis+WEB.jpg aves - "western bird" Hesperornis (hes-pe-ROR-nes) was a large sea bird that seems to have died out about 65 million years ago. From head to tail, Hesperornis was from 4 to 6 feet long. But fossils show that its wings were not large enough to allow it to fly. Thus scientists think Hesperornis spent most of its time on Earth swimming and diving in the shallow seas that covered much of the world during the time that Hesperornis lived. Hesperornis seems to have looked much like a giant version of a modern-day loon--except that Hesperornis had two rows of tiny, sharp teeth in its bill. Its streamlined shape and powerful rear legs probably enabled Hesperornis to swim swiftly and dive deeply to capture the fish that made up its food supply. These same characteristics of shape and strength must also have helped Hesperornis to evade the great sea reptiles that preyed on it. Scientists think the bird ancestors of Hesperornis must have had wings that let them fly and legs able to walk on land, but that Hesperornis used its small wings and its legs only for swimming and diving. Though powerful and graceful in the water, Hesperornis was probably helpless on land--plunging about clumsily with its legs stretched out behind. Thus scientists believe that Hesperornis never left the water, not even to lay its eggs. Most likely this giant sea bird built floating nests anchored to plants in shallow water--a characteristic of some modern-day sea birds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284240698-QFUUOWSK40ZSW1HYDNHE/186+Ichthyornis+WEB.jpg aves - "fish-eating bird" Ichthyornis (ik-thee-AWR-nes) was one of several species of primitive birds that appear to have lived about 100 million years ago during the Upper Cretaceous period. Its fossil remains have been found in Kansas. The finest fossil specimen is on display at the Peabody Museum at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Ichthyornis was about the size of a robin. Its beak was flat and, unlike modern birds, contained teeth that curved backward. Its beak was flat and, unlike modern birds, contained teeth that curved backward. Ichthyornis used its teeth to capture and hold fish before swallowing them. Some scientists believe that Ichthyornis had a well-feathered body and powerful wings. In fact, fossils of Ichthyornis are the oldest evidence of birds that flew efficiently. Scientists think that, much like the modern tern, Ichthyornis would fly into the air and hover above a pond or lake. Then, when it spotted a fish, the bird would fold its wings and dive into the water to catch it. At times Ichthyornis could even swallow large, fat fish. Lower jaw fossils of the bird give evidence that it had extra joints that allowed its mouth to be opened very wide. Ichthyornis and other primitive birds were believed to be warm-blooded. This trait was passed on to their modern descendants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284241253-Z0BIQPCQL6JU20ARL8SB/187+Jackdaw+WEB.jpg aves - a thieving chatterbox Harsh cries of Tchak! Tchak! sound from the sky. Black-feathered birds with gray necks and bluish eyes are perched on the ledge of a high building. These are jackdaws. They have adapted to the modern world by leaving their former homes on cliffs for nooks on houses and other structures. The jackdaw has a good voice and can sing various melodies besides uttering its harsh cry. With patience it can even be taught to talk. Jackdaws live in flocks but fly in pairs within the flocks. The bird is found in most of Europe, northern Africa, and many parts of Asia. It eats almost anything--insects, grain, fruit, vegetables--and sometimes feasts on snails or slugs. Mating season is in the spring. After an elaborate and tuneful courtship the nest is built almost anywhere: in a hollow tree, a chimney, or even a rabbit hole. Twigs and grass form the outside of the nest; hay, hair, and feathers make the inside soft. The female incubates the eggs for 17 or 18 days. The jackdaw is attracted by any bright object. It will even steal lighted cigarettes and take them to its nest. The result can be an unpleasant surprise! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284241194-DEVRP5P4UAW8XU7FBYLU/188+Java+Sparrow+WEB.jpg aves - a much-feared pest // sold The Java sparrow's sole source of food is seed, often from farm crops. When the ears of rice ripen in the paddy fields, huge flocks of the birds descend to feed, and farmers take turns in keeping rattles shaking and scarecrows moving on strings, although the sparrows soon pay no attention to such devices. After the harvest, Java sparrows live in gardens and orchards. They are found in the Sunda Islands, but they have also become favorite cage birds because of their brightly colored plumage and the fact that they are easy to breed. Java sparrows have been introduced into several other parts of the world, where it is feared by farmers that they will become well-established. Slightly larger than the common sparrow, they are remarkable for their thick, strong bills and their pearly gray plumage, with white cheeks and a black crown. Their bills are pink. Pairs of Java sparrows seem to be strongly bonded. Before mating, they perform a kind of hopping dance during which the male sings. Their nest consists of a ball of twigs, and varies in size depending on whether it is built in a tree or in undergrowth. Probably because of its way of intertwining long fibers the Java sparrow is also known in French as the calfat (caulker), after the worker who used to caulk the cracks in the hulls of boats. The inside of the nest is lined with feathers. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs and keeping the fledglings warm after they have hatched. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284241698-CZ4IMI93CE23F5BVTEQS/189+King+Vulture+WEB.jpg aves - the undertaker's assistant The greed of this bird is sometimes very useful, especially in hot climates. When many animals have been killed by disease, the vulture helps to control the epidemic by eating the dead and dying animals. The king vulture ranges over the plains and forests of South America from Mexico to northern Argentina. It is rare in mountains and seldom goes higher than 1,300 feet. It is never found in desert regions. This daytime bird of prey is called the king vulture because of the fear with which it is regarded by other American vultures--the black vulture, the yellow-headed vulture, and the condors. These birds never fight with a king vulture over food; they wait respectfully until the king vulture has finished and then eat what is left. After spending the night on a low branch, always in the same place, the king vulture takes flight as the sun rises and glides over the treetops. As soon as it sees a carcass, it dives noisily to the ground and alights nearby. Hungry as it is, it waits cautiously for half an hour. Then, convinced that there's no danger, it eats until it can hardly move. When it is full, it gives off a foul smell. The 14 species of Old World vultures--the European black vulture, the white-backed vulture, etc.--belong to a different family, that of the accipitridae. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284241843-INUXUZNVFIU7GOB2KUDK/190+Kinglet+WEB.jpg aves - little king with a big kingdom // sold Nature has given the kinglet soft, silky plumage that seems more like down than feathers; it is so thick that the bird easily withstands cold climates. The kinglet gets its name from its small size (2.8 inches), for it is one of the smallest birds of Europe, it is active, tough, and brave. Males will sometimes fight to the death at mating time. It is, nevertheless, easy to tame. The song is a weak chirping except during mating season, when it becomes loud and melodious. Twice a year the female lays six to eight eggs the size of green peas. The downy nest, shaped like a purse, is hung from a high branch. Its size is surprising. It is woven of moss and spider silk and lined with down and feathers. But the space left for the eggs is so small that they are placed in layers. The kinglet family includes several related species in Europe, northern Asia, and North America. Two common European species are the goldcrest and the firecrest. Each has a red crest, a white stripe with a touch of black over the eye, and a little mustache. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284242156-IV2DPGC6G3LY3LFFVRG0/191+Lapwing+WEB.jpg aves - a noisy courtship The lapwing, with its feathery crest, is a brave bird. Is there a gull, a bird of prey, or even a fox prowling about the nest? The lapwing attacks fearlessly, aided by its fellows; their piercing cries help frighten the enemy away. Lapwings live in flocks in northern Asia and in almost all of Europe. They frequent moist fields and farmlands and the borders of marshes and oceans; their food consists of insects, mollusks, and worms. They are partially migratory, going as far south as northern Africa in winter. Flocks gather in the spring before migration northward begins. Later the flocks break up and each male chooses his territory. He is not alone for long; this is the time for the mating display. The male flies up and down, turning and balancing, beating his wings with a noise that sounds like a giant threshing machine. Then he starts to dig a small hollow in the ground and to collect twigs. The female has now joined him and starts a nest of her own; she is the one finally to choose which nest suits her best. In it she lays her eggs; male and female share the brooding. Related species include the black plover, the spur-winged plover, and the Australian masked lapwing. Other species are found in Argentina, Colombia, India, Ceylon, and Malabar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284242357-HPLPJDCWZCHG4BVKW6IB/192+Little+Owl+WEB.jpg aves - it hunts at all hours. // sold Unlike most owls, which see best at night and are therefore principally nocturnal, the little owl sees well enough to hunt both day and night. It stores a great quantity of food, not only in the breeding season. It has a wide range and feeds on food of many kinds, from earthworms and snails to moorhens. When the little owl spots a victim, it flies above it. The owl falls on its prey, seizes it in its talons, finds a perch, and stuns the catch with its beak. If the prey is a shrew mouse, the owl turns back the skin in order to not be suffocated by the fur. Hair and bones are excreted in pellets a few hours later. This is a useful bird of prey; a pair will eat ten rodents in a day. The little owl does not change its range in winter. If game is scarce, it may lose half its weight. Many of these owls will be lost in a harsh winter. This is a solitary bird except for its immediate family. Male and female often spend the winter together. The nest is quickly built from dead leaves. The young can care for themselves when they are five weeks old, but they often come back to their parents to be fed. The little owl is a European bird and it not found in the Americas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284242639-K9OFX83OR77P6VZBDZCN/193+Mallard+WEB.jpg aves - dancing nest-builder In the very center of a mass of vegetable matter--leaves and grasses--a female mallard does a strange dance. Spinning on the tips of her orange feet, she makes a cuplike hollow in the pile. In this way she prepares her nest before lining it with soft down. She is a mottled brown, spotted with black. The male has different coloring. His head and neck are green, his breast a rusty brown, his body gray, his tail black. Although the female utters only the familiar "quack, quack," the call of the male is loud and varied. Mallards are found throughout the northern hemisphere. They are partly migratory, but they go only as far as they must to find food. In winter they live on lakes, ponds, and marshes in mild climates. They are also found on ocean coasts and riverbanks. They are sociable and will live in garden pools. Their food consists of leaves and plant shoots, seeds, and earthworms, larvae, and small fish. Mallards pair in the fall, and stay together. Eggs are laid in April. They are pale green. The female covers them with down where she must leave the nest. The young will take to the water as soon as they are born and will be carefully watched by the mother. The ducklings will fly after eight weeks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284242853-FCRWMZNMFIQRQ21V43EC/194+Marsh+Hawk+WEB.jpg aves - the acrobatic lover To attract a mate, the marsh hawk, like many birds, puts on a spectacular show. It flies 200 feet into the air and then plummets in a free fall, wings folded, toward the ground. It does loops, climbing spins, and elegant swoops with its wings spread wide. At the end of its exhibition it plunges to the female, which has been watching from the ground. To avoid too great a shock she lies on her side and protects herself with her feet. Marsh hawks are birds of prey found almost everywhere; only in the polar regions and Pacific islands are they unknown. They live in flocks that sometimes include up to 200 birds. During mating season, however, pairs of birds live by themselves. The nest is built on the ground. In it the female covers the eggs for a month, while the male feeds her. Once the young are born, marsh hawks become very aggressive. This trait is used in trapping them. A stuffed owl is placed on a net on open ground for the hawks to attack. As the attack takes place, the hunter closes his net. Marsh hawks are falcons, and there are several species. The most common is Saint Martin's. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284243592-BS4SMQMW79Q55XU8O9KA/195+Marsh+Tern+or+Black+Tern+WEB.jpg aves - freshwater terns Marsh terns belong to the tern family and are its smallest representatives. Like all terns, they migrate over considerable distances, traveling, for example, from Canada to Chile, or from northern Europe to central Africa. But except during their migration they are not found at sea or on the coastline: they nest and hunt solely in marshland. There are several species of marsh tern. They all have similar habits except for the whiskered tern, which differs slightly in that, although nesting in marshland, it often hunts over grassland like a swallow. It is so called because of the whitish "whiskers" that mark a division between the top of its head, which is black, and the rest of its body, which is bluish gray. Marsh terns swim only rarely, and hardly ever walk--they have very short and weak legs. But their long slender wings enable them to glide effortlessly like swallows, and they feed by catching insects in flight just above the surface of the water. They sometimes stoop to pick up a fish from the surface of the water, but do not dive in. Marsh terns usually live in quite large colonies, often building their nests in close proximity to each other on a pile of floating vegetable matter. Unlike their parents, the young of marsh terns swim easily and are able to escape from danger by hiding among aquatic plants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284243641-WE82WP5M4RLL0XWC8R2L/196+Motmot+WEB.jpg aves - a tail that stops and starts Motmots have long tails which they wag from side to side like a pendulum, occasionally cocking it at odd angles. But the most unusual feature of their tails is that they stop and start. The two longest feathers have two small tufts on the end of long bare shafts. The barbs that used to line the shafts are extremely fragile, and the bird has torn them off while preening its tail. There are several species of motmots which live in the forests of tropical America. Although they vary considerably in size and color, their plumage is always magnificent, with a combination of bright turquoise, red-brown, and emerald green. All species possess a black mark round the eye on either side of the head. Their long, powerful and slightly curved beacks have serrated edges. Motmots catch large insects in flight and return with their prey to a branch, on which they crush it before eating it. Curiously enough, motmots, which look like kingfishers despite the difference in their diet, build their nests at the end of a long tunnel, usually a river bank. Such tunnels can be as long as 80 inches and are often extended versions of a burrow abandoned by some other creature. Motmots hollow out a round chamber at the end and lay their eggs there. Both parents take turns in incubating the eggs. The young emerge from the nest a month after hatching. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284244219-NYB24FNEHBO6ERVHQX4L/197+Mousebird+WEB.jpg aves - mouse-like This bird gets its name from the way it moves along branches on the backs of its legs, with its body and tail in a straight line, with its feet barely visible. Unlike most birds, it uses its feet as "hands", to squeeze rather than to grasp. Its tail is long and thin, and its plumage grayish-fawn (except for variable markings of blue or green around its head and neck), and in motion, its resemblance to a mouse is quite startling. The six species of mousebird all live in the wooded savanna of central and eastern Africa. Apart from variations in their plumage, the species all look very much alike and display the same behavior. They are fruit-eating birds that move around in small flocks, causing devastation on fruit plantations. They assemble on a tree and begin feeding, remaining in contact by their incessant cries. As each bird finds a suitable fruit, it makes a hole in it and extracts all the pulp. Then the flock moves on to the next tree. The mousebird's long tail and short, rounded wings, together with its low straight flight punctuated by frequent glides, make it look very much like a small pheasant in flight. During the mating season, the flocks split up into pairs. They build their nests 3 to 20 feet from the ground, on a platform of twigs perched in the fork of a tree. The young leave the nest at a very early age, but until they are one month old they return to it each evening to sleep. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284244567-L28V3PVXILJ6RSQJKT2P/198+Muscovy+Duck+WEB.jpg aves - an ugly little duck When two muscovy ducks (the name is a corruption of musk duck) fight, they attack each other with beak and claw, the weaker flees, and the winner takes his place next to the waiting female, chasing away any rivals that dare to approach. These ducks usually live in flocks. But they pair off in mating time, and the male jealously protects his mate. It is at this season that he has the strong musky smell from which the name is taken. The muscovy duck is untidy-looking. Its dark-green plumage is ruffled; its bare head is a bright red, with a small crest. Originally from tropical America, it is found from Mexico to Argentina. It is also domesticated on many American farms. It is the ancestor of the Barbary duck, well liked by breeders and food lovers. In the wild, it lives on woodland marshes and streams. It perches in low branches and builds its nest in forked tree trunks. The ducklings leave the mother soon after birth. Mainly herbivorous, the muscovy duck also eats insects, crustaceans, and fish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284245378-O69DQP770KIWJGAALPCW/199+Nightingale+WEB.jpg aves - a virtuoso singer In Andersen's famous story the song of the nightingale that belonged to the Chinese Emperor was so beautiful that no one who heard it could ever forget it. The nightingale has always been known for the purity of its notes and the variety of its melody; Aristotle wrote about it over 2,000 years ago. The song is heard in Europe day and night from April to mid-June, although the bird itself is usually seen in the evening. When the young are hatched, the male stops singing and helps to care for them. The common nightingale is a passerine (perching) bird that winters in tropical Africa. In summer some flocks cross central and southern Europe to England; others fly toward the Caucasus and Asia Minor. This summertime visitor will use the same nesting territory year after year. The nightingale is a solitary bird; it rarely attacks other birds, and it avoids their company. It will live near houses if they are isolated; it seems to hate the noise of modern cities. The Japanese nightingale, which lives in the foothills of the Himalayas, belongs to a different family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284245470-BAAFJDMXF6QPZSEQKZ1T/200+Ovenbird+WEB.jpg aves - an "oven" of dried mud The ovenbird gets its name from the shape of its nest, which looks like a bread oven. It is built on a fence, a post, a wall, or a roof, and takes a fortnight to construct, as long as there is a plentiful supply of mud--otherwise, the birds have to wait for rainfall. Both parents add successive layers of mud until they have built a kind of dome the size of a football and with walls some 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick. They make a partition inside to protect the inner chamber, which can be reached by a hole just large enough for them to squeeze through. The nests are very solidly built and last for years. There are over 200 species of ovenbirds that construct nests of this type. They all live in South America. The red ovenbird is found in open grassland from southern Brazil to Argentina. It is common in the pampas but has no fear of man and often colonizes built-up areas. It is a medium-sized bird, and its plumage is reddish-brown on top of the body with a white mark on the throat. The ovenbird does not fly much, and then only over short distances. It prefers to hop over the ground in search of insects. It is usually found in pairs, and sometimes in small groups. Its cry carries a very long way. Usually, the male and the female sing a duet, perched opposite each other on top of their nest. The parents incubate the eggs in turn and bring up their young together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284245761-5K43Q1AVV6BAWOXOJALO/201+Owlet+Nightjar+WEB.jpg aves - not easily observed Owlet nightjars live in the extremely inaccessible and dense forests of Papua New Guinea and Australia. They are only active at night or dusk, or when the weather is overcast. During the daytime, they retire to the safety of hollow tree-trunks and go to sleep (if you know on the tree, they will stick their head out of the "window"). Like most nocturnal birds of prey, their flight is completely silent, and the cry they emit is barely audible. There are seven species of owlet nightjars which are all similar to each other. Although they look like small owls, they are insectivorous and use a method of hunting half-way between that of European nightjars and that of frogmouths: like true nightjars, they glide over the tops of trees snapping up insects in flight, with the help of the stiff bristles that line the rims of their bills; but their staple diet consists of beetles, which they pick off the ground or leaves as frogmouths do. The holes in which owlet nightjars spend the day also serve as nests--or, more accurately speaking, as a place in which to lay their eggs. They do little more than pack down the fragments of rotten wood that have already fallen to the bottom of the hole. Both parents share the task of sitting on the eggs and raise two broods per year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284246642-OQ3FQ4VQH8P1AYZBM4YX/202+Phororhacos+WEB.jpg aves - "ragged thief" For a time, about 30 million years ago scientists say, large flightless birds may have challenged mammals as "rulers of the Earth." One of these birds was Phororhacos (fe-ROR-e-kahss). From fossil remains, Phororhacos looked a bit like something out of a nightmare. It had an enormous head with a long, hooked beak. Phororhacos could not fly, but it had light bones and apparently strong muscles that made it a swift runner. The hunting territory of the meat-eating, or carnivorous, bird was the grassy plains of South America. There, scientists believe, Phororhacos darted back and forth in search of its prey, usually small reptiles, birds, and mammals. Phororhacos was similar to Diatryma (digh-e-TREE-me), a flightless bird ancestor of North America. Both birds apparently had body feathers like those of modern-day birds, but the feathers that made up their wings were completely useless for flight. As was Diatryma, Phororhacos was big. Some scientists think it stood as tall as 7 feet. Its head was as large as the head of a horse. The best fossil finds of Phororhacos have been uncovered from the plains of Patagonia in Argentina and in Chile. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284246726-BCRZO876FANVL0RC6P2N/203+Quail+WEB.jpg aves - a shy and careful bird Followed by her young, the quail walks through ripe fields of grain, looking for a spot where there will be plenty of seeds, insects, and worms. The mother has dark plumage, streaked and spotted white, black, and yellow. She moves with little hops and bobs her head as she goes. The young stick close to her; the mother quail and her offspring are inseparable. This shy, solitary bird, related to the American bobwhite, is widespread in Asia, Europe, and Africa. It fears cold winters and migrates each fall to a milder climate. But it is not a strong flier, and it often falls into large bodies of water it is trying to cross. The quail is equally at home on plains and in mountains. It has been found in the heights of the Himalayas, at altitudes of up to 5,000 feet. The aggressive male is not a very devoted companion. He mates with more than one female and leaves them quickly. The female hides during the day and becomes active at twilight. At breeding time she digs a nest in the ground and lines it with leaves and twigs. The yellow-and-brown eggs are laid in May. The young can fly 15 days after birth. In two months they can start out on the migration to the south. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284247135-I5E1L70HB151OETN24EW/204+Quetzal+WEB.jpg aves - a symbol of freedom The quetzal is a beautiful bird with golden, blue, and emerald plumage. Its long tail undulates as it flies. It was chosen by Guatemala as its symbol of liberty and appears also on their coins, called quetzals. The quetzal belongs to a family of birds called trogons; it is sometimes called a plumed serpent. It was regarded as a sacred bird by old Indian civilizations. The feathers were taken for ceremonial costumes, but the bird itself was always released. The quetzal's crest and wing feathers are like those of the bird of paradise. It lives in the lower branches of trees in the tropical forests of Mexico and Guatemala at altitudes of 3,000 to 10,000 feet. It is a peaceable bird and will sit motionless for long periods watching for insects and falling fruit, which it catches in its beak. The song is a wavering whistle that gets louder and louder and suddenly stops. The male and female together build the nest, usually hidden in a hollow tree. Eggs are incubated by each in turn. When the male goes into the hold to take his turn on the next, he turns around and sits with his tail feathers out of the hole. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284247321-R7B63VHA0LWJUQFOQMMJ/205+Redbreast+or+Robin+WEB.jpg aves - its song means business The pure, melodious song of the redbreast serves the same purpose as the bird's flaming bib. It is a stern warning, like that of a policeman, to other redbreasts to stay out of its territory. Faced with an intruder, the redbreast swells up like a bully, fluffs out its feathers, and displays the large red spot on its throat. If this threat does not work a beak-to-beak battle follows. The redbreast lives principally in Europe and migrates in the autumn to north Africa and the Middle East. Many of these birds pass through southern European countries in fall and winter months. At this time they need human friendship, because they cannot find enough to eat on their own. But, when spring comes, these small passerine birds resume their hunt for insects, slugs, larvae of all kinds, and especially earthworms. The redbreast builds its nest near the ground and places it so that the entrance is well hidden. The bird sometimes nests in an abandoned burrow. The female lays eggs in May and again in June. The redbreast is a threatened species, and it may owe its survival to its ability to have two broods a year. It molts after the mating period and loses its bright summer plumage. Pairs separate before migration. The redbreast should not be confused with the American robin. Both belong to the thrush family, but they differ in many ways. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284247867-MC9VOAYK4GXJANIVN15P/206+Roller+WEB.jpg aves - stay out of my territory! The light-bodied, delicately colored roller is a passerine (perching) bird smaller than a jay, but it is violently aggressive. It guards its territory jealously, perched on a utility pole, treetop, or roof. It will attack any bird of prey that comes near its nest, and it is not afraid of the fangs of dogs or the weapons of man. When hunting for food the roller dives at its prey, which may be amphibians, small rodents, or birds. But it prefers insects or even large beetles; these it crushes with its beak, which is as tough as a pair of pincers. The nuptial flight of the roller is a spectacular display of aerial acrobatics. Male and female, after mating, build the nest together. If they cannot find just the right tree hole or rocky crevice, they dig a small hole in a riverbank. The nest is carefully prepared, but the excretions of the young birds soon make it unusable. There are 16 species of roller. They are found from the Mediterranean basin across Africa and southern Asia to Australia. All are migratory. The common European roller has green and blue plumage tinted with red. The most aggressive is the lilac-breasted roller of Somalia which will even attack snakes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284248134-O7M8HUN4ZTODM3FUQ018/207+Saddle-billed+Stork+WEB.jpg aves - an unusual bill The saddle-billed stork is a large African stork with highly contrasting black and white plumage: its body is pure white, while its wings, tail, neck, and head are jet-black. Its black legs have bright red "knees". As for its bill, it is powerful, con-shaped, and very long, colored red with a black ring half-way along, and topped by a kind of yellowish "saddle". This coloring is found on both the male and the female, but the female also has bright yellow eyes, where those of the male are brown. The saddle-billed stork is found throughout Africa to the south of the Sahara, in marshy grassland with scattered trees. It feeds on small aquatic animals such as fish, frogs, and mollusks. In flight, it looks like the European stork, with its long legs trailing behind it. Saddle-billed storks are usually found in pairs, and they appear to form stable pair bonds. During the mating season, the two birds make a mutual courtship display by running towards each other with their wings outstretched. They build a large nest, like that of the white stork, in a tree. There are two closely related but less spectacular species--the American saddle-billed stork, which has a white body, black head, and pink and black neck, and is found all over tropical America from Mexico to Argentina, and another slightly smaller species that is widespread from India to Australia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284248321-7150H2ZKXU5M1C5IBNFV/208+Screamer+WEB.jpg aves - a chicken-headed goose Screamers are strange birds indeed: they are included in the same order as ducks and geese because of internal similarities, but in fact look very different; their round heads and pointed, curved beaks are more reminiscent of chickens or pheasants, and their very powerful, long legs end in feet that are only slightly webbed at the base of the toes. Screamers are in fact very primitive birds, and certain features of their bone structure are found only in the oldest known bird fossil, the archaeopteryx. The three species of screamer live in the swampy regions of tropical America, from Venezuela to northern Argentina. Their best-known characteristic is their harsh cry, a kind of loud, hooting sound that can carry as far as two miles, from which they get their name. Screamers are poor swimmers, and wade in shallow water or mud when foraging for food. They are chiefly vegetarian, though some of them also eat insects. Surprisingly, in view of their rather ungainly appearance, screamers are very strong fliers which, after a laborious take-off, can attain considerable altitudes. When threatened, they take refuge in trees. The mating season begins with combats between males which sometimes result in serious injury. Screamers possess very sharp, powerful spurs up to an inch long on the bend of their wings. Both parents build a kind of platform by trampling down vegetation in shallow water, and take turns in incubating the eggs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284249088-D4TORO6W6A5NPXDS0A2L/209+Secretary+Bird+WEB.jpg aves - a good runner It is not always safe to go by appearances. The secretary bird, with its long legs, looks like a wading bird and was long thought to be one. But it is a bird of prey that lives on dry land. It is better equipped for running than for flying, and it has to run fast to get off the ground. It takes off as heavily as a long-distance bomber. The secretary bird lives alone or in pairs on the plains and steppes and in the trees of Africa, from the southern Sahara South to the Cape. It can run quickly and for a long time and keeps watch each day over its large territory. In spite of its heavy flight, the bird can soar easily for long distances once it gains altitude. As its scientific name indicates, it feeds on snakes, poisonous or not. It has a special way of attacking them. When a snake is spotted, the secretary bird takes it by surprise or catches it as it tries to get away. The snake is seized with the talongs and killed by being struck on the neck with the bird's beak. The bird's wings are used as shields to protect against snake bites. The snake is eaten before it knows what has happened. In some parts of Africa, secretary birds are domesticated to help rid houses of rats and reptiles. Male and female build a nest of branches on the ground or in a thicket. They line the nest with dry grass, adding a new layer each year. Two or three large eggs are laid in August. The female incubates them alone for six weeks, during which time she is fed by the male. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284249183-XRQ3HKSZJBVWSNL3GKCG/210+Serin+WEB.jpg aves - a wild canary The true serin is not the caged bird that comes from the Canary Islands. It is a wild bird whose habitat includes southern and central Europe, north Africa, and Asia Minor. It is not really migratory, but it avoids cold weather. The zigzag flight is slower and less erratic than that of the swallow. The bird usually makes its home in vegetable gardens or in woodland shrubs. In the spring the male, like a jealous rooster, puts on a noisy display of ruffled feathers, fighting with rivals to win a mate. The nest is a masterpiece of twigs and dry grass, lined with moss and down. The wild serin is only a fair singer compared to the true canary. The canary was originally yellow-green but has become pale yellow. The best-known variety, the Harz canary, sings a charming song with half-open beak. Its magical repertoire includes sounds like those of the violin, whistling tones that remind one of a flute, and pearly notes that sound like water falling into a pool. This virtuoso can even sing rapid runs such as might be played on a harpsichord. The most desirable time to breed canaries is in April, as young born in May are the most valuable. The canary feeds on bird seed, crushed wheat, and powdered sugar. The temperature of the cage should be as warm as that of the Canary Islands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284249513-WPD6L9DEERHJIAQ6N02A/211+Starling+WEB.jpg aves - it loves to play tricks. If you are in a country house and hear water running when you know that all the faucets are turned off, don't waste time looking for a leak. Instead, look for a starling playing its favorite trick--imitating the sound of running water. This is not the only sound the starling can make. It can imitate the squeak of a door, a cock's crowing, the cries of gulls or other birds, or even the hum of a motor. The common starling also has its own song, which can become a deafening uproar when it comes from the throats of hundreds of birds. This happens when the birds gather in the evening to sleep. Like all members of their family, common starlings live in large flocks. They are found almost everywhere in Europe and in western and central Asia. At the end of the 19th century they were introduced to Mexico and North America, where they have become a serious pest. Starlings that live in northern regions migrate to the south in the winter; otherwise they are permanent residents. The birds pair off in the spring. The next is built in a hole in a tree or a wall, or under the overhang of a roof. The female lays four to seven blue eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs and then feed the baby birds for three weeks. The family breaks up as soon as the young learn to fly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284249744-VBWL1L5W0WB41WWBDXMC/212+Stork+WEB.jpg aves - a sign of good luck Today no one believes the old story that babies are brought by storks. But people in Europe still think it is an omen of good luck if a pair of storks nests on the rooftop. Storks will nest on chimneys in towns and cities or in treetops. The nest, made of a pile of twigs, is added to through the years and gets very large--as much as six feet across. In the bottom of the nest all sorts of things--rags, bits of clothing, newspapers, even horse manure--can be found. The stork cannot sing, and the male greets his mate by making a clacking noise with his beak as she approaches the nest. Each year he faithfully tries to find the same female. Storks were common in Alsace, a part of France, early in this century, but they are now very rare. They are used for food in some places. The stork feeds in marshes on small animals such as frogs, snakes, ans slugs. There are 17 species in various parts of the world. The black stork is smaller than the European white stork. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284250509-X9L313TS0IH9ODPGK1VU/213+Summer+Teal+or+Garganey+Teal+WEB.jpg aves - a bird that follows the summer The summer teal is known also as the Garganey or blue-winged teal. It differs from the winter teal only in its plumage; it does not have on the trailing edge of the wing the iridescent green or blue stripe typical of almost all of the so-called dabbling ducks. During the spring and summer the summer teal is found in the numerous lakes of Scandinavia and northern Russia. Breeding season starts in April; as summer begins, the ducklings are taught everything that dabbling ducks should know: how to swim and fly together, how to fish with body upright and beak under the water. In autumn the urge to migrate heads the summer teal to the south-southwest. Like all migratory birds, it is guided by the earth's magnetic field and the position of the sun and stars. The sensitivity to the magnetic field is a function of the semicircular canals in the ears; they act like a compass. These teals cross Europe diagonally in flocks of 10 or 20 birds. They cover 2,500 to 3,700 miles in a trip of two or three stages, at a speed of about 45 miles an hour. Their goal is western Africa, especially the rivers and coastal regions of Senegal. This bird is a rare visitor to North America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284250574-E5YEBRILNVZKLS033LIM/214+Sunbird+WEB.jpg aves - it drinks nectar through a straw. // sold The nectar is found by the sunbird in the inner parts of flowers. The straw is the bird's tongue, shaped like a long tube through which the liquid can be sucked. We know that the sunbird breathes while drinking, because the throat can be seen to move as the bird drinks. But the nectar is taken in with little effort. The tube formed by the tongue is so thin that the liquid almost moves up by capillary action, as when water is absorbed by a blotter. Sometimes, instead of plunging its beak into the flower, the sunbird makes a hole in the flower's base. Nectar is not the sunbird's only food. It feeds also on insects found in flowers or caught in flight. Sunbirds are found in Africa, Asia, and the northern part of Australia. They live in sunny plains where the trees are not too close together. They like sunshine and are active at midday, when other birds are apt to be resting in the shade. The most widespread species in Africa, from Senegal to Kenya, is the pygmy long-tailed sunbird. The plumage, especially that of the male in mating season, is brightly colored. He does a dance with fluffed-out feathers and drooping wings. The female weaves the pouch-shaped nest from twigs and spider webs; it is hung from the branch of a tree. She makes an entrance, often hidden by leaves, on the top or side of the nest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284251087-GC0FG0F198W33PLMWYFX/215+Tern+WEB.jpg aves - a little fish for a wedding present This migratory sea bird is found, depending on the season, almost everywhere in the world. It is a fine flier. Flocks travel without fear great distances across the ocean. In the spring, before mating, the male makes the female a symbolic gift of a little fish. The common tern of America and Eurasia usually nests along coastlines but will also nest near rivers and lakes. The female has an unusual way of making her nest. She places her breast on the ground and spins around like a top. In this way she makes a small hole, in which she lays two or three olive-green eggs. She incubates them alone; she may leave them exposed to the sun for a few hours during the middle of the day. As soon as they are born, the young leave the nest to find shelter in the shade of a rock or vegetation within the family territory. They are fed for a month by both parents, after which they are able to fly. There are many species other than the common tern, including the Caspian tern, the black tern, the gull-billed tern, and the Arctic tern. The Caspian tern is the largest. The Arctic tern, which looks much like the common tern, spends most of its time in daylight. It breeds in the Arctic during the 24-hour days of the polar summer and winters in the Antarctic during the southern summer. This means a migratory trip of over 10,000 miles! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284251402-AUB5FU2JMKAS6BJB31L2/216+Torrent+Duck+WEB.jpg aves - in swift-flowing mountain streams The torrent duck is found only in the fastest-flowing mountain streams. It swims on them, dives into them, and even manages to proceed upstream when its whole body is immersed in seething water. How it does so is something of a mystery. It probably uses its tail and wings to help propel it. It can be seen standing motionless on a rock before diving in to catch its prey, then swimming back to the same rock. The bird flies only occasionally, and then always skims the water. The torrent duck is common on both slopes of the Andes, from one end of South America to the other. It is a medium-sized duck, whose slender form is further elongated by a rather long tail with rigid feathers. Its belly is reddish-brown, its back has black and white stripes, and each wing possesses a dark green patch. The female is not nearly as dull-colored as other duck species, and the male never has an "eclipse" plumage. These characteristics may be due to the fact that torrent ducks, unlike other ducks, are not gregarious, and that pair bonding seems to take place for life. Torrent ducks feed on larvae and other small aquatic animals that live among the stones at the bottom of streams. To capture them they dive underwater for some 10 seconds or so. Their slender, flexible bills no doubt enable them to dislodge prey from between the stones at the river bottom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284252056-RIJWK64YKGOLS86569F0/217+Toucan+WEB.jpg aves - a bright-colored barometer The toucan gets its name from an Indian word that imitates the bird's unmelodious cry. This South American bird has an enormous beak made of hollow bony tissue; the beak, however, is light and is not a problem. In flight it is held horizontally, in line with the neck. When the toucan sleeps in a tree hole, it is able to turn its head almost all the way around and rest the beak on its back. Eating may be difficult. The largest toucan takes berries and small animals while flying, seizing them in its wide-open beak before swallowing them. Sometimes it will toss some of its catch to a companion. Toucans are easily tamed if caught young. In their native forest they defend their territory fiercely. If a bird of prey or small animal attacks, the flock chases it away, and sentinels make sure that it does not come back. It used to be thought by the Indians that the gathering of a noisy flock of toucans meant rain. The Indians liked the bird's bright plumage and tasty meat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284251923-V9TXWW1XFBNLJHH1HCMT/218+Touraco+WEB.jpg aves - copper on its wings There is one characteristic of the touraco that is unique in the world of birds. The metallic brightness of its plumage does not come from the play of light but from the presence of copper-based pigments. One pigment, turacin, is red; the other, turacoverdin, is green. Turacin is water-soluble; this is why the purplish wing quills of the touraco are sometimes discolored. The giant touraco, largest of the species, is bright blue with a yellow-green breast and an elegant black crest on its head. Just as handsome are the white-cheeked touraco, with green feathers and bright-red wings, and the violet-crested touraco. The various species all live in tropical Africa, in forests and mountainous regions. A smaller relative, the gray touraco, prefers clumps of trees or the plains. All these birds are sociable and live in small flocks. They are essentially tree dwellers and feed on shoots, flowers, fruit, and seeds. They seek their food flying from branch to branch, never leaving the shelter of the trees for fear of the falcons and hawks that prey on them. In April or later, the female lays her eggs in a nest built of twigs in a treetop. The parents take turns at incubation. The young birds are fed on regurgitated fruit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284253118-ER5VRACSC6QD6X2KU1MQ/219+Turtle+Dove+WEB.jpg aves - a symbol of love With its tender cooing, which is the mating song of the male, and its well-known faithfulness to its mate, the turtle dove has always been regarded by poets as a symbol of affection. But this characteristic is really present in all birds, especially other doves and pigeons. The turtle dove is smaller than the pigeon and is more agile and better able to escape from predators. This bird is very systematic in the way it spends its time. It wakes at dawn and hunts for food, which consists of a few mollusks and the seeds of wild plants. At about ten o'clock it comes back to its nest for a rest. It goes out to feed again in the afternoon and returns at dusk. Twice a day it finds fresh water to drink. The mating season begins in May. The male's nuptial display consists of flying into the air and strutting around to show off his plumage. Male and female are together constantly at this time. The nest, built by both birds, is lightly made of dry twigs. And both birds take turns at incubating the pure-white eggs. There are many species of dove, differing in habitat and plumage. The reddish turtle dove nests in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. The ground dove is found in Mexico, the United States Gulf States, and the West Indies. There are also the white-winged dove of South America and the rock dove of Africa. Other species occur across Eurasia to Japan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284253349-OXS7XBDGE33MMGEXE2RN/220+Vulture+or+Black+Vulture+WEB.jpg aves - a black figure in the sky The black vulture is the smallest of the American vultures, all of which are related to the condors of the Andes. This bird can be seen gliding through the skies of all the Americas. Like a watchful buzzard it floats almost motionlessly over the treetops. The hungrier it gets, the higher it soars, so that it can see as large an area as possible in its search for food. It uses rising air currents to climb, circling slowly with rigid wings. Greatest heights are reached in the middle of the day, when air heated by the sunlit earth tends to rise most rapidly. At this time the black vulture is a black shape outlined against the sky. This bird is a carrion-eater. It lacks the speed, strength, and courage of a true bird of prey. If it cannot find carrion, it hunts for frogs, lizards, and small rodents; but the fierce charge of a prairie dog will put the bird to flight with a great flapping of wings. Its syrinx (the vocal organ of a bird) is atrophied, and the black vulture whistles instead of sings. Black vultures rest in flocks on low branches. Many varieties are found from Alaska to Patagonia; birds at the extremes of the range must migrate in winter. The young are hatched on the ground. the head and neck feathers drop off after eight weeks revealing a dark-blue, rough skin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284253958-B5SPAS8AK8CNEUWX3IEL/221+Wall+Creeper+WEB.jpg aves - a climber of walls The wall creeper is a little bird, ash-gray with large red patches on its black wings. Who would think that this pretty bird would be found only in the most inaccessible places? It lives not in leafy forests but in the high mountains of southern Europe and Asia, on high, rocky mountain tops above the Alpine meadows. It feeds on insects and spiders that its sharp beak digs out of the few tufts of grass found at those altitudes. It stays on the peaks until the coldest winter weather forces it down to the plains; it is then seen on the walls of buildings of all kinds. The wall creeper can withstand bitter cold and comes down from the mountains in winter only to find food. In extreme weather it sinks into a kind of lethargy. This agile bird can hold onto the slightest surface irregularity and seems to climb a vertical wall as if the wall were a ladder--hence the name wall creeper. It leaves the wall suddenly, fluttering like a butterfly or diving head-first like a bird of prey. May and June are the mating period. The large nest is hastily built in a cool, shady spot such as a fissure in the rocks. It is round and flat, lined with hair and feathers. The young are able to fly three weeks after hatching but are not yet fully developed; the beak continues to grow for several months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284254487-N22IFSQYJDCDRQYWZGVR/222+Water+Rail+WEB.jpg aves - a mysterious sound What is that strange sound coming from the marsh at night? It sounds like the squeal of a pig caught in quicksand. But you will find nothing if you go to the rescue. The water rail, whose cry was heard, will disappear silently into the reeds. It is a small, semi-aquatic bird whose plumage is brownish-black and white. It leads a solitary life in swamps and in thickets around stagnant water. Its long legs enable it to walk easily among water plants. When threatened with danger it hides in the reeds or dives under water. It cannot escape by flying because it flies awkwardly, never more than a few yards off the surface of the ground or water. The rail eats insects, freshwater mollusks, and fish as well as the shoots and roots of aquatic plants. The light-colored eggs, spotted with red, are laid in a carefully built nest. The nest is so well covered with grass and reeds that it is hard to find. The baby birds are soon able to care for themselves, while the adults start another brood. The water rail is found in the marshes of Europe and central Asia from Iran to Japan. It occurs also in Africa. Like the coot and the moor hen it belongs to a family that includes about 30 species in various parts of the world. Most widespread of the several American species are the yellow rail and the Virginia rail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284255101-TCJNB2ZFB5V08H9E64HL/223+Weaverbird+WEB.jpg aves - a born artist This little bird is a tireless worker that builds its nest with a speed and skill that a basket-maker might envy. Using stalks of grass or strips taken from palm leaves, it builds a complex structure following a strict plan. The weaverbird chooses a branch and puts on it a stalk of grass, held in place at one end with the bird's foot. The other end is grasped with the beak, twisted around the branch, and tied into a tight knot. This is the first step in the task, consisting of many operations. Nothing needs to be learned, however. A weaverbird raised alone in a cage can build a nest if supplied with the necessary materials. The finished nest looks like a ball or a bottle with a long, vertical, narrow tunnel for an entrance. It can thus serve as a shelter from the heat of the sun. There are nine species of weaverbird in most of the tropical regions of the Old World, from Africa to Australia. The house sparrow is a related species that has been introduced to North America; other species are found in Europe and Asia. Weaverbirds live in fairly large flocks. The red-headed weaver is a pest in Africa, where it may destroy entire crops. The birds gather by the millions, as many as 400 in a single nesting tree; the flock may occupy an area of 2,500 acres. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284255883-B8YD9VB6NSD7P2ZDLBO0/224+Whistling+Duck+or+Tree+Duck+WEB.jpg aves - considerate fathers Among most ducks and related birds, the male usually shows little interest in his offspring, whether at the egg or duckling stage. The male whistling duck, on the other hand, takes turns with the female in incubating the eggs over a period of a month. After the eggs hatch, they both take a close interest in the rearing of their young. This is probably the only characteristic these birds have in common with swans. In appearance, they are half-way between a duck and a goose. The various species of whistling or tree ducks are found in all the hot regions of the globe, from California and South America to Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. They are large birds, with elongated necks and longer feet than those of other ducks. When on land, they hold their necks vertically like geese. Their plumage, which is the same in both the male and the female, varies considerably from species to species. Dendrocygna viduata, for instance, which is found throughout Africa and South America, has reddish feathers fringed with fawn all over its body, but its head is like that of a white goose wearing a black scarf. Whistling ducks are nocturnal birds. They feed on aquatic and land plants, and occasionally seeds such as cereals. During the daytime, some species remain perched in trees, which explains why they are sometimes known as "tree-ducks." In some regions they are called whistling ducks, because of the whistling noise they can make, which resembles the hissing of geese. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284255702-GKFGJJW7GVG4629XJK0E/225+Wood+Duck+WEB.jpg aves - difficult beginnings All ducklings take to the water immediately after hatching, under the guidance and with the encouragement of their mother. Things are more complicated for the young of the wood duck, which makes its nest in a hole in a tree, often quite high up from the ground. So the ducklings first have to hoist themselves to the opening with their claws. Then they drop to the foot of the tree. When they have all arrived, their mother rounds them up and leads them down to the river bank--where they immediately jump into the water! The wood duck lives in the eastern part of North America. In the southern half of that area, it is sedentary; in the colder regions, it migrates south in winter, but not over great distances. The female is gray, but the drake, during the mating season, has a superb plumage of dark blue-green on the back, mahogany on the breast, orange on the flanks, with white lines between these various colors, and a black and white head. The duck often perches in trees and can move agilely from branch to branch, and is a good flier in woodland. But it feeds mainly by ducking its head into the water and taking aquatic plants and animals, or by catching insects in flight. The wood duck also grubs about in the soil in search of seeds and hazelnuts. The hole in a tree that it uses for rearing its young is usually an abandoned woodpecker's or squirrel's nest. Once the female duck has taken it over, she will use it again and again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284256247-11P6L7JOYLLDPF1KEVXN/226+Wren+WEB.jpg aves - it sings harshly or sweetly. The voice of the tiny wren can be heard over half a mile away. But its mating song carries for only a few yards. The loud song is territorial, intended to warn other males to keep their distance. The mating song is just for a female perched near by; it gets sweeter and sweeter in the course of the display flight. The male wren claims quite a large territory, often as much as two and a half acres. In it he builds several nests, usually in holes in trees or walls. (The scientific name, troglodytes, means one who lives in holes or caves.) The female picks out one of the nests and lines it with feathers before laying her eggs. Except where food is so scarce that the female cannot feed her young alone, the male usually has several mates. Most of the nests have families in them; the others are used for sleeping or for sheltering the young while they are learning to fly. The wren is a very active bird. It hops quickly over the ground looking for worms and insects. The flight is straight forward, skimming the ground; the nest is never very high. In America there are 59 species of wren; one of these, the winter wren, is found all over the world. Its environment is varied, including plains and mountains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/520aa7bbe4b03f65b5a4f874/1522284257211-5TJLO377H8CYHBLFN5UO/227+Wryneck+WEB.jpg aves - it puts on a good act The wryneck, sometimes called the snakebird, is a small perching bird that can make itself almost invisible against the trunk of a tree; its gray, brown-striped plumage blends perfectly with the bark. But it will turn on any enemy, such as a wild cat, that disturbs it. The bird's appearance changes in an instant. The feathers are erected until it seems to double in size, and its body apparently goes into convulsions. It does a confusing dance, twisting its neck around--this is the origin of its name--and utters loud cries. If all this activity does not frighten off the intruder, the wryneck will hiss like a snake. The purpose of the display is to protect the young, for which the bird will sacrifice its life if necessary. The nest is built in a natural hole or crevice in a tree, because, unlike most members of the woodpecker family, the wryneck does not have a beak strong enough to make its own hole. The small, white eggs are laid in early May. Male and female take turns in incubation. The wryneck feeds mostly on ants but also eats caterpillars and insect larvae. It is a migratory bird that comes north at the start of the spring mating season. Its summer range includes Europe as far north as Finland, and Asia as far east as western Japan. 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