Leopard Cat

Animal Unique | Leopard Cat | The leopard cat is a small species of wild cat native to Southeast Asia and parts of the Indian subcontinent. There are eleven different kinds of Asian leopard cat in the jungle and as the name implies, has the skin of the leopard cat pattern similar to that seen as a leopard.

Leopard cats are loners and highlight their individual areas of the jungle with their urine or scratch marks on trees. The leopard cat is a nocturnal animal and spends a large part of the brighter hours of the day resting in trees, as the leopard cat is a quick and agile climbers. Like other cats, the leopard cat is a carnivorous animal hunt alone and eat other animals to survive. The main enemies of the leopard cat are larger cats such as tigers and leopards, wild dogs and snakes along with the occasional large. The leopard cat kittens are thought to be raised by both parents until they are 10 months old.

Today, though not immediately in danger of extinction, the leopard cat populations are declining worldwide. The primary cause for the decline in numbers leopard cat is habitat loss through deforestation caused to their home regions.

 

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World

Animal Unique

Green Sea Turtle

Animal Unique | Green Sea Turtle | Life of Sea | Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is one of an endangered species in the world. It gets its name not from the color of its shell but from the usually green fat found beneath their carapace (upper shell).  Green sea turtle has thick, heavy and bony shell. It is covered in plate-like scales. The upper shell of adults ranges from light to dark olive-brown, sometimes with darker radiating streaks on each shield of the carapace. The plastron below is yellowish. The carapace is black to gray on very young green turtles, and the plastron dusky white. 

Green sea turtles live in tropical and subtropical waters along islands and continental coasts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. You can found them in all the warmer oceans and in the Mediterranean. The species has been harvested for centuries for meat and made into soup. Hunting and egg gathering have reduced their numbers. The black-market trade has caused the green sea turtle to become an endangered species. Now, they are threatened with extinction. 

Green sea turtles may group during feeding in shallow waters. Green turtles are one of the few animals that eat sea grass.  they are carnivorous, feeding on jellyfish and other invertebrates. As adults, however, greens are the only herbivorous (vegetarian) sea turtle, feeding on sea grasses and algae. Sea turtles spend most of his life under the sea. Adult females only go to sand (beaches) to lay their eggs on land. For green sea turtles, female can lay eggs about 60-150 eggs. Without the hunting by human, naturally only about 11 hatchlings that swim back to sea to grow up. Some researchers reports that the percentage of hatching eggs is naturally only about 50% when it begins to hatch and return to the sea for swimming (not in added in the existence of several other predators).  Natural predators on land such as crabs, birds and mice. At sea, the main predator of this animal like other big fish. This condition is going to worse by people who take the eggs before it grows up.

Green sea turtles need oxygen to breath. They come on the sea surface to get the oxygen. Their lungs are developed to provide them with the necessary supports which are needed to dive underwater for a long time. Interesting fact that green sea turtles are perhaps the most famous travelers.  They are able to swim long distances. Female green turtles have been known to travel more than 2600 kilometres in their migrations between feeding grounds and nesting beaches. Green sea turtles are one of the oldest living things on earth. It has been here through the dinosaur times. It has lived on Earth for millions of years. They were once half of a dinosaur's body. Marine turtles are great survivors, having been present in the oceans for more than 100 million years — since the time of the dinosaurs.

Green sea turtles are one species of sea turtles are commonly found other turtles. For example, leatherback sea turtles, this specimen have been greatly reduced in numbers. It is one of type sea turtle that  almost disappear in the waters. Only a few places that still occasionally spawn place for this type of turtle. Leatherback sea turtles are protected and included in the CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species). Although green sea turtles more numerous in the appeal other turtle, but their population is reduced each year by arresting and hunting. They are also trapped by nets of fisherme.

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World

Animal Unique

American Wigeons

Animal Unique | American Wigeons | American Wigeon (Anas americana) ducks winter here in Tucson, and they are quite common on the small lake at Agua Caliente Park. They begin migrating northward to their summer range in the northern US and Canada during March and April, and by May they are gone. American Wigeons have pale blue-gray, black-tipped bills and brown-speckled necks. In breeding plumage, a male American Wigeon has a broad, white stripe on the top of his head and an iridescent green eye-patch. Female American Wigeons have a speckled brown head and resemble the males in eclipse (non-breeding) plumage.

The calls of American Wigeons are quite high-pitched and sound very much like a dog's squeaky toy. These ducks feed mainly on aquatic vegetation, and they can be seen feeding on floating plants or dipping their heads underwater to pull up submerged aquatic plants. Because people feed the ducks at Agua Caliente, the American Wigeons there have become semi-tame and will happily join in the splashing melee with the other ducks in hopes of getting some of the free food.

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World

Animal Unique

American Coot

Animal Unique | American Coot |  "Coot" is both the informal name for an eccentric or crotchety old man and the common name of a number of waterbirds in the Rail Family (Rallidae). American Coots (Fulica americana) are not only very common in wetlands here in Tucson, they can also be found throughout most of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.Unlike ducks, American Coots don't have webbed feet, instead their toes are edged with rounded, scalloped lobes that help give them paddling power for swimming. American Coots are charcoal black with a black-ringed white bill with a prominent, black-tipped forehead shield. I had never noticed it before, but the camera's flash reveals that American Coots have dark red eyes that contrast nicely with their achromatic bills and feathers.

Like many in the Rail family, American Coots are quite vocal, and their loud clucking calls sound like a combination of those of a chicken and a duck. However, unlike many of the other Rails, especially the sneaky Clapper Rails (Rallus longirostris), American Coots can usually be found out in the open on the water and even begging for food along with ducks instead of skulking in the reeds and cattails with the Rails. American Coots, like this one at Agua Caliente Park, feed mainly on aquatic plants and other plant material.

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Animal Unique

Acorn Woodpecker

Animal Unique | Acorn Woodpecker | Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) are commonly found in oak woodlands in the mountains of Arizona and California. They feed on acorns and will drill them into the Swiss cheese-like holes of a particular tree chosen to be their communal granary tree. I recently observed this female Acorn Woodpecker in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona.

Female Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) An Acorn Woodpecker can be recognized by its black back and chest, white underparts, black bill surrounded by a ring of black feathers followed by a ring of white feathers, red crown, and white eyes. I could tell that this Acorn Woodpecker was a female because there was a band of black between her white forehead and red crown.

There is no such band of black on a male Acorn Woodpecker, and the red of a male's crown touches the white of his forehead. Acorn Woodpeckers have a white rump and wing patches, but these can only be seen when they are in flight and not perched like this one. Acorn Woodpeckers normally live in large family groups, but the weather was bad, with icy winds and light snow despite the weak sunshine, so I only saw this one female Acorn Woodpecker. Luckily, she quite nicely allowed me to get several photos of her.

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Animal Unique

Abert's Towhee

Animal Unique | Abert's Towhee | Abert's Towhees (Pipilo aberti) are found in areas of dense vegetation in and around riparian areas and desert washes here in Arizona. I spotted this Abert's Towhee and its mate in a neighborhood along the Tanque Verde Wash here in Tucson. Abert's Towhees are large, long-tailed, plain brown sparrows, and they can be distinguished from the very similar California Towhees (P. crissalis) and Canyon Towhees (P. fuscus) by their small, black face masks. Male and female Abert's Towhees look alike, and the pairs are usually found together in their breeding range year-round.

Even though they are often found in dense cover and behave rather secretively, I've found that Abert's Towhees, like other towhees, are actually surprisingly tame and will often let you approach them a bit closer than many other wild birds. Given their drab coloration and fondness for thick vegetation, probably the best way to locate Abert's Towhees is by their sharp, loud, piping calls.

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World

Animal Unique

Portuguese Man o' War

 

Animal Unique | Portuguese Man o' War | Portuguese Man o' War, actually are not true jellyfish even the physical appearance is like a jellyfish. They are not a single creature, but colony of individuals called zooids. The name 'Man of War' is obtained from the similarity of his upper body, with Portuguese battleship with a sail.  They are also known as Blue Bottle Jellyfish. Their color can range from a blue to a pink hue, with a translucent body. Portuguese Man o' War is often found with a variety of fish, including shepherd fish, clownfish and yellow jacket species rarely found elsewhere. The clownfish can swim among the tentacles with impunity, possibly due to the mucus that does not cause the nematocysts. The shepherd fish seem to avoid the larger, stinging tentacles, but feeds on the smaller tentacles below the gas bladder.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Cnidaria
Class:     Hydrozoa
Order:     Siphonophora
Family:     Physaliidae
Genus:     Physalia
Species:     P. physalis

Portuguese Man o' War consists of four separate polyps. The top polyp, pneumatophor, is filled of gas. Therefore, it floats on water.  Three other polyps known as: dactylozooid (functioning as a defense), gonozooid (functioning for reproduction) and gastrozooid (functioning to eat). Another part of the Bluebottle jellyfish is a tentacle. Tentacles are thin and long. They can reach 30 feet. The tentacles are covered with nematocysts are full of poison to paralyze and kill fish and other small creatures. It eats small fish and other small ocean animals that is stings with its long tentacles. The poison in the stingers paralyzes the prey, which the  Bluebottle then eats.

 

Portuguese Man o' War  live most commonly in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, and the northern Atlantic Gulf Stream, although found in warm seas throughout the world. There are few marine animals that are immune to the sting Portuguese Man o' War. One example is the sea turtle. Sea turtles immune to the stings Portuguese Man o' War because their skins and shells are too thick to be stung by Portuguese Man o' War. Moreover, it turns out Man of War into the turtle's favorite food menu list of sea turtles. Sea slug, Glaucus atlanticus, Violet snail, Janthina janthina, Blanket octopus and Ocean Sunfish are other predators of Bluebottle jellyfish.

 

For humans, Portuguese Man o' War sting was very painful, and sometimes caused death. In Australia, Portuguese Man o' War is responsible for up to 10,000 human stings in Australia every summer, especially on the east coast, the coast of South Australia and Western Australia. Portuguese Man o' War cause fever, shock as well as heart and lung problems. If you're stung by Portuguese Man o' War pick off any visible tentacles, then rinse with fresh or salt water. Put ice on the area. Because you might go into shock it is important to get medical help as soon as possible. The toxins from tentacles are about 75 percent as powerful as cobra venom. Even dead Bluebottle jellyfish stranded on the beach and dead, it can still sting so don't touch them.

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World
Animal Unique

White Spotted Jellyfish

Animal Unique | White Spotted Jellyfish | White spotted jellyfish is a native of Australia and is also known as the Australian spotted jellyfish. White-spotted jellyfish is one of the most beautiful jellyfish in the world. Its has unique appearance with white spotted on its bell. White-spotted jellyfish is easily recognized by the large, semi-transparent, rounded bell covered in regularly spaced, white dots. The trailing tentacles also end in whitened spots. It grows to the size of about 45-50 centimeters in diameter, and is occasionally known to grow to a maximum length of just a little over 60 centimeters in size.

They look extremely beautiful with the design of white spots over their translucent gelatinous body and their frilly oral arms add another aspect of charm to their appearance. They live in oceans and coastal waters. You can found them throughout Australia. White-spotted jellyfish has been found in large numbers in Gulf of Mexico

White spotted jellyfish have two stage life cycle which consists of a medusa stage (adult) and a polyp stage (juvenile). In the medusa stage, male jellyfish release sperm into the water column and the female jellyfish gathers the sperm into her mouth where she holds the eggs. Once fertilization occurs and larvae are formed they leave their mother and settle to the ocean floor. Once on the bottom a polyp form occurs and this form reproduces asexually by “cloning” or dividing itself into other polyps. Jellyfish can live for up to five years in the polyp stage and up to two years in the medusa stage.

White spotted jellyfish primarily feed zooplankton.  However, they also consume plankton and the eggs and larvae of important fish species. This fact cause problem and need to be concerned. Each of them can filter as much as 13,200 gallons of sea water per day. While doing that, it ingests the plankton that native species need. Additionally, white spotted jellyfish are fairly harmless and their sting contains only mild venom which does not cause any serious effect or reaction in humans. Vinegar can cure the little burning sensation that may be caused by the sting. In most cases, just washing the location of the sting with salt water is sufficient measure to rid oneself of the minor effects of the white spotted jellyfish sting.

White-spotted Jellyfish is causing a problem overseas, particularly in the Caribbean region. It may have hitched a ride in ships' ballast tanks, travelling from Australia and the Pacific region to the Caribbean. Here, it found an ideal place to breed, free of their natural predators (various Pacific-region snails).

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World
Animal Unique

Tiger Shark

Animal Unique | Tiger Shark | The tiger shark gets it's name from the black stripes it has when it is young. Most tiger sharks lose these stripes as they get older. The tiger shark is the fourth biggest shark in the world. The shark tiger is found in warmer and tropical waters in the Southern Hemisphere and  tends to be found in more coastal waters but tigers sharks are also known to go into the deeper ocean if they need to hunt for food. The tiger shark is a fierce predator and tiger sharks hunt everything in the water including fish, seals, birds, turtles and even other sharks.

The tiger shark also has a wedge-shaped head which allows the shark to turn quickly when it needs to. Tiger sharks can reach a top speed of around 20mph which is pretty fast in the water! Like most other species of shark, tiger sharks have sensors on the sides of their heads which enable them to detect small muscle movements from nearby creatures.  Tiger sharks are extremely aggressive animals are thought to be one of the most dangerous sharks for humans to come into contact with. 

Tiger sharks are solitary hunters and usually do most of their hunting at night when the tiger shark can move through the water unseen. Female tiger sharks mate every three years or so and the time of year when this happens depends on where the tiger shark lives. 

Tiger sharks in the Northern Hemisphere mate from March to May, where tiger sharks in the Southern Hemisphere mate from November to January. The eggs hatch inside the female tiger shark and can remain inside her for up to 16 months. When they are big enough, the female tiger shark gives birth to between 10 and 80 baby tiger sharks.

Tiger sharks usually range from between 3 to 5 metres in length. Although much larger specimens have been seen, the largest a tiger shark tends to get is around 5.5 metres long. 

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World

Animal Unique

Whale Shark

Animal Unique | Whale Shark | The whale shark is thought to have developed around 60 million years ago making the whale shark one of the oldest species on Earth today. The whale shark is the largest species of fish with some adult whale sharks growing to nearly 50ft long. Unlike many other species of shark, the whale shark is known to feed on large shoals of tiny fish rather than hunting bigger fish and sea mammals. This makes the whale shark a filter feeder similar to whales and smaller sea animals.

The whale shark is the perfect example of a so-called friendly shark and to date have posed no significant threat to humans (mainly divers). The whale shark inhabits the warm, tropical waters around the equator and despite often being found close to coastlines, the whale shark is also known to dive to depths of up to 700 meters (that over 2,000ft deep). In this part of the ocean, food is more scarce and the whale shark will therefore only venture to such depths if hunting in the shallower waters is not possible. 

 

The whale shark is most commonly spotted around the Gulf of Mexico and the Indonesian Islands where the whale sharks have been known to be almost playful towards humans. Whale sharks tend to live for around 60 to 80 years but have been known be more than 100 years old. 

Female whale sharks incubate their eggs inside them rather than outside. This means that whale sharks effectively give birth to live young. Inside the female whale shark are hundreds of eggs but only a few actually turn into baby whale sharks. The remaining eggs are thought to be there so that when the whale shark pups hatch, they have something to eat. The female whale shark gives birth to an average litter of 12 whale shark pups that are around 60 cm long.

 

Whale sharks grow quickly during their first few years and soon the whale shark pups are extremely big and therefore less likely to be hunted by marine predators such as other shark species and killer whales. 

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World

Animal Unique

Grey Reef Shark

Animal Unique | Grey Reef Shark | The Grey reef sharks are one of the smaller species of shark with adults reaching a maximum length of around 2m long. The grey reef shark is one of the most common species of shark found in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Grey reef sharks are generally found in the coastal regions and along continental shelves from the Middle East to the islands in the deep Pacific.

The grey reef shark tends to move about slowly gliding silently through the water at speeds that often do not exceed a few miles an hour and the grey reef sharks are commonly known to lay on the ocean floor for long periods of time. However, when the grey reef shark detects food in the water, the grey reef shark is known to suddenly become very active and quick, with the grey reef shark often becoming fairly aggressive if there is food about.

Grey reef sharks feed on reef fish, squid and shrimp. The grey reef shark is not thought to pose a great threat to humans and the grey reef shark has been noted to be inquisitive towards divers. Other species of reef shark include the white tipped reef shark, the black tipped reef shark and the Caribbean reef shark, all of which belong to the same family so have similar characteristics to the grey reef shark.

The grey reef shark has a very distinctive shark-like appearance which includes the long slender body of the grey reef shark, large fins and a rounded snout. The grey reef shark tends to gather together in schools with other grey reef sharks during the day, but the grey reef shark is generally more active at night. The grey reef shark has very few natural predators in its coastal, underwater habitat as many larger water-bound carnivores tend to lurk in the deeper waters. 

When the grey reef shark feels under threat, particularly from larger species of shark or from humans diving, the grey reef shark tends to react in a very distinctive way with the grey reef shark arching its body up and moving its head slowly from side to side whilst the grey reef shark is swimming along. The grey reef shark is thought to do this to intimidate unwanted company rather than in preparation to attack it.

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World

Animal Unique

Hammerhead Shark

Animal Unique | Hammerhead Shark | Hammerhead sharks are large carnivorous fish that prey on large fish and occasionally hammerhead sharks will hunt small water mammals.  Hammerhead sharks are found in the warmer waters of oceans worldwide but hammerhead sharks are particularly found in coastal waters, and along continental shelves. Hammerhead Sharks are appropriately named after their flat shaped heads.

Hammerhead sharks are not commonly known to attack humans but can be aggressive if a human came into contact with a hammerhead shark. The flat shaped head of the hammerhead shark is thought to allow the hammerhead shark to detect prey more easily, as it increases the hammerhead sharks sensitivity to sonar activity. Hammerhead sharks are thought to use sonar waves detection in a similar way to their five main senses, so its like the hammerhead shark has a sixth sense.

 

The shape of the head of the hammerhead shark is made up of two projections on either side of the face of the hammerhead shark, which gives the hammerhead shark the head shape that resembles a hammer almost rectangular in shape. The eyes and nostrils of the hammerhead shark are found at the ends of the hammer allowing the hammerhead shark to have better vision and smell of the surrounding water. 

 

 Like many other species of shark the hammerhead shark is a solitary hunter during the night, but during the daytime hammerhead sharks are known to form schools of up to 100 hammerhead shark individuals. Hammerhead sharks are commonly seen in larger groups during the summer months when the hammerhead sharks are migrating together in search of cooler waters.

 

The great hammerhead shark is the largest species of hammerhead shark and one of the few species of hammerhead shark that is potentially dangerous to humans. This is due to the sheer size of the giant hammerhead shark and also because the giant hammerhead is known to have an aggressive temperament. Other species of hammerhead shark tend to pose little or no threat to humans as these species of hammerhead shark are generally much smaller than the giant hammerhead shark and are slightly calmer in their nature.

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World
Animal Unique

Zebra Shark

Animal Unique | Zebra Shark | The zebra shark is  found in the warmer coastal waters and around tropical coral reefs, that is a medium-sized species of shark. Zebra sharks can grow to nearly 3 meters in length and can get to be 30 years old in the wild. Zebra sharks that are kept in captivity generally do not exceed 15 years of age. Zebra sharks can be identified by the yellow spots that are present on the back of the zebra shark.

Zebra sharks have a long, flattened body which helps them to remain unnoticed on the seabed. The zebra shark also has a long tail which allows it to be more agile in the water. Zebra sharks move their tails from side to side when they swim, in an eel-like manner. Zebra sharks are omnivorous animals but tend to have a more meat-based diet. Zebra sharks feed on small fish, crabs, shrimp, snails and other small invertebrates along with squid and sea snakes which they forage for in the coral reefs.

Due to their relatively large size, zebra sharks have few natural predators as they are fairly dominant predators in their environment. Larger species of shark such as tiger sharks and bull sharks are the main predators of the zebra shark, along with humans who hunt them for their meat and fins. 

 

The female zebra shark lays an average of ten large eggs which hatch after an incubation period of around 5 months. The baby zebra sharks are nearly half a meter long when they first hatch.

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World
Animal Unique

Golomyanka

Animal Unique | Golomyanka | The golomyankas (lit. "fat fish") or Baikal oilfish are two species of peculiar sculpin-like fishes endemic to Lake Baikal in Russia.Golomyankas have a translucent body with no scales. They have long pectoral fins and although pelvic bones are present they lack pelvic fins. Golomyankas have a strong lateral line. The lateral line system on the head consists of large cavities linked by narrow bony bridges with small external pores. Lack of a swim bladder, high lipid content and porous bones are what allows the fish to tolerate varying pressure extremes as it moves through the water column. Over a third of the body weight (38.9%) of C. baicalensis is oil.

They are the principal ecological competitor to the omul, and represent a primary food source for the Nerpa seal. They are easily identifiable, and are large enough (at 15-20 centimeters) to be easily seen. Golomyanka are unusual for their habit of moving throughout the entire water column of Lake Baikal without much regard for changes in pressure, although they can exist only within a very narrow range of temperatures and generally tend to find their ecological niche at 700–1600 feet. They are considered the world's most abyssal freshwater fish. They are also known for rapidly decomposing in sunlight, leaving behind fat, oil, and bones.

The biomass of the golomyanka population is estimated at anywhere from one hundred thousand to one hundred fifty thousand tons, making it one of the most populous forms of vertebrate life in Lake Baikal. They are extensively preyed upon by Nerpa, for which the golomyanka are the primary food source. Food sources for the golomyanka are fairly varied, including their own young and pelagic crayfish. Shoaling behavior is not known for this species, and the females do not lay eggs; rather, they are viviparous, producing a swarm of 2000-3000 larvae when they reach sexual maturity at two to three years.

Due to their solitary lives, golomyanka are not harvested commercially, although their fats and oils are used medicinally when storms toss them up on shore. They are valued primarily as the principal food source for the Nerpa, which are harvested commercially. They are so numerous and spawn so rapidly that they represent the largest concentration of fish biomass within the entire lake, and represent a grave threat to the ecosystem of Lake Baikal if not constantly fed upon by predators.

Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World

Animal Unique