Arctic Hare

True Wild Life | Arctic Hare | The Arctic hare can found in the northern regions of the Arctic Circle, predominantly in Northern America, Europe, Greenland and the North Pole. The Arctic hare has thick, white fur which allows it to continue inhabiting the Arctic regions successfully, in warmth and camouflage. The Arctic hare eats shoots, buds and berries found amongst the snow. The Arctic hare is a vital component in the Arctic circle food chain, being one of the few smaller mammals able to thrive in such a harsh environment. The Arctic hare is therefore common prey for bigger animals of the Arctic tundra, such as Arctic wolves, foxes and polar bears.

The Arctic hare is always white in the far north where there is snow all year round. In parts of the Arctic circle that have seasons, the Arctic hare will go from white to a blue-grey colour in the summer but is known to keep its white tail all year. The Arctic hare lives in groups of around 200 Arctic hare individuals. These large groups of Arctic hare will often work together to achieve what is needed for their survival as the Arctic hares huddle together to conserve heat and to keep them warm. The Arctic hare has long claws which helps the Arctic hare when digging through icy and snowy conditions when the Arctic hare is searching for food or if the Arctic hare is digging a den.

The Arctic hare can achieve very fast speeds when the Arctic hare feels threatened. If the Arctic hare senses danger, the Arctic hare will stand on its hind legs and survey the area. If the Arctic hare feels threatened, the Arctic hare is capable of taking off at very fast speeds as the Arctic hare moves by hopping off its back legs in a similar way to a kangaroo.

Ocelot

 

True Wild Life | Ocelot | Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) are small, but still larger than average house cat. The ocelot, or the painted leopard as it is sometimes known, is a medium sized wildcat, native to the jungles of South America. The ocelot is found as far north as Texas in the United States and there are also large populations of the ocelot in both Mexico and the Caribbean islands. The ocelot tends to be about 1 meter in length with a tail, half the size of the body of the ocelot on top of that. The ocelot has enormous similarities in appearance to domestic cat, with the most noticeable of these similarities being the small sized head of the ocelot. The fur of the ocelot has very similar markings to the fur of a leopard or a jaguar meaning that the ocelot was hunted vigorously for many years.

The ocelot populations were once so low due to excessive hunting by humans for the beautiful fur of the ocelot, that the ocelot was considered to be a threatened species and was on the verge of being endangered. Today, ocelot populations have been allowed to grow again meaning that the ocelot is now one of the lucky animals considered to be of least concern as far as species extinction goes. Like most other feline species, the ocelot is a generally solitary animal, and will only really tend to come into voluntary contact with another ocelot, when it is time to mate. The ocelot is nocturnal animal and spends its days sleeping in the tree tops. These prime sleeping spots will occasionally be shared by more than one ocelot of the same sex. The ocelot is a highly territorial and somewhat aggressive feline, with ocelots having been commonly known to fight each other to the death if no-one backs down. Typically the average ocelot will hunt in an area that is around 18 square kilometers. Almost all of the prey that the ocelot hunts is much smaller than the ocelot itself. The ocelot is believed to find prey using its keen sense of smell by sniffing out odor trails marked by smaller animals, and the ocelot is also thought to spot potential meals using its acute night vision.

 The ocelot hunts a variety of small animals, from small deer and rodents to reptiles and amphibians. The ocelot is thought to occasionally take to the trees when hunting in order to catch birds and the ocelot is also a big fan of water based dinners such as fish and crabs. After mating, a female ocelot will find a crevice in the rocks, a hollow tree or will nest in a dense and thorny thicket in order for the female ocelot to have some privacy and protection whilst she is preparing to give birth. The gestation period for a female ocelot is thought to be just over three months, after which time the female ocelot will give birth to 2 or 3 ocelot kittens. The tiny ocelot kittens are born blind, in a similar way to many other species of feline kittens, and the ocelot kittens also have a thin coat of fur. Within a month, the ocelot kittens can view their surroundings and their fur will have become much denser and more colourful.

In a similar way to many other species of smaller wildcat, the ocelot has been kept as a pet by many people throughout history. The most famous of these was the abstract artist Salvador Dali who was known to travel frequently with his pet ocelot, and it even thought that Mr Dali even took his pet ocelot on an ocean liner! The ocelot is also thought to have been worshiped by ancient Peruvian cultures (in a similar way to the Ancient Egyptians worshiping cats), and these cultures would often involve the beautiful ocelot in their art work.

Gila Monster

True Wild Life | Gila Monster |  The Gila Monster is a stout-bodied lizard that grows 18 to 24 inches in length. It has black, orange, pink or yellow broken blotches, bars and spots, with bands extending onto its blunt tail. Its face is black, and it has small, bead-like scales across its back. It is named for the Gila River Basin of the southwestern United States. The gila monster is found roaming through a range of habitats throughout the drier regions of central America. Gila monsters tend to inhabit areas that are more sheltered such as shrublands, woodlands, forests and semi-deserts.

In the same way that a camel's hump, the tail of the gila monster acts as a fat storage facility in order to help the gila monster to survive more successfully in such arid conditions. When the gila monster eats and therefore replenishes its fat supply, the tail of the gila monster swells in size and becomes smaller again as its body uses up the fat. The gila monster has short powerful legs, and long claws which it mainly uses for digging. Gila monsters spend nearly all of their time in burrows underground, either ones they have dug themselves or more likely, those stolen from other animals.

The gila monster is one of only two venomousz liard species that are found in North America. The gila monster has venom glands below its teeth on the bottom jaw which is released when the gila monster bites its prey. The gila monster then waits while its venom kills the animal, before finally eating it. The gila monster is a carnivorous animal and therefore has a purely animal-based diet. Bird and reptile eggs make up the majority of the gila monster's diet, along with insects, frogs, small mammals and reptiles, including smaller lizards.

Despite its large size, the gila monster is a fairly slow-moving animal meaning that it is preyed upon by a number of predators in its natural environment. Coyotes and humans (who often kill the gila monster claiming self-defence), are the main predators of the gila monster along with birds of prey and small ground-dwelling animals that hunts the eggs of the gila monster. After mating, the female gila monster lays between 2 and 15 eggs which she buries underground. The incubation period for the gila monster eggs is one of the longest of all reptiles, as they can take up to a year to hatch.

Gecko

True Wild Life | Gecko | There are thought to be over 2,000 different species of gecko found around the world and it is widely believed that there are more species of gecko that ate yet to be discovered. The gecko is a small to medium species of lizard that is found in the more temperate and tropical regions of the world. Geckos are more commonly found around the Equator and in the Southern Hemisphere although a few species of gecko are found north of the Equator in warmer regions. Geckos are found in a wide variety of colours and have various different markings on their bodies depending on the species of gecko.

Geckos are found in a wide variety of habitats in the warmer parts of the world including rocky deserts, mountains, jungles, rainforests, grasslands and even in urban areas where it is common to find geckos in houses. Geckos can range in size from just a few centimetre to more than 50 cm in length. The largest species of gecko is the Delcourt's gecko (which is now believed to be extinct), native to New Zealand and it grows to nearly 60 cm in length. The Jaragua Sphaero found in the Dominican Republic in South America, is the smallest species of gecko in the world and averages less than 2cm in length.

Geckos are well known for their amazing ability to walk up vertical surfaces even those as smooth as glass. The feet of the gecko are covered in tiny hairs that stick to surfaces like sucker pads. This adaptation means that the gecko is a very agile animal. Geckos are carnivorous reptiles so the diet of the gecko is based on meat from other animals. Geckos primarily eat insects and worms, but some of the larger species of gecko hunt small birds, reptiles and even small mammals such as mice. Some species of gecko are also known to eat a small amount of plant matter such as moss.

Due to their small size, geckos have a number of natural predators around the world, with the snake being the main predator of the gecko. Other animals that prey on the gecko include large spiders, birds and some mammal species.

After mating, the female gecko lays 2 sticky eggs, that have a soft shell and are white in colour. The gecko eggs quickly harden so that the developing gecko inside is more protected. The eggs of the gecko can take between 1 and 3 months to hatch but the incubation period is largely dependent on the species of gecko and the area in which it inhabit. The female gecko is not known to nurse or look after the baby geckos after they hatch.

Today, many species of gecko are considered to be threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and pollution. Geckos are also popular pets around the world and many are caught in the wild to be sold into the exotic pet trade.

Arabian Gazelle

 

True Wild Life | Arabian Gazelle | The Arabian gazelle, or mountain gazelle has a wide range throughout the Middle East, but is listed and protected in the Arabian Peninsula, Palestine, and Sinai. This species has a slender build with a proportionally long neck and long hind legs. It has a dark brown coat, white underparts and a black, short, and bushy tail. Both male and female gazelles have horns and their ears are relatively short. Adults weigh up to 51 lbs on average and females are smaller than males. Arabian gazelles are excellent runners and can reach speeds of 80 km per hour. They have excellent vision, hearing, and a good sense of smell to help detect predators and to find food.

The Arabian gazelle prefers mountainous and hilly habitat consisting of light forests, fields, or desert plateaus. Days are usually spent in the hills and at night or in the early morning they come down to forage. They prefer to eat grasses, herbs, and shrubs but can eat other varieties of food, depending on what is available in their habitat. Groups consist of three to eight gazelles, and males are territorial preferring one or more females in the group and their young. Mating occurs mainly in the early winter, but can take place year-round if food is not scarce. The female gives birth to only one calf after a gestation period of 180 days. Males may leave after about six months, but females may remain with their mother for life.

The main threats to the species is habitat loss. Also hunting and collecting, trade, alien invasive species, and hybridizers threaten the Arabian gazelle population. Strict laws are currently in place and have helped to prevent poaching of the species, but habitat loss and exploitation continue to be a threat.

Darwin's Frog

True Wild Life | Darwin's Frog | Darwin's frog is named after Charles Darwin who came across it on his famous "Voyage of the Beagle". Darwin's frog is a small species of frog, native to the forest streams of Chile and Argentina. Darwin's frogs can be found inhabiting beech-tree forests and fields, in the cooler regions of South America. Darwin's frogs can also be found living near and in slow streams and swamps throughout Chile and across the border into Argentina.

 

Darwin's frog has a very distinct appearance, having evolved to look a bit like a leaf. This means that when the Darwin's frog feels threatened by approaching predators, it simply remains very still on the forest floor looking like a dead-leaf until the danger has passed. Darwin's frog is a small, yet round species of frog that has a triangular shaped head and pointed snout. Despite having some webbing on their back feet, Darwin's frogs do not have webbed front feet as this helps them when moving around on the forest floor.

Like many other amphibian (and indeed frog) species, the Darwin's frog is a carnivorous animal that uses it's long, sticky tongue to catch it's prey. Darwin's frogs feed on a variety of small invertebrates including insects, worms, snails and spiders. Due to it's small size, and despite it's best attempts at blending in, the Darwin's frog has a number of predators in it's native habitat. Small mammals such as rodents, snakes and birds all commonly prey on the Darwin's frog.

The Darwin's frog is well known for the way in which it takes care of it's young. The female lays her eggs, which are then guarded by the male for about 2 weeks. Once hatched, the male Darwin's frog carries the developing tadpoles in a pouch in his throat until they are tiny froglets and are able to hop away. Today, the Darwin's frog is a species that is considered to be vulnerable from extinction mainly due to habitat loss in the Darwin's frog's native habitat, primarily caused by deforestation.

Long-Beaked Echidna

True Wild Life | Long Beaked Echidna | Endemic to New Guinea, long-beaked echidnas are widespread and found in both Papua New Guinea in the west and Papua on the Indonesian side. They are also known from the island of Salawati off New Guinea’s western tip, and may possibly occur on the islands of Supiori and Waigeo, although their presence here has yet to be confirmed.

Recently classified as three separate species, long-beaked echidnas belong to an ancient clade of egg-laying mammals that includes the platypus of Australia. They are easily distinguished from short-beaked echidnas by their long snouts, which account for two-thirds of the length of the head. Despite laws designed to protect these species, they are in decline in areas accessible to humans. Echidnas have lost much of their forest habitat to logging, mining and farming, and are regarded as highly prized game animals by local people, who hunt them with specially trained dogs. One species, Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, is thought to have an extremely restricted range and may be at high risk of extinction.

Long-beaked echidnas are monotremes, a group that also includes the short-beaked echidna and duck-billed platypus. Fossil evidence indicates that this group of mammals has changed very little during the last 100 million years. However, the fossils do not provide any evidence of the origins of the group and their ancestral relationships, nor to how they relate to marsupials and placental mammals. Fossil monotremes from the Pleistocene Epoch (which began 1.8 million years ago) are very similar to the living species.

The most distinguishing feature of long-beaked echidnas is their long snouts, which curve downwards and account for two-thirds of the length of the head. They have no teeth; instead their tongues are covered in spikes (teeth-like projections), which are very effective in hooking prey and drawing it into the mouth. They have compact, muscular bodies, with strong limbs and claws for digging. Their back and sides are covered with spines, which vary in colour from white through to dark grey or black. The body is also covered in brownish-black hairs, which sometimes hide the spines. Males are larger than females and have spurs on the inside of the hind limbs, near the foot.

Little is known of the ecology of long-beaked echidnas. They are thought to be largely nocturnal, spending the day resting in shallow burrows or hollow logs, and foraging amongst the forest litter at night for food. The diet consists almost exclusively of earthworms, although individuals may occasionally eat termites, insect larvae and ants. Echidnas lead solitary lives, coming together only to breed. This is thought to be seasonal, with the female laying 4-6 eggs into her pouch each July. Hatching occurs ten days later, and the young echidnas remain in the pouch for a further 6-7 weeks, or until the spines develop. All echidnas have the ability to erect their spines when they feel threatened. If the ground is soft, the animal will burrow into it to protect its belly. On hard ground it will curl up into a spiky ball like a hedgehog.