Biology

Pictures of African Animals Sperm Whale and Sperm Whale Informations

By Pictures of African animals

on March 28, 2009

Pictures of African Animals Sperm Whale and Sperm Whale Informations

Sperm Whale is the largest living toothed animal and the largest of all toothed whales. The name was derived from milky-white waxy substance found on its head, which was originally mistaken for sperm or semen. Sperm whale is among the most cosmopolitan species in the world. They can be found from polar waters to the equator across all the oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Sperm whales can be found at a depth of over 1000 meters in the waters that are not covered with ice., with the exception of Black Sea and probably Red Sea. Significant populations of Sperm Whales are found in Azores (Portuguese Archipelago in Atlantic Ocean) and the Caribbean Island of Dominica.

Bull sperm whales can grow up to 20.5 meters in length. They have a very large head that takes up almost one third of the total length of the animal. Their brain is the largest in all the animals. Sperm whales feed on squids and fish, often diving more than 3 km deep to catch their prey. It is the deepest diving mammal. They produce the largest sound (clicking) among all the animals. Sperm Whales can live for more than 70 years.

Pictures of African Animals Sperm Whale and Sperm Whale Informations

Posted in: Pictures of African Animals

Tagged with: Atlantic Ocean, Azores, Biology, Flora and Fauna, Mammal, Pictures of African Animals, Pictures of African Animals Sperm Whale, Sperm Whale, Sperm Whale Informations

Pictures of African White Rhinoceros and White Rhinoceros Informations

By Pictures of African animals

on March 27, 2009

Pictures of African White Rhinoceros and White Rhinoceros Informations

White Rhinoceros, one of the five species of rhinoceros, is one of the few existing animals from giant fauna species. It is also called as ‘square-lipped’ rhinoceros. They are the most social of all the rhinoceros. Out of the two subspecies Southern White Rhinoceros and Northern White Rhinoceros, the population of southern species stands at around 18,000 animals but the population of northern species is just about 13. Critically Endangered Species, Northern White Rhinoceros were formerly abundant in

Posted in: Pictures of African Animals

Tagged with: Biology, central Africa, Critically Endangered Species, elephant, Endangered species, Pictures of African, Pictures of African White Rhinoceros, Pictures of African White Rhinoceros and White Rhinoceros Informations, Sahara, Sahara Desert, Species, White Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros Info

Pictures of African Animals Spotted Necked Otter and Spotted Necked Otter Informations

By Pictures of African animals

on March 27, 2009

Pictures of African Animals Spotted Necked Otter and Spotted Necked Otter Informations

Spotted-Necked Otter or Speckle-Throated Otter, is an otter native to Sub-Saharan Africa. They are large animals, which can be found in large rivers, lakes and ponds. It is an extremely clever animal capable of using rocks to break open shells. They are very vocal animals, which can make high-pitched thin whistles. They rely on vision for hunting and thus prefer to remain in clear water. Species of spotted-necked otters is vulnerable and critically endangered due to habitat destructions and pollutions.

Like other otters, they are sleek animals with powerful webbed paws that are used for swimming. They have deep brown fur with light colored spotted markings on its throat. The average length of spotted-necked otters is one meter and it weighs around 3-4 kg. They feed on fish, crustaceans and

Posted in: Pictures of African Animals

Tagged with: Africa, African Animals pictures, Biology, Chordata, Crocodile, Crocodiles, Endangered species, Flora and Fauna, frogs, Pictures of African Animals, Pictures of African Animals Spotted Necked Otter, Spotted Necked Otter Informations, Sub-Saharan Africa

Pictures of African Animals Golden Mole and Golden Mole Informations

By Pictures of African animals

on February 25, 2009

Pictures of African Animals Golden Mole and Golden Mole Informations

Golden Mole is a small insectivorous burrowing mammal native to South Africa. Golden moles almost exclusively live underground beneath grasslands, forests, swamps, deserts or mountainous terrains.

Like other burrowing mammals, golden moles have short legs with powerful digging claws, very dense fur that repels dirt, moisture, and toughened skin. Eyes are non-functional and covered with skin and fur. Ears are just tiny openings. They have muscular shoulders. Golden moles have an enlarged third claw on the forelimbs to aid digging. Fifth digit is absent and first and fourth digits are vestigal. Hind feet retain all five toes, which are webbed to allow efficient backward shoveling of the soil loosened with the front claws. Touch is the primary sense of golden moles. They are very sensitive to vibrations that may indicate approaching danger. Size of golden moles is about 8 to 20 cm. They feed on small insects that are searched with the sense of hearing. Majority of the species construct permanent burrows while the desert species can swim through loose sand. Burrows created by golden moles could be as deep as one meter below the ground.

Pictures of African Animals Golden Mole and Golden Mole Informations

Posted in: Pictures of African Animals

Tagged with: Africa, Biology, Claw, Flora and Fauna, Insect, Mammal, Pictures of African Animals Golden Mole and Golden Mole Informations, Soil, South Africa

Pictures of African Animals Dugong and Dugong Informations

By Pictures of African animals

on February 25, 2009

Pictures of African Animals Dugong and Dugong Informations

Dugong is a large marine mammal, which is one of the four living species of the family Sirenia. The closest modern relative of Dugong is Steller’s Sea Cow, which was hunted to extinction in 18th century. Dugong is the strictly marine herbivorous mammal. Dugong is often hunted for its meat and oil. In many parts of the world, hunting of Dugong has cultural significance. Besides large-scale hunting by humans, due to its long lifespan (70 years) and slow rate of reproductions, many populations of Dugong are becoming extinct.

Dugong has a fusiform body with no dorsal fins or hindlimbs. Instead, they possess paddle-like forelimbs, which are used to maneuver themselves. They can be easily distinguished by their fluked and dolphin-like tail. The skull and teeth are also unique. Dugong weighs anywhere between 250-900 kg. Dugong is heavily dependent upon seagrasses for its subsistence and thus is restricted to the coastal habitats. Large Dugong concentrations can be typically found in wide, shallow and protected areas such as bays, mangrove channels and the lee sides of inshore islands.

Pictures of African Animals Dugong and Dugong Informations

Posted in: Pictures of African Animals

Tagged with: Biology, Dorsal fin, Dugong, Dugong Informations, Extinction, Habitat, Marine mammal, Pictures of African Animals, Pictures of African Animals Dugong and Dugong Informations, Protected area, Sirenia

Pictures of African Animals Blue Whale and Blue Whale Informations

By Pictures of African animals

on February 25, 2009

Pictures of African Animals Blue Whale and Blue Whale Informations

Blue Whale is the largest marine mammal, which is believed to be the largest animal ever to have existed. Blue whales are found up to a size of 3.9 meters (108 feet) in length and a weight of 172 metric tonnes. Blue whale is not only the largest mammal but also the largest whale and largest living animal. Blue whales were abundantly found in almost all oceans until the beginning of twentieth century. Until protected by the laws and international communities in 1966, the population of blue whale became almost extinction due to largescale hunting. As per 2002 reports and estimates, there are around 10,000 blue whales worldwide.

Body of blue whale is long and slender and comes in bluish-gray dorsally and somewhat lighter underneath. Head is flat and U-shaped. Lung capacity of blue whale is about 5,000 liters. While breathing, blue whale emits a spectacular vertical column blow typically about 9 meter (30 feet), which can be up to 12 meter (40 feet) and could be seen from a great distance on a calm day. They can reach speeds up to 30 mph or 50 kmph over short bursts. Blue whales are difficult to measure due to their extra-ordinary sizes. Blue whales feed on crustaceans, small fish and squid.