Uploads from bluecrush1979, tagged zoo, with geodata

Red Panda

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:45:33 -0800

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

Ailurus fulgens
Status: Endangered
Range: China, Tibet and Himalayas.
Habitat: Mountain forests.
Diet: Bamboo, fruit, eggs and shoots

Creature Feature:The Red Panda is a good tree climber and can be found in the mountain forests of the Himalayas. Locally the Red Panda is known as ‘poonya' and in Nepal they are called ‘chitwahs' or ‘wahs'. Red Pandas have a cat-like face and generally resemble a raccoon. They are solitary animals that feed almost exclusively on bamboo. A female Red Panda can eat approximately 200,000 bamboo leaves a day.
Red Pandas are rare in the wild and their numbers are continuing to decline. This animal is already extinct in 4 of the 7 Chinese provinces. In 1999 the IUCN estimated that fewer than 2500 mature individuals survive. Reasons for this decline in numbers include: poaching for fur and pet trades, competition from domestic livestock loss and fragmentation of habitat through deforestation. Predators of the Red Panda include the Snow Leopard and Yellow Necked Marten. Red Pandas produce a variety of noises from giggle type sounds and whistles to squeaks and spitting hisses.
The birth season is June / July and litters of 1-4 cubs are usually born. Young will grow to adult size in 1 year. Red Pandas mark their territory using scent from glands located on the soles of their feet. Red Pandas can live up to 17.5 years in captivity and 8- 10 years in the wild.

Chapmans Zebra

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:17:02 -0800

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

Equus burchelli chapmani
Status:Data deficient
Range: South Africa
Habitat:Savannah
Diet: Grasses and leaves

Creature Feature: Black and white stripes act as camouflage when the zebras stand together. They make it difficult for predators to depict one zebra from another. The stripe patterns on each individual are as unique as fingerprints in humans. Predators of the zebra include lions, hunting dogs, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas (as scavengers). When threatened the zebras will form a semicircle facing their attackers. If one of the zebras is injured the rest will encircle it for protection.
The dominant mare always leads the group and will move at a pace that accommodates the old and the weak. Zebra will sometimes occur in tens of thousands in migratory herds on the Serengeti Plains. They are in constant search of green pastures. Zebras can survive on dry, coarse grass but only if they are within a short distance of water holes.
Gestation lasts 12 months after which a single offspring is born. Once the foal is born the mother will separate it from the rest of the herd for 2 or 3 days until it learns to recognise her by sight, sound and smell. Colts (young males) will leave their family group between 1 and 4 years and join a bachelor group until they are strong enough to head their own group.

monkey lemur

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:06:12 -0800

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Tropical Bird

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:09:42 -0800

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Black Swan

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:40:51 -0800

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

Cygnus atratus
Status: Least Concern
Range: Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand
Habitat: Lakes and ponds
Diet: Aquatic plants and algae.

Creature Feature: This species of swan is almost entirely black in colour apart from the white wing tips. They have a bright red eyes and bill that stand out against the rest of the body. The Black Swan can reach up to 142cm in length and weigh approximately 20lbs. The males are normally larger than the females. They have an enormous wingspan of up to 6 feet across and they have the longest neck of all swans that they use to reach food underwater.
These are non-migratory birds, however outside of the breeding season they travel long distances in search of food. They fly at night and rest during the day. Feeding usually occurs at dusk.
Black swans pair for life and both the male and female have active roles in the building of the nest and rearing of the cygnets. Unlike other species of swan, Black Swans are highly sociable and will often build nests within colonies. Nests are often untidy piles of reeds and grasses that are placed on small islands or floated in deeper waters. Up to 10 pale green eggs can be laid that take 35 to 40 days to incubate. The small grey cygnets are able to swim and feed themselves as soon as they have hatched.

Ring Tailed Lemur

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:35:56 -0800

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

Lemur catta
Status: Vulnerable
Range: Southern Madagascar
Habitat: Dry forest
Diet: Fruit and berries

Creature Feature: One very recognisable species of lemur from Madagascar is the Ring-tailed lemur. This species has a long tail with 13 black and white rings around it. The body is grey with a white belly and is roughly the same size as a house cat. Ring tail lemurs weigh roughly 3 to 3.5 Kg.
This species of lemur is highly social and can be found in groups of 3 to 25 individuals. As with most lemurs it is the females who are dominant. The females will stay with the group for life and the males will change groups at least once in their lifetime. Ring tail lemurs prefer to walk on the ground or large tree limbs. They hold their tails high in the air as they walk along so they can keep track of each other. Ring-tail lemurs spend up to 40 % of their time on the ground. They are least active at night although they do have very good night vision because they have a reflective layer in the back of their eyes, similar to a cat.
Babies are born either singly or as twins if food is plentiful. Young are born with blue eyes that turn golden when they grow older.
Females mark their territories using scent glands on their wrists. The males have stink fights to establish who will mate with the females. They do this by rubbing their wrists along their tails until they are coated in their scent and then they wave their tails at each other and have wafting battles - the owner of the smelliest tail wins. Ring tail lemurs have different predator calls so that the group knows whether the attack is from the ground or air. This species has been declared vulnerable by the IUCN due to habitat destruction.

Ring Tailed Lemur

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:38:22 -0800

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Kafue Flats Lechwe

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:10:58 -0800

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

Kobus leche kafuensis
Status: Lower risk- conservation dependent
Range:Kafue Flats, South, Central Africa
Habitat: Marshes, floodplains, and rivers.
Diet: Grasses, water plants.

Creature Feature: These medium sized antelope are adapted to life on the floodplains. Their hooves are long and fairly narrow which makes it easy for them to manoeuvre around boggy marshes. These antelopes are at ease in the water and are very good swimmers. They feel safe when they are grazing shoulder deep in water and when fleeing from predators they will fully submerge themselves with only their nostrils showing above water. Their main predators are lions, leopards, cheetahs, cape hunting dogs, crocodiles and pythons.
In the wild these lechwe can be found in herds of up to 400 individuals. The herd's peak activity time is in the morning and late afternoon.
Male lechwe have long swept back horns and all Kafue Flats Lechwe carry a red/ brown coat of long hair. Rams are highly territorial and ewes will move freely with their offspring between several different territories. Males that fail to establish a territory gather in bachelor herds until they are stronger.
Gestation lasts 7 to 8 months after which a single offspring is born. Ewes hide the newborns in long grass for 2 to 3 weeks until they are big enough to join the rest of the herd.

Kafue Flats Lechwe

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:47:26 -0800

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Humboldts Penguin

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:40:21 -0800

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Spheniscus humboldti
Status: Vulnerable
Range: Chile, Columbia, Ecuador & Peru
Habitat: Rocky mainland shores
Diet: Fish such as Anchovies & Sardines, and krill

Creature Feature: The Humboldt penguin can be found living in small colonies along the Humboldt Straight off the West coast of South America.
These penguins stand at approximately 15 to 18 inches tall and weigh around 9lbs. The feathers are stiff and overlap to waterproof and insulate the body. They are black/ grey in colour with a white underside to act as camouflage against predators both above and below the water. Adults have a distinctive black horseshoe shaped band across their breast and a white head stripe.
Nests are made from a substance called Guano (penguin poo) in crevices between boulders. Both the parents take turns in caring for the eggs which take 40 days to incubate. Normally two eggs are laid at a time. Chicks are born with a thick coat of grey fluffy feathers. These feathers eventually turn to grey waterproof feathers. Each year all of the penguins go through a moult where they lose their feathers to be replaced with new ones.
In the water penguins can reach speeds of up to 20 mph. They use their feet and tail as a rudder to steer and turn in the water.

dumerils boa

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:37:04 -0800

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

Acrantophis dumerili
Status: Vulnerable
Range: Southwest Madagascar
Habitat: Forest
Diet: small mammals

Creature Feature: Dumeril's boa, also known as the Madagascar ground boa, is a striking snake that grows up to 1.8 m in length. Like most members of the Boa snake family, it is a fairly chunky or stout snake with grey and brown bands along the length of the body, with black markings.
It has no venom and inhabits dry forests, often close to villages, where it presumably feeds on rats. Dumeril's boa kills small mammals by constricting the prey in coils of its body. They tend to hunt at night and posses heat sensitive pits around the mouth that help them to detect their prey. Boas give birth to live young.
Threats include the widespread habitat destruction for agriculture or livestock grazing, collection for food and the skins are used for leather. This snake is highly desirable in the pet trade and so international trade in wild specimens in banned under CITES.http://www.arkive.org/

Geoffreys tuffed ear marmoset

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:26:13 -0800

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

allithrix geoffroyi
Status: Vulnerable
Range: South East Brazil
Habitat: Lowland forest
Diet: Fruits, gums, saps, insects, nectar.

Creature Feature:Geoffroy's Marmosets are found in groups of 8 to 10 individuals consisting of a dominant female, her mate and their offspring. These marmosets mate for life and after a gestation period of 4.5 months twins are born.
The home range for a family group can be up to 5 hectares in size. Home ranges can overlap and although these marmosets do not defend their territories, they do mark their presence using scent.
Geoffroy's Marmosets have specially shaped incisors that allow them to carve small holes into the trunks of trees when searching for sap and gum. Each group has a number of favourite trees to which they frequently visit to tap the pre-carved holes for sap. They also eat insects and will follow swarms of Army Ants that flush various small animals up into the trees making them easy prey for the marmosets.
Threats to the Geoffroy's Marmosets include habitat destruction, persecution (due to the fear that they carry yellow fever and malaria) and exportation to zoos and biomedical research centres.

Crane

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:28:57 -0800

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Chapmans Zebra

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:15:59 -0800

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Meerkats

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:52:25 -0800

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

Suricata suricatta
Status: Lower risk- least concern
Range: South Africa
Habitat: Open, rocky plains
Diet: Scorpions, beetles, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, small mammals and reptiles, birds, eggs, tubers & roots.

Creature Feature:Meerkats are part of the Mongoose family and stand approximately 30 cm tall. They are built to withstand dry desert conditions. Dark eye patches act as built in sunglasses to help to reflect the bright sunlight away from their eyes. They have non-retractable claws for digging and closable ears to keep sand out. Meerkats have dark skin on their bellies with very sparse hair that absorbs heat from the sun when they ‘sunbathe'. Meerkats live in groups of up to 30 individuals called a ‘mob' or a ‘gang'. Each mob is led by an alpha male and female who do most of the breeding.
Martial Eagles and Jackals are meerkats' main predators and each mob will have several members on look out or sentry duty to warn the rest of the group of danger. When on sentry duty, a meerkat will stand up on his hind legs using his tail as a tripod for balance. When danger is spotted, the sentry meerkat will give out a call to tell the others what sort of danger there is. There are various alarm calls for different predators. Meerkats are highly territorial.

Cosmos Flower

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:54:47 -0800

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Cosmos is native to scrub and meadow areas in Mexico where most of the species occur, Florida and the southern United States, Arizona, Central America, and to South America in the north to Paraguay in the south.
[edit]Description

Cosmos are herbaceous perennial plants growing 0.3–2 m tall. The leaves are simple, pinnate, or bipinnate, and arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers are produced in a capitulum with a ring of broad ray florets and a center of disc florets; flower color is very variable between the different species. The genus includes several ornamental plants popular in gardens. Numerous hybrids and cultivars have been selected and named.

Peacock

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:45:54 -0800

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

Pavo cristatus
Status: Least Concern
Range:India and Sri Lanka
Habitat: forest
Diet: insects, grains, seeds, fruit, mice and snakes.

Creature Feature:In 1963 the Peacock was declared the national bird of India. The Peafowl is the largest member of the Pheasant and turkey family. The males are very colourful and striking birds. They have blue and green coloured feathers with a long train of feathers that are supported by the real tail feathers underneath. Only the males have a train which they do not develop till they are three years old. The train is shed annually and comprises of 100 to 150 upper tail coverts with an ‘eye' marking on each. The peahens are a little less striking as their feathers are brown in colour and they lack a train. They have green/ blue feathers on the neck and a white underside. Both sexes have a crest of short erect hairs on the top of their heads.
Peafowl are ground feeders but they roost in trees at night-time. Peafowl live in small groups usually consisting of 1 male and 2 to 5 females. The peacocks train is fanned out when displaying to attract a mate. Eggs are laid in a shallow depression dug in the ground. Eggs are brown/ buff in colour and normally 4 to 6 are laid, although sometimes females can lay up to 12 eggs. Incubation takes approximately 28 days.
Predators of Peafowl include tigers and leopards. Loud shrieking cries and honking noises are used to warn other peafowl of danger.

Chapman's Zebra

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:28:45 -0700

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Newquay Zoo

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:20:30 -0700

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Visayan Warty Pig

nobody@flickr.com (bluecrush1979) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:22:10 -0700

bluecrush1979 posted a photo:

Sus cebifrons negrinus
Status: Critically endangered
Range: Central Philippines
Habitat: Forests
Diet: Roots & Tubers

Creature Feature:
This pig is endemic to the Philippines and now extremely rare; it's extinct in four out of its six regions. Thus they are part of a European breeding programme. The warty pig gets its name from warts on the boar's face that protect him from war-wounds during mating season. Males also sport a stiff, spiky hair-do that grows in length during this time.
A family of 5 pigs is normal, males tend to live alone. 3 piglets are born during the dry season. Their small, striped bodies are nicely camouflaged allowing them to follow mum when foraging for food, or stay hidden away in the forest foliage.
Being so rare, little else is known about these ugly but enchanting animals. It is very important then, that they are bred and studied in captivity, in an attempt so save the warty pig from extinction.