Amazing African Animals: hunting

Showing posts with label hunting. Show all posts

Tuesday, 9 June 2020

The African Small Cats; Beautiful dangerous African Serval

The African serval is a small, slender cat with long legs, a lean body, and a small head. Its extra-long neck gives it the nickname "giraffe cat." The cat's coat is brown with black lines and spots while its belly is a soft white. Native to the grasslands of Africa, the serval's colors allow it to seemingly disappear in the thick grass. Unlike many other cat species, this small feline loves to climb, leap, and play in water.

It vocalizes using shrill cries and mews, but the serval can growl and purr, too. Servals are crepuscular to avoid the heat of the day, although they also hunt at night when needed. The cats often share their savanna habitat with caracals and may compete with them for prey.

Wait and see is the serval's main hunting strategy. It waits in the tall grass, using its huge ears to listen for approaching prey before pouncing on its meal. Instead of running down a target like a cheetah would, the serval takes a giant leap up into the air and then forces its body weight down upon the victim, trapping it beneath the front paws until the cat can deliver a deadly bite to the neck. This method is efficient and quick.

The serval has a varied diet, eating birds, reptiles, frogs, and large insects. Standing on its hind legs, a serval can jump more than 9 feet (2.7 meters) straight up to grab birds right out of the air! But small rodents are its most frequent prey item, and servals don't hesitate to reach a long leg down into a rodent's burrow to snatch a meal out of the tunnel! With its many hunting styles, varied diet, and fantastic hearing, the serval is well equipped to be the most successful predator of all the cats.

Servals do not have a specific breeding season, and even though a male's home range may overlap those of several females, they live separately most of the year. Males may sometimes rest together during the day in small groups, but otherwise they are solitary.

The female serval raises her kittens alone, usually three kittens to a litter. They live in a den made of tall, thick grass, and the mother leaves her kittens most of the day while she hunts for food, returning to stay with them at night. She accepts the presence of her female kittens longer than that of male kittens: once the boys can hunt for themselves they are no longer welcome at home. Daughters usually stay with their mother until they are about two years old. In the wild, female servals in overlapping ranges are often related to one another.

Staying wild

Some people think it would be fun to own a wild or exotic cat. This has led to a serval cross-breed cat called the "savanna cat": a captive-raised serval bred with a domestic cat. Wild animals, even those born in zoos, keep their wild instincts for hundreds, even thousands, of years. It took thousands of years to domesticate "tame" dogs, cats, sheep, and cattle by selective breeding for certain traits. Special permits are required for trained experts or zoos to own or house wild servals, and it is against the law in some states to own savanna cats.

Servals in the wild are not considered endangered except for one subspecies, the North African serval Leptailurus serval constantinus. However, like all wild animals, serval populations can be harmed by habitat loss, global climate change, and hunting for their beautiful fur. It takes the skins of many servals to produce one coat. Fortunately, in many parts of the world the wearing of animal-skin coats for fashion is no longer popular.

Servals are important to their human neighbors because they catch rodents, which carry diseases and contaminate food supplies. With fewer than 300 servals in zoos around the world and less than 150 in United States zoos, getting to know this beautiful feline is a special treat for any animal lover!

Facts about Serval

• The serval has the longest legs and largest ears for its body size of any cat.

• Ancient Egyptians worshipped the serval for its power and grace.

• Servals are perhaps the best hunters in the cat world. While other wild cats are successful in just one of every five or six attempts to kill prey, servals make a kill in about half of all tries.

• The name serval comes from a Portuguese word meaning "wolf deer."

• Other nicknames for the serval are "bush cat" and "giraffe cat

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Monday, 27 August 2012

Jellyfish: The Mesmerizing and Magnificent Mollusks of the Ocean

Jellyfish: The Wobbly Wonders of the Ocean

Discover the fascinating world of jellyfish, marine animals that live in the ocean. Even if you haven't seen one up close, you can learn about these creatures through photographs and videos. Not all jellyfish are easily visible, as some are small or transparent, but they are still amazing to observe. Explore the world of jellyfish today! endangered animals of Africa animals hunting beautiful amazing animal pictures

Explore the Beauty and Danger of Jellyfish"

I bet in the whole world there are many people who have no idea what a jellyfish looks like or have not had the chance to come close to seeing one with their naked eyes. How about the people who live on the beaches or different coastal areas which are always filled with different jellyfish or marine life which is washed away during low and high tide? With different ocean currents prevailing which could carry some of the most dangerous sea animals in many of the great oceans and people find themselves victims of these dangerous jellyfish with little knowledge on what to do when one is stung by a jellyfish.

Box jellyfish

For many years in many of the worlds oceans Jellyfish have been living and drifting along these ocean currents for ages. You find that jellyfish are found n plenty in many cold and warm ocean water as well as some of the deep water, and along our beautiful coastlines where they come into contact with swimmers divers and fishermen as well. All jellyfish just like any animal which has predators are well equipped with dangerous small stinging cells in their tentacles which is used to stun or paralyze their prey while in the water or when someone steps on them and if you happen to be in their menu most jellyfish would sting their prey to immobilize them before they eat them.

Australian-Box-Jellyfish

As far as the kinds and types of jellyfish found in many natural habitat, there are in fact many types of jellyfish in the ocean. With no fins or flippers to move in the ocean like other sea creatures or fish, jelly move along the oceans by propelling and pulsating themselves with the ocean currents.

Get Ready to Be Stung by Fascination with Jellyfish

Its funny to note that jellyfish have a body which is shaped like a bell. Its this inside part of the body which has the opening for the jellyfish and the most important part of the jellyfish body is the mouth. The inside part of the jellyfish has the all the necessary parts and the control of the movement is carried out here as well.

With a lot of plankton available to eat jellyfish food is just found in plenty depending on the ocean currents as well. While eating these jellyfish always throw or discard waste from this opening. As they continue squirting water from their mouths, these continuous movements and action creates thrust and moves them forward and use their tentacles which hang out at the bottom to sting their prey and to steer their direction as well.

For those who have not been stung by jellyfish, you get that Jellyfish stings can be very excruciating. While there are many cases whereby these jellyfish stings have been very dangerous and have caused fatalities for people who could not get immediate medical help from jellyfish stings or venom.

Lion's Mane Jellyfish is the largest jellyfish in the world

People who get bitten by jellyfish are just victims of circumstances. While there are many people who are always inquisitive while walking on the beaches and along the coastal areas, you find that the ones who are not careful on where they are walking or stepping are the the ones who get attacked by these jellyfish stings or tentacles when they stem on the jellyfish accidentally. Is a true fact that jellyfish don't purposely attack humans. People just have to take care of themselves while they are in the jellyfish habitat during their natural breeding grounds and during the different movements of the ocean currents which can bring unwanted stinging jellyfish to the coast as well.

As a matter of fact the famous Australian box-like sea wasp is the most toxic jellyfish to humans.

Jellyfish: The Ocean's Dazzling Dancers

Fast Facts

Jellyfish are classified in the phylum Coelenterata, which means they have a very simple body with a large center mouth where food comes in and waste goes out.

There are over 1500 species of jellyfish

Jellyfish are invertebrates and don't have a backbone.

All jellyfish sting, but the stings of small specimens and those with short tentacles often are not painful to humans.

While one’s man meat is another man’s poison deep in the ocean these dangerous Jellyfish are on top of the food chain for some of the most endangered animals in the world. The sea turtles have a very good appetite for jellyfish. With so many things unknown to humans about he wonders of jellyfish and their general existence, there is still a lot of information about jellyfish which we are yet to research on in order to fully analyze the potentials of jellyfish medical research and for the cure of may diseases and avenues of finding the myth of being immortal as is with the case of the immortal jellyfish.

some jellyfish even give a light

How would you feel when you encounter a lion deep in the ocean while swimming? Well don’t be amazes when you encounter a jellyfish by the name the lion's mane jellyfish. This specific jellyfish is mostly found in the North Atlantic. This is one of the biggest jellyfish in the world. You will be amazed to know that the bell or the larger body of the jellyfish can grow to about six feet (two meters) in diameter. The Lions’ mane jellyfish tentacles can grow as long as long as 100 feet (33 meters).

The body of a jellyfish is bell-shaped with a mouth on

the underside. Tentacles of varying lengths extend below

Not all big jellyfish are poisonous but as far as the famous poisonous Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish is concerned, this particular dangerous jellyfish can be easily seen or found floating on the surface of many of the tropical ocean water. While people think that snakes are the most poisonous animals in the world, one is equally right to say that the poisonous Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish sting is as lethal and its venom is almost the same as the dangerous bite from any deadly cobra species.

One would wonder as to how these beautiful creatures feed with no backbone or a complex stomach just as any other living creature in the oceans. The Jellyfish when it comes to eating and feeding you get that the jellyfish will digest its food very quickly not because there is no food in the ocean but just because they need to be able to move in these treacherous conditions in the water. Its funny to know that all jellyfish would not have been able to float in the water if they had to carry a large undigested food under their belly around for a long duration.

That jellyfish mystery being solved one wonders what do jellyfish eat. You will be amazes to know that anything which is found in the ocean is just good food for the jellyfish to eat as is any living creature in the ocean. Jellyfish do eat different types of fish and a variety of shrimp while crabs and tiny plants are just of a complete diet to keep them stay healthy for as long as they are alive. Just as land animals some of the jellyfish species will also feed on other types or species of jellyfish as well

Jellyfish contract their fluid bodies to move

Sea turtles relish the taste of jellyfish. Some jellyfish are clear and can look like a plastic bag in the water. Others are in vibrant colors such as pink, yellow, blue, and purple, and often are luminescent.

These dangerous deadly beautiful jellyfish are part of the Asian cousin. The Chinese with their advance knowledge in ancient medicine, when it comes to food, despite its poison whether dead or alive, the jellyfish still finds a lace in many of the Chinese restaurants and homes as part of their delicacy. Whether its part of the daily diet consisting steamed jellyfish boiled jellyfish barbequed jellyfish or just fried or cried and grounded jellyfish, the utility value of the jellyfish is only cherished by the one who tables the jellyfish away from its natural environment to the new modern kitchen and living conditions of man.

Velella velella Jellyfish

With many beautiful creatures in many of the word’s oceans, there is little or still a lot we need to learn when it comes to Jellyfish.

Velella velella Jellyfish

There are different types of jellyfish and the colors of jellyfish which comes with them. With the vast range of jellyfish available in these waters, there is nothing spectacular like a jellyfish when it comes to a Velella velella. Unlike other jellyfish the Velella velella are always seen floating free in a colony of individuals as the ocean currents take them whenever they meander to. This kind of jellyfish is mostly seen in areas of the Northern Gulf regions.

Velella velella Jellyfish

These jellyfish have a spectacular amazing color of deep blue with their famous disc and triangular shape which acts as a sail and helps the jellyfish move over the sea surface like tiny sailboats. The Velella velella jellyfish may be seen in abundance. For fishermen, divers and those using the ocean these jellyfish are always good to see with their amazing true colors when they are thrown ashore and along many of the beaches.

Discover the Enchanting World of Jellyfish

Chiropsalmus quadrumanus Jellyfish

With many of the most dangerous jellyfish having made a mark in terms of their venom, the Chiropsalmus quadrumanus Jellyfish is just one of the most dangerous jellyfish in the world. Why would such a colorful jellyfish be so dangerous? As they say the more the colorful the more the danger or more the beauty the more the venom a jellyfish has.

The Chiropsalmus quadrumanus Jellyfish and the box jellyfish are almost similar in terms of the attack and the number of injuries and death tall. The Chiropsalmus quadrumanus Jellyfish is mostly found the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean region. Just like the Box jellyfish, the Chiropsalmus quadrumanus Jellyfish very transparent and square in shape. As far as their group is concerned, the Chiropsalmus quadrumanus Jellyfish belongs to the e cubozoans group of jellyfish.

These beautiful dangerous Chiropsalmus quadrumanus Jellyfish can easily be distinguished from other jellyfish by the flattened base. You find that the Chiropsalmus quadrumanus Jellyfish have a flattened base where their tentacles are suspended. For many unsuspecting swimmers, many people have always been victims of jellyfish attacks or jellyfish stings. With little information about the kind of jellyfish which has stung you, many swimmers suffer painful stings which lead to a chain or rushes which is always a discomfort if no medial help is sought on time.

Phyllorhiza punctata Jellyfish

The Phyllorhiza punctata Jellyfish is a native of Australian. The Phyllorhiza punctata Jellyfish which is a rare of its kind is a spotted jellyfish in nature. As far as the history of the Phyllorhiza punctata Jellyfish is concerned, this kind of jellyfish drifted to Mississippi during the summer of 2000. These Phyllorhiza punctata Jellyfish were in huge numbers. Its amazing to note that when these jellyfish as small as a tennis ball arrived into these waters of Mississippi, with good environmental conditions and adopting to the different natural habitat, these jellyfish grew up to the size of a washtub.

Don't Be Jelly, Learn About These Fascinating Creatures

jellyfish are not very efficient swimmers

You will be amazed that the weight of these jellyfish reached almost over 25 pounds. With any change in ecology in any given natural habitat comes with its advantages and disadvantages. In the course of events, the Phyllorhiza punctata Jellyfish kept on feeding on what they could and both marine plants and animals became victims. There was a hue and cry that the Phyllorhiza punctata Jellyfish were feeding on the larvae of important fish and shellfish in local waters. With little knowledge and information about this kind of jellyfish, not much was to be done but to let nature take its course as the jellyfish try to adopt and wait for the next strong currents to drift away with once again.

Stomolophus meleagris jellyfish

There is no jellyfish which is a troublesome other than the Stomolophus meleagris jellyfish. With a size of almost like a soccer-ball, the Stomolophus meleagris jellyfish or the cannonball jellyfish is always a familiar sight by many fishermen, divers, swimmers and those working or just having fun around the ocean. While many different kinds of jellyfish are found in different types of weather and seasons, this kind of jellyfish is found mostly in the winter and the spring. The Stomolophus meleagris jellyfish have a somehow thick bell. As they move or pulsate in with the great ocean currents, the Stomolophus meleagris jellyfish move rhythmically and rapidly through the water is search of food and being aware of their general environment in case of any uncharted territories which could be dangerous for them as well.

While most of these Stomolophus meleagris jellyfish found themselves along the barrier islands the Stomolophus meleagris jellyfish are seen as a nascence as they tend to bring havoc to shrimp trawlers by clogging them which makes it difficult for fishermen to haul in. With the depletion of many of the world’s resources, man from ancient of days has always looked for new avenues to quench his hunger by looking deeper for many of those who have water within their geographical boundaries.

With an increase in the world population and as a source of protein and with a place in the human diet, the Stomolophus meleagris jellyfish are cooked and eaten in many of the Asian regions. This kind of jellyfish is always dried and salted in order to preserve it for a long time. As far as the menu is concerned, the dried jellyfish is cut into strips and cooked as a delicacy and others take it because jellyfish have a medicinal value according to the Chinese culture and are sometimes used in salad as well.

Aurelia aurita Jellyfish

There are many kinds of jellyfish. There are different colors of jellyfish as well as unique names of jellyfish as well. While some jellyfish resemble animated things, some have no relationship with the names they are called with. As harmless and peaceful as they look, the Aurelia aurita Jellyfish or the moon jellyfish is almost one foot in diameter or somewhere like a dinner size plate.

The Moon jellyfish normally have a flattened disc. Apart from their unique nature like the shape of the moon, the moon jellyfish are thick at the center and have short tentacles unlike their cousins the lions mane jellyfish which have tentacles as long as ten feet. The Moon jellyfish have pink horseshoe-shaped gonads arranged around the center of the disc. When the moon jellyfish grow up they mature as individuals and are always seen along the beaches or near the coast during the summer season.

Some jellyfish species such as the sea wasp are poisonous

immortal jellyfish.

Some jellyfish live in fresh water

jellyfish. immortal jellyfish.

box jellyfish

Jellyfish eat plankton and some sea turtles eat jellyfish

Jellyfish don’t have brains.

Jellyfish bloom

A group of jellyfish is called a ‘bloom’, ‘swarm’ or ‘smack’

Most jellyfish are harmless to humans but stings from

some jellyfish species, such as the box jellyfish,

can be very painful and sometimes kill.

Some jellyfish can be very hard to see, nearly

invisible to the human eye

In countries like Japan, Korea and China

people eat Jellyfish

jellyfish Pelagia-notiluca

Jellyfish Sea Nettlethe

box jellyfish

Nomura's Jellyfish

Cannonball Jellyfish

Immortal Jellyfish Turritopsis nutriculada

Mediterranean Jelly

Moon Jellyfish

Although the word jellyfish is mentioned in their name,

jellyfish are not fish

Sunday, 26 August 2012

The Amazing African Leopards: Kings of the African Acacia Trees

The Amazing African Leopards Kings of the African Acacia Trees

Leopards
Leopards are the best tree climbers
amongst big cats and are capable of taking
prey that is twice their body weight, up a tree

The leopard, just as the African lion is one of the most dangerous animals in the world. In Africa the leopard has killed many unsuspecting people just as the lion in the hay days of the Lions at Tsavo and as far as its prey is concerned, the leopard is an animal not to joke around with when you are in its natural habitat and ready to defend its territory. Leopards as beautiful and colorful as they are and as dangerous as they can be are also known as panthera pardus. The leopard as a matter of fact are the smallest from the big cat family felidae of the three family of the Asian tigers, the American jaguars and the African lions.

Its amazing to see the leopards in their natural habitat not just as one of the Big Five or from the Big Cats As a matter of fact, leopards are part of the cat family just like the lions, the cheetahs and tigers, Felidae and as far as the leopard's name is concerned, the scientific name for a leopard is Panthera pardus while in Kiswahili the leopard is known as "Chui"

You might be amazed to see how many people like leopards. There are a great number of people who have been able to take amazing photographs of leopards and great leopard videos as well due to the fact that the leopard color of cream and gold spotted fur is just one color which has suited the leopard to survive in the wilderness and to be able to evade its predators as well.

With many species of leopards in the wild and in the wilderness, these beautiful leopards also come in different shades of color as well. Some leopards depending on the region they are coming from have black fur with dark spots. The Black or clouded leopards are often mistaken for panthers. Survival for the fittest is always part of the leopards strategy due to the different environmental conditions, breeding grounds and feeding grounds. All adult leopards when they reach the age of maturity become solitary animals.

The animal bond which had been bringing them together slowly fades away as the young or adult leopards start to look for their own feeding and breeding grounds as well and where to love. Despite the fact that leopards share parts of their territory even when they are old, they try to avoid one another and confrontations which are always very catastrophic and fatal. Animals fighting for territory are always very dangerous and aggressive. Many animals kill one another while many animals are wounded and become helpless and end up being eaten by other animals as well as their survival chances become to low and most of them end up dying because of their wounds and die because of infection.

Leopards are the best tree climbers amongst big cats and are capable of taking prey that is

twice their body weight, up a tree.

When you see a leopard in the wild, you will know that this animal is just the perfect animal whose body is built for hunting. In many of the leopard movies or leopard documentaries you will see that leopards are very sleek. The leopards have very powerful bodies as compared to the cheetahs and can run faster as well reaching speeds of up to 57 kilometers per hour. With plenty or prey in the African Savannah to feast on the leopard hardly runs fast as in each and every part of the wilderness there is always a heard of unsuspecting animals which require less effort for the leopard to kill.

While hunting in the dead of the night, leopards can follow their prey even in the deep waters. The amazing fact about leopards is that as good runners as they are, leopards are also very good swimmers. Leopards can climb trees to hide their prey to feast on it when it is hungry and while chasing its prey, it can outrun it by leaping and jumping long distances with ease.

This is just one of the amazing fact that leopards have been part oh the big five group because of these very important qualities with it at hand. With one of the greatest weapon in terms of chasing its prey, blessed with a long tail almost as long as its body, the leopard uses its tail to help it with balancing. The long tail makes the leopard be able to make sharp turns quickly.

Leopards are some of the most cleverest animals in the cat family. With the power to climb trees with ease after a hunt, leopards protect their food after eating it and what remains the leopard will hide its carcass from other animals by dragging it high up into the trees.

This ensures that the leopard food will be secured unless the African vultures and other tree climbing animals dare to come by and try to steel it. Many of these beautiful dangerous animals will often leave their prey up in the tree for days and return only when they are hungry! As far as the leopard breeding is concerned, when a leopard is ready to give birth, the female leopards give birth to a little of two or three cubs at a time.

The female leopards always protects its young cubs and weans them until they are big enough. Its at this moment that the female leopard also trains them how to play and a few survival tricks and how to socialize. By the time a cub is two years old it will leave the company of its mother and live on their own.

The leopard mating rituals just like any other big cats is almost the same. When the leopard cubs are grown enough or if they are lucky to have survived the dangers of the jungles the female leopard will always be ready to mate and produce a new set of leopards to roam the land. The female leopard will l give a scent and rub her body on the trees to leave her smell there.

During the leopard mating season the strong males and the ones within the vicinity either smell the females scent or hear her call to know that she is ready to mate. Its these leopard calls which sometimes create dangerous scenarios while in the wilderness. leopard fights are always inevitable in order to mate with females who are ready to breed.

While such sight is rare to see, not many people have been able to capture pictures of leopards mating. whether its because leopards are shy animals or when the leopards are the most secretive animals or whether leopards are just animals which keep to themselves is just a question which needs to be dealt with when you find yourself in the jungle during this season.

With the constant demise of the leopard natural habitat and breeding grounds, the leopard is one of the animals which is considered as an endangered species and the whole world all leopards have been put in the endangered species list.. Many leopards are killed each year for their fur and body parts and this is one reason why the leopard is an endangered animal.

While they were previously found in the wild in a number of areas around the world, their habitat is largely restricted to sub-Saharan Africa with small numbers also found in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and Indochina. African used to have the biggest number of leopards but with the endless leopard hunting which ensued for decades left many of the leopards skins hanging on peoples walls and nothing for the animals loving to see while out there on a safari.

With the increasing demand for leopard skin and may other leopard body parts are just some of the reasons why the leopard has been hunted by poachers for many decades. Many people in the East have traditional beliefs that the bones and whiskers of leopards can heal sick people. Many leopards are killed each year for their fur and body parts and this is one reason why the leopard is an endangered animal. While they were previously found in the wild in a number of areas around the world, their habitat is largely restricted to sub-Saharan Africa with small numbers also found in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and Indochina.

With many of the wild animals of India considered sacred, many a times people have had leopard attacks which have been very fatal. People living in the leopard natural habitat always come in contact with the leopard during their movement in the forest. Some of the leopards just come out of their natural habitat as they wonder around looking for food and end up in contact with people and that's where the terror begins.

While in many countries where leopards are found has a way of compensating people for any leopard attacks or the property damaged, its the sheer fear of the leopard attack which will always linger in their minds knowing tis not safe and if leopards attack the only solution is to attack the leopard or just kill the leopard before any harm is done.

Remember its a jungle out there. We need to love all animals in order to save all