The Animal Series

Rhinoceros

Introduction

Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Perissodactyla
Family Rhinocerotidae
Genus There are Four genus of Rhinoceroses. Diceros, Ceratotherium, Rhinoceros, and Dicerorhinus
Species Diceros Bicornis Black Rhinoceros
Ceratotherium Simun White Rhinoceros or the square-lipped Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros Unicornis Indian Rhinoceros also known as the Greater one-horned
Rhinoceros Sondaicus The Javan Rhinoceros
Dicerorhinus Sumatrenis The Sumatran Rhinoceros

Habitat

Rhinoceroses live in Africa or Asia depending on their species. The black and white rhinoceros live in souther and eastern Africa, while the Sumatran, Indian, and Javan live in Tropical Asia. The black, white, Indian, and Javan Rhinoceros live in savannas, marshes, and areas with a large amount of shrubs to eat. These rhinoceros prefer to live close to water holes which are shared between species. The water holes are important to the rhino, not only for drinking water, but to let them cover the skin in mud which protects them from the large amount of ticks. The Sumatran Rhinoceros are set apart from others because they live in the forests of Malaysia and Indonesia.

Food Source and Food Chain
All species of Rhinoceros are herbivores. They feed on twigs, fruit, leaves, shrubs, and grass. The black rhinoceros and Indian rhinoceros have lips capable of grasping like a finger. They use this to make gathering food easier.

Social Behaviors
Most Rhinoceros are not very social and usually live alone or in small groups that consist of the mother and her offspring, the exception is the White Rhinoceros which is more fond of company. Rhinoceroses communicate in growls, grunts, squeaks, snorts and bellows. The male rhinos are hostile towards one another using their horn to fight. They do this to protect their territory and to mate with females. The gestation period is 16 months long. Afterwords the rhinoceros nurses their calf for two years then continues to live with the mother for another year or two.

Interesting Characteristics
Rhinoceroses can weigh up to five tons and are five feet long.

The horn of a rhinoceros is not attached to the skull. It is composed of keratin fibers which makes up our fingernails and hair. Some people believe that the horn has medicinal uses, which caused the rhinoceros to be hunted. This is now illegal because all species of rhinoceros are endangered. Today there are under 25,000 rhinoceroses alive.
Rhinoceroses have very bad eyesight. They make up for this by having a strong sense of smell and very precise hearing. They can move their eyes to focus on certain sounds. Rhinoceros also have a symbiotic relationship with oxpeckers. These birds eat the ticks off the rhinoceros and warns the it of danger.

Source: National Geography

The Animal Series

Rockhopper Penguin

Introduction

The Rockhopper Penguins are part of the order Sphenisciformes. This specific type of bird is incapable of flying. It uses its powerful wings as flippers, for swimming. These carnivorous animals are known to be the most aggressive of all penguins. Right now, they are being protected so that the species does not become extinct.

Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Sphenisciformes
Family Spheniscidae

Habitat

The Rockhopper Penguins are located in the southern hemisphere on several islands, such as the Falkand, Macquarie, and Amsterdam Islands. The Falkand Islands used to be the world’s largest Rockhopper Penguin breeding site, with 2,500,000 pairs. These penguins are found in nests and burrows among high grasses and tussocks. Additionally, they live along rocky shorelines.

Feeding/ Food Chain

Rockhopper Penguins, being carnivores, use their orange-red beak to feed on krill, squid, small fish and crustaceans such as shrimp.
These penguins are prey to leopard seals, fur seals, sea lions, and blue sharks. Skuas, Petrels, and Kelp Seagulls prey on the eggs and chicks of Rockhopper penguins.

Social Behaviors
As their name suggests, Rockhopper penguins do not slide on their bellies to get around swiftly like other penguins. Instead, they jump from boulder to boulder on cliffs and along the shoreline in order to avoid obstacles. They communicate a lot, through noises known as ecstatic vocalizations. They are very noisy and often just make sounds to announce their presence and mark their territory. They also bow and wave their flippers to each other.

Often times, the penguins are in groups with other penguins, even when feeding. Although very social, the small Rockhopper penguins are also known to be easily agitated and the most aggressive of the birds. They are not intimidated by larger animals and can fight with their flippers, as well as their beaks. Despite their reputation, Rockhopper penguins are in fact very gentle with their mates.

During mating season, between early spring and late summer, penguins attract their mate from previous years with mating calls and headshakes. The large breeding colonies can grow to hold up to 100,000 nests at one single site. These penguins form a nest by scraping hole in the ground and lining it with dried grasses. Of the two pale-green eggs laid, the first one is smaller and therefore more vulnerable than the second, born 4 days later. After birth, Rockhoppers spend much of their time in the water. They find food and even sleep at sea during their 10 years of life.

Physical Characteristics

Rockhopper penguins are not the typical black and white bird that the word "penguin" is normally related to. They are a part of the family of crested penguins because of the distinctive yellow stripe and crest on the sides of their head above their small red eyes. They are white on the ventral side and blue-black colored on the dorsal side to blend in for protection when floating so that the light hits one side and predators only see the dark, back side. In addition to their feathers that keep out wind and water, they have adapted to the cold environment with both a layer of fat and down.

Their wings are used as fins for swimming, not flying. Their wedge-shaped tails and webbed feet, help them to swim very quickly. Rockhopper penguins loops in and out of the water, a form of swimming called porpoising. As the smallest of the crested penguins and one of the smallest penguins in the world, they may reach up to 55 cm with a weight of 2.7 kg.

Interesting Characteristics

There has been a rapid and substantial decline in population of theses penguins due to commercial fishing that has decreased their food source. They were once hunted for oil, but now all species are protected so that they don't become endangered or even extinct. Climate changes that altered their living environment may have also affected their population. One study by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds found that the amount of the Northern Rockhopper penguin specifically, has declined by 90% over the past 50 years. This species of penguin is now labeled “Vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, but not quite endangered yet.

Source: National Geography

The Animal Series

Red Panda

Introduction

People may say that red pandas are related to giant pandas, but they are not. They are also not related to raccoons. The herbivorous mammals belong to their own family, Ailuridae. The endangered mammals live in the mountainous forests of Nepal, Burma, and central China. They are mostly arboreal and solitary.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ailuridae
Genus: Ailurus
Species: fulgens

Because red pandas are classified as relatives to the giant panda and raccoon, they are considered members of their own family, Aliuridae.

Physical Characteristics
Full-grown red pandas are about 43 cm long and weight from 12-20 lbs. They are covered in red fur with white markings around the face and have a black belly. They also have white/brown rings on their bushy tail. Their markings help them blend in to their habitat. They are covered in soft, dense fur from their head to their feet. They use their tails to balance in the trees and to cover themselves in the winter.

Habitat

Red pandas live in the high-altitude, temperate climates in deciduous and coniferous forests. They live in Myanmar (Burma) and Sichuan and Yunnan providences in China. Red pandas are found in between 2,200 and 4,800 meters elevation in the Himalayan mountains. To blend in with the red mosses and white lichens that grow where they live, they cover themselves with their red and white tails. They spend most of their days in the trees and only go to the ground to forage during dusk or dawn.

Food Source/Food Chain

Red pandas are herbivores. They eat bamboo leaves, berries, blossoms, bird eggs, and other plants’ leaves. Because they have broad teeth and strong jaws, red pandas are able to chew the bamboo’s though leaves and stalks. Having a small, bony projection (like a thumb) on their wrists helps them obtain bamboo by allowing them to grip onto the bamboo stalks. They insert food into the side of their mouth, break it, chew it, and the swallow it.

They are in the middle of the food chain. Red pandas eat small animals, insects, and plants, while they are prey to raptors and large carnivores. Snow leopards are adults main predators and the young are often taken from their nest by yellow-necked martens.

Social Behavior

Red pandas are shy and solitary. The only time when they are not solitary is during mating season and when the young is with their mother. They are also crepuscular (active around dawn and dusk) and nocturnal. Red pandas are gentle and curious, but when they are frightened, they stand on their back legs, hiss, climb up a tree or strike with their semi-retractable claws. They mark their territory with scents from their anal gland, urine, or feces. Their trails are also marked with scents from the glands on the soles of their feet. Red pandas communicate with each other in a series of whistles and squeaks.

Red pandas produce sexually. They give birth around spring and summer time after their gestation of 134 days. Red pandas usually have one to four offspring. The young then stay in their nest for ninety days while the mother takes care of them. Young red pandas reach adult size at twelve months, or one year.

Interesting Characteristics

The Red Panda’s name comes from the Nepalese Word “eater of bamboo” and the fact that they are a bright red color. The males sometimes are called a boar or a he-bear, and the female is called the sow or she-bear. A group of panda’s is called a sleuth or sloth.The red panda was introduced to Europe in 1821 and then added to western science list in 1825. This is remarkable because it was introduced 40 years before the giant panda was scientifically written down.
The red panda has a life span of about 13 years.
The red panda's have some very interesting defense mechanisms. The most interesting of their characteristics is when they are disturbed they exhale, and then the panda arches their bodies to frighten off intruders. The Female panda can eat up to 200,000 bamboo leaves a day.
The red panda is currently endangered due to habitat loss. In 1998, 2,500 adult red in the wild and the number has been growing by the year.
Other names for the red panda: bear-cat, bright panda, cat-bear, fire fox, lesser panda, petite panda, or poonya.
Red Panda's connection with other carnivorous animals is uncertain.
Red Pandas have partially retractable claws.
They have a thumb like attachment that helps them obtain food.

Source: National Geography