Albatross

About

Albatross (bird), common name for members of a family of large, short-legged, long-winged seabirds. The albatross has a large, hooked bill characterized by tubular, protruding nostrils. The feet are strongly webbed and lack a hind claw. Albatrosses can be found mainly throughout seas of the Southern Hemisphere, from the Antarctic region north to the Tropics; a few species inhabit the North Pacific Ocean. Albatross Seabird belonging to the order of tube nosed swimmers, which includes petrels, shearwaters, and fulmars. The albatross has a wingspan of about 10 to 12 ft. although the wings are only about 9 in. wide. Albatrosses eat mainly fish, floating carrion, and refuse. Most albatrosses are found in the South Pacific region wandering over the Ocean. An albatross can live entirely at sea, feeding on fish and sleeping on the water. Albatrosses spend at least 85% of their lives at sea.

But there is something the albatross cannot do at sea – nest and breed. Albatrosses generally return to breed where they were hatched. Once they find a partner to breed with, they usually stay with this partner for life. Albatrosses usually breed for the first time when they are about 10 years old – this is old for a bird.
Albatrosses tend to nest together in colonies. Some species nest very close to other nests, within 1-2 meters of each other. Other species will not be that close but will be where they can see another albatross nest. All albatross species will choose nest sites that are in exposed places, like cliffs, because they provide good take-off points. These nest sites are not very welcoming. They usually do not have shelter and are exposed to wind and rain. Nearly all albatrosses nest and breed on islands with no, or little, human contact. Not all albatross species nest at the same time because of location, climate and food supply. The species that live on New Zealand islands start the mating cycle September and most eggs are laid in November. The incubation period is long for a bird, for example, Royal albatrosses have a 78-81 day incubation period. When chicks are born they are fed by both parents. Chicks are raised over summer and autumn. Chicks are fed by their parents for 7-8 months. All albatross species only lay one egg when breeding and most albatross only breed once every two years. And it’s no wonder albatross only breed once every two years because courtship, incubation and chick rearing takes between 7 and 12 months!

Behavior and food

Albatrosses are nomadic birds that spend months wandering great distances over the oceans. They sleep while floating on the ocean surface, drink seawater, and feed on cuttlefish, other small marine animals, and refuse from ships. They return to land only to breed, at which time they perform a stylized courting ritual of elaborate bowing and posturing. Albatrosses nest on barren islands, close to shore. Usually the nest is a depression in the ground containing a single egg. When hatched, the nestling is covered with brownish down, and it grows to adulthood slowly. Some species do not reach full maturity until 12 to 20 years of age. Albatrosses eat mostly fish, fish eggs, and squid. They may find and kill their prey at the ocean's surface, or they may scavenge dead bodies floating on the surface, like vultures do on land. The diet of albatrosses can be studied when they arrive at their nest to feed their young. When the parent regurgitates, you can see what has been brought back from the sea. The regurgitations sometimes contain pieces of prey items that were much too large to have been subdued by an albatross, so the bird must have ripped off a piece of a dead animal floating around. Albatrosses are relatively fearless around humans, who have nicknamed the birds “gooneys.” Nesting sites near military airstrips on small islands have sometimes created problems because of the birds’ interference with takeoffs and landings. Albatrosses are easily caught with baited hook and line. Captured birds usually are released, however, because of a superstition commonly held by sailors that killing an albatross brings bad luck. The superstition forms the theme of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The plumage of adults is white with black wing tips; young birds are chocolate brown and become whiter as they grow older. The Laysan albatross is a smaller, brown-winged species with a sooty-black spot near the eyes and a gray bill. Several species of albatross have been listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. These include the Tristan albatross, the waved albatross, and the black-footed albatross.

Habitat

Scientists used to believe there were 13 or 14 species of albatross. Now scientists have officially named 20 species of albatrosses. Some people say there are 22 species, but only 20 have been internationally recognized there may be more species officially recognized when more DNA work is done. Out of the 20 species, 12 breed on New Zealand islands. Out of this 12, seven are endemic to New Zealand, which means they only breed on New Zealand islands and nowhere else in the world. Because so many albatross species live and breed in New Zealand waters and islands, New Zealand is known as the ‘Albatross Capital of the World’. This is a cool title. Albatrosses need protection from fishing, otherwise some species may become extinct and New Zealand would lose its title and that would be very sad.

Quick Facts

Albatrosses are amazing. They spend most of their lives at sea and are known as ‘The Symbol of the Southern Ocean’.
But the oceans are a dangerous place - each year thousands of albatrosses drown at the end of fishing hooks.

Did you know?

Albatrosses are the largest seabirds in the world.

This picture shows a boy next to some albatrosses (it is drawn to scale). The boy is 1.5 metres from fingertip to fingertip (and 1.5 metres tall). His weight is 30 kilograms.
The Royal albatross (at the top) is 3.5 metres from wingtip to wingtip, weight is 8 kilograms.
The Antipodean (wandering) albatross is 3.2 metres from wingtip to wingtip, their weight is 8 kilograms. How tall are you? If you lay beside a Royal albatross with a wingspan of 3.5 metres, how much longer would the albatross be?

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Addax

About

The Addax (Addax nasomaculatus), sometimes called the 'screw horn antelope', because of its twisted horns, is a large, desert dwelling member of the antelope family, closely related to the Oryx. The Addax is a critically endangered mammal.

The addax is gray-brown in winter and sandy to white in summer, with long, thin, spiral horns that slant back and upward. There is a white 'X'-shaped blaze on the face, and a mat of dense, dark hair on the forehead. Long hairs on the throat form a scraggly beard.

It stands about 1.1 m (3.5') at the shoulder and has large splayed hooves for walking in soft sand. It is the most desert-adapted of antelopes, being well adapted to heat, a diet of coarse grasses and the absence of water.

The coat of the addax varies in color depending on season. In winter their coat is a grayish brown color with white hind quarters and legs. During summer, their coat turns lighter, almost completely white or a sandy beige which helps to maintain body temperate as lighter colors reflect the heat more. They have black/brown tufts of hair on their tails. The animal runs in a flat gallop and appears stiff-kneed, due to minimal leg flexing while running. It is considered one of the slowest runners of the antelopes, perhaps reflecting its adaptation to sandy terrain.

The Addax is classed as 'Critically Endangered' by the IUCN. Addax are nearly extinct in the wild, having been eliminated from much of their original range. Farmers have destroyed many so that cattle do not have to compete for grazing land. There are only a few hundred left in the wild. Excessive hunting for its horns, flesh and hide seems to be the main cause of decline for the addax. The good news is that there are over 1,000 addax held in captivity in the US, Europe and the Middle East. There are reportedly 600 addax managed in captive breeding programs, therefore, with continued conservation efforts, the future for this amazing animal may be a success.

Behavior and food

The addax are most active from dusk until dawn, the coolest time (night) in the Sahara. Addax are nocturnal animals and are adapted to extreme desert conditions. Some addax are able to live far from each other in their habitat, but this does not cause any problems because they have over developed sensory skills that enable them to detect and locate each other over vast distances. To protect themselves from strong winds and the glaring sun during the day, addax dig 'beds' into the sand with their forefeet in which they rest, often in the shade of boulders or bushes. A nomadic species, this antelope wanders the dunes of the Sahara searching for the scant vegetation which grows there. The addax is able to obtain all needed moisture from its food, and rarely if ever drinks water. Males leave small piles of fecal matter, while females reportedly scatter their dung. Addax lives in small herds with a distinct social hierarchy, seemingly based on age.

Addax can also track rainfall and will head for rainy areas where vegetation is more abundant. Some addax live in herds which contain 5 - 20 individuals of both male and female addax. The herds generally stay in one place, but may wander in search of food. Herds are usually led by the eldest dominant male.

The addax mainly grazers supplemented by shoots and leaves. Addax are herbivores and their diet consists of desert succulents, leaves, Aristida grasses, herbs, perennials and small bushes (if available). They also feed up on Parnicum grass whereby they will only eat the inner shoots and seeds and disregard the dry, outer leaves. These seeds provide adequate protein in the addax diet. Addax can survive without water as their thirst is satisfied by the moisture they obtain from the plants in their diet.

Habitat

Addax prefer sand dune deserts and gravel plains. Addax once occurred throughout the deserts and sub-deserts of North Africa from the Atlantic to the Nile. However, by the late 1800's this range was already shrinking. By 1972, the addax was found mainly in Rio de Oro, Mauritania; North Mali and Chad; with some in Algeria, South Libya, and North Sudan. It was rare everywhere except in the uninhabited area in Mauritania and Mali in the Western Sahara. The only known remaining population of the addax is in the Termit/Tin Toumma region of Niger. There are sporadic records of small isolated groups and individuals from the Eastern Air Mountains/Western Ténéré desert in Niger, and from the Equey region of western Chad.

The decline of the addax has been caused mainly because of motorized hunting with modern weapons by indigenous people who sought meat and leather. The expansion of pastoral agriculture, prolonged drought, harassment by desert travelers, mining exploration, and in some areas tourists, have also been factors.

Quick Facts

Size (Head and body length): 150-170 cm (59.1-66.9 in)

Weight (Male): 99-123.75 kg (220-275 lbs)

Weight (Female): 60-125 kg (132-275 lbs)

Diet: Desert succulents, grasses and herbs, leaves of small bushes

Gestation: 257-264 days; one offspring per birth weighing 4.7-6.75 kg (10.5-15 lbs)

Sexual Maturity (Male): At 3 years

Sexual Maturity (Female): At 1.5 years

Life Span: Up to 19 years

Population: Approximately 500 left in the wild

Status: IUCN Critically Endangered

USFWS: Endangered

Did you know?

Addax rarely, if ever, drink water. They are specially adapted to absorb moisture from plants they eat. These desert antelopes' coat color changes from dark grayish-brown in winter to white in the summer - an efficient method of maintaining body temperatures.

Addax on Globe

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Acouchi

About

The acouchi is a rodent found in the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin of South America. Acouchis are active at day and feed on fallen fruit and seeds. Acouchis are among more than two thousand rodent species. They are diurnal (active during the day).

They are generally smaller than the common agoutis and have a very short tail (5 to 7 cm), while the common agoutis lack a tail. For this reason the acouchies are also called tailed agoutis. They are coloured brown or greenish, but with bright orange or red parts of the head. Often acouchis live in riverbanks, where they dig holes. Like the common agoutis, but unlike the much larger pacas, acouchis are active at day and feed on fruit. In fact, acouchis will often respond to the sound of ripe fruit falling from trees by frenziedly running towards what they hope will be their next tasty meal.

Behavior and food

Acouchis are diurnal (but may become nocturnal when disturbed), cursorily, and solitary. Acouchies depend on their tails to convey their willingness and readiness to mate. Confident, ready males will hold their tails erect and begin to wag them, whereas the more timid, but still aroused, males will wag their tails in a downward position. Females will signal their interest by erecting their tails while simultaneously arching their backs downward. The typical result of all this tail manipulation is a litter of two little acouchies in about three months' time.

Acouchis are herbivores. They eat grass, roots, tender stems, leaves, and fruit. Diet Green acouchis are herbivores that feed on a wide variety of forest fruits, nuts, succulent plants, leaves, stems, and roots.

Habitat

They live in South America to the east of the Andes, in parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and in the Amazon basin in Brazil. They can be found in Tropical forest, thick brush.

Quick Facts

Adult weight: 0.775 kg (1.705 lbs)

Maximum longevity: 15 years

Female maturity: 304 days

Male maturity: 304 days

Gestation: 99 days

Weaning: 53 days

Litter size: 2

Weight at birth: 0.1 kg (0.22 lbs)

Weight at weaning: 0.35 kg (0.77 lbs)

Basal metabolic rate: 3 W

Body mass: 0.914 kg (2.0108 lbs)

Temperature: 35.85 °C (96.53 °F)

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Aardvark or Antbear

About

Aardvarks live throughout Africa, south of the Sahara. They are not found around equatorial forest and northern desert regions. It is very adaptable and can be found in a habitat where the soil is loose and where there is sufficient ants or termites, which is its principle diet. Their name comes from South Africa's Afrikaans language and means "earth pig." A glimpse of the aardvark's body and long snout brings the pig to mind. On closer inspection, the aardvark appears to include other animal features as well. It boasts rabbitlike ears and a kangaroo tail. However, the aardvark is not closely related to the pig; rather, it is the sole recent representative of the obscure mammalian order Tubulidentata, in which it is usually considered to form a single variable species of the genus Orycteropus, coextensive with the family Orycteropodidae. Nor is the aardvark closely related to the South American anteater, despite sharing some characteristics and a superficial resemblance. The closest living relatives of the aardvark are the elephant shrews, along with the Sirenians, hyraxes, tenrecs and elephants.

Behavior and food

Aardvarks are nocturnal. They spend the hot African afternoon holed up in cool underground burrows dug with their powerful feet and claws that resemble small spades. After sunset, aardvarks put those claws to good use in acquiring their favorite food—termites. Termites are eaten predominately in the rainy season and ants during the dry season. As soon as a colony (ant or termite) has been found, it uses its long sticky tongue to eat the insects, eggs and larvae. The Antbear's teeth are poorly developed so it will only eat insects and soft fruits. The only fruit eaten by aardvarks is the aardvark cucumber. An aardvark emerges from its burrow in the late afternoon or shortly after sunset, and forages over a considerable home range encompassing 10 to 30 kilometers, swinging its long nose from side to side to pick up the scent of food. When a concentration of ants or termites is detected, the aardvark digs into it with its powerful front legs, keeping its long ears upright to listen for predators, and takes up an astonishing number of insects with its long, sticky tongue—as many as 50,000 in one night have been recorded.

Female aardvarks typically give birth to one newborn each year. The young remain with their mother for about six months before moving out and digging their own burrows, which can be extensive dwellings with many different openings.

Habitat

Aardvarks live in subsaharan Africa, where there is suitable habitat for them to live, such as savannas, grasslands, woodlands and bushland, and available food (i.e., ants and termites).

Predators

The aardvark's main predators are lions, leopards, hyenas, hunting dogs and pythons. Aardvarks can dig fast or run in zigzag fashion to elude enemies, but if all else fails, they will strike with their claws, tail and shoulders, sometimes flipping onto their backs to lash with all fours. Their thick skin also protects them to some extent.

Quick Facts

Type: Mammal

Diet: Omnivore

Average lifespan in captivity: 23 years

Size: Head and body, 43 to 53 in (109 to 135 cm); Tail, 21 to 26 in (53 to 66 cm)

Weight: 110 to 180 lbs (50 to 82 kg)

Did you know?

An aardvark's tongue can be up to 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) long and is sticky to help extract termites from their mound.

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