KEY FACTS
"'" CARD 1
AFRICAN ELEPHANT
'\ . . . CLASS ~ Proboscidea
GROUP 1: MAMMALS ORDER
FAMILY
E/ephantidae
Loxodonta africana
.
~ ~S
SIZES Height: Male 10 ft. to shoulder. Female a little smaller. Weight: Male up to 6 tons. Female up to 4 tons. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 14-1 5 years. Mating: Any time. Gestation: 22 months. No. of young: Usually 1 calf. LIFESTYLE Habit: Live together in family units; adult males are solitary. Call: A throaty rumbling as
Range of the African elephant.
constant communication or loud trumpeting when angry.
DISTRIBUTION In most parts of Africa, south of the Sahara.
Diet: Entirely vegetarian-grass, foliage, fruit, branches, twigs. Lifespan: About 70 years. RELATED SPECIES The slightly smaller Asian elephant
(Elephas indicus).
CONSERVATION The African elephant is now endangered. Hunting is banned, but poaching for ivory is still widespread. In Kenya alone, __ numbers have been reduced from 150,000 to 30,000 in the last 10 years. Gamekeepers are almost powerless against the sophisticated machine guns used by poachers.
SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT Ears: Used as fans to create a stream of air over the animal's body.
Trunk: Used for breathing and smelling, and as an extra limb for picking up food, browsing in tall branches, drinking, and bathing.
Feet: Undersides soft and cushioned so it can carry its great weight almost noiselessly.
~~~;;~~·~",~c:t~~] ~ C
ill
E QJ
C~~~~~~~;i~..~II)o"'i1tl
8 ai t -§ N
Teeth: Only 4 functional teeth 12 inches long, 1 in each quarter of jaw. They can be replaced 6 times.
U
Although the African elephant is the largest and most powerful of a"'iving land mammals, it is also among the most gentle, living in peaceful family units.
Tusks: Elongated incisor teeth that continue to grow throughout the elephant's lifetime. PRINTED IN U.S.A.
WF OM NC 24
Left: African elephants never stray far from water.
Inset: A calf protects its skin against insect bites with a dust bath.
DID YOU KNOW? • Elephants will eat up to 500 pounds of vegetation a day and drink up to 40 gallons of water at a time. • An elephant can walk faster than a man, maintaining a steady speed of 5-5 1/2 miles per hour. A herd on the march can easily cover a
~ BREEDING
Essentially an animal of open grasslands,
Elephants mate when they are 14 or 15 years old. Courtship involves a display of affection between the cow and bull in which they caress each other with their trunks. A single calf, standing about 33 inches high and weighing approximately 250 pounds is born 22 months later. The calf is suckled for at least 2 years and remains in the family unit after the birth of its mother's next calf. A cow usually gives birth about every 4 years and will often have two or three calves with her at the same time. Cows defend their young vigorously, charging any intruders.
the African elephant is adaptable enough to live happily in a variety of habitats within its
c
o
sub-Saharan African homeland. But wherever it lives,
-g ~
the elephant never strays far from a supply of
f
Q)
u
----------------------------------------------
drinking and bathing water.
_________________________________________
~
Right: All elephants like to bathe daily and will immerse themselves completely if the water is deep enough.
~ <1l
:l!
o Lj~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ COMMUNICATION
HABITS
Elephants are social animals with strong family ties. So close are the relationships that they even bury their dead with twigs and leaves. They also grieve over their loss, staying by the "grave" for many hours. Cows (females) and their calves, live in fa'mily units under the leadership of a mature female, to whom every other member of the group is related. Young bulls (males) are driven from the family when they reach puberty to live in
separate bachelor herds. Adult bulls live alone and join a family unit only briefly when a female is ready to mate. Herds may wander great distances, but they never move far from water. Elephants like baths every evening, so they stay close to any available pool or stream. They'll make do with a shower-squirted from the trunk-if water is scarce. After , bathing they coat their skin in dirt for protection from insects.
distance of 50 miles a day . • When water is scarce during the dry season, elephants will dig for water in the sandy bed of a river that has stopped flowing . • The largest tusk ever recorded was 1 0 feet long and weighed nearly 230 pounds.
When elephants are foraging for food out of sight of one another, they communicate by making rumbling noises similar to gargling. If an elephant senses possible danger, it will alert the others by stopping the noise. Conflicts between elephants are communicated by a threat display in which the superior will twirl its trunk or throw dust into the air. Sometimes an elephant will also make the trumpeting noise for which it is famous. The display is also used to warn enemies. If its signals :g, are ignored, the threatened ~ elephant may charge at its ;3 attacker. But charges are ~ rarely carried through; at the ~ last moment, the elephant ~ either stops short or turns cg aside.
Below: A three-day-old calf stands knee-high to its mother.
~ FOOD & FEEDING Elephants are entirely vegetarian. They eat a wide variety of grasses, foliage, fruit, and small branches and twigs. They gather food with the aid of their trunk and then place it into their mouths. The few teeth elephants have are used to grind their food. Once an elephant has
lost all its teeth, usually around the age of seventy, it can no longer feed itself and it dies of starvation. Elephants have gigantic appetites. Night, early morning, and evening are their favorite eating and drinking times, but they also eat all day on the move.
"'" CARD 2
GORILLA
~
'\ .. ~
GROUP 1: MAMMALS ORDER Primates
FAMILY Pongidae
GENUS & SPECIES Gorilla gorilla
~~) ~S
~
I
i~ 1
KEY FACTS
SIZES Height: Males, 6 ft. Females, 5 ft. Weight: Males, up to 600 lb . Females, up to 200 lb.
BREEDING Sexual maturity: Males, 7-8 years . Females, 6-7 years. Mating: No particular season. Gestation: 251-289 days. Number of young: One. LIFESTYLE Habit: Sociable . Diet: Entirely vegetarian, mainly fruit, leaves, and juicy stems. Lifespan: At least 30 years.
RELATED SPECIES Western, Mountain, and Eastern lowland gorillas of Central Africa .
Range of the gorilla.
DISTRlBUTION The mountain gorilla is found only in the Virunga Volcanoes region in the highlands of eastern Zaire. The lowland gorilla lives in forest areas, stretching from the northern bank of the Zaire River to the Ubangai River in southern Nigeria. CONSERVATION Both mountain and lowland gorillas are endangered. Fewer than 450 mountain gorillas exist in the wild.
THE GORILLA'S HANDS AND FEET The gorilla moves on all fours with its knuckles on the ground, but its weight is supported by its feet.
Largest and most powerful of all living primates, the .gorilla is a peaceful and sociable animal. It lives in the highlands and forests of Africa in small family groups.
Strikingly human in appearance, the hands are very broad and strong . The thumbs are smaller than the fingers , which helps the gorilla to grip as it climbs trees or grabs foliage .
The gorilla's feet are characterized by the big toe. Unlike those of most apes, it is not widely separated from the other toes.
©MCMXCIIMP BVIIMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILE'"
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
0160200031 PACKET 3a
~
SOCIAL HABITS Each family group lives within
promotes, social grooming
a fairly small area . However,
allows close contact and
groups that occupy the same
touch between the animals.
area coexist peacefully.
Each evening, gorillas build
at an early age. Nest building is not a painstaking process. T he gorilla simply pulls in any
nests in trees in which to
branches that it can reach
establish and reinforce bonds
spend the night. Up to the
and then squats on them to make a platform.
One way in which gorillas is by social grooming . One
age of three, the young share
gorilla will groom the other
their mothers' nest. However,
by combing through its fur
the nest-building instinct is so
with its fingers and teeth . In
strong that they experiment
Below: A family group; the dominant male is known as a silverback because the hair on his back turns groy with age.
Gorillas live in the wild only in the Zaire River basin. The two species-mountain and lowland-are separated by about 600 miles. Both are now recognized as being endangered.
~ BREEDING Gorillas mate year-round . The female produces one offspring about every fourth year. If her offspring gorilla dies in infancy, which happens 40-50 percent of the time, she will breed more frequently. A young gorilla remains with its parents three years after its birth. Gorillas live in groups of ten
DID YOU KNOW? • When a gori lla d ri nks, which is rarely, it soaks the back of its hand and su cks t he water from the fur. • As he matures, a male gori lla's skull develops a bony ridge which makes his head dome-shaped . • Social grooming can relax a gorilla to the point that it will go into a trance .
~ WARNING DISPLAY to thirty females and their young, with one or more mature males, called silverbacks . Young adult males generally live alone, sometimes joining groups for short periods. Afterward, they resume their solitary existence . Occasionally they take females with them to mate and start their own groups .
~
DIET The gorilla is herbivorous, or plant-eating (as opposed to carnivorous, or meat-eating) . It eats the fruit, leaves, and stems of a wide variety of plants that form the undergrowth of the forest floor. Bamboo shoots are a favorite. The food it eats, together with the dew it drinks off of leaves, provides all the moisture a gorilla needs.
~
GORILLA &: MAN The gorilla's easy-going nature has made it possible for humans to mingle with wild family groups, and thus considerable study has been conducted on the gorilla . Unfortunately, gorillas have also been widely hunted for food and sport. The greatest risk to the gorilla, though, comes from man's invasion of its habitats.
Right: 5mall group of gorillas crossing the road in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Zaire. Note the position of the hands.
The forests on which its survival depends are steadily being taken over as farmers
The unexpected appearance of a strange male in the group may cause the silverback to mount an elaborate warning display. He hoots excitedly, building to an earsplitting roar at the intruder. Then, after having risen to his full height, tearing at twigs and branches, the gorilla beats his chest with the cupped palms of his hands. He may take a few steps toward the intruder, growling and gnashing his teeth . If th is does not deter the stranger, the silverback may be provoked to charge, waving his arms and screaming with rage. The charge usually stops short of actual contact; the silverback will thrust his face right up to the and ranchers take advantage intruder's, and t hey will stand of the fertile land of the nose to nose, glaring at each forest region . other, until one or the other turns and stalks off.
~ARD3 J
MEERKAT
KEY FACTS
~~
FAMILY
Viveridae
". ~
SIZES Length: 20 in. from head to
GENUS~~~C~: 1: MAMMAlS"~~)
tip of tail. Weight: 2 lb.
5uricata suricata
BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 2 months. Mating: Throughout the year. Gestation: 75 days. No. of young: 4-5. LIFESTYLE Habit: Highly sociable. Colonies of up to 30, but averaging 24. Call: A chirrup, trill, growl, or bark, according to circumstances. Diet: Very varied but largely insects, grubs, scorpions, and lizards.
°
Lifespan: About 1 years. RELATED SPECIES The gray meerkat, or Selous's mongoose, is slightly larger with a white-tipped tail.
Range of the meerkat.
DISTRIBUTION Southern Africa, south of the Orange River, including Angola, Namibia, South Africa, and southern Botswana. CONSERVATION The meerkat is in no danger of extinction, although erosion of its habitat is believed to have reduced its numbers. Further loss of habitat could change its status in a short time.
I
TYPICAL ~ERKAT GROUP Baby sitter will stay close to burrow with youngsters in her care.
Sentries will scan the horizon and sky for predators Hunters will dig for food , some of which will be given to the young .
u.: (f)
c:i
D
~o
ra
al
2
S o
Meerkats live in complex groups with clearly defined duties. They rely on teamwork and cooperation to ensure their survival in the hostile environment of the Kalahari desert.
Ateacher w/U show a juvenile
'howtID I'l1:Ult. ©MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILpM
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
0160200051 PACKET 5
~
A species of mongoose, the meerkat is about the same size
BREEDING
When meerkats breed, the female will initially refuse the male, until he seizes her by the neck. Mating soon follows. The young are born blind and hairless after a gestation period of 11 weeks . The usual number of the litter is four, and
as a rabbit. Despite its sma.ll size, however, it can drive off predators much larger than itself by producing an aggressive display.
within several days, the young are weaned. The mother then leaves the burrow to hunt; other adult meerkats protect her young. At 3 weeks, the young meerkats emerge from the burrow for the first time,
~
HABITAT The meerkat is found exclusively on the semiarid plains of southern Africa. It avoids woodland and dense vegetation, preferring to live among the scrub. Atnight, the meerkat retires to a network of burrows which it digs with
its powerful forelegs. The burrows may be as deep as 10 feet. Sometimes the burrows are shared with other animals such as the ground squirrel and yellow mongoose. In rocky ground, the meerkat will make its den in the crevices between the rocks.
Below: A meerkat burrows for beetle larvae in the sands of the Kalahari desert.
Right: A typical meerkat group stands on guard for predators against the African skyline.
• Meerkats are immune to the poison from a scorpion or a snake. • A meerkat can dig through a quantity of sand equal to its own weight in just seconds.
I
• Meerkats band together in numbers to frighten off predators many times their size. • The meerkat uses its tail for balance and as a signal.
~ FOOD &: HUNTING Meerkats feed mainly on insects, spiders, and snails, but their prey also includes rodents, ground-nesting birds and their eggs, lizards, and bulbs and roots of select plants. They will even tackle dangerous prey such as scorpions and snakes. Relying on its keen sense of smell, the meerkat is a successful forager. With its prey in sight, the meerkat strikes out with its paws before killing it with a bite. The meerkat tears into it before taking the remains back to the burrow to share
Below: A meerkat baby sitter will guard youngsters diligently for hours on end while the rest of the group is hunting.
~ BEHAVIOR
DID YOU KNOW?
closely watched by their guardian. The mother introduces her young to unfamiliar food by running around with it in her mouth, encouraging them to snatch it from her. At 2 months, young meerkats resemble the adults.
The meerkat is the most sociable of all the mongooses, living in close-knit colonies numbering as many as 2 dozen. Each meerkat has special duties that benefit the group as a whole. As meerkats emerge from the burrows, selected individuals will stand guard to keep watch for predators. They keep watch often in the branches of a tree, and bark out a warning at the first sign of danger. When meerkats face the threat of a rival group of meerkats or a predator, they begin digging up the ground frantically in order to create clouds of dust to distract their aggressor. Also, with their hair bristling, a group of meerkats
may advance in a pack toward the enemy in a series of mock attacks designed to scare off the intruder. During such confrontations, the meerkats make themselves as large and fearsome as possible by stretching their legs, arching their bodies, and holding their tails stiffly erect. Once this is done, the entire group continually leaps into the air and growls aggressively. If the intruder persists, the bolder meerkats will bite. When forced on the defensive, the meerkat throws itself on its back with teeth bared and claws outstretched to ward off its attacker.
"" CARD 4
ARCTIC WOLF "
SIZES
GROU P 1: MAMMA LS ,,~------------------------------------~
. . ORDER 'IIIIIIIIIIII Carnivora
FAMILY Canidae
KEY FACTS
GENUS & SPECIES Canis lupus arctos
Length: Head and body, 3-5 ft. Height: To shoulder, 25 -3 1 in . Weight: Up to 175 lb . Females lighter.
BREEDING Sexual maturity: Males 3 years . Females 2 years. Gestation: 61-53 days. No. of young: Usually 4-5. LIFESTYLE Habit: Lives in family groups of up to 30, but usually 7-10. Call: A chorus of howls. Diet: Mainly arctic hares, musk ox, caribou, and lemmings.
•
Range of the arctic wolf.
DISTRIBUTION Throughout the Arctic land mass, but not on the permanent ice sheets of the sea ice.
Lifespan: 7 years average. RELATED SPECIES The arctic wolf is a subspecies of the gray wolf. Others are the timber wolf of America and the common wolf of Eurasia.
CONSERVATION Wolves in general have been under threat throughout history. The arctic wolf is the only subspecies still found over the whole of its original range, largely because it rarely encounters humans.
THE SOCIAL STATUS IN A PACK Social status with in a pack is expressed by a complex "language" of gestures, barks, and growls. High-ranking wolves constantly assert their position , making lesser members cringe or lie on their backs in submission . Despite th is behavior, there is very little friction .
The majestic arctic wolf lives in the silent vastness of the barren polar region, where darkness cloaks the land for up to five months a year. Here it hunts almost every other living animal.
©MCMXCIIMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILpM
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
0160200031 PACKET 3a
~ FOOD & HUNTING Full grown caribou and musk oxen are far too powerful for a single wolf to attack alone, so wolves must always work together as a pack when hunting large prey. Surprise attacks are almost impossible on the open
tundra; by the time the pack approaches, its prey is in a defensive stance. Musk oxen, for example, will form a circle with their calves safely on the inside. The wolf pack must then try to disrupt the herd. The wolves circle the herd
victim, the others will aid in killing it. A musk ox provides enough food to last the wolves for several days.
and prowl around, forcing the oxen to shift their ground to face them. If the wolves are successful, the oxen scatter. Once the herd has scattered, the wolves give chase, trying to isolate a young or weak animal. If one wolf catches a
Below: To kill a musk ox, the pack
must first split the herd and then pick a victim that is too young, too old, or too sick to put up a fight.
temperatures, months of darkness and weeks without food, the arctic wolf lives in one of the few places on earth where it is safe from the greatest threat of all-man.
~ HABITAT Arctic wolves inhabit some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world. In April, the air temperature rarely rises above -220 F. The ground is permanently frozen . The arctic wolf is one of the few mammals that can tolerate these conditions. The wolf preys on lemmings and arctic hare, but its most substantial source of food is
the musk ox and caribou . Because of the scarcity of grazing plants, animals must roam a large area in order to find enough food to survive. Consequently, the wolf pack has to travel over areas of up to 800 square miles in search of its prey. When winter temperatures plummet, the wolves may follow migrating caribou south .
DID YOU KNOW? • Wolves will often go days without food, but can then eat up to 10 pounds of meat at a time. • Food is so scarce in the Arctic that no part of a wolf's prey is wasted; a wolf will eat
every part of an arctic hare, including the skin, fur, and bones. • Several of the younger pack members will watch the cubs while the mother wolf is hunting .
Throughout the fall and winter, wolves keep on the move, but after mating in March, the pregnant female leaves the pack to find a nursery den. She may dig a new one, but where the ground is frozen, she will be forced to return to an old den in a cave or rock cleft. The cubs are born deaf, blind, and helpless. They are totally dependent on their mother, and she in turn relies on her mate to bring her the food she needs. After a month, the cubs are able to eat meat. From then on, the whole pack shares the job of feeding them with regurgitated meat from a kill. The cubs may strike out on their own the following year.
~
~
.g ~ ~
[II
E
" Above: A
unique glimpse of three-weekold sleeping cubs inside the den.
~
~
~ w ~
£
Right: Almost weaned, three cubs suckle their patient mother.
i ~
~
~
Wolves usually live in small packs, or family groups, consisting of a breeding pair, their cubs, and their unmated offspring from the previous two or three seasons. The dominant, or breeding, pair are known as the alpha male and alpha female. The other wolves defer to them. All of the adults in the pack cooperate in feeding and caring for the cubs . Lone wolves are usually young animals that have left the pack in search of their own territory. They avoid other wolves, unless they are potential mates. If a lone wolf finds unoccupied territory, it will claim it by marking it witr its scent. It then attracts a mate and starts a new pack.
"'" CARD 5
~,E-- ~-RD-~-RA_L_T_I:_E_FA_~_IL_Y "IIIIIIIIIII
Carnivora
"IIIIIIIIIII
Felidae
_ _ _" _ _ GENUS "IIIIIIIIIII
~S:~C~~
1: MAMMALS
~J
Panthera tigris tigris
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: Males, 9-10 ft., head to tip of tail. Shoulder height: 36 in. Weight: Male 400-575 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 3-4 years. Mating: Usually in spring. Gestation: 95-112 days. Litter size: 2-4 cubs. LIFESTYLE Habit: Solitary and nocturnal. Diet: Chital, wild boar, monkeys, gaur, buffalo. Call: Roar, growl, or purr. Lifespan: 15 years under normal conditions. RELATED SPECIES There are seven other sub-species of tiger in the world. The color of the coat distinguishes one subspecies from another.
v
i '-
/'-I\ '
~/
Range of the Bengal tiger.
DISTRIBUTION The Bengal tiger is most numerous in the Sundarbans regions of India and Bangladesh. It is also found in northern and central India and in Burma and Nepal. CONSERVATION In 1900 the tiger population of India was estimated at 40,000-50,000. By 1972 this number had dropped to 1,850. A good conservation program has increased it to 4,000.
THE BENGAL TIGER'S TEETH Like its ancestor, the saber-toothed tiger, the Bengal tiger's teeth are vital to its surviv91 . If it loses its canines (tearing teeth) due to injury or old age, it can no longer kill prey and will starve to death . The saber-toothed tiger (below) had long canines which were used to stab its prey. Its jaw structure enabled it to kill with a powerful, downward bite.
The exquisite grace and power of the Bengal tiger evokes both awe and fear in man. Capable of killing animals over twice its size, it is one of nature IS most feared predators. ©MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
0160200041 PACKET 4
The Bengal tiger's characteristic reddish gold fur and black stripes are easily visible to visitors in a zoo. But in the tiger's natural habitat of forest and reed beds., the markings act as camouflage and enable it to disappear from view.
~ BEHAVIOR
~ HABITAT
DID YOU KNOW?
The Bengal tiger is most numerous in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans in eastern India and Bangladesh where the River Ganges meets the Bay of Bengal. They are also found in other areas of
India as well as some parts of Nepal and Burma . Since Bengal tigers are solitary and do not like to share their hunting grounds, they need large home ranges in which to hunt. Males
The Bengal tiger is solitary and does not like to share its range with other tigers. All tigers mark their territory with strong-smelling urine and also by shredding the bark of trees. Bengal tigers drag the remains of a kill into the brush and bury it loosely with leaves, then return to eat it later. Above: Mother and cubs on a hunting trip in their home range. Left: Tigers do not like excessive heat. They often lie in pools of water to keep cool. Left: Bengal tiger cub at five weeks old.
Far
Bengal tigers usually breed in the spring. A neighboring male will mate with a female in her home range. Of the 20-80 days he remains with her, she is fertile for only 3-7 days. After mating, the male
returns to his home range and plays no part in rearing the cubs. Approximately 15 weeks later, the tigress gives birth to two to four cubs. She suckles them for 8 weeks, after which
she brings them prey to eat as well. At 11 months, the cubs can hunt on their own. The tiger cubs stay with their mother for 2-3 years, at which time she is ready to mate again .
~ FOOD & HUNTING Bengal tigers are nocturnal: they hunt at night. Though powerful and quick over short distances, they stalk their prey because they cannot outrun faster prey. The tiger kills small prey with a bite on the back of the neck and large prey with a bite to the throat. Tigers mainly hunt gaur (wild ox) and buffalo . Although a tiger is capable of killing a bull gaur more than twice its size, it prefers to attack young or old animals that put up less resistance. In the Sundarbans region of India and Bangladesh, the tiger's prey are.chital (axis deer), wild boar, and monkeys. Tigers will sometimes attack porcupines. Right: Feeding tiger warns an intruder to keep its distance.
occupy about 20 square miles, while females typically require 17 square miles. A tiger usually has several dens in its home range and uses whichever one is most convenient at the time.
• The roar of a Bengal tiger can be heard 2 m iles away. • Bengal tigers purr. Domestic cats purr when breathing in as well as out-tigers purr only when breathing out. • After killing its prey, the t iger always starts feeding from the hindquarters first. • A tiger is a voracious eater. It can kill t he equivalent of 30 buffaloes a year, and eat 65 pounds of meat in a night. • Tigers, unlike many other cats, often eat meat that has begun to putrefy. • The Siberian tiger, a cousin of the Bengal tiger, is the world's largest cat.
KEY FACTS
MUSTANG ~ . . . ORDER "IIIIIIIIIII Perissodactyla
GRO UP 1: . . FAMILY ~ Equidiae
MAMMAlS~
GENUS & SPECIES Equus cabal/us
SIZES Height: Up to 14 hands (1 hand = 4 in .) . BREEDING Sexual maturity: 3 years. Stallions do not usually head herds until they are about 6 years old . Mating season: April to July. Gestation: 11 months. No. of young: Usually 1, occasionally twins. LIFESTYLE Habit: Social. Live and wander together in small herds. Call: Soft whinnying and whickering to one another; loud snorting to warn of danger. Diet: Grass and foliage. Lifespan: Up to 20 years. RELATED SPECIES The mustang is related to every other breed of horse.
Range of the mustang. DISTRIBUTION Sparsely distributed in remote areas in nine states in the northwestern United States. CONSERVATION After it had been brought nearly to extinction, laws passed in 1971 made it a federal offense to harass or kill mustangs. But they are still being killed by farmers and ranchers.
FEATURES OF THE MUSTANG Originally, mustangs were much finer looking than they are today, having descended from beautiful Spanish Barbs and Andalusian horses. Occasionally, a purer breed will be found .
Average height to withers
=
14 hands.
Because mustangs have interbred with so many different types of horses, they have no uniform body type or coat color. But in' grder to withstand the hardship of the'ir enVironment, they remain small~ no more than 14 hands- with a sturdy build and a Wiry frame.
Before the western United States was settled, the mustang roamed free in greater numbers than any other wild horse on earth, banding together in herds to protect itself from wolves, coyotes, and other predators.
©MCMXCI IMP BVIIMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
0160200051 PACKET 5
The mustang is descended from horses first brought
DID YOU KNOW?
to North America by the Spanish in the sixteenth
• The name mustang comes from the Spanish word mesteno meaning ownerless, belonging to la mesta- that is, to everyone and no one. • To fight off an attack from wolves, mustangs group into a tight circle with the colts inside. As the wolves try to penetrate the circle, the mustangs stamp their hooves and snap their teeth viciously. • Mustangs were often ridden
century. The horses eventually broke free to run wild and breed on the open prairies.
~
HABITS Mustangs form small herds that provide companionship and defense against predators. A herd consists of one stallion and his harem of two to eight mares, their foals, and various young mustangs. A herd will wander and graze in a specific territory. It will tolerate the presence of other herds on the outskirts of its range, and will some-
times join them in warding off attacks from predators. When the herd is confronted by an attacker, an older female, called a lead mare, will lead the herd away from danger while the stallion remains to challenge the aggressor. It will snort wildly while pawing the ground with his front hoofs to raise a cloud of dust. ·
by the Plains Indians. The Cheyenne thought that mustangs spotted on the head and chest were sacred and would bring them victory in battle.
~
~
BREEDING The mating season is from April to July. The foals are born the following spring . When it is time to give birth, the mares leave the herd and bear their foals alone in well-hidden locations. Although adult mustangs have a wide variety of coat colors, newborn foals have coats that blend in with the dusty
ground of their habitat. The foals are able to stand within several hours of birth. After 2-3 days, mother and foal join the herd and remain with it for a year or more. When the male colts reach about 3 years of age, they are driven from the herd by the stallion. The colts are too young to attract females, so they form a herd of their own
with which they roam for several years. They occasionally challenge the leaders of other herds, until they are successful in establishing a herd of their own . Below left: 5tallions are vicious fighters if challenged. Below: Foals suckle for about a month. By 4 months, they will be fairly independent.
FOOD & FEEDING
Like all horses, the mustang is an herbivore, eating nothing but vegetation. But, because of the scarcity and low nutritional value of the coarse grass, sagebrush, and juniper which it eats, it has adapted to survive on a diet that would not sustain domesticated horses. Centuries of living in such harsh conditions have enabled the mustang to go without food or water for several days if nec~ssary. The mustang has also learned
~
I
Right: With its tough teeth and strong jaws, the mustang tears at the sparse, coarse grass of its inhospitable habitat.
how to break open frozen springs and to clear sediment-clogged water holes by splashing and digging to
dislodge the debris. It will even chew prickly pear cactus to obtain moisture from the plant's juices.
driven off and killed by the thousands. The greatest destruction of the mustangs has occurred in this century; huge numbers were captured and used in both the Boer War and World War I. Others were caught
and used as cow ponies, and many more were shot to be used as pet food and fertilizer. By the mid-1960s, their numbers were estimated at between 18,000 and 34,000, and by the early 1970s, there were less than 10,000.
MUSTANG & MAN
By the late eighteenth century, mustangs were well established in nine western states and numbered between two and five million. Then, as settlers moved west and began to cultivate the land, the mustangs were
'U ~
"" CARD 7
GIANT PANDA . . ORDER "IIIIIIIIIII Carnivora
. . FAMILY "IIIIIIIIIII Procyonidae
~ GENUS ~;~C~:
~
1: MAMMALS
~~)
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
~ ~
KEY FACTS
SIZES Height: 5 ft. standing erect. Females slightly smaller. Weight: Up to 265 lb. Females weigh less. BREEDING Sexual maturity: Not known. Breeding season: Not known, but thought to be April. Gestation: 5 months. No. of young: Usually single cub. LIFESTYLE Habit: Solitary. Diet: Mainly bamboo, supplemented by berries, fruit, flowers, fungi, grasses, bark, and occasionally small animals. RELATED SPECIES The name panda is taken from the animal now known as the cat-bear. The cat-bear is also known as the lesser or red panda.
•
Range of the giant panda.
DISTRIBUTION Southwestern China, notably the Qionglai, Daxiangling, Xiaoxionging, and Liang Mountains in Sichuan Province; also the Min Mountains and Qinling Range in Shaanxi Province. CONSERVATION The giant panda is threatened with extinction. From an estimated 1,000 in 1983, the numbers have dropped to 300 following die-back of forest (see below).
LlFECYClE OF THE BAMBOO FOREST
New growth
~
.... :.~~ ~
~="~~·1 1 ~
~~~~~__~~~~~~~__~~~ 0
Among the shyest and rarest of wild animals, the bear-faced panc1a, with its black and white coat and prominent black eye markings, is one of the world's best-known mammals.
Every 50 years or so, large areas of bamboo forest simultaneously flower, seed, and die (foreground). The last time this phenomenon occurred was in 1983. ©MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
Because the panda cannot cross inhabited villages and farmland, it is unable to migrate to areas of new growth and literally dies of starvation. PRINTED IN U.S.A.
0160200131 PACKET 13
~
GIANT PANDA & MAN
I~l SPECIAL ~ ADAPTAT IONS
sary for the panda's protecAt one time, the greatest tion. As a result, those caught threat to the giant panda's The panda has adapted well hunting the animal face sesurvival was man, who hunted to its diet. It uses its carnassial vere penalties. it for its pelt. Today the prin(meat-tearing) teeth to slice Special sanctuaries have cipal cause of its decline is the I through ba mboo shoots. been established in the erosion of its habitat due to The forepaws of the panda crop cultivation or from natural panda's natural habitat with , have a n extra "thumb" enough space for 500 to 600 causes such as die-back of w hich, when used in conanimals. Scientists are studybamboo. As its natural habijunction with its "forefingers," ing the animal's habits and intat becomes increasingly surenables the panda to grasp rounded by human settlement, stituting a comprehensive even sma ll ba m boo shoots conservation program. the panda can no longer miwith precision. Its paws are Zoos are also collaborating grate to unaffected areas. broad and have long, retractin the development of a The Chinese people now able claws. captive breeding project. support any measures neces-
At first glance, the giant panda seems to resemble a bear, but in fact its features have much in common with those of a racoon. Although its ancestors were meat eaters, the retiring and peaceful panda is a plant eater, feeding almost entirely on bamboo.
~ HABITS
~ FOOD &: FEEDING
Pandas are solitary animals. They spend two-thirds of their day feeding and the remainder of the day resting. Extremely agile climbers, they usually climb only when they are in danger from predators such as brown bears, leopards, and wild dogs. They take refuge in the nearest tree until danger has passed. Pandas have no particular resting place; they simply lie down on the ground wherever they happen to be. Pandas live in cold, damp conditions. They have exceptionally dense waterproof coats that give protection against these conditions.
Although the panda is classified as a carnivore, its diet consists almost exclusively of the stems, leaves, and young shoots of various types of bamboo. Because bamboo has a low nutritional value, the panda needs to eat huge
DID YOU KNOW? • The giant panda has larger molar teeth than any other mammal. • The giant panda spends 16 hours a day eating, in which time it digests only a small portion of the food .
• The giant panda was unknown in the Western world until 1869. • The panda's stumplike tail is used to spread secretions produced by the scent glands, which are located
beneath the tail, onto the surrounding area. • The panda's hearing is so acute that it can detect even the most stealthy predators. • The panda does not hibernate. ~
quantities-25 to 45 pounds a day-to sustain itself. It also eats eggs and some seasonal vegetation. Right: The peaceful panda requires nothing more than a plentiful supply of bamboo to survive.
The mating season .is the only time pandas come together. A single cub is born five months after mating in a nest constructed of bamboo. A panda rarely gives birth to twins; if she does, the second cub is unlikely to survive. The tiny newborn panda cub is blind; it is six inches long and weighs only three ounces. It stays with its mother for 18 II months, until it is independent enough to establish its own I . terntory.
jJ :2
left: Panda mother and young, Madrid Zoo. Pandas
~ rarely breed in captivity and
~ are seldom seen with young in ; the wild. --;
' " CARD 8
NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO
,,~------------------------------------------~ FAMILY GENUS & SPECIES ORDER Dasypodidae ~ Dasypus novemcinctus ~ Edentata ~
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: Body, up to 32 in . Tail, 14 in . Weight: 12-15 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 6-12 months. Mating season: Summer months. Gestation: 120 days after delayed implantation. No. of young: Always 4 identical young of the same sex. LIFESTYLE Habit: Nocturnal, solitary, and burrowing. Diet: Insects, small animals, birds' eggs, roots, fruits, and carrion. Call: Grunts, squeals, and snuffling . lifespan: 12-15 years. RELATED SPECIES There are 6 species of long-nosed armadillo, found in 3 subgenera. All 6 inhabit Central and South America.
Range of the nine-banded armadillo.
DISTRIBUTION From Kansas and Missouri through Mexico and Central America to Argentina and Uruguay. CONSERVATION Common enough to be considered a pest in some areas. It has colonized new areas in the northern and southern extremes of its range and has been introduced into other places to combat insect plagues.
THE NINE-BANDED ARMAD illO'S DE FE NSES The hard bony plates covering the body provide effective armor against attack. The plates are arranged in bands over the middle of the back and are attached to flexible skin.
The solitary and nocturnal armadillo has an armored skin composed of hard bony plates. Its head, legs, and tail are similarly protected with bony scales.
Fore and hind limbs have strong , curved claws for digging in the ground. Armadillos dig to find food, to make nest burrows , and to escape predators such as jaguars, pumas, and coyotes .
The armadillo 's underside has no armor. The ninebanded armadillo protects itself by lying flat on the ground with its legs tucked under the shields on its shoulders and hips. ©MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
PRINTED IN U.S.A .
0160200081 PACKET 8
~
The nine-banded armadillo is the most widespread of the armadillo species. It inhabits the open grasslands and tropical forests of North and South America. Still, it is unable to survive in arid regions, such as deserts, or in areas that are very cold.
~
HABITS
Armadi llos generally spend the day sleeping in the safety of burrows. They may have as many as twelve burrows located throughout their range, which they dig with their strong front claws, kicking away the excavated dirt with their hind legs. Each burrow may be from 20 inches to 12 feet below the surface of the ground. The burrow consists of a labyrinth of tunnels that can be as long as 23 feet. Two or more of the tunnels have nest chambers, which the
animal lines with grass and weeds. Nine-banded armadillos will share their burrows only with members of the same sex. Each animal has its own territory, but those of males often overlap. Territories are marked with scent. Days are spent in whichever burrow is nearest at the end of the night's wanderings. Top: Farmers value the ninebanded armadillo because it preys on harmful insects, but its digging can cause soil erosion.
~
BREED ING
Mating takes place during the summer, but the exact time varies according to location. Since armadillos have poorly developed senses of sight and hearing, it is thought that the males rely on their sense of smell to detect when a female is ready to mate. After mating, the fertilized egg is not implanted into the female's uterus wall for 3 months. This delays the birth of the young until the following spring, when more food is available.
Right: The female always gives birth to four identical young, as the fertilized egg divides into four parts. They are born in the nest chamber and have a soft, pinkish, leathery skin at birth. This hardens in a ~.....--.".rl few weeks to
particularly sensitive nostrils. In the southern parts of its range, the nine-banded armadillo feeds on ants and termites. It pokes its long, sticky tongue into the nest holes and draws out both the insects and their larvae.
If food is detected underground, the armadillo begins to dig frantically. It uses its powerful forelegs to loosen the soil and, balancing on its forelegs and tail, kicks away the dirt from beneath its body using its hind legs.
form the armorlike covering of plates and scales.
DID YOU KNOW?
FOOD & FEEDING
At night, the armadillo emerges from its burrow to look for food: insects, small animals, birds' eggs, fungi, roots, fruits, and carrion (rotting animal flesh) . It uses its strong sense of smell to detect food . Its long snout has
Right: A young nine-banded armadillo digs for food. Below: Some armadillos roll themselves into armor-plated balls.
• The nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo species that can swim . It does this by inflating its stomach and intestines with air to keep it buoyant. It can also cross a small river or stream by walking on the bottom while holding its breath . • Using its long, sticky tongue, the armadillo can eat more than 40,000 ants at one feeding . • Armadillos sometimes fall asleep on their backs, away from the safety of their burrows. When they do, they expose their vulnerable underside to attack from predators. • The name armadillo comes from the Spanish word armado, which means "one that is armed ." • When d igging for prey, the armadillo avoids getting dust up its nose by holding its breath for up to 6 minutes.
VAMPIRE BAT '\ ~ ORDER
~ Chiroptero
. . . FAMILY ~ Desmodontidae
' " CARD 9 GROUP 1: MAMMALS . . . GENUS & SPECIES ~ Desmodus rotundus
~~l ~
KEY FACTS SIZES Length: Body, 2 3/ 4 in. Wingspan: 8 in . Weight: 1 oz . BREEDING Sexual maturity: 9 months. Mating season: All year. Gestation: 6-8 months. No. of young: 1 . LIFESTYLE Habit: Nocturnal. Lives in colonies of 6-2,000, but which usually number 100. Diet: Blood of domestic animals,
•
particularly cows, pigs, horses. Lifespan: 9 years in the wild; nearly 20 years in captivity. RELATED SPECIES There are two other species of true vampire bat, Diaemus youngi iand
Diphyl/a ecaudata.
FEEDING HABITS OF THE
Range of the vampire bat.
DISTRIBUTION Central and South America, in tropical and subtropical regions from Mexico to northern Chile and Argentina. CONSERVATION Considered a serious pest in areas where cattle and horses are kept because they transmit rabies and other diseases. Vampi re bats are not currently endangered.
VA ' JMP'tkRI~W~
Vampire bats prey mainly on domestic animals, biting them on the neck, shoulder, rump, or ankle. The only thing the vampire bat eats is blood, which it laps from the wound that it makes in its host with its sharp teeth.
Although it 's not the bloodthirsty te"or portrayed in ho"or movies, this ordinary-looking little bot really does feed exclusively on the blood of other animals.
©MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM
The bat's tongue has two lateral grooves which alternately open and close while the bat is feeding. This action draws the blood up the deeply grooved lower lip, channeling it into the mouth. Chemicals in the bat's saliva prevent the blood from clotting and keep it flowing. An adult vampire bat will consume about five teaspoons of blood per day.
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
WF DM NC 21
Despite the vampire bat's tiny size-its body is no larger than that of a mouse-this blood-sucking bat is a threat to cattle in its native Latin America. When it drinks the blood of domestic animals, it can infect them with the deadly rabies disease.
~ HABITS Vampire bats are active only during the darkest periods of the night. It is the time when they are most likely to avoid being caught by such nocturnal predators as owls. Also, the domestic animals on which the bats feed are often sleeping, and so are easier to approach undetected. During the day, vampire bats roost in colonies, hanging upside down in caves and hollow trees. They will some-
~ BREEDING
DID YOU KNOW? • Vampire bats once preyed on wild animals, but now feed mainly on domestic anima ls. • Vampire bats have been known to feed on sleeping humans. • In a year, a colony of 100
vampire bats consumes a quantity of blood equivalent to the amount in 25 cows. • Vampire bats bite more calves than cows, probably because the youngsters sleep for much longer periods.
The vampire bat's ability to reproduce is limited by its need to remain light enough to fly. It gives birth to a single offspring after an unusually long gestation period of six to eight months. Born blind, the you ng bat is
carried by its mother for the first few days of its life. Its eyes open after a week, and it takes its first flight when it is three weeks old. The young bat is sexually mature at nine month: and breeds at any time of the year.
~ FOOD
£;[ FEEDING times move from one daytime The vampire bat feeds on the blood of animals. Cows, pigs, roost to another which is and horses are its favorite closer to their prey. This kind hosts. The bat will usually of activity indicates that vampire bats learn from experience choose to feed on the most where their prey can be found. docile or isolated animal in the resting herd. Using its chiselVampire bats also use rivers like incisor teeth, the bat as navigational tools as they makes a small cut in the move from one part of their animal's skin. It usually range to another. The rivers chooses a fleshy area, like the are easier to follow than shoulder or neck, where the wooded routes, and cattle blood vessels are closer to the often graze in pastures near skin's surface. water.
Left: Barely larger than a sparrow, the vampire bat is a fearsome sight. Its wedge-shaped incisor teeth are used for slashing open the skin of its prey. Right: A bat
drinks the blood ofa female pig. When larger prey is not available, vampire bats will attack turkeys and chickens.
Left: Vampire bats mate yearround. Mating takes place while roosting upside down in the security of a cave. A single young is then born some 6-8 months later.
The bat then drinks the blood that flows from the wound. Chemicals in the bat's saliva keep the blood flowing for the 2-3 minutes that the bat feeds. Often two or three bats will feed from the same wound. In most instances, the host animal suffers no ill effects from the loss of blood, although if too many bats feed on the same animal, it may be severely weakened.
~
VAMPIRE BAT £;[ The vampire bat can transmit rabies to livestock and man. To control the vampire bats, cattle have been injected with anticoagulants, substances that do not harm the cows but will cause internal bleedRight: Vampire
bats feed almost exclusively on livestock, biting their victims in places such as the ear, where the blood vessels run close to the surface.
MAN ing in the feeding bats. Antico agulants have also been smeared on the bats themselves. When they return to their roost site, other bats in the colony groom them and ingest the fatal drug.
~ARDllU
POLAR BEAR
---SI .. [IJ /
ORDER Ursidae
Ursus maritimus
KEY FACTS
-------
SIZES Height: 5 ft. to shoulder. Standing height: 8-11 ft. Foot size: 12 in. long, lOin. wide. Weight: Males, 880-990 lb.; females, 660-770 lb.
.
,,' <;'-
.I
RELATED SPECIES The polar bear is the largest of the bear family, which includes the North American Grizzly bear and Kodiak bear.
~
.
:':., .
~()
.. -)
... . ,
,
, - ' .. .. " '/!(
.?i~
"'-, i\
BREEDING Sexual maturity: 3-5 years. Mating season: March-June. Gestation: About 7-8 months. Litter size: Usually 2. LIFESTYLE Habit: Solitary, but sometimes come together to feed. Diet: Mainly seal fat and skin; carrion; vegetation in summer.
~ -
:
Range of the polar bear.
DISTRIBUTION Southern edge of the arctic ice cap. CONSERVATION Conservation projects and regulated hunting exist in all countries where polar bears are found. After declining to about 5,000, the present world population is put at 40,000. Future depends on the protection of the arctic environments.
HOW THE POLAR BEAR HUNTS SEALS Hunting: The polar bear preys on seals and their pups. It catches adults by ambushing them at their breathing holes in the ice. With its excellent sense of smell , -the polar bear can sniff out a pup in its den up to 3 feet under the ground. It then digs out the pup and devours it.
The huge polar bear is one of the largest land carnivores in the world. Its coat, which varies in color from pure white to shades of yellow, blends in well with its snow-covered environment.
Ringed seal: Lives around or under the coastal ice. The cow gives birth in a den l:lnder the snow and ice and p'rovfdes her pup with a breathing hole. The den keeps the pup warm and offers some degree of protection from the predatory Arctic fox and polar bear. ©MCMXCIIMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILE'M
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
WF DM NC 14
~ FOOD &
Polar bears feed mainly on seals. They wait for them to come to the water surface to breathe, or stalk them while they rest on the ice. The seal is kil1ed by a crushing blow to g' its thin skull. Polar bears eat ~ everything-they cannot afford ~ to leave anything edible behind. ~ In the late summer and early ~ autumn, polar bears will patrol
Polar bears are well suited for life on the icy tundra. They are immensely strong and active-the sales
of their feet are covered with fur, which gives them stability on slippery, frozen ground.
Right : Solitary polar bears will often come together to feed on carcasses.
HUNTING the coastal areas looking for whale and walrus carcasses. Sometimes ten to twenty bears may be found feeding together. At this time of year, their diet is more varied, including such land mammals as lemmings, arctic foxes, and eider ducks. Like most bears, polar bears also eat vegetation.
Below: Strong swimmers, polar bears have been seen swimming 50 miles from ice or land.
~ HABITS Polar bears are found throughout the polar region, but they spend most of their time along the southern edge of the icecap on coastal land near open water. They are solitary animals and are active at all times ofthe year. Polar bears are also excellent swimmers. They cruise through the water at speeds of up to six miles per hour, using their front legs to propel them, with their hind legs trailing behind. With ~ their eyes open and nostrils ~ closed, they can dive under~ water as well, remaining sub~ merged for two minutes. When they emerge, they im~ mediately shake the water § from their coats before it Ifreezes.
Springtime is the mating season for polar bears, w ith most activity taking place in .x
~ females; most females breed
~ every third year after separating E
~
I-
~
~ '--..;;..,.,;......_::;a_,;...-;;....._.;;..;..;_
_
_
_
_
_ __ _ _ _ _~
bear ;s no bigger than a rat when it is born.
~
.3 ~ ~Ol
1l ~ CfJ
w -;
DID YOU KNOW?
I
_
from their young . In October and November, the bears dig dens in the snow or tundra . The dens are usually
left: A polar
i
• Polar bears have a very acute sense of smell; they can smell carrion, such as a dead whale, from 20 miles away, and can sniff out seal dens that are covered with snow. • The black nose of a polar bear on the snow can be seen from six miles away on a clear
April. Males seek available
day through binoculars. It has been said that, when stalking seals, the polar bear will cover its nose with a paw to escape detection. • The temperature inside aJ polar bear's den can be 40 degrees warmer than the outside air temperature.
Below: Two large cubs snuggle up to their mother for warmth. Two is the usual litter size of polar bears.
located on south-facing slopes of hills where northerly w inds pile up large amounts 0 f snow. The dens are used for giving birth. Young are born in November or December and weigh only 16-32 ounces. They are hairless, blind, and deaf. They first emerge from the den in March or April. They will remain with their mother into the third spring of their lives.
