Category: Mammals

Why Giant River Otters Are on the Slippery Slope to Extinction

Post author By Annette J Beveridge
Post date September 17, 2022
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By Annette J Beveridge

River contamination, habitat degradation and overfishing are all familiar stories but for the Giant River Otter, these pressures impact heavily. Found in the Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata, there may only be 5,000 animals left in the wild. These low numbers are indicative of hunting where the otter pelt was once sought after. Fortunately, action taken in the 1970’s made this unappealing economically, but the slow reproductive maturity hinders the recovery process.

Giant River Otters are the largest of the mustelid family which includes ferrets and weasels, and they weigh a considerable 22 – 32 kg. They grow up to 1.8 metres in length. Often referred to as the river wolf, Giant River Otters are top predators with a streamlined body and webbed feet. They are agile swimmers, taking fish such as piranhas, Amazonian catfish but crustaceans and even snakes will make it onto the menu.

Their whiskers enable them to detect vibrations from prey underwater which helps them to find and consume up to 9lbs of food per day each.

Tags extinction, otters, river otters

Mammals

An Elephant’s Trunk

by Annette J Beveridge

An elephant’s trunk is an incredible appendage growing 6-8 ft in length and weighing approximately 140 kg. It should be considered a combination of body parts set in one as it forms the upper lip and an extension of the nose. The nostrils run all the way through the length of the trunk. At the tip of an African elephant’s trunk, you can see the equivalent of two prehensile fingers. This is a proboscides which enables them to grasp and to pick up even the smallest of objects. Asian elephants are different in that they have just one prehensile ‘finger’ at the tip. This is known as a proboscis.

Muscles and usage

There are no bones or joints in the trunk, but they have 40,000 muscles providing flexible movement. By contrast, humans have 600+ muscles within the whole of the body. Elephants use their trunks for multiple tasks, stretching high up into the trees to strip vegetation from branches, or gently rubbing at an itchy part of the body. They use it to satiate thirst too by drawing up to 4 litres of water into the trunk and then, releasing a little water at a time into the mouth.

Tags African elephants, african wildlife, annette j beveridge, asian elephants, ecohive, ecohive nature, elephants trunk, wildlife

Big cats Mammals

The Tragic Loss of Jaguars

Post author By Annette J Beveridge
Post date January 6, 2022
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By Annette J Beveridge

Jaguars (panthera onca) are enigmatic animals. With an unusually large round head, a stunning coat and long tail, jaguars are muscled, compact and distinctive. They have shorter legs than other Panthera species of a similar weight. In the Americas, it is the largest species of cat and has the most powerful bite comparative to its size which enables it to bite through the skull of mammalian prey.

Jaguars are the third largest feline after tigers and lions and are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are classified as near threatened. An investigation into the population recorded a loss of almost 1500 animals. Here’s why.

Tags big cats, conservation, environment, environment issues, habitat loss, jaguar, nature, wildlife

Mammals

The Secret World of The Banded Mongoose

Post author By Annette J Beveridge
Post date September 19, 2021
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By Annette J Beveridge

Nature holds many secrets. By glimpsing inside the everyday life of certain species, it enables us a much stronger interaction and connection with the natural world. Most mongoose species live solitary lives but the banded mongoose is different as they live in colonies with complex social structures. They make use of dens – including termite mounds and colonies may have up to 40 animals although can be larger on occasion.

Native in the Sahel to Southern Africa, these animals thrive in open forests, grasslands, and savannas. Food is varied from millipedes to beetles and they will take small reptiles, birds, ants, crickets, and caterpillars. On occasion, small snakes will also be on the menu. Foraging takes place in the morning and late afternoon, so they avoid being out in the heat of the day. With a keen sense of smell, they dig up their prey using powerful claws and often monitor the piles of dung made by herbivores as these attract beetles.

Tags banded mongoose, mongoose