The Moose Animal Biography

Biography of the Moose

The Moose also known as elk. These are found in the cold plains of North America and Europe where they were named by locals as twig-eaters. The male have enormous antlers that the moose actually renews once a year. After the warmer mating season the male will shed its antlers to conserve energy for the winter. In the springtime this animal begins to develop its new antlers which take from 3 to 5 months to fully grow.

The moose have been hunted by humans for both trophies but also for meat. They are also prey to a number of large carnivorous mammals which they encounter such as bears, cougars and arctic wolves. There are thought to be six different subspecies of animal found in the sub-arctic forests today. These are the European moose (found in Finland, Sweden and Norway), the Eastern moose (found in the east of Canada and northeast of the United States), the Western moose (found in the west of Canada), the Siberian moose (found in the east of Siberia and Mongolia), the Alaska moose (found in Alaska and Yukon) and the Shiras moose (found in Wyoming and Utah).

Life Cycle of Moose

Female moose do not have antlers and tend to give birth to the baby after an 8 month gestation period. The female tends to have a single calf but twins and triplets have been known. The fur of the baby is a reddish colour that turns to brown as these get older. The young calves tend to stay with the mother until just before the next young are born.

Although moose are not usually aggressive animals, particularly towards humans, when provoked, They have been known to attack humans. Although the consequences of their attack are generally minor, Animal have been known to attack more humans than bears and wolves put together. They live in herds and live until they are about 16 years old. Moose are herbivorous animals and spend their time foraging for vegetation and branches to munch on.

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Monitor Lizard Biography and Facts

Biography of Monitor Lizard

Monitor Lizards are large reptiles found in Africa and all across Asia, including the surrounding seas. This lizard is mainly found in jungle areas although some species of monitor lizard are water-bound. Some species are thought to carry a fairly weak venom, for example, the komodo dragon which is the largest of the species. The komodo dragon is native to the small Indonesian island that it is named after and is the largest species of lizard in the world.

According to legend, monitor lizards were a sign that there were crocodiles close by, possibly due to their standing on their hind legs to monitor their surroundings. Monitor lizards do this so that they are aware of any approaching predators. Although many species are quite big, some species are smaller than 20 cm in length. Monitor lizards are extremely versatile animals and monitor lizards adapt well into different environments.

Facts about Monitor Lizards

Most species of monitor lizard have a predominantly carnivorous diet, eating eggs, smaller reptiles, fish, birds and small mammals. Some species of monitor lizard also eat fruit and vegetation depending on where they live. Female monitor lizards bury their eggs in holes or hollow tree stumps that the female monitor lizard then covers with dirt in order to protect her eggs. These lizards can lay up to 30 eggs at a time, although many lizards lay less, and only a lucky few of the monitor lizard babies tend to survive.

Monitor lizards are thought to be fairly intelligent animals, with some people claiming that are able to recognise numbers up to six, therefore meaning that lizards are able to count! Monitor lizards mainly use their intelligence in the wild by surveying areas for oncoming danger and for hunting their prey.

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Mole (Animal)

Life of Moles

Moles are a small mammals that are most well known for living in tunnels underground. Moles are commonly found in Europe, Asia, South Africa and North America although there are oddly no moles inhabiting Ireland. These have long, curved claws which the moles use to burrow underground. They can quickly create long tunnels under the surface of the earth and the tunnel entrances can easily be identified by the mounds of earth that appear (normally all over your garden lawn)! These mounds of soil are commonly known as mole hills.

Different Species of Mole

There are around 20 different species of mole found in their natural, earthy environments. Some species of these animals are also aquatic or at least semi-aquatic which means that these mole species spend at least some of their time in the water. Many of the different species of mole are very similar in appearance and range in size from just 2 cm to 2 cm. The oddest exception to this is the star-nosed mole that inhabits parts of Canada and the northeast of the USA. The star-nosed mole can be easily identified by the distinctive star shaped ending to the star-nosed moles snout.

Moles are omnivores that primarily feed and hunt earthworms. The saliva in the mouth of the mole contains a toxin that can paralyze small animals such as earthworms meaning that the mole is able to eat its catch successfully but the mole is also able to store food to eat later. Moles are known to construct special underground larders in which the mole can store its food. Some of the larger species of mole have also been known to eat small mice. The mole does this by catching the mouse at the entrance to its burrow. The eyes and ears of the mole are very small and usually covered in fur.

Mole Photo Credit www.naturfoto.cz

Moles breed in early spring with the female moles gestation period lasting about a month. The female then gives birth to between 2 and 6 mole babies. The baby are usually completely independent within a month after birth. The average lifespan of a mole is about 4 years but some species have been known to live until they are 6 or 7 years old. Due to their small size, moles are preyed about by mammals, birds and reptiles when the moles are above ground.

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Mandrill

Biography of Mandrill

The mandrill is a medium to large sized primate, natively found in a small pocket of tropical jungle in western-central Africa. The mandrill is most commonly known for it's red and blue coloured nose and it's multicoloured rear end. The mandrill is not related to the great apes but is thought to be closely related to the baboon, another medium-sized African primate that is found in eastern and southern Africa. The mandrill was even once thought to be a sub-species of baboon but this is now not believed to be the case.

Mandrill Habitat

The Mandrill is found in the tropical rainforests and occasionally grasslands of southern Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Congo in western-central Africa. The mandrill's habitat is bordered by the Sanaga River to the north and the Ogooué and Ivindo rivers to the east. Recent research suggests that mandrill populations north and south of the Ogooué river are so genetically different that they are in fact separate subspecies. Mandrills have distinctively coloured noses and rumps which make them stand out in the forest.

Troops of Mandrill

Mandrills are sociable animals and inhabit areas of forest in large groups known as a troop. The mandrill troop primarily includes female mandrills and their young who are led by a single dominant male mandrill. The alpha male mandrill both mates with his females and protects them. Most adult male mandrills that are not leading a troop tend to be solitary animals. Mandrills are omnivorous animals and therefore eat almost anything. The mandrill primarily feeds on fruits, berries, seeds, nuts, roots, leaves, insects and even small mammals and reptiles. Most of the mandrills diet is found at ground level or just above.

Due to their large size, mandrills have few predators in their natural environment. The leopard is the main predator of the mandrill, along with large snakes and birds of prey, who prey more upon the mandrill young. The human is also one of the mandrill's main predators as they have hunted the mandrill over the years for meat. Today the mandrill is considered to be an animal species that is vulnerable to extinction, as mandrill population numbers have been declining due to over-hunting an habitat loss.

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