Jellyfish

Jellyfish (also known as jellies and sea jellies) are boneless animals that float freely through the world's oceans. Although jellyfish exist in our oceans worldwide they are particularly prominent in coastal areas. Jellyfish can be found in all shapes and sizes from just a few inches in diameter to well over a metre. There are thought to be around 2,000 different species of jellyfish, the most common being the big, colourful ones found in warmer coastal areas. There are four different types of jellyfish that are categorised by their shape and the way in which they behave.

Despite the name, jellyfish are not actually fish but are instead classed in a group of their own as they are unlike any other animal on Earth. The body of the jellyfish is made up of a non-living jellylike substance called mesoglea. This jelly is surrounded by a layer of skin that is just one cell thick. The body of the jellyfish is mainly made up of water, around 90% in fact. Jellyfish also have tentacles around their mouths that vary in length depending on the species of jellyfish. The jellyfish use their tentacles to both catch and sting their prey.

Some jellyfish stings contain poison which the jellyfish uses to stun and kill its prey. The box jellyfish, found in the oceans around Australia, has a sting powerful enough to be fatal to humans. The long tentacles of the jellyfish are what produces the sting. Its been tried and tested...you can touch the top of the jellyfish without being hurt! The jellyfish is a carnivorous animal and despite it's appearance, the jellyfish is a remarkably efficient predator. Jellyfish use their tentacles to stun their prey before grabbing onto it and bringing it into their mouth.

Due to the fact that many species of jellyfish are transparent, they are often hard for predators to spot. However, jellyfish are drifters and move very slowly through the water sometimes using their tentacles to propel them along. Jellyfish are eaten by humans, sharks, squid and occasionally birds. Jellyfish release their eggs and sperm into the water which eventually meet and the egg is fertilised. The jellyfish egg quickly becomes and embryo and begins to develop in it's water world. Source

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Jaguar

The jaguar is the largest feline on the American continent, with jaguars also being the third biggest cat in the world behind the African lion and the Asian tiger. Jaguars have the strongest bite force of all the cats and like other pantherines they can roar. The jaguar is indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. Jaguars inhabit the tropical rainforest's of South America with the elusive jaguar spending a great deal of its time asleep in the trees or hunting in dense undergrowth. However, due to the habitat loss within this jaguar kingdom, the jaguar population numbers are declining making jaguars an endangered species.

Jaguars have a similar rosetting pattern to a leopard, but the jaguar has a much heavier and sturdier build. Jaguars hold the reputation for being very aggressive, though attacks on humans have historically been rare. Undoubtedly a strikingly beautiful animal, the jaguar has caught the attention of scientists and hunters alike, with many jaguar individuals having been poached for their distinctively patterned fur. Black jaguars occur from time to time. In jaguars the black colouration is a simple dominant gene. Two black jaguars can produce a lighter spotted cub in a litter of blacks. As with black leopards, you can see the spotting as black on black in strong sunlight.

Jaguars tend to prefer thick, dense, moist jungle where the jaguar has plenty of cover in order to successfully hunt and the ambush prey. Although this is the case, jaguars appear to be fairly adaptable animals and jaguars have been known to reside in reed thickets, shrub land and swamps. A jaguar was found in the desert region of southern Arizona a couple of years ago. The highest concentration of jaguars is today found around the Amazon Basin, where there is plenty of food, water and shelter for the jaguar to live undisturbed.

Although jaguar cubs are generally born between the months of December and March, it is not uncommon for jaguar cubs to be born throughout the year. Female jaguars typically give birth to two or three jaguar cubs. In mating season, the female jaguar will use loud vocal calls to attract a male jaguar into her territory. Once the jaguar cubs are born however, the female jaguar will not tolerate the male jaguar in her territory as the female jaguar becomes very protective of her cubs at this stage. Jaguar cubs are born blind and gain their sight after about two weeks. Source

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Jackal

The jackal is a medium sized member of the dog family, originally found in Africa, Asia and southeast Europe. There are four main species of jackal with these jackal species being the golden jackal, the side-striped jackal, the black-backed jackal and the Ethiopian wolf jackal. The golden jackal is the most northernly species of jackal and can be found as far east as Burma in Southeast Asia. Jackals are generally found in packs of roughly between 10 and 30 jackal individuals.

Jackals are small canines that have adapted to hunting small mammals, birds and reptiles. Some species of jackal have even been known to eat poisonous snakes. Jackals are carnivorous mammals and jackals will often scavenge the remains of kills made by other larger predators. The jackal is a nocturnal mammal that can easily maintain speeds of 16km an hour for long periods of time. Although the jackal belongs to a jackal pack, jackals often prefer to hunt alone or with only one other jackal.

Although the majority of the diet of the jackal is made up of meat, many jackal individuals (particularly those jackals living in the tropics of Southeast Asia) will often eat plant matter if no meat can be found. Jackals are very territorial animals and jackals have no hesitation in defending their marked territory. Jackals have a wide range of vocal sounds that are specific to each jackal family meaning that is rare for families of competing jackals to come into accidental contact with one another.

Jackals inhabit crevices in rocks and dens made by other animals in order to keep the jackals cool while they sleep. Although many jackal individuals live a nocturnal existence, particularly those jackals that inhabit areas close to humans, some jackals in more remote areas are slightly more diurnal and will be out hunting during the cooler times of the day. Source

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