50 SHARK FACTS TO SINK YOUR TEETH INTO From the makers of
TM
WILD CATS YOU NEVER
OVER
100
KNEW EXISTED
ILLUSTRATIONS & PHOTOS
PLUS SONGBIRDS MACAQUES PENGUINS JAGUARS
SAVING SEAHORSES WHY THESE UNDERWATER WONDERS ARE IN NEED OF OUR HELP
WHY SQUIRRELS BURY THEIR NUTS
AND 7 OTHER ANIMAL STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVING THE WINTER
MONARCH BUTTERFLY ALL ABOUT ITS AMAZING MIGRATION WILDLIFE OF A HEDGEROW
MEET THE CHAMELEONS
UNTAMED BRAZIL
ISSUE 38
vk.com/stopthepress FRESH MAGAZINES EVERYDAY
Welcome As winter approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, I am always intrigued to see how the world’s animals adapt and get ready for the cold weather ahead. For us humans, warm clothes and shelter will do, but for many animals it’s not that simple. On page 12, learn all about the species that have mastered techniques for surviving the winter, from the red squirrel storing nuts to Japanese macaques taking warm baths and penguins huddling together. Also in this issue, discover 50 amazing facts about sharks (page 28) and meet some of the lesser-known wild cats of the world (page 20). Great white sharks, lions and tigers are some of the most famous members of the animal kingdom, but there are so many other species of shark and cat to discover! Finally, don’t forget to check out the winners from this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition on page 82. We hope you are inspired to get snapping!
Zara Gaspar Editor
Editor’s picks Bird Photographer of the Year winners revealed We are thrilled to be able to showcase the amazing photography from this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition. Take a look at the stunning images from this year’s winners on page 82. Meet the real stars of Brazil after the Olympics The Games may be over, but there are still dozens of reasons to visit Brazil. Journey to the land of the jaguar on page 72 and meet all of its inhabitants, from river dolphins to snub-nosed monkeys.
© Thinkstock; Bence Mate
Meet the team…
Designer Lauren Debono-Elliot
Staff Writer Naomi Harding
Picture Editor Tim Hunt
I love cats, especially ones with weird and wonderful personalities. Meet a feline you never knew existed on page 20.
Want to know the real reason squirrels bury their nuts? Find out all about nature’s bushytailed hoarders on page 12.
From basking sharks to great whites, be amazed by our 50 shark facts. There’s more to them than meets the eye!
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Welcome to Issue 38 06 Amazing animals
48 Gelada baboons
12 Winter survival skills Red squirrels and seven other animals with unique strategies for surviving the cold
19 Fantastic feet
Nine of the coolest feet in the animal kingdom
Meet the bleeding-heart monkeys of Ethiopia that aren’t true baboons
53 Bizarre gerenuk
Discover the giraffe-necked antelope who marks its territory by crying
54 Unique beaks
20 Weird wild cats
Five of the strangest beaks on Earth
Fantastic felines you never knew existed
28 50 shark facts
60 Wildlife of a hedgerow
38 Meet the chameleons
66 Conserving seahorses
40 All about the monarch butterfly
72 Explore the Earth: Brazil
Discover these incredible apex predators
Find out all about the animals that live life on the barriers
Get to know six of these colourful reptiles
Why these vertical swimmers are in need of our help
Follow this incredible insect on its epic migration
Throughout World of Animals you will see symbols like the ones listed below. These are from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of animal species in the world. Here’s what they mean:
EXTINCT CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
NEAR THREATENED LEAST CONCERN
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Saving the water monster that can regrow its own limbs
82 Bird Photographer of the Year Winners of this year’s competition revealed
EXTINCT IN THE WILD
VULNERABLE
Journey to the land of the jaguar
80 Endangered axolotl
THE IUCN RED LIST
ENDANGERED
28
60
54
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
88 Keeping in touch
20
WILD CATS
92 Readers’ Q&A
FANTASTIC FELINES YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED
96 Quiz
82
Test your animal knowledge
38
Enjoyed the issue?
40
Subscribe now and get 25% off Page 90
66
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The amazing world of animals
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The amazing world of animals
© Getty/Anne Mäenurm
This grey seal pup looks as though it has no cares in the world as it yawns sleepily on the sand Seal pups are covered in so, dense, white fur, before moulting and gaining their adult fur. When they are young, they spend a lot of time lying around, fattening up, eating and sleeping.
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The amazing world of animals
A little owl takes its time as it enjoys making a quick snack out of an earthworm ©Andy Rouse
These small owls were introduced to the UK in the 19th century, and have since been spotted during the night and at dawn hunting for small mammals and insects, such as beetles and earthworms.
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© Getty/Pete Oxford/Minden Pictures
The amazing world of animals
Butterflies surround a yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle as it takes a minute to sunbathe The high quantity of salt found in turtle tears attracts butterflies. Here, they can be seen landing to drink the tears from the turtle’s eyes. The tears are a vital source of sodium for the insects.
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© Petar Sabol Sharpeye/REX/Shutterstock
The amazing world of animals
Two butterflies caught in the rain cling onto a branch as they wait for the bad weather to pass Butterflies struggle to fly when it’s raining, as the water can make their wings too heavy to fly. During bad weather they can be seen clinging onto trees and branches or sheltering under leaves.
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The amazing world of animals
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WINTER SURVIVORS
7 ANIMALS THAT HAVE MASTERED UNIQUE STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVING THE COLD We may simply snuggle under a duvet during the winter months, but these amazing animals have adapted to plunging temperatures in rather unique ways Words David Crookes
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Winter survivors
EURASIAN RED SQUIRREL Sciurus vulgaris Class Mammalia
Territory Europe and parts of northern Asia Diet Acorns, seeds, bark, fungi and sap tissue Lifespan 3 years Adult weight 340g (12oz) Conservation status
LEAST CONCERN
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Winter survivors
Red squirrels stock up on huge amounts of food
Arctic terns travel the furthest migratory distance of any bird
They leave their protective nests and head for their amassed winter hoards
During its 30-year lifespan, it travels the equivalent of three round trips to the Moon
Although only one in four red squirrels survives its first year due to birds of prey, they have nevertheless adapted well to the year’s coldest spell. Not only do they develop a denser, longer winter coat around September, moulting only when spring arrives, but they also tend to be more active during the warmer winter midday. The squirrels spend the rest of their time in dreys created in the cavities of trees where they often snuggle with other squirrels to benefit from each other’s body heat. Since they do not hibernate over winter, they put on weight during the autumn, and ensure there is always a stash of food on hand. Red squirrels store vast caches of pine cones, larch, spruce, nuts and fungi in shallow burrows or in the hollows of trees. They use a combination of landmarks, scent marking, great vision and a keen sense of smell in order to retrieve their stashes. This often entails digging deep tunnels into the snow with their sharp claws, but because they are larder hoarders, they put all of their food into a small number of central caches, rather than scattering it. This handy little trick enables them to quickly reach their nutrient-filled, survival-essential treasures and scurry home.
Arctic terns may only have a wingspan of 85 centimetres (33 inches), but they fly huge distances twice a year in order to spend their entire lives in perpetual summer. Journeying from pole to pole, they head to Antarctica from their breeding grounds in Greenland in August before returning in June. The round trip of some 70,000 kilometres (43,000 miles) means they see more daylight than any other animal on Earth, and it also enables them to benefit from high plant growth. Of course, the areas to which they fly are still bitterly cold, so the birds need to eat food that is high in energy, enabling them to generate enough internal heat. They make a fuel stop in the mid North Atlantic ocean to feed on fish, and also make sure there is enough easily obtainable food when they moult around January and February. During this time they are unable to fly effectively, and spend much of their time resting on ice. 1 June to 1 August
1 September
1 October
1 May 1 November World travel The arctic tern leaves its breeding ground, and zigzags its way south as it avoids flying into the wind. Its return journey is completed at twice the speed across the Atlantic Ocean.
1 November
1 December to 1 April
Other animals that migrate
Northern wheatear The migration of this bird takes it around 14,000 kilometres (9,000 miles) north from Sub-Saharan Africa each spring, populating north and central Asia, Europe, Greenland, Alaska and Canada.
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Bar-tailed godwit In 2007, a study found that a tagged godwit had flown 11,680 kilometres (7,258 miles) non-stop from western Alaska to New Zealand. It was the longest non-stop flight ever measured.
Sooty shearwater Flying for distances as great as 64,000 kilometres (40,000 miles), the sooty shearwater travels from the South Pacific and South Atlantic oceans to the North Pacific Ocean every summer, feeding at sea.
Winter survivors
Wood frogs are able to freeze and remain alive They have a staggering level of freeze-tolerance, letting them survive harsh winters
ARCTIC TERN
Sterna paradisaea Class Aves
“They fly huge distances twice a year to spend their lives in perpetual summer”
Territory Arctic and the subArctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America Diet Small fish, insects and crustaceans Lifespan 30 years Adult weight 127g (4.5oz) Conservation status
LEAST CONCERN
When the winter freeze sets in, wood frogs brace themselves – and allow the environment to turn two-thirds of their body water to ice. It’s a remarkable ability, which essentially freezes the creatures alive, stopping their hearts from beating and their lungs from breathing. As the amphibians rest beneath leaves that are close to the surface, they go through freeze-thaw cycles. They cease to defecate, and their metabolism almost stops, yet they can survive the process over and over again. This is due to urea – a substance found in urine – accumulating in their tissue as winter approaches which, along with the conversion of liver glycogen to glucose, acts as a cryoprotectant, keeping water inside the cells. Studies have shown wood frogs can freeze at night and thaw in the day, until the temperature gets so low that they become solid for much longer periods – up to seven months, in fact. Once they thaw, the glucose is converted back to glycogen and the rest of it is released as waste.
“Studies have shown wood frogs can freeze at night and thaw in the day” 15
Winter survivors
Japanese macaques take the plunge in warm, inviting waters Living further north than any other primate, these monkeys put up with very chilly temperatures JAPANESE MACAQUE Macaca fuscata Class Mammalia
Territory Japan Diet Fruit, nuts, plants, insects, bark, fungi and soil Lifespan 6 years Adult weight 11kg (25lb) Conservation status
LEAST CONCERN
The snowy Japanese winters can be very unforgiving, with temperatures plummeting to as low as -20 degrees Celsius (four degrees Fahrenheit) in places. But Japanese macaques live across a range of habitats in Japan, and take such chilly conditions in their stride. The snow monkeys will stock up on fruit and nuts, and store fat in preparation for the winter. They will also feel the benefit of their thick insulating coats to help them maintain their body temperature. By sleeping in huddled groups, they can keep themselves warm at night too.
But those who live in Jigokudani Monkey Park have another trick up their sleeves. With snow covering the ground for a third of the year, they plunge into the steaming, warm waters of the hot springs, or ‘onsens’, which provide great respite from the cold. Hierarchal macaque society means those of a lower rank are often left out, but this behaviour is fascinating nonetheless. It has been a feature of macaque life since 1963, when researchers introduced them to the 42-degree Celsius (109-degree Fahrenheit) waters.
Their coats are always thick and furry, but they grow even thicker during the winter so that they can be better protected when the temperature drops.
Red-eared sliders hide away During the winter, and once the temperature drops, these semiaquatic turtles enter a hibernation-like state called brumation. Some will rest in logs, stumps and burrows, but for a more effective and longer period of dormancy, they typically rest in the mud at the bottom of ponds and streams. There they enter a state of sopor, causing their metabolism to drop. But since this means they cannot breathe, they absorb oxygen through the membranes of their mouths, throats and cloaca. Waking only to drink water, they don’t eat or defecate.
“Snow monkeys will stock up on fruit and nuts, and store fat in preparation for the winter” 16
Winter survivors With small, stumpy tails that don’t generally exceed 9 centimetres (3.5 inches), Japanese macaques are less likely to suffer frostbite.
Since they will eat just about anything, they are able to keep their bodies running throughout the winter months, generating extra heat and energy. In strong blizzards, the monkeys will huddle closely together. They will also sleep close together in extreme temperatures to keep warm and prevent heat loss.
A reindeer’s body is built for winter Contrary to popular belief, reindeer don’t spend the entire winter working with Father Christmas in the North Pole You can also usually tell it’s winter by looking at the heads of older male reindeers: they shed their antlers in early December ahead of their renewal in the spring. But reindeers also adapt well to the colder climate. As well as being covered with two layers of hair, which traps body heat, their foot pads tighten,
exposing the rim of their hooves, providing enough traction to prevent them from sliding around on the snow and ice. The hooves also come in handy for letting them cut deep into the snow to find nutritious lichen. Reindeer will travel to forest areas during the winter in order to find as much of it as they can.
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Winter survivors
Emperor penguins huddle together to beat the freeze
EMPEROR PENGUIN Aptenodytes forsteri Class Aves
Tall and proud, it takes much to ruffle the feathers of these birds Emperor penguins spend their entire lives on the ice and in the waters of wind-battered Antarctica. To cope with the conditions, they have strong claws to grip the ice as they walk, as well as large fat reserves and small, heat-conserving bills and flippers. They also have several types of feathers beneath the flat and oiled outer layer. Downy plumules have been found to be attached to both
Territory Antarctica Diet Fish, crustaceans and cephalopods Lifespan 20 years Adult weight 45kg (100lb) Conservation status
the contour feathers and the skin, which may play a part in insulating the birds. The penguins also huddle. However, they are just as well adapted inside, too. Inhaled air is mixed in a chamber with exhaled air, which retains a lot of the heat. Meanwhile, the closeness of the veins and arteries means that blood can be warmed as it flows back to the heart.
NEAR THREATENED When penguins huddle, those on the outside move in to be warmed, and those inside move out to cool down
© Alamy, Getty; Shutterstock; Thinkstock; freevectormaps.com
Animals that hibernate through the winter
Bears In truth, bears don’t strictly hibernate; they enter a deep sleep in winter called torpor. Yet their body temperature drops by around 10 degrees and they can go 100 days without eating or defecating.
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Alpine marmots Having spent weeks creating their bedding from old stems, alpine marmots hibernate for up to eight months, taking two or three breaths every minute and slowing their heartbeat to three or four beats.
Hedgehogs As true hibernators, hedgehogs are able to lower their temperature to match the environment and slow their bodily functions. With their heart rate dropping 90 per cent, they can hibernate for up to six months.
Prairie dogs White-tailed prairie dogs spend the winter in hibernation for up to six months, using up their fat reserves. Black-tailed prairie dogs hibernate when it’s extremely cold, but tend to go into torpor for a few days.
Bats Some bats hibernate throughout the winter, which allows them to conserve their energy on the walls or ceilings of caves during periods when prey is less plentiful. Their heart drops to 10 beats per minute.
Fantastic animal feet
They may look odd, but even the strangest looking tootsies serve a purpose. Here are 9 of the world’s coolest animal feet
American coot
The feet are lined with lobes that flare out to help increase the foot’s surface area. They act like flippers to push the bird forward through the water, and flatten as the bird moves forward to reduce drag.
Tree frog
© The Art Agency/Peter Scott
Tree frogs appear to defy gravity by clinging to all manner of surfaces. They are able to do this as their feet are covered with lots of nanopillars, each with suction cup structures at the end.
Blue-footed booby
These birds almost literally depend on their comical-looking feet for survival; the brighter the feet, the more chance of attracting a mate. To catch the eye of a female, males dance and flash their feet.
Alpaca
There are two toes, each with a toenail and a pad, similar to that of a dog. They are much more sensitive than the feet of other hooved animals, meaning they are able to tread softly and cause less damage.
Crocodile
Webbed feet are perfect for the crocodile’s aquatic habitat, although they usually tuck them away while swimming to reduce drag. Their claws help to move around on land and hold down prey.
Orangutan
With four long toes and one opposable big toe, orangutans are built for a life in the trees. They can use their feet almost in the same way we use our hands, to grasp branches and objects.
Elephant
An elephant’s toes are embedded deep in the foot pad, so counting an elephant’s toes isn’t easy. A recently discovered sixth toe was found in the back of the foot to help it support the animal’s large weight.
Squirrel
A squirrel’s sweat glands are found in its feet, more specifically, between the toes. On a hot day, they are known to leave little wet footprints so you can tell when a squirrel has been around.
Eagle
Bald eagles use their long talons to grab prey firmly enough that they are able to carry it away. They have one toe facing backwards to enable them to perch on branches.
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WILD CATS YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED Everyone knows about lions and tigers, but some of nature’s lesser known felines are just as fascinating. Meet the unusual cats that prefer life outside the spotlight Words Matt Ayres
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Weird wild cats
“These swift-moving cats are particularly renowned for their hunting skills”
CARACAL
Caracal caracal Class Mammalia
Territory Africa, Middle East, Indian subcontinent Diet Small mammals, birds, rodents Lifespan 12-15 years Adult weight 18kg (40lb) Conservation status
LEAST CONCERN
Caracals leap three metres into the air to catch birds in mid-flight Caracals can be recognised by their distinctive ear tufts, a pair of black stripes running from their forehead to their nose, and white patches surrounding the eyes and mouth. Their tufty ears mean that they’re sometimes mistaken for lynxes, but caracals are actually more closely related to African golden cats and servals. The ear tufts are thought to serve a communicative function, flickering rapidly to convey messages to other caracals nearby.
These swift-moving cats are particularly renowned for their hunting skills. They are highly agile, with powerful legs that allow them to jump three metres (10 feet) into the air to take down birds. With incredible reaction speeds, they can twist their bodies to change direction in mid-air. Ancient Egyptians tamed and trained caracals to use their skills for hunting. Nowadays, seeing a caracal hunt is a rare privilege: the cats are mostly nocturnal and highly secretive during the day.
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Weird wild cats
Fishing cats are perfectly adapted to life in the wetlands The destruction of wetlands is devastating for the swamp-loving fishing cat Not all cats hate water. Take the fishing cat, for example: these unfussy felines are perfectly happy diving head first into cold rivers and pools. The fishing cat can be found in the swamps and marshy areas of south and Southeast Asia, although their numbers have seen a shocking decline due to the destruction, pollution and agricultural usage of their habitat. As their name suggests, their primary source of food is fish, so overexploitation of local fish stocks is another serious threat. Fishing cats are solitary animals. Mothers raise their young without the help of the father. Kittens learn to fish by watching their mothers, and can live independently from as young as ten months. An important adaptation for the fishing cat’s semi-aquatic lifestyle is its doublelayered fur. The first layer is short and dense, acting as a wetsuit to keep the cat’s skin dry and warm. Meanwhile, its longer second layer of ‘guard’ hairs provide the cat with its olive-grey camouflage. FISHING CAT
Prionailurus viverrinus Class Mammalia
Territory South and Southeast Asia Diet Fish, birds, insects, rodents Lifespan 10-12 years Adult weight 14kg (31lb) Conservation status
ENDANGERED
Kodkods are the smallest cats in the western hemisphere Even fully grown kodkods have the appearance of adorable baby leopards, with their reddish-grey fur and leopard-like spots. These solitary wild cats are adapted to a life spent high up in the branches of trees, where being small, nimble and light is a distinct advantage. Female kodkods make their nests in trees, and kittens sometimes
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make it to adulthood without setting a paw on the solid ground. Kodkods were once quite common in parts of Chile and Argentina, but the cats are now rarely seen due to the loss of their habitat. Human encroachment on their home means that there may be fewer than 10,000 mature kodkods le in the wild.
Weird wild cats PALLAS’S CAT
Otocolobus manul Class Mammalia
Territory Central Asia Diet Rodents, birds, insects Lifespan 12-15 years Adult weight 3.5kg (7.7lb) Conservation status
NEAR THREATENED
Pallas’s cats change their fur colour with the seasons The Pallas’s cat – or manul, as it’s also known – has been immortalised in internet memes thanks to its comically flat face, wide-eyed expression and adorably fluffy body. But all that fur isn’t just there to look cute: the Pallas’s cat is only the size of a domestic house cat, and it uses its impressive coat to appear bigger and
heavier than it actually is, scaring off potential foes. Pallas’s cats have longer and denser fur than any other cat, which they use to stay warm while hunting in the frigid climates of their cold, rocky mountain homes. During winter, the fur is long, heavy and grey. This changes to a lighter, striped ochre colour during summer.
Margays are amazing climbers and can run headfirst down tree trunks Cats have long been considered nimble and athletic creatures, but the margay is so agile that it makes ordinary household moggies look positively sluggish. These Central and South American small cats belong to the genus Leopardus, although their tree climbing abilities surpass those of similar-looking cats like the ocelot. Margays spend most of their lives in the trees, chasing birds and monkeys by leaping from branch to branch with jaw dropping accuracy. One special adaptation that makes the margay such an excellent climber is its flexible ankles, which can turn 180 degrees. This allows it to scurry headfirst down trees like a squirrel. They have also been seen hanging from branches by nothing more than a single paw.
“It uses its impressive coat to appear bigger and heavier than it actually is” 23
Weird wild cats
Sand cats are the only desert dwelling felines and can go months without water Deserts are among the most hostile and barren environments in the world, but one species of cat has found a way to inhabit them. Sand cats have a number of clever adaptations that help them to survive the scorching days and bitter nights of deserts in Asia and Africa. Thickly furred feet protect the sand cat’s paws on hot sand, and they shelter in burrows during extreme conditions. The water in their food is enough to sustain them for months without a drink.
“Thickly furred feet protect the sand cat’s paws on the hot sand” Jaguarundis are sometimes mistaken for weasels due to their unconventional looks You’d be forgiven for thinking that the jaguarundi belongs to a different animal family to the other cats on these pages. This unique looking creature from North, Central and South America is nicknamed the otter cat, due to its unusual love of water and its resemblance to animals from the mustelid family (which includes otters, badgers and weasels). Some people have even confused jaguarundis for a type of American weasel: the tayra. Nonetheless, the jaguarundi is a cat through and through – its closest relative is the cougar,
which is also found throughout the Americas. They are communicative animals, with a wide range of vocalisations including whistles, chattering sounds, yaps and bird-like chirps. 13 of these calls have been documented. Another curious characteristic of this cat is its variable fur colour. Some jaguarundis’ fur is a bright foxy red, while others have fur that is black or a brownish grey. For a while, the two colours of cat were thought to be separate species, with the redfurred ones named ‘eyra’.
“Its closest relative is the cougar, which is also found throughout the Americas” 24
These cats are good climbers but spend most of their time on the ground
Weird wild cats
Servals use super hearing to scout their prey Servals are African wild cats that look a bit like miniature cheetahs – they have slender bodies, beautifully spotted coats and the longest legs of any cat in relation to their bodies. Despite their resemblance to the fastest land animal on Earth, their genetic makeup belongs to the Caracal genus, alongside African golden cats and caracals. Like their caracal cousins, servals are outstanding hunters, using their phenomenal hearing skills to locate small animals. They slowly stalk their prey before pouncing, dazing the victim with a powerful blow from their forepaws and finally securing the kill with a swift bite to the neck. The serval’s favourite food is rodents, which make up more than 80 per cent of their diet. However, larger animals like duikers, flamingos and small antelopes are also on the menu: rather than eating these all in one go, the serval will hide its biggest kills in dry vegetation and come back for more later. A hybrid animal called the savannah cat occurs when servals breed with domestic cats. These have a taller, slimmer build than the average house cat, and inherit the serval’s appealing spotted coat pattern.
“A hybrid animal called the savannah cat occurs when servals breed with domestic cats”
SERVAL
Leptailurus serval
Territory South-eastern and northern Africa Diet Rodents, reptiles, birds, frogs and insects Lifespan Up to 20 years in captivity Adult weight 13.6-18.1kg (30-40lb) Conservation status
LEAST CONCERN
Servals can jump up to three metres (10 feet ) in the air to catch prey
© Alamy; FLPA; Thinkstock
Class Mammalia
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Weird wild cats
Know your wild cat Felines share many common characteristics, but they’re also a wonderfully diverse family. Here’s how to tell the difference between the wild cats of the world
Ocelot Leopardus pardalis
African golden cat Caracal aurata
Sand cat Felis margarita
Round ears and gleaming brown eyes are among the defining features of the ocelot. Its head is slightly longer than that of the similarly built margay.
African golden cats have round faces, and their heads are small in relation to their body size. Majestic reddish-gold fur gives this feline its name.
Wide, sandy-brown coloured heads with large, yellow-green eyes make sand cats easy to recognise. Reddish-brown horizontal stripes run across their cheeks.
Central and South America Size: 70-90cm (28-35in) without tail. Coat: Short, light yellow to reddish grey coat marked with black spots, stripes and rosettes.
West and Central Africa Size: 62-94cm (24-37in) without tail. Coat: Golden reddish or silvery to dark grey. These cats are sometimes spotted and, if so, patterns vary.
Northern Africa and Middle East Size: 39-52cm (15-20in) without tail. Coat: Light sandy brown to grey coat with black rings at the tip of the tail and stripes on the top of its front legs.
Caracal Caracal caracal
Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus
Andean mountain cat Leopardus jacobita
The most obvious characteristic of the caracal is its long black ear tufts. Their eyes have a narrow appearance due to lowered upper eyelids.
Lynxes also have ear tufts, but their speckled faces mean they look quite different from caracals. Striking white rings surround their eyes.
The predominantly grey colouration of the Andean mountain cat helps it to blend in with rocky terrain. Light coloured fur surrounds its lips and cheeks.
Central Africa, South Africa, west Africa, southwest Asia, Middle East Size: 61-105cm (24-41in) without tail. Coat: Reddish brown coat with no markings.
Spain and Portugal Size: 68-82cm (cm (27-32in) without tail. Coat: Greyish yellow to greyish red/brown with distinctive dark spots.
Andes Mountains: Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru Size: 57-64cm (22-25in) without tail. Coat: Ash grey coat with orangey brown rosette-like blotches and dark stripes across its chest and front legs.
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Weird wild cats
Fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus
Pallas’s cat Otocolobus manul
Margays have shorter heads and larger eyes than ocelots, and are generally smaller. Their fur is light brown with black or dark brown rosettes.
Olive grey fur, elongated faces, flat pink noses and set back ears give fishing cats a distinctive look. Black streaks run down their foreheads.
A short, flattened face means that the Pallas’s cat has become famous for its comical scowl. It has circular pupils, unlike the slit pupils of other small cats.
Central and South America Size: 46-79cm (18-31in) without tail Coat: Tan coloured with black rosettes. These markings are lighter in the centre.
Southern Asia and Sri Lanka Size: 57-115cm (22-45in) without tail. Coat: Grey with dark, long spots that look almost like stripes running in rows down the length of its body.
Central Asia Size: 46-65cm (18-25.5in) without tail. Coat: Thick grey to yellowish fur with only very faint stripes on the cat’s sides.
Jaguarundi Puma yagouaroundi
Kodkod Leopardus guigna
Serval Leptailurus serval
Jaguarundis have small faces and lack the markings that most other American cats are known for. They have short, rounded ears and silvery whiskers.
The small, round head of the kodkod is covered in dark markings, contrasting against the tiny cat’s predominantly brown or grey coat.
A serval’s ears are large relative to the size of its head and it has a long neck in relation to its body. Its golden-yellow fur is covered in dark spots and stripes.
Northern Mexico, Central and South America. Florida and Texas Size: 46-65cm (18-25.5in) without tail. Coat: Black, greyish brown or reddish brown.
Central and southern Chile, parts of Argentina Size: 37-51cm (14-20in) without tail. Coat: Greyish brown with black spots densely covering its fur.
Africa Size: 59-92cm (23-36in) without tail. Coat: Pale yellow fur with black spots. Its markings vary from long spots along its neck to dense smaller spots.
© Jo Smolaga
Margay Leopardus wiedii
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50
SHARK FACTS TO SINK YOUR TEETH INTO Incredible things you never knew about the most dangerous fish in the ocean, from laying the world’s largest eggs to being boneless Words Amy Grisdale
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50 shark facts
1. There are ten hammerhead species GREAT HAMMERHEAD SHARK Sphyrna mokarran
Class Chondrichthyes
Territory Coastal tropical areas Diet Crustaceans, fish and stingrays Lifespan 20-30 years Adult weight Up to 450kg (1,000lb) Conservation Status
ENDANGERED
Although often thought of as belonging to a single species, each of the ten types of hammerhead has a completely unique appearance. Not only do they vary in size, but they have drastically differing head shapes. In general, these are shallow-water species often found around the coast. Normal hammerhead prey includes crustaceans and stingrays found on the sea bed, as their mouths are situated on the underside of their heads. In fact, the reason the ridiculouslooking hammer shape developed was to make it easier to find food beneath the sand. It offers them near 360-degree vision as well as providing a wide ‘scanner’ with which to search
the ocean floor. In addition, the face of each shark contains thousands of jelly-filled pores called ‘ampullae of Lorenzini’. These features are able to pick up electrical signals from moving fish and the wide hammer – also known as the cephalofoil form – has a large surface area and sky-high density of the sensitive receptors. They can even pick up the twitching of muscles of buried prey, like the heart of a stingray beating beneath the sand. That’s one reason why so many species have developed this wide head shape, and different sharks are adapted to finding particular prey with their individual hammer shape.
Hammerheads are one of the few species that can actually get a tan. This is because they spend a lot of their time in shallow water
Great hammerhead
Scallop hammerhead
Smooth hammerhead
Bonnet hammerhead
Winghead hammerhead
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50 shark facts 3. Shark pregnancies can last three years
2. Great whites eat over 20 times more than us
Scientists believe that the deep-dwelling frilled shark has the longest gestation of any vertebrate, reaching up to three and a half years. A study carried out in Japan showed that frilled sharks breed throughout the year and the long gestation is due to the cold temperatures of the deep sea where this shark lives. This particular species incubates up to 15 eggs internally, and hatchlings feed on the egg yolk within the uterus before emerging. Other shark species can be pregnant for as long as two years. The spiny dogfish shark has a gestation of two years and basking sharks carry their young for three years.
The average human consumes around 1.5 kilograms (three pounds) of food each day, which works out to roughly half a ton each year. This might sound like a lot, but not when compared to the mammoth appetite of the ocean’s biggest predator. The massive great white can eat up to 11 tons over 365 days, which outstrips humans by a landslide. However, this enormous-sounding figure boils down to the weight of only around 45 California sea lions, one of the giant predatory fish’s favourite prey. On average, it seems, the great white can survive eating just one sea lion every eight days. However, if the sharks in question were feeding on larger Steller sea lions, they would eat every 17 days on average.
This ‘living fossil’ resembles a sea snake, and may have given rise to early myths about sea monsters
Great white sharks famously thrust themselves out of the water when in pursuit of mammal prey
“On average, it seems, the great white can survive eating just one sea lion every eight days” 500 mya
400 mya
Primitive fish evolve
An artistic rendering of Cladoselache, a prehistoric shark that lived 150 million years before any dinosaur
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300 mya
Sharks emerge
200 mya
100 mya
Dinosaurs exist
Now
Humans evolve
mya = million years ago
4. Dinosaurs emerged after the first sharks The very first sharks lived in the Ordovician Period around 450 million years ago, although our only evidence is fossilised teeth that date back to that era. As shark skeletons are made of cartilage rather than bone, fossils are fairly rare – usually only the teeth remain. It is known that the prehistoric fish that lived 370 million years ago would be recognisable to us as sharks, like the early species Cladoselache. Dinosaurs first began to appear 230 million years ago, when sharks had already begun to dominate the ocean. They were near-shore predators at this time, but within the following 100 million years they reinvented themselves as fast-swimming open ocean hunters. Many species fell during the same catastrophe that finished the dinosaurs, but those that survived gave rise to the modern sharks. The ancestors of the most famous sharks, like the great white, lived through the Jurassic period and complete skeletons have been found. Great whites didn’t take on their current appearance until around 11 million years before now.
50 shark facts 5. There are more than 400 species of shark The largest shark recorded was a whale shark measuring 12.2 metres (40 feet) and the smallest was a dwarf lantern shark at 21.2 centimetres (8.3 inches).
6. Shark bones are made of flexible cartilage rather than brittle calcium
11. Whale sharks have the largest eggs in the sea (and on land) One female can develop up to 300 eggs at once, and the capsules measure 30 centimetres (12 inches) long. The eggs aren’t the round, smooth shells that we see in bird nests, but resemble ‘mermaids’ purses’ found on the beach. What’s more, whale sharks don’t lay eggs in the traditional sense. Instead, they develop and hatch
inside the uterus before exiting the body as a live shark that’s roughly 60 centimetres (two feet) in length. These egg casings are made of long protein strands like collagen, which is the most abundant protein in the human body. Females store sperm from a single male and can fertilise many eggs over time, according to researchers.
WHALE SHARK Rhincodon typus
Class Chondrichthyes
Territory Tropical oceans Diet Plankton and small schooling fish Lifespan 100 years Adult weight Up to 21,000kg (47,000lb) Conservation Status
ENDANGERED
Sharks have evolved with a skeleton made of cartilage instead of bone, making them lighter and able to survive more easily.
7. Only three shark species are responsible for attacks on humans
These include the great white, tiger shark, bull shark and oceanic whitetip shark.
8. Some sharks have three eyelids
Known as the nictitating membrane, this thin layer protects the eye when sharks such as the hammerhead or tiger shark are attacking prey.
9. Millions of sharks are killed every year A report suggested that humans kill 100 million sharks every year. That’s a conservative estimate, and it could be as many as 273 million. By comparison five humans are killed by sharks every year.
10. Sharks would sink in fresh water
The swim bladder is a gas-filled organ that helps fish float, but sharks lack one. Scientists have found sharks are almost three times less buoyant in freshwater than in saltwater.
Whale shark egg capsule
30cm x 14cm
Ostrich egg
15cm x 13cm
12. Greenland sharks are the slowest swimmers Milling around at 2.7 kilometres (1.7 miles) per hour, this Arctic species beats its tail only nine times per minute. It could be that the freezing temperatures slow down the shark’s vital body processes – a phenomenon known as the ‘Q10 effect’. One thing that has baffled shark researchers is the contents of the Greenland shark’s stomach. They have been found to contain fresh seal meat. We can only assume the shark goes in for the kill when the seal is asleep at the water’s surface, as the harbour seal can swim four times faster than the Greenland shark’s top speed. It could easily get away. RIGHT Images of this slow swimmer are scarce as they inhabit cold water at depths of up to 1,200 metres (4,000 feet).
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50 shark facts
13. Cannibalistic baby tiger sharks eat their siblings SAND TIGER SHARK Carcharias taurus
Class Chondrichthyes
Territory Coastal tropical areas Diet Bony fish, skates and squid Lifespan 15 years Adult weight 160kg (350lb) Conservation Status
VULNERABLE
The sand tiger shark’s first meal usually comprises the bodies of their unborn littermates. The largest hatchling generally eats all but one of its siblings, but it’s only recently been discovered why. Even though they are part of the same litter, young sand tiger sharks can be fertilised by different fathers. The seemingly gruesome act of cannibalism is actually an ingrained strategy for survival of the father’s genetic line. The struggle to pass on DNA goes beyond the act of reproduction, as the newborn
sharks are hard-wired to feast on the flesh of those that don’t share their paternity. Up to 12 baby sharks are whittled down to just two, allowing the remaining offspring to grow larger and stronger, entering the world with better chances of surviving in the ocean. What’s interesting is that it’s still unknown what determines the success of a father shark. It could simply be that the first fertilised embryo is the strongest, or there could be a genetic component. At this stage, we simply do not know.
“Newborn sharks are hard-wired to feast on the flesh of those that don’t share their paternity”
15. Hammerheads are born soft to protect the mother’s birth canal
Hammerheads birth live young which have a so head so they don’t harm their mother.
16. Most large sharks feed at the surface, while small species feed in deep water The large whale shark feeds at the surface, whereas the smaller frilled shark hunts in the deep sea.
17. Shark skin is covered with tooth-like scales called denticles
These are more like teeth than scales and allow sharks to swim faster and with more ease.
18. The whale shark is the largest fish on Earth
The largest whale shark ever recorded measured 12.2 metres (40 feet) long and weighed 21.5 tonnes (47,000 pounds).
A shark researcher in the 1980s was reportedly bitten by a sand tiger embryo during its mother’s dissection, though this has never been confirmed.
14. They can fall prey to killer whales, crocodiles and seals As amazing as sharks are at hunting, no other animal is as successful as the orca. In the rare instances they come face to face with great whites, the shark is in serious trouble. There are many documented cases of this, and in 1997 a female orca flipped a
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great white upside down and held it in place, causing it to suffocate. Saltwater crocodiles in Australia have been recorded feasting on unlucky bull sharks, and sea lions have been taped tackling leopard sharks. It goes to show that not every shark is a fearsome predator.
19. Shark teeth are replaced like a conveyer belt, moving forward when others fall out
Without the ability to continually replace their teeth, the shark’s powerful jaw would not be as strong as it is.
20. Sharks have seven senses
The seven senses of the shark include vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste, electroreception and pressure sensors. It is because they have such sharp senses that they are such skilled predators.
21. Megalodon IS definitely extinct A quick Internet search on the subject will bring up hundreds of theories, images and even full-length documentaries about the continued existence of the largest shark to ever exist. Each annual ‘Shark Week’ brings new waves of ‘expert evidence’ and convincing photographs that allegedly prove the possibility that megalodon might still swim in the sea. Unfortunately (or fortunately for those forever scarred by Jaws), the theory is impossible. Megalodon died out around two million years ago, though scientists are yet to pin down a single cause. They did conquer the seas for an impressive 14 million years and were found in almost every ocean across the globe. Many factors could have influenced the dwindling mega-shark numbers, from shrinking food sources to rising global temperatures, but there’s one piece of evidence that proves that it has now disappeared for good. Large filter-feeding whales were able to develop once giant sharks had died out. Before they had no chance to emerge as they would have been easy prey for the fast-moving ball of teeth that was megalodon. The whole reason baleen whales like blues and fins had the chance to grow so large is that nothing else was big enough to attack them. This evolution only began after megalodon became extinct.
22. Great whites can travel 20,000km in a few months The first round-trip ocean crossing made by a shark was documented in 2005, when a great white nicknamed Nicole travelled from South Africa to Australia and back. The journey took nine months and set the record for the quickest return migration of any sea creature. This changed the face of shark research, demonstrating that sharks don’t swim around aimlessly, but make purposeful migrations across continents.
Megalodon hunted prehistoric whales before its untimely demise
MEGALODON
Carcharodon megalodon Class Chondrichthyes
Human Great white Whale shark
Territory Global Diet Early marine mammals, prehistoric sharks and large fish Lifespan Unknown Adult weight 90,000kg (200,000lb) Conservation Status
Megalodon EXTINCT
The tail is known as ‘heterocercal’, as the top half is longer than the bottom. This stops the shark from spinning around, and acts as the animal’s engine when navigating the big blue.
“Sharks don’t swim around aimlessly, but make purposeful migrations” 23. Sharks have great camouflage
Most shark species have a dark grey back and a creamy white belly. This is no coincidence. It’s a form of camouflage called countershading that’s fairly common in the sea. A predator or prey looking down into the sea will see the dark back and it will blend in with the murky sea bed. An animal looking up from below will see the white ventral side and it will match the light sky.
24. Sharks are NOT immune to cancer but could help us find the cure
Sharks are designed for swimming, with their streamlined shape and rigid fins. Their form has been replicated by aerospace engineers when designing new aircra.
Each fin plays a pivotal role in keeping the shark exactly where it wants to be. The dorsal fin on the back prevents it from rolling in the water and the pectoral fins on each side prevent pitching back and forth.
Humans have found cancerous tumours to exist in 23 species of sharks, though these fish are more resistant to the disease than we are. Scientists have discovered some unidentified active chemicals in shark cartilage that have a growth-supressing effect on some tumours, but no study has proven that these can affect human cancers. Research is still ongoing, however, and only time will tell if sharks can inspire the cure for cancer in humans.
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50 shark facts
25. Blue sharks eat like ancient Romans BLUE SHARK
Prionace glauca
Class Chondrichthyes
Territory All oceans except around the poles Diet Squid, fish and marine mammals Lifespan Up to 20 years Adult weight 55kg (120lb) Conservation Status
NEAR THREATENED
If this species eats too much it is able to vomit, and then continue feeding. Unlike humans who simply regurgitate the contents of the gut through the mouth, sharks eject the entire stomach. This can be in response to extreme fear, stress or to cleanse the stomach of indigestible materials like bones and inanimate objects. The stomach is then retracted without having any negative effect on the shark whatsoever. The most impressive part is that this entire process, called stomach eversion, takes only around 0.3 seconds. This is a handy trick for shark researchers who wish to examine the diets of the animals without hurting them. Stomach eversion can be
stimulated manually, and the contents can be collected for studying. Stomach content analysis is a very useful tool for deducing what different shark species feed on, and without stomach eversion the process would require the shark to be killed and dissected. Studies have found that although adult males and females have a very similar diet, juvenile males and females eat different things. It has also been discovered that blue sharks in various regions feed on different food sources. Those around Mexico gorged on squid and crabs, while blues off the coast of Nova Scotia feed opportunistically on open-water fish and marine mammals.
Famous for eating anything and everything, a bottle of Madeira wine was found in the stomach of a blue shark in 1942
26. Sharks roll their eyes when hunting
Oen pursuing prey at top speed, when the crucial moment of capture arrives the shark rolls its eyes backwards to prevent any debris from entering. Shark eyes are very similar in structure to our own, and are very important to the animal’s hunting ability. Most notably during the night, as their eyes have a layer of reflective crystals that magnify even the smallest amount of light. This enables them to see ten times better than a human could under water.
LEFT Mirrored crystals cause light that enters the retina to bounce around and have a second chance of being registered by the eye. They are called the tapetum lucidum
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27. There are three types of shark birth Viviparity Eggs hatch inside the mother’s body and a placenta transfers food and oxygen to the baby sharks before they emerge.
Oviparity Sharks lay eggs and leave them alone to hatch. These are tough protein capsules that vary in shape, and are twisted like a screw.
Aplacental viviparity The eggs hatch and develop in the female’s body but have no placenta, so instead rely on eating unhatched eggs or their weaker siblings.
50 shark facts
28. Bull sharks can survive in freshwater Osmoregulation is the process by which fish balance the concentration of salt in their bodies. Most sharks cannot survive in fresh water because the salt in their bodies becomes too diluted. However, bull sharks can reverse this process when they enter fresh water, and some even decide to stay for good where other sharks wouldn’t survive.
They are able to do this because of the functions of their kidneys and a gland near their tail which prevents the loss of salt. Bull sharks have been found swimming more than 3,200 kilometres (2,000 miles) from the ocean. They have adapted to survive in both fresh and salt water and can be found all over the world in oceans and rivers.
“Bull sharks have been found swimming more than 3,200 kilometres (2,000 miles) from the ocean”
29. Under five fatal attacks in a year
The average number of deadly shark interactions with humans is 4.2 each year worldwide.
30. Just keep swimming
Water needs to move through most shark gills constantly to keep the animal alive. The shark must keep moving or else rest in a current.
31. Whale sharks grow slowly
It takes an entire 30 years for the whale shark – the world’s largest fish – to reach sexual maturity.
BULL SHARK
Carcharhinus leucas
Class Chondrichthyes
32. Hammerheads make friends
Territory Coastal tropical areas Diet Fish, birds and turtles Lifespan 12-16 years Adult weight 90-230kg (200500lb) Conservation Status
Scalloped hammerheads are one of the only sharks to move in groups – others prefer the single life.
33. Newly discovered species
NEAR THREATENED
Humans were not aware of the existence of the six-gill frilled shark until 2007 when the species was discovered.
34. Some have a pecking order Both the great white and Caribbean reef shark display distinct hierarchies when feeding. These exist both within single species and between various types of shark. The strongest and largest feast first and the others wait their turn.
35. Females can conceive immaculately
In rare cases sharks can reproduce by parthenogenesis – a method of reproduction in which females don’t need any sperm. This has only been confirmed in a handful of instances, however.
36. Coconuts kill more humans than sharks do
The chances of being killed by a shark are one in almost 4 million. This means you’re four times more likely to die from a falling coconut than a shark attack.
37. Babies are born with teeth Young sharks are born with everything they need to begin hunting and surviving alone.
38. Some species of shark glow in the dark
Both the swellshark and the chain catshark have been found to have fluorescent skin. Their skin contains fluorescent proteins which absorb blue light and re-emit it as low-wavelength green light. A study found that these sharks communicate with each other using their fluorescent patterns. This process of bioluminecence is similar to that of over 180 species of fish that glow in the dark as a form of camouflage or to find a mate. Bull sharks are one of the most aggressive shark species in the world and get their name from how they attack their prey head-on.
“These sharks communicate with each other using their fluorescent patterns” 35
50 shark facts
39. Leopard sharks have rich blood
41. Bramble sharks dive in deep blue sea
Red blood cells are smaller and more numerous in the leopard shark than in most other shark species to allow it to survive in low-oxygen estuaries where it lives.
Researchers do not know much about the dwarf gulper shark, but at a size of just 60 centimetres (two feet), it probably serves as prey for other varieties of shark.
This bottom-dweller lives between 18-900 metres (593,000 feet), feeding on crustaceans and small fish, but it is usually found below 200 metres (656 feet).
42. Lanternsharks have giant eyes
43. The mako has the fastest fins
44. Thresher sharks have long tails
As it feeds in darkness, the great lanternshark has sensitive, oversized eyes to help it snatch fish prey without in the absence of sunlight.
The shortfin mako can swim up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour. The salmon shark has been recorded reaching speeds of 80.5 kilometres (50 miles) per hour.
The upper lobe of the tail is over half the fish’s total body length and it uses it as a deadly weapon. It gets its name because of this movement.
45. Tiger sharks lose their stripes
46. Lemon sharks sometimes eat sea birds
47. Sharpnose sharks are different colours
Young tiger sharks have black stripes which is where they get their name from, but these disappear when they become adults.
© Alamy; FLPA; Getty; NaturePL; Thinkstock
40. Dwarf gulpers are food for bigger sharks
48. Goblin sharks have see-through skin
The pink colour we see isn’t the skin of the goblin shark, it’s actually the pink, blood-rich muscles beneath the fish’s clear epidermis.
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Surface-feeding lemon sharks occasionally snatch sea birds floating on the sea top when they cannot find enough fish to prey on.
This small coastal shark can be olive, blue or brown as well as having white blotches along the flanks. It gets its name from its flattened and long snout.
49. Whitetip reef sharks 50. Basking sharks have eat snoozing fish buoyant livers
This nocturnal species emerges at night to sneak up on unsuspecting fish while they sleep. This is because it is one of the slower species of shark.
25 per cent of basking sharks’ body weight is the liver, which assists in keeping the animal close enough to the surface to feed on sun-reliant plankton.
“An estimated ¼ of shark and ray species are threatened with extinction and require action without delay”
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© Lauren Smith
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Meet the family
Chameleons With 170 different species, these Madagascan natives are colour-changing phenomenons JACKSON’S CHAMELEON
Trioceros jacksonii Class Reptilia
Jackson’s chameleons are generally less territorial than most. Instead of fighting to assert dominance, the males will intimidate one another with their colour displays and posture.
Territory Madagascar Diet Small insects, birds, lizards and snails Lifespan 5-10 years in captivity Adult weight 1-1.5 kg (2.2 lbs- 3.3lbs) Conservation Status
LEAST CONCERN
Jackson’s chameleon The passive-aggressive chameleon
The Jackson’s chameleon is sometimes known as the three-horned chameleon, because the males display three brown horns: one on the nose and two above the superior orbital ridge found above the eyes, although they are not as prominent as they may be on other horned chameleon species. Females have no horns. Although the chameleon is predominantly green in colour, some individuals may display traces of blue and yellow. As well as eating small insects, they also like to feed on lizards, small birds and snails. They can range from small to medium, with the adult male reaching up to 38 centimetres (15 inches), while females will grow up to 25 centimetres (10 inches.) The chameleons are able to mate year round.
Minor’s chameleon The most colourful female chameleon
Unlike most of the chameleon family, the minor’s female chameleons are the most colourful of the sexes, while the male is cloaked in shades of brown, black and whiteand-orange patterning. They are, however, capable of bold black-and-white banding on the body, with the dark bands becoming particularly red or orange on the limbs or tail. The males make up for their lack of colour with their abundance of personality. They also have protruding appendages at the end of their snouts, which MINOR’S CHAMELEON appear within Furcifer minor Class Reptilia two weeks of hatching. Found in the Tappia forest, Territory Madagascar which is known Diet Insects as their natural Lifespan Unknown habitat, these Adult weight Unknown Conservation Status chameleons have a huge appetite and ENDANGERED are very active. Both sexes of the Minor’s chameleon have a small crest running down the centre of their spine, although it extends a shorter distance in the female chameleon.
Carpet chameleon
The shy guys in the chameleon family
They usually start their day with a dark colour that enables them to warm up quickly as they rapidly expose themselves to the sunlight.
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Typically shy and timid as a species, both sexes of the carpet chameleon can reach up to 24.9 centimetres (9.8 inches). They are also known as the jewelled chameleon because of their stunning colours. They change colour depending on their mood as well as environmental factors; males are predominantly green, while females are much more colourful, including bands of orange, yellow and white. Both sexes have stripy throats and lips. This chameleon is unique to Madagascar and can be found throughout the island in small trees and shrubs. These animals like to be in the shade, although they enjoy the humidity on the island. However, they are less frequently found in the north. They are commonly found in people’s gardens in Madagascar.
CARPET CHAMELEON Furcifer lateralis Class Reptilia
Territory Madagascar Diet Insects Lifespan 2-3 years Adult weight Unknown Conservation Status
LEAST CONCERN
Chameleons
Panther chameleon
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1
The chameleon likened to a wildcat
The largest chameleon in the world PARSON’S CHAMELEON
MINUTE LEAF CHAMELEON
Brookesia minima Class Reptilia
Territory Madagascar Diet Small insects Lifespan Unknown Adult weight 0.89g (0.0019lb) Conservation Status
VULNERABLE
2 1. Brookesia micra Smallest The female of this species grows up to 33mm (1.29in.) It is smaller than the brookesia minima, with a shorter tail and smaller head.
2. Parson’s chameleon Biggest The largest chameleon, Calumma parsonii cristifer, reaches 47cm (18.5in), while Calumma parsonii parsonii reaches a huge 68cm (26.7in).
Parson’s chameleon These chameleons have numerous strange traits that set them aside from Calumma parsonii Class Reptilia the rest of their chameleon family. For one, they are the largest chameleon in the world with a triangular Territory Madagascar head, independently Diet Insects moving eyes and a laterally Lifespan Upper limit 10-12 compressed body. The years Adult weight 0.7kg (1.5lb) toes of this chameleon Conservation Status are fused into two opposable pads, giving them mittenNEAR THREATENED like feet that are efficiently used for gripping onto branches. Their skin ranges from turquoise, yellow and green, changing depending on the temperature, surroundings and presence of other chameleons. Ridges on the chameleon’s face from the top of the eyes and down to the nose closely resemble nub-like horns.
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3. Smith’s dwarf chameleon Rarest According to the Guinness World Records, the Bradypodion taeniabronchum is the world’s rarest chameleon.
4. The common chameleon Most common The common chameleon has four toes on each foot (two on each side) for grasping branches, and a prehensile tail used for balance.
Not a… chameleon
Their tongue can measure up to twice as long as their body, with a large, bulbous and sticky end, which is used to catch their prey.
The American chameleon, otherwise known as an anole (Anolis carolinensis), is not a true chameleon. Instead, it is a small-to-medium sized lizard belonging to the iguana family. It can be found in Southeast United States, and is given its name because of its ability to change colour from several brown hues to bright green, as well as its somewhat similar appearance to chameleons.
The minute leaf chameleon The chameleon as small as a matchstick head It is considered one of the smallest reptiles in the world. Its body is camouflaged in shades of green, brown and grey, but the beige patch on its front is vital for communication and materecognition in the wild. The male can grow up to 28 millimetres (1.1 inches), while the female up to 33 millimetres (1.29 inches). The species has the
independently rotating eyes and prehensile tail characteristics of all chameleons, despite its minute size. Its small head is relatively flat with a short, downward-facing snout. A row of small, spiny scales runs along each side of the backbone. They can be found foraging in deep leaf litter, but at night they climb into the high branches to sleep.
When threatened, the chameleon will camouflage itself, closing its eyes to completely mask any movement. Should it fall to the floor, it will mimic dead wood until the predator passes.
© NaturePL; FLPA; Thinkstock
Their tong-like feet are made up of five toes fused together in one bunch of two and one bunch of three, enabling them to have a tight grip on narrow branches.
Its name derives from the Latin word pardalis meaning ‘leopard’ or ‘spotted-like panther’, making reference to the markings on its body. These reptiles have excellent vision, and are able to move their eyes independently of each other to rotate PANTHER CHAMELEON Furcifer pardalis almost 180 degrees in order to see Class Reptilia their prey and predators. The male chameleon has a striking blue-green, emerald-green or turquoise body, whereas the female chameleon is much Territory Madagascar duller in colour, with a brown, grey or Diet Small insects and birds light-green skin that changes during Lifespan 7-8 years the stages of mating and pregnancy. Adult weight 60-180g (0.130.39lb) Their tails are prehensile, giving them Conservation Status the added benefit of a fifth hand. Each of their toes has a sharp claw used to gain traction on surfaces such as bark LEAST CONCERN when climbing.
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All about the monarch butterfly
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All About the
monarch butterfly
They may look small and colourful but there’s more to the monarchs than meets the eye. They undertake epic migrations, fly thousands of miles, and navigate their way across the continent
Words Naomi Harding
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All about the monarch butterfly
Going the distance Making the same journey to the same tree every year, these insects are certainly creatures of habit Monarchs are most famous for their mammoth migrations of 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) across North America towards Mexico, where they spend the winter in warmer climes. This is an impressive feat in itself, but what is just as amazing is how they navigate. Monarch butterflies are able to find their way to the same tree year after year. What makes it even more fascinating is that it isn’t even the same butterfly that makes the journey. The migration takes place over four generations, butterflies laying eggs and caterpillars hatching along the way, transforming into butterflies and carrying on the journey its ancestors started. How each new insect knows
where their ancestors were heading is one mystery, but how they instinctively know which tree to land on is another altogether. How the monarch’s brain receives and processes information about its surroundings and location to decide what direction it should fly in has never quite been understood. It is thought that they have an internal compass, but how they use it to fly south has been a subject of much debate. It’s possible the butterflies use the time of day and the Sun’s position in the sky to determine which way they are facing. Knowing what time of day it is seems wildly impressive for a small insect, but most creatures on Earth possess some sort of internal clock,
which regulates a daily pattern of behaviour as well as physiological processes. Alongside this, they have disproportionately large eyes with which they are able to constantly monitor the Sun and note its position on the horizon. Together, the Sun’s position and the internal clock work almost like an in-built GPS system. As the insect flies, it is constantly scanning the sky and keeping note of where the Sun is. If it is close to the horizon, it will know if it is setting or rising, thanks to its internal clock, and therefore knows if it is facing east or west. So if the Sun is in the west, for example, it will need to fly with the sun on its right to head south.
Milkweed is not found any further north than this line, therefore this is the northern limit of monarch butterflies. Summer The summer breeding areas, where the weather is warm enough in the US for the insects.
Overwintering The monarchs stay at their winter sites until the spring, when it starts to get warmer in the US.
Monarch migration There are two populations of monarch butterflies. The eastern population is the biggest and breeds east of the Rocky Mountains and overwinters in Mexico. The western population is much smaller and these butterflies have a shorter migration to their overwinter site on the Californian coast.
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Spring migration The insects begin the long journey back to their summer breeding ground, ready to start the cycle all over again. Autumn migration As the weather gets cooler in the US, the butterflies begin their journey south towards Mexico, or the coasts of California, depending on the population.
Overwintering areas Spring breeding areas Spring & summer breeding areas Summer breeding areas No milkweed – no breeding area Nonmigratory population Fall migration Spring migration Unconfirmed migration Northern limit of milkweed
Monarch butterfly
The loss of a billion butterflies Monarchs are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. With 96.5 per cent of the population gone, it may not be long before they are endangered The US Fish and Wildlife Service released a report in 2015 that estimated that 970 million monarch butterflies have disappeared, equating to around 96.5 percent of the total population. It’s a grim statistic, and with this rate of disappearance, we could soon see monarch butterflies awarded protection under the Endangered Species Act. As a species, the butterflies are entirely dependent on milkweed. The plant provides a food source, a place to rest, and a place to lay their eggs. Milkweed often grows on agricultural land between rows of corn and other crops, but the introduction of herbicide-resistant strains of commercial produce plants means farmers are able to indiscriminately
Time-compensated Sun compass The butterfly figures out which direction to fly based on the Sun’s location and the time of day. When the Sun can’t be seen on a cloudy day, the insect is able to use polarised light.
10AM
spray herbicides across their fields, killing the milkweed in the process. Years of relentless spraying have left the butterflies with few places to lay their eggs and, as a result, has damaged the reproductive rates and survival of the species. In response to this, people across the USA started planting milkweed in their gardens, however, unfortunately it was the wrong species – a tropical variety that hosts a parasite that, when eaten by the caterpillars, is deadly. In the Mexican wintering site, deforestation of the oyamel fir trees has led to widespread habitat loss. Increasingly, those butterflies that survive the migration are finding their trees have vanished.
DID YOU KNOW?
Monarch’s wings beat five to 12 times per second, which is 300-720 times per minute. Compared to some other species, this rate is quite slow.
SOUTH 12PM
2PM
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All about the monarch butterfly
Anatomy of the monarch butterfly Insects have a completely different physiology to mammals, which is what makes them so fascinating: from the way they breathe and circulate blood, to how they move and reproduce
Eyes
The world looks very different to a monarch butterfly. They are able to see a much broader spectrum of light than humans, and are able to see ultraviolet light.
Heart chambers
MONARCH BUTTERFLY Danaus plexippus
Aorta
Class Insecta
Territory North America Diet Liquid from fruit, nectar, and water Lifespan 2-6 weeks Adult weight 0.3-0.8g (0.010.03oz) Conservation Status
Antennae
NOT EVALUATED
Proboscis
The monarch butterfly is on a liquid diet, using the proboscis as a straw to drink liquid from fruit, or nectar from plants.
Trachea
They gain oxygen through tiny holes in the abdomen, called spiracles, which feed into the trachea, a system of tubes. This is instead of having lungs, as the trachea branch out all over the body. Leg
Crop
Rectum
JUVENILE
INFANCY Inside the egg Eggs are laid on milkweed and weigh less than 0.5 micrograms (0.000000018 of an ounce!). They are round and almost transparent in colour. Females leave their eggs on the underside of leaves.
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Hatching The caterpillar hatches about four days a er being laid. When hatching, it is so hungry it eats its way out of the egg, immediately taking a bite of milkweed leaf. This can be fatal, as milkweed latex can be like glue, and not all survive.
Life as a caterpillar The caterpillar develops its stripes as it eats more and gets stronger. Its colour markings get brighter and develop as the bright yellow and black markings it is recognised for.
Eating It grows to around an inch, is much fatter, and able to eat more than before, munching its way through whole leaves in less than an hour.
Wings
Although they appear fragile and delicate, and by our standards they are, the wings are very strong. Even when missing half a wing, the butterflies are still able to fly.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are two main reasons the monarch migrates. They aren’t able to survive the weather in the winter, however, in their overwintering sites, milkweed larval plants don’t grow, so they must return north where there is plenty of food.
Malpighian tubules
Adults excrete to regulate a constant level of salt and water in the body and rid waste from metabolic processes. The tubules pick up waste from the haemolymph and carry it to the rectum.
How to tell the difference between a male and female
Males are usually smaller in size than females and have a large visible scent gland on their hindwing. Females do not have this, but they do have thicker vein markings.
Male
Female
MATURITY Preparing for metamorphosis The caterpillar attaches itself to a leaf by spinning a silk disc. It then hangs upside down from this, forms a ‘J’ shape, and moults by wiggling out of its old skin.
Wrapping up Aer the final moult, it is so but hardens up within an hour with a firm shell to protect the creature until it is ready to emerge as a butterfly.
Emerging It takes about two weeks for the caterpillar to fully transform. As it emerges, the shell opens and the butterfly is able to crawl out.
Mating and laying eggs Males court the females in the air, tackling her to the ground where they mate. The female then lays up to 500 eggs, one at a time.
Short life span The first three generations live up to four weeks. The fourth generation lives eight times as long to finish the migration.
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All about the monarch butterfly
From the gooey remains of a caterpillar’s ashes, a butterfly rises The transition from caterpillar to butterfly is still not completely understood, but we are getting closer to unravelling the mystery It may not seem the most romantic love story in the animal kingdom, but for monarch butterflies, courting begins in the air. Once a male has seen a female that takes its liking, he tackles her to the ground mid-flight, where they mate. Once migration begins, the female lays between 500 and 800 eggs en-route, laying them lovingly one at a time on the underside of milkweed leaves. From then, it is a fairly quickly process from egg to butterfly, one that only takes a few weeks, but it is a complex process nonetheless. The eggs hatch anytime between three to 15 days later and become larvae. The larvae begin to build up strength by feeding on the milkweed leaves they were hatched on. Once they have grown into larger caterpillars, they spin a silk button that they attach themselves to from a branch and begin to form a chrysalis.
Inside the chrysalis is where the magic happens. In two weeks, the caterpillar releases enzymes that digest almost all of its body. It practically melts down into a nutrient soup, from which the butterfly begins to take form. Nearly the whole caterpillar breaks down into goo apart from tiny cells called imaginal discs. They are present its entire life, laying dormant until needed. The imaginal discs soak up all the nutrients from what remains of the caterpillar’s gooey body to form tissues and body parts. Each imaginal disc is able to transform into a different body part or organ. For example, there is an imaginal disc for the antennae, one for the proboscis, one for each of the wings, and so on. They are flat at first, folding into a concave shape, then doming and extending with the centre of each disc eventually becoming the edge of a wing, or the end of an antennae.
“Once migration begins, the female lays between 500 and 800 eggs en-route, laying them lovingly one at a time” DID YOU KNOW?
Caterpillars can eat an entire milkweed leaf in just five minutes, and during metamorphosis they increase their original weight by about 2,700 times.
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Five foes to watch out for These species do not think twice about making a meal of a monarch, and must be avoided at all cost during migration
The small monarch’s bright colours serve as more than just a warning to predators The monarch’s brightly patterned wings are a warning to predators that they taste nasty and could be poisonous. Even when in the chrysalis, they have ways to protect themselves. Wasp predation can be a problem, and if they sense one is nearby, they try to deter the wasp by jerking their bodies, or if desperate, by dropping from the branch. Monarchs contain chemicals called cardenolide aglycones, which they gain as caterpillars through their diet. The poison is found all through their bodies, except when they become butterflies, then it shis and concentrates in certain parts. Birds are most likely to go for a butterfly’s wings, but there is three times the amount of toxin located here in the hope that birds will have a taste and quickly change their mind. Most of their defence, however, is based on mimicry. They look almost identical to the viceroy butterfly, which is even more foul tasting. It is hoped predators will confuse the two species and leave well alone. It’s a clever tactic as not all monarchs contain sufficient levels of the toxin to be a deterrent.
Brown thrasher
Robin
Cardinal
Scrub jay
Grosbeak
© The Art Agency/Peter Scott; Thinkstock; Alamy
Offence is the best form of defence
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SECRETS OF THE
GOLDEN GELADA Forget everything you know about monkeys and become acquainted with the gelada baboon – an intelligent landlubber with a taste for vegetation and a head for heights Words Ella Carter
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Secrets of the golden gelada
These intriguing animals make their home in just one place on Earth – the wild highlands of Ethiopia, 2,000–5,000 metres (1.2- 3.1 miles) above sea level. In this lofty, craggy locale, despite being in the tropics, temperatures are terribly chilly. Fierce winds howl across the plateaus, and rain and hail lash down with abandon. It’s a wild place to call home, but geladas are kitted out with a coat of thick, golden-brown fur. In fact, the dominant males win the title for the most impressive monkey hairdo hands-down. Aside from us humans, these animals are the most terrestrial of primates, meaning they live their lives on the
ground instead of in the trees. Unlike their monkey cousins who make their homes in the forest canopy and spend their days swinging through trees, gelada baboons are suited to life with their flexible feet firmly on terra firma. Their hands are exceptionally well adapted for digging and picking, and you may also notice the absence of the quintessentially baboon-like flamboyant rump. This is because geladas spend much of their time sitting on their bottoms. Instead, these baboons have a distinctive patch of bare skin across their chest and neck that performs a similar function of attracting a mate.
Geladas are classified as of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, but there is still competition with livestock for grazing space
“Aside from us humans, these animals are the most terrestrial of primates, meaning they live their lives on the ground instead of in the trees”
GELADA BABOON
Theropithecus gelada Class Mammalia
Territory Mountains of Ethiopia Diet Herbivore Lifespan 19 years Adult weight 11-20kg (2444lb) Conservation status
LEAST CONCERN
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Secrets of the golden gelada The female boss
Behind every dominant male gelada monkey is a band of strong and bolshie females
Gelada monkeys share their habitat with other grazing animals such as ibex, whose presence can provide early warning of predators
Geladas live in close family units made up of around 12 females and juveniles, led by a dominant male. These families then live alongside other family units, forming huge troops that sometimes comprise up to 800 individuals. This makes the gelada one of the most social primates in the monkey world. Although the males are ‘dominant’, this just describes their breeding position and not their role in the group. The females of this species are most definitely the ones in charge. Female geladas will stay in their maternal families and select their dominant male. If another challenger comes along, although the dominant male will engage in a tussle to keep his ladies, it’s the females who ultimately decide the outcome. They may even leave with the contender if they deem him worthy. Males can form all-male groups if they aren’t attached to a family unit, but they will still live relatively peacefully alongside the dominant males and his females. Young males usually spend two to four years within these bachelor groups before being inducted into a family by the ladies.
“The females of this Gelada bites species are definitely the ones in charge”
Bleeding heart baboons Both male and female geladas have a patch of bare skin on their chests. When females are ready to mate, their patch swells and becomes red, and the male’s does the same in response. This has earned the primates the nickname ‘bleeding heart baboons’. Not really baboons Despite being called ‘gelada baboons’, they aren’t really true baboons at all – they just look like them, which makes them easier to reference. Although closely related to baboons, geladas are primates of a totally different species of Old World monkeys. Peaceful creatures On the cold, craggy cliffs of their homeland, preserving energy resources is crucial. Fighting uses energy that could be better used elsewhere, so gelada monkeys are a relatively peaceful bunch. Instead they use facial expressions to communicate.
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Secrets The last of the grazing golden primates gelada
The last grazing primates
Surviving on grass alone, geladas spend their days endlessly grazing Unlike other baboon species that enjoy a rich diet of meat and vegetation, the geladas of Ethiopia’s Highlands are graminivores; they exist solely on mountain grass. They are the very last of the ancient grazing primates, of which there were once six species roaming Africa. Unlike other grazing animals, such as zebra, geladas can’t extract protein from their food as efficiently. This means that they need a much higher quality of grass – the delicious morsels that can now only be found in the clean air of the highland forests and plateaus. It’s this dietary demand that is squeezing these
primates into smaller and smaller habitats, as climate change and the increasing spread of agricultural land alters the availability of their favourite food. Although their numbers are stable at around 1–200,000 in the wild, these pressures need to be observed to ensure these grazers survive. Due to the poor nutrition content of grass, gelada baboons spend much of their day eating. They shuffle along, using their flexible and dextrous hands to pluck grass from the earth. In fact, geladas have the most advanced opposable thumbs in the animal kingdom.
DID YOU KNOW?
Geladas are such quick eaters that when they find a choice patch of grass to munch on, they can eat as many as 150 blades of tasty mountain grass per minute!
When pickings are rich, huge groups of these social primates will gather to enjoy the plentiful grasses
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New arrivals
Christoph Schwitzer, Director of Conservation at Wild Place Project, tells us about the arrival of gelada baboons at Wild Place Project in Bristol Why did you decide to get gelada baboons at Wild Place Project? Our new gelada [monkeys] are a really impressive and exciting addition to Wild Place Project. They are recognisable by the cape of long hair over the shoulders of the males and the bright red skin on their chests. They are fascinating animals to watch and we are sure they will be a great hit with our guests. How did you have to prepare for the arrival of the new animals? Gelada [monkeys] are complex and challenging animals to look aer and a lot of hard work went into the planning, design and build of their new enclosure – Gelada Rocks – which is designed to reflect their native Ethiopian habitat. It includes areas of hilly grassland, boulders, rocky outcrops and trees, in order to provide shade, secluded areas and plenty of grass for them to graze on. It is a visually barrier-free exhibit as we wanted it to be an immersive experience for visitors. It also includes a bouldering wall for visitors, an ‘abandoned’ safari car and an explorer’s field station, with a ‘discovery area’, an indoor viewing space and picnic areas. What has it been like having a new species at Wild Place Project? The six new inhabitants are an all-male group that have settled in and have bonded well. They are such fantastic animals to work with and a great new addition to Wild Place Project, which has been open three years now and is growing every year, with further exciting additions planned for the future. Why should people come visit the geladas? What makes them special? Gelada [monkeys] are such interesting animals to watch and listen to – they constantly chatter and interact with one another. They are also visually very impressive. Males grow to around 75cm in length, weighing around 20kg (44lbs), and they are the last surviving species of a once widespread group of grass-grazing primates.
A toothy yawn from a gelada baboon puts its powerful jaws and humongous teeth on display
Expression is everything
© Thinkstock; Getty; FLPA
Geladas can convey all kinds of information with just one look
For more information about visiting Wild Place Project, visit www.wildplace.org.uk.
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With primates that live in such large groups, but where physical conflicts are rare, communication is hugely important. These animals express themselves to one another through facial expressions, vocalisations, posture, grooming and play. Their array of facial expressions is one of the most interesting. Geladas have very pale eyebrows, which they manoeuvre with expert deftness. A showing of these brows by lifting them is considered an antagonistic or threatening gesture. Similarly, when a gelada turns its upper lip inside out to show its huge teeth, a warning to back off is being issued.
Vocalisations are also a large part of gelada life and the animals will chatter among themselves for much of the day. Different calls are reserved for members occupying different levels of the social order. For example, scream calls are most often used to show submission to a dominant monkey. Tactile communication is also important. When a family unit gets too large, a dominant male cannot afford all of the females adequate grooming time. It is at this point when the unity within the family is most under threat. Some females may break away to find another male who can find the time to groom them properly.
Bizarre! The waste-eating, hand-standing, giraffe-necked antelope who marks its territory by crying With its long neck and large eyes, the gerenuk might look like it’s related to the giraffe, but this graceful gazelle couldn’t be any more different
Like many other gazelles, gerenuks have scent glands beneath their eyes called preorbital glands. They poke their eyes with twigs to release a tar-like, smelly substance to spread all over the surrounding foliage to mark their territory.
Its name means ‘giraffe-necked’ in Somali Looking like a cross between a deer and a giraffe, these creatures get their name from the Somali word ‘garanuug’, meaning giraffe-necked, and they are also known as giraffe gazelles. A long neck helps the gerenuks to reach plants that other antelope can’t, reducing competition for food.
Females have unusual birthing habits Females leave the herd and find a secluded spot when they are ready to give birth. Calves are born weighing just three kilograms (6.5 pounds). After the calf has entered the world, the female will lick her offspring clean and eat the afterbirth. She leaves the fawn alone and hidden, returning every few days to clean her young and eat its waste to rid it of any scents that may lead predators to its hiding place.
GERENUK
Litocranius walleri Class Mammalia
Territory The horn of Africa Diet Bushes, trees and flowers Lifespan 8 years Adult weight 28-52kg (62115lb) Conservation Status
NEAR THREATENED
They never drink water There have been records of humans surviving eight to ten days without water, but on the whole, it’s usually only around three days. This is nothing compared to the gerenuk that can survive without ever drinking a drop. They do need water of course, but get what they need solely from their food.
They can do handstands Almost. If you have never seen a gerenuk before, chancing upon one reared on its hind legs while eating is definitely a comical sight. By standing up in this way, they can reach leaves two metres (6.5 feet) off the ground. They have strong hind legs to support their weight while standing, and use their forelegs to steady themselves.
© Bernd Rohrschneider/FLPA
They mark their territory with tears
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UNIQUE BEAKS These bizarre bills are more than just for show. From grooming and courting, to trapping fish and digging for food, these beautiful beaks are the perfect examples of adaptation Words Naomi Harding
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Unique beaks A beak worth more than ivory
© Purestock/Alamy
At present, the function of the hornbill’s casque is still widely unknown. Sadly, some species of hornbill are targeted for their beautiful beaks, which have a texture slightly softer than ivory. The rare casques are used much in the same way that ivory is, for the carving of ornaments and belt buckles.
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Unique beaks An uneven beak and cat-like pupils helps the black skimmer catch fish
© Richard Higgins/Alamy
The bottom half of the black skimmer’s beak is much longer than the top half. It is extremely thin, razor sharp and designed for catching fish while flying. The bird flies low and slow, close to the water’s surface, dragging its beak through the water to catch small fish.
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Unique beaks The bird that looks like a pink prehistoric flamingo
© Design Pics Inc/Alamy
The roseate spoonbill is a wading bird of the Caribbean, Central and South America. It moves through shallow waters, swinging its beak from side to side to trap small fish, crustaceans and insects. The beak acts like a giant spoon, shovelling food into the bird’s mouth.
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Unique beaks These birds use their beaks for teamwork
© Nick Saunders/BIA/Minden Pictures/FLPA
The American white pelican uses its incredible beak to catch carp, perch, catfish and trout while swimming. Sometimes, when in shallow waters, they gather in large groups and open their bills to herd fish in the desired direction.
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Unique beaks The long-billed curlew’s beak is the perfect adaptation
© Anaspides Photography - Iain D. Williams/Alamy
Beaks don’t come much more impressive than this. The pointy, slender shape is perfect for poking deep down through the soft mud to find small crabs, insects and worms. On some birds, the beaks are up to 20 centimetres (eight inches) long.
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Wildlife of a hedgerow
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Wildlife of a hedgerow Hedgerows are often overlooked when it comes to havens for wildlife, but for centuries they have worked as highways and hideaways for a multitude of species Words Hannah Westlake
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Wildlife of a hedgerow
Life on the barrier
Hairstreak butterfly
Mature hedgerows typically consist of brambles, trees and woody shrubs such as blackthorn and hawthorn, and all together create a refuge for birds, mammals and insects
Ladybird In the UK, the most commonly recorded ladybird species is the seven spot variety. Ladybirds are omnivorous beetles; they will prey on caterpillars and the larvae and eggs of other beetles, but also fungi, honeydew and plant sap. In the past, ladybirds have been know to swarm and are sometimes viewed as pests.
Kestrel O en seen hovering 10-20 metres (33-66 feet) over grassland in its search for prey, the kestrel is a bird of prey belonging to the falcon family. Its primary food source is small mammals, such as mice, voles and shrews, though fledglings of other bird species can also become prey. Dragonfly
Purple emperor butterfly In the last century, the purple emperor butterfly has suffered a sharp decline and can now only be found scattered across the south of England. Males have an iridescent purple-blue sheen and can o en be found defending territory in the tree tops, while females descend to lay their eggs.
Blue tit
Common frog Common frogs are not limited to a habitat of ponds and marshes – they can also be found living in long grasses. They typically hibernate over the winter months and prefer to take shelter from the freezing temperatures under layers of decaying leaves or in sheltered, muddy burrows.
Bank vole
Hedgehog Hedgehogs make their homes in all sorts of habitats, from woodlands to meadows – even the odd back garden. However, the name ‘hedgehog’ is derived from one of the most common places they are found: hedgerows. They have an omnivorous diet of mostly slugs, beetles and other insects.
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Rabbit The European rabbit has become an invasive species in many countries, including Great Britain. Rabbits are social animals, living in warrens that can contain anywhere from two to ten individuals. They are a crepuscular species, meaning that they are most active at dawn and dusk, but will shelter in hedgerows during the day.
Wildlife of a hedgerow
Bat
Barn owl Barn owls are instantly recognisable because of their distinctive heart-shaped face. The barn owl flies silently in its nightly pursuit of small mammals: voles, shrews, mice and rats. It is sometimes called a screech owl because its call is a long shriek, rather than a typical hoot.
Hazel dormouse The hazel dormouse is the only dormouse native to Great Britain, where it is a protected species. Extremely cautious, the hazel dormouse avoids walking on the ground and making itself vulnerable, therefore making hedgerows the perfect thoroughfare connecting the dormouse to other habitats, such as woodland.
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Wildlife of a hedgerow
Habitat under threat Hedgerows are deceptively complex habitats for birds, mammals and insects, but they are in danger of disappearing Hedgerows span over 450,000 kilometres (280,000 miles) of British countryside, dividing and bordering farmland and fields. They consist of shrubs, brambles and trees like blackthorn and hawthorn – sometimes with climbers like honeysuckle tangled around them. These dense, green thickets are home to many animal species – in fact, an incredible 130 UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species are associated with hedgerows. Small mammals, such as bank voles and hedgehogs, need hedges for shelter or food. Some birds, such as blackcaps, build their nest and raise their young in shrubs. Pearl-bordered
fritillary butterflies lay their eggs in sheltered hedgerows and the greater horseshoe bat needs hedges for foraging and roosting. Hedges are good for the environment too; they help fight soil erosion and provide shelter for the predators of pest species. Unfortunately, hedgerows aren’t as bountiful and well kept as they have been in previous generations. The age-old country skill of hedge laying – creating and maintaining hedges – has suffered a sharp decline. Hedges are in poor condition and unable to provide cover for wildlife. Intensive farming and the overuse of pesticides can damage hedges that have stood for centuries.
Songbirds of the hedges Hedges are home to many birds, and they provide a podium from which songbirds can sing their hearts out
Turtle dove
The turtle dove is a dainty little bird that in recent years has been given the Vulnerable status on the IUCN Red List. It’s thought that the decline is due to a lack of food in breeding season, meaning that the chances of hearing this bird’s gentle purring song are much lower.
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Nightingale
The nightingale and its song has been immortalised by poets over the years. Its signature tune is loud for such a small bird, and it emits warbles, whistles and a characteristic whistling crescendo. The song acts as a way to denote territory, and in males, to attract a mate.
Chaffinch
The chaffinch can be found flitting around the underside of hedgerows in search of seeds. Male chaffinches typically sing two or three different songs very loudly. Fortunately there is a healthy global population of chaffinches; they are classified as a Least Concern species.
Wildlife of a hedgerow
Helpful hedgerows Hedgerows perform many helpful and beneficial functions for farmers and farmland
Important pollinators Some species of bee can make their homes in hedgerows, and they can also find nectar and pollen there.
Habitat for hunters Pests can cause a lot of trouble to crops, but hedgerows provide homes for insects that prey on crop pests.
Fighting weeds Weeds can harbour pests and diseases, but hedges can outcompete weeds for nutrients and lead to their demise.
Water quality Deep roots increase water filtration, saying goodbye to pesticides and other chemicals that can pollute water.
How to help your hedge Healthy hedges are important since they are a habitat and food source for many different animals. To encourage animal visitors, always make sure to plant native hedge species on your land. Hedges do need a bit of looking aer, so don’t crop them too closely and do avoid trimming them when birds are nesting. Plant trees along the hedgeline to provide wildlife with more cover if you can, and avoid using chemical sprays.
The extremely territorial blackbird isn’t afraid to swoop at threats. Male blackbirds have a variety of different songs: territorial evening calls, alarm calls for birds of prey and terrestrial predators, and a melodious warble to attract a mate. They spend most of their time searching for food.
Blackcap
The blackcap’s varied warbling song has earned it the nickname ‘mock nightingale’. Blackcaps build their nests in sheltered shrubs and brambles, and once the chicks have fledged they remain in the immediate area for a short time, cared for and fed by both parents.
Skylark
The skylark is renowned for its distinctive flight song. The male starts his song low to the ground then shoots upwards, hovering over his territory and warbling for all to hear. Unfortunately, populations of breeding pairs have fallen by approximately 50 per cent since the 1970s.
©Alamy; The Art Agency/Sandra Doyle; Thinkstock
Blackbird
Soil quality Mature hedgerows with widereaching roots help combat soil erosion and prevent vital nutrients from washing away.
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CONSERVING SEAHORSES Souvenir shops, aquariums, and the traditional medicine trade are pushing seahorses to the brink of extinction. But how do we save an animal that we know so little about? Words Naomi Harding Seahorses have lived in the oceans for around 40 million years – for comparison, modern humans have only been around for 200,000 years. They are curious little creatures, with a head like a horse and a prehensile tail like a monkey; they never fail to capture our imaginations. There are more than 50 species of seahorse worldwide. Although we know this many species exist, the population data for most is few and far between. Many have only recently been discovered, some even by accident, due to their amazing ability to change both colour and shape. While this is useful to evade predation, it’s also meant some species have remained hidden from researchers for quite some time. There are probably many more species yet to be discovered. Their elusive nature makes work considerably harder for conservationists. It is difficult to know how best to conserve a species when we know so little about it. At this stage we don’t know exactly how many of each species exist in the world, in the way we do with tigers or gorillas, for example, which makes it difficult to convince people and policymakers that seahorses even need saving in the first place. Instead, we have to look at how many are harvested from the ocean to get a better idea. Charities and research organisations estimate that at least 150 million seahorses are taken from the wild every year. That’s a staggering amount, and it’s not a giant leap to assume that it could soon wipe out these precious sea creatures.
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Conserving seahorses
SPINY SEAHORSE Hippocampus histrix Class Actinopterygii
Territory Indo-Pacific area Diet Small crustaceans, fish Lifespan Unknown Adult weight Unknown Conservation Status
VULNERABLE
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Conserving seahorses
Stolen from the sea
Humans are removing seahorses from the seas at an astonishing rate
There are four main reasons seahorse populations are declining. The first three are through direct human activity: capture for use in traditional medicine, the aquarium trade, and for sale as curios. The Seahorse Trust states on its website that 150 million seahorses each year are used for the traditional medicine trade alone – a practice so relentless it could drive seahorses to extinction within 30 years. Seahorses are sold whole in markets or ground into powder and made into pills in up to 85 countries. Once caught the seahorses are hung in the sun to suffocate and desiccate. Denise’s pygmy seahorse, one of the world’s smallest seahorses, was discovered by accident when scientists were researching coral
The most endangered seahorse in the world
Found in only a few estuaries in the Southern Cape, the Knysna seahorse is o en touted as the world’s most endangered seahorse. Because they have such a limited range, they are extremely vulnerable and a catastrophic event or disease could wipe out the whole species. Conservationists have responded to the declines by constructing artificial habitats to try and counteract the habitat degradation. The seahorses have been awarded legal protection and are generally not traded commercially as curios or for medicine.
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They are used by pregnant women who believe making it into a tea will keep their baby safe, as well as being burnt and mixed with goose fat as a cure for baldness. They are also said to alleviate asthma and the pain from broken bones. However, there is no evidence in scientific literature supporting these claims. More than one million wild-caught seahorses end up as curios, sat alongside starfish and seashells and sold as souvenirs in seaside towns across the UK and around the world. A further one million are destined for the aquarium trade, and their long-term survival rates are extremely low. Fewer than one per cent live
longer than six weeks after capture. They get stressed easily and fish tanks expose them to a wide range of diseases that they would never encounter in the wild. Finally, they are likely to fall victims to climate change. Seahorses’ poor swimming skills mean they are unable to move and colonise new areas, and warming oceans are fast rendering much of their habitat unsuitable. Seahorses have small home ranges. Males live, on average, within one square metre (11 square feet) and females around ten times that, leaving them unable to adapt to large-scale changes, such as ocean acidification.
Seahorses are ocean ambassadors Seahorses are much more than souvenirs of the sea; they are health indicators for their environments What exactly seahorses are has been the subject of much debate over the years and scientists finally settled on calling them fish. This is mostly due to the fact they breathe using gills and have a swim bladder (this is present in other fish and helps to control buoyancy). They are now placed in the same category as the bony fish, a group that includes cod and tuna. Instead of having scales like other fish however, they have skin stretched over bony interlocking plates, which acts almost like a suit of armour. Because of this they are mostly inedible for other fish. Despite their classification as fish, seahorses are surprisingly poor swimmers and are heavily reliant on their tails to grasp onto plants and avoid being washed away with the current. To stay safe they
are able to change colour and blend in with their environment. Some can even alter their shape to confuse predators; both are useful tactics when escape isn’t an option. Seahorses are extremely important, not just for the ecological role they play, but also as ambassadors for their habitat. Known as a flagship species, they are charismatic symbols of the health of the seagrasses, corals, and seaweeds that they live on, and protecting seahorses also protects these significant underwater habitats. Most species are monogamous, mating for life. If one partner is lost the other will not be able to breed and as such the capture of seahorses could also negatively affect those still left in the sea.
RIGHT Seahorses are readily available for sale in markets across Asia
3 things to know about seahorses Seahorses of the same species can be many different colours and we used to think there were over 100 species of seahorse, but following genetic research that number reduced greatly to around 50. They are speed eaters and can eat a portion of food in less than six milliseconds. This was discovered using high-speed cameras. Female seahorses are usually slightly bigger than males, and the males actively choose larger, taller females to mate with in what has humorously been labelled ‘Rod Stewart syndrome’.
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Conserving seahorses
The long-snouted seahorse is one of two species found in the UK
Saving seahorses Neil Garrick-Maidment is the executive director of The Seahorse Trust What is the current state of the UK’s seahorse populations? We do not know exactly but if you take our site at Studland Bay as an example then they are declining. We had 40 known individuals in 2009 and now there are none. The authorities failed to put measures in place to protect this legally protected species.
© Alamy; Getty; NaturePL
Can you tell me more about the sort of projects and work you are involved in? We work all around the world advising captive breeding, conservation and survey work, and act as advisors to individuals, organisations and even seven governments. What have the successes been so far? We had a ban [on selling seahorses] put in place on eBay in Europe, America and Australia. We spent six years getting British seahorses fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, [and] we successfully got a shop in Brixham, Devon, prosecuted for selling dead seahorses (they had 10,000). We have persuaded other shops to stop selling [seahorses] and dead insects [too]. The list is endless, but all of this has only been possible because of our amazing team of volunteers. We have had in excess of 5,000 [volunteers] in the life of the trust.
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“It is estimated that only one in 1,000 seahorses will survive” Many people love seahorses but are unaware of the role they play ecologically – can you explain why it’s important to conserve them? If seahorses vanished, apart from the symbolism of this (a bit like the dodo) it would be an ecological disaster. Adult seahorses eat large numbers of shrimp. Seahorse fry eat up to 3,000 bits of animal plankton a day and sadly seahorse fry are eaten in very large numbers [by predators], which is why seahorse produce so many fry per annum. It is estimated that only one in 1,000 seahorses will survive, which shows how important as a food source they are and how important it is for seahorses to produce so many young. Is there anything World of Animals readers can do to help? Spread the word, adopt a seahorse, become a member, importantly make a donation to our work, do not buy dead or alive seahorses, encourage others not to and become ambassadors for the natural world. Visit www.theseahorsetrust.org to see how you can help.
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Explore the Earth
UNTAMED BRAZIL The Olympics may now be a fading memory, but when it comes to biodiversity, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest country is always guaranteed to take gold Words Adam Millward
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Untamed Brazil Travel expert Dan Free is the Operations Manager at wildlife tour specialist Naturetrek. He studied Zoology before embarking on several conservation projects abroad. He first visited Brazil in 2006 and has been back many times as a guide and a tourist. Brazil is widely regarded as one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet and provides refuge to an incredible number of species. From the vast open grasslands of the Cerrado to the dense rainforests of the Amazonian and Atlantic Rainforest and the wetlands of the Pantanal, it is the sheer variety of habitats that make Brazil such a biodiversity hotspot. Although home to over 400 species of mammal, it is Brazil’s 76 species of primate that best demonstrate the country’s diversity, with a large proportion considered endemic and including such iconic species as the golden lion tamarin and South America’s largest primates, the muriquis. While Brazil’s rainforests boast the greatest degree of diversity, many of its gems are difficult to see. For those hoping to glimpse some of Brazil’s most famed wildlife inhabitants, there can be no better place than the Pantanal.
Map key 1 Pantanal 2 Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra 3 Atalaia Beach, Fernando de Noronha 4 Parque Nacional das Nascentes do Rio Parnaíba 5 Laje de Santos Marine State Park 6 Poço das Antas Biological Reserve 7 Amazon Rainforest
Green turtle
Learn about efforts to protect Brazil’s sea turtles at a sanctuary in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago. Then take the plunge to see them in the wild, along with dolphins, sharks and more.
River dolphin
Estimated to be home to one in ten of all known animal species – including river dolphins, jaguars, sloths and manatees – a trip to Brazil wouldn’t be complete without a stop in the Amazon.
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Brazilian tapir
Brazil’s biggest mammals are one of the South American “Big Five”. It’s possible to see the full set in the lush Pantanal region.
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What you need to know When to go
In such a vast country, the best time to go will depend where you’re visiting. If looking to include the Amazon and the Pantanal, the driest period is June to September.
One of the best places to view this stunning parrot up close is in the tropical forest of southern Piaui state. This area is also home to some supersmart monkeys.
Giant anteater
Lion tamarin
These New World monkeys are found nowhere else on Earth. Their Atlantic rainforest home has greatly diminished but protected pockets are helping them to stage a comeback.
Hyacinth macaw
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Meet one of the world’s oddestlooking creatures, along with several other native species, on the grassy plateaux of the Serra da Canastra.
Manta ray
The waters off the island of Laje de Santos are known as a hotspot for manta rays and dolphins in the summer, but year-round its reefs teem with sealife.
How to get there
There are frequent flights from London to Brazil’s major hubs, such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paolo. From here, you’ll most likely want to get a connecting flight.
What the weather will do
The climate is hugely varied, depending on both the region and time of year. Most of Brazil lies in the tropics, so as a rule expect high humidity, hot days and rain showers.
What to take
To see as much of Brazil’s wildlife as possible, you’ll need to do a lot of travelling, so pack light. Don’t forget anti-mosquito protection and a smaller bag for day trips.
What you’ll see
Brazil plays host to a wide array of habitats, from cloud forest to tropical savannah – not to mention some of the world’s fastest-growing cities.
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Explore the Earth
Paddle through the Pantanal It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Brazil’s wildlife starts and stops at the Amazon. However, the reality is that you’re far more likely to see this country’s most iconic animals in its unique Pantanal region. This vast tropical wetland – the largest of its kind on the planet at around 10 times the size of Florida’s Everglades – plays host to over 150 different mammals, more than 650 types of bird and all manner of fish, reptiles and amphibians. Some of its biggest residents – literally and figuratively – include jaguars, which grow larger here than anywhere else, Brazilian tapirs (the country’s largest native mammal) and capybaras (the world’s largest rodents). Other species here include macaws, armadillos, tamanduas, howler monkeys, eagles and tortoises – and that’s just getting started. Thanks to its accessibility and fairly open terrain – indeed, much of the Pantanal is used as pasture by cattle farmers – wildlife sightings are frequent – far more so than in the densely vegetated Amazon. Different tours offer various means of exploration, including horse-riding, jeep safaris and trekking, but by far the best way to experience this watery wonderland is by boat. Canoes and kayaks enable you to get much closer to the local fauna than you would on land and offer the best seat for seeing creatures drink, bathe and hunt.
Sniff out an anteater Undoubtedly one of South America’s most unusual-looking creatures has got to be the giant anteater. While these toothless insectivores are present in the Pantanal region, their nocturnal lifestyle makes them more difficult to observe. To see them in the day you’re better off heading to Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra. Situated in central Brazil, it is part of the extensive tropical savannah, known as the Cerrado, that divides the humid east and the drier west. As their name suggests, anteaters spend the majority of their time foraging for ants and termites – of which they consume around 30,000 per day! On
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locating a nest, it uses its sharp claws to break through the tough walls, before sticking in its 60-centimetre (23-inch) long tongue to scoop out as many inhabitants as it can before the stings/bites become too painful. Owing to their poor eyesight, it’s possible to get surprisingly close to these endearing long-nosed oddballs. However, it’s highly recommended only to do so with a professional guide, as there have been attacks by those that have felt cornered. The unusual wildlife here doesn’t stop at anteaters. The pampas terrain is also home to the maned wolf (the continent’s biggest canid), giant armadillos and numerous birds, including the largest wild population of the Brazilian merganser, a critically endangered duck.
Untamed Brazil Brazilian fiestas
Rio Carnaval
A colourful riot of dancing, music and parades, the world’s largest carnival takes place in the lead-up to Lent each year. Some two million revellers taking to the streets of Rio de Janeiro; it’s not for the faint-hearted!
New Year in Copacabana
With a reputation for being one of the best places in the World to spend New Year’s Eve partying away, Copacabana beach is definitely worth a visit at this time of year.
Festival of Yemanjá
Every year on 2 February in Salvador, Bahia, the locals dress in white and make a procession to the shore. Here, tributes are presented to the goddess of the sea, Yemanjá.
Oktoberfest
Odd as it may sound, the Oktoberfest held in Blumenau is one of the largest to take place outside Germany. It is inspired by the city’s immigrant founders.
Parintins Folklore Festival This Amazonian celebration, which falls in June, revolves around the story of a resurrected ox. Two teams engage in a fierce contest to re-enact the legend.
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Take the plunge into a real-world aquarium Picture paradise in your mind’s eye and you’ll probably imagine something like Fernando de Noronha. This string of volcanic islands off Brazil’s northern coast offers some of the best marine life not just in this continent but the world. One of the star attractions are its chelonians, which include both green and hawksbill turtles. Although it’s possible to see them in the wild year-round, as well as learn about their conservation at the TAMAR Project’s open-air museum, visit between December and July to have the chance of witnessing baby green turtles hatching at protected sites such as Leão Beach. Elsewhere, at Baia dos Golfinhos, you can enjoy the acrobatic displays of spinner dolphins, while the islands’ numerous underwater caves shelter nurse sharks, octopuses, moray eels and crustaceans, among many other reef-dwellers. For those who’d rather snorkel than dive, put Atalaia Beach at the top of your list. The retreating waters at low tide leave behind a huge shallow pool, brimming with all manner of sealife. To enter this natural aquarium, you must first obtain a permit; even then, it’s worth getting here early because daily visitor numbers are capped to help preserve this unique sanctuary.
Swim with manta rays From May to July, the waters off the island of Laje de Santos near São Paolo see gatherings of one of the ocean’s most graceful creatures. Manta rays are the largest species of ray, with wingspans reaching up to six metres (19.6 feet) – that’s about as wide as a giraffe is tall! For diving enthusiasts, the chance to see these gentle giants gliding through the sea, mouths agape as they feast on plankton, is an opportunity not to be missed.
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Discover a new toad In 2015, scientists found seven new species of saddleback toads in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest. Each of these tiny brightly coloured toads is limited to one or two mountains, as the rapid decline of cloud forests has left them cut off in isolated communities. The researchers are confident that “the total number of Brachycephalus is still underestimated”, just going to show that it’s still possible to discover brand-new species in the 21st century. If you do come across one while trekking, just make sure to only look and not touch.
More Pantanal creatures
Marsh deer
South America’s largest native deer have evolved broad hooves and impressive jumping skills to help get around their water-logged habitat.
Go nuts over macaws and monkeys Parque Nacional das Nascentes do Rio Parnaíba may be one of Brazil’s newest national parks, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on wild residents. This region is dominated by dry tropical forest and red sandstone cliffs – two features which make it perfect for one of South America’s most iconic birds. Growing up to one metre (3.3 feet) long, hyacinth macaws are the world’s largest parrot, but of course their most distinguishing feature is their vivid blue plumage. Stay at a lodge here and you’ll see flocks of these beautiful birds flying at dawn and dusk. Another local has learned to make do without a beak. Brown capuchins here have been observed selecting igneous rocks from riverbeds and then using them to crush nuts against other flat rocks, much like a hammer and anvil. This use of tools is limited to only a few primates, hence why these monkeys have been causing a lot of excitement among zoologists.
Giant river otter
You’re more likely to hear these critters before you see them, with barks, growls and snorts just a few ways in which they communicate. Their hunting prowess has earned them the nickname ‘river wolves’.
Yellow anaconda
Slightly smaller than its green cousin, this ambush predator can nonetheless reach up to 4.5 metres (14.7 feet). Lurking in the shallows, its diverse diet includes everything from capybara to turtles and even caimans.
Go on an Amazon adventure With 10 per cent of all known species living in the Amazon, it’s no surprise that it’s at the top of many animal-lovers’ to-go lists. Home to everything from jaguars and tarantulas, poison-dart frogs and countless bird species, it truly is one of Earth’s premiere wildlife destinations. It’s worth bearing in mind that what makes this such a haven for nature – the dense vegetation and vast regions of undisturbed territory – can also work against your chances of sightings. Boat tours are a tried-andtested method that take advantage of the natural clearings provided by rivers and lagoons, and letting you get up close with aquatic mammals such as river dolphins, manatees and giant otters. However, one of the most immersive experiences is the chance to climb up to the rainforest canopy, where much of the action takes place.
Yacare caiman
If you’re guaranteed to see anything in the Pantanal, it’s these guys. An estimated 10 million live here! When not hunting for fish like piranha, you’ll most likely see caiman basking in the sun on river banks.
Greater rhea
Although traditionally a forest-dweller, small families of these emu-like birds also build their mound-like nests on the Pantanal’s floodplains and the pasture land bordering the swamps.
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Look for lions in the trees Okay, so we’re not talking big cats here but monkeys with rather leonine faces, known as lion tamarins. The world’s only four species of this New World monkey live exclusively in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest. Although their habitat has drastically shrunk over the last century, there are signs that they are making a comeback. Protected areas like the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve – just a couple of hours from Rio de Janeiro – provide the perfect opportunity to see these creatures in the wild and also learn about the conservation efforts going in to saving them.
Go butterfly watching Both budding and seasoned lepidopterists will be blown away by the sheer variety of butterflies in Brazil. A prime location is the Alta Floresta region in the southern Amazon, which thanks to its position straddling the Pantanal and the Cerrado encompasses two major biomes. Some 1,600 species of butterfly have been officially documented here, but some estimates put the count closer to 2,000. As well as showstoppers like the blue morpho, green mantle and painted beauty, endemics include the Hahnel’s Amazonian swallowtail and the yellow kite.
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Untamed Brazil
Top tips Keep tabs on Zika
As of August 2016, Brazil was still considered a high-risk area for Zika, with the National Travel Health Network and Centre advising against all but essential travel for pregnant women. Be sure to check the virus’s current status on the Travel Health Pro website or with your GP before booking.
Be soccer savvy
Football is more of a religion than a sport in Brazil, so be prepared for many a conversation to begin “Qual é a sua equipe?” (essentially “Which football team do you support?”). And if you’re going to wear a football shirt, you’ll be expected to have the lowdown on all the latest games and players.
Eat by the kilo
A novel dining experience in Brazil’s cities are ‘kilo restaurants’, where you pay based on not what you eat but how much it weighs. These buffet-style establishments are a great way to sample a lot of dishes in one place and also good for those on a shoestring budget.
Waterproof phone case
Not only does this case offer peace of mind when out on the water, but it still allows you access to all your device’s functions, so you’re able to chat, use apps and take photos. £18.75 over-board.co.uk
Flip flops
Immediately feel at home when you step off the plane by ordering your pair of Havaianas ahead of your trip. These flip flops are available in a wide range of colours and styles. £22 havaianas-store.com
Day bag
In under a minute, the Aqua SteriPEN can eliminate 99.9% of harmful bacteria and viruses in water. Perfect for treks when pure H2O can’t be guaranteed. No more lugging around heavy bottles! £49.95 amazon.co.uk
Budget Eco Adventures Travel
Luxury Naturetrek
Who to travel with Family Real World Holidays
REALWORLDHOLIDAYS.CO.UK
£2,095 per person for a 10-day Amazonfocused tour, also pulling in Rio and Iguazu Falls; exc flights
Water purifier
The super-light Daylite backpack can fit all the essentials for a short trip to the city or the jungle. It includes stretchy mesh pockets for bottles, a key clip and an emergency whistle. £35 ospreyeurope.com
Virtual travel guide
Triposo’s Brazil Travel Guide is packed with useful information, particularly for exploring the big cities. Offline maps, reviews, a currency converter and a handy phrasebook are just a few of the benefits. Free iTunes/Google Play
ECOADVENTURES.COM.BR
NATURETREK.CO.UK
From £408 per person based on four-person room; 7 days/6 nights exploring wetlands and waterfalls. Range of options; exc flights
£6,495 per person for 17 nights in search of jaguars, tapirs, anteaters, and giant otters in the Cerrado and Pantanal; inc flights
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© Alamy; Dreamstime; NaturePL; Thinkstock; freevectormaps.com; Gabriel Santos
Key kit
Endangered
Mexican axolotl AXOLOTL
Ambystoma mexicanum Class Amphibia
Territory Mexico City Diet Worms, insects and small fish Lifespan 10-15 years Adult weight 60-227g (2.18oz) Conservation Status
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
You might have heard of the Mexican axolotl, or seen one in a pet shop. It may be a regular sight, but those available for sale are usually captive-bred. Not many people are aware that there are fewer than 100 remaining in the wild. Conservation action has had little success so far in reintroducing and establishing wild populations, because until more research into the threat of disease transmission and genetics has been carried out, releasing captive axolotls is too great a risk.
The causes of endangerment Local trade
There is a demand locally for wild-caught axolotls for the pet trade and traditional medicines. Relatively few animals are taken today because of the small population size, but over-harvesting is one of the main reasons axolotls ended up in this precarious state. However, axolotls found in pet shops today are more than likely to be captive-bred.
Water pollution
There are a number of problems contributing to the degradation of the axolotl’s water habitat. Waste in the form of chemicals and trash has entered the area’s waterways through an increase in tourism, urbanisation and agricultural practices, all of which are rather poorly regulated.
A restricted range The area highlighted on the map demonstrates just how small an area Mexican axolotls are now confined to. This is the only place they are found on the planet.
Predatory fish
Tilapia and carp are two species of fish living in the same water channels. They are both successful predatory fish that will hunt and feed on the salamanders. Alongside this, they fill a similar habitat niche and outcompete the axolotl for resources.
What you can do WWW.EDGEOFEXISTENCE.ORG
For more information on the work being done to safeguard axolotls for the future, and to find out how you can help, visit ZSL’s EDGE of Existence website.
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Mexico
Mexican axolotl
“The name is thought to originate from the Aztec language, derived from two words: ‘atl’ meaning ‘water’, and ‘xolotl’ meaning ‘monster’” Working for water monsters Olivia Couchman is the EDGE of Existence Fellowship manager at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
© R.List ZSL; freevectormaps.com; Getty/Stephen Dalton
Axolotls, from the family Ambystomatidae or ‘mole salamanders’, are strange salamanders found only in Central and North America. The name is thought to originate from the Aztec language, derived from two words: ‘atl’ meaning ‘water’, and ‘xolotl’ meaning ‘monster’. The family contains only a small number of species, which split from all other salamanders in the Late Jurassic, and represent over 150 million years of unique evolutionary history. Most axolotls do not develop adult characteristics but retain their gills, fins and other larval characteristics throughout their life. Over half of axolotl species are found in the wetlands of Mexico, with the majority listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. ZSL is working to conserve these highly threatened species through its EDGE of Existence Fellowship programme, with three projects currently run by local conservationists, or EDGE Fellows, who are trained by ZSL. Fellows work on the granular salamander, Taylor’s salamander and Lake Lerma salamander, which are under threat from habitat loss due to agricultural and urban expansion, pollution of lakes and ponds, and invasive predatory fish. EDGE Fellows have discovered new populations that may be integral to the survival of the species, and are developing action plans to save these unique animals.
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Wildlife photography
Bird Photographer Of The Year
Take a look at the best and most stunning photographs from this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year awards This year, our sister title, Digital Photographer teamed up with the www.bto.org British Trust for Ornithology and www. naturephotographers.co.uk Nature Photographers Ltd to support conservation and celebrate the artistry of bird photography by launching the Bird Photographer of the Year awards. The competition, which celebrates bird life in photographic form and rewards the most skilled bird photographers, is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of bird conservation. Discover this year’s winners in the following pages.
To order your copy of the bird Photographer of the Year book visit www.bto.org.
The Bird Photographer of the Year competition is open to entries again until 30 November 2016. Visit www.birdpoty.co.uk for more information.
WINNER Attention to Detail
WINNER Overall BPOTY
Judge’s comments: This is one of those images that has a ‘hard-to-define’ dramatic arresting quality about it. It makes you stop in your tracks, look Photographer: Andy Parkinson, United Kingdom twice, three times. First impressions are of a photograph of beauty and Website: www.andrewparkinson.com elegance, but look again and it has an air of intrigue and mystique. The “I have worked with Mute Swans extensively over the last two years bird is instantly recognisable, but you have to delve more closely to and I never tire of their beauty, whether it’s the curved sweep of fully understand what the image shows. Then it draws you in and lets the neck or the beautiful feather formation of the threat posture. you linger in admiration. The mute swan is one of the easiest species to I sat beneath a weir as the last rays of evening sunlight streamed observe and photograph, but here it has been captured in such a unique through the erect tail feathers of an adult. By using a large telephoto lens and beautiful way – that takes something special on the photographer’s I was able to blur out the regular form of the weir, while a distant forest in part to achieve. The lighting on the bird is nothing short of spectacular, shadow provides the perfect black backdrop. By exposing for the whites and the contrast with its dark surroundings sublime. This image united the of the swan and allowing the rest of the frame to fall in to underexposure, I judging panel and they were all in awe of it: it was a clear winner without was able to create this abstract image with its almost fungi-like appearance.” a dissenting voice. Andy has produced something truly marvelous.
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© Andy Parkinson
Mute Swan adult in detail
© Sam Hobson
WINNER Bird behaviour
Pasty pirate
RUNNER-UP Bird behaviour
Photographer: Sam Hobson, United Kingdom “With a shrinking fishing industry, a reduction in discarded fish and closure of landfill sites, large gulls have begun to look to urban areas for food and shelter. In towns like St Ives in Cornwall, holidaymakers are coming into conflict increasingly with these opportunist gulls, which take any chance they can get for a free meal.”
© Pål Hermansen
Diving eider
Photographer: Pål Hermansen, Norway “I have been working on a photographic project on eiders with the aim of illustrating all aspects of the lives of these endearing marine ducks. Underwater shots formed part of the project, and I was able to follow the eiders as they dived because they have become quite used to people at this site in Trøndelag. in Norway”
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WINNER Best Portfolio
Fish in the ring
Judge’s comments: “A truly stunning photo. The dramatic backlighting creates an impression of depth, and the light reflected in the water adds an extra layer of interest. The photographer has also managed to create an image that combines a sense of action with a perfectly sharp main subject. The photo has a rather painterly quality to it, with the airborne drops of water looking almost like artistic paint splashes, framing the bird beautifully. In fact, I’d quite happily have something like this up on my wall at home.” Amy Squibb, Editor in Chief Digital Photographer
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© Bence Máté
Photographer: Bence Mate, Hungary “Thanks to the warm autumn, this young night heron stayed around the breeding area until October. I managed to attract him in front of my hide during the night with offerings of small dead fish. To light the scene in this way I used lamps and camera flashes.”
Me?
WINNER Best Portfolio
WINNER Best Portrait
© Bence Máté
Photographer: Bence Mate, Hungary “Dalmatian pelicans are shy, but they follow the fishing boats closely on Lake Kerkini in Greece, in the hope of an easy fish meal. To photograph them as they followed the boat, we constructed a special catamaran with a built-in camera, which was sometimes almost snapped up by the voracious birds. To see the equipment working so well and just as we planned it behind the feeding platform was very exciting. We took almost ten thousand photos, but the best ones were taken on our last day.”
WINNER Creative imagery
© Rachel Piper
RUNNER-UP Creative imagery
Left
© Tom Hines
Tufted duck
Photographer: Tom Hines, United Kingdom “I took this shot while experimenting with images of birds in darker settings. The Tufted Duck was in a shady pool, but the bird was lit by just enough sunlight to highlight the eye and bill colours and make them stand out.”
Above
Tring Murmuration
Photographer: Rachel Piper, United Kingdom “Watching a murmuration of Starlings is an awe-inspiring sight; I love to witness them gather slowly together, creating magical patterns in the sky as they did on this cold December day. I always think carefully before using filters, but on this occasion the oil-paint effect helped me to tell the story.”
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© Pål Hermansen
WINNER Birds in flight
WINNER Best digiscoped image
© Tara Tanaka
© Andy Parkinson
WINNER Garden birds
Top
Eider flock
Above-left
Redwings fighting
Above-right
Waking up is hard to do
Photographer: Pål Hermansen, Norway Photographer: Andy Parkinson, United Kingdom Photographer: Tara Tanaka, United States of America “This image forms part of my long-term “I spent eight hours in a hide in a neighbour’s “Just as the Sun was setting, this well-camouflaged project to photograph all aspects of the garden before I took my first image. I was able to western screech-owl was waking up, getting ready for an lives of Eider Ducks. Taken in February create an eye-level view with the windfall apples evening of hunting. The just-set Sun can be seen in the 2015, it shows the reaction of a flock of the birds were feeding on.... reflection in his iris. He was having trouble keeping both Eiders to the appearance on the scene of I had already witnessed some squabbles, so I eyes open... Taking advantage of the mirrorless design an otter: they scattered across the surface pre-focused on the bird to the left before taking of the Panasonic GH3, this photo was captured at 1/60 of the water, but did not take full flight.” my eye away from the viewfinder.” second using manual focus.”
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© Marc Albiac
WINNER Young BPOTY
WINNER Birds in the environment
Little Ringed Plover
Photographer: Marc Albiac, Spain “A few years ago I spent the summer holidays with my grandfather, who lives in a small, quiet village. The river that runs through the centre of the village attracts a lot of wildlife including little ringed plovers, which nest on its shallow stony banks.”
© Chris Gomersall
Song of the silver meadow
Photographer: Chris Gomersall, United Kingdom. “I’ve learned that birds in the reeds generally look better photographed with back light, but on this occasion I was thrilled to see the dazzling effect of reflected sunlight glistening on the marsh. Leaving the lens iris wide open at maximum aperture, I knew the highlights would record as large, bright circles.The overall result seems to me to evoke the sight and sound of spring in the marshes.”
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Keeping in touch We love to hear from our readers on Twitter and Facebook. Let us know your favourite feature or take a pic with the magazine on one of your adventures and you could win a 12-month subscription to World of Animals!
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Competition Enter the Zoo Watch Worldwide Photography Awards 2016 and be in with a chance of winning a 12-month subscription to World of Animals magazine! Zoo Watch Worldwide has launched its first every photography competition for zoo visitors and amateur photographers. The competition will run until 18 November and winners will be announced on 2 December. Categories include mobile snaps, black and white, and everyday zoo. To enter visit: www.zoowatchworldwide.com
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Superpower dogs update This month our superpower dog in training has been enjoying a bit of down time on holiday, but that doesn’t mean the work stops! We caught up with Halo and her handler Cat to chat about how she’s getting on.
How do you keep the training up when you’re away from the rubble pile?
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She’s working really well with commands and obedience and she was fantastic when we travelled with the vacation that we had. She’s starting to use her nose a lot more, working on the ground a lot now, where she does more of a tracking thing where she can scent the direction where a person ran or walked away and then she’s following that to find the person. So we did some stuff when we were away, although we didn’t have any bark barrels with us there, we kind of hid in different areas in the yard and she worked really well running around trying to find us and using her nose to find out where the person was.
And how is Halo doing now that you’re both back to work? She’s at a pretty difficult age right now so I’m trying to keep everything fun and not over do it because she can get bored very easily. I’ve seen that in the last couple of months because I really pushed her for the latest shoot that we did – I think I wore her out within a couple of days to where I really had to back step a little bit to make it completely motivating again in order for her to get re-engaged. I’m trying to take it a little bit slower now, and make it extremely fun so that I don’t overwork and over train.
What kinds of challenges is Halo facing at the moment? She gets distracted a lot still but we are working on that with letting her know that she doesn’t need to pay attention to lizards running by or birds flying above her head! So she’s getting better at that! But at the moment she’s going through
a bit of a picky stage with her food, she seems to not want her dog food! I’m hoping that will pass because I refuse to cook for her and I don’t want to put her on a raw diet – a lot of people are telling me that that’s what I need to do but it’s really not practical for us because if I take her on deployment in the future she needs to have something that she’s comfortable eating that I can carry on me and travel with.
So what’s next? The next step in her training is going to multiple victims, but we are probably 8 or 9 months away from that. We have to make it so rewarding that she knows the game and is able to do all these different things when she finds one victim to make sure she knows to go find another. We’re working on different stuff where it’s the same two people, but right now it’s more motivating. So she finds one person and then the next person is across the rubble and they call out her name and they duck behind something – we’re getting her started in the sense that there’s going to be more people, getting her into thinking that she’s not just going to have to find one person, she’s going to have to find more than one because she has to keep searching. We never know how many people are stuck or missing in a real situation. Superpower Dogs is a forthcoming 3D live-action IMAX film that will immerse you into the way that dogs think and work, and tell the incredible story of how man’s best friend is able to fight crime and save lives. Superpower Dogs are launching an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign. Join us to support at www.igg.me/at/superpowerdogs. Visit www.animalanswers.co.uk for more info.
Animal antics this month
Wildlife journeys An Amazonian adventure
Our favourite animal news and stories. Let us know yours at
[email protected]
Freelancer Adam Millward reveals why he’ll never forget his visit to Ecuador Cuyabeno might not be the easiest place to get to, but the moment I arrived, I knew it had all
In the news
Panda success Great news! Giant pandas have been reclassified on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable instead of Endangered. This goes to show just how important conservation efforts are.
been worth it. Paddling through the Amazon rainforest is like being in a wildlife documentary, For the first few hours, it’s all just a bombardment of green and untraceable sounds. Then surprisingly quickly, your senses begin to adjust. Movements in the trees transform into a family of squirrel monkeys; a flash of colour, a passing butterfly or a tantalising glimpse of a pink dolphin.. But for me, the highlight was venturing into the forest on foot. Here we got to see the smaller, less showy organisms. A bird that sounded like a car alarm. A tiny but deadly frog. From the squelchy mud swallowing my feet to the sky-blocking canopy way above, I’d never been anywhere that pulses with life quite like the rainforest. To be part of that, if only briefly, was unforgettable.
Tell us about one of your wildlife holidays by emailing your story and photos to animals@ animalanswers .co.uk
Reader photos
Also in the news Gorillas Critically Endangered
While it’s good news for pandas, the Grauer’s gorilla has now been reclassified on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered due to an increase in illegal hunting.
Double trouble
Billy Evans
Big feet everywhere Evelyn Joubert
I took this photo in the Addo National Park. The warthogs were desperately trying to get to the water between the big feet of the elephants who were taking over the waterhole. I felt so sorry for the little ones because it was a very dry season.
Animals on social Samson the cat
Our followers have gone mad for Samson the cat, the biggest cat in New York. The enormous Maine coon weighs in at 28 pounds and is a hit on Twitter.
© Thinkstock
I took this photo in Sri Lanka. It is of a mother with baby twins. This is quite rare because monkeys normally only have one baby. This monkey is called a toque macaque.
Lesser ape but still great! Hollie Gordon
Jake the Lar Gibbon at Welsh Mountain Zoo stopped brachiating through his enclosure just long enough for me to snap this photo of him. I love the expression on his face! Have you been inspired by a WOA cover or feature? Send us your best wildlife photos.
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
k Which animal do you thin t tec pro p hel to d nee we the most? Tell us at questions@ animalanswers.co.uk
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Animal answers
Send your animal questions to us at:
[email protected] How much do animals of the same species vary?
Peacocks try to dazzle their drab peahen partners with their brilliant display
Domesticated animals like dogs and cats look extremely different due to selective breeding. In the wild, variation is usually fairly minimal, though many species have attributes that humans can use to recognise individuals. Natural factors like size and colouration can vary, and are determined by the DNA of the animal’s parents. Over time these small differences can even result in the species changing, especially if the trait is beneficial for survival. For example, fast-running ungulates have better chances of survival, and therefore only those that escape predators would be able to breed and pass along their strong genes. Scarring and other recognisable attributes that the animal gains over time can help humans identify specific animals. Whales develop characteristic markings and scarring on the dorsal fins and tail flukes that researchers use to tell individuals apart. The most noticeable differences within species are between males and females. Animals of the same species can vary hugely in size and colour, making it easier for males and females to find their mate.
Sable antelope 235kg / 518lb
Springbok 42kg / 93lb
The Amazon river dolphin (or boto), Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and two species of sotalia are all pink dolphins. Botos and sotalias are found in South America and become more pink with age. This is because the skin grows transparent, allowing more and more of the pink, blood-rich flesh to be visible. Oddly, other dolphin species such as the bottlenose begin life with a pink underside that fades to white.
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The royal antelope is the smallest species in its family, around the same size as a domestic cat. They can be found in the tropical forests of Western Africa feeding on fungi and fallen fruit in the dead of night. Royal antelopes have sophisticated social interactions and heightened senses. This helps the animal escape danger in the blink of an eye, though makes it difficult for researchers to study in the wild. There are 90 other species of antelope, and they aren’t closely related. They are all even-toed ungulates that have been lumped together as they don’t fit into the other families like sheep, cows or deer.
Eland antelope 1,000kg / 2,200lb
Why are some dolphins pink?
Follow us at...
What is the world’s smallest antelope?
Kirk’s dik-dik 6kg / 13lb
Royal antelope 3kg / 7lb
@WorldAnimalsMag
worldofanimalsmag
Animals answers What is the strongest material produced by an animal? Though limpets possess the strongest material of the animal kingdom, spiders manufacture their signature silk that is five times stronger than steel. That is, however, when compared pound for pound. Each string is made of a protein similar in structure to many found in the human body like collagen and keratin. Its stretchy properties come from repeated sequences of glycine, the smallest possible amino acid. These sequences are followed by a 180-degree turn, causing the entire structure to form a spiral. There are two types of silk, one for creating webs and one for snaring prey. Capture silk is the most elastic and can stretch by a factor of almost 200 per cent. It’s still not known exactly how this process works but unlocking the spider’s secrets may benefit humans. Medical experts are attempting to engineer surgical stitches that mimic the structure of spider silk making them thinner, stronger and reducing healing time. Spider silk has many complex structures within each thread, which in turn are made of microscopic elastic protein blocks
Fibrils
Skin
Core
2 nanometres 7 nanometres
Which animals undergo menopause? Humans, pilot whales and orcas are the only species of mammal that continue to live a er they can no longer reproduce. Female orcas have been found to live more than 100 years, with a female nicknamed ‘Granny’ discovered to be 103 years old in 2014. In fact, grandmother orcas take the top spot in the family by leading the group and helping care for young calves. It has been suggested that nolonger fertile females survive to help out their offspring with new arrivals. It could also help reduce competition between females of the family, making sure there is enough food for little ones. The exact reason is unknown, but most researchers do think that there isn’t one single cause of this phenomenon.
Q.Do animals have any mathematical ability? Find out at…
animalanswers.co.uk
Animal answers
[email protected] How long can animals survive without food? Being able to survive without food is a remarkable feat, and some animals take this to the extreme. Many are forced to live off stored fat due to hibernation or tough migrations, or even just a long-term absence of food. Olms are cave-dwelling amphibians and are the masters of starvation. It feeds intensively when food is plentiful then
Camel 40 days
Emperor penguin Four months
Crocodile 3 years
stores nutrients in highly concentrated fat deposits. The animals can then lower its heart rate and metabolism and can resort to absorbing its own body tissues. It has been found to last for up to 10 years without food in captive experiments, though whoever neglected to feed the poor fellow for a decade must have been seriously heartless.
Mudskipper 4 years
Olm 10+ years
Do all animals sweat?
The bizarre aquatic salamander can go up to a decade without eating a single thing
Manatees give birth beneath the sea’s surface, and the baby even has to drink its milk while swimming
Most mammals do sweat, but mammals account for less than 0.4 per cent of the entire animal kingdom. While elephants and horses have sweat glands under the front limbs in the same fashion as humans, dogs have very few sweat glands and have to pant in order to lose excess heat. One region dogs do have sweat glands is the soles of the feet. They can even control their bloodflow at will, diverting more blood to the paws in order to cool down quickly. This also works in the opposite way, with blood being kept away from the paws when the dog is walking on cold ground. This prevents the animal losing too much heat when the temperature is low.
Are there any animals that are born underwater?
© Thinkstock
Amphibians and certain marine mammals give birth while submerged. While frogs and their relatives lay eggs containing aquatic larvae in water, swimming mammals give birth to live young that quickly need to access air. All amphibians begin life in water. The average common frog lays 2000 jelly-filled spawn, though only one per cent survive. They must deposit the young in water or the eggs would dry up and have zero chance of survival. The real challenge comes for whales and manatees, who give birth to newborns that need to surface to take their first breath. Whales immediately push their calf to the surface once it has le the birth canal to allow it to take in oxygen. Manatee calves emerge with a strong instinct to swim, and the placement of their nostrils makes it easy to take the first few breaths. Suckling underwater also has its difficulties. Manatee teats are behind the pectoral fins on either side, and the calf must bind strongly to the teat to keep it from mixing with the sea water.
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An animal in crisis
In eastern Africa, poachers use automatic weapons to slaughter endangered rhinos. The animals are shot and the horns are hacked away, tearing deep into the rhinos’ flesh with the rhino left to die.
Make a difference today
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Animal trivia
Test your animal knowledge 1. WHAT’S IN A NAME
3. SHARK FACTS
What creature’s name comes from Aztec words meaning water monster?
Can you name the shark species?
2. MEET THE CHAMELEONS
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which of these is the smallest, biggest, rarest and most common?
Common chameleon
Smith’s dwarf chameleon
a.
b.
4. THE GREAT MIGRATION How far does the monarch butterfly migrate? Parson’s chameleon
Brookesia micra
c.
d.
a. Up to 2,500km
b. Up to 3,000km
c. Up to 3,500km
d. Up to 4,000km
5. WHO AM I? a.
b.
“I leap 3m (10ft) to catch my prey.”
© Thinkstock
Match the cat to the statement c. d.
Jaguarundi
“I am the smallest cat in the western hemisphere.”
Serval
“I’m sometimes mistaken for an otter.”
Kodkod
e. “Rodents make up 80 per cent of my diet.”
Margay
“I can run headfirst down tree trunks.”
Caracal
Answers 1. Axolotl 2. d. Smallest c. Biggest b. Rarest a. Most common 3. a. Goblin shark b. Lemon shark c. Basking shark d. Thresher shark 4. d. Up to 4,000km 5. a. Caracal b. Kodkod c. Jaguarundi d. Serval e. Margay
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Disclaimer The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. If you submit material to Imagine Publishing via post, email, social network or any other means, you grant Imagine Publishing an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free licence to use the material across its entire portfolio, in print, online and digital, and to deliver the material to existing and future clients, including but not limited to international licensees for reproduction in international, licensed editions of Imagine products. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither Imagine Publishing nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be liable for the loss or damage.
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CONSERVING ORANGUTANS
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