Animals Directory

Posts Tagged ‘Herbivores’

Unlike the horns of other species such as antelopes, the rhinoceros does not have a bony core, but are made of keratin, the same substance as hair and nails in other mammals. The two African species and the Sumatran rhino has two horns, while the Indian and Java have only one.

The rhinoceros family is characterized by its large size, being of the few mega fauna species considered to exist today, along with elephants and hippos, all species may exceed at least a ton of weight. All are herbivores, and their skin is thick and strong, between 1.5 and 5 cm thick, formed by layers of collagen.

Have relatively small brains for their body size (between 400 and 600 g). Although usually feed on leaves, their ability to ferment food in the colon allows them to survive by consuming more woody plant material such as roots and branches, if necessary. Unlike other species of Peristaltic, the African species of rhinoceros lack teeth at the front of the mouth, using a powerful chewing premolars and molars for crushing the food of vegetable origin.

Rhinos have a keen sense of smell and a sensitive ear, but very poor eyesight. Their maximum life expectancy is 60 years. The length of the head and body is 240 to 315 cm in the Sumatran rhinoceros and from 335 to 420 cm in the white rhinoceros. The peso, which is 800 kg in the Sumatran rhino can reach 3,600 kg in the white rhinoceros.

All species are Peristaltic, ie have a more developed middle finger on each leg, which serves as a mainstay, and two fingers under the sides. That gives your prints the characteristic appearance of an ace of clubs. In the case of white and Indian rhinoceros, adult males are much larger than females, but in other species, males and females have a similar size.

Rhinos have poor vision but are able to distinguish a person immobile up to about 30 m away. The eyes are set on both sides of his head. His ear is very thin, and the ears are tubular, moving rapidly in the direction whence the sound. But its most developed is the smell, the amount of olfactory tissue in the mouth than brain size.

All rhinos are herbivores and require a large amount of food daily to maintain its high volume. They can tolerate relatively high fiber foods in your diet, thanks to the ability of your colon to ferment and digest the woody plant tissue, but prefer more nutritious and soft parts when available.

Males reach reproductive capacity between seven and eight years old, but not usually breed until at least ten years. A peculiarity of rhinos is that the testes do not descend into the scrotum, and penis, when retracted, is directed backward. Females have two teats located between the two hind legs. Births occur at any time of year, but in the case of African rhino births occur in greater numbers between the end of the rainy season and mid-dry season.

Scientific classification, so that species belonging to the same genus (group of closely related species) can be called kangaroo, wallabies or walaru, only depending on their size. For example, Macropus parma wallabies is known as the Parma, while Macropus antilopinus is known variously as walaru antelope antelope or kangaroo.

Macropodinae subfamily also includes species of kangaroos, and walarús walabís, other commonly known as tree kangaroos, Cuoco, and pademelones dorcopsis.

There are many so-called kangaroo species, and this is reflected three of them:

* The red kangaroo (Macropus rufus), which is the largest of the kangaroos and the largest of the marsupials still in existence. Red Kangaroos occupy the arid and semi-central arid Australia. An adult male can measure 1.5 m in height and weigh 85 kg.
* The eastern gray kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), less known than the red kangaroo, but most frequently sighted, as its range covers the fertile eastern area of ​​Australia.
* The western gray kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus), of smaller size and found south of Western Australia, South Australia near the coast and the Darling River basin.

Kangaroos have large powerful hind legs, large feet designed to jump, long, muscular tail for balance and a small head. Kangaroos are herbivores, eating grass and roots. All species are nocturnal and crepuscular, usually spending the day quietly and feeding in the afternoons and cold nights, usually in groups. They have a life expectancy of 18 years ago.

Kangaroos are found mostly in Oceania. Popularly known as the kangaroo is the animal most representative of Australia.

Origin of name

The word kangaroo derives from gangurru, a word of Guugu Yimidhirr (an Australian Aboriginal language), referring to the gray kangaroo. The name was first written (in English kangaroo by Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook) on August 4, 1770.

A widespread legend says that in fact the name kangaroo would come to ask the West the name of that animal and this be what the natives responded, and their meaning but would not be the name of the animal, but simply saying “do not understand their question

Reproduction

Reproduction is sexual and varies greatly with species. The red kangaroo is an opportunistic player, as they mate and reproduce when seasonal conditions are favorable for breeding of offspring. Grey Kangaroos breed all year round, but young calve in the summer months, as they leave the bag on the ideal time the spring. Other species have more restricted breeding season.

The courtship may last a few hours or extended 2 or 3 days. The male follows the female is in heat, often sniffing the urogenital opening of the bag and playing the female tail with his paw. The male makes wallabies characteristic sinuous lateral movements and with the tail, which produce clicks, the matching can be shorter or longer than one hour, as in the case of gray kangaroo.

In many species, such as Cuoco, mating takes place after birth (post partum estrus), but in these cases usually occur at rest a blastocyst, which develops later, when the previous birth rearing leave the pouch. The young are born between 28 and 36 days of mating. Remain in the bag about 8 months, but continue to nurse her back to about six months, at which time and another calf will be born. Young people often interact with their mothers until they reach sexual maturity.