Confusables in the animal world- 2

Nature has created every critter different and unique. But, there are some who appear more alike enabling it hard to contrast  between them. So, its time to list many more alike looking critters of the animal kingdom. 

Two popular animals of the biological order Lagomorpha i.e. hare (1st image) and rabbit (2nd image) confuse us two.  But, differences exist regarding their appearances and behaviors. Hares are larger and more speedy than rabbits. Even, their birth appearances is one ideal way of distinguishing which reveal their contrasts. The former's off springs (hare) are hairy and visually active while latter (rabbit) is being born hairless and blind.

Shelled critters of the animal kingdom also called as chelonians (tortoises and turtles) have one major difference i.e. their shells. Tortoises boast dome shaped shells while the latter has streamlined shells.  Other differences are tortoises are mostly terrestrial while turtles are aquatic in nature. Diet wise, tortoises prefer veggies while turtles prefer omnivorous diet.

We would remain stunned upon a new revelation done by scientists that there aren't two but three species of camels. Along with Dromedary (one-humped) camel, two varieties of Bactrian camels exist i.e. domestic and wild. Thanks to their contrasts making it easier to contrast domestic individuals from wild. Domestic individuals boast dense and furry coats while the wild individuals boast scanty hairs and flatter skulls. So, now it makes sense that camels aren't just domestic but wild animals too.
















When we hear the word 'bison', we refer to the brown, shaggy cattle like animal of North America also called as 'American buffalo'. But, one mustn't forget that the American bison (1st image) also has its larger cousin inhabiting the forests of Russia and Eastern Europe i.e. the European bison (Wisent) (2nd image). 

Scientifically, both are bison. A bison is mostly referred to an American bison. But, even the European bison is also a bison. It boasts its own contrasts from its American cousin. The European bison (Wisent) boasts 14 ribs while the American bison boasts 15 ribs. Height is another feature with the European bison (Wisent) taller than its American cousin.  Due to this,  wisent (European bison) are designed for being a folivore (herbivore which predominantly feasts on leaves/ a browser) and its American cousin for being a graminivore (herbivore which predominantly feasts on grass/ a grazer).









So, both these posts would surely eliminate your confusion regarding these animals. 

Confusables in the animal world-1

In the animal world,  every animal is different by appearance. But, there are certain animals who are different species but look the same by certain angles.

This post which will be having two parts will help in clearing the confusion between those animals which deceive us with their strikingly similar looks.

The two spotted big cats which are the leopard and the jaguar deceive people by their appearances. But, their differences can be sorted out by jaguar being more bulkier than the leopard. Also, jaguars boast a central spot in their rosettes which are absent in leopards (in the images below). 

Interestingly, these big cats are also distinguished by their ecological roles. Jaguar's ecological role is akin to that of a tiger while a leopard's ecological role is akin to a cougar.

Eminent predatory reptiles i.e. crocodilians too deceive people by their appearances.  The most notable example is in case of a crocodile and an alligator. People think they are the same. Their main contrast can be found in the shape of their jaws. Crocodile's jaws create a narrow V- shape whereas gator's (alligator's) jaws form a wide U-shape. 

Amazingly, crocodiles are more tolerant of salt water due to which they inhabit salt -water habitats along with fresh water ones. Thanks to their mechanism which is akin to crying which removes excessive salt. Due to this mechanism's absence, gators habitat is centered only around freshwater habitats (lakes and rivers).  

Pinnipeds namely seals and sea lions do throw people off (to confuse). Thanks to their strikingly similar appearances.  But, seals lack ear flaps while sea lions do not.  Bigger flippers are found in sea lions but absent in seals. [California sea lion (above) and Harbor seal (below)]

And, the most final difference is between the two apes with same genera i.e. the chimpanzee and the bonobo. One quick way of contrasting them is by their lip colors. Bonobos boast pink lips while chimps boast dark lips. 

The other notable difference is the opposite genders of their family leaders. Bonobo's family is matriarchal while chimp's family is exactly the opposite. Yet amazingly, bonobos are an endemic species i.e. found only in the rain forests of Democratic Republic of Congo.

Faecal facts

As everyone knows scats (stools) are one of the most disgusting things on the planet for us. But, not for certain animals. It is a thing of requirement for their lives.

Image courtesy of [nopparats01] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We will be amazed to find that even non- human animals also developed networking styles. While we use Facebook, Linked in, What's app as our social networks, rhinos like White rhinoceroses use their poop as their social network. Their dung loads give chemicals which convey one individual about other individual's gender, reproductive status, territory etc. To gain access, these bulky pachyderms do not have to type in password or search for a person as we do. Instead, they just have to sniff the dungs in a midden (their local toilet) to obtain the information.

A person would be considered 
very much abnormal if he/she eats dung. But, it is perfectly fine if  these animals feast on dung. Not their own but also other's dung.  This habit called coprophagia is found in rabbits, dogs, some non-human primates and even young ones of koalas, elephants and hippos. Totally gross for us but not for them. This is really effective as these scats contain essential nutrients and even undigested materials. But for the young animals, feasting on poop produces a good bacteria in their guts crucial for normal digestion. Indeed, these crucial things would have been wasted had these animals not feasted on them.



It is not just mammals but birds do use these gross stuff. Vultures are one of such birds. These scavenging raptors apply poop on their feet to beat the heat. One species i.e. the Egyptian vulture feasts on ungulate's (hooved animals) dungs. Not for its health, but to improve its appearance. These feces boost the yellow and orange colors on its skin. This can come handy while wooing the females. Thus, the piles of dung act as cosmetics for these raptors (birds of prey).  



One of the popular animals in this category are insects like dung beetles. They feast on them as their name tells. They are also beneficial in agriculture as they bury and consume the dung which leads to improvement in nutrient recycling and soil structure. Amazingly, these insects also remove cattle dung by not providing habitat to flies. Indeed, these hard working critters could also be farmer's best friends.

Of course, poop is something which we don't but these animals will find them very useful for their survival.

Bizarre diets

Our blue planet boasts wild animals who are eminent for their unique talents. One of these is the ability to consume bizarre stuff which is shockingly their diet (or even its part). Sounds quite surprising. 

As it is known that cyanide is lethal to us. But, not for bamboo lemurs. Their diet is a variety of  Madagascan bamboo which boasts the substance. But, it is a mystery to scientists as how they detoxify it. It seems they are very crafty to do it.

Coming to reptiles, crocodiles boast so many weird characteristics. One comes even in case of consuming. These scaly critters have the ability to consume stones. Yes, strangely it aids them in digestion and a great reason for plunging deep. Thus, when they do it they are doing it naturally and are not high.



Continuing with reptiles, sea turtles don't need to worry about one of their diets i.e. jellyfishes. These shelled creatures are immune to the stings of box jellyfish and yes even Portuguese man o' war (in pic) which is one of the longest jellyfishes. Truly shock proof animals.

Thus, this post indeed proves that some animals are capable of gobbling bizarre things which is crucial for their survival.

Bizarrely close connections

Certain animals have such features which tends to lead us into thinking that they are the relatives of this species. But, in reality they belong to other species in other way i.e. by order, sub-order etc. though not by their actual family. This post will reveal about such species.

One of the planet's weirdest animals, tapirs have such bizarre features that we get confused whether they are pigs (by their body) or elephants (by their elongated snout). But, in reality they are neither pigs nor elephants. Like rhinos, their closest relatives are horses by their biological order i.e. Perrisodactyla (Odd-toed ungulates) which contain horses, zebras, donkeys, rhinos and tapirs.  It would sound awkward as they do not resemble horses in any way.


As it is known that hyenas are the one of the eminent scavengers of the animal kingdom. We would tend to think they share a close relation to dogs. Surprisingly, their closest relatives are mongooses and civets by their sub-order Feliformia (cat-like carnivores).

Now, two more examples of bizarre connections. The first example is about big cat species which are tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard. Leave aside cat family. Lets go by sub-family now. Seven years back, a research has been conducted on them about their relations to each other. Researchers conducted the genetic analysis of these species. The results baffled them like anything. It had revealed that these species are related to each other in a totally different way. Their findings state that tigers are more closely related to snow leopards. Lions share a very close relation to leopards and jaguars. Its indeed a mind-blowing revelation done by these researchers.

We would believe that there are no closest living relatives of elephants. But, unbelievably there are. Yes, tapirs don't belong ti this clan. Two of them are smaller than us. And, the other is a large aquatic creature. Hyraxes (small herbivores resembling rodents) share a very close connection to elephants by their clad. Similarly, another animal called elephant shrew (in pic) aren't shrews but are elephant's closest relatives. Thanks to their movable tiny trunk on their face which gives a part of their name.

Sirenians which consist of slow- moving aquatic mammals  like manatees, dugongs  too have a close connection to elephants than to pinnipeds (seals, sea lions and walruses). It is too weird to hear about elephant's closest relatives.

At the end of this post, we now know who are the closest living relatives of the above animals.

Small wonders

It is indeed true that young animals are cute, adorable etc. But even during their babyhood, they possess jaw- dropping characteristics or talents which would stump us.

One needs to think before concluding that there are no remarkable methods animals boast to give birth. Giraffe calves fall down during birth from a height of around 6 ft. Shockingly, they don't get wounded. It might sound gross but there is a frog species whose tadpoles pop out through its back.


It would be incorrect to think that all young animals weigh less. A typical weight of a blue whale calf is around the same weight as an adult hippo.


When we were young, some of us have engaged in nail biting for fun. Similar is the case with elephant calves who do suck their own trunks for the same reason.


In case of us and other animals, babies and adults have the same color. But fascinatingly, babies of lot many animal species boast different colors which slowly change as they approach adulthood.

In case of herbivores, tapir calves boast white stripes upon brown skin which fades as they near adulthood. Similarly, the orange colors of calves of bison (shown in pic) and wildebeest start fading upon nearing adulthood.

Now in carnivores, the spots on the skins of lion and puma cubs keep fading when turning into adults. Spotted hyenas are pale black as cubs which gradually turn into yellowish orange when reaching towards adulthood.

Many birds do boast this uniqueness. The most ideal example is that of a flamingo. Flamingo chicks are born white which beautifully turn into pink as adults if they get more and more shrimps to feed on. Even adult flamingos do remain white as snow if there is shrimp scarcity. 









Thus, we are now aware that baby animals do have remarkable lives.

Lets get high

As it is known, that humans get drunk or intoxicated by drinking alcohol or consuming drugs or narcotics. Due to this, they feel unusual like feeling elevated etc. Reasons would be for fun, under frustration,addiction etc.

But, there are a share of  other animals too who are no exception in getting high like humans.

Tasmanian territory of Australia boasts poppy fields where opium poppy occurs. Alarmed farmers were shocked to discover crop circles in the fields. They suspect aliens behind the damage. But, the weird truth is right here. Wallabies or mini kangaroos consume opium flowers and get so much drugged that crop circle formation begins as their mob (group) begins to hop round and round in the fields. Thanks to the intoxicating effect in them.

As dolphins are known as the intelligent marine creatures, they do get nicely stoned. Puffer fish is the source of their drug to produce venom. But, here is the catch. The fish's venom would kill any organism if taken in large bouts. This means that these street smart mammals might use their brains to make the fish release minor amounts of venom. One member of the pod gets intoxicated due to its ingestion. Passing of this venomous fish to the entire pod is the end result. Quite akin to a group of humans having alcohol at a gathering.

Animals prefer another plant known as catnip. Going by its name, cats prefer it. Its chemical named Nepetalactone doesn't harm but causes temporary effects like drooling, hyperactivity, restlessness, which vanish after 15 minutes. Not all, but around 74% with a particular gene do react. Yes, Nepetalactone doesn't fail to produce reactions even in wild kitties ( lions, tigers, pumas etc.) too. Akin to catnip, yage plant of South American rainforests evoke these reactions in jaguars.

It is not just these mammals but there are others like reindeer getting intoxicated due to Amanita muscaria mushroom, dogs getting high on pot brownies etc. Even, there are insects like bees becoming intoxicated on fermented liquid who become more aggressive,less social, less busy and more idle. 

So, from these facts it is crystal clear that humans aren't the only species to get high or stoned.

A day of penguins

Take a nice look at this image. If this was made compressed even more, one would think these are crowd of people with black woolen clothes walking on snow as if some special person came here. But, if one enlarges the image, then these are colony of penguins ,one of the iconic avians (birds) of the Southern hemisphere not just from the frozen Antarctica but also from the temperate coasts of South Africa, New Zealand etc.

On the occasion of World penguin day i.e. today, this post gives really fascinating trivia and also creates awareness about some of these adorable birds on the planet. In fact, they are so much loved that the country of Norway once knighted a real one.

Beginning with the introduction, many people are aware that penguins aren't a single species of birds. Though the numbers are under debate, there are around 20 species of penguins ranging from the tall and bulky Emperor penguin standing (49-99 lbs;up to 41-52 inches tall) to the small little blue or fairy penguin (2 lbs;12-13 inches tall) shown in the image on the left.



One would think of deepest diving bird as gannets or boobies. But, the emperor penguin clinches the trophy for the deepest diving bird with total depth of 1,800 ft deep inside the ocean. So, not only an emperor of penguins in terms of size and height but also in diving.


Penguins do boast two kinds of talents. When in water, they porpoise i.e. cut through the waves and jump akin to dolphins. When out of water, they engage in behavior of tobogganing when they leap out like launched missiles and land and then slide on their tummies surprisingly without wounding them.

Coming to their diet, penguins feed on variety of items like fishes, krill etc. And yes, penguins themselves are prey species to many animals like leopard seals, killer whales (orca) and sharks. Surprisingly, they drink plenty of seawater without consuming salt. Thanks to one of their glands i.e. the supra orbital glands near their eyes to filter out salt. 
Living wise, all penguins are monogamous living with one partner. Wondered whether there is any other animal (apart from humans) who propose their fiance.  Yes, is the baffling answer as penguins do it. For Gentoo penguins, the pebble is the wedding ring as the males use it to woo. For King penguins, the long duration songs of males are the wedding rings to their mates. Sounds really romantic!!   
  
Lastly, about their adaptations. Wonder how Antarctica's penguins stay warm? Apart from blubber which is a fat to stay warm, species like Emperor penguins huddle together to stay really warm in such a frozen environment.

Finally, about their awareness. As it is known that penguins too are susceptible to global warming or climate change like polar bears, walruses etc. population declines have been reported. Many species of penguins are in danger of vanishing either in this century or by the end. Its not just warming, but humans who collect them for food is also quite alarming. So, its time to act now on these causes before the disappearance of these much loved birds.

Break open for food

It is fully known that we humans break open many food items like coconuts when doing prayer and during other processions.

But, in the world of animals there are animals who have the habit of breaking open things when hungry.

Mongooses who are talented for killing snakes even the venomous ones also boast another talent which is cracking open hard eggs. Yes and they do it by holding the egg through their hind legs and cracking it against a hard surface. It not only sounds weird but also one would go  into thoughts about its position while doing that.






Primates like monkeys really deserve to be in this category. Thanks to their intelligence. In case of these animals, the Capuchin monkeys of  tropical American rain forests are genius in these tasks breaking open nuts and other creatures namely crustaceans like crabs by banging them against a rock or any hard surface.






Raptors (birds of prey) are quite crafty in using these techniques. The bearded vulture is known to throw bones from heights to let the bone crack open for bone marrow. Another raptor, the Egyptian vulture tosses stones to crack open hard shelled eggs. 



Finally, the most eminent animal of this technique is the sea otter. The iconic way these animals float makes us think that their backs are more akin to swimming tubes for sitting and floating. When hungry, these marine mammals take a shell from their pouch and a stone on which they hit it to feed on the soft meat which is inside the shell. How remarkable! Check out the link below to see its remarkable feeding technique.

http://www.arkive.org/sea-otter/enhydra-lutris/video-ne08b.html


Its quite fascinating to see these animals using these remarkable techniques for their survival.

Alerting from danger

When we find ourselves in danger, we tend to alert others around us. Technologically, we have built alarm detecting systems for any kind of intruder's offensive activity taking place like someone crossing the laser beam to steal some valuables in a museum or any other place etc.

Similarly, animals are capable of detecting predators due to their well-developed senses. After the detection of danger, how do different animals alarm other members of their group, this post will illustrate.

Opening the mouth is such behavior which occurs before any organism sleeps. But, for animals like hippos yawning is a warning signal of danger for the entire bloat (hippo's group). 

Image courtesy of [Tim Seed] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Similar to apes including humans, elephants do form strong, emotional bonds with others. These pachyderms can detect dangers by their acute hearing and smelling sights. But, if that danger is a human being, then one individual will emit a unique call which means 'humans are around' thus alerting the entire herd. Truthfully, all elephants boast this unique call.

For a section of animals, their acute vision helps in sensing the predators. 

A giraffe can accurately scan the surroundings of its habitat, be it grasslands or semi deserts. While scanning, when its eyes spot a predator like a lion or a leopard, they will grunt or snort warning its tower (giraffe's group).Thanks to their acute vision and most importantly their height.

Similarly, zebras will bray loudly and the entire herd flees off from the place where the predator is. Deer and antelopes emit alerting noises and run with the entire herd. This is all because of their acute visions to spot an approaching predator.


Warning by sounds is even common in rodents like prairie dogs who do so by barking, beavers do it by slapping their tails on water's surface etc.

Stomping the feet on the ground is observed in other acute vision animals like kangaroos and antelopes like gazelles. One may feel like they are challenging the predator but they are announcing their groups about the danger.



So, it is true that animals have their own behaviors to keep themselves and their other group members safe and sound from the danger.

Species that deceive

The animal kingdom has names for species which are called by other names. Majority of the names contain the names of animals which have their own species. For instance, African elephant is an elephant, blue whale is a whale etc.

But, there are names of species whose names literally deceive us which we thought that they are those species. This post reveals those species who have cheated us by their names.

Living in the undergrounds of Prairies (temperate grasslands of North America), prairie dogs are one such species. These burrowers aren't dogs by name but rodents characterized by their gnawing teeth, rodent-like head etc.

Cetaceans which are characterized by black & white markings, killer whales or orcas aren't whales but dolphins. In fact, they are the largest of dolphins. Thanks to their ability to get trained easily.






Really cute-looking red critters inhabiting Asia's mountain forests called red pandas aren't pandas in real sense but just its own species without any family relation but in the group of skunks,raccoons,civets etc.Really smart animal to boast its own identity.





As it is known, cougar is an animal known to boast many names in English. One of such names is the mountain lion. Going by the name, it isn't included in the sub-family of lions but in that of jaguarundi (a pale-colored small Tropical American  wild cat) shown in the image beside. But, in reality the sub-family of lions contains jaguars and leopards along with lions themselves.

We would be stumped to find that an animal called as horned toad isn't a toad but a kind of lizard. These scaly critters boast a ridiculously bizarre talent of shooting blood through their eyes when in defense many times to canine animals (dogs,wolves and coyotes) who would not only get confused but also receive a foul taste.


So, whenever such names are heard we now really know well what these animals are.

Time to sniff

Sniffing is synonymous to smelling. As we along with other animals sniff through our nose, there are other weird ways through which animals sniff. And, sniffing isn't only about smelling normally, it is about doing at certain times which this post is going to tell about.


As nose is a sniffing organ for us, for snakes and lizards, their tongue acts as their nose. How strange it is that for them to smell, they have to flicker their tongues. But for a group of venomous snakes, they have  extraordinary sense organs i.e. the pits on their face enabling them to detect heat of their warm-blooded prey.  Pit vipers are those snakes which include species like pit vipers, rattlesnakes etc. Excellent organs for these serpents to give bull's eye strike to their prey in the dark.

Almost the same like pit vipers, God has given cats whiskers as gifts. Apart from detection of faintest of smells, they also boast a surprising skill of sniffing out prey's pulses in a narrow closed space. When these pulses get sniffed, it won't be long for kitties to strike at it.

One would come across amazing close ups of animals with their lips curled back along with raised head. Sounds funny, but in reality its no laughing matter. Its a behavior of Flehmen response used for capturing scent particles for purposes like sniffing out fit females for reproduction etc. This behavior is popular among large number of mammals like predatory ( lions, tigers etc.) and non-predatory species (elephants and ungulates like horses, zebras, giraffes, rhinos etc.). Thanks to their vomeronasal organs located at the roof of their mouths.

Has anybody thought of an animal which sniffs through its rear end. Turtles are such animals but it is only some species which boast this odd talent of back respiration. The Australian Fitzroy river turtle is one such species which gains around 72% of oxygen by this way.

So, this post has given info about other ways animals sniff their surroundings.

No need for loudspeaker-2

Coming to the second part of the blog of those animals boasting loud noises.

Even, the largest herbivores have the most high-pitched vocalizations. Elephants which are terrestrial giants are symbolic for their loud trumpets and also horrifying loud roars. These sounds are audible to other elephants standing at a distance of 2 km away. Even, their infra sound which is grumbling is known to travel far off distance.

Similarly, another terrestrial giant hippos are again louder with their grunts and bellows with the bellow of a bull hippopotamus being too loud to hear.

If hippos are loud, their relatives which are actually cetaceans ( whales & dolphins ) are also the same. Loudest among them are two whales - the gigantic blue whale whose whistles are really loud out sounding a jet engine and can be heard by other whales of its kind. But, the loudest not only among the entire category of whales but of all animals is the sperm whale. These toothed cetaceans are the loudest with their clicks lasting from 15-30 seconds out sounding blue whale.



And, the Guinness world record holder for the noisiest land animal, the howler monkey is no exception. Their call resembling a threatening roar rather than a howl can be heard for miles away in the rain forests sounding around 128 db.




Other animals with loud noises include tiger pistol shrimp, Greater bulldog bat, American bullfrog ( loudest amphibian). 

So, the posts of this topic (1&2) tells us to shield our god given ears while listening to these animals.