Animals of August
Hi SusSpotters! Can you believe it's already almost the end of summer?! On a happier note, I recently discovered that August is absolutely packed with animal holidays. Here's a list I compiled: Aug. 4 International Clouded Leopard Day
Aug. 4 International Owl Awareness Day
Aug. 10 World Lion Day
Aug. 11 World Krill Day
Aug. 12 World Elephant Day
Aug. 12 World Hirola Day
Aug. 13 International Wolf Day
Aug. 14 Panamanian Golden Frog Day
Aug. 15 National Honeybee Day
Aug. 15 Cotton-top Tamarin Day
Aug. 19 International Orangutan Day
Aug. 26 World Painted Dog Day
Aug. 30 International Whale Shark Day
To show some appreciate and raise awareness for these amazing beings, I thought it would be fun to give some fun facts on each one of these animals! So without further ado...
Clouded Leopard (neofelis nebulosa)
These wild cats are a bit smaller than the lions and tigers we are used to seeing. They are found in the forests of Southeast Asia, and rather than roaring or purring, they communicate through growls, hisses, and chuffs. They are one of the most ancient feline species around, originating over 6 million years ago! Furthermore, they are one of the only two cat species (the other being the margay) to be able to climb down trees.
Owls
There are around 250 species of owls. These birds belong to the group Strigiformes. Most are nocturnal, and these birds of prey inhabit every continent except Antarctica. In general, they can turn their heads 270 degrees, have a toe that they can pivot to face forward or backward, and contrary to popular belief, not all owls hoot! For example, Barn Owls make sounds that are more like hissing.
Lion (panthera leo)
Another wild cat! Though more well-known, there is plenty of unique facts about lions. For example, they are the only cats that roar together (a group of them is called a pride). They often do so to mark territory, and the calling can be heard from 5 miles away and last up to 40 seconds. Young lions start off with patterns and spots on their coats, but these disappear with age. Almost all lions are found in Africa, but a small population of Asiatic lions resides in western India.
Krill
These crustaceans are closely related to shrimp, and indeed, they look like a miniature version of their relative, the average length across species being about the length of one of our pinky fingers! They belong to the order Euphausiacea, and there are more than 85 known species of krill. Most krill are transparent with a red tint, and female krill can lay as many as 10,000 eggs in one sitting!
Elephant
Elephants are the world's largest land mammals! They belong to the family Elephantidae, and there are currently three recognized species: African Savanna or Bush Elephants, African Forest Elephants, and Asian Elephants (also having some subspecies like the Indian Elephant). Their most distinctive feature is their trunks, which are used to pick things up, make trumpet-like sounds, greet others, drink water, suck up water to bathe, just to name a few. Elephants are very important to their ecosystems, as they pave paths through forest habitats for other animals.
Hirola (beatragus hunteri)
These antelope are sometimes referred to as the "four-eyed antelope", but they actually just have two eyes and two abnormally large pre-orbital glands. Almost all of the species lives along the southern part of the Kenya-Somali border. Sadly, these beautiful creatures have experienced a population decline of over 95% in the last four decades due to a rinderpest epidemic and rangeland degradation, making them Critically Endangered with less than 500 individuals left.
Wolf
These ancestors of our furry friends are the largest wild member of the family Canidae. There are three wolf species--the red wolf (Canis rufus), the gray wolf (Canis lupus, the most common), and the eastern wolf (Canis lycaon)-- and close to 40 different subspecies. The average adult paw size of a wolf is close to an adult human hand, about 4 by 5 inches! Additionally, aren't actually specifically known to howl at the moon, even though they definitely do howl to communicate with their packs.
Panamanian Golden Frog (atelopus zeteki)
These amphibians are native to Panama's rainforests and cloud forests. Sadly, they are extinct in the wild due to an epidemic of chytrid fungus, but conservations efforts have managed to maintain stable populations to possibly be released back into the wild! Despite their tiny 1-2 inch size and beautiful pattern, their bright yellow skin is toxic enough to kill 1,200 mice. Still, they have been viewed as good-luck symbols in Panama for centuries, and one more thing -- they're actually toads!
Honeybee (apis mellifera)
Honeybees have five eyes, four wings, are red-colorblind, do a waggling-dance to communicate, can fly at speeds of up to 15-20 miles per hour, and of course, make honey by collecting flower nectar! Members of colonies are divided into three roles: the drones, the males who mate with the queen; the workers, females who forage for food and build/protect the hive; and the queen, who is created by workers feeding a young larva "royal jelly", which enables her to reproductively develop into a large, fertile queen bee.
Cotton-top Tamarin (saguinus oedipus)
These tiny, white-maned monkeys weigh around one pound and are 7-9 inches long, but have 10 inch long tails! They are tree-dwelling and are native to South America's tropical forests. They have at least 38 different vocalizations for communication, like whistles, barks, and squeaks. They lack opposable thumbs, and can jump distances of over 15 feet! Sadly, they are Critically Endangered due to habitat destruction and illegal capture and sale for biomedical research and the exotic pet trade.
Orangutan (pongo)
Another primate! These "people of the forest" are native to the tropical rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. They are the world's largest tree-dwelling animal, but when they descend to the ground, they walk on all fours. They are mostly herbivores who love eating fruit like durian, males can grow white or yellow beards, and infants are carried by their mothers until age four.
Painted Dog (lycaon pictus)
These wild dogs are incredible hunters with an 80% success rate. They hunt in packs, and sneeze to vote on hunting decisions! They have a top speed of about 45 miles per hour, but their endurance is what makes them so deadly. Some other facts are that they have only four toes on each foot, a litter may contain as many as 16 pups, and they are actually quite peaceful towards one another, begging to express a wish to eat, and letting the younger individuals feast first.
Whale Shark (rhincodon typus)
Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the world, found globally in warm tropical waters. They have an average size of 18-32 feet, but they are actually incredibly gentle. They don't even hunt; they simply filter-feed, a method referring to straining plankton, algae, and other tiny food items out of the water with mesh-like gills. They have no bones and their skeletons are completely cartilage! They are quite mysterious, and little is known about their mating, social dynamics, life span, and actual weight.
Whew! Thirteen animals to think a little extra about this month. I hope this article motivates you to act against acts that endanger such animals like poaching, deforestation, and pollution from human activities. I've talked about the animals specifically celebrated during August, be we should always be appreciating and protecting ALL of the incredible diversity living among us!
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