My Science School

 

             The muskox is a hoofed Arctic mammal. It is famous for its thick coat of fur. The male muskox emits a strong odour seasonally to attract females.

             The name of the animal derives from this specialty. They are from primarily in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. You may have heard of musk deer, which, in fact, is from another family, called Moschidae.

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          Gazelles are slim, graceful animals that are found in Africa and Asia. They are synonymous with speed and quickness. Although they resemble deer, both animals have very little in common.

          Do you know that gazelles have the ability to run at bursts as fast as 100 km/h, or run at a sustained speed of 50 km/h? They have very light frames, and their physical features enable them to be agile and swift. Their speed helps them to escape from predators.

          Gazelles are found in the hot and dry savannahs and deserts of Africa and Asia. Gazelles have the unique ability to shrink their heart and liver in order to remain hydrated during summer. The Edmi gazelle, also known as the Cuvier’s gazelle, is the only in the mountains. When winter comes, then animal, however, will migrate to warmer regions.

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          Although antelopes and deer look alike, they belong to different families. While antelopes belong to the Bovidae family, deer belong to the Cerivdae family. There are some other important differences between these animals too.

          A male deer has antlers, which it sheds every year. They grow back later. However, antelopes do not shed their horns, as their horns are permanent. Deer have branched antlers. Antelopes, on the other hand, do not develop branches on their horns. Antelopes are commonly found in African, and in European and Asian countries. They have adapted to a large range of habitats. Some antelope species are sedentary, and do not move from one place to another. Some on the other hand, migrate.

          Deer are very common animals and are found in all continents except Antarctica and Australis. Curiously, there is only one species of deer in Africa, called the red deer.

          Animals move from one place another in search of food, or a comfortable environment. Wildebeests do migrate, but not all of them. Blue wildebeests are migratory, and their migration is one of the most interesting wildlife spectacles on earth! They migrate towards the northern direction.

          The purpose of the migration of the blue wildebeests is to reach greener pastures. They do this in May or June, compelled by hostile weather patterns during this period. The most interesting part is that the migration involves other animal species too. About 1.5 million wildebeests, as well as hundreds of thousands of other animals, such as zebras and gazelles, move together.

          Vultures closely follow this exodus. The carcasses of the wildebeests dying in the process are the source of food for these scavenger birds.

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        Wildebeests are found in Africa. Also known as gnus, they get their name ‘wildebeest’ due to their menacing appearance.

        They have large heads, shaggy manes, pointed beards, and sharp curved horns. They move about in large groups, and are food for the predators of the African savannahs, such as lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, and hyenas.

        The grassy plains and open woodlands of central, southern and eastern Africa, particularly the Serengeti in Tanzania and Kenya, are the grazing grounds of the wildebeests. They graze about incessantly day and night, and travel in large herbs. The two major types of wildebeests are the blue wildebeests and the black wildebeests.

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          The gaur is the largest bovine existing today. This animal is also called the Indian bison, and is found in South and Southeast India.

          The gaur is dark brown in colour, almost black when it is old. It has very large ears. Its tail is short, and reaches only until its hocks. As the animal grows, the hair on its back becomes thin. The length of the animal is between 250 and 330 centimetres from the head to the rear. The male gaur is larger and heavier than females. An adult female can weigh between 440 to 1,000 kilograms.

          A male gaur, on the other hand weighs about 600 to 1,500 kilograms! Do you know that gaurs are among the largest living land animal? The gaur can consistently grow heavier. Other animals that boast such consistency are elephants, rhinos, hippopotamuses and giraffes.

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        Have you ever wondered why some animals are domesticated, while many wild animals are not befriended by Man? The nature of the animal is an important reason for this. Elephants, though widely domesticated in India, have caused the death of many human beings, because they cannot be fully domesticated.

        The African Cape buffalo is a dangerous animal. According to experts, they kill approximately 200 people every year! Therefore, due to its unpredictable and dangerous nature, the animal has never been domesticated. However, some other species of the same family, such as water buffaloes, have been domesticated.

        African Cape buffaloes are so unpredictable that even other animals dare not go near them. Only lions hunt them occasionally. However, the Cape buffalo is a favourite game among hunters and poachers.

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          Both these animals are large species of the Bovidae family. The unique horn structure of the African buffalo is its characteristic feature. The animal has a fused basis for its horns. Therefore, their horns from a continuous bone shield across the top of the head. This formation is known as a ‘boss’. Although this animal is called a buffalo. It is not an ancestor of domestic cattle.

          A grazer, this animal lives in swamps, flood plains, and mopane grasslands. They are found abundantly in the forests of the major mountains of Africa too.

         The American bison, on the other hand, is found only in North America. The European bison, found mostly in European grasslands, is its closest relative. The characteristic feature of this animal is its massive head and huge shoulder hump. Both these bison are covered with thick woolly fur.

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          Have you noticed the difference size between a goat and a cow? Although both belong to the bovine family, a goat is far smaller than a cow or buffalo. There are great variations among the different species of the Bovidae in terms of appearance and dimensions.

          The royal antelope is the smallest bovid. It has a mass of only 3 kg. However, the bison or several other species of domestic cattle have body masses approaching 1000 kg.

          The gaur is the largest bovid. It weighs easily over a tonne. All bovids have a pair of horns. However, the four-horned antelope has two pairs of horns!

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          Do you know to which family a cow belongs? Bison, African buffalo, water buffalo, antelope, wildebeest, impala, gazelles, sheep, goats, muskoxen and domestic cattle belong to the family named Bovidae. All of them are hoofed mammals. A member belonging to the Bovidae family is known as bovid.

          The Bovidae family is believed to have evolved 20 million years ago. Generally, the male members of the Bovidae family have horns, and the females lack them. However, among some domestic cattle, both males and females have horns. Horns are one of the most striking characteristics of the bovids. They vary greatly in shape and size across species. The greatest diversities of bovids occur in Africa. The maximum concentration of species is in the Savannahs of Eastern Africa. Other bovid species are also found in Europe, Asia, and North America.

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          A hyenas looks like a dog. Due to their similarity to dogs, they were, for a long time, considered to be belonging to the Canidae family. In fact, hyenas belong to the Hyaenidae family.

          Canids and hyenas have many similar features in their appearance and behaviour patterns. Both have the habit of eating quickly and strong their food. They catch their prey with their jaws and teeth and not with their claws.

          Hyenas however, are much stronger than dogs. They have the strongest set of jaws and teeth in the animal kingdom. Expert scavengers, hyenas help clear the remains of carcasses in the African plains.

          Hyenas are powerful as a pack. They can kill any prey when they are together. The kings of the jungle are afraid of hyenas when they approach in a pack because they might take away the kill from even a lion.

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            Have you seen a dog wag its tail? We know that dogs wag their tails to show their affection and gratitude. They use many signs to communicate among themselves too. In fact, wolves and dogs use sounds and body language to tell others about their moods, intentions or rank. Perhaps their tails are the most expressive of all their physical features. A high fluffed tail is a sign of authority and dominance. By puffing up their tail, they look bigger and are able to show how powerful they are. A wolf carrying its tail straight out behind it is aggressive and planning to attack. A terrified wolf adopts a humble pose. It makes itself as small as possible by crouching with its tail touching its belly.

            Lower ranking dogs or wolves in a pack approach a dominant member of the pack in order to greet or beg for food by crouching with their tails touching the belly. The tip of the tail will remain curved back to show its servility and docility towards its superior.

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          Have you seen a picture of a raccoon? It has a distinctive face with two black stripes running below its eyes. A raccoon dog looks very similar to a raccoon, but does not have anything to do with it! While a raccoon dog belongs to the Canidae family, the raccoon is a member of the Procyonidae family. Raccoons are the largest members of this family. They have the unique habit of washing food if they are near a source of water!

          The raccoon dog is also known as tanuki. The breed originates from East Asia. Their resemblance to raccoons has led people to mistake one for the other. However, we can see that both have very different features in terms of weight and diet etc. Raccoon dogs also have the habit of hibernating during the winter.