My Science School

Grey crowned crane is one of the 15 crane species found in eastern and southern Africa. It has a grey body, white wings with brown and golden feathers, white cheeks, and bright red gular sacs underneath its chin. A spray of stiff golden feathers forms a crown around its heads.

Its diet includes eating plants, seeds, grain, insects, frogs, worms and snakes. It is known for its courtship display which involves dancing, bowing, and jumping. It does not have set migration pattern. Birds nearer the tropics are typically sedentary.

It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats. They can also be found in marshes, cultivated lands and grassy flatlands near rivers and lakes in Uganda and Kenya and as far south as South Africa. This animal does not have set migration patterns, and birds nearer the tropics are typically sedentary. Birds in more arid areas, particularly Namibia, make localised seasonal movements during drier periods.

The grey crowned crane has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping. It has a booming call which involves inflation of the red gular sac. It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species. Both sexes dance, and immature birds join the adults. Dancing is an integral part of courtship, but also may be done at any time of the year.

Flocks of 30-150 birds are not uncommon.

Picture Credit : Google

Golden lion tamarin is a species of monkey, found in the rainforests of the Atlantic coast of Brazil. Its body is covered with golden colour fur. Its face is dark and hairless.

It is an omnivore. It eats fruits, flowers, eggs, insects, amphibians, reptiles and birds. The young are usually twins and males often carry their young on their backs.

It is a territorial animal and defends its area with scent markings. Signs of aggression include an open mouth, an arched back, and staring.

Golden lion tamarins are omnivores. They feed upon insects, spiders, snails, amphibians, nectar, small lizards, gum, birds and their eggs and fruit.

They forage for insects within leaf litter, logs, bark and a range of plants using their elongated hands and fingers. They prefer areas with plants which attract insects to help with this.  When fruit is in abundance this forms much of their diet. When it is dry, the fruit is not readily available and they supplement their diet with other foods.

Sharing food acts as a method of reinforcing bonds between golden lion tamarins.

Picture Credit : Google

Tardigrade is a microscopic animal found everywhere on Earth – from the deep sea in the mud volcanoes. There are around 1300 species of tardigrades. We are also called water bears or moss piglets.

It has eight limbs with four to eight claws on each. Its body is covered in a tough cuticle, similar to the exoskeletons. It is known for being the most resilient animal, because it can survive extreme conditions such as exposure to extreme temperatures, extreme pressures, radiation and starvation. It can go up to 30 years without food and water.

In extreme dry conditions, it gets into a death-like state called cryptobiosis. It squeezes all the water out of its body, retract its heads and limbs and curl up into a little ball. When conditions improve, it unfurls itself and goes about its business. It sucks the juices from algae, lichens and moss using its tube-shaped mouth.

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Hedgehog is a spiny mammal that belongs to the family Erinaceidae, found in Europe, Asia and Africa. It has an elongated snout and body covered with 5000 to 6500 non-poisonous quills. It replaces the old quills with new ones each yea.

If attached it curls into a prickly and unapestising ball that deters most predators. It feeds on insects, worms, centipedes, snails, mice, frogs and snakes. It hibernates in cold climates.

The body of adult hedgehogs ranges from 14 to 30 centimetres long, and their tail can add one to six centimetres. When they are born (there can be up to seven in a litter) their spines are soft and short. But soon after birth, their spines harden, becoming stiffer, sharper and longer. Babies stay in the nest until they”re about three weeks old. By that time, their eyes are open, their spines are effective and they can safely follow their mother outside the nest as she looks for food.

Top on the hedgehog”s menu are insects, followed by small mice, snails, lizards, frogs, eggs and even snakes. Mostly nocturnal creatures, they head out at night in search of food – but they are sometimes active during the day, too, particularly after it rains.

Credit : National Geographic

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Giant panda is living in the thick bamboo forests, high up in the mountains of central China. It belongs to the family of bears.

It has large, black patches around its eyes, over the ears and across its otherwise white body. Its skin is black under the black fur and pink under the white fur.

Though it eats small animals and fish, bamboo represents 99% of its diet. It spends 14-16 hours per day eating. It can grow up to 15 m. ironically, when born we are just 15 cm, which is as long as your smaller ruler. It does not hibernate like other bears.

It’s thought that these magnificent mammals are solitary animals, with males and females only coming together briefly to mate. Recent research, however, suggests that giant pandas occasionally meet outside of breeding season, and communicate with each other through scent marks and calls. Female pandas give birth to one or two cubs every two years. Cubs stay with their mothers for 18 months before venturing off on their own! Sadly, these beautiful bears are endangered, and it’s estimated that only around 1,000 remain in the wild. That’s why we need to do all we can to protect them!

Credit : National Geographic

Picture Credit : Google

Jaguar is the third largest cat in the world after lion and tiger. It is found in North, Central and South America.

It has a tan or orange fur covered with black spots arranged in rosettes. It is an ambush predator, known for killing its prey with a single bite.

Unlike most cats, it likes to spend time in water and is an excellent swimmer.  It is a solitary, territorial animal. It defines its territory by making scratches on tree barks.

Jaguars are carnivores, which means they eat only meat. In the wild, jaguars will use their speed and stealth to take down deer, peccary, monkeys, birds, frogs, fish, alligators and small rodents. If wild food is scarce, these large cats will also hunt domestic livestock. 

Their jaws are stronger than any other species of cat. With these strong jaws, jaguars will crunch down on bones and eat them. Their jaws are strong enough to crack a sea turtle's shell, according to the BBC. In fact, in the zoo, bones are part of a jaguars' regular diet.

They also don't like to share their food. Jaguars will only eat their prey after dragging into the trees, even if the trees are quite a distance away.

Credit : Live Science

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California condor is a North America’s largest flying bird. It travels widely to feed on carcasses of deer, pigs, and other animals. It can survive up to two weeks without eating.

Its body is black, with striking white patches under the wings. It has a red-to-orange head and beak. It nests in caves on cliffs of tall mountains.

California condors live in rocky shrubland, coniferous forests, and oak savannas. They are often found near cliffs or large trees, which they use as nesting sites.

The California condor is one of the world’s longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 60 years.

The body is feathered in black with large white patches on the underside of the wings; a black feather ruff rings the neck. The sexes are alike in coloring and plumage.

The most valuable role of carrion feeders is the safe disposal of dead, decomposing and diseased animals, protecting human and animal co-habitants from ill effect.

California condors have a very hardy and effective immune system, so they don’t get sick from any of the bacteria they may come in contact with when feeding on decaying animals.

California condors are tidy birds; they like to groom themselves – plumage is carefully preened and kept well arranged; the bare head and neck are cleaned after feeding – by rubbing them on grass, rocks, or branches.

Picture Credit : Google

Stingray is a kind of cartilaginous fish that lives in the shallow waters. It has a flat body. It’s skeleton is made up of cartilages (just like your ears). While its eyes are located on the dorsal side, my mouth, nostrils, and gill slits are situated on its underbelly.

It is an ovoviviparous creature. That is, the young are hatched from eggs held within the body of the female.

It is not usually aggressive and it attacks humans only when provoked. Contact with the stinger causes local trauma, pain and swelling. The sting may become fatal only if the affected area is a vital organ.

Stingrays use a super set of senses to search for food. Special gel-filled pits across the front of their face, (called Ampullae of Lorenzini), allow them to pick up electrical signals from other animals when they move – cool! Their eyes are on the topside of their body and their mouth and gills can be found underneath, so in the darker depths or murky rivers this electromagnetic sense is especially useful for searching for prey.

Picture Credit : Google