Animal Corner – The Black Buck Antelope

If you happened to be on the Arabian peninsula you might mistake a Black Buck Antelope for a Gazelle. That’s because these two species look similar in appearance and share the same natural habitat. Unfortunately, Black Buck Antelopes have been listed as a Near Threatened species since 2003.

One very distinctive feature of the Black Buck Antelope is their long, spiraled horns. Only males have these horns, which range from 18 to 27 inches long. Males also are larger, weighing up to 99 pounds and being up to 33 inches at the shoulder. The females range up to 86 pounds and are more slender than their male counterparts.

Black Buck Antelopes are grazers that prefer the plains and open woodlands. They eat grasses and sometimes forage for other things like low hanging flora on trees and bushes. They are very fast and can outrun any threats. Currently the loss of land is one of the largest problems facing this species. If you’d like to see theses striking animals you can always drop in for a visit.

Source : animalsafari[dot]com

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Animal Corner – Père David’s deer

Credit DiverDave

Père David’s deer is named after a French missionary who was working in China and sent back several samples of the previously unknown deer in 1866. This species of deer is currently extinct in the wild but was indigenous to the subtropical areas of Asia.

Père David’s deer can grow up to 3.9 feet at the shoulder and stretch out to about 7 feet long. They can weigh up to 441 depending on gender, with the mail weighing more than the females. They have unique branched antlers which have tines what point back and times which point directly up. In China there is folklore and history surrounding this special deer, which was once owned by the emperor himself!

Source : animalsafari[dot]com

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Animal Corner – The Spotted Hyena

Spotted hyena in the wild

The spotted hyena is an unusual animal which has intrigued humans throughout recorded history. Also known as a laughing hyena due to a laughing-like sound it makes, the hyena is indigenous to Africa. It plays a large part in many African cultures, such as in folklore, superstitions and medicine traditions.

The spotted hyena is a social animal which prefers to live in clans of up to 80. The males can weight up to 121 and the females can weigh up to 141. In certain areas the species tends to be heavier, which experts feel is due to food abundance and the types of food available. This species is spotted but there are related species which have different fur markings.

Source : animalsafari[dot]com

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Animal Corner – The Watusi

Ankole-Watusi in France

The Watusi, sometimes called the Ankole-Watusi, is a medium sized breed of cattle which is originally from Africa. The animals are easy to spot in a crowd due to their large, very distinctive horns. These horns can grow up to 8 feet from tip to tip and serve to both protect and help cool off the animal.

The Ankole-Watusi is an old breed of cattle, with pictures of similar cattle being found on Egyptian pyramid walls! The Watusi eats grass and leaves, preferring to graze on savannas and open grasslands. They can weigh up to 1,200 for females and 1,600 for males and are known to be have an easy going temperament.

Source : animalsafari[dot]com

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Animal Corner – Père David’s deer

Credit DiverDave

Père David’s deer is named after a French missionary who was working in China and sent back several samples of the previously unknown deer in 1866. This species of deer is currently extinct in the wild but was indigenous to the subtropical areas of Asia.

Père David’s deer can grow up to 3.9 feet at the shoulder and stretch out to about 7 feet long. They can weigh up to 441 depending on gender, with the mail weighing more than the females. They have unique branched antlers which have tines what point back and times which point directly up. In China there is folklore and history surrounding this special deer, which was once owned by the emperor himself!

Source : animalsafari[dot]com

post from sitemap

Animal Corner – The Black Buck Antelope

If you happened to be on the Arabian peninsula you might mistake a Black Buck Antelope for a Gazelle. That’s because these two species look similar in appearance and share the same natural habitat. Unfortunately, Black Buck Antelopes have been listed as a Near Threatened species since 2003.

One very distinctive feature of the Black Buck Antelope is their long, spiraled horns. Only males have these horns, which range from 18 to 27 inches long. Males also are larger, weighing up to 99 pounds and being up to 33 inches at the shoulder. The females range up to 86 pounds and are more slender than their male counterparts.

Black Buck Antelopes are grazers that prefer the plains and open woodlands. They eat grasses and sometimes forage for other things like low hanging flora on trees and bushes. They are very fast and can outrun any threats. Currently the loss of land is one of the largest problems facing this species. If you’d like to see theses striking animals you can always drop in for a visit.

Source : animalsafari[dot]com

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Animal Corner – The Spiny Tailed Lizard

Courtesy WikiCommons

While their name isn’t very flattering, the Spiny Tailed Lizard are pretty cool lizards that live through most of North America, Northeast Africa,the Middle East. Some species even live further east, establishing themselves in hilly, rocky areas. Officially called Uromastyx, there are a variety of species within this family of hardy lizards.

As you can tell from their name, they have spiny tails. These spiked tails are muscular and are used as defense against attackers. They also hiss and display their teeth to ward off danger. They sleep underground in burrows, which can also provide them protection from predators and the environment.

Spiny Tailed Lizards range greatly in size, from 10 inches all the way up to 36 inches long, depending upon species. Like most reptiles, they like to bask in the sun and get most of their water through the vegetation they eat. Some people keep these lizards as pets, with the Mali Uromastyx being considered the ideal pet species.

Interesting, the coloration of this lizard changes. In colder weather, when they cannot bask in the sun as much, they get darker. In the summer when they can bask often, they tend to be lighter in color. If you want to see a Spiny Tailed Lizards for yourself you can stop by our park.

Source : animalsafari[dot]com

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