Bats Are Vampire

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Bats Are Vampire
Bats are often divided into two major groups, usually given the rank of suborders, Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera. Although these groups probably do not represent monophyletic lineages (discussed in more detail below), there are several relevant ecological differences between them. These groups will be used throughout this account in describing the diversity of bat life histories. (Teeling, et al., 2002; Teeling, et al., 2005; Van den Bussche and Hoofer, 2004; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

Megachiroptera includes one family (Pteropodidae) and about 166 species. All feed primarily on plant material, either fruit, nectar or pollen. The remaining 16 families (around 759 species) belong to Microchiroptera. The majority of species are insectivorous, and insectivory is widely distributed through all microchiropteran families. However, many microchiropterans have become specialized to eat other kinds of diets. Some bats are carnivorous (feeding on rodents, other bats, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and even fish), many consume fruit, some are specialized for extracting nectar from flowers, and one subfamily (three species in the subfamily Desmodontinae) feeds on nothing but the blood of other vertebrates. Megachiropterans and microchiropterans differ in many other ways. Megachiropterans are found only in the Old World tropics, while microchiropterans are much more broadly distributed. Microchiropterans use highly sophisticated echolocation for orientation; megachiropterans orient primarily using their eyes, although members of one genus, Rousettus, are capable of a simple form of echolocation that is not related to echolocation in microchiropterans. Megachiropteran species control their body temperature within a tight range of temperatures and none hibernates; many microchiropterans have labile body temperatures, and some hibernate. (Hill and Smith, 1984; Nowak, 1991; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

Geographic Range
Bats are found throughout the world in tropical and temperate habitats. They are missing only from polar regions and from some isolated islands. Although bats are relatively common in temperate regions, they reach their greatest diversity in tropical forests. (Hill and Smith, 1984; Museum and Institute of Zoology, 2012; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

Biogeographic Regions nearctic  native  palearctic  native  oriental  native  ethiopian  native  neotropical  native  australian  native  oceanic islands  native
Other Geographic Terms cosmopolitan island endemic
Habitat
Bats can be found in many terrestrial habitats below the polar regions. Typical habitats include temperate and tropical forests, deserts, open fields, agricultural areas, and in suburban and urban environments. Many bats forage near freshwater streams, lakes and ponds, preying on insects as they emerge from the water. Generally, if a terrestrial habitat provides access to sufficient roost sites and appropriate food, one or more species will be found there. Bats generally have very specific roosting requirements, which differ among species. They may roost in caves, crevices, trees, under logs, and even in human dwellings. Bats may also use different types of roosts at different times. For example, a species that hibernates in a cave during the winter may use crevices in tree holes as roosts during warmer months.

Habitat Regions temperate tropical terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes desert or dune savanna or grassland chaparral forest rainforest scrub forest mountains
Wetlands marsh swamp bog
Other Habitat Features urban suburban agricultural riparian estuarine
Physical Description
Bats are unmistakable. No mammals other than bats have true wings and flight.  Bat wings are modified forelimbs, much as are bird wings, except in the case of bats the flight surface is covered with skin and supported by four fingers, while in birds the flight surface is provided mostly by feathers and is supported by the wrist and two digits. The flight membrane usually extends down the sides of the body and attaches to the hind legs. Bats also often have a tail membrane called a uropatagium. In order to accomodate powerful flight muscles, the thoracic region of bats is quite robust. In addition to providing power, a massive chest and shoulders maintains the center of gravity between the wings, making flight more efficient. The opposite is true of the posterior end of the body, which is small relative to the chest and back. The hindlimbs in particular are generally short and small, with sharp, curved claws that help bats cling to surfaces in their roost. (Hill and Smith, 1984; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

An important cranial characteristic for recognizing bat families is the nature of the  premaxilla. (Hill and Smith, 1984; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

The suborder names, Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera, imply that megabats are all large and microbats are all small, which is is not always the case. The smallest bat is indeed a microchiropteran (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) and weighs only 2 to 3 grams. Likewise, the largest bats are among the Megachiroptera and can weigh up to 1500 grams. Size varies with each group, however, with the smallest megachiropterans weighing only 13 grams and the largest microchiropterans weighing nearly 200 grams. (Vaughan, et al., 2000)

There are several obvious morphological features that distinguish the two suborders. Megachiropterans rely on vision to orient in the dark of night, and thus have large, prominent eyes. All microchiropterans rely heavily on echolocation, and not vision, and generally have small eyes. Instead most microchiropterans have large, complex pinnae (external ears), including an enlarged tragus or antitragus. Megabats have claws on the second digits supporting their wings (with one exception); this is never the case in microbats. Microbats often have dentition or cheek teeth whose morphology can easily be related to  dilambdodont teeth; megabats have simplified cheek teeth that are difficult to interpret. (Hill and Smith, 1984; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

Other Physical Features endothermic heterothermic homoiothermic bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism sexes alike female larger sexes shaped differently
Reproduction
Mating systems vary among bat species. Many temperate bats mate in the fall as they aggregate near their winter hibernacula. These bats are generally promiscuous. Pteropodids also tend to have promiscuous mating systems. These bats often aggregate in large groups in one or a few trees and mate with various nearby individuals. In many neotropical microchiropterans, one or two males defend small harems of females. Males secure all matings with their harem females until other males supplant them. While most species are either polygynous or promiscuous, there are some bats that are monogamous. In these cases, the male, female, and their offspring roost together in a family group and males may contribute to protecting and feeding the young. Examples include Vampyrum spectrum, Lavia frons, Hipposideros galeritus, H. beatus, Nycteris hispida, N. arge, N. nana, and some Kerivoula species. One megachiropteran species, Hypsignathus monstrosus, has a lek mating system, where males gather in a lekking arena to display to females, who then choose the most desirable of mates. Courtship behavior is complex in some species, while in others, it can be nearly nonexistent (e.g., males of some species will mate with hibernating females that barely react to the copulation event). (Hill and Smith, 1984; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

Mating System monogamous polygynous polygynandrous (promiscuous)
A large number of bats breed seasonally. Temperate species often breed before they enter hibernation while many tropical species breed in a cycle that is linked to wet-dry seasonality. All species that are not seasonal breeders occur in the tropics, where resources may not be as variable as in temperate regions. The function of seasonal breeding is to coordinate reproduction with the availability of resources to support newborn young. To this end, many species have also evolved complex reproductive physiology including delayed ovulation, sperm storage, delayed fertilization, delayed implantation, and embryonic diapause. Females generally give birth to one two two pups per litter, but in some species in the genus Lasiurus, litter sizes may reach 3 or 4 individuals (e.g. Lasiurus borealis, L.seminolus, and L.cinereus). (Hill and Smith, 1984; Nowak, 1991)

Key Reproductive Features iteroparous seasonal breeding year-round breeding gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate) sexual viviparous sperm-storing delayed fertilization delayed implantation embryonic diapause
At birth, newborn bats weigh between 10 and 30% of their mother's weight, putting a large energetic strain on pregnant females. All newborn bats are completely dependent on their mothers for both protection and nourishment. This is true even in Pteropodidae, where pups are born with fur and open eyes. Microchiropterans tend to be more altricial at birth.

Aside from the few monogamous bat species, where males contribute to feeding and protecting young, all parental care in bats is provided by females. Some males defend feeding territories for their harems, thereby contributing indirectly to the survival of their young after birth. Bats cannot fly when they are born, so young bats either remain in the roost while their mothers forage, or cling to their mothers' during flight. Females of many species form maternity colonies while they are lactating and rearing young. When the young are left in the roost as the mother forages, they cluster together to keep warm. Upon their return, mothers and their respective infants can identify each other by their vocalizations and scent, and thus can successfully reunite. In some species, females will communally care for young, with "babysitters" caring for the cluster of young while their roost-mates forage.

Juveniles grow quickly and can usually fly within 2 to 4 weeks of birth. They are weaned shortly thereafter. Thus, lactation is relatively short, but metabolically demanding. (Hill and Smith, 1984)

Parental Investment altricial pre-fertilization  provisioning protecting female  pre-hatching/birth  provisioning female protecting female  pre-weaning/fledging  provisioning male female protecting male female
Lifespan / Longevity
Bats live surprisingly long lives. Typically, mammalian lifespans roughly correlate with their body size: smaller mammals live short lives, whereas larger mammals live longer lives. Bats are the only group of mammals that does not conform to this relationship. Despite the fact that bats are generally small mammals, many bats can live over 30 years in the wild. Where data on longevity is available, lifespans in the wild are often recorded from 10 to 25 years. Typically, a given species will live at least 3.5 times longer than other mammals of similar size. (Wilkinson and South, 2002)

There are several viable hypotheses to explain longevity in bats. Hibernation and daily torpor may restrict lifetime energy expenditure in individuals, allowing them to live longer. Lack of predation pressure on adults may also allow bats to live long lives. For their size, bats have low reproductive rates in a given breeding season. Typically, females give birth to only one or two young per year, but reproduce many times over a long life. By evolving a reproductive strategy that is more typical of large mammals, perhaps lifespans have evolved to match those of large mammals as well. (Wilkinson and South, 2002)

The longest-lived bat on record is a little brown bat (Myotis lucifigus). One banded individual was recaptured 33 years after it was originally tagged. These bats weigh only 7 grams as adults, roughly 1/3 the size of a house mouse. Myotis lucifugus is one of the most widely studied species worldwide; thus, it would not be surprising if other, less well-known species live even longer. (Kurta, 1995)

Behavior
The behavior that unifies all of Chiroptera is flight. Bats are the only group of mammals to have evolved powered flight (although many species glide), and only the third vertebrate group to do so. Depending upon the size and shape of their wings relative to their body mass, different species of bats may have different flight styles. Many species have large, broad wings and relatively small bodies, which allows them to fly slowly but with high maneuverability. This flight behavior is useful for chasing evasive insect prey and maneuvering within a dense forest at night. Some species with large, broad wings can even hover. This behavior is especially useful for bats that eat nectar or pollen from stationary flowers. Other species have long, narrow wings, which are useful for acheiving high speeds, but which restricts maneuverability. Many of these species forage in open spaces and may be able to fly long distances. These two wing morphologies represent the ends of a continuum, most species have wing morphologies that fall between these extremes. (Hill and Smith, 1984; Nowak, 1991; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

Many bats live in groups, while some species are solitary. Often, bats roost in colonies for some portion of the year. Living in a colony can serve many functions. For bats, one of the main purposes of group living is to collectively conserve heat. Bats are small and have high metabolic rates, so heat conservation is vital. Many bats hibernate during the winter and undergo daily torpor to conserve energy. Clustering together while roosting can further reduce heat loss. Some bats that roost together do so in groups of several individuals. Some groups (e.g. Tadarida) roost in caves in groups of thousands, or even millions. Some bat species migrate to hibernation sites or to follow a food source (flowering cacti, for example). Most bat species are not known to defend foraging areas, but this behavior is known from some tropical species. Territorial defense of roosting sites is also known in some species. (Hill and Smith, 1984; Vaughan, et al., 2000)

Bats

Bats

Bats

Bats

Bats

Bats

The Wise Old Owl

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The Wise Old Owl
Owls are a group of birds known for their distinct calls, nocturnal habits and silent flight. Owls are familiar to many people because they are often depicted in various ways in popular culture. They rank on par with bats and spiders as the most celebrated of Halloween creatures. Owls also appear as wise and noble characters in many children's stories, including Winnie the Pooh, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Harry Potter.

Here we'll go beyond the myths and the stories of owls to explore ten facts about real-world owls:

FACT: There are about 205 species of owls.

Owls belong to a group of birds that includes about 205 species. These species are sorted into two basic groups, the barn owls and the true owls.

Barn owls have a heart-shaped face, long legs and powerful talons. Barn owls are medium-sized birds with a wingspan of about 3½ feet. There are 16 species of barn owls, including the greater sooty owl, Australasian grass owl, ashy-faced owl, barn owl and Sulawesi owl.
True owls are more diverse than barn owls, with nearly 190 species in about 23 genera. Some better known true owls include screech owls, horned owls and saw-whet owls. True owls vary in size from the tiny elf owl to the bulky Eurasian eagle owl. True owls have a round facial disc, a short tail and a large head. Their color is muted (consisting of mostly brown, rust, gray, white and black) and their pattern is mottled, helping to conceal them from both predators and prey.

FACT: Owls are predators.

Owls feed on a wide variety of prey. Their main food source consists of small mammals such as mice, squirrels, voles and rabbits. They also supplement their diet by feeding on birds, insects and reptiles. Owls cannot chew their prey since, like all birds, they do not have teeth. Instead, they swallow small prey whole. They must tear larger prey into small pieces before swallowing. They later regurgitate pellets of indigestible material such as bone, fur and feathers.

FACT: Most owls are nocturnal.

Most owls hunt at night and in doing so avoid competition with daytime avian hunters such as hawks and eagles. Although nocturnal feeding is the norm for most owls, some species such as burrowing owls and short-eared owls feed during the day. Still other species, such as pygmy owls, feed at dusk or dawn.
The Cry of the Owl

The cry of the owl is one of the most evocative sounds in the animal kingdom. The cry of the owl can be likened to the cry of the wolf in the fact that it conjures up so many pictures in our imaginations. The cry of the owl can vary greatly between different species. Many of the eagle owls make the easily recognisable “ooh ooh” sound. However the cry of the owl can also manifest itself in other ways. Owls can make a lot more noises than we think. The barn owls especially have quite a repertoire. They often hiss, shriek, coo and click their beaks. The cry of the Owl is also interesting with the Tawny Owl. The “twit twoo” sound actually is often two owls not one. The first “twit”s and the second will reply.

The Wise Old Owl

Although owls certainly look the part, the presumption that owls are wise is sadly a complete myth. In fact Owls are rather slow and not particularly intelligent at all. The diurnal (day hunting) raptors are generally much quicker and cleverer. This is mainly down to the fact that about 95% of an owl’s brain power is taken up simply for its eyes. An Owls eye is very large; much larger than any of the diurnal birds of prey.

In fact, there is very little physical space for the brain once you have taken into account that most of an owls head is puffy feathers and eye sockets.

 Owl

Owl

Owl

Owl

Owl

Owl

                                                                            Owl 

Aardvarks Use Their Senses

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Aardvarks Use Their Senses
Heavily built mammal (Orycteropus afer) of sub-Saharan forests and plains. Its stout, piglike body (“aardvark” is Afrikaans for “earth pig”) may be as long as 6 ft (1.8 m), including a 2-ft (60-cm) tail. It has a long snout, rabbitlike ears, short legs, and long toes with large, flattened claws. It feeds at night by ripping open ant and termite nests and lapping up the insects with a long (1-ft, or 30-cm), sticky tongue. Though not aggressive, it uses claws to fight off attackers. Its classification with regard to other mammals is uncertain.
Aardvark means "Earth pig" in Afrikaans, a language of South Africa. The aardvark is a solitary, shy, nocturnal animal. Aardvarks live in African savannas, open grasslands, woodlands, and scrub. They range from southern Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope in the far south of Africa. Aardvarks live about 10 years in captivity; their life span in the wild is unknown.
Anatomy: The aardvark is a hairy, nocturnal (active at night), burrowing mammal. Aardvarks are 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) long, including a 2 foot (0.6 m) long tail. They weigh about 140 pounds (64 kg). Aardvarks have a long, narrow snout, a long tongue, and very sticky saliva, which it uses to catch ants and termites, the mainstay of its diet. They have a sleek, dark brown coat, long ears, short legs with webbed 2nd and 3rd toes, and strong, sharp, hoof-like claws. The aardvark has 10 cheek teeth (but no incisors or canines) and bristles around its small mouth. The teeth are made of a type of cement, not enamel (our teeth are made of enamel). Aardvarks have a good sense of smell and hearing.

Diet: Aardvarks are insectivores (insect-eaters) that eat ants and termites. They use their large claws to dig into anthills and termite mounds and then stick their long, sticky, extensile tongue into the nest or mound to get the insects. Aardvarks use their senses of smell and hearing to help locate insects.

Aardvarks Use Their Senses

Aardvarks Use Their Senses

Aardvarks Use Their Senses

Aardvarks Use Their Senses

Aardvarks Use Their Senses

Aardvarks Use Their Senses

Coyotes Regions And Attacks

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Coyotes  Regions And Attacks
Coyotes are native to the Nearctic region. They are found throughout North and Central America. They range from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States, and Canada. They occur as far north as Alaska and all but the northernmost portions of Canada.

Biogeographic Regions nearctic  native
Habitat
Coyotes are extremely adaptable and use a wide range of habitats including forests, grasslands, deserts, and swamps. They are typically excluded from areas with wolves. Coyotes, because of their tolerance for human activities, also occur in suburban, agricultural, and urban settings.

Habitat Regions temperate terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes taiga desert or dune savanna or grassland chaparral forest scrub forest mountains
Wetlands swamp
Other Habitat Features urban suburban agricultural riparian
Physical Description
Coloration of coyotes varies from grayish brown to a yellowish gray on the upper parts. The throat and belly are whitish. The forelegs, sides of head, muzzle and feet are reddish brown. The back has fulvous colored underfur and long, black-tipped guard hairs that produce a black dorsal stripe and a dark cross on the shoulder area. The tail, which is half the body length, is bottle shaped with a black tip. There is also a scent gland located on the dorsal base of the tail. There is one moult per year, which starts in May with light loss of hair and ends in July after profuse shedding. Coyotes are significantly smaller than gray wolves and much larger than foxes. Coyotes are distinguished from domesticated dogs by their pointed, erect ears and drooping tail, which they hold below their back when running. The eyes have a yellow iris and round pupil. The nose is black and usually less than one inch in diameter. The ears are large in relation to the head and the muzzle is long and slender. The feet are relatively small for the size of the body. The pes has four digits and the manus has five with a small first digit. Coyotes run on their toes (digitigrade). The dental formula is 3/3 1/1 4/4 2/3. The molars are structured for crushing and the canines are rather long and slender.
KUSA- Wildlife officials are looking for the coyote they say attacked two small children at a Colorado Springs park.

Both attacks happened between 6 and 7 p.m. on Thursday at Goose Gossage Park. Wildlife officials responded to the park just after 6 for the first attack on a four-year-old girl.

"She had been knocked down. The coyote nipped her in the behind," said Parks and Wildlife spokesman Michael Seraphin. "She was not injured and her skin was not broken. Her clothes were not torn."

They searched the area for the coyote, but could not find it. Less than an hour later they were called back to the park for another attack on a little girl. Seraphin says the child's mother caught her at the bottom of a slide, and then set her down so that she could catch her son who was coming down the slide behind her. While she focused on her son, the coyote bit the little girl.

"She did suffer a gash wound in the front of her forehead above her eye and in the back of her head a couple of gashes there," Seraphin said. "She had some stitches put in and during the procedure began to get rabies shots as a precautionary measure."

Wildlife officials believe the same coyote is responsible for both attacks. They're searching for the animal and will put it down.

"That is quite unusual and that is why an effort's being made to try and find the animal," Seraphin said

Coyotes Regions And Attacks

Coyotes  Regions And Attacks

Coyotes  Regions And Attacks

Coyotes  Regions And Attacks

Coyotes  Regions And Attacks

Coyotes  Regions And Attacks

Black-Footed Ferret

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Black-Footed Ferret
The black-footed ferret could also be called the black-eyed ferret because of the distinctive "stick-em up" mask that adorns its face. The tan ferrets also have black markings on their feet, legs, and tail tip.

This animal's long slender body, like that of a weasel, enables it to crawl in and out of the holes and dwellings of its primary prey—the prairie dog.

Though black-footed ferrets sometimes eat squirrels, mice, and other rodents, prairie dogs are essential to their survival, making up the majority of the ferret diet. These voracious predators hunt them in their own burrows, and take shelter in abandoned prairie dog dwellings.

Many prairie dog towns became ghost towns as populations underwent a 20th century decline. Farmers and ranchers (with government assistance) eliminated many prairie dogs because their underground complexes are destructive to fields. In the process, the black-footed ferret was nearly wiped out. In 1987, 18 animals were captured in the wild to begin a captive breeding program, which has since reintroduced ferrets into promising western habitats.

Ferret reintroduction efforts have been mixed. Populations need viable prairie dog towns to survive, but they also face threats from predators such as golden eagles, owls, and coyotes. Reintroduced animals lack some survival skills so their mortality rate is high. Diseases are another major threat to prairie dog towns and to the black-footed ferrets that depend upon them.

These solitary animals live alone, and in May and June females give birth to litters of one to six kits that they raise alone. The young are able to survive on their own by fall.

Black-Footed Ferret

Black-Footed Ferret

Black-Footed Ferret

Black-Footed Ferret

Black-Footed Ferret

Black-Footed Ferret

Black-Footed Ferret

Aye-Aye From Island of Madagascar

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Aye-Aye  From Island of Madagascar
Aye-ayes can be found only on the island of Madagascar. These rare animals may not look like primates at first glance, but they are related to chimpanzees, apes, and humans.

Aye-ayes are dark brown or black and are distinguished by a bushy tail that is larger than their body. They also feature big eyes, slender fingers, and large, sensitive ears. Aye-ayes have pointed claws on all their fingers and toes except for their opposable big toes, which enable them to dangle from branches.

Aye-ayes spend their lives in rain forest trees and avoid coming down to earth. They are nocturnal, and spend the day curled up in a ball-like nest of leaves and branches. The nests appear as closed spheres with single entry holes, situated in the forks of large trees.

While perched aloft, the aye-aye taps on trees with its long middle finger and listens for wood-boring insect larvae moving under the bark. It employs the same middle finger to fish them out. The digit is also useful for scooping the flesh out of coconuts and other fruits that supplement the animal's insect diet.

Many people native to Madagascar consider the aye-aye an omen of ill luck. For this reason they often have been killed on sight. Such hunting, coupled with habitat destruction, have made the aye-aye critically endangered. Today they are protected by law.

Aye-Aye  From Island of Madagascar

Aye-Aye  From Island of Madagascar

Aye-Aye  From Island of Madagascar

Aye-Aye  From Island of Madagascar

Aye-Aye  From Island of Madagascar

Aye-Aye  From Island of Madagascar

Chimpanzee

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Chimpanzee
Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, sharing more than 98 percent of our genetic blueprint. Humans and chimps are also thought to share a common ancestor who lived some four to eight million years ago.

Chimpanzees live in social communities of several dozen animals, and can habituate themselves to African rain forests, woodlands, and grasslands.

Although they normally walk on all fours (knuckle-walking), chimpanzees can stand and walk upright. By swinging from branch to branch they can also move quite efficiently in the trees, where they do most of their eating. Chimpanzees usually sleep in the trees as well, employing nests of leaves.

Chimps are generally fruit and plant eaters, but they also consume insects, eggs, and meat, including carrion. They have a tremendously varied diet that includes hundreds of known foods.

Chimpanzees are one of the few animal species that employ tools. They shape and use sticks to retrieve insects from their nests or dig grubs out of logs. They also use stones to smash open tasty nuts and employ leaves as sponges to soak up drinking water. Chimpanzees can even be taught to use some basic human sign language.

Females can give birth at any time of year, typically to a single infant that clings to its mother's fur and later rides on her back until the age of two. Females reach reproductive age at 13, while males are not considered adults until they are 16 years old.

Although chimps and humans are closely related, the apes have suffered much at human hands. These great apes are endangered and still threatened by bushmeat hunters and habitat destruction.

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee

California Sea Lion

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California Sea Lion
The clichéd circus seal—obligingly balancing a ball on its nose and jumping through hoops—is typically a California sea lion.

But in the wild, the California sea lion is a sleek animal, faster than any other sea lion or seal. These eared seals top out at speeds of some 25 miles (40 kilometers) an hour. Unlike other sea lions, California sea lions do not have lionlike manes.

These pinnipeds live along the rocky Pacific Ocean coastlines of western North America and also near Ecuador's Galápagos Islands. Huge colonies can be seen gathered on seaside rocks, and even on man-made structures, for breeding and for birthing. Males gather harems of females to their sides in competition to sire young pups, which are born on land.

The sea lion's ancient ancestors, like those of whales and dolphins, lived on land. The modern animal is well adapted to an aquatic environment, with its streamlined body and powerful flippers. (The rear flippers rotate forward to allow a California sea lion to move surprisingly well on land.) California sea lions also boast thick layers of blubber to insulate their bodies from the chill of marine waters.

When diving deep, California sea lions slow their heart rates to allow them to remain underwater for nearly ten minutes before surfacing to breathe. This ability gives them an edge in the pursuit of the fish, squid, and shellfish that make up their primary diet.

California Sea Lion

California Sea Lion

California Sea Lion

California Sea Lion

California Sea Lion

California Sea Lion

Raccoon

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Raccoon
Bandit-masked raccoons are a familiar sight just about everywhere, because they will eat just about anything. These ubiquitous mammals are found in forests, marshes, prairies, and even in cities. They are adaptable and use their dexterous front paws and long fingers to find and feast on a wide variety of fare.

In the natural world, raccoons snare a lot of their meals in the water. These nocturnal foragers use lightning-quick paws to grab crayfish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures. On land, they pluck mice and insects from their hiding places and raid nests for tasty eggs.

Raccoons also eat fruit and plants—including those grown in human gardens and farms. They will even open garbage cans to dine on the contents.

These ring-tailed animals are equally opportunistic when it comes to choosing a denning site. They may inhabit a tree hole, fallen log, or a house's attic. Females have one to seven cubs in early summer. The young raccoons often spend the first two months or so of their lives high in a tree hole. Later, mother and children move to the ground when the cubs begin to explore on their own.

Raccoons in the northern parts of their range gorge themselves in spring and summer to store up body fat. They then spend much of the winter asleep in a den. There are six other species of raccoons, in addition to the familiar northern (North American) raccoon. Most other species live on tropical islands.

Raccoon

Raccoon

Raccoon

Raccoon

Raccoon

Raccoon

Pufferfish

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Pufferfish
Biologists think pufferfish, also known as blowfish, developed their famous “inflatability” because their slow, somewhat clumsy swimming style makes them vulnerable to predators. In lieu of escape, pufferfish use their highly elastic stomachs and the ability to quickly ingest huge amounts of water (and even air when necessary) to turn themselves into a virtually inedible ball several times their normal size. Some species also have spines on their skin to make them even less palatable.

A predator that manages to snag a puffer before it inflates won’t feel lucky for long. Almost all pufferfish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often lethal to fish. To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote.

Amazingly, the meat of some pufferfish is considered a delicacy. Called fugu in Japan, it is extremely expensive and only prepared by trained, licensed chefs who know that one bad cut means almost certain death for a customer. In fact, many such deaths occur annually.

There are more than 120 species of pufferfish worldwide. Most are found in tropical and subtropical ocean waters, but some species live in brackish and even fresh water. They have long, tapered bodies with bulbous heads. Some wear wild markings and colors to advertise their toxicity, while others have more muted or cryptic coloring to blend in with their environment.

They range in size from the 1-inch-long (2.5-centimeter-long) dwarf or pygmy puffer to the freshwater giant puffer, which can grow to more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) in length. They are scaleless fish and usually have rough to spiky skin. All have four teeth that are fused together into a beak-like form.

The diet of the pufferfish includes mostly invertebrates and algae. Large specimens will even crack open and eat clams, mussels, and shellfish with their hard beaks. Poisonous puffers are believed to synthesize their deadly toxin from the bacteria in the animals they eat.

Some species of pufferfish are considered vulnerable due to pollution, habitat loss, and overfishing, but most populations are considered stable.

Pufferfish

Pufferfish

Pufferfish

Pufferfish

Pufferfish

Pufferfish