Andean Bear

Tremarctos ornatus

The Andean Bear is the only Bear species native to South America. It is also sometimes referred to as the Spectacled Bear, due to the lines and light coloration on on their faces than can sometimes resemble eyeglasses.

One really fascinating thing about Andean Bears is that they are the sole surviving member of their subfamily, Tremarctinae. Once upon a time that same subfamily contained the now extint genera of gigantic Short Faced Bears! Crazy to think that the relatively small Andean Bear is most closely related to some of the largest Bears to have ever lived! Though interestingly, even with their small size, they are one of the largest South American land animals, after the Tapirs.

Andean Bears are shy and live solitary lifestyles outside of the mating season. They tend to live up in the higher altitudes, and will come down sometimes to search for food. Though many farmers fear them as livestock predators, and consider them to be agricultural pests, Andean Bears rarely eat meat and consume a mostly vegetarian diet. When the need for meat arrives, they typically only take small creatures like rodents and birds.

Habitat loss has been hurting these bears, and as they are forced into more agricultural areas the bad rap that they get from farmers continues to spread. Hunting due to their perceived pest status, as well as for fur and meat, has led the Andean Bears to be listed as Vulnerable.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable

Location : South America

Size : Weight up to 340lbs (154kg) in males, 180lbs (82kg) in females

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Subfamily : Tremarctinae -- Genus : Tremarctos -- Species : T. ornatus

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Fairy Bluebird

Male Fairy Bluebird

Female Fairy Bluebird

The Fairy Bluebird, or Asian Fairy Bluebird, is a brightly colored Passerine bird native to tropical area of south and southeast Asia. They are the largest members of their family.

As with many tropical bird species, Fairy Bluebirds are colored differently based on sex. In this case, the male is black with vibrant blue feathers on the head and neck. The females are blue all over, but are a more muted color.

Fairy Bluebirds are gregarious, and live in flocks of up to 30 birds. They feed on both fruits and insects, and have a special fondness for figs. During the breeding season males will attract females using a series of calls. The pairs then build their nests together, which are small and cup shaped. Two eggs are typically laid at a time, and both parents help to feed the nearly helpless young.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : South Asia

Size : Length up to 11in (27cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes

Family : Irenidae -- Genus : Irena -- Species : I. puella

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Honey Badger

Last year for my birthday I wrote about one of my favorite animals, the intensely awesome and unforgettable American Badger. I figured this year (wow, it's been a year?) I'd write about another Badger, the ferocious and epic Honey Badger.

Mellivora capensis

Do not let this name fool you! Honey Badgers are anything but sweet. Also known as Ratels, these large Mustelids can be found in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. They are known for their incredible courage, fearlessness, and tenacity. Just Google Honey badger, seriously. The entire first page of results is essentially websites and videos about how much butt they kick (the video in that link includes profanity, but is nonetheless hilarious).

Honey Badgers get their name because they enjoy eating Bee larve. They have an interesting relationship with a bird known as the Honey Guide. The bird leads the Badger to the hive, then waits to get an easy meal once the Badger has gotten its fill. The Badgers have amazing claws and powerful arms that let them climb to and rip apart bee hives. Their think skin allows them to get stung without much bother! That skin also helps when they go after other, larger prey... like Cobras. And small Crocodiles. Actually, Honey Badgers will eat just about anything. Over sixty species are consumed by Kalahari populations, ranging from larvae to antelope, to pythons, to jackals!

But back to that skin. Honey Badger skin is loose and thick. They are not actually immune to venom and bee stings, but the thickness of their hide keeps them relatively safe. As seen in the video below, the snake venom typically causes the Badger to drift off to sleep for a short spell. The looseness of their skin also serves a purpose in that is makes the Badger very difficult to grab on to and do damage to, which is great for those times when the Badger feels the need to fight larger predators for food. Like Lions.

Honey Badgers live a solitary lifestyle, unless they happen to be a female with a baby. Young Badgers will live with their mother for up to 16 months, learning the ways of hunting and awesomeness. Male Honey Badgers live in large ranges that overlap the smaller ranges of females. This suggests a polygynous breeding structure.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : Africa, Middle East, South Asia

Size : Length up to 22in (56cm), Wingspan 50in (127cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Mustelidae -- Genus : Mellivora-- Species : M. capensis

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Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

If you live in North or Central America, today's bird might be a familiar sight. The Red-tailed hawk is one of the most widespread raptors on the Continent, and has adapted to live in just about every type of open habitat there is. They are commonly seen perched up on telephone poles and other high objects, so that they can scan downwards for prey. There are fourteen separate subspecies of the Hawk, spreading from Alaska to Panama to the Caribbean Islands.

Red-tailed Hawks  are monogamous and mate for life. During the courting process males will do steep swoops downward before pulling up and flying up just as fast. Once a few of these circuits have been completed they approach the females. Oftentimes the pair will then clasp talons and down a downward plummet before separating just above ground.

After choosing to pair up both partners will help to construct the nest, which can be 6.5ft (2m) tall! It's no wonder that they often use the same nest year after year, after putting in such a huge effort the first time!

Red-tailed Hawk perching

Red-tailed Hawks are opportunistic feeders, though about 80-90% of the diet is made up of rodents. They either wait from perches or soar slowly to locate prey with their incredible eyesight, (it's about 8 times greater than ours) and they they swoop down and snatch up their meal using strong, curved talons.

Red-tailed Hawks are incredibly common, and are not under any conservation risk. Their abundance makes them very popular in Falconry, and they are also considered to be very cooperative and easy to train.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : North and Central America

Size : Length up to 22in (56cm), Wingspan 50in (127cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Falconiformes
Family : Accipitridae -- Genus : Buteo -- Species : B. jamaicensis

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False Killer Whale

Killer Whales, or Orcas, are actually Dolphins. The same is true for False Killer Whales. They are one of the largest members of the Delphinidae family, and males can grow as long as 20ft.

Pseudorca crassidens

Though they share part of a common name and some physical similarities, False Killer Whales and Killer Whales really aren't that closely related. They belong to separate genera. False Killer Whales have rounded heads with no beaks, tall dorsal fins, and dark coloration. They live in groups that can number into the dozens, and sometimes intermingle with other dolphins, like Bottlenoses. They feed mainly on cephalopods and large fish, using echolocation to locate and capture prey.

One rather interesting fact about False Killer Whales is that the world first learned of them from fossils. Live identification didn't occur until 15 years later! As you might guess, they aren't an exceptionally common species, though they can be found in temperate and tropical oceans world. For example, of the 18 species of dolphin and toothed whale found around Hawaii, they are the least populous.

According to the IUCN, there is not enough data to effectively evaluate the population of the species. They are uncommon, but also have a massive range, which makes getting exact numbers difficult, and makes it hard to determine how the species is being affected by factors like bycatch and antropogenic sound. A drastic population decrease could be incredibly troublesome for the species, because they are already uncommon, because they mature very slowly (males take about 18 years), and because they breed infrequently.

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IUCN Status : Data Deficient

Location : Temperate and Tropical Oceans

Size : Length up to 20ft (6m), Weight up to 1,500lbs (700kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Cetacea
Family : Delphinidae -- Genus : Pseudorca -- Species : P. crassidens

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Winter Flounder

Pseudopleuronectes americanus

The Winter Flounder is one of a handful of Flounder species, strange looking ocean dwellers that have both eyes on the same side of their head. This particular species can grow as long as two feet, and live up to 20 years!

Winter Flounders are found in the western North Atlantic, and get their name from the time of year in which they typically spawn. They can be differentiated from one of their closest relatives, the Summer Flounder, by the fact that both their eyes are on their right side, and because they have no teeth. Winter Flounder feed on fish eggs and small invertebrates.

Winter Flounder take part in a short migration every year, moving from offshore feeding grounds to inshore spawning areas. Females can lay as many as 1.5 million eggs, and numbers even higher than that have been reported! Interestingly, the young Winter Flounder is born with an each on each side of its head. At around 5-6 weeks the left eye will begin to move over, and after 8 weeks the metamorphosis will be complete!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : North Atlantic

Size : Length up to 25in (64cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Pleuronectiformes
Family : Pleuronectidae -- Genus : Pseudopleuronectes -- Species : P. americanus

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Long-eared Jerboa

Euchoreutes nas

The Long-eared Jerboa is a really crazy looking little rodent, mostly because its titular ears are actually 1/3 larger than its head. They have one of the largest ear to head ratios of any mammal! It also, like other members of its family, has very long hind legs and a long tail that help them to move about and give them traction in desert habitats.

Long-eared Jerboas are both the only member of thier genus, and the only member of their Subfamily, making them genetically distinct among rodents. However, their small size and nocturnal habits have made them very difficult to locate and study. In fact, they were only first caught on camera in 2007!

We don't know a whole lot about this tiny creature, unfortunately. But we do know that they are nocturnal, spend the daytime in burrows, and are herbivores.

Habitat loss and human disturbance are thought to pose a risk to the Long-eared Jerboas, but they can now be found in many protected areas, and their are no specific conservation measures for the species.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : China and Mongolia

Size : Body length 2.8in (7cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Rodentia
Family : Dipodidae -- Genus : Euchoreutes -- Species : E. naso

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