Chamois

Ah, the Chamois, one of my favorite quadrupeds. How could one not be smitten with their cute little backwards "J" horns?

Rupicapra rupicapra

Chamois (pronounced Sham-Wah!) are antelope-like goats that can be found throughout Europe. In fact, there are more than half a dozen location-based subspecies, all of which live in mountainous areas. They inhabit ranges from the Alps in France, all the way over in the Caucasians and Carpathians. They have also been introduced to New Zealand. It is unsurprising that, due to their mountainous lifestyle, they have developed great speed and agility over the steep terrain.

Female Chamois and their young live in small groups, while the adult males are solitary and only interact with others during the breeding season. Males will fight fiercely for the right to breed, and will drive away the young males from the family groups, occasionally killing them!

Interestingly, Chamois are not hunted for their meat, as many other ungulates are. Rather, their skin is very sought after, and produces a very soft, absorbent, and non-abrasive. This cloth is often spelled as "Chamois," but is pronounced like "Shammy." Chamois are protected in many countries, but hunted is still allowed in restricted numbers.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Europe
Size : Height up to 30in (75cm), Wieght up to 60lbs (27kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae -- Genus : Rupicapra -- Species : R. rupicapra

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Black Sparrowhawk

Accipiter melanoleucus

The Black Sparrowhawk is one of many species of Hawk found within the genus Accipiter. They measure less than two feet from head to tail, but are the largest of all the Sparrowhawks.

This particular species can be found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, living in just about any non-desert ecosystem that also supports large trees for nesting. Black Sparrowhwaks are very particular about the trees that they nest in; the foliage must provide good coverage for the offspring, and the tree cannot be too deep into the forest.

Black Sparrowhwaks form monogamous pair bonds for life, and it is not at all uncommon for a pair to raise multiple broods at a time. They typically have two nests going at once, with a second set of eggs laid when the first set of chicks as fledged but have not yet left their parents care.

Suburban areas have been good for the species, as they absolutely love hunting doves and pigeons which have increased in number along with man-made development and expansion. They also pick off the occasional chicken, and can even capture birds as large as Guineafowl.

The ability for the Black Sparrowhawk to adapt to new environments has allowed them to maintain a large, widespread population, and they are not currently threatened.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Sub-Saharan Africa
Size : Length up to 22in (58cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Falconiformes
Family : Accipitridae -- Genus : Accipiter -- Species : A. melanoleucus

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Asian Ostrich

I don't have very much to say about today's animal, as there isn't a whole lot known about it. The frustrations of extinct species, right?

Modern Ostrich

I picked the Asian Ostrich today because I read this really interesting article on Chinese Phoenixes. They have been depicted in art for thousands and thousands of years, but where they really an Ostrich?

Giant Ostriches lived up until the end of the last Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago. Phoenix Imagery has been appearing for 7,000 years, so was the Giant Ostrich, which roamed about China, the source of this myth?

Makes you wonder what other now extinct creatures inspired the animals of legend!

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IUCN Status : Extinct for around 10,000 years
Location : Asia

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Struthioniformes
Family : Struthionidae -- Genus : Struthio -- Species : S. asiaticus

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Red Spitting Cobra

Naja pallida

As its name hints at, the Red Spitting Cobra spits. They have fangs that allow them to spray venom from their mouths, and they are very accurate too. A Red Spitting Cobra can hit a target from 8ft (2.5m) away! When you consider their small size (only a few feet long) that is quite the distance!

Red Spitting Cobras live in the grasslands, deserts, and savannas of East Africa. They are a terrestrial species, and feed on small mammals, other reptiles, and birds and bird eggs. They typically rear up and spit when they feel threatened.

Did you know that these snakes can be kept as pets in many countries? Their captivity doesn't make them any less dangerous, and one snake owner died after being spit on by his pet just a few months back. In the wild they very rarely cause human deaths.

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IUCN Status : Not Evaluated
Location : East Africa
Size : Length around 4ft (1.2m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Suborder : Serpentes -- Family : Elapidae -- Genus : Naja -- Species : N. pallida

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Shortfin Mako Shark

Isurus oxyrinchus

Yesterday we talked about the Viviparous Lizard, a reptile that gives birth to live young. Today's animal, the Shortfin Mako Shark, also gives birth to live young and are Ovoviviparous. This means that their young are incubated inside their bodies, but inside an egg sac, not a placenta. Once the eggs hatch, the offspring practice Oophagy while still in the uterus. This means that they consume all of the unfertilized or underdeveloped eggs. Gestation can last as long as 18 months, and as many as 18 pups can be born at a time!

Shortfin Mako Sharks also have the interesting distinction of being very, very fast. Their bodies are remarkable hydrodynamic, and they have been clocked at speeds of 31mph (50kph). Their is even some evidence that they can swim in fast bursts of 46mph (74kph)! They can also leap several feet into the air!

One biological feature that allows them to move so fast is their circulatory system. It allows their body to be several degrees warmer than the water that they swim in, which lets them be more active. (Great Whites have a similar system)

Fishing for both food and sport has caused this species to be listed as Vulnerable. They also do very poorly in captivity, and the longest one held only lasted a few days.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : Tropical Waters Worldwide
Size : Body Length up to 10ft (3.2m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Chondrichthyes -- Order : Lamniformes
Family : Lamnidae -- Genus : Isurus -- Species : I. oxyrinchus

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Viviparous Lizard

Meet the northernmost reptile in the entire world- the Viviparous Lizard! They can be found across Europe and Asia, have a very large range, and can live as far north as Arctic Russia!

Zootoca vivipara

Now, I believe at some point we've discussed the whole Viviparous-Oviparous thing, but let's rehash anyway. These terms all relate to how a create gives birth. Viviparous means they have live young. Oviparous means they lay eggs. That means that, due to its name, this little lizard gives birth to live young! (Though if we want to get technical, they do still lay eggs, but they are incubated inside the mother, making them Ovoviviparous)

Viviparous Lizards are small little guys, and only grow a few inches long (though their tail can doubel their body length!) They are very agile and fast, and they use that speed to both hide from predators, and to hunt after their own invertebrate prey.

Because they are still cold blooded, and because they live so far north, Viviparous Lizards hibernate. They will spend the winters hiding under logs and in other underground areas, and will emerge again when the temperatures rises enough for them to becoming fully active.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Northern Europe and Asia
Size : Body Length up to 5in (12cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Family : Lacertidae -- Genus : Zootoca -- Species : Z. vivipara

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Red Drum

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... Twelve Drummers drumming...

Sciaenops ocellatus

And we've reached the final day! Huzzah! Today's animal is the Red Drum, also known as the Channel Bass or Spottail Bass. This particular species is the only member of its genus, and can be found in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

Red Drums are fast growing fish, and can reach 11in long in only a year. They can reach length of up to 5ft overall! By 3 years they have reached sexual maturity, and the oldest recorded individual lived to be 37!

These fish are typically a coppery red, like their name implies, but they can also be a darker black or in a lighter silver. They can be identified by a large black spot that appears on the tail base. Sometimes you will find even more black spots, but it is rare to have no spots at all. The species name ocellatus even means "marked with spots!"

Red Drums are carnivores, and they use their downturned mouths to dig around on the sea floor for crustaceans and other hidden invertebrates. They also hunt higher up in the water column, and feed on many different species of fish.

Red Drums were once farmed commercially, but that practice was banned in most federal and state waters back in 2007. This ban has allowed the species to rebuild in areas where they were once harvested by the thousands. The fish continues to be caught recreationally.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico
Size : Length up to 5ft (1.5m), Weight up to 90lbs (40kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Perciformes
Family : Sciaenidae -- Genus : Sciaenops-- Species : S. ocellatus

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