Little Facts Archives - Me And You Save The Earth

Wild Water Buffalo’s Little Facts

April 24, 2018 by Alla Gringaus Leave a Comment

Wild Water Buffalo

The wild water buffalo, also called Asian buffalo and Asiatic buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List since 1986, as the remaining population totals less than 4, 000, with an estimate of fewer than 2, 500 mature individuals. The population decline of at least 50% over the last three generations (24–30 years) is projected to continue. The global population has been estimated at 3, 400 individuals, of which 3, 100 (91%) live in India, mostly in Assam. The wild water buffalo represents most likely the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo.

Characteristics

Wild water buffalo are larger and heavier than domestic buffalo and weigh from 700 to 1200 kg. Their head-to-body-length is 240 to 300 cm with a tail 60 to 100 cm long, and a shoulder height of 150 to 190 cm. Both sexes carry horns that are heavy at the base and widely spreading up to 2 m along the outer edges, exceeding in size the horns of any other living bovid. Their skin color is ash gray to black. The moderately long, coarse and sparse hair is directed forward from the haunches to the long and narrow head. There is a tuft on the forehead, and the ears are comparatively small. The tip of the tail is bushy; the hooves are large and splayed.

They rank alongside the gauras the heaviest living wild bovid species, as both attain similar average if not maximum weights, although, with their stockier, shorter-legged frame, wild water buffalo are somewhat less in length and height than the gaur.

Read the full article on Thai National Parks Website

Wolf’s Little Facts

February 24, 2016 by Alla Gringaus Leave a Comment

Originally published in Kids National Geographics

Wolves live in groups called packs. The wolves’ communication skills are very important to the pack’s survival. Wolves work together to hunt, raise their young, and protect their territory. Wolves communicate with more than howls! They whimper and whine, growl and bark, yelp and snarl. They also use scents produced by their bodies to communicate. One source of scent is urine, which they use to mark territory and to tell other wolves in their own pack where they are. Another way wolves communicate is through body language. If a wolf feels confident, it will approach another wolf with its head and tail held high and ears perked up. If you saw a wolf slinking toward another with its body lowered, its tail between its legs, and its ears flattened, you’d know it was approaching a dominant animal.

When a wolf wants to play, it prances about happily and bows—lowering the front of its body while its rump stays up in the air with its tail wagging. A wolf’s body language may remind you of another animal: a pet dog. Wolves and dogs are closely related, and the ways they communicate are similar.

Young wolves stay in their parents’ pack for at least two or three years before some of them take off to join other packs or to start their own. Wolf pups play a lot as they’re growing. They leap and pounce, chase and wrestle, play hide-and-seek and tag—a lot like you do!

In some areas, gray wolfs are classified as endangered, but in most places they are classified as having healthy population numbers.

Orcas’ little facts

November 24, 2014 by Alla Gringaus Leave a Comment

Orca: The KIller Whale – the largest dolphins in existence

Orcas are found in all oceans but are most common in cold waters. One of the top predators of the sea, orcas feed on fish, small marine mammals, birds and even some slower-moving large whales. The largest member of the dolphin family, these giants need to consume up to five percent of their body weight every day. Formidable as they are, orcas are still at risk from pollution, disease and declining food stocks.

maximum recorded lifespan 90 years (in the wild)
length male 20 to 26 feet
length female 16 to 23 feet
maximum recorded length male 32 feet
maximum recorded length female 28 feet
weight male 6 tons
weight female 3 to 4 tons
maximum recorded weight male 10 tons
maximum recorded weight female 7.5 tons
breath rate 1.1 per minute; human: 11 per minute
single breath volume 2800 cubic inches (human: 31 cubic inches)

Rhinos: little facts

August 7, 2014 by Alla Gringaus Leave a Comment

The name rhinoceros means ‘nose horn’ and is often shortened to rhino.
There are five different species of rhinoceros, three native to southern Asia and two native to Africa. They are the Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Rhinoceros.
All five species of rhinoceros can grow to weigh over 1000 kg (2200 lb).
White rhino can weigh over 3500 kg (7700 lb).
White rhinoceros are generally considered the second largest land mammal (after the elephant).
Three of the five rhinoceros species are listed as being critically endangered.
Rhinoceros have thick, protective skin.
Relative to their large body size, rhinoceros have small brains.
Rhinoceros horns are made from a protein called keratin, the same substance that fingernails and hair are made of.
Rhinoceros are often hunted by humans for their horns.
Rhinoceros are herbivores (plant eaters).
A group of rhinoceros is called a ‘herd’ or a ‘crash’.
Despite their name, White Rhinoceros are actually gray.