Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Pygmy Hog


Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is an endangered species of small wild pig, previously spread across India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now only found in Assam.They are about 55 to 71 cm long and stand at 20–30 cm with a tail of 2.5 cm. They weigh 6.6-11.8 kg. Their skin is dark brownish black and the fur is dark. Piglets are born grayish-pink becoming brown with yellow stripes along the body length. The head is sharply tapered and they have a slight crest of hair on the forehead and on the back of the neck. Adult males have the upper canines visible on the sides of the mouth. They live for about 8 years, becoming sexually mature at 1–2 years. They breed seasonally before the monsoons giving birth to a litter of 3-6 after a gestation of 100 days. In the wild they make small nests by digging a small trench and lining it with vegetation. During the heat of the day they stay within these nests. They feed on roots, tubers, insects, rodents, and small reptiles.
                                                      SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION 
                                                    Kingdom   :   Animalia
                                                      Phylum    :   Chordata
                                                       Class      :   Mammalia
                                                        Order    :   Artiodactyla
                                                        Family   :    Suidae
                                                  Subfamily    :    Suinae
                                                         Genus  :    Porcula
                                                     Species    :   P. salvania

Wild yak



The Wild yak(Bos grunniens or Bos mutus), is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. Wild yaks are among the largest bovids, with adults standing about 1.6 to 2.2 m tall at the shoulder and weighing 325–1,000 kg and having a head and body length of 2.5 to 3.4 m. The tail is 70 to 100 cm long in wild yaks. The females weigh about one third of this and are about 30% smaller in their linear dimensions.Domesticated yaks are much smaller, males weighing 350 to 580 kg and females 225 to 255 kg.Wild Yaks are heavily built animals with a sturdy frame, short legs, and rounded hooves. They have small ears and a wide forehead, with smooth hollow horns that are generally dark in colour. In males, the horns sweep out from the sides of the head, and then curve forward; they typically range from 48 to 99 centimetres in length. The horns of females are smaller, only 27 to 64 centimetres in length, and have a more upright shape.Both sexes have long shaggy hair with a dense woolly undercoat over the chest, flanks, and thighs to insulate them from the cold.Wild Yak physiology is well adapted to high altitudes, having larger lungs and heart than cattle found at lower altitudes, as well as greater capacity for transporting oxygen through their blood due to the persistence of foetal haemoglobin throughout life.

                                                      SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
                                                         Kingdom   :   Animalia
                                                             Phylum  :   Chordata
                                                              Class    :    Mammalia
                                                               Order   :   Artiodactyla
                                                              Family   :    Bovidae
                                                                Genus  :    Bos
                                                            Species    :   B. grunniens

Monday, January 30, 2012

Wild water buffalo



The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) also called Asian buffalo and Asiatic buffalo is a large bovine native to Southeast Asia.
The wild water buffalo is the ancestor of the domestic water buffalo, and the second largest wild bovid, smaller only than the Gaur.Wild water buffalo are larger and heavier than domestic buffalo, and weigh up to 1,200 kg. Their head-to-body-length is 240 to 300 cm with a 60 to 100 cm long tail 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 are probably grazers by preference, feeding mainly on true grasses when available, such as Scutch grass and sedges. But they also eat herbs, fruits, and bark as well as browsing trees and shrubs.They also feed on crops, including rice, sugar cane, and jute, sometimes causing considerable damage.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

One-Horned Rhinoceros


Greater One horned rhinocerous(Rhinoceros Unicornis) is the largest of the three Asian rhinos, with a length of about 10 feet( 3.8m), height 5.5 feet(1.7m), and a weight of about 2.2 metric tons. As the name suggest, greater one horned rhinos have a single horn 8 to 24 inches long.
Greater one horned rhinos are found in alluvial plain grasslands, where the grass can grow upto 26 feet(8m) tall, and in the adjacent swamps and forest. Its food are green grass and various species of fruits. It gives both to one baby at a time. Its horn, leather, etc have vital importance so its illegally hunted which has endangered its existence.
                                        SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION 
                                   Kingdom    :   Animalia
                                   Phylum       :   Chordata
                                   Class          :   Mammalia
                                    Order        :   Persissodactyla
                                  Family         :   Rhinocerotidate
                          Scientific name    :    Rhinoceros Unicornis

Friday, January 27, 2012

Himalayan black bear






The Himalayan black bear(Ursus thibetanus), also known as moon bear or white chested bear. Himalayan  black bear primarily occur in the upper subtropical and lower moist temperate zone. Moon bears typically  inhabit deciduous forests, deserts, mixed forests and thorn brush forest.But rarely much spend time in alpine  zone.Himalayan black bears are black in color and covered with long hairs length of large male ranges from 140-165cm. Weight upto 400lbs. Life span is 40 yrs. The Himalayan black bear carry her baby on her back. They have distinct whitish v shaped breast patch.
The Himalayan black bears are omnivorous, and will feed on insects, beetle larvae, invertebrates, termites, grubs, carrion, eggs, mushroom, grasses, fruits, nuts, seeds, honey, herbs, acorns, cherries, dogwood, oak nuts and grains.
                                       SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
                                Kingdom   :   Animalia
                                Phylum      :   Chordata
                                Class         :    Mammalia
                                Order         :   Carnivora
                                 Family      :    Ursidae
                                Genus        :   Ursus
                                Species      :   U.thibetanus
                             Subspecies   :   Ursus thibetanus laniger

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Bengal tiger


 The bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a tiger subspecies.The bengal tiger's coat is yellow to light orange, with stripes ranging from dark brown to black, the belly and the interior part of the limbs is white, and the tail is white with the black rings.Male bengal tiger had a total length, including the tail, from 270 to 310 cm, while female range from 240 to 265cm. Tails are 85 to 110 cm long, and height at the shoulders is 90 to 110 cm.It lives in dense forest, grass land and place with enough water.It can swim in water.Stag, wild pig, deer, wild cow and different kinds of animals are its food.And a female tiger give birth two to six offspring at a time. Now a days its in endangered due to illegal hunting.
                                              SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
                                          Kingdom   :   Animalia
                                            Phylum    :   Chordata
                                           Class        :   Mammalia
                                             Order     :   Carnivora
                                            Family     :    Felidae
                                         Subfamily   :     Pantherinae
                                            Genus     :     Panthera
                                           Species    :     Panthera tigris
                                       Subspecies   :     Panthera tigris tigris
     

Red panda


The red panda has been previously classified in the families Procyonidae(raccoons) and Ursidae(bears), but recent research has placed  it in it's own family Ailuridae, in sub family Musteloidea along with  Mustelidae  and Procyonidae.
The red panda lives between 2,200 and 4,800m(7,200 and 15,700 ft) altitude, inhabiting are of moderate temperature between 10 and 25 degree Celsius per 50 and 77 degree Fahrenheit. It services eating grass, fruits, bamboos leaves and new shoot of reeds.Now a days it was killed for of its beautiful furry leather.Its at the verge  extinction.
                               SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION 

                          Kingdom:    Animalia
                          Phylum   :   Chordata
                            Class    :   Mammalia
                          Order     :   Carnivora
                      Suborder    :    Caniformia
                     Infraorder    :    Arctoidea
                 Superfamily     :     Musteloidea
                         Family     :    Ailuridae
                        Genus      :     Ailurus
                      Species      :    A .fulgens