Category Animal World

What makes the black buck unique?

The black buck, also called the Indian antelope, is found in parts of western India, eastern Pakistan and in Nepal. This species shows an extreme contrast between males and females. While adult male blackbucks have a distinctive black and white colouring with long, slender, spiralling horns, females have reddish-brown colouring and do not possess horns.

The black buck is one of the fastest animals after the cheetah, pronghorn and springbok, clocking a top speed of 80 km/h. They live in semi-desert regions, scrublands and open woodlands and prefer to feed on grasslands. They are social animals who live in herds of 5 to 50 members. They are shy and alert to danger. When it senses trouble, it jumps in the air and sprints away followed by the whole herd.

Due to habitat loss from developmental work and a long history of being hunted for sport and meat, this antelope is listed as ‘Near Threatened’ in the IUCN List.

This graceful gazelle enjoys special protection in our country and figures in the national endangered species list. In India hunting blackbuck is prohibited under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. There are strict laws protecting the black buck. You may have heard of Bollywood actor Salman Khan being convicted in a black buck poaching case in 2018.

Picture Credit : Google 

Why is the lion formidable?

While it is delightful to learn that antelopes and kangaroos are fast runners, it is a bit daunting to find out that lions are equally fast! A lion can reach a top speed of 81 km/h, so if you are planning on outrunning this magnificent beast, be warned!

When one adds brute strength to lethal speed (a lion weighs about 250 kg and reaches a length of 2.7 or 3 metres), it is no wonder that this formidable predator is undoubtedly and indisputably the ‘king of the jungle’.

In real life the lion is mostly found in the grasslands and savannas of Africa. The only population of wild lions that inhabit a forest habitat is the Asiatic lion in the Gir National Park in Gujarat, India.

Lions are quite adaptable and can live in dry areas as well as forested regions. Lions living in desert regions like the Kalahari, have been known to get water from wild watermelons called tsamma melons.

The lion is the only species of cat that will hunt in a group. It can eat 40 kgs of meat in a single sitting! They like to hunt at night as they have excellent night vision. This gives them an advantage over their prey. They also like to hunt during storms as the noise makes it harder for prey to hear them.

Lionesses do most of the hunting for food. Lions have more of a protective role in a pride. Lionesses form well-coordinated groups when pursuing prey. Some will move towards the centre of a hunting group while others move towards the wings. The wing members chase the prey towards the centre. The hapless prey stands very little chance against a pack of lionesses!

Interestingly lions are the only known cat species who roar together with even the young cubs joining in. Prides often roar together to mark their territory. A roar can be heard many kilometres away. Threats to lions include habitat loss, poaching and human-lion conflict. These apex predators are listed under ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List.

Picture Credit : Google 

Where can we find the blue wildebeest?

Deep in the lower expanses of Africa, spanning across thousands of square kilometres in north Tanzania, are vast grasslands called the Serengeti. These endless plains are dominated by the blue wildebeest. The wildebeest is a large antelope that belongs to the family Bovidae. It has a cow-shaped head with a pointy beard, and strong curved horns. Its coat has a silver blue shine which gives it the ‘blue’ in its name.

 The blue wildebeest is responsible for the largest migration in the history of the animal kingdom. The ‘Great Migration’ as it is called, involves an 800-kilometre trek of 1.5 million wildebeest across the Serengeti in search of greener pastures and water sources.

The wildebeest is joined by hundreds of thousands of zebras, gazelles and other animals in the ‘Serengeti Migration’, which is listed as one of the seven natural wonders of Africa! However, not so long ago, the wildebeest population in the Serengeti was in danger of extinction. This also threatened the Serengeti ecosystem which depends on this migration for its effective functioning as a carbon sink. The wildebeest consumes excessive vegetation which would otherwise dry up and catch fire in the summer, leading to the release of huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of wildlife groups, the wildebeest was brought back from the brink of extinction and now numbers about 1.5 million in Tanzania. It is listed under ‘Least Concern’ in the IUCN Red List.

Picture Credit : Google

Which animal can outrun a cheetah?

The cheetah is undoubtedly the fastest animal on land but it tires quickly. The prize for the fastest runner over longer distances goes to a goat-like mammal indigenous to North America called the pronghorn.

The pronghorn can reach speeds up to 89 km/h, which it can sustain over a distance of 800 metres and a speed of 56 km/h, which it can sustain for 6 km! So, while the cheetah may get a head start, the pronghorn would likely finish first over a longer distance.

The pronghorn’s hooves have two long, pointed toes cushioned to help take the shock when running at high speeds. The pronghorn runs with its mouth open allowing it to take in lots of oxygen to fuel its running muscles. Funnily enough, although they are excellent runners, pronghorns are not good jumpers. If they come across a fence, they will go under it rather than over it.

The pronghorn is native to North America and is literally in a class of its own. It is often called an antelope but it is not classified as one. It is the sole surviving member of the family Antilocapridae. Its closest living member is actually the giraffe! In America it is known by many names – prongbuck and American antelope, among others.

Pronghorns have backward-curving horns which split to form forward-pointing prongs which give the species its name. They graze on a variety of plants and prefer non-woody flowering plants. They can also eat some plants found in the grasslands that are poisonous to cattle and livestock.

Pronghorns have great eye-sight, with a nearly 360-degree field of vision, to help them evade predators such as wolves, and bobcats. The American pronghorn is hunted throughout much of its natural range.

Picture Credit : Google

Why is the springbok special?

The springbok is the national animal of South Africa. The name ‘springbok’ comes from the Afrikaans words ‘spring’ which means jumping and ‘bok’ which means antelope or goat. Like the American pronghorn, the springbok is one of the fastest animals on the planet. It can reach a speed of 88 km/h. However, unlike the pronghorn which does not know how to jump, the springbok can leap 2 to 2.7 metres high into the air!

This behaviour of jumping high up in the air and landing back on its feet again is called ‘pronking’. The springbok does this to impress other springbok or to warn predators. A mid-sized antelope weighing between 27-42 kg, these white-faced, slender, long-legged antelopes feed on grass and shrubs. The male springbok is called a buck while the female is called a doe. Interestingly, the springbok can live without water for many years! In some cases springboks have lived without water their whole lives! This is possible because the springbok feeds on succulents, from which it extracts water.

In earlier times a vast number of springboks would migrate together in search of greener pastures. Such a herd would easily comprise a million animals and the trek would take several days to complete. Such treks are called ‘trekbokking’ in the Afrikaans language.

Found in south and southwestern Africa, these springing beauties are the national animal of South Africa. They are featured in the currency and postage of that country. They are hunted as well as reared for their horns, meat and attractive coats. Surprisingly, despite the legalized hunting of this animal, springbok populations are increasing.

Picture Credit : Google

Which is the largest marsupial?

A marsupial is a mammal that carries its young in a pouch on its body. Marsupials include koalas, wombats, opossums and kangaroos among others. Of these the largest marsupial of all is the red kangaroo which is found in the open plains of inland Australia. It can grow to a length of 1.6 m with a tail that measures 1.2 m. It weighs about 90 kg.

It belongs to the family Macropodidae which means ‘big foot’ in Latin. It is so named because of its unusually large hind feet. Its feet play a big role in its life, serving as a launch pad to take terrific leaps into the air while running from a predator, or as a weapon to plant powerful kicks at an enemy!

Its predators are mostly wild dogs called dingoes. Kangaroos have an interesting getaway technique if threatened. It will lead its would-be predator to water and dive in. If the predator follows, the cunning kangaroo will suddenly turn around, grab it with its hands and drown it! The hunted becomes the hunter!

But it doesn’t always need to use such extreme tactics. Kangaroos can run at 70 km/hr. They can cover 7.6 metres in a single jump and leap as high as 1.8 metres! At such speeds very few predators can keep up with them. Kangaroos are the only animals in the world that use hopping as a means of locomotion! It also uses its tail as a fifth leg using it to balance and provide extra power.

Another interesting fact about them is that they have been observed to be left-handed. Their young are called joeys. When a joey is born, it is only the size of a jellybean! It climbs from its mother’s birth canal into her pouch and remains there, drinking milk and growing for nearly 6 months! Now, wouldn’t you agree that the kangaroo is an interesting animal?

Picture Credit : Google