Category Nature Science & Wildlife

If you want to see a black-footed ferret, you should go to North America. It is a member of the weasel family and is endemic to North America.

A black-footed ferret has short legs with large front paws. It has strong jaws and teeth that are adapted for eating meat, and claws equipped for digging. The skull of this animal is usually large. It travels up to 18 kilometers a day in search of food. It preys on squirrels, mice, and other rodents.

Prairie dogs are essential to the survival of black-footed ferrets, as much of their diet consists of prairie dogs. The majority of their diet is constituted by prairie dogs. It is interesting to note that these ferrets hunt them in their own burrows, and take shelter in abandoned prairie dog dwellings. In fact, the population of black-footed ferrets was significantly affected when there was a decline in the population of prairie dogs.

Golden eagles, great horned owls, coyotes, American badgers, bobcats, prairie falcons, ferruginous hawks, and prairie rattlesnakes prey on black-footed ferrets.

The pine marten was once abundant throughout most of Central and Northern Europe, but is now almost extinct. The pine marten of European and Central Asian forests is also called baum marten and sweet marten. They are usually found in wooded areas where they can nest in hollow trees, and old animal homes.

The pine martens are most active from dusk to night. They are also treetop hunters that can race skillfully along branches. They have sharp claws that enable them to climb and run on branches. They run fast on the ground as well. They have small, rounded, highly sensitive ears. Squirrels make a large portion of the diet of a pine marten. Their teeth are sharp and are adapted for eating small mammals, birds, insects, frogs, and carrion. They also feast on seasonally available produce such as autumn fruits and berries, but they favour animal food.

Though a civet is often called a civet cat, it does not belong to the cat family. The civet is more closely related to the mongoose. It has a unique appearance that has bagged world attention.

The face of a civet cat looks like a weasel. Its body resembles that of a cat and its tail, a raccoon’s. It is a nocturnal animal that preys on snakes and small mammals. It also eats fruits, berries and some vegetables.

Civets catch their prey by stalking and then pouncing. Once the prey is caught, they bite the prey repeatedly and eat large pieces. Some civets like the African palm civet feed on carrion as well. The African palm civet is a prominent member of the civet family.

Civets are known for raiding farms for small livestock, including chickens, lambs, and turkeys.

We all know the story of the mongoose that killed the snake to save its master’s baby. The mongoose is a small terrestrial mammal that feeds on small animals such as rodents, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects, and worms. The mongoose is found in southern Europe, Asia and Africa.

Remember Rikki-tikki-tavi from Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book? Rikki is an Indian grey mongoose. It is commonly found in the open forests and near human settlements. The Egyptian mongoose is known for digging out bugs from the ground. Its teeth are so strong that it can tear the flesh of any animal. The stripe necked mongoose is commonly found in the Western Ghats. The dwarf mongoose is the smallest of all the mongooses.

Mongooses are long faced with small rounded ears. They have small legs, but long tails. They usually live in groups. They are known for catching snakes due to their agility, thick coats, and specialized acetylcholine receptors that render them resistant or immune to snake venom.

Picture Credit : Google

The green anaconda is arguably the largest and undoubtedly the heaviest snake in the world; some anacondas grow over a size of 10 meters and have a heavy build.

Anacondas are of two types – the green and the yellow anaconda. The green anaconda is known by many names like the giant anaconda, sucuri, or water kamudi.

Anacondas live in swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Female anacondas are usually larger than their male counterparts. Reticulated pythons-anaconda’s cousins- grow up to the same size of an anaconda. But an anaconda has more girth which makes it heavier.

Anacondas usually hunt in darkness. Rather than chasing the prey, they ambush it. They can easily camouflage near the murky waters, where they wait for their prey to come. They prey on wild pigs, deer, birds, turtles, capybara, caimans, and even jaguars.

Their jaws are attached to stretchy ligaments that help them swallow the prey as a whole regardless of its size.

The meerkat is a member of the mongoose family, usually found in southwestern Africa. Meerkats can be recognized from the position in which they stand; they often stand on their rear legs. Mother Meerkats are skilled to feed their babies while standing like this.

Meerkats usually live in packs ranging from three to twenty-five in number. They live in burrows with multiple entrances. They usually hunt in packs.

Some meerkats serve as lookouts watching for birds that could be snatched from the ground. A few of them will be busy guarding the pack while the rest look for prey. They prey on beetles, caterpillars, termites, spiders, scorpions, lizards, birds, small snakes, and rodent.

The prey is primarily located by smell.

Often, a meerkat gives out a sharp, shrill call which is the signal for all to take cover. Purring sounds are also used for communication while hunting. Meerkats can be tamed easily; therefore, they are often kept as pets to kill rodents.