Category Nature Science & Wildlife

Many of us have dogs as pets. Our beloved dogs are the descendants of the grey wolf. Also known as timber wolf, the grey wolf is the largest member of the canine family.

Grey wolves usually live in packs of up to two dozen individuals. A pack of grey wolves include the mother and father wolves, their pups, and several other subordinate or young animals. The parents are known as alpha wolves. A pack typically consists of six to ten wolves.

Grey wolves are designed for a predatory way of life. They have a strong build, large canine teeth and powerful jaws that equip them for hunting. They can run at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour as well. They feed on large hoofed mammals, like elk, deer, moose and caribou. In fact, grey wolves roam around most of the time, in search of large prey, but they do not eat humans.

Grey wolves eat as if there is no tomorrow. A single animal can consume around nine kilograms of meat at a sitting!

Red wolves are carnivores whose diet varies a great deal depending on the available prey. Mostly, they hunt smaller mammals like raccoons, rabbits, rodents and white-tailed deer. They hunt both at dusk and dawn and generally avoid human contact.

Red wolves are social animals and they live in packs. They are strictly territorial in nature and will not hesitate to fight other wolves to maintain their territory. They travel up to 32 kilometers within their territory in search of prey. These wolves communicate using body language, scent marking, and a series of vocalizations including howls, barks and yaps.

The size of a red wolf is somewhere between that of a grey wolf and a coyote. They weigh between 20 and 36 kilograms. Male red wolves weigh more than their female counter-parts; an average male weighs about 27 kilograms while females weigh about 22 kilograms. Red wolves are endangered and their numbers are diminishing.

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Servals and caracals are similar in size, but servals hunt in wetter habitats, whereas caracals stick to the drier areas of Africa and the Middle East. Servals are medium-sized wild cats with a heightened sense of hearing. In fact, their hearing is way better than all other small cats and greatly aids them in hunting.

Servals can pounce on an invisible rat, just by using their sense of sound. Servals use a high leap to strike and kill their prey, preventing its escape. They prey on rodents, birds, reptiles, frogs, and insects.

Their robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth distinguish caracals from the other cats. They are also known as the ‘African lynx’ or ‘desert lynx’. Apart from their good sense of hearing, their speed and agility make them good hunters; they can hunt an animal thrice their size!

Caracals are nocturnal and it is hard to spot them. They either live alone or in pairs. They have been known to leap up into the air to successfully catch and kill birds.

Picture Credit : Google

Found in the Americas, a margay is a spotted wild cat with thick and soft fur. It is a solitary animal and is completely dependent on the cover of the treetop canopy in its territory. Sometimes, a margay hunts, sleeps, and even raises its young ones on trees.

A margay hunts small mammals, including monkeys, birds, eggs, lizards and tree frogs. While hunting, a margay often mimics the call of its prey to lure them. It also eats grass, fruit and other vegetation, which helps with digestion.

Though margays depend heavily on trees, they hunt on the ground too. When it gets down a tree, it walks slowly head first down the trunk, unlike most cats that rush down or descend hind feet first. If it ever falls from a tree, it uses its hind legs to catch hold of a branch and break the fall. Margays were hunted illegally until the 1990s. This led to a sharp decline in the number of margays.

The margay has been listed as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List.

Picture Credit : Google

Ocelots have pointed fangs which they use to deliver a killing bite. They have sharp scissor-like back teeth that can tear food, but are not appropriate for chewing. So, they swallow their food after tearing it down. An ocelot is a largely nocturnal spotted cat adapted to eating meat. It is twice the size of an average house cat. It feeds on rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, and frogs.

Populations of ocelot are found in lowland areas of the Americas from Texas to northern Argentina. Ocelots are also found in tropical forests, grasslands, or bush-covered regions.

Ocelots are largely terrestrial, but they are good climbers and often occupy treetops. The ocelot population is declining globally. Margays and oncillas closely resemble ocelots in general appearance and range. Ocelots however, are larger. Also, their tails are shorter than their hind legs.

A tuft of black hair on the tips of its ears and its short tail makes a lynx distinct from other big cats. A lynx is much larger than a housecat and can weigh up to 38 kilograms. There are so many varieties of lynx including the Eurasian lynx, Canadian lynx, and the Iberian lynx.

Lynx are rarely spotted during the day; they hunt stealthily at night. Their vision is so sharp that they can spot a mouse from as far as 76 metres. The tufts on their ears act as a hearing aid, which is not any poorer than their sense of vision. They are good climbers and swimmers too.

Unlike many other big cats, a lynx does not chase its prey. Instead, it waits for a prey to come by, after hiding behind a bush or a tree. It usually sneaks around its prey and pounces on it while the prey is busy eating.

A lynx either lives alone or in small groups. Populations of lynx are found in the remote northern forests of North America, Europe, and Asia.