Draganin Blog
Piles of fluffy snow probably bring to mind images of polar bears, but many different creatures enjoy playing around in the snow as well. We’ve put together a gallery of adorable animals frolicking in the flurries — including reindeer! Luckily some of these animals have their own personal fur coat to keep them warm.
While werewolves are the stuff of folklore, the light and the gravitational pull of the Moon do have real effects on the behaviour and physiology of a host of earthbound organisms — including, perhaps, people. Moonlight can also change animal behaviour. Many marine organisms move up and down in the sea depending on the level of moonlight in order to keep their light levels constant. On land, some nocturnal animals come out on a well-lit night to hunt , others stay hidden to avoid predators.
Dust bath (also sand bath) is the act of an animal grooming and most likely cleansing its skin or fur from parasites by rolling or moving around within dust or sand. Many animals like to roll in sand or dirt to keep the flies and insects away from them and also to help dry off after exercise or being wet. A sand roll, which is a stall or yard covered with deep sand, is traditionally included as part of stable complexes, for use by racehorses after exercise. Dust baths are a necessity for some animals and serve to clean the feathers, skin, or fur similar to the more common bathing in water, or wallowing in mud. Birds cower close to the ground while taking a dust bath and wiggle their bodies. This will disperse loose soil in the air. The birds spread one or both wings. The dust bath is often followed by thorough shaking to ruffle the feathers or preening.
Just because tigers, monkeys, and birds don’t roll out of bed, jump in the shower, and turn on the tap, doesn’t mean they don’t have serious and involved ways to get clean. Bathing has been a central ritual of human civilizations for nearly all of recorded history but many animals, too, need to bathe to maintain hygiene and body temperature. Several species of birds and mammals exhibit the behavior but—while functionally very similar—animal bathing often takes a radically different form. Perhaps the most commonly witnessed animal bathing are birds.
Weather plays a major part in the Animal Kingdom, changing daily and reflecting the seasons. You can never predict the weather , because it can start raining at the drop of a hat. However, you can’t let rain ruin your day at Animal Kingdom.
Black swans were first seen by Europeans in 1697, when Willem de Vlamingh’s expedition explored the Swan River, Western Australia.The black swan was described scientifically by English naturalist John Latham in1790. It was formerly placed into a monotypic genus, Chenopis. The common name ‘Swan’ is a gender neutral term, but ‘cob’ for a male and ‘pen’ for a female are also used, as is ‘cygnet’ for the young.Collective nouns include a ‘bank’ (on the ground) and a ‘wedge’ (in flight). Black Swans can be found singly, or in loose companies numbering into the hundreds or even thousands.
Swans are primarily black feathered birds, with white flight feathers. The bill is bright red, with a pale bar and tip; and legs and feet are greyish-black. Cobs (males) are slightly larger than pens (females), with a longer and straighter bill. Cygnets (immature birds) are a greyish-brown with pale-edged feathers. A mature Black Swan measures between 110 and 142 cm (43-56 in) in length and weighs 3.7–9 kg (8.1-20 lbs). Its wing span is between 1.6 and 2 metres (5.3-6.5 ft).The neck is long (relatively the longest neck among the swans) and curved in an “S”. The Black Swan utters a musical and far reaching bugle-like sound, called either on the water or in flight, as well as a range of softer crooning notes. It can also whistle, especially when disturbed while breeding and nesting. The Black Swan is unlike any other Australian bird, although in poor light and at long range it may be confused with a Magpie Goose in flight. However, the black swan can be distinguished by its much longer neck and slower wing beat.
Nature has a way of watching out for animals in the wild. They undergo a series of changes to endure colder weather and to be able to go without food for longer periods of time. Have you watched the animal changes during autumn months? What changes do the animals in the wild go through?
For humans, fall means back to school, it’s time to break out the warmer coats and get adjusted to the idea that it’s almost winter again. We winterize our homes, put away summer clothing and get out the winter gear, prepare our cars, and hope the weatherman is correct that it will be fairly warm for a few more days at least. Have you noticed your dog or cat is getting longer fur? Is it thicker?
Nature takes care of animals by giving them a built in weather gauge. They instinctively know when winters will be very long and cold or when a storm is coming up. If the winter is to be a long cold one, they will grow longer, thicker hair. Birds instinctively migrate to warmer climates where food will be readily available.
Trees begin to lose their leaves, to go into their winter hibernation. Bears and animals that hibernate find their winter caves and tunnels to snuggle down for the winter months. Mushrooms go into full bloom mode to spread their seed for the following year, as do the trees and flowers. With this much commotion in nature, we can detect colder months ahead as well.
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. They are easily recognized by their spines, which are hollow hairs made stiff with keratin. Their spines are not poisonous or barbed and, unlike the quills of a porcupine, cannot easily be removed from the hedgehog. However, spines normally come out when a hedgehog sheds baby spines and replaces them with adult spines. This is called “quilling.” When under extreme stress or during sickness, a hedgehog can also lose spines. Anyway … here are awesome photos of baby hedgehogs:
Animals are known for being, among other things, incredibly stealthy. Like little furry ninjas, they can sneak up on you without a sound and pounce before you even know what’s happening. To be able to move silently through the land whilst watching the animals in their natural environment is an experience that you will remember for the rest of your life.
