Fauna Fact of the Day

The Fossa is the largest mammalian carnivore on Madagascar. They have semi-retractable claws and flexible ankles, allowing them to climb up and down trees headfirst and jump from tree to tree. Although it looks very much like a cat, it is actually a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family, although its true placement into any scientific family is still debated to this day. The fossa shares traits with civets, mongoose, and cats, like some sort of strange Frankenstein animal. Actually, all Malagasy carnivores are like this, which is why they were put into their own family- none of them are very similar, but they are all so unlike anything else on the mainlands.

(Photo by Nick Garbutt)

Animal Fact of the Day

The Honey Badger is an animal native to Africa, the Middle East, and parts of India. Contrary to it’s name, the honey badger is not really a badger at all- anatomically, it is more similar to a weasel, although it’s not a true weasel either. (It’s the only member of the Mellivora genus.) Despite their small size, the honey badger is one of the toughest little bastards you will ever come across. No matter what size their opponent, or how many of them, these guys are truly fearless. They are viscous fighters, and have been known to fight off entire prides of lions and escape virtually unharmed. They also have the ability to eat highly venomous snakes, such as puff adders and cobras- if bitten, the honey badger merely sleeps off the venom, and then wakes up to continue its meal. Like a boss.

Animal Fact of the Day

The Iberian Lynx is the most endangered cat in the world, with only about 100-200 individuals left, all of them in southern Spain. If this animal becomes extinct, it will be the first feline species to do so since the Smilodon during the Ice Age. If you would like to learn about the conservation effort, please go to soslynx.org.

Animal Fact of the Day

The Mexican wolf is the smallest and most endangered wolf species in North America. They originally ranged from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of central Mexico and up into Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, but by the 1970’s they had been totally exterminated from the wild, with only a few hundred left in zoos. But you know what? There’s hope for these guys yet. Starting in 1998, the US Fish and Wildlife Service began to reintroduce Mexican wolves to the Blue Range of Arizona. As of 2010, there are about 50 wolves back in the wild- so yes, they are back out there, but they’re struggling. If you want to learn more or are interested in helping in the conservation effort, fws.org is the place to go.

Animal Fact of the Day

The Spectacled Bear is the only living bear species native to South America, and is the last remaining short-faced bear alive today. (All others died out during the Pleistocene age.) Their survival is mostly due to the fact that there isn’t a tree around that they can’t climb- even the tallest trees of the Andes. They are extremely docile bears, preferring to run away and hide in a tree than fight with you. They are almost exclusively vegetarian, with meat only making up about 5% of their diet. Basically, Spectacled Bears are adorable, and if you hug one, it probably won’t rip your face off. Probably.

Animal Fact of the Day

The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America. It is also the tallest wild canid in the world, its stilt-like legs a useful adaptation for spying prey over the tall grasslands where it lives. Despite its name, the maned wolf is not a wolf at all, nor is it a fox, coyote, or dog. It is the only member of the Chrysocyon genus, making it a truly unique animal, not closely related to any other living canid. One hypothesis for this is that the maned wolf is the last surviving species of the Pleistocene Extinction, which wiped out all other large canids from the continent.

(Photo taken by Sean Crane in Brazil.)