Category Mammals

Lyle’s Flying Fox

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The Lyle’s Flying Fox (Pteropus lylei) is a mammal in the Pteropodidae family of bats. It is categorized as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. It is also called a Fruit Bat.

The Lyle’s Flying Fox is a medium-sized furry bat with a long snout, large eyes, pointed ears, and a fox-like face. It upper parts are mainly black, with a wide collar of orange fur. It sometimes has a dark-brown or yellowish-brown lower body. Its wings are black or dark-brown. The underparts of its wings are dark-brownish black. It does not have a tail. It has sharp, curved claws on its toes. 

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Asian Wrinkled-Lipped Free-Tailed Bat

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Phnom Sampeau (Ship Mountain) is a limestone mountain along National Road 57, about 12 kilometres (7 miles) from the city of Battambang in Cambodia. The mountain is 100 metres (328 feet) high with three natural caves, famous for its colonies of over one million Asian Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats. There are 13 known colonies in Cambodia with a total of 6.5 million bats.

The Asian Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bat (Chaerephon plicatus) is a flying mammal in the Molossidae family. Plicatus means ‘folded’ because the upper lips and the ears of the bat look folded and wrinkled.

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Ragdoll Cat

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The Ragdoll Cat (Felis catus) is a breed of domesticated cat in the Felidae family. It is called Ragdoll because it goes limp (floppy) and relaxed when it is picked up. It is often known as an ‘apartment cat.’

The Ragdoll Cat has a semi-long, silky, soft coat of hair. It has blue eyes, thick limbs, a soft body, and a long, bushy tail. It has a wide space between the ears. Some have upside-down V-shaped markings on their forehead. 

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How long does it take for a sloth to digest its food?

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How long does it take for a sloth to digest its food?

The Sloth is a mammal in the sub-order Folivora. It is native to the tropical rainforests of Central America and South America. It is arboreal, meaning that it lives in trees. It is also nocturnal, mostly active at night. 

It does not have many teeth; only 4-5 pairs of teeth. It has canine teeth, but no incisor teeth. It eats mainly leaves, so it does not need sharp incisors. Some sloths are omnivorous, eating leaves, insects, fruit, and small dead animals.

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Lilac Point Siamese Cat

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The Lilac Point Siamese Cat (Felis catus) is a common and popular domestic mammal in the Felidae family of cats. It is a version of the Chocolate Point Siamese and the Blue Point Siamese. The colour breed was officially recognized in 1955.

The Lilac Point Siamese Cat has an elongated, muscular body, a triangular-shaped head, almond-shaped eyes, and large ears. It has a long neck, and a thin, long tail. It has sharp teeth, a triangular snub nose, and long, white whiskers. It has a creamy-white body with short, glossy fur and lilac-grey points with pink undertones. It has blue-grey eyes. 

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Pygmy hippo born at Metro Richmond Zoo in December 2022

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The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia, America, is celebrating the birth of a baby Pygmy Hippo. 

Born on 6 December 2022, the Pygmy Hippopotamus does not yet have a name. Its parents are Iris and Corwin. Iris was pregnant for 7 months before giving birth to her daughter. 

She weighed 7 kilograms (16 pounds) and is growing rapidly. After a week, she was already 11 kilograms (24 pounds). When she is an adult, she will weigh up to 272 kilograms (600 pounds).

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A glimpse of the Corsac Fox

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The Corsac Fox at the Paris Zoo is rarely seen because it is nocturnal – active at night and sleeping during the day. Fortunately, I got a glimpse of the Corsac Fox.

The Corsac Fox (Vulpes corsac) is a medium-sized mammal in the Canidae family of carnivorous dogs, wolves, foxes, and jackals. It is also known as the Steppe Fox and the Sand Fox. 

The Corsac Fox has yellowish-brown fur with paler underparts. It has pale markings on its mouth, chin, and throat. It has pointed ears with excellent hearing and small eyes with excellent vision. It has small teeth. Its feet have sharp claws. 

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Baby hippo Fritz at the Cincinnati Zoo

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The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in Ohio, America, is celebrating the birth of Fritz the baby hippo. Born on 3 August 2022 in the Hippo Cove, Zoo staff will gradually introduce him to the public for short periods, but people can see him on the Zoo’s webcam. 

He was named Fritz after the public from over 60 countries submitted 90,000 potential names and voted in August between two: Ferguson and Fritz. The name Fritz received 125,183 (56%) of the 223,542 votes. 

Born to his 23-year-old mum Bibi, Fritz, a Nile Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), joins the rest of his hippo bloat: his five-year-old sister Fiona and 19-year-old father Tucker. Tucker arrived at the Zoo in September 2021, from San Francisco Zoo, specifically to be Bibi’s companion. 

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Juvenile Bornean Orangutan is almost four years old

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The juvenile Bornean Orangutan at the Paris Zoo is almost four years old. Java was born on 17 October 2018 to her mother Theodora. Theodora watches Java as she plays on the ropes and beams.

The Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is a great ape and a primate mammal in the Hominidae family.

It is native to the rain forests of Borneo. It is arboreal, living in trees. 

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CREATURE FEATURE: European Ground Squirrel

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The European Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus citellus) is a rodent mammal in the Sciuridae family of squirrels. It is also known as the European Souslik.

The European Ground Squirrel has a slender body with a short, bushy tail. Its short fur is yellowish-grey, flecked with black hair. Its underside is pale. It has large, dark eyes and small, rounded ears. It has short feet with sharp claws for digging. It has strong, gnawing teeth. It has a small nose with whiskers. 

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Desmarest’s Hutia

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The Desmarest’s Hutia (Capromys pilorides) is a mammal in the Echimyidae family of rodents. It is also known as the Cuban Hutia.

The Desmarest’s Hutia is a short, stocky animal with short legs, and looks like a big hairy rat with a heavy rear end. It has thick, coarse fur ranging from black to brown, often with light-brown to reddish fur on its rump, near its tail, and on the crown of its head. It has small ears, small dark eyes, and a dark nose with dark whiskers. It has five toes with large, black claws.

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Chartreux Cat

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The Chartreux Cat (Felis catus) is a mammal in the Felidae family of cats. It is a rare domestic cat. A cat is a felid, or a feline.

The Chartreux Cat has short, thick, silver-grey fur, which is called blue fur. Unlike most other cats, it has water-resistant fur due to a double layer of medium-length, slightly woolly hair. It sheds its fur moderately. It is large and muscular with short ears and a fluffy tail. It has distinctive orange or amber eyes. It is considered to be highly intelligent. 

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Tushetian Sheep

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The Tushetian Sheep (Ovis aries musimon) is a ruminant mammal in the Bovidae family. It is an artiodactyla – an even-toed ungulate (hoofed mammal). It is a sub-species of the primitive Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries). It is similar to the Near East Sheep and it is also known as the European Mouflon.

The Tushetian Sheep has a smooth, long, well-developed woolly coat. Its face is not woolly. It has a small, fat, woolly tail. It has long ears. The male is red-brown in summer with a white saddle patch or more white areas. The female is brownish. Both the male and female are darker in winter. The male has helix-shaped horns, but the female does not have horns.

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Common Raccoon

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The Common Raccoon (Procyon lotor) is a mammal in the Procyonidae family of raccoons. It is a procyonid. It is also known as the Northern Raccoon.

The Common Raccoon has peppery-grey fur with long hair. It also has underfur, which acts as an insulator to keep it warm in winter. It has a black face mask, a ringed tail, short rounded ears, black rounded eyes, and a dog-like nose. Its front claws are sharp.

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How does a Red-Necked Wallaby Drink?

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How does a Red-Necked Wallaby drink?

The Red-Necked Wallaby, also known as the Bennett’s Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus), is a medium-sized macropod marsupial mammal. Macropod means big feet, and a marsupial mammal has a pouch for its baby. 

A group of wallabies is called a mob. It is generally solitary, but it will gather with a mob to feed. It is mainly nocturnal, feeding at night. It is an herbivore, feeding on grass, roots, leaves, and weeds.

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Golden Lion Tamarin Baby

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The Golden Lion Tamarin mother at the Paris Zoo has a new baby, about one month old, born in April 2022. The mother is pregnant for 120 days before giving birth to 1-2 young.  

For the first month after birth, the baby will stay continually with its mother. By week five, the baby will begin to explore its surroundings while staying close to its mother. After four months, the baby will be a juvenile, and will become more social and playful with other young tamarins. 

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Dama Mhorr Gazelle

CREATURE FEATURE: Dama Mhorr Gazelle

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The Dama Mhorr Gazelle (Nanger dama mhorr) is a mammal in the Bovidae family of bovines, including gazelles and antelopes. It is also known as the Mhorr Gazelle, the Mohor Gazelle, and the Addra Gazelle. It is a sub-species of the Dama Gazelle (Nanger dama). It is extinct in the wild and was last seen in the wild in 1968, therefore it is a critically endangered species. It exists in breeding programs in zoos and reserves.  

The Dama Mhorr Gazelle is white below with a reddish-brown head and neck. It has a small head with a narrow muzzle (nose). It has large eyes. The male and the female have medium-length curved horns in the shape of an S. It has longer legs and a longer neck than other gazelles. It is an artiodactyl because it has cloven (split) hooves.

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