Tag omnivorous

Boeseman’s Rainbowfish 

MaNi Leave a comment

The Boeseman’s Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani) is a small, freshwater fish in the Melanotaeniidae family of Rainbowfish.

The Boeseman’s Rainbowfish is different in colour from most other rainbowfish. It is half orange-red at the rear and iridescent half bluish-grey at the front. The colour deepens and intensifies at different times, which might be a sign of health or the mating season. The colour is generally more intense at night. Its body is compressed flat with spiny dorsal (back) fins and a slightly forked tail. 

Continue reading “Boeseman’s Rainbowfish “ →

Red Claw Crayfish 

MaNi Leave a comment

The Red Claw Crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) is a small freshwater crustacean in the Parastacidae family of Southern Hemisphere freshwater crayfish. It is also known as the Australian Red Claw Crayfish, Queensland Red Claw, Redclaw, Tropical Blue Crayfish, and Freshwater Blueclaw Crayfish.

The Red Claw Crayfish ranges in colour from dark-brown to blue-green with white spots on its body. The adult male has distinct red patch of the outer margin of its claws. It has three pairs of pincers.

Continue reading “Red Claw Crayfish “ →

Bonnethead Shark 

MaNi Leave a comment

The Bonnethead Shark (Sphyrna tiburo) is a small marine (saltwater) shark in the Sphyrnidae family of Hammerhead Sharks. It is also known as the Shovelhead. 

The Bonnethead Shark has a grey-brown upper body and a lighter underbelly. It has a broad, smooth; shovel-shaped head. The female has a rounded head, and the male has a bulge on its head. It has a dorsal fin, pectoral fins, anal fins, and a distinctive tail.

Continue reading “Bonnethead Shark “ →

Cardinal Tetra

MaNi Leave a comment

The Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) is a small freshwater fish in the Characidae family of tetras. 

The Cardinal Tetra has a flat body with a striking iridescent blue line running from head to tail. Below this line it is a cardinal red colour and above the line it is silver-grey. The red colour extends to its tail. It has blue eyes covered with a blue stripe. It looks similar to the Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi).

Continue reading “Cardinal Tetra” →

Great Spotted Woodpecker

MaNi Leave a comment

The Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is a medium-sized bird in the Picidae family.

The glossy-feathered Great Spotted Woodpecker is pied black and white with a red patch on its lower belly. The male also has red markings on the neck or head. It has black lines from the shoulder to the nape, the base of the beak, and about halfway across its chest. It has a large white shoulder patch. The flight feathers and tail have black and white bands. Its beak is black. 

Continue reading “Great Spotted Woodpecker” →

What are the similarities and differences between the Chicken and the Tyrannosaurus Rex?

MaNi Leave a comment

What are the similarities and differences between the Chicken and the Tyrannosaurus Rex?

At first, scientists thought that dinosaurs were related to reptiles, but with research from bone and fossil material, they have formed a different view. In 2003, when scientists Jack Horner and Mary Schweitzer discovered unfossilised material inside the femur bone of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in Montana, America, they, and other zoologists and palaeontologists all over the world, documented that the Chicken and the Ostrich are living animals distantly related to the extinct theropod dinosaur Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex). They said the next closest match is the Alligator.

Continue reading “What are the similarities and differences between the Chicken and the Tyrannosaurus Rex?” →

Desmarest’s Hutia

MaNi Leave a comment

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.

Continue reading “Desmarest’s Hutia” →

Common Raccoon

MaNi Leave a comment

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.

Continue reading “Common Raccoon” →

Mayan Cichlid

MaNi Leave a comment

The Mayan Cichlid (Mayaheros urophthalmus) is a tropical freshwater fish in the Cichlidae family of cichlids. It is also known as the Mexican Mojarra.

The Mayan Cichlid has an oval, flattened body. Its head tapers towards its mouth. It is yellowish-brown to grey-brown, which becomes redder during breeding. However, the colour varies depending on its location. There are six wide green-black vertical stripes on the sides of its body. There is also a large, black eye-spot circled with blue-green on the tail stem. It has spiny fins.

Continue reading “Mayan Cichlid” →

Indian Yellowtail Angelfish

MaNi Leave a comment

The Indian Yellowtail Angelfish (Apolemichthys xanthurus) is a marine (saltwater) fish in the Pomacanthidae family. It is also known as the Cream Angelfish, Smoke Angelfish, and Yellowtail Black Angelfish.

The Indian Yellowtail Angelfish has a large, round, flat body with thick lips and large, dark eyes. The scales are like a lattice design. The edges of its body are dark. It has a bright yellow tail and the other fins are dark-coloured. It has a yellow spot on the upper pre-operculum, near its eye. 

Continue reading “Indian Yellowtail Angelfish” →

Common Prawn

MaNi Leave a comment

The Common Prawn (Palaemon serratus) is a marine (saltwater) crustacean in the Palaemonidae family of invertebrate ten-footed shrimp (decapod). It is related to the crab and the lobster.

The Common Prawn is transparent (see-through) to pinkish-brown with reddish striped-liked markings and patterns. It has an exo-skeleton (outside skeleton) called a carapace or shell. Its forward extension of the carapace in front of its eyes, called the rostrum, curves upwards. The rostrum is also bifurcated at the tip, which means that it is split into two parts. It has long, white antennae. It has bulging eyes. It has ten legs.

Continue reading “Common Prawn” →

Golden-Handed Tamarin

MaNi Leave a comment

The Golden-Handed Tamarin (Saguinus midas) is a primate mammal in the Callitrichidae family of marmoset monkeys. It is also known as the Red-Handed Tamarin and the Midas Tamarin. 

The Golden-Handed Tamarin is dark-brown or black with golden-orange hair on its hands and feet. Its face is hairless. It has large, black C-shaped ears. It has large, round, black eyes. It has sharp claws that enable it to climb trees. Its thumb is not opposable. 

Continue reading “Golden-Handed Tamarin” →

Tree-Crevice Skink

MaNi Leave a comment

The Tree-Crevice Skink (Egernia striolata) is a reptile in the Scincidae family of skink lizards. It is a squamate. It is also called the Tree Skink.

The Tree-Crevice Skink has a thick, flattened body with small eyes. It has 26-36 rows of scales. It is dark-black to grey-brown with a pale stripe of scales down its body from its head to its tail. Its underbelly is pale or cream-coloured. It eyes have vertical, narrow pupils.

Continue reading “Tree-Crevice Skink” →

Clark’s Anemonefish

MaNi Leave a comment

The Clark’s Anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) is a tropical marine (saltwater) fish in the Pomacentridae family of clownfish and damselfish. It is also known as the Yellowtail Clownfish.

The Clark’s Anemonefish has an oval-shaped, flat, compressed body. It is vivid black with white and yellow stripes. The black areas become wider with age. It has two vertical white bands, one behind the eye and one above the tail. The dorsal (back) fins are orange-yellow. 

Continue reading “Clark’s Anemonefish” →

Green Sea Urchin

MaNi Leave a comment

The Green Sea Urchin (Psammechinus miliaris) is a marine (saltwater) echinoderm in the Parechinidae family. It is also known as the Shore Sea Urchin.

The Green Sea Urchin is spherical-shaped (ball-shaped). Its rounded “body” is called a test. The test is covered with short, thick spines of about the same length. It is purple-brown in shallow water and greenish in deeper water. The spines are a paler colour with purple tips. It has tubed feet in groups of five or six in a small arc shape. It has a small mouth. It does not have eyes. It is sensitive to touch, light, and chemicals due to the numerous sensitive cells in its spines, tube feet, and around its mouth.

Continue reading “Green Sea Urchin” →