Rhinoceros Beetle

Beauty Of Animal | Rhinoceros Beetle |  The rhinoceros beetles or rhino beetle are a subfamily (Dynastinae) family of scarab (Scarabaeidae). Other common names - some for specific groups of rhino beetles - are, for example, Hercules beetle, beetles or unicorn horn beetle. There are over 300 known species of rhinoceros beetles.

Many rhinoceros beetles are known for their bizarre shapes and sizes. Famous types are, for example, the Atlas Beetle (Chalcosoma atlas), Common Rhinoceros Beetle (Xylotrupes ulysses), Elephant Beetle (Megasoma elephas), the European rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis), Hercules Beetle (Dynastes hercules), Japanese rhinoceros beetle or kabutomushi (Allomyrina dichotoma) , Ox Beetle (Strategus Aloeus) and the Unicorn Beetle (Dynastes Tityus).

Description and ecology

They are among the largest beetles and reached 150 + mm in length, but are completely harmless to people, because they do not bite or sting. Their common name refers to the characteristic horns only by the males of most species carried in the group. They have a horn on his chest and another horn to the front of the center chest. The horns are used to fight other males during the mating season and for digging.

The body of an adult rhinoceros beetle is covered with a thick exoskeleton. A pair of thick wing was on a different set of wings including skin, so that the flying rhinoceros beetle, though not very efficient, due to their large size and horns. The best protection they have from predators is their size and stature. Furthermore, since they are nocturnal, they avoid many of their enemies during the day. When the sun shines, they hide under logs or vegetation is to be of the few large predators enough to want to hide to eat them. If rhinoceros beetles are disturbed, can release some squeaks very loud hiss. The hissing squeak is covering by rubbing its abdomen against the ends of their wings. Rhino beetles are pretty well protected, and the adults usually live 2-4 months, sometimes longer.

Can a rhinoceros beetle larval stage for several years and is very time consuming. Feed the larvae feed on rotten wood and the adults on nectar, plant sap and fruit. First, the larvae hatch from the eggs and later to develop into pupae before adult status (see picture left) to reach. The female lays 50 eggs on average. Contrary to what its size may mean eating adult rhinoceros beetle is not large amounts, in contrast to their larvae, which eat a significant amount of deadwood.

The human use
Rhino beetles are very popular as pets in parts of Asia.  This is partly due to the bare to maintain clean, easy and safe to handle. In Asia, male beetles are used for gambling fights.  Since men naturally tend to have to fight each other for the attention of the females, they are used to fight it. To get the two male beetles to fight Lock, a female beetle or a small noisemaker is used to duplicate the female lure.

Entomologist Séverin Tchibozo suggests the larvae contain lots of protein (40%), as a chicken (20%) and beef (18%) and larvae that had a protein source for a large  population. Are Some species can be important pests such as tree plantations. In general, however, are rhinoceros beetle population density is not as high as in some other insect pests, and food trees, which are usually already sick or die, other causes are preferred. Some species' larvae, but even attack healthy trees or root vegetables, and when they occur in large numbers to cause significant economic damage.

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Quetzal

Beauty Of Animal | Quetzal | Quetzals are strikingly colored birds in the trogon family (Trogonidae). They are found in forests and woodlands, especially in humid highlands, with the five species from the genus Pharomachrus being exclusively Neotropical, while the single Euptilotis species is almost entirely restricted to western Mexico. They are fairly large (all over 32 cm or 13 inches), slightly bigger than other trogon species. Quetzals have iridescent green or golden-green wing coverts, back, chest and head, and a red belly. They are strongly sexually dimorphic, and parts of the females' plumage is brown or grey. These largely solitary birds feed on fruits, berries, insects and small vertebrates (e.g. frogs), and can, despite the bright plumage, be surprisingly difficult to see in their wooded habitats.

 

Quetzal classification and evolution The quetzal is a medium-sized bird found inhabiting the damp, tropical rain forests of Central America from southern Mexico down to Panama. There are six subspecies of the quetzal, that in different geographical locations including the Crested Quetzal, Golden-headed Quetzal, the white-tipped quetzal, Pavonine Quetzal, the Eared Quetzal and the famous famous quetzal, found that all belong to the trogon family birds. The quetzal is a huge beast with metallic-colored plumage and is widely regarded to be most strikingly-beautiful birds in the world as one of the. Like other members of the trogon family, are the feet of the Quetzal unique with two toes forward and two back on each foot, that aid the quetzal, when perching high in the trees.

Quetzal Distribution and habitat. The quetzal lives humid tropical forests in areas that are cooler containing dense vegetation and are incredibly moist. . The striking plumage of the Quetzal means that these birds are perfectly camouflaged among the abundance of vegetation around them. Quetzal behavior and lifestyle, The quetzal is perched high in the canopy, where their calls are almost as distinctive as its appearance.

Quetzal Reproduction and Life CyclesQuetzals use tQuetzal Reproduction and Life Cyclesheir strong beaks to holes in decaying trees, allowing them to build nests. Quetzal nutrition and Prey, The quetzal plays an important role in the conservation area as it is the seeds of fruits and berries are scattered in the forest in their droppings.

Quetzal Predators and threatsThe Quetzal is therefore relatively easy prey for other tree-dwelling animals to catch and is chased by mammals like Kinkajou, along with squirrels and birds of prey like hawks and owls. The biggest threat, however, the Quetzals existing population is loss of habitat as housing and urban development and agriculture more and more affected and dragged her home.
Scientific classification

Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:         Aves
Order:         Trogoniformes
Family:     Trogonidae
Genus:         Pharomachrus
de la Llave.     1832
Euptilotis    Gould, 1858

Quetzal Interesting Facts and FeaturesAlthough the male quetzal is most pronounced is known for incredibly long tail feathers, they do not start, they grow until they reach at least three years old with not many people Quetzal sexual maturity until they are almost six. The Guatemalan Quetzal is also commonly known as the quetzal and is not only the nation's national symbol, but the currency in Guatemala is actually used as a "Quetzal" known. The Quetzal is one of the "Trogon" family of birds that the Greek word for "eat away" is a distinctive feature of these birds.

Quetzal relationship with the peopleThe Quetzal was referenced as a sacred animal to the old native population, including the Aztecs and the Maya and was often depicted as The Rare Jewel regularly Bird of the World, in conjunction with indigenous art was. The long, bright tail feathers of the males were to be worn in garments of royalty in particular. Today, however, although the quetzal is still a coveted species from many countries

Quetzal preservation and Life TodayThe Quetzal is now falling as a species that is threatened in its surroundings than the population in their distinctive habitats have been. Although there are protected areas of the forest where the quetzal are not disturbed, they become more popular attractions for both bird watchers and animal organs. The Quetzal not survive very successfully in captivity means that they are captured in the wild fairly regularly, leading to declining population in certain parts of their natural range.

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Leopard

Beauty Of Animal | Leopard  | The leopard, Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China.

The species' success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth. The leopard consumes virtually any animal that it can hunt down and catch. Its habitat ranges from rainforest to desert terrains.

Physical characteristics
Leopards are agile and stealthy predators. Although smaller than other members of the Panthera genus, they are able to take large prey due to their massive skulls that facilitate powerful jaw muscles. Head and body length is between 95 and 165 cm (37 and 65 in), and the tail reaches 60 to 110 cm (24 to 43 in). Shoulder height is 45 to 80 cm (18 to 31 in). The muscles attached to the scapula are exceptionally strong, which enhance their ability to climb trees. They are very diverse in size. Males are about 30% larger than females, weighing 30 to 91 kg (66 to 200 lb) compared to 23 to 60 kg (51 to 130 lb) for females. Large males of up to 91 kg (200 lb) have been documented in Kruger National Park in South Africa; however, males in the South Africa's coastal mountains average 31 kg (68 lb) and the females from the desert-edge in Somalia average 23 to 27 kg (51 to 60 lb).

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:         Mammalia
Order:         Carnivora
Family:         Felidae
Genus:         Panthera
Species:     P. pardus

Taxonomy and evolution

Like all of the feline family, the Panthera genus has been subject to much alteration and debate, and the exact relations between the four species as well as the clouded leopard and snow leopard have not been effectively resolved. Carl Linnaeus placed leopards under the genus Felis as the binominal Felis pardus. In the 18th and 19th centuries, most naturalists and taxonomists followed his example. In 1816, Lorenz Oken proposed a definition of the genus Panthera, with a subgenus Panthera using Linnaeus’ Felis pardus as a type specimen. But most disagreed with his definition, and until the beginning of the 20th century continued using Felis or Leopardus when describing leopard subspecies. In 1916, Reginald Innes Pocock accorded Panthera generic rank defining Panthera pardus as species.

It is believed that the basal divergence amongst the Felidae family occurred about 11 million years ago. The last common ancestor of the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, and clouded leopard is believed to have occurred about 6.37 million years ago. Panthera is believed to have emerged in Asia, with ancestors of the leopard and other cats subsequently migrating into Africa. The researchers suggest that the snow leopard is most closely aligned with the tiger, whereas the leopard possibly has diverged from the Panthera lineage subsequent to these two species, but before the lion and jaguar. Fossils of early leopard ancestors have been found in East Africa and South Asia from the Pleistocene of 2 to 3.5 Ma. The modern leopard is suggested to have evolved in Africa 470,000–825,000 years ago and radiated across Asia 170,000–300,000 years ago.

Distribution and habitat
Leopards have the largest distribution of any wild cat, occurring widely in eastern and central Africa, although populations have shown a declining trend and are fragmented outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Within sub-Saharan Africa, the species is still numerous and even thriving in marginal habitats where other large cats have disappeared. But populations in North Africa may be extinct. Leopards live mainly in grasslands, woodlands, and riverine forests. They are usually associated with savanna and rainforest, but leopards are exceptionally adaptable: in the Russian Far East, they inhabit temperate forests where winter temperatures reach a low of −25 °C (−13 °F).

Ecology and behavior

Leopards are elusive, solitary and largely nocturnal. They have primarily been studied in open savanna habitats, which may have biased common descriptions. Activity level varies depending on the habitat and the type of prey that they hunt. Radio-tracking and scat analysis in West Africa showed that rainforest leopards are more likely to be diurnal and crepuscular. Forest leopards are also more specialized in prey selection and exhibit seasonal differences in activity patterns.

Leopards are known for their ability in climbing, and have been observed resting on tree branches during the day, dragging their kills up trees and hanging them there, and descending from trees headfirst. They are powerful swimmers, although not as strong as some other big cats, such as the tiger. They are very agile, and can run at over 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), leap over 6 metres (20 ft) horizontally, and jump up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) vertically. They produce a number of vocalizations, including grunts, roars, growls, meows, and "sawing" sounds.

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Apes

Beauty Of Animal | Apes | Apes and humans differ from all of the other primates in that they lack external tails.  They also are more intelligent and more dependent for survival on learned behavior patterns.  There are several internal body differences as well, such as the absence of an appendix in monkeys.

The apes and humans are members of the same superfamily, the Hominoidea click this icon to hear the preceding term pronounced.  Until the last few years, humans were separated into their own family within this superfamily because it was believed that we are significantly different from the apes.  However, recent genetic studies and discoveries from the fossil record have made it clear that some of the apes are more similar to humans than previously believed.  Subsequently, the living hominoids are now commonly classified into only two families with humans grouped with the great apes.

The smallest and the most arboreal apes are the 12-13 species of gibbons.  Because of their diminutive size, these members of the family Hylobatidae are also referred to as the "lesser apes."  Most adult gibbons are only about 3 feet (90 cm.) tall standing upright and 12-20 pounds (5.5-9 kg.) in weight.  Males in the biggest gibbon species, known as siamangs click this icon to hear the preceding term pronounced, are up to 30 pounds (13.5 kg.) and have longer arms.  Siamangs are different enough from other gibbons to be in their own genus.  All gibbons are very slender.  Long bushy hair on their bodies makes them look stockier than they actually are.  Unlike all of the larger ape species, gibbons have little sexual dimorphism in body size.

The long arms, permanently curved fingers, and light bodies of gibbons make them excellent brachiators click this icon to hear the preceding term pronounced.  That is, they move around in trees by swinging under branches with a hand over hand motion.  This is also referred to as suspensory climbing.  At times, gibbons also walk bipedally, or two footed, on top of branches.  However, they are more efficient at brachiation, and 90% of their locomotion is by this means.  Each swing can transport a gibbon 20 feet (6 m.) at speeds approaching 35 miles (56 km.) an hour.

Gibbons are monogamous click this icon to hear the preceding term pronounced in their mating patterns and form nuclear family groups.  That is to say, their communities consist of a single mating pair of adults with their juvenile offspring.  They live in well defined territories in the tree tops and rarely go down to the forest floor.  Adults regularly defend their territory against others of their species with piercingly loud whooping and hooting vocalizations, much like the indris of Madagascar and the howler monkeys of the New World.  However, the calls of the latter two primates sound very different.  The calls of different gibbon species are easily distinguished from each other as well.  When they are vocalizing, the front of the necks of gibbons and siamangs expand with air, much like the flexible bag on a bagpipe.

Orangutans are the largest and the rarest of the Asian apes.  Males often grow to 175-200 pounds (80-90 kg.) and 4 ½ feet (1.4 m.) tall.  At this size, they are usually too large to cross from one tree to another by the branches and must go down to the ground and walk quadrupedally between them.  There is marked sexual dimorphism among the orangutans.  Males have huge fleshy pads framing the upper part of their faces.  In addition, females weigh only about half as much as the males (73-99 lbs or 33-45 kg.).  Being lighter, females and juveniles often stay in the trees and use a leaning form of brachiation--they carefully shift their body weight to bend a supporting branch and then grab the next one before the first one breaks.

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Backyard Bird

Beauty Of Animal | The Backyard Bird | Bird watching is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the America, and around the world.  According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service around 60 million people feed birds in the US.  The only outdoor hobby that is more popular is gardening, and the two combine naturally. Birding is enjoyed by all ages. 

For our flying friends the benefit is reliable food sources provided by feeders.  This is a fascinating hobby whether you just want to observe birds in your yard or a local park, or get more serious, and take birding vacations to remote areas. 

Learn how to identify and understand birds at All-Birds.  Attract favorites to your backyard with feeders.  Identification tips, photographs and pictures, songs and calls, and more can be found here. You will find information about bird watching guides, and tips on birding equipment such as binoculars and cameras.

Birds are probably the most fun to watch of all animals.  

They have spectacular unmatched colors.  The dazzling colors of hummingbirds, peacocks or parrots is unmatched by other animals.  Their stream-lined anatomy gives them the ability to fly with grace, and ease. Their songs and calls are enchanting melodies that rival the music of any animal, and brighten up even dreary days.

Some birds have fascinating social behavior such as courtship, which may include exotic dance or elaborate nests and bowers.  In a Cedar waxwing dance the pair will hop from side to side while passing a berry back and forth.  Some even have strange behavior such as the male hornbill, which locks his mate into a tree cavity for weeks at a time.  

Killdeers will pretend to have a broken wing to lure predators away from their nest.  Nuthatches will spread their wings and point their bills at other another bird to challenge it.  This is often seen at bird feeders.  All this makes them awesome entertainers.  Who would not be awed by the sight and sound of migrating geese, or the sight of huge flocks of blackbirds as they flow in waves across the sky?

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Northern Cardinal

Beauty Of Animal | Northern Cardinal | In the 1800s Cardinals were much-sought-after cage birds highly valued for their color and song. Thousands were trapped in the south in the winter and sent to northern markets, and thousands more were sent to Europe. This trade ceased, fortunately, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

The common and familiar Northern Cardinal is a bird whose range has expanded northward in the last 100 years. Originally a bird of the Southeast, the Northern Cardinal's range expanded north and northwest along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. In 1886 this cardinal was found only occasionally north of the Ohio River. By 1895 it had reached the Great Lakes, and by 1910, it was found in southern Ontario.

Since the 1950s, expansion to the northeast has increased whereas dispersal to the northwest has slowed. The first documented Northern Cardinal nesting in Connecticut was in 1943; it reached Massachusetts in 1958, and has since reached the southern Maritime provinces of Canada. The Cardinal is limited in the West to areas where the annual precipitation is at least 16 inches. Nationally, centers of abundance for this cardinal are along the Mississippi River and along the Colorado and Guadalupe Rivers in Texas. Less-dense populations occur in the valleys of the Ohio, Arkansas, Brazos, and Red rivers.

often sung from a high treetop song post. Females will counter sing, duetting with males—usually after the males have established territories and before nesting begins. Local variations and accents have been noted in cardinal songs.

Typical habitats are thickets and brushy areas, edges and clearings, riparian woodlands, parks, and residential areas. Here the nonmigratory cardinals feed on a variety of foods including seeds, leaf buds, flowers, berries, and fruit. Up to one-third of its summer diet can be insects. Its winter diet is 90 percent vegetable matter, especially large seeds. Winter flocks can be very large, up to 60 or 70 individuals in areas of abundance.

Description: Northern Cardinals are a medium-sized songbird (approximately 8.75 inches in length) with short, rounded wings, a long tail, a heavy conical bill, and a crest. Males are nearly all brilliant red; brownish-gray-tinged scapular and back feathers give the upper parts a less colorful appearance. The coral red bill is surrounded by a mask of black that extends to a dark eye and includes the chin and throat. Legs and feet are dark red.

The female is soft grayish brown on the back with variable areas of red on the tail, crest, and wings. The underparts are a warm pinkish brown. Her coral red bill is also surrounded by darker but not black feathers, so her mask is not as distinct as the male's. Females are slightly smaller than males. The juveniles are like females but more brown in color, with shorter crest and a blackish bill. They molt to adult plumage in fall.

The only other similar all-red birds in North America, the Hepatic and Summer Tanagers (Piranga flava and P. rubra), can be distinguished by their lack of crest and black mask and by their much slimmer bills. The related Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) is a similarly shaped bird with a similar song that may also attend feeders in the Southwest. It is a gray bird with a touch of red on its wings, tail, and the top of its crest. The male has red on its face where the cardinal has black and rose on its breast and belly. Both male and female are distinguished by strongly curved yellow parrot-like bills rather than the straighter and longer coral-red bills of the Northern Cardinal.

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Swan

 Beauty Of Animal | Swan | The swan is a large aquatic bird closely related to geese and ducks. The swan is known for it's fierce temperament and the swans incredibly strong wings which are said to be able to cause dangerous (sometimes fatal) injuries to any animal the swan feels threatened by. The swan is found on both sides of the Equator across the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The northern swan is generally white in colour with an orange beak and the southern swan tends to be a mixture of white and black in colour with red, orange or black beaks.

The Australian black swan has been noted to only swim with one leg, the other being tucked above it's tail. This helps the swan to change direction more smoothly when the swan is swimming on the surface of the water, should the swan spot food or even an oncoming predator. Swans are omnivorous birds but have a very vegetarian diet. Swans eat underwater vegetation such as seaweed and aquatic plants when they are on the water and a mixture of plants, seeds and berries when they are on land. Swans also eat insects both water and land based and the occasional small fish.

 

Due to their large size, swans have few natural predators in the wild. The swan's main predator is the human who hunts the swan for it's meat and it's feathers. Other predators of the swan include wolves, raccoons and foxes they prey both on the swan itself but also on it's eggs. Although swans do not mate for life, couples establish strong bonds between one another and can often mate for a few years. Swans build their nests on land out of twigs and leaves, and the female swan lays between 3 and 9 eggs. The baby swans (known as cygnets) hatch out of their eggs after an incubation of just over a month. The cygnets are often on the water with their mother swan within a couple of days and stay close to her for both protection and warmth. The mother swan will guard her baby swans furiously from predators or any animal that she believes is a threat.

Swans have many adaptations in order to successfully survive life on the water such as their streamline body shape, long neck and webbed feet. The wings of the swan are also very strong meaning that the swan is one of the few heavy birds that is able to fly, even if it is only a short distance. There are around 7 different species of swan found around the world. The size, colour and behaviour a swan individual is largely dependent on it's species and the area in which it lives.

 

Today swans are a threatened species of animal mainly due to hunting and habitat loss. Pollution (mainly water pollution) is also a major reason as why the swan populations are declining. Humans kept swans for many years for their meat, but today have more respect for the conservation of the swan and keep more sustainable animal food sources.

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