Appaloosa

  

The Life of Animals | Appaloosa | The Appaloosa is best known for its distinctive, preferred leopard-spotted coat complex. There are three other distinctive, "core" characteristics: mottled skin, striped hooves, and eyes with a white sclera. Striped hooves are a common trait, quite noticeable on Appaloosas, but not unique to the breed. ApHC Horses with two parents but no "identifiable Appaloosa characteristics" are registered as "non-characteristic," a special limited registration status. The original "old time" or "old type" Appaloosa was a tall, narrow-bodied, rangy horse.

The old-type Appaloosa was later modified by the Addition of a draft horse blood after the 1877 defeat of the Nez Perce, U.S. Government policy forced the Indians to Become Farmers and Them provided with draft horses Mares to breed to existing stallions.The original Appaloosas frequently had a sparse mane and tail, but that was not a primary characteristic as did many early Appaloosas have full manes and tails.

After the formation of the Appaloosa Horse Club in 1938, a more modern type developed after the Addition of the American Quarter Horse and Arabian bloodlines. The Addition of the Quarter Horse lines produced Appaloosas That performed better in the sprint racing and in halter competition. Many cutting and reining horses resulted from old-type Appaloosas crossed on Arabian bloodlines, particularly via the foundation Appaloosa stallion Red Eagle.

The coat color of the Appaloosa is a combination of a base with an overlaid color spotting pattern. The base colors Recognized by the Appaloosa Horse Club include bay, black, chestnut, Palomino, Buckskin, cremello or perlino, roan, gray, dun and grulla. Several Appaloosa markings have pattern variations It is this unique group of spotting patterns, Collectively Called the "leopard complex", that most people associate with the Appaloosa horse.Spots overlay Darker skin, and are Often surrounded by a "halo", where the skin next to the spot is also dark but the overlying hair coat is white. It is not always easy to Predict a grown Appaloosa's color at birth. Foals growing niche of any breed to be born with coats That Darken Their baby They shed hair In Addition, Appaloosa foals do not always show classic leopard complex characteristics.

Horses with the varnish roan and snowflake patterns are ESPECIALLY prone to show very little color pattern at birth, developing more visible spotting as They get older. The ApHC also recognizes the concept of a "solid" horses, the which has a base color "but no contrasting color in the form of an Appaloosa coat pattern". Solid horses can be registered if They have mottled skin and one other characteristic leopard complex. Western Competitions include cutting, reining, roping and O-Mok-See sports Such as barrel racing (known as the Camas Prairie Stump Race in Appaloosa-only competition) and pole bending (Nez Perce Stake Called the Race at breed shows). Appaloosas are also Bred for horse racing, with an active breed association promoting the sport of racing. Appaloosas are Often used in Western movies and television series.

American Quarter Horse

 

  

The Life of Animals | American Quarter Horse | The modern Quarter Horse has a small, short, refined head with a straight profile, and a strong, well-muscled body, featuring a broad chest and powerful, rounded hindquarters. The stock horse type is shorter, more compact, stocky and well muscled, yet agile. The racing and hunter type Quarter Horses are somewhat Taller and smoother muscled than the stock type, more closely resembling the Thoroughbred Reining and cutting horses are Smaller in stature, with quick, agile movements and very powerful hindquarters.

Quarter horses race primarily against other Quarter horses, and Their sprinting ability has earned the nickname Them, "the world's fastest athlete." Nearly Quarter Horses come in all colors. Other Recognized colors include bay, black, brown, Buckskin, Palomino, gray, dun, red dun, grullo (also occasionally Referred to as blue dun), red roan, blue roan, bay roan, perlino, cremello, and white In the past , spotted color patterns were the resource persons excluded, but now with the advent of DNA testing to verify parentage, the registry accepts all colors as long as Both parents are registered The American Quarter Horse is best-known today as a show horse, race horse, reining and cutting horse, rodeo competitor, ranch horse, and all-around family horse. Quarter horses Compete well in rodeo events, Such as barrel racing, calf roping and team roping and Gymkhana or O-Mok-See.Other stock horse events, Such as cutting and reining are open to all breeds but also dominated by American Quarter Horse.

Many race tracks offer Quarter Horses a wide assortment of pari-mutuel horse racing with purses in the Millions Quarter Horses have also been Trained to Compete in Dressage and Jumpers can be good. Next to the American Quarter Horse Association (which also encompasses Quarter Horses from Canada), the second largest registry of Quarter Horses is in Brazil, Followed by Australia.

Countries like Japan, Switzerland and Israel That did not have traditional stock horse industries have Begun to Compete with American Quarter Horses in Their own nations and internationally The American Quarter Horse is the most popular breed in the United States today, and the American Quarter Horse Association is the largest breed registry in the world, with over 3 million American Quarter Horses registered worldwide.

American Paint Horse

 

  

The Life of Animals | American Paint Horse | Sometimes Breeding Stock Paints can showcase small color traits, particularly if They carry Sabino genetics. The American Paint Horse shares a Common Ancestry with the American Quarter Horse and the Thoroughbred.

The American Paint Horse's combination of color and conformation has made the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) the second-largest breed registry in the United States. While the colorful coat pattern is essential to the identity of the breed, American Paint Horses have strict bloodline requirements and a distinctive stock-horse body type. To be eligible for registry, a Paint's sire and dam must be registered with the American Paint Horse Association, the American Quarter Horse Association, or the Jockey Club (Thoroughbreds). There are two categories of registration, regular, for horses with color, and solid Paint-Bred, for Those without color. Each Paint Horse has a particular combination of white and another color of the equine spectrum.

When the American Quarter Horse Association emerged in 1940 to preserve horses of the "stock" type, it excluded Those with pinto coat patterns and "crop out" horses, Those born with white body spots or white above the knees and hocks. Undeterred, fans of colorful stock horses formed a variety of Organizations to preserve and promotes Paint horses. In 1965 some of these groups merged to form the American Paint Horse Association.

American Cream Draft

  

The Life of Animals | American Cream Draft | The breed has a refined head, with a flat facial profile That Is Neither concave or convex. The ideal color for the breed is a medium cream with pink skin, amber eyes and a white mane and tail. The cream color of the breed is produced by the Champagne gene (CH). Recognized colors include light, medium and dark cream, with amber or hazel eyes. A cream mare with dark skin and a light mane and tail may be accepted by the registry as foundation stock, while stallions must have pink skin and white manes and tails to be registered Purebred American Cream That foals are too dark to be accepted into the main breed registry may be recorded into an appendix registry.

The appendix Will also accept the half-Bred Cream Draft horses crossed with other draft Certain bloodlines if They meet requirements, and the registry provides an upgrade system That uses horses to strengthen genes appendices, increase of breed numbers, and allow more diversified bloodlines. The gene produces diluted champagne color, and the body color of champagne gold, ivory mane and tail, light skin and light eyes associated with the American Cream Draft are produced by the action of the champagne gene on a chestnut base coat. The eyes of champagne foals are blue at birth, Darkening as They Age, and a foal's skin is bright pink. The breed registry describes foals' eyes as "almost white," which is consistent with the nature of the champagne foal blue eye, the which is creamier than other types of blue eye.

Dark-skinned American Cream Draft horses are chestnuts Actually, as the breed is not homozygous for the champagne gene; only one allele is needed to Produce the proper color. Champagne dilutes any base coat color, and in the American Cream Draft, the underlying genetic base color is chestnut. As of 2003, Scientists have not found the breed to carry the cream gene, even though Breeders refer to the Desired color as "cream". The American Cream Draft is never cremello or white and though the gold coat color with a white mane and tail resembles Palomino, the breed's defining characteristics are the result of the champagne gene. The American Cream is the only breed of draft horse developed in the United States That is still in existence today. The breed descends from a foundation mare named Old Granny.

Silver Lace was to Become one of the most Influential stallions of the breed American Cream. Silver Lace Quickly Became a popular stallion in Iowa. However, stud stallions standing for public service in Iowa were the resource persons required to be registered with the Iowa Department of Agriculture, and this agency only allowed Recognized breeds of horses. As Silver Lace was not registered with any breed registry, his owners created a breeding syndicate, and mare owners WHO Bought shares in the 'Silver Lace Horse Company "could breed Their Mares to him.

Around 1935, however, were the resource persons A Few Breeders inbreed Able to linebreed and cream-colored horses to Fix Their color and type In particular, CT Rierson began buying cream-colored Mares sired by Silver Lace and began developing the American Cream breed in Earnest. In 1944, a breed association, the American Cream Association, was formed by 20 owners and Breeders and granted a corporate charter in the state of Iowa. In 1994, the organization changed its name to Officially the American Cream Draft Horse Association

Harp seal

  

The Life of Animals | Harp seal | The Harp seal has a black face with silvery-gray body. Its eyes are pure black. The baby Harp seals (pup) has a yellow-white coat at birth, but after three days, the coat turns white and stays white for about 12 days. Adult Harp seals grow up to be 1.7 to 2.0 m (5 to 6 feet) long and weigh from 140 to 190 kg (300 to 400 pounds). Harp seals prefer to swim in the ocean, spending Relatively little time on land.

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On the ice, pups call Their mothers by "bawling" and "Mumble" while playing with others. Annually thereafter, They bear one pup, usually in late February. Newborn pups weigh around 11 kilograms (24 lb) and are 80-85 centimetres (31-33 in) long. After birth, the mother only pup That feeds.  Harp Seal milk contains up to 48% fat, so pups gain over 2.2 kilograms (4.9 lb) per day. During this time, the juvenile's "greycoat" grows in neonatal Beneath the white coat, and it weighs 80 pounds (36 kg). Weaning is abrupt; the mother turns from nursing to promiscuous leaving behind the pup on the ice. While courtship starts on the ice, usually takes place in the water.

At about 13-14 months old, the pup molts again, Becoming a "bedlamer". Juveniles molt Several times, producing a "spotted Harp", before the adult's Harp marked Pelt emerges fully after Several years (or not all in females). Annually Seals congregate on the ice to molt before migrating to summer feeding grounds.  All three Populations are hunted commercially, Mainly by Canada, Norway, Russia and Greenland. In Canada, commercial hunting season is from November 15 to May 15. 

This peak spring period is Generally what is Referred to as the "Canadian seal hunt". Hunting has been banned Canadian whitecoats since 1987. Lawrence Hunt Officially started on March 25 due to thin ice Caused by the year's milder temperatures. Inuit people living in the region Mainly hunt for food and, to a lesser extent, commerce. In 2006, 325,000 Harp seals, as well as 10.000 10.400 Hooded seals and gray seals killed were the resource persons. An additional 10.000 animals are allocated to First Nations hunters. 

The Canadian seal hunt is monitored by the Canadian Government. Lawrence hunt, due to its more convenient location. The 2004 TAC was 15.000 West Ice "1 +" animals (2 pups = 1 +), almost double the sustainable catch of 8.200. The White Sea TAC 2004 was 45.000 1 + (2.5 pups = 1 +). The catch was 22.474

Sumatran Elephant

  

The Life of Animals | Sumatran Elephant | In general, Asian elephants are Smaller than African elephants body and have the highest point on the head. In 1985, an island-wide rapid survey suggested That the between 2.800 and 4.800 elephants lived in all eight Provinces of mainland Sumatra in 44 Populations. The population in South Bukit Barisan National Park was estimated at 498 individuals, while the population in Way Kambas National Park was estimated at 180 individuals.

By 2008, the elephants locally Had Become Extinct in 23 of the 43 ranges Identified in Sumatra in 1985, Indicating a very significant decline of the Sumatran elephant population up to That time. By 2008, the elephant was locally Extinct in West Sumatra Province and at risk of being lost from North Sumatra Province too. In Riau Province survived only about 350 elephants across nine separate ranges.
 

65% of Sumatran elephant Deaths are Because of human persecution30% of this human persecution is through poisoning: Because of fear of the animal83% of the Sumatran elephant's former habitat has now been turned into Plantations; this means That the elephant has to learn to adapt to new habitats if it is to live Elephas maximus is listed on CITES Appendix I. Sumatran elephants are protected under Indonesian law. In 2004, the Tesso Nilo National Park has been established in Riau province to protect the Sumatran elephant's habitat.
 

Sri Lankan Elephant

  

The Life of Animals | Sri Lankan Elephant | In general, Asian elephants are Smaller than African elephants body and have the highest point on the head.  Only 7% of males bear tusks. Mostly Elephants are restricted to the lowlands in the dry zone, where They are still fairly widespread in the north, south, east, north-western, north-central and south-eastern Sri Lanka. In the Mahaweli Development Area, protected areas Such as Wasgomuwa National Park, Flood Plains National Park, Somawathiya National Park, and Trikonamadu Nature Reserve have been linked resulting in an overall area of 1.172 km2 (453 sq mi) of contiguous habitat for elephants. Nevertheless, about 65% of the range extends elephants outside protected areas.

Ivory trade in Sri Lanka had a very long history for more than 2000 years. In 19th century and early 20th century many bull elephants were the resource persons killed by trophy hunters.  During the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, elephants were the resource persons maimed or killed by land mines. Between 1990 and 1993, a total of 165 wild elephants Died as a result of Gunshot injuries. In 1994, were the resource persons at least 96 elephants killed by poachers or land mines, and up to twenty elephants have fallen Victims to land mines and been crippled.

The greatest threat to elephants comes from an expanding human population and its demand for land. Loss of significant extents of elephant range Continues to development currently, with a number of irrigation and development projects leading to the conversion of more elephant ranges to irrigated agriculture and settlements.

Elephants are killed to protect crops and houses. During Drought seasons many elephants damage agricultural land for food. Nearly 80 elephants were the resource persons killed in north western Sri Lanka, 50 in south and east, and another 30 in other parts of the country, totaling 160 elephant Deaths in 2006 alone.

Indian Elephant

  
The Life of Animals | Indian Elephant | In general, Asian elephants are Smaller than African elephants body and have the highest point on the head. Females are usually Smaller than males, and have short or no tusks The largest Indian elephant was 3:43 meters (11.3 ft) high at the shoulder In 1985, two large elephant bulls were the resource persons spotted for the first time in Bardia National Park, and named Raja Gaj and Kanchha.

Smaller Indian elephants have ears, but Relatively broader skulls and larger trunks than African elephants. Toes are large and broad. Unlike African Their cousins, Their abdomen is proportionate with Their body weight but the African elephant has a large abdomen as compared to the skulls. The movement and habitat utilization patterns of an elephant population studied were the resource persons in southern India During 1981-83 within a 1.130 km2 (440 sq mi) study area.

Seasonal habitat preferences were the resource persons related to the availability of water and the palatability of food plants. During the dry months of January to April, the elephants congregated at high densities of up to five individuals per km2 in river valleys where browse plants had a much higher protein content than the coarse tall grasses on hill slopes. During the second wet season from September to December, the tall grasses Became fibrous, They moved into the lower elevation forests of open short grass.

During three years of the survey, Their annual home ranges overlapped to a large extent with only minor shifts in the home ranges the between years. Elephants are classified as mega herbivores and consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. In a study area of 1.130 km2 (440 sq mi) in southern India, elephants were the resource persons recorded to feed on 112 different plant species, most commonly of the order Malvales, and the legume, palm, true grass and sedge families. They graze on the tall grasses, but the portion is consumed varies with season. Later grasses are higher than 0.5 m (1.6 ft), They uproot entire clumps, dust Them skilfully and consume the fresh leave tops, but discard the roots.

During the dry season from January to April, browse constitutes a major food resource Nepal's Bardia National Park, elephants consume large amounts of the floodplain grass, particularly During the monsoon season. During a study in a tropical moist mixed deciduous forested area of 160 km2 (62 sq mi) in Assam, elephants were the resource persons observed to feed on about 20 species of grasses, plants and trees.  oss of significant extents of elephant range and Suitable habitat Continues Their free movement is impeded by reservoirs, hydroelectric projects and associated canals, irrigation dams, numerous pockets of cultivation and Plantations, Highways, railway lines, mining and industrial development.

Elephant conservation in northern West Bengal has been set back due to high-levels of human-elephant conflict and elephant mortality owing to railway accidents. That Elephants pass through from one forest patch to another dash against the trains and die. In Bangladesh, forested areas That served as prime elephant habitats have undergone drastic reduction, the which had a severe impact on the wild elephant population. illegal timber extraction plays a significant role in deforestation and habitat degradation. In Myanmar, the demand for elephant ivory for making tourist items is higher than ever before. The military government shows little interest in reducing the ivory trade, while the elephants in the country have the silent Become Victims. Foreign tourists are Responsible for the massive rise in price of ivory tusks the which fuels the illegal killing of elephants.

Asian Elephant

 

  

The Life of Animals | Asian Elephant | In general, Asian elephants are Smaller than African elephants body and have the highest point on the head.  Elephants are crepuscular. At times They scrape the soil for minerals and Will occasionally eat if hungry Their own faeces Elephant herds follow well-defined seasonal migration routes.  Herds of cows range from 8 to 21 animals. Adult males do not attach themselves to a herd of cows Unless it contains a female in estrus. More than one adult may accompany male cows, but in general will of the dominant bulls mate with the cows. Younger bulls Will occasionally engage in mock fighting. Strong fights over access to females are extremely rare. Bull elephants form small groups known as 'bachelor herds', but the bulls may also roam independently at Various times Elephants are Able to distinguish low amplitude sounds.

An adult full grown healthy male Asian elephant has hardly any natural predators, but there have been rare instances of tigers preying on young or weak elephants Will the Bulls fight one another to get access to estrous females. Bulls reach sexual maturity around the age of 12-15. Between the age of 10 to 20 years, bulls undergo an annual phenomenon known as "musth". Secretions containing pheromones occur During this period, from the paired temporal glands located on the head the between the lateral edge of the eye and the base of the ear.

The gestation period is 18-22 months, and the female Gives birth to one calf, or occasionally twins. At birth, the calf weighs about 100 kg (220 lb), and is suckled for up to 2-3 years. Females Produce sex pheromones a principal component thereof, (Z)-7-dodecen-1-yl acetate, has also been found to be a sex pheromone in numerous species of Insects. At most seasons of the year the Asian elephants are timid and much more ready to Flee from a foe than to the make an attack.

Sometimes elephants rogue take up a position near a road making it impassable to travelers. Females with calves are at all times dangerous to approach. When an Asian elephant makes a charge, it curls up its trunk tightly and attacks by trampling its victim with feet or knees, or, if a male, by pinning it to the ground with its tusks. Indications at the first, domestic elephants are secured tightly to Prevent any mishaps. A grander animated object than a wild elephant in full charge can hardly be imagined.  The usual Pictorial representations of the Indian elephant charging with upraised trunk are accordingly quite incorrect
 

African Bush Elephant

 

  

The Life of Animals | African Bush Elephant | The African Elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal, normally Reaching 6 to 7.3 meters (19.7 to 24.0 ft) in length and 3.5 to 4 meters (11.5 to 13.1 ft) in height at the head, and Weighing the between 6.000 to 9.000 kg (13.000 to 20.000 lb). The animal is characterized by its large head; two large ears That cover its shoulders and radiate excess heat a large and muscular trunk; two prominent tusks, the which are well-developed in Both sexes, although more commonly in males; a short neck a large, barrel-like body  four long and heavy legs and a Relatively short tail.

The trunk is the most characteristic feature of the African Bush Elephant. Lions in Chobe National Park in Botswana have been observed for some time taking Both infants (23% of elephant kills) and juveniles. Humans are the elephant's major predator. Elephants have been hunted for meat, skins, bones, and tusks. Increased Elephant trophy hunting in the 19th and 20th Centuries, tourism and Plantations increasingly attracted sport hunters. In 1989, hunting of the African Bush Elephant for ivory trading was forbidden, after the elephant population fell from Several million at the beginning of the 20th century to Fewer than 700,000. The population of African Bush Elephants was halved During the 1980s.

In 2006, an elephant slaughter was documented in Southeastern Chad by aerial surveys. This region has a Decades-old history of poaching of elephants, the which has Caused the elephant population of the region, the which exceeded 300 000 in 1970, to drop to approximately 10.000 today. The African Bush Elephant is Officially protected by Chadian government, but the resources and manpower provided by the government (with some European Union assistance) have proven insufficient to stop the poaching.

Human encroachment into or adjacent to natural areas where Bush Elephants occur has led to recent research into methods of Safely driving groups of elephants away from Humans, including the discovery That playback of the recorded sounds of angry honey bees are remarkably effective at prompting elephants to Flee an area.
 

Hammerhead sharks

 

The Life of Animals | Hammerhead sharks | The nine known species range from 0.9 to 6 m (3.0 to 20 ft) long and weigh from 500 to 1000 pounds. The positioning of the eyes, mounted on the sides of the shark's distinctive hammer head pointing outward like a Trex, give the shark good binocular vision, as well as 360-degree vision in the vertical plane, meaning They can see above and below Them at all times. The shape of the head was Previously thought to help the shark find food, aiding in close-quarters maneuverability and allowing sharp turning movement without losing stability.

From what is known about the Winghead shark, it would Appear That the shape of the hammer-head has to do with an evolved sensory function. Like all sharks, hammerheads have electroreceptory sensory ampullae of Lorenzini Called pores. By distributing the receptors over a Wider area, hammerheads can sweep for prey more effectively.These sharks have been Able to detect an electrical signal of half a billionth of a volt. In the evening, like other sharks, They Become solitary hunters.

Hammerheads are one of the Few Animals That acquire a tan from prolonged exposure to sunlight. Tanning Occurs a hammerhead is in shallow waters or close to the surface for long periods. Reproduction Occurs only once a year for hammerhead sharks and usually Occurs with the male biting the female shark shark violently until She agrees to mate with him The hammerhead sharks exhibit a viviparous mode of reproduction with females giving birth to live young. Like other sharks, fertilization is internal with the male transferring sperm to the female through one of two intromittent organs Called claspers.

When the supply of yolk is exhausted, the depleted yolk sac transforms into a structure analogous to a mammalian placenta (Called a "yolk sac placenta" or "pseudoplacenta"), through the which the mother delivers sustenance until birth. There is usually a litter of 12 to 15 pups; except for the which the Great Hammerhead births litters of 20 to 40 pups. The great and the scalloped hammerhead are listed on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) 2008 Red List as endangered, whereas the smalleye hammerhead is listed as Vulnerable. Shark fins are prized as a delicacy, and overfishing is putting many hammerhead sharks at risk of extinction.