Liger

Natural Wild Life | Liger |  The liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion (Panthera leo) and a tigress (Panthera tigris). Thus, it has parents with the same genus but of different species. This combination produces an offspring with more lionistic features than if the reverse pairing had occurred. That would produce a more tigeristic creature known as a tigon. Both are members of genus Panthera.There is no scientific name assigned to this animal because it is a combination of two species. Some ligers grow impressive manes, while others do not. Ligers are prone to giantism and grow much larger than either parent. A liger looks like a giant lion with muted stripes but like their tiger ancestors, ligers like swimming.

Swimming goes against the nature of a lion but is what makes hybrid creature special. It gets the best of both parents. That is not always the case though with crossbreeds. Sometimes the results go the other way and the animal gets the worst of both parents. A tigon or tigron is a hybrid cross between a male tiger and a female lion or lioness. The tigon is not currently as common as the liger, however, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tigons were more common than ligers. Tigons tend to be the same size or smaller than their parents and have less angular heads. They have a stronger striping pattern generally.

As the liger is the offspring of two different animal species, the lion and the tiger, the liger is thought to be sterile in the same way as a mule or zonkey. However, the male ligers and tigons are sterile while the female ligers and tigons are generally fertile. The males typically have low testosterone and not very motile sperm. Because only female ligers and tigons are fertile, ligers and tigons cannot reproduce with each other. They can breed to a male of either parent species (tiger or lion) producing 3/4 tigers and 3/4 lions (ti tigon, ti liger, etc).

Gar

Natural Wild Life | Gar | In American English the name gar (or garpike) is strictly applied to members of the Lepisosteidae, a family including seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine, waters of eastern North America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands. Despite their similar appearance, the gar is not to be confused with the marine garfish or needlefish that is a common sight throughout the tropical reefs of south-east Asia. There are seven different species of gar found on the American continent where they can be found in fresh or brackish water habitats such as lakes and reservoirs, and in the larger slow-moving rivers.

The gar is a generally quite large species of fish, with some individuals able to reach lengths of 3 meters or more. Although not all gar species are quite so big, they are all generally large fish and therefore dominant predators within their environments. Gar are generally slow-moving fish and so must rely on the power and strength of their jaws in order to catch their prey. Gar have a long jaw which is filled with sharp, needle-like teeth and can often be seen together in small groups as they try to ambush their prey as one.

The gar is a carnivorous and dominant predator within its environment feeding only on other animals in the water. Gar primarily hunt fish, insects and other invertebrates such as crabs along with eggs and other animals in the water. Due to its large size and aggressive temperament, the gar has few natural predators within its native environment. Larger animals including crocodiles, alligators, large fish species and humans are the main predators of the gar.

Many gar spawn during the warmer spring months between April and June although they have been known to mate until the autumn weather appears in early October. After mating, the female gar lays an average on 10 sticky eggs on a nearby leaf or branch, where they remain until they hatch. As with many other fish species, the gar parents do not look after their young once they have hatched. Today, the gar is not considered to be a species that is under threat from extinction although gar populations have been decreasing in specific areas mainly due to over-hunting and pollution in the water.

Stoat

Natural Wild Life | Stoat | The stoat is a small sized mammal, closely related to weasels and ferrets. Stoats are also closely related to otters, badgers and wolverines and stoats share similar characteristics with all of these animals. Stoats are found inhabiting a variety of habitats including moorland, woodlands, farms, coastal areas and even mountainous regions across the Northern Hemisphere. Stoats are found across Europe, Asia and North America and stoats are even spotted inside the colder Arctic Circle.

Stoats are relatively small in size ranging from 18cm to 32cm in height and weighing an average of 200 grams. The stoat has an average lifespan of between 4 and 5 years, although some stoat individuals can be much older and others can die at a much younger age. Stoats are solitary animals and are not generally not territorial. The only exceptions for both of these lifestyles are during the breeding season when stoats come together to mate and the female stoats are known to become territorial during this time, probably so that the female stoat is able to protect her young.

The stoat is a carnivorous animal meaning that the diet of the stoat consists only of other animals. Some stoat individuals however, have been known to eat fruit but these cases have all been observed using stoats that are in captivity. Stoats prey on a number of animals including rodents, fish, eggs, insects, small reptiles and amphibians. The stoats favourite meal however is the rabbit despite the fact that the stoat is generally much smaller than a rabbit. It is for this reason that stoats are often introduced to places in order to control rabbit pest problems.

As the stoat is small in size, it is preyed up by a number of larger animals in the wild including foxes, dogs, wild cats and large snakes. The stoat is often able to defend itself against smaller sized predators as the stoat has extremely sharp teeth which can issue a nasty and painful bite. A female stoat rarely has more than one litter of babies in her short lifetime. Stoats breed in the warmer months of May and June but there is a delayed reaction in the uterus of the female stoat meaning that the embryos don't begin to develop for a number of months. After this time, the baby stoats (known as kits) are born within a month, and the female stoat gives birth to a litter of between 5 and 15 stoat kits.

The stoat kits are nursed by the mother stoat until they are just over a month old and the baby stoats then begin to learn to hunt. The stoat kits are independent when they are much bigger by the time they are 3 months of age. Despite the fact that the stoat is today considered to be a species that is not threatened with extinction, there are concerns regarding the decline in stoat populations due to habitat loss. The stoat has also been hunted by humans over the years mainly for it's fur but also for it's meat.

Puma

Natural Wild Life | Puma | Puma is simply another name for a cougar and therefore one of the largest and ruthless members of the cat family in the world. The puma is native to the Americas and can be found from Western Canada, to the Andes mountain range in South America and all along the west coast of North America.

The puma is a solitary mammal and will compete for prey with larger predators such as wolf packs and bears. The puma hunts deer, elk, beavers and other large mammals and the occasional bird. Pumas tend to be tan or brown in colour and their size is often dependent on the area in which they live. 

Those pumas found in Canada and North America are generally slightly larger and have thicker fur than the pumas found in South America, as the uncompromising winters mean that the northern puma must have more defense against the cold. Pumas are highly territorial and tend to be found in mountain ranges and in some areas where there is dense, undisturbed forest. The puma population day is declining mainly due to habitat loss.

Komodo Dragon

 

Natural Wild Life | Komodo Dragon | The komodo dragon, also known as the giant monitor lizard, is the largest species of lizard in the world.The komodo dragon inhabits the rainforests of Southeast Asia, and the komodo dragon is native to just a few islands in Indonesia that are part of the Komodo Island National Park. Fossil evidence however, suggests that the komodo dragon once had a much larger habitat but this has been severely decreased due to deforestation. Komodo dragons are completely dominant predators in their environment, and are named by the locals as the land crocodile due to their large size and habit of eating seemingly anything that the komodo dragons can find.

The komodo dragon has an exceptional sense of smell meaning that the komodo dragon is able to hunt out its prey up to 8 km away, when aided by the wind blowing in the right direction. Recent discoveries have revealed that the komodo dragon is indeed venomous, and does not kill its prey through lethal bacteria, as previously thought. However, once the damage the komodo dragon can do coupled with the fact that the saliva of the komodo dragon is known to carry more than 50 different strains of bacteria, means that any animal that manages to survive the attack of a komodo dragon, is extremely likely to die of infection.

The komodo dragon hunts anything that comes into contact with the komodo dragon, including its own eggs! Generally komodo dragons are not known to actively hunt humans, but the komodo dragon is known to be one of the man-eating animals in the world, as it is not uncommon for the komodo dragon to attack and eat humans that get in its way. To hunt their prey, komodo dragons rely heavily on their camouflage in the long grass and great patience as the komodo dragons sit and wait for prospective prey to pass. When a meal ambles past the komodo dragon, the komodo dragon uses its thick, powerful legs to spring out of its hiding place. The komodo dragon then uses its sharp claws and serrated teeth to capture its meal before then eating it.

Due to the fact that the komodo dragon is an apex predator in its limited environment, the komodo dragon will often live to more than 30 years of age. The main exception to this is the side effects that occur due to deforestation and areas where there is a lack of food for the komodo dragon to hunt. Today there are thought to be around 3,000 komodo dragon individuals left in the wild with less than a third of them being female komodo dragons that are of the age to breed. The komodo dragon has always been under threat from humans that destroy the habitat of the komodo dragon or quickly kill the komodo dragon when they come into contact with them.

Lionfish

Natural Wild Life | Lionfish | The lionfish (also known as the turkeyfish, tigerfish, dragonfish, scorpionfish, and butterfly cod) is a poisonous spiky fish found in the warmer waters of the western and central Pacific Ocean. The lionfish is a predatory fish hunting small fish, but it's venom is capable of being fatal to larger creatures. The lionfish is a popular aquarium fish around the world, although the lionfish is better kept in tanks with lots of space and few other fish. The lionfish can live to around 16 years in the wild and lionfish often live longer if looked after well in captivity.

There are around 8 different recognised species of lionfish that are found in the Pacific Ocean. The lionfish is natively found in coastal waters around rocky crevices and coral reefs where there are lots of smaller fish for the lionfish to eat and also places for the lionfish to hide. The lionfish catches it's prey by hiding in a crevice in the rock or coral and then ambushing it as it swims past.The lionfish then corners it's prey with it's large fins before swallowing it whole. Lionfish prey on a wide variety of small fish and crustaceans that inhabit the tropical reefs. The lionfish is prey to few predators due to the large size of the lionfish and the fact that the appearance of the lionfish is intimating to other animals.

The spikes that protrude from the body of the lionfish contain venom that lionfish uses to defend itself if it is being pursued. The main predators of the lionfish are large fish, eels and humans that catch the lionfish to put into a tank. Although the lionfish is a solitary animal and they only really come together to mate, a few lionfish inhabit a certain area of the reef. The lionfish group usually contains one male lionfish and a few female lionfish that he mates with. The male lionfish is highly territorial and protects the area in which by himself and his females live.

The female lionfish releases between 2,000 and 15,000 eggs into the water which are fertilised by the male lionfish. The lionfish pair then quickly hide so that their eggs can float into the ocean before being spotted by predators that eat the eggs. The lionfish eggs hatch in just 2 days and the tiny lionfish fry remain near the surface of the water until they are bigger. When the lionfish fry reach nearly an inch in length, they swim down into the ocean to join the reef community.

The Lionfish is also an invasive species, originally from the Indian and Western Pacific oceans. It was brought into Florida as an aquarium fish, and after a hurricane broke some of the aquariums containing the fish, they started to appear around the lower coast of Florida. They have now spread all the way up to Long Island, New York. When scientists do dives to study the lionfish, sometimes they kill one, and trace it's DNA. The odd thing lately, is that all the fish trace back to an original six or seven Lionfish from the ocean in which they came.

Wrasse

Natural Wild Life | Wrasse | The wrasse is a typically small species of fish, found in the coastal waters of the world's major oceans. The Cleaner wrasse is the most commonly known wrasse species as it is often seen alongside other marine animals, including sharks. There are more than 500 different species of Wrasse found in the shallower coastal waters and coral reefs, of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. Wrasse most commonly inhabit areas that have an abundance of both food and places to hide, making coral reefs and rocky shores the perfect home for the wrasse.

Cleaner wrasse are the most well-known wrasse species as they are often seen going into the mouths of large marine animals in order remove the dead material inside. Cleaner wrasse feed on dead tissues, scales and parasites that lurk inside the mouth of the larger animal, and few are actually eaten by the predator that they are assisting. Wrasse come in a variety of colours and sizes depending on the species of wrasse. Wrasse tend to be relatively small in size, with many species of wrasse being less than 20 cm in length. One species of wrasse however is enormous in comparison, growing to more than 2 meters long.

Wrasse are carnivorous animals that have thick lips with a row of teeth that usually face outwards. The mouth of the wrasse is protractile which means that it is capable of extending forwards. Wrasse feeds on a number of small invertebrates, small fish and food particles in the water. Wrasse are also known to follow large predatory fish, eating the trail of left-overs that it leaves behind it. Due to their small size, wrasse have numerous predators in their natural environment including larger fish, such as lionfish, dogfish and barracuda and wrasse are even eaten by some smaller species of shark. Wrasse are known to live for a relatively long-time particularly for their small size. Wrasse mate by releasing their eggs and sperm in to the water, which are fertilised and become part of the plankton until they are big enough to join the reef. Female wrasse lay thousands of eggs at at time so the wrasse population numbers are relatively high.

Squid

Natural Wild Life | Squid | The squid is a marine cephalopod similar to the octopus. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms and two tentacles arranged in pairs. Some species of squid are known to have 10 arms.

There are around 300 different species of squid found in the oceans worldwide, with squid being one of the few animals that inhabits the freezing waters of the Antarctic, where they mainly feed on krill and plankton although larger species of squid have also been known to hunt larger prey like fish. Most species of squid average at about 20 cm in length when they are fully grown although some species will commonly grow to 60 cm long. The Colossal squid that lives in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean has been known to grow to 14 metres long!

Squid are an excellent and therefore common food source for a variety a different animal species in the water but also those predators on land. Squid predators include sharks, penguins, seals and humans. Generally squid will only get to a few years old in the wild before being eaten. Some of the bigger species of squid however, have been known to reach ages of 15 years old.

Tiger Salamander

Natural Wild Life | Tiger Salamander | The tiger salamander is a small species of salamander, found inhabiting wetland habitats across North America. The tiger salamander can be easily distinguished from other species of salamander by the dark-coloured markings on the skin of the tiger salamander. An adult tiger salamander is rarely seen out in the open as they spend their lives in burrows about half a meter into the ground. Most adult tiger salamanders live in their burrows on the land, only returning to the water to mate.

The tiger salamander is green, black, brown or grey in colour and has blotchy markings on its skin. The tiger salamander also has sturdy legs and a long tail, all of which the tiger salamander is able to regrow should these limbs become lost or damaged. The tiger salamander is a carnivorous amphibian mainly hunting worms, insects and spiders that crawl into its burrow. Adult tiger salamanders are also known to hunt much larger animals such as baby mice and small frogs. Due to the small size and ground-dwelling nature of the tiger salamander, the tiger salamander has numerous natural predators where it lives in North America. Raccoons, coatis and river turtles are the most common predators of the tiger salamander, along with birds and large reptiles.

Most tiger salamander individuals will only get the chance to breed just once in their up to 15 years lifetime. The larvae of the tiger salamander are aquatic which means that the female tiger salamander lays her eggs in the water, generally on either a log or leaves close to the bottom of the water.The eggs of the tiger salamander hatch into larvae which come in two forms, cannibalistic (meaning that they eat one another ) and non-cannibalistic larvae. The larvae take a varied amount of time depending on the region, to fully metamorphose into an adult tiger salamander.

Weasel

Natural Wild Life | Weasel | The weasel is a small, thin mammal. Weasels are found all around the world apart from the Arctic and Australia including it's surrounding islands. The weasel feeds mainly on small mammals and the weasel has a bad reputation amongst farmers who do not approve of the weasel stealing their poultry and their eggs. The weasel can burrow quickly into the ground, meaning the weasel can easily escape danger including farmers that want to catch them. The weasel tends to grow to about 30cm long with a tail roughly the same length as the weasel's body. The weasel is generally a solitary animal but some species of weasel congregate together in groups for months on end. Weasels most typically come together to mate.

The weasel belongs to the same animal family as and is closely related to other animals such as ferrets,stoats and polecats. All these animals have a similarly long-shaped body and pointed snout and are all found in similar environments. Weasels are most commonly found in wooded areas but weasels are rarely found in really dense, thick forest. Weasels burrow and nest in hollow logs and under piles of rocks and weasels will often inhabit the nest of one of their prey rather than building a new one themselves.

Weasels most commonly breed during the mid-summer months and give birth to their young in late spring the following year. The female gives birth to an average of 6 baby weasels, which are pink, blind and tiny and have very little fur. After a couple of weeks the fur of the baby weasels is much thicker and the baby weasels are able to eat solid food after about a month. By the time the baby weasels are two months old, they have taught by their mother weasel how to hunt their own food and soon become independent.

Weasels are prey to numerous larger animals such as foxes, cats, snakes and birds of prey. It is because they are so vulnerable to being eaten, that many weasels will not even live to be year old. The average lifespan of a wild weasel is thought to be around 3 years but weasels have been known to live for longer in captivity. Generally, weasels prey on small animals such as mice, birds and baby rabbits. The larger male weasels however have been known to prey on larger animals that are bigger than they are.

Grey Seal

Natural Wild Life | Grey Seal | The grey seal is one of the rarest species of seal in the world with around 40% of the grey seal population inhabiting the cooler waters around the United Kingdom. Grey seals are the biggest land breeding mammal in the United Kingdom, but are superbly adapted for life in the sea. Adult grey seals have 2 layers of thick fur and a thick blubber layer of fat to keep them warm at sea.

Grey seals get all the water they need from their food and a well hydrated grey seal will have bright eyes and tears. Grey seals feed mainly on squid and fish but the grey seal prefers to hunt sandeels and the seabed. The hands and feet of a grey seal are formed into webbed flippers with 5 strong claws on each. The grey seal has very powerful rear flippers that propel them through the water, using their tail to help steer. The grey seal also has very powerful shoulders that enable the grey seal to haul out onto steep and slippery rocks, even in a big swell.

Grey Seal pups have a white coat when born & for up to 3 weeks, then they moult into their adult coat. The grey seal mums feed their pups for 15 to 21 days with a rich milk that is 60% fat and the grey seal pups balloon out very quickly. After this weaning stage the grey seal mums leave their pups and the area. Grey seal pups leave too, as they must teach themselves to feed. Life is hard for Grey Seal pups. About 30 to 50 percent of them die before their first birthday. Grey seal mums recognise their own pups calls and know exactly how their own pup smells. The Cornwall Seal Group in south west England was set up to monitor the presence (or absence) of seals in a north coast colony.