Post by DinosaurMichael on Jul 1, 2012 9:56:38 GMT -5
Western Gorilla - Gorilla gorilla
The western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is a great ape and the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. Nearly all of the individuals of this taxon belong to the western lowland gorilla subspecies (G. g. gorilla) whose population is approximately 95,000 individuals. There are fewer than 300 of the only other western gorilla subspecies, the Cross River gorilla (G. g. diehli). The western gorilla is slightly smaller, lighter, more slender and clearer dyed than its eastern cousin. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or greyish with a yellowish forehead. It also has an overhanging tip on its nose, which the eastern gorilla does not have. Males measure 160–170 cm and weigh 140–160 kg. Females measure 120–140 cm and weigh 60–80 kg. The western gorilla is the smaller species of the gorilla. The Cross River gorilla differs from the western lowland gorilla in both skull and tooth dimensions. It is also about 10–15 cm taller and 20–35 kg heavier, but still smaller and lighter than the mountain gorilla and the eastern lowland gorilla, latter the largest subspecies of the gorilla and the largest living primate. Western gorillas live in groups that vary in size between 2 and 20 individuals, composed of at least one male, several females and their offspring. A dominant male silverback heads the group, with younger males usually leaving the group when they reach maturity. Females transfer to another group before breeding, which begins at eight to nine years old; they care for their young infant for the first three to four years of its life. There is therefore a long interval between births, which partly explains the slow population growth rates that make the western gorilla so vulnerable to poaching. Due to the long gestation time, long period of parental care, and infant mortality, a female gorilla will only give birth to an offspring that survives to maturity every six to eight years. Gorillas are long-lived and may survive for as long as 40 years in the wild. Fruit forms a large part of the western gorilla's diet and they will travel further each day in search of fruiting trees than their eastern relatives. The distance that gorillas travel in the forest each day while they are searching for fruit trees varies between one and four kilometres. A group's home range may be as large as 30 square kilometres but is not actively defended. Wild western gorillas are known to use tools.
Komodo Dragon - Varanus komodoensis
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. A member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres (9.8 ft) in rare cases and weighing up to around 70 kilograms (150 lb). Their unusual size has been attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live. However, recent research suggests that the large size of Komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a relict population of very large varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which, along with other megafauna, died out after the Pleistocene. Fossils very similar to V. komodoensis have been found in Australia dating to greater than 3.8 million years ago, and its body size remained stable on Flores, one of the handful of Indonesian islands where it is currently found, over the last 900,000 years, "a time marked by major faunal turnovers, extinction of the island's megafauna, and the arrival of early hominids by 880 ka." As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. Their group behaviour in hunting is exceptional in the reptile world. The diet of big Komodo dragons mainly consists of deer, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion. In the wild, an adult Komodo dragon usually weighs around 70 kilograms (150 lb), although captive specimens often weigh more. The largest verified wild specimen was 3.13 metres (10 ft 3 in) long and weighed 166 kilograms (370 lb), including undigested food. The Komodo dragon has a tail as long as its body, as well as about 60 frequently replaced serrated teeth that can measure up to 2.5 centimetres (1 in) in length. Its saliva is frequently blood-tinged, because its teeth are almost completely covered by gingival tissue that is naturally lacerated during feeding. This creates an ideal culture for the bacteria that live in its mouth. It also has a long, yellow, deeply forked tongue.
The western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is a great ape and the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. Nearly all of the individuals of this taxon belong to the western lowland gorilla subspecies (G. g. gorilla) whose population is approximately 95,000 individuals. There are fewer than 300 of the only other western gorilla subspecies, the Cross River gorilla (G. g. diehli). The western gorilla is slightly smaller, lighter, more slender and clearer dyed than its eastern cousin. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or greyish with a yellowish forehead. It also has an overhanging tip on its nose, which the eastern gorilla does not have. Males measure 160–170 cm and weigh 140–160 kg. Females measure 120–140 cm and weigh 60–80 kg. The western gorilla is the smaller species of the gorilla. The Cross River gorilla differs from the western lowland gorilla in both skull and tooth dimensions. It is also about 10–15 cm taller and 20–35 kg heavier, but still smaller and lighter than the mountain gorilla and the eastern lowland gorilla, latter the largest subspecies of the gorilla and the largest living primate. Western gorillas live in groups that vary in size between 2 and 20 individuals, composed of at least one male, several females and their offspring. A dominant male silverback heads the group, with younger males usually leaving the group when they reach maturity. Females transfer to another group before breeding, which begins at eight to nine years old; they care for their young infant for the first three to four years of its life. There is therefore a long interval between births, which partly explains the slow population growth rates that make the western gorilla so vulnerable to poaching. Due to the long gestation time, long period of parental care, and infant mortality, a female gorilla will only give birth to an offspring that survives to maturity every six to eight years. Gorillas are long-lived and may survive for as long as 40 years in the wild. Fruit forms a large part of the western gorilla's diet and they will travel further each day in search of fruiting trees than their eastern relatives. The distance that gorillas travel in the forest each day while they are searching for fruit trees varies between one and four kilometres. A group's home range may be as large as 30 square kilometres but is not actively defended. Wild western gorillas are known to use tools.
Komodo Dragon - Varanus komodoensis
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. A member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres (9.8 ft) in rare cases and weighing up to around 70 kilograms (150 lb). Their unusual size has been attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live. However, recent research suggests that the large size of Komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a relict population of very large varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which, along with other megafauna, died out after the Pleistocene. Fossils very similar to V. komodoensis have been found in Australia dating to greater than 3.8 million years ago, and its body size remained stable on Flores, one of the handful of Indonesian islands where it is currently found, over the last 900,000 years, "a time marked by major faunal turnovers, extinction of the island's megafauna, and the arrival of early hominids by 880 ka." As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. Their group behaviour in hunting is exceptional in the reptile world. The diet of big Komodo dragons mainly consists of deer, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion. In the wild, an adult Komodo dragon usually weighs around 70 kilograms (150 lb), although captive specimens often weigh more. The largest verified wild specimen was 3.13 metres (10 ft 3 in) long and weighed 166 kilograms (370 lb), including undigested food. The Komodo dragon has a tail as long as its body, as well as about 60 frequently replaced serrated teeth that can measure up to 2.5 centimetres (1 in) in length. Its saliva is frequently blood-tinged, because its teeth are almost completely covered by gingival tissue that is naturally lacerated during feeding. This creates an ideal culture for the bacteria that live in its mouth. It also has a long, yellow, deeply forked tongue.
