The ways giraffes take care of their young

Keep the learning going by this article about the ways giraffes take care of their young - baby giraffe. Enjoy!

Giraffes are the tallest known animals on planet earth. At birth a baby giraffe, called a calf, is typically six feet tall. Calves are active, playful and energetic, but it’s rare to spot a baby giraffe when out on a safari in Africa. One of the widely asked questions is: how are the young taken care of? Extensive research and a few treks into the safari give the answer.

The Life of the Giraffe

According to University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web, female giraffes will not breed until they are at least 4 or 5 years old, while males might not breed until they are around 7 years of age. Young giraffes are vulnerable to predators, so females rely on each other to keep their babies safe.

Baby's Coming

There's no specific breeding season for giraffes, so births occur at different times throughout the year. Mom is pregnant for up to 465 days before the baby -- usually one, although twins are possible -- comes around. Once it is time for the delivery, Mom will step away from the herd so she can give birth alone.

Baby's Here

At the time of birth, babies can be as tall as 6.6 feet. That's a good thing, since Mom gives birth standing up -- and it would be a long way to the ground if the babies were much smaller. Babies will be up and walking within minutes, and they'll begin to suckle right away. The mother and baby will remain isolated for about a week before they join a larger group. During that first week, babies will remain rather quiet and hidden, according to Animal Diversity Web. Mom will step away for short periods of time during the first few weeks, but will return at night to protect and nurse the baby.

Although giraffes are social animals, they don't form lasting relationships with partners or family members. That means the young ones will only stay with Mom -- Dad doesn't stick around -- as long as necessary to learn surviving skills. Weaning can take as long as 16 months, with females staying with their mothers longer than males. Once the young become part of a group, all females become "nannies," watching over them when moms step away to feed or drink.

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About the name Scotch whiskey

Most consumers have a general understanding that scotch whiskey must always be from Scotland, few actually know the legal requirements behind naming a bottle of whisky “Scotch”. Keep reading and find out the truth.

The title of “Scotch” is defined and regulated by a document created on November 23, 2009 called the “Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009” or SWR. Not only regulating production, the act also governs the labeling, packaging and the advertising of Scotch whisky within the United Kingdom. The SWR is a complete replacement of the previous regulations which focused exclusively on the production process. While the SWR is technically only valid within its jurisdiction, international trade agreements have been put in place which effectively make some provisions of the SWR apply in countries outside the United Kingdom.

The document defines Scotch whisky in the following manner:

1. Must be produced at a distillery in Scotland from water and malted barley (to which only whole grains of other cereals may be added) all of which have been:

•  Processed at that distillery into a mash
• Converted at that distillery to a fermentable substrate only by endogenous enzyme systems
• Fermented at that distillery only by adding yeast
• Distilled at an alcoholic strength by volume of less than 94.8% (190 US proof)
• Wholly matured in an excise warehouse in Scotland in oak casks of a capacity not exceeding 700 litres (185 US gal; 154 imp gal) for at least three years

2. Scotch whisky must retain the color, aroma and taste of the raw materials used in, and the method of, its production and maturation.

3. It may not contain any added substances, aside from water and plain (E150A) caramel coloring.

4. It must comprise a minimum alcoholic strength by volume of 40% (80 US proof).

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Strange tiger facts

You can get tigers facts by this writing that is really amazing 

1. Tigers have eyes with round pupils, unlike domestic cats, which have slitted pupils. This is because domestic cats are nocturnal whereas tigers are crepuscular – they hunt primarily in the morning and evening.

2. Despite not being strongly adapted to the dark, tigers’ night vision is about six times better than humans’.

3. Most tigers have yellow eyes, but white tigers usually have blue eyes, due to the gene for blue eyes being linked to the gene for white fur. The gene for being cross-eyed, or boss-eyed, is also linked, so many white tigers have crossed blue eyes.

4. Tigers scratch trees and use their urine to mark their territories. Their urine smells strongly of buttered popcorn.

5. Tigers have spiked penises. Also see penguin facts

Ouch. Just writing that sentence made me uncomfortable! Tigers are unable to become erect when aroused. Instead, males penises’ have a bone located inside (called a baculum) and are covered with barbs. Those prickly spikes aid in “keeping the connection” (no pun intended) between the male and female during copulation.

6. A backhand from a tiger can kill you

While tigers typically prefer to use their 10 cm long teeth to crush a victim’s jugular (lovely!), a single strike is enough to do some serious damage. One swipe from a tiger’s front paw is strong enough to smash a bear’s skull or even break its back

7. Tigers do not normally roar at other animals, but instead they roar to communicate with far-off tigers. A tiger about to attack will therefore not roar, but might hiss and fuff instead.

8. When several tigers are present at a kill, the males will often wait for females and cubs to eat first, unlike lions, which do the opposite. Tigers rarely argue or fight over a kill and simply wait turns.

9. The stripes on each tiger are unique, like human fingerprints.

10. Tigers’ have wicked short term memories. A tiger has a short term memory about 30 times longer than a humans’. That means it can remember how amazing that wild boar take-down it just performed was for a while. “Wow, I’m good…”

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Information about Bengal tigers

Would you like to know more about tigers for kids? Keep reading  to find out Bengal tigers.

From head to tail, males can measure from two to three meters. The height of his withers (neck) is of 91 cm. The males weights about 250 kg. He can live up to 25 years. He lives in the south of the Sundarbans delta, the largest mangrove forest in the world, which lies in India, and spreads across areas of Bangladesh.

Bengal tigers can also be found in north and central India, as well as in Birmania and in Nepal.

In 1900, they were about 40.000 – 50.000. Around 1972, there remained 1.850. In 1984, thanks to a program of protection, they were numbered approximately 4.000.

Tigers hunt at night. They assault their preys on the side or at the back. They bit to death at the nape of the neck small preys; they bit at the throat bigger preys and let them suffocate to death. The Bengal tiger hunts the “yaur” (kind of wild bull), the buffalo, the (wild) boar, monkeys and lizards. When hungry, a tiger can kill up to 30 buffaloes per annum. He can also eat 31 kg of meat within a night. It takes between 2 or 3 days for a tiger to eat its prey. Between two meals, he covers its prey with leaves.

The Bengal tiger usually breeds in the springtime. A male from a neighbouring field comes on the female's field. About 15 weeks later, the tigress brings between 2 and “babies” into the world, sightless during the first ten weeks. After eight weeks, the latter will be able to start eating the little preys brought by their mother. The tiger is a night hunter and lonesome. He does not like sharing his territory with other tigers. Tigers mark their territory by urinating and secreting which smell strongly and indicate their presence. They can also savage to pieces the bark of a tree. He can run up to 45 km per hour.
Related to: elephant facts for kids

A tiger print can measure 13 cm of diameter that is to say the equivalent to your two hands placed side by side. A forefoot has five fingers, and a hind foot has four fingers. Thanks to the cushions under his feet, the tiger can approach a prey without making any noise and absorb the choc of his gigantic leaps.

During the warm hours of the day, the tiger stays in one of his cool hiding places. His strong smell is so dread that not one single animal dares to disturb him while he's resting. He tiger has a fur striped with black, white and reddish-brown. He becomes invisible when he hides away in the long grass of the jungle. Thanks to his camouflage, he can approach his preys without been noticed. A tiger inspects is territory everyday. It takes him three days to go round and visit all his hiding-places. Intruders: beware! The anger of the master of this place can be violent!
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How old grows a penguin?

It is not easy to answer the penguin facts question: "How long does a penguin live?" or "How old grows a penguin?" or "What is the life expectancy of a penguin?", here are some general remarks about it

"The average lifespan of penguins is probably 15 to 20 years. Some individuals live considerably longer (Sparks and Soper, 1987)."

(Source: Longevity and causes of death : Seaworld)

"Penguins in captivity will live longer than penguins in the wild since they are fed nutrionally balanced meals and do not have to contend with predators. Generally, penguins will live from 15 to 20 years. A female Humboldt penguin in my study group (in captivity) lived to 17 years."

(Source: Kevin Welch)

"How long do penguins live? In the wild there haven't been any reliable long term studies of individual penguins that can tell how long they live. The only such study was carried out in the 1940's and 50's by Lance Richdale in New Zealand. He monitored a population of Yellow-eyed penguins over a 15 year period. Certainly there were some chicks that he saw hatch that survived through most of the study; so it is reasonable to put the lifespan of Yellow-eyed penguins at 15 years or more. The only other information comes from studies on captive birds. Zoos and aquaria often know how old their birds are when they die. However, the common causes of death in captivity (Avian Malaria and Aspergillosis) are not particularly prevalent in the wild so the experiences with captive birds are probably under-estimates. On the other hand the captive birds will not suffer starvation if fish stocks go down suddenly and they have no predators (such as leopard seals and killer whales) to kill them. Anyway, zoos reckon birds live 10 to 20 years depending on species, with the larger species generally being longer lived."

(Source: Pete and Barbara's penguin page FAQ's)

"The oldest known penguins are about 20 years old. Most penguins don't get that old however. Less than half of all chicks live through their first year of life and about 90% of the adult penguins live from one year to the next. The average age of a penguin that shows up at Palmer to breed is probably around 6 or 7 years old."

Source: Antwoord op "Penguin's life span" door John Carlson, Research Assistant, Dr. Fraser's Team, 

Palmer Station, Antarctica, Sat, 15 Feb 1997, NASA)

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Elephant eating habits

Keep reading for more interesting information about elephant facts, about their food.

Elephants living in the wild eat mostly grasses, sort of like cows do, but they also eat tree leaves and shrubs and even branches. It is believed their favorite is the acacia. They are also very happy to raid farmers' crops and eat all manner of vegetables. 

Diet

• Elephants eat between 149 and 169 kg (330-375 lb.) of vegetation daily.

• Elephants consume several hundred pounds of vegetation daily.

• An Asian elephant at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay eating a palm frond.
• Sixteen to eighteen hours, or nearly 80% of an elephant’s day is spent feeding. Elephants consume grasses, small plants, bushes, fruit, twigs, tree bark, and roots.

• Nearly 80% of an elephant's day is spent feeding.
• Tree bark is a favorite food source for elephants. It contains calcium and roughage, which aids digestion. Tusks are used to carve into the trunk and tear off strips of bark.

          For more facts tigers facts

• Elephants require about 68.4 to 98.8 L (18 to 26 gal.) of water daily, but may consume up to 152 L (40 gal.). An adult male elephant can drink up to 212 L (55 gal.) of water in less than five minutes.

• Elephants drink up to 40 gallons of water a day.
• Elephants can use their trunks to spray water in their mouths.
• To supplement the diet, elephants will dig up earth to obtain salt and minerals. The tusks are used to churn the ground. The elephant then places dislodged pieces of soil into its mouth, to obtain nutrients. Frequently these areas result in holes that are several feet deep and vital minerals are made accessible to other animals. Ex: Over time, African elephants have hollowed out deep caverns in a volcano mountainside on the Ugandan border, to obtain salt licks and minerals. Hills have been carved by Asian elephants in India and Sumatra searching for salt and minerals. These carved areas in the landscape provide valuable food and shelter resources for a diverse array of native wildlife.

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Why tiger is considered as India's national animal, not lion?

Keep reading for more interesting information about tiger facts and the reason why tiger is considered as India's national animal, not lion?

First, let me state upfront, as someone who works to conserve wildlife, no beast is greater or lesser than the other.

But the lion, majestic as he is — lacks national character, given his very limited range. For nearly two centuries, it has been confined to a small part of Saurashtra in Gujarat — the Gir National Park, and increasingly its surrounds. Once upon a time, its range extended over northern India (Emperor Akbar hunted lions near Mathura), in the east it extended up to Bihar, with the Narmada river marking the southern limit, till it was exterminated by hunting. The last wild Asiatic lion was reported outside Saurashtra in the 1890s.

A national animal by its very definition must have a wide range in our country, it must be familiar to its citizens, representative of its varied ecosystems, rooted in our culture — part of our lore.

The tiger is all of it, and more. Saving the tiger has earned India the position of a pioneering leader in conservation. The tiger today is a beloved symbol of the country, has spanned a business around its tourism, and serves as India's brand ambassador. Even when some US Presidents come visiting, like Bill Clinton, meeting the tiger is on their agenda.

This proposal is strange, given that Gujarat has fiercely held on to its pride — refusing to part with even few of its lions to send them to an alternate home — even though science argues that confining the lion to a small, single area places the population at greater risk for genetic inbreeding and the fear of an epidemic.

If the lion becomes the national animal, one wonders if it will be allowed to cross borders.

One must add here that the Gujarat government has done extremely well by its lions, but given the fact that the tiger is a resident of varied states, and a wanderer across borders, its conservation — while the prime responsibility of states — must have national stewardship, particularly amid of the increasing threats it faces.

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I hasten to add that this is true not just for the tiger, but for all wildlife.

In fact, the lion was India's national animal between 1952-72, when the Indian Board of Wildlife took a decision to anoint the tiger as it was found in largest swathes of the country — there are tiger reserves in 18 states and tiger presence extends to atleast four others. The tiger is truly representative in its range, found in diverse ecosystems — along the Himalayan foothills of Haryana through to Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, North Bengal, extending upto Assam; in the sholas of the Western Ghats, the deciduous forests of the Eastern Ghats, the evergreens of the northeast, and the sal jungles of central India. It thrives in the dry forests of Rajasthan and in the mangrove delta of Sunderbans. The big cat has been known to survive in the higher ranges of Nainital, and even above 10,000 feet in the Himalayas — in Sikkim, Arunachal.

The tiger was made the national animal as its numbers were declining, there was an urgent need to protect it.

More importantly, the idea of protecting the tiger was not just about saving this one animal, however charismatic it is. Saving the tiger meant that we saved its forests — forests from which rivers birthed and flowed, that heralded monsoons, nourished our soils, and served as carbon sinks.

The tiger is not just the soul of India. Saving the tiger means that the ecosystems it lives in, which sustain India, thrive too.

This is why saving the tiger must rise above politics and continue to represent the nation.

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