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Join us as we explore the wilderness and share the beautiful scenery of nature! For all questions: @magellanvs
Fun Fact: Bengal cats are excellent swimmers and are known to chase prey in the water, a rare trait among wild cats! 🐾💦
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🌟 Fun Fact: Boreal owls are known for their exceptional hunting skills, capable of catching prey even in complete darkness using their acute hearing and silent flight. 🌟
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Maned Wolf (Guara) - Chrysocyon brachyurus
The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America. It resembles a large fox with tall, slender legs rather than a wolf. Its body is relatively short (125-130 cm), but its legs are very tall (75-85 cm at the shoulder), and it weighs 20-23 kg.
Its disproportionate build is further emphasized by its tall ears and short tail (30-45 cm). The maned wolf's long legs are an evolutionary adaptation to grassy plains, helping it survey the surroundings while moving through tall grass.
Maned wolves are nocturnal and crepuscular. Their social structure is based on a breeding pair that occupies a single hunting territory but is otherwise quite independent. The male and female rest, hunt, and travel separately.
Fun Fact: The maned wolf produces a distinctive, skunk-like odor from a gland near its tail, which it uses for marking territory. This unique scent is so strong that it can be detected by humans from a considerable distance! 🦊🌾
Japanese Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia japonica) - The World's Largest Hornet:
The Japanese giant hornet is the largest hornet in the world, with an average body length of 5.5 cm, a wingspan of 7.5 cm, and a stinger slightly over 6 mm long.
Habitat: Korea, China, Japan, Nepal, India.
Did You Know? The Japanese giant hornet's stinger rarely remains in its victim, allowing it to sting multiple times. Its neurotoxic venom contains mandarotoxin, which can cause severe pain, allergic reactions, cardiac arrest, and kidney failure in humans.
These hornets are aggressive predators, feeding on both ripe fruits and other insects, including their close relatives, bees. A scout hornet locates a bee hive and marks it, then several hunter hornets find and raid the hive, devastating everything in their path. A group of just 30 hornets can destroy a colony of 20-30 thousand bees! 🐝💥
Dominican Widowbird (Vidua macroura)
Just like the cuckoo, the Dominican Widowbird lays its eggs in the nests of other birds! However, their chicks are easier to feed: widowbirds are no bigger than canaries (except for the males' long tails).
Widowbirds are widespread across a large area of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Their diet mainly consists of plant seeds, which they gather from the ground. They may also eat insects, such as flying termites. During the breeding season, the female pecks at the eggs of the host bird.
There is no definitive version of how this bird got its name. Opinions vary—some insist the name comes from the presence of black feathers, while others argue it arose from mispronunciation of words. 🐦🌍
Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) - a tiny squirrel-like creature!
This adorable creature is about the size of a mouse: 15 cm in body length, with a 6-8 cm tail, and weighs only 15-25 g. It's one of the smallest dormice species.
The hazel dormouse is found in deciduous and mixed forests across Europe and northern Turkey, including southern Sweden and the UK. It's common in Southern Europe, except for Spain.
Fun Fact: Hazel dormice have a unique hibernation pattern. They can wake up from hibernation during warm winter spells to forage for food, then go back to sleep!
Their diet consists of tree and shrub seeds (nuts, acorns, chestnuts, beech and lime nuts) and various berries and fruits. Their favorite food? Hazelnuts! In early spring, they also eat young shoots and buds. 🌰🍂
Bandit Cat: The Striped Linsang
The striped linsang (Prionodon linsang) is a civet-like mammal, not a feline (despite its name!).
Native to the forests of Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo, this elusive creature thrives in dense, tropical environments.
Measuring 35-45 cm in body length and 30-35 cm in tail length, the linsang is a slender, graceful animal. Its coat is light gray or brownish-gray, adorned with 4 or 5 black transverse stripes on its back. Dark spots mark its sides and legs.
A nocturnal animal, the linsang spends most of its time in trees, expertly climbing and leaping among the branches. Yet, it's also agile on the ground.
Its diet includes birds, small mammals, insects, lizards, frogs, and even bird eggs.
Fun Fact: The linsang's name comes from the Thai word "ling-sang," which means "fox" and "wildcat," reflecting its unique, cat-like appearance and fox-like behavior. 🦊🐱
Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) - a fascinating mammal from the raccoon family, thriving in Arizona. Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, this creature is known by many names: Ringtail, Ring-tailed Cat, Miner's Cat, or Bassariscus. The term "Cacomistle" is sometimes used, but it more commonly refers to its close relative, Bassariscus sumichrasti.
Fun Fact: The Ringtail's ankle joint is incredibly flexible, rotating over 180 degrees, making it an agile climber. Its long tail aids in balance while navigating narrow ledges.
Did You Know? Ringtails can ascend narrow passages by pressing all their feet against one wall and their back against the other, or by pressing both right feet against one wall and both left feet against the opposite wall.
Sound Off: Their typical call is a loud, mournful howl. They also produce a variety of sounds, including clicks and chatter, reminiscent of raccoons. 🐾🌵
Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) - A wild cat of Southeast Asia, known for its unique fishing skills and excellent swimming abilities.
Between the toes of its front paws, it has webbing that prevents it from retracting its claws but aids in catching fish. Adults weigh 11-15 kg (males) and 6-7 kg (females), with a body length of 95-120 cm and a shoulder height of about 40 cm. This cat has a sturdy build and impressive strength.
The fishing cat inhabits tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia: southern and eastern India, Indochina, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, and Java. It is primarily found in forests near water bodies, especially swamps, lakes, and slow-moving rivers.
Did you know? This cat mainly feeds on fish. During hunting, it sits by the riverbank, waiting for a passing fish, which it strikes with its clawed paw. Sometimes, it even dives to the riverbed for its prey.
Fun Fact: Fishing cats are excellent swimmers and can stay underwater for up to 30 seconds! 🐾💦
🐦 Meet the Kea (Nestor notabilis), a unique parrot endemic to New Zealand! 🌟 With its falcon-like appearance, large head, and curved beak, this bird is a force to be reckoned with. 💪 Despite its relatively small size (45 cm, 600-1000 g), the Kea is incredibly strong and an agile flyer.
🌿 Its olive-green feathers, with a hint of brown and bright red under its wings, make it a stunning sight. Its grey legs and loud, screeching call ("keeee-aa") complete its distinctive appearance. 🗣️
🤡 Known for their curious nature and clever beak use, Keas are infamous for causing mischief among locals and entertaining tourists. Dubbed the "clowns of the mountains," they love to investigate backpacks and cars, making them a joy to watch! 🎉
🐺 Grey Wolves Love Blueberries! 🫐
Wolves actually crave berries and other fruits. During the growth period, berries can make up to 80% of a wolf pack's diet! 🌿 Did you know that wolves are important seed dispersers in many ecosystems, helping to spread plant species through their droppings? 🌱
🐦 Meet the Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), a small yet stunning bird with a body length of just 60 cm and weighing 400g.
Despite its beauty, this bird hasn't been the subject of many legends or myths. However, its gorgeous white feathers once caused a stir in the fashion world. In the 1880s, it became trendy to adorn women's clothing and hats with Snowy Egret feathers, leading to a massive hunting spree.
The price of one ounce of feathers reached $32, twice the value of gold at the time! The hunt continued for 30 years until it was finally stopped in the US in 1910 due to public pressure. 🌟
Meet the Agami Heron 🐦
Found in Central America, Peru, and Brazil, this stunning bird is also known as the Chestnut Heron or "Hummingbird Heron" in Brazil due to its unique coloring. 🌟
It has short legs and a long, thin beak, with pale blue feathers on its crown, neck, and lower back. Its legs, beak, and face patch are dull yellow, turning reddish during breeding season. 🔥
Despite its striking plumage, this shy bird prefers shade and overhanging vegetation, making it a rare sight. 🌿
Agami Herons hunt fish, frogs, small reptiles, and snails in shallow, shaded water, often standing still or moving very slowly. 🐟 They rarely venture into open water. 🌊
🌴 Magnificent Frigatebird 🌟
Meet the Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), a large, agile seabird with brownish-black feathers, long narrow wings, and a deeply forked tail. Males have a striking red throat pouch that they inflate to attract females. Females are slightly larger, with white bellies and breasts.
🐟 These birds feed on fish, snatching them from the ocean's surface in mid-air (often flying fish). They also engage in "piracy" (kleptoparasitism), attacking other birds to make them regurgitate swallowed fish, which they then catch in flight.
📏 Reaching 90-115 cm in length and 2.15-2.45 m in wingspan, this is the largest frigatebird species. They inhabit tropical and subtropical waters along the coasts of the Americas, from northern Mexico to Peru in the Pacific and from Florida to southern Brazil in the Atlantic. 🌟
🦊 Meet the Tasmanian Devil! 🦊
The largest of all carnivorous marsupials, this stout and compact animal is about the size of a small dog, resembling a miniature bear. 🐻 Its body is 50-80 cm long, with a short and thick tail (23-30 cm) that stores fat reserves. When sick or starving, the tail becomes thin.
🍴 Extremely voracious, the Tasmanian Devil eats 15% of its body weight daily! 🤯 Its diet includes small to medium-sized mammals, birds, insects, snakes, amphibians, edible roots, and plant tubers. Often found near water bodies, it feeds on frogs and crayfish, and on the coast, it eats small sea creatures washed ashore. 🌟
Bengal (Small) Cat Prionailurus bengalensis, also known as the Far Eastern Cat, is one of the most widespread wild cat species in the world. Their size is similar to that of a domestic cat, and across their vast range, they exhibit a variety of coat colors.
The appearance of Bengal cats varies greatly within the species. Those in the coastal regions look quite different from those on the islands of Indonesia. In the south, their base coat color is more yellow, like a leopard, while in the north, it is predominantly gray-brown.
Northern populations have circular spots on their fur, while southern populations have black streaks. The size of Bengal cats ranges from 65 cm (on the island of Java) to one meter (in the coastal regions), including a tail that can reach 20-40 cm.
Bengal cats always live near water. They adapt equally well in tropical forests, coniferous forests, savannas, or mountains.
The smallest owl in the family of owls is the boreal owl (Aegolius funereus). This bird has fluffy plumage, a large head, and a pronounced facial disc. A distinctive feature of the species is the fluffy plumage on its legs. These owls have wide and long wings, and a small tail. Boreal owls have a distant resemblance to domestic owls, but the latter lack feathering on their legs.
Boreal owls are small birds, with males weighing around 120 g and females around 200 g. They lack ear tufts on their heads, but when startled, small "horns" of feathers form. These birds are known for their surprised facial expression. They have large, yellow eyes and lead a nocturnal lifestyle, hunting in the forest.
The mating call of male boreal owls can be heard in their habitats during the breeding season, which lasts from mid-March to mid-May.
Isidore's Hawk-Eagle (Black-chestnut Eagle) Spizaetus isidori inhabits the northwestern part of South America.
This includes Colombia and Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, as well as Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. However, this bird is rare everywhere.
Isidore's Hawk-Eagles are very active birds and rarely rest. They perch on treetops, branches, and stumps bathed in sunlight, with the tips of their wings hanging below the end of their tail.
These eagles hunt woolly monkeys, sloths, wild boars, and other small mammals that primarily live in hilly areas. They also raid native chicken coops, which is why their population is constantly declining.
Fun Fact: Isidore's Hawk-Eagles are known for their impressive aerial displays during courtship, performing spectacular dives and rolls to attract a mate. 🦅💫
Desert Buzzard Hunting the White-tailed Antelope Squirrel. Notice that leisurely stroll among the cacti...
The Desert Buzzard (Parabuteo unicinctus) is a bird of prey from the family Accipitridae, found from the southwestern USA to Chile and central Argentina. This bird is known for its unique "cooperative hunting" practice in family groups, unlike most other predators that hunt alone.
The White-tailed (Antelope) Squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus) is a ground squirrel inhabiting deserts in the western USA. Interestingly, these tiny creatures don't need to drink water as they get all the necessary moisture from their food. They primarily feed on seeds from desert plants. 🌵🐿️
Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) is part of the weasel family, alongside minks, polecats, badgers, ferrets, wolverines, stoats, honey badgers, and other carnivorous creatures.
Dietary habits of sea otters are particularly noteworthy: they use carefully selected stones to crack open shells, making them one of the few animal species that use tools.
Their fur hangs loosely, creating many folds. Under each front paw, they have folds large enough to temporarily store various prey during prolonged underwater dives.
Very dense fur (the standard for density and durability), coated with glandular secretions, is well protected from wetting and serves as an excellent barrier against hypothermia. In the 18th-19th centuries, this fur led to extensive hunting, pushing the species to the brink of extinction. 🦦🌊
Flying foxes (Pteropus) trying to drink from a river or cool off, while freshwater Australian crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) hunt them.
Interesting fact: Unlike bats, flying foxes do not have echolocation. They don't need it, as these vegans feed on nectar, fruit pulp, and flowers. 🦇🍹🐊
Three-coloured Glossy Starling (Superb Starling) Lamprotornis superbus
This stocky, short-tailed starling is native to East Africa, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
It boasts a wide repertoire of whistles and trills, even mimicking the calls of other bird species.
The bird forages on the ground for insects, mollusks, worms, fruits, and seeds. When gathering in flocks, they can cause significant damage to crops. Additionally, they may persistently beg for food in villages and cities.
Their song is characterized by whistles transitioning into trills, constantly changing to create a beautiful, vibrant, and diverse melody.
Fun Fact: The Superb Starling's striking plumage and melodious song have made it a popular subject for birdwatchers and photographers alike.
The Pallas's Cat: A Unique Feline
The Pallas's cat, also known as the manul, is a fascinating creature that has remained in a transitional stage of evolution. Unlike other felines, it hasn't learned to roar like big cats, nor has it become a typical wild cat. It retains a round pupil, much like a lion.
There are three known subspecies of Pallas's cats:
1. Otocolobus manul manul: Found in various regions, including Mongolia and China.
2. Otocolobus manul ferruginea: Inhabits Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and Kazakhstan. Its coat is more reddish with reddish stripes.
3. Otocolobus manul nigripecta: Known as the Tibetan Pallas's cat, it lives in Tibet, Kashmir, and Nepal. Its fur is more gray, turning silvery in winter.
Despite its adorable appearance, the Pallas's cat is a tough, ruthless predator. It lives solitary and doesn't tolerate competitors on its large territory.
🐦 Meet the House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 🌟
Found throughout the US, Mexico, southern Canada, and Hawaii, this bird is known for its vibrant colors. Males have a distinctive red head, breast, and back, with a speckled belly and brown wings and tail. Females are more subdued, with a speckled underside and brown upperparts. Young males resemble females in coloration.
💕 House Finches are monogamous, forming pairs in winter before the breeding season. During courtship, males perform a "butterfly flight," soaring 20-30 meters high and then slowly descending while singing loudly. Females prefer males with brighter head colors! 🌟
🐤 Chicks leave the nest after 12-19 days, and the female builds a new nest and lays another clutch. The father continues to feed the young for a while. 🐦
🦎 Meet the Komodo Dragon, one of the most unique animals in the wild! 🌟 This lizard resembles a mythical creature from folklore.
With its impressive appearance, the Komodo Dragon has a sturdy neck, powerful shoulders, but a relatively small head. Its large tail serves as both a support while moving and a weapon to settle disputes with rivals.
Adult males can grow up to 3m in length and weigh between 80-180kg, while females are slightly smaller. 🤯
Despite their seemingly sluggish nature, these lizards can run at speeds of up to 40km/h, sometimes rivaling deer and antelopes. They can even catch up to these hoofed animals while hunting! 🏃♂️
🐦 Meet the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), a bird with a subtle yet striking appearance. 🌟
This medium-sized bird measures around 56 cm in length and weighs 500-1000 g. Adults have a dark brown plumage with a bronze and green metallic sheen. Young birds are brown without the sheen, with white streaks on their head and neck that fade with age. 🔍
Glossy Ibises inhabit freshwater and brackish wetlands, vast marshes, and shallow waters. They flock together, sometimes in groups of up to 100 birds, and feed on shallow waters with muddy bottoms, often among reeds or on rice fields and damp meadows. They roost in trees at night. 🌳
Interesting fact: Glossy Ibises are known for their unique, curved bills, which they use to probe into the mud for food. They are also skilled migrants, traveling long distances each year to reach their wintering grounds in Africa and southern Asia. 🌏
🌟 Beautiful Dance of Japanese Cranes 🌟
I found a stunning video of Japanese Cranes (Grus japonensis) performing their beautiful dances.
These birds inhabit wet river valleys and small lakes with abundant grasses and reeds. 🌿
The most important event in their lives is choosing a partner, which happens only once. During courtship, they dance, throw back their heads, and make beautiful melodic sounds with their beaks. 🎶
The female modestly folds her wings, while the male spreads his, making smooth and swift movements. 🕺
In ancient Japanese tradition, cranes are considered birds of happiness, symbolizing health and longevity. It's believed that if a crane approaches a person, they'll have great luck and a peaceful life. 🙏
Look at how clever this heron is! 🐦 It's not eating bread, but making a long-term investment to increase its profit - in short, using it to catch fish! 🎣
This appears to be a Striated Heron (Butorides striatus), but that's not the point - similar videos exist with other heron species. We just chose the most beautiful one, with chicks and black swans! 🌟
🦅 At 4-6 years old, Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) reach maturity. They form lifelong pairs. Their courtship involves carefree flights together. 🌟
Flying in tandem allows the future pair to assess each other's condition. A healthy eagle can reach 65 km/h in horizontal flight and 160 km/h in a vertical dive. They soar through the clouds for minutes, and that's the end of the courtship. 💨
Footage from the movie "The Big Year". 🎥
🐦 The Loon (Gavia) - an ancient and beautiful northern waterbird. In northern cultures, there's a legend that flocks of loons, calling to each other in flight, escort the souls of lost sailors.
💦 Their skeleton bones are solid and heavy, unlike other birds, making them perfectly adapted to life in water. They don't even leave the water to sleep!
🌟 Loons, like penguins, hold the record for deepest dives. They've been caught by fishermen at depths of around 230 feet (70 meters).
❄️ Loons prefer cold waters of northern seas and lakes, found in Europe, Asia, and North America. They inhabit tundras, mountains, and forests, as long as there's water nearby. Some only come ashore to mate and lay eggs.