Animals Library: August 2012

Mako Sharks

Sharks are the stuff of nightmares for many people, and while most of us may have not have even actually encountered a real shark, just watching movies and videos about them sends chills down our spines. The movie Deep Blue Sea, released in 1999, captured audiences with its jaw-dropping portrayal of sharks.

One of the sharks showed in the movie was a mako shark. This shark, also known as a shortfin or longfin mako shark depending on the subspecies, is a huge mackerel shark that lives in almost all of the world's oceans and seas. Shortfin sharks are known to dwell in tropical and temperate waters while longfin sharks prefer to live near gulf stream waters.

Many mako sharks are known to dive deep, about 490 ft or 150 m from the water's surface. However, these sharks also have a tendency to stay near by the island shore or at coral reefs especially when hunting.

Around the western parts of the Atlantic, these sharks can be seen in the Maxican Gulf ,Nova Scotia and Argentina. Up north in Canada, they are common but not abundant. It’s been observed that if there are many swordfish in one area of the ocean, you’re more than likely to find multiple mako sharks nearby. Swordfish more or less live in the same environmental conditions as mako sharks and they are their natural prey.

Mako sharks are known to take long travels and swim rapidly when hunting. A female mako captured and tagged in California was recaptured in the Pacific after just a few days. It’s estimated that the mako shark can swim, at an average, over 58 km in a day.

Mako Sharks Video

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Molly Fish

If you are still trying to master your fish-keeping skills, then start with an aquarium with a couple of molly fishes. These fishes are the ones you commonly see in aquariums, aside from goldfishes, and are the ones that used for feeding larger fish.

Due to their prolific breeding traits and growth, mollies are known to be a highly sought-after feeder fish. They are commonly placed in an aquarium to feed larger fishes like Arowanas. They swim in groups or schools, often with four or more pairs.

Much like other tropical fishes, they prefer to be placed in a warmer tank. A water temperature of 80 degrees F will work nicely with them. They also need a high PH level, more or less about 8 PH, for the water. Many fish keepers would advise to place about a teaspoon or a teaspoon and a half of salt for every gallon of water in the tank. These fishes breed very rapidly, so expect your female mollies to get pregnant in no time.

Mollies give birth to their baby fishes directly, which means that they do not have to lay eggs as most fishes do. Most aquariums acutely sell pregnant mollies, so you will not have a hard time starting out. Pregnant mollies are identifiable with their giant, round abdomens. Remember to get your mollies in pairs so that they continue to breed after the female molly gives birth.

It’s very easy to identify if the molly is male or female. Female mollies have larger bellies compared to males and they are noticeably larger in size. They all have the same color, commonly a dark brown or copper brown. The tank needs to have plant material where the molly babies can feed on.

Molly Fish Video

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Discus Fish

Many movies and books have featured the wild life found of the Amazon River, usually portraying them as terrifying man-eaters (think anacondas, alligators and piranhas). However, the number of harmless fauna that inhabits the Amazon far exceeds the number of those that pose some degree of harm. One such animal would be a very common fish that lives in these waters known as the discus fish. The discus fish is a very colorful flat fish that many fish lovers and aquarium enthusiasts have taken a special liking to.

There are originally three species of discus fish, the Common discus, Symphysodon tarzoo and Heckel discus. However, recent research suggested that this genus holds these species, the green discus or s. aequifasciatus, the brown/blue/common discus or s. haraldi and the heckel discus or s. discus. There have been other proposed subspecies, but these individuals were more on exceptions than separate species of their own.

Discus fish can grow to about 20 to 25 cm in diameter and come in a staggering array of colors. As such, many consider these fish to be the crème de la crème of tropical fish, having the ability to add color and life to any aquarium tank.

As juveniles, they tend to eat a lot and become wild when fed. They change their eating habits as they mature and take their time when eating. They are very graceful fish but are very easily frightened, swimming for cover the moment they feel threatened.

Both parents usually care for baby discus fish, which is uncommon amongst tropical fish. Mother and father discus fish take turns in watching over their fry and feeding them. When taking care of discus fish in an aquarium, you will need to place in a little investment in making sure that you provide your discus fish the right environment to grow in.

Discus fishes need water with a low PH level, so you will need to “soften” the water before using it in the tank. In addition, make sure you place plant matter to mimic their natural environment in the Amazon. You might also need something to make sure the water in the aquarium is not too hot or too cold.

Discus Fish Video

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AnglerFish

The ocean is a giant body of water filled with mysteries still waiting to be discovered. There are millions of species of fish that look very scary to humans. In the movie Finding Nemo, Marlin and Dory end up swimming in the dark and encounter one of the strangest looking fish in the ocean, an anglerfish.

Anglerfishes are part of the order Lophiiformes. These fishes are boney and are named after the way they catch their prey. They use a thin fleshy growth, found on their heads, as a lure, in a method that’s very similar to angling, or even fishing.

Anglerfish subspecies have different habitats. Some are pelagic, or they dwell in open water, while some are benthic or bottom-dwelling. Others live in deep seas and trenches and some are found on continental reefs and shelves. They are found all over the world and are even considered as a delicacy in some areas.

Anglerfishes usually have one long thread-like growth on the middle of their heads. This is called the illicium and is actually the first three bones of their spines. The filament starts to grow above the eyes and can be moved in different directions. It contains an irregular flesh growth, called the esca, at the tip. The fish uses this by wiggling it around and catching the attention of its prey, as it resembles a worm that the smaller fishes try to catch. Once the smaller fish gets close enough, the angler then jumps up and eats its prey.

Many exotic pet owners have taken a liking to keeping angle fishes as pets. Since they are salt-water fishes, a special solution is needed to ensure the water stays at the right salt and PH levels.

Angler Fish Video

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White Bengal Tiger

Albino animals may be uncommon in the wild, but cases of albinism have somehow grown in animals held in captivity. For example, the white Bengal tiger, an albino mutation of the common orange Bengal tiger, is known to be kept and bred in zoos and nature reserves around the world. White Bengal tigers are extremely rare in the wild, but some have been reportedly seen in the areas around Rewa, Bengal, Assam, and Bihar in India. These giant cats have white fur with black or brown markings and may still show a little of their natural orange hue. In The movie 101 Dalmatians, the antagonist Cruela De Vil had a tiger killed for its fur coat.

Besides their color, another difference between the white Bengal tiger and common Bengal tiger is their size. White tigers are noticeable bigger during birth and while they are growing. Many scientists believe that the tiger’s recessive white gene is a size gene. This is also the same case in other tiger species such as Siberian tigers.

Many pure Bengal and Siberian tigers bred in captivity have produced litters with cubs that manifest the white tiger gene. Scientists are still trying to figure out where this white gene came from in the first place. Some suspect that this mutations originated from Bengal tigers alone, while others believe that the gene originated from the cat’s Siberian ancestors, theorized to have white coats. It’s a theory that’s possible, given that a tiger’s white coat and black markings allows it to camouflage itself in the Siberian tundra.

Aside from being highlights in zoos and nature reserves, a few white tigers have also gained popularity on stage. The most notable ones would be the white tigers trained by magicians Siegfried & Roy, who had a long running magic show in Las Vegas. The magicians referred to these tigers as “royal white tigers,” and were taught tricks that went along with the magic show.

White Bengal Tiger Video

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Dog Care – 5 Tips on Taking Care of a Sick Dog

Many of us start to panic when our dog gets sick. This is mainly because we do not know what to do. Below are some simple tips on how to take care of a sick dog.

Keep them warm

When your dog is sick, it’s best that you keep it warm. As much as possible, keep your dog inside the house at all times. If you have to go for a walk or a trip to the vet, do not say outdoors for too long. You can also bring around a blanket with you or make your dog wear some kind of jacket. Dogs that have degenerative myelopathy might have a hard time moving around so use a body supporting contraption to keep them warm and support them as they move.

Give them water

Like humans, dogs also need to consume enough water so they recover from their illness faster. Keeping your dog hydrated will not only prevent it from suffering a heat stroke, the water also helps flush toxins out of the body. Give your dog clean drinking water and change it every few hours or so. You also need to clean your dog’s water bowl every time you change the water.

Change of diet

Some vets will actually advise dog owners to change the dog’s diet when they are sick. If they are having a hard time eating on their own, you can help them by giving them semi-solid food and use a syringe to feed them.

Other people would also give their dog puppy-specific food when they are sick. Puppy food contains more nutrients compared to normal dog food, helping ensure that even a dog that’s ill still the nutrients it needs even it doesn’t consume the amount of food it normally does. For example, dogs that have degenerative myelopathy will need more vitamin B in their diet, so a vitamin rich brand or type of dog food could be beneficial.

Medication

Medication is important to help the dog get well, but before giving any medication to your dog, you have to talk to a vet first. Get the correct prescription and dosage because giving your dog too much or the wrong medication can poison it. But the medication from the vet or from the pet shop and do not give your pet human medicine.

Veterinarian

Visit the veterinarian to get a full diagnosis of your dog’s illness. Ask what you can do to help the dog get better as soon as possible.

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Orangutans

An orangutan took center stage in the 1996 feature, Dunston Checks In, co-starring with Jason Alexander from Seinfeld-fame, Faye Dunaway, Eric Lloyd and Rupert Everett.

Telling the tale of how a mischievous orangutan made friends with a boy in a luxury hotel, the movie didn’t exactly become the epic comedy/adventure film flick it was poised to be, but it effectively managed to draw attention towards one of the most easily and readily recognized of apes in the world, the orangutan.

Found in the jungles of Malaysia and Indonesia, the orangutan remains to be one of the most famous of the great apes, known for living most of their lives up in trees. But as they are the most “tree dwelling” or arboreal of the great apes, the orangutan is also the most solitary of the bunch, known mostly for the bond between mothers and their young, with baby orangutans predominantly dependent on their mothers for two years since their birth.

As the orangutan’s redish-hued fur remains to be one predominant orangutan characteristic, the intelligence of orangutans is another trademark sported by the species, with different orangutans exhibiting extensive intelligence markers such as the implementation of tools for various “jobs” and activities, as well as the creation of “beddings” utilizing leaves, barks and twigs.

Being the subject of various tests and studies focused in assessing the orangutan’s intelligence capacities, they have also long been poached by poachers, leaving the great ape with its highly endangered status.

With its name attributed to have been taken from the Malay “person of the forest”, the orangutan is truly one of the world’s most beautiful creatures, the gentle giants of the forest whose endearing existence means a lot in the conservation and preservation of the world’s natural ecology and natural habitats.

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American Bulldog

For many pet owners, the thought of losing their pet is unbearable, so you can only imagine the agony they go through when they’re accidentally separated from them. However, have you ever wondered how it feels for the pets to be lost? That’s the premise of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, a movie that tells the story of three pets trying to make their way back to their families when they’re left behind. It's a touching story about the bonds we create with our pets and how much we value them.

One of the main characters in the movie, Chance, is an American Bulldog and provides the most comic relief in the film. These are medium-sized dogs that were once bred to work for you. They resemble Pit bulls, only they are taller and leaner. These dogs are categorized into three types, Classic or Johnson, Performance or Scott, and Hybrid type. They have short, coarse fur that comes in a variety of different colors. Their fur makes them very easy to clean and shed very little. These dogs originated from working type dogs commonly found in farms and ranches in the Midwest and Southern areas of the United States.

An American Bulldog is usually a social, confident and active dog. They do very well with families that have small kids. However, they can be emotional so they may need much of your attention. They bond very closely with their owners and are capable of protecting their families at any cost. These dogs are so active that they can run around the house or lawn all day and still find time to play with you when you come home.

When it comes to strangers, these American Bulldogs can be aloof. As such, they need plenty of socializing while they are still young pups. They are smart dogs so it’s very easy to train them to do almost anything for you. Start training them at an early age so that they will know their limits and tasks as grown dogs.