POISONOUS FROGS AMAZON

POISON DART FROG

The world’s most Poisonous animal is the Poison Dart Frog.Also known as Poison Arrow Frog.Poison dart frog can easily be found in Amazon rainforest in countries of
South America.

Poison dart frogs usually have brightly-coloured slimmy bodies.Usually almost all poisonous animals will tend to demonstrate or show their toxicity with
bright and shiny colours so that would be predators can benefit by avoiding potential harm.

The Golden Poison Dart Frog has enough venom to kill ten strong men in a go or fifteen thousand rats.An adult poison dart frog have a length of two to six centimeters and weigh as lighter as two to six grams.They lay eggs on nearby plants of ponds and allow their young ones (tadpoles) to ride on their backs shortly after they hatch.The young ones are then taken to water and feed even on non-fertilized eggs.The Golden poison dart frog doesn't generate (make) their poisons but they are dependent on protein chemicals obtained from their foods.Mostly from ants,beetles,centipedes and mites.

Golden poison dart frogs that are created in laboratory by scientists don't have the poison.

A Cool Meal to Amazon Ground Snake:

But the world’s most poisonous animal, the poison dart frog, is a cool meal to Amazon ground snake. The Amazon ground snake is immune to poison dart frog’s poison.

KOMODO DRAGON THE DEADLIEST

INTRODUCTION:

Face the deadliest Predator,Yes the Komodo dragon!The largest living specie of lizards in the world and ofcourse the great killer.This powerful and mascular reptile rules the

dry volcanic island of central Indonesia.Its size can go up to ten feet in length and weight up to three hundred and fifty pounds.Its favorite preys are deer, pigs,wild
horses,water buffalo and anything that it can overpower.Its hunting stretagies are almost depends upon opurtunities of taking chnaces,it uses cover in shades of
bushes,deep pits and behind long grass and attacks its prey suddenly that the prey gets nowhere to go.

HUNTING STRETEGY:

When it comes to teeth, the komodo is like no other lizard.Other lizards have simple peg like teeth but because of heavy and hard diet,Komodo have its own unique killing
weapon known as 'monster bite'.Definitely you think why this called as 'monster bite' its because the Komodo dragon’s saliva is full with bacteria (its saliva has fifty strains of
virulent bacteria),making a single bite lethal.Using this amazing feature,the komodo catches the prey then make the deadly monster bite.After that,it just has to wait for

poison to do its work.Komodo cannot run fast,but they have a great sense of smell.The komodo can smell its dead hunt flesh from the distance of about two miles and can
easily find the prey that is dieing from deadliest bite.Once the wild style feeding begins and the dragons start to eat, we can notice another unique thing about these lizard's
teeth.Their teeth are made to cut off huge pieces of flesh.Their mouth is more like a shark’s mouth than a lizard’s. Their teeth have razor sharp cutting edges like that of
circular saw.Their jaw is full of these saw like teeth,they have up to sixty teeth like that,which allow the great komodo dragons to tear apart their prey in no time.komodo

dragons have the special ability to recreate their broken teeth which breaks in catching prey or eating hard bones.In the meantime,just like a shark the komodo dragon has
rows of teeth one after another packed into the jaw.This means when one tooth falls it will replaced with the tooth behind it.Definitely the komodo dragon is one of earth's

most powerful and dangerous predators but they are no match for earth's greatest predator 'Man'.Just a few thousands of this great monster creatures remain in the wild only
becaue of poaching,loss of prey,and loss of habitat.Those who survive all these disasters are a reminder of nature’s brutal power.A power that has evolved over one hundred
million years.The Komodo dragon has make all of these years on savage skill alone, proving that the dragons bite is far worse than its bark.

PREFERABLE DIET:

Komodo dragons are for sure carnivorous but some know that they are also cannibalistic (those who eat people man eater).They usually eat large and big prey such as

deer,wild boar,goat.They basically eat anything they can dominate and this includes smaller lizards (including other Komodo Dragons).As we know, Komodo Dragon has
wide range possibility of prey.These lizards have a list of preys as their main servings of meal.From the droppings, humans are able to observe that the deer is the meal of
choice.Boars are also popular choice.Dragons acquire these animals by two ways: hunting, and finding dead remains.

SPECIAL FEATURE OF KOMODO DRAGON:

TOUCH :

Dragons have a special body armour like other reptiles that called as scales.There skin is covered with these scales its difficult for them to feel anything.This is why
dragons have special (sensors like spots) that are sensitive to touch.These spots are connected directly to nerves.These sensors are on every scale.The scales around the
ears,the lips,chin,and the bottom of the feet have at least 3 or more plaques.

BABY KOMODO DRAGONS:

The moment a Komodo Dragon is born it is left to fight for itself. At this time,the dragon is only about eight to twenty two inches long.The baby dragons look very different
from adult dragons and that's not only because of their size.The four ounce weighted dragon baby has sharply and brightly colored.It is greenish black and white with yellow
stripes like tecture.It also has small reddish circles around its body and alternating dark and light bands round its tail.These designs help to conceal the dragon in the shade
of the trees,where it will hide for its first year or two of life.

SNAKE MASTER OF RAIN FORESTS

Rainforests are full of unique and special types of creatures with the presence of suitable conditions like warmth and water.Snakes in general are found in greatest numbers
in tropical areas of Earth.

Most of the Amphibians and Reptiles lives in tropical areas.

Tropical areas have their own significance in wildlife world.Snakes attracts others animals around them in a two way as predator and prey.

Almost two thousands and seven hundreds species of snakes exists in this world but only thirty percent of them are venomous rest of them are non-venomous.

Without showing an exact figure of snakes living in rainforests,we assume that rainforests have similar proportion of venomous and non-venomous snakes.

Snakes use almost every type of habitat in rainforest,most of them live on and under the ground but some of them also use trees and water sources as their home or shelter.

Rainforest snakes are carnivores.They have several tricks to attack other animals.Non-venomous snakes can either pin their prey to ground or they wrap their own muscular
bodies around their prey in a coil and squeeze them until the victim dies with suffocaton.Venomous or poisonous snakes normally inject venom(poison) into their prey.

Boas (such as anacondas, boa constrictors and pythons) are probably some of the most popular rainforest snakes.

Amazon Snakes

Amazon forest is the largest tropical rainsforest having variety of snakes .
More than one hundred and seventy five types of snake live in this area called as Amazon forest.

Amazon basin have a large number of all types of reptiles in an area called as floodplains,and though many species of snakes lives in Amazonian floodplains are aquatic the
majority of them are most likely live in or among trees.Many Amazonian snakes,like boas,pit vipers and some colubrids,move to live in forest’s trees during floods.
Snakes’ Unique Anatomy

We all have read many stories about the amazing talent of snakes(like green anacondas and other large snakes)to swallow other species(animals) of truly astounding
dimensions(amazing size and shape).

Swallowing of larger and different shaped or sized preys is possible because of the unique physical construction of snake’s body.Paul Cutright has given us excellent description.

According to Paul Cutright:

“The structure of hard palate and the relationship of lower jaw to upper one are responsible for the unparalleled swallowing feats of which snakes are capable.The hard palate
is not rigid in snakes as it is in mammals,lower jawbones of which there are two instead of one as in higher forms,are loosely attached to the cranium by elastic
connections.In practically all vertebrates the lower jaw is firmly anchored(attached)to the upper,and no amount of pulling will sever the connection,as a result the size of the
throat or pharynxis limited and only small morsels may be swallowed.

The loose connections in snakes,on the contrary permit the lower jaw to be pulled away from the upper,so that the size of the object engulfed sometimes reaches perfectly
astounding(surperising) proportions.The existence of two lower jawbones connected in chin region only by elastic ligaments is also of advantage in increasing the size of oral
and pharyngeal cavities.Moreover it facilitates to a great extent the swallowing process,for snakes ingest their food by a process which may be called "jaw-walking."

Each half of lower jaw works independently.After the teeth of the snake have taken a firm grip on the animal the head end is invariably engulfed first,one half of the lower
jaw(the right side) for instance,is advanced a slight distance and then takes a new purchase while the left side holds and, at the same time, exerts a strong pull.The next
step is for the right side to pull while the left advances for a new hold.In this manner the body of the intended victim is slowly but surely "walked" into the gullet of the
serpent.

Snakes probably swallow other small snakes more rapidly than they swallow any other animals.Four or five feet large snakes have been known to swallow others of their
kind only slightly inferior in size in a time of less than ten minutes.While engaged in ingestion serpents can quickly disgorge(spit out) all that has been swallowed if they are
bothered or frightened.Frequently the entire animal has been swallowed and then regurgitated.”

BIRD THAT CAN'T FLY(OSTRICH)

INTRODUCTION

Ostrich is largest living bird and also the heaviest.It's totally flightless but it can cover large distances with speed on its powerful legs.

Male Ostriches is taller than most men,its height is 2 and 2.7 metres.They posses weigh up to 150kilograms.Females are smaller and lighter. Ostriches have the largest eyes with a diameter of 50mm.They have quite unique noises, including snorts, whistles and a guttural lion-like "booooh".Their
diet depends on their mood they don't need to drink.

Ostriches are omnivorous,they feed primarily on seeds,leaves,roots and flowers of various grasses,shrubs and trees.Locusts and other invertebrates are easily provideed to eat.Many of the items eaten by Ostriches are undigestable to other creatures,ostrich can digest these insects in its 14 metre long intestine.Pebbles and sand are regularly swallowed and stored in gizzard to help in digesting or breaking down tough plant material.Ostrich don't need to drink,because most of their moisture is extracted from succulent plants.In summer they can raise their body temperature by four degrees to reduce water loss.

BREEDING

Dominant male defends a territory of between two and 15 kilometers.He is usually paired with single female known as major hen but it often also mate with other females living within the area of its occupaying territory.They don't built,male creates shallow scrape into which major hen lays clutch of five to eleven eggs.Minor hens mated with less faithful male typically filled the clutch with their own eggs (two to six) but play no role in the incubation process.Dominant male and major hen share incubation process duties between them with the mysterious plumaged female

on the nest prerforms its duties during the day and black-plumaged male after dark.Approximately eighty eggs may hatched in single nest but just tewnty or so of these will hatch as this is approximate number that a single incubating bird can cover.Major hen seems able to distinguish her eggs (which she laid) from those laid by other hens and will try to arrange clutch so that her eggs are always covered.Banded Mongoose and Egyptian Vultures pose threat to eggs.Adult Ostriches take care of their young and will defend them against predators with distraction displays.Interestingly if two family groups should encounter one another a clash may break out between the rival adults and the victors often make off with the brood of their opponents!

PREDATORS

Cheetah are probably the main predator of Ostrich but Lion,Leopard,Wild Dog and Spotted Hyena can also be a threat.Adult males are tough opponents and have been seen to kick out at and wound large predators.For the most part Ostrich can outrun most of their enemies reaching seventy kilometers per hour in a short sprint in open country and fifty kilometers per hour over a distance for thirty kilometers.Young Ostrich are open invitation to a whole host of predators including larger eagles.

JARDINE'S AFRICAN PARROTS....

INTRODUCTION

Jardine's parrots(one of the most beautiful of all the African parrots) are the special breed of African parrots.Their wings coloured bright green

feathers with sparkling look black edges.They have a glowing red emerging from under their wing along the edge of the wing.
The rest is bright green with red rings.It goes around to the bottoms of their limbs feathers,and their foreheads have splashes and sparkling of
red and orange or in some yellow on a mature bird. Babies have just little touch of red above the beak where the head feathers begin (in easy
words we can say their forehead). They have white bare patch around their bright eyes.

ABOUT PERSONALITY AND THEIR BEHAVIOUR

Jardine's are sweet and friendly,sometimes cuddly and often little feisty at times.Some devotive and loving training is necessary most of the
time to keep them from becoming boss of humans.
This species often lends itself to being beaky,but they don’t have to become biters.You must have to respect their space try to read their

body language.With training, you and u your pet can both learn to respect each other.

These birds are strong willed and considered quiet by most people’s standards. Many of them learn to speak and most of them will imitate
noises.

The Jardine's Parrot is much like the little baby in having a playful personality (need lots of toys for playing,attacking and chewing so that
they don’t get bored).These funny birds are the real entertainers and a joy to have.

They can be nippy and may very well go through a nippy stage at maturity.The relationship you establish and work to maintain will help u get you through the rough times.Jardine's will easily become a one-person bird (if they are not held and played with on a regular basis by more than one person).

THE SPARROW (LITTLE BIRD)

INTRODUCTION

Many farmers have called them as their friends.They help to reduce the swarms of crop-eating pests.However,while they feed their youngones

on caterpillars, beetles, flies and spiders as first meal after hatching, afterwards they show more interest in grains and fruit than insects.They can
causes noticeable damage to wheat,barley and maize crops.

BREEDING

Breeding rate was high – due to open range of food,lack of competition,a benign climate and few predators(like cats).

CHILDCARE

in 1870s era people noted that females laid eggs for a second clutch while the previous hatchlings were still in the nest. The young ones
evidently helped incubate the eggs.

In 1878 naturalist Thomas Kirk calculated one pair of sparrows could lead to a population of 322,000 within the short time of five years.

DESCRIPTION

they are small birds,weighing about 30 grams only and measuring 14 centimeters approximately.They have a conical bill, like many
seed-eaters.male has grey crown and dark chestnut nape and back, with black streaks. In the breeding season he has a large black bib with
contrasting pale grey cheeks and belly. After breeding, the bib reduces to a small patch under the chin, and the black bill turns
pinkish-cream.
The female has a sandy-brown back streaked with black, and pale grey undersides. She has buff curved ‘C’ from behind the eye to neck.
Both sexes have a single white bar on the wing.

HABITAT

House sparrows used to live in association with humans,they nesting around houses and sheds,or hanging around restaurants. They can
spread disease by contaminating human food.

NESTING

The male builds domed nest,often in hole.He decorate the nest periodwise,even when not in use.The female lays four or more
grey-white eggs with brown spots.

THE AIR EMPEROR (BALD EAGLE)...

American Eagle

Introduction

They are one of the largest raptors, with wings having length of eight feet.Their nests weigh up to a ton.In North America,the bald eagle is

continent’s most famous and known aerial predator,with a beautiful shocking white head,yellow beak and penetrating eyes.

In 1960s,the bald eagle was almost extincted caused by the pesticide DDT and human pressures. Following the bald eagle's protection as an
endangered species,bald eagles have come back with a great bang.But even in best times,life in wild for bald eagle is surprisingly tough
struggle.

SPECIFICATIONS

1. Color - Both male and female adult bald eagles have a blackish-brown back and breast; a white head, neck, and tail; and yellow feet and bill.


2. Size - The female bald eagle is 35 to 37 inches, slightly larger than the male.


3. Wingspan ranges from 72 to 90 inches.


4. Diet - Mainly fish, but they will take advantage of carrion (dead and decaying flesh).


5. Hunting area varies from 1,700 to 10,000 acres. Home ranges are smaller where food is present in great quantity.


6. Eagle bones are light, because they are hollow.


7. Bald eagles have 7,000 feathers.

TALKING ABOUT BIRDS...

BIRDS BEHAVIOUR

Behaviour is a way to express for an animal acts in order to ensure its survival. For example, the way in which birds respond to a predator has
an immediate bearing on their existence. Individuals which react quickly stand a chance of escaping and going on to breed.Behaviour

enhances the survival. Naturally the way in which a species behaves is result of a history of evolutionary development.

Feather Care

Feather care is veryimportant to birds. Although all birds lose their feather once in a year.A considerable amount of time is spent caring for
feathers. Preening is a process in which a bird straightens and smoothes its feathers by nibbling and stroking.Bathing is another effective
means of of making themselves presentable. Different birds bath in their own unique ways. Sparrows do gingerly,Robin-chats,thrushes splash
themselves vigorously. Even waterbirds bath, flamingos gather at freshwater inlets in saline lake habitats.Birds simply make use of dust and
some birds prefer dust to water like bee-eaters.Dust particles works as absorber of sticky plant resins or juices.

Feeding

The great diversity of bird species displays a similar great change in feeding techniques. Some birds feed on herbs and small plants.Feeding
in groups increases competition over food but enables its discovery in the first place.Furthermore,the larger number of vultures on the ground
feeding,the greater the chance of detecting a predator which is good for their survival.

The Breeding

Most social behaviour is aimed at breeding successfully.every bird have an annual breeding season for smaller birds,male birds must
compete for (or maintain) territories. A mate must be attracted by a beautifully built nest, eggs laid and enough food collected for the
developing young. The young must also beprotected from predators, and this involves behaviour such as distraction displays to lure predators
from the nest.

HYENA THE AFRICAN THIEF

THE INTRODUCTION:

Let me introduce you with the two species of hyena found in Southern Africa. The spotted hyena and the smaller brown hyena. The spotted hyena is the most common species. Brown hyenas are only found in extremely arid areas like Kalahari, and are an endangered species. Here we discuss the spotted hyena.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Hyenas looks like a large, powerfully-built dog, the spotted hyena has a large broad head, short pale brown-grey wiry coat scattered with dark spots, rounded ears, and its slanting back is a result of its extremely powerful forequarters.They are one of the noisiest animals and they have distinctive whooping,they whoop especially at night.Their eerie call begins with low pitch,rising sharply to a high pitched scream.

SUPERSTITIONS ABOUT HYENA

African tribes people are highly superstitious about spotted hyenas.Some people believes that they are associated with witches,who ride on a hyena at night.Others believes that their tail,whiskers and ears have special properties,so they are highly valued by witch-doctors.

BREEDING IN HYENAS:

Cubs are born throughout the year,and the normal litter size is 2. The female will give birth in a disused den (mines they made to give birth their offsprings), where the cubs stay for the first 2 weeks,before being moved to the communal den (where the whole clan lives)
Cubs are almost black in colour when young, and develop their spots later by the passage of time their colour fades and their spots became prominant.
The females in the clan have to protect the young cubs from the males, who eat the cubs if the cubs are left
unprotected.
Males disperse before reaching maturity,males do not stays with the clan for lifetime but female offspring will stay with the clan for the whole life.

SPECIALITIES OF HYENAS

They prefer to feed on the remains of carcasses rather than catch a fresh kill,they hunt only as a last resort when
desperate for food.
Hyenas run very fast,they can reach the speed of up to 50kilometers when they are chasing a prey, and they can maintain this speed for a distance of up to 5kilometers.

Amazingly, they have learnt to follow vehicles, mostly watched in private game reserves,as they associate the vehicles with larger
predators such as lion and leopard, which represent possible food resource.

DIET OF HYENAS:

Their have powerful jaws and teeth mean that they can eat the bones, pieces of horn and even hooves left by other
carnivores, although later on undigested food (mainly hair, horn and hooves) is regorged.
Their wastes are normally pure white, as a result of the amount of calcium that they consumed in their diet.
If they do some action and catch a fresh kill,the clan will waste little time in devouring the carcass.
They will also eat birds, small mammals, insects, fish, reptiles and fruit, and scavenge from human settlements.

CLAN OF HYENAS:

They are highly sociable animals,they live in communal dens in territorial clans of aproximately of 12 members, although their
clans can reach up to 80 in size.

As the female is the larger of the species, the clan is matriarchal, and the adult males are dominated by the adult females.

WAY OF HUNTING

They are commonly found around wide savanna habitat,they prefers to rest in the den or shade during the hotter hours of the day.

They have excellent developed senses of smell and hearing,and amazing night vision.During a night time hunt, they
can travel up to 80kilometers, moving at a steady walk or easy jog.

THE GREAT LION

If we are talking about  safari to Africa,one animal immediately comes  to our minds LION.This is on everybody's list of animals to see. This charm is no doubt due to the size and awesome power of this large wild cat and its hunting style.

INTRODUCTION

Lion is the most powerful and aggressive animal.they have heavy ,strong and muscular body .Their  canines are 2.3 inches long and their claws are big and loaded with sharp nails to kill their prey.Their body is heavy but they can run at the speed of 70 kilometer per hour and continue it for 2 to 3.5 mile.

PRIDE AND SOCIAL LIFE

The lion is the only truly social member of the cat family, with prides typically consisting of related females (normally sisters and aunts) and their offspring. Male cubs are ejected from the pride when they approach maturity, whereas female cubs stay on as a second or third generation. Mothers help to raise one another's offspring.These prides are usually lorded over by adult males which may also be related.

The males lions defend a territory larger in size than the home range of the lionesses and very often rule over two or more prides.This arrangement is, however, subject to much variability, and the more we learned about lion ecology the more permutations come to light. It seems also to be true, that population dynamics  along with other behaviours  differ among lions from one region to another. In areas where lion populations are hemmed-in by fences, human settlements or agriculture pride dynamics may be altered radically as dominant males are either in control for abnormally long periods or are killed on a regular basis. As males with too long a tenure may eventually mate with their own daughters, while repeated changes of pride dominance caused by regular mortalities, results in a high rate of infanticide(killing the cubs of the pride).

DIET

Lions are the super-predators of Africa, able to capture prey from tiny elephant-shrews to immature elephants. By and large zebra, wildebeest and buffalo are the favoured prey, but this depends upon the size of the pride. Only e, large prides will tackle buffalo, and even then males are often called upon (literally) to deliver the killing bite. A buffalo bull is a huge and powerful animal averaging 800kg, but when it is down, it can provide food for a week or more. A pride will walk past a group of feeding zebras and target a lone giraffe. Prey is also seasonal in many places, such that the lions of Kenya's Masai Mara have a glut of migratory wildebeest between July and November but then have to survive of wily warthogs and agile gazelles for the rest of the year.One reason for being in a pride is not only to be tackling large prey but also to defend it.

ENEMIES

The Hyena is the worst enemy of the lion, and large clans of these carnivores are sometimes able to steals the big cat's prey.These adaptable animals(Hyena) are highly organised team-workers in their own right. Since any predator has to avoid injury if it is to survive, lions usually take the easiest available prey preferring a weak zebra foal to a vigorous stallion.Lions derive a large part of their diet from scavenging or pirating meal from smaller or solitary carnivore (cheetah are the most victimised , and this is why leopards take their prey up into trees).