Mammals | CRAZY CREATURES

Probably The Cutest Animal In The World?

Jan 282010

Looking a bit like Gizmo the Gremlin, Bush babies are probably one of the cutest and bounciest creatures out there. With large droopy eyes this little furry fellow likes cuddling up with its buddies during the day after a long night leaping between the trees and catching insects.

Bush babies are Primates (like humans and monkeys) and part of the Lorisidae family. There are over 15 species, with more still being discovered. Well known species include the Greater Bushbaby, Lesser Bushbabies and Needle-Clawed Bushbabies. Named due to its large eyes and a baby-like cry, they are also called Galagos meaning Little Night Monkeys in Afrikaans.

A Lean, Mean, Eating Machine

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Jan 182010

Well I just couldn’t resist coming back and re-exploring this crazy faced creature. I posted up a video of him a while back and I felt guilty every time I saw his cute little sniffer that I didn’t write a few paragraphs on his behalf.

Now check out this little guy for an incredibly obscure looking mammal. I feel a bit sorry for him because if you were to chop its bizarre nose off he would just look like a normal mole. As it happens he seems to have 22 fleshy tentacle bits protruding from around its nostrils giving it an unfair advantage in ugly creature face competitions. Lets have a more in depth look at what makes this record breaker so unusual.

10 facts about… Sun Bears

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Jan 172010

As a continuation of the 10 facts about bears series this time I am covering the Sun Bear. It is one of eight different species of bear comprising the American Black Bear, Brown Bear, Giant Panda, Polar Bear, Asiatic Black Bear, Spectacled Bear and the Sloth Bear. I will also add the Sun Bear to the Vital Statistics series.

1. At just 120cm from nose tip to tail tip and reaching up to only 70cm tall on all fours, this Sun Bear geezer is definitely petit and certainly not what springs to mind when one conjures up images of bears.

2. These guys have some serious toe nail issues. Measuring in at about 10cm each, Sun Bears have ridiculously long and curvy claws. They are very handy with them too, using them to dissect trees and shred open termite mounds and beehives. They are also useful for helping them grip when climbing.

3. Sun Bears walk a little funny. The feet of a Sun Bear turn inwards slightly. This is thought to be an adaptation of its tree climbing nature. Along with its long curvy claws and inward pointing feet it also has bald flat soles on its large paws, which would all aid climbing. The female has been observed cradling its cubs while walking on its hind legs, a very unusual trait for a bear.

Is it a Kangaroo? A Hare? A Deer?

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Dec 212009

Nope, it’s the world’s fourth largest rodent. Everyone seemed so confused they decided to give it three different names, the Patagonian Cavy, Patagonian Mara or Patagonian Hare. I’m going to stick with Mara here. The only constant seems to be that it is from the Pampas region in Southern and Central Argentina.