The third heaviest land animal after the elephant and rhino, the tallest of them and the largest ruminant (a mammal that is able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialised stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions), males of the Northern species (Giraffa camelopardalis) can weigh up to 1,930 kg (4,250 lbs): https://animaldiversity.org/site/account...dalis.html

Nubian giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) at Al Ain Zoo in my country, by Balaji in 2009

Formerly classified with the scientific name Panthera pardus panthera, before being subsumed to Panthera pardus pardus (the nominate subspecies in Africa) in possibly 1996, aside from the controversy of whether or not African leopards should really be treated as a single subspecies (see this thread), the Atlas or Barbary leopard is an either extinct or endangered population of leopards from the Maghreb (Northwest Africa): https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/d...10041115.x, http://www.biosoil.ru/files/00001386.pdf, https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/hand...=y#page=73, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...ode=imdn21

Dated to the 21st of May, 2005, Schizoform said regarding this photograph of a leopardess (sic): "very sad. this is the last surviving Barbary leopard. and you know what? she's old and fat, and lives in a chain-link cage. it's like being sent to a retirement home, except people pay five bucks to take photos through the fence." https://www.flickr.com/photos/schizoform/41647289
   

Image of the Atlas lion, brown bear and leopard from the Maghreb, by Joseph J. Ortega:



Video:

Post menacing, bloody and awesome pictures of animals

*This image is copyright of its original author

Giant Centipede takes poorly to being eaten, chews through snake organs and nearly escapes...

*This image is copyright of its original author

Two days back choti madhu aka t 52 s one cub(6-7 months old ) was seen sitting not very far from ambeuttara male ... 
Both could see each other but niether did the cub go very close to him nor did the male try to kill the cub....
And the very next day Bajrang was seen all bruised sitting at a waterhole .

The Cubs are believed to be sired by bajrang , but y didn ambeuttara male just kill the cub ...
Complicated life of tigers ??

No one topic about the rather interesting wild boars, warthogs and so on ? Let us start one...

Animal concerned by the first post : warthog...

Beverly Joubert: " Warthogs may not be considered the cutest animals in Africa, but there’s no denying the adorableness of this tiny piglet! Female warthogs usually have litters of two or three babies which they’ll keep under close watch until the piglets are old enough to fend for themselves. While mom grazes on grass or digs for roots and bulbs, this youngster will not stray far – he already knows that the bushveld is bristling with unseen danger and mom is his primary source of protection. When threatened warthogs typically bolt to the nearest burrow, but if forced to fight, those tusks can inflict some serious damage. "

This thread (one I think is somewhat overdue given the talk I've seen around the forum) is dedicated to comparing and contrasting the morphology, behaviour, diet, predatory habits and social structure of hyenas and hyena clans and wolves and wolf packs. This all relating to the ecological niche each occupies and the implications of each's biomes, how it shapes the predators to be how they are. One should keep in mind and hopefully be able to link back to the overarching historical understanding that wolves outcompeted early dog like hyenas in Eurasia 5-7 million years ago which lead to the bone crushing niche being the surviving and successful hyena variation, and more recently and relevant to the discussion, wolves being able to outcompete spotted hyenas in a Europe which saw the effects of climate change in decreased lowland habitats and increased mixed woodland cover some 20,000-10,000 years ago. I feel gray wolves and spotted hyenas are most relevant due to their historical overlap, size, and the fact that the spotted hyena is the only extant hyena which lives in pack like groups.

This comparison of wolf (top and centre) and hyena (bottom and right) skulls comes from the book "Big cats and their fossil relatives" (the comparison included the leopard which I cropped out in the fist image).

*This image is copyright of its original author

I thought it was time for the Bila Shaka coalition to get their own thread. This might be the most dominant coalition of the Masai Mara in the coming years. 


The 6 Bila Shaka Males - Status July 2018

This coalition of six now 4 year old Male Lions will likely change the lion dynamics in the Maasai Mara for the next up to 8 years!

It is rather unusual that 6 young males in a Lion Pride make it to independence. It is also rather unusual that all 6 survive the first years of their nomadic life after leaving their natal Pride. But if that happens, then the Lion Prides face rather difficult times.

Well, let’s repeat some quick background information first:

- born into the Moniko Pride; sons of Lolparpit & Olbarnoti
- 2 males were born in March 2014 and are brothers 
- 3 males were born in May 2014; two are brothers while I am not sure about the 3rd
- 1 male was born in September 2014

They were not yet 3 years old when they arrived and for some odd reason the 2 Marsh Pride Males, Rafiki & Karibu, tolerated them in their territory. The 3 Kichwa Males crossed the River and chased them around several times, but they never stayed as the Marsh Pride Females had left their territory to keep their 9 cubs safe from the intruding males, so the Kichwa Males always returned to their Prides in the northern Triangle.

The 6 Bila Shaka Males stayed being “happy campers” and grew in size & confidence. At some point they turned tables on the Kichwa Males and chased them back across the River. The males started to mate with the different satellite Marsh Pride Females and Spot and Rembo gave birth to cubs, hence both lost their litters. Rembo’s cubs were killed by one member of the coalition not being aware the cubs have been sired by one of his partners. That is always a serious risk with large coalitions of Male Lions and can turn out being utterly destructive for Lion Prides.

Yaya bonded with the males and gave birth to 2 cubs in April this year and these cubs are doing very well. Yaya’s 2 older daughters have been accepted by the males and mating will start pretty soon them being almost 3 years old now. Latest news is that Spot has given birth to a new litter and more cubs will arrive as at least Little Red and Kabibi have also mated with members of the coalition.

The big question a year ago was – will these 6 males stay in the Musiara & Bila Shaka areas and become real Pride Males to start a new chapter in the chronicles of the Marsh Pride, or will they move on to take over other Prides?

In June this year 5 of the males were moving around a lot while 1 male reportedly preferred to hang out with Little Red & Spot. These 5 males covered a lot of ground incl. the Greater Windmill Area, the southern parts of the Mara North Conservancy, as well as Topi Plains Pride territory. Obviously they were looking for prey, but also for the scattered Marsh Pride Females and probably for more/other Females to mate with.

Expectedly the Topi Plains Pride, neighbours of the Marsh Pride, was up for grips after the demise of Lipstick and being left with only 1 Pride Male. And basically that is what started to happen when I was there in June. Blackie left the Pride and members of the Bila Shaka Coalition started to court some of the Topi Plains Females. It will be a challenge for the Topi Girls to keep their youngsters out of the firing line.

Latest information indicate that members of the Bila Shaka Coalition have started to move further east towards the Double Crossing Area and one male was seen mating with one of the Enkoyonai Pride Females. There are 8-9 adult females in this Pride and only 2 aging Pride Males, Lolparpit & Olbarnoti, are defending their several youngsters. These Old Warriors are also the fathers of the Bila Shaka Males.

So the question this year is – will the Bila Shaka Males stay with the Marsh Pride and Topi Plains Pride or will they also take over the Enkoyonai Pride from their fathers? Well and if that happens – will they leave the Marsh Pride and/or the Topi Plains Pride for good? Or will this coaliton split up in 2 or 3  

The #6pack all together for ID reference

Thank you to all the local guides in the magical Mara who helped name them. 

Can't wait to see their lives unfold!

Meanings and thoughts behind their names below:

- Chongo (Swahili) meaning 'bad eye', for obvious reasons

- Kiok (Maa) meaning 'ear', due to his mismatched ears

- Baba Yao (Swahili) meaning 'their father', his dominance in the mating hierarchy brought a new lease of life to Bila Shaka and the Marsh area 

- Kibogoyo (Swahili) meaning 'toothless', due to one of his upper canines missing

- Doa (Swahili) meaning 'spot', due to his left eye spot

- Koshoke (Maa) meaning the one with the big belly

Pics from Sept 2018 in and around Topi Plains and Bila Shaka Photos and history Lucy Johnston

Hope everyone can help make this an interesting thread.

Credit to @evolution_soup

Messurements. Born 50-70cm Tl. Mature male 234-269 cm female 250-300 cm max 550 cm Tl.
Distribution. World-wide, tropical seas.
Biology. 6-42 pups/litter after 11 month pregnancy. Varied prey; apparently prefers stingrays and other batoids, groupers and sea catfishes.
Book Sharks of the World - Leonard Compagno, Marc Dando, and Sarah Fowler

Destruction and restoration

In the last century, humans excelled in destruction. The consequences were severe. Tomorrow, however, we will excel in restoration. Decisions are all-important, but it starts with insight and attitudes. Attitudes are a result of research and very real changes like climate change, but articles and documentaries are important as well. Same, we think, for forums. 

Wildfact

When we started, we never thought we would exceed 14 million views in just over 5 years. I'm not saying we made a difference, but it's very likely Wildfact contributed in the department of awareness in some way.

The question is why so many are interested. A friend in Germany gave me the answer. When I visited him, he said it felt like he entered a different world when he visited the forum. A world he didn't know. A kind of parallel world. It's there and then it isn't. Visiting Wildfact enabled him to enter that world at will. In a way, it compared to a movie he recently saw. I'm referring to Jumanji. Jumanji is the name of a game that only exists in movies. Once you start the game, you can't quit. And when you leave the game, it feels like you leave a world you don't want to leave. A world you don't want to forget.

And that, friends and neighbours, is the aim of this forum.

Reforestation

In Russia and China, reforestation projects have been running for some time. In Europe, Spain is doing the same. Big firms can 'buy' shares of firms involved in reforestation projects in northern parts of the country.

Sully recently posted an article about reforestation projects in the UK. Over here (Netherlands), the attitude on cattle and forest is changing as well. Farmers now involved in breeding meat will start breeding forest soon. The reason in most cases is political decisions. And money, of course. Moneywise, breeding meat still is encouraged in Europe. In a few years from now, breeding forest will become much more rewarding for farmers. The times are changing, that is.

To our members and readers

You most definitely made a difference. We hope you will continue to contribute and read and wish you a Happy New Year. On behalf of Sanjay and all mods,

Peter.