Posts Tagged With: cats

Oh Those Ear Tufts!

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Oh Those Ear Tufts!

We headed out in a Jeep to find a predator on the plains today! We were looking for a feline, but not a lion, cheetah or leopard. So who were we looking for you ask? This cat is small, but mighty and they have some of the greatest ears around.

CA71DC92-76DD-46C7-B6C4-69B9355E0CCA

Caracal Fun Facts: 

  • These medium sized cats can grow up to 42 inches long and weigh up to 44 lbs. The males are larger than the females.
  • They are the largest member of the small cats in Africa.
  • They are famous for their large ear tufts or tassels. It is thought that they use these to communicate with other caracals.
  • These agile carnivores eat small mammals and birds.
  • They are able to leap 10 feet into the air to catch birds in flight.
  • Caracals are mostly solitary and highly territorial.
  • They mark their territories with scents and physical marks like claw marks on trees.
  • They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

94EDFD65-2F97-4FDF-A24D-7279F183F8B3

 

We were so excited to spot this sleak predator. They remind us of the house cat that lives at HQs, except he is a bit plumper and lazier.

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yep, That’s a Cat!

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Yep, That’s a Cat!

We are meeting our last animal this week here in Costa Rica and it’s a small wildcat. This place has so many interesting species. These small cats blend in quiet well, so we were super lucky to find one!

CCE5DFD9-247C-4EDF-B0FF-FC3F0ED0EA02

 

Margay Fun Facts:

  • Margays are built for life in the trees.
  • They have broad flexible toes and long tails that help them climb and keep their balance.
  • They can turn their hind feet 180 degrees allowing them to climb down a tree head first.
  • These solitary cats are carnivores. They eat birds, small mammals and reptiles.
  • Margays are listed as near threatened by the IUCN.
  • They are nocturnal.
  • The fur on the back of their necks grows the opposite direction of the rest of their coats.

D7F74D12-7ABD-4033-88E5-E0A97F724EFC

These gorgeous cats are often confused with the ocelot. They have longer tails and a bit smaller. They have those large round eyes to see in the dark too! We think they are just the cutest!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, endangered species, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Today's Post, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

MAMMAL MONDAY # 31

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY # 31

Who loves cats? We love cats! We’re heading to the grasslands of Africa to meet today’s mammal! We’ll need our night vision goggles, because these cats are active at night! Don’t worry, these cats aren’t big enough to pounce on us!

MEET THE SERVAL!

   Range/Habitat: Africa/ grasslands, wetlands

   Diet: Carnivore: rats, rodents, frogs & birds

   Length/Weight: 23-39”/ 20-40 lbs

   Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

  • Servals are covered in spots.
  • Servals are solitary and nocturnal (active at night).
  • They have very long legs.
  • Servals also have very large ears and excellent hearing.
  • Servals can leap up to 13 ft horizontally; we bet they’d win the long jump competition. They can also jump about 3 ½ ft high.
  • They are considered to be very intelligent.
  • Servals can purr.

Servals are beautiful and graceful predators. They are considered to be very beneficial to local farmers because they are excellent are rodent control. Servals are now part of the pet trade. These cats can be large, wild and destructive and do not make good pets, because they aren’t domestic cats. Remember, to do your homework before getting any pet :)!

Categories: Animals, Children, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

MAMMAL MONDAY # 23

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Ellie and Edmond ©

MAMMAL MONDAY# 23

We’re back on our regularly scheduled program today! Happy Mammal Monday and man do we have a neat one today! This mammal lives in the desert, has very large ears and can JUMP! Do you have on your safari outfit, because we’re heading to Africa! Let’s gooooo!

MEET THE CARACAL!

Range/Habitat: Western Central Africa-Middle East/desert-grasslands

Diet: Carnivore: rodents, hares, birds

Length/Weight: 22-36”/13-42lb

Conservation Status: Common

 

Fun Facts:

  • Caracals are also called the desert lynx.
  • Caracals have large ears with tufts of fur on them.
  • They are the heaviest and fastest cat of all the small cats!
  • Caracals are excellent jumpers! They can jump up to 10ft vertically in the air!
  • Caracals can jump in the air and catch birds in flight! WOW!
  • They are mostly nocturnal (active at night).

 

Caracals are beautiful small cats! These excellent predators are quiet skilled! Ellie would like to have one on her basketball team, because they obviously can slam dunk!

 

 

Categories: Animals, Children, education, Environment, mammals, nature | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.

%d bloggers like this: