Afrosoricida

The order Afrosoricida (a Latin-Greek compound name which means "looking like African shrews") contains the golden moles of southern Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar and Africa, two families of small mammals that are traditionally considered to be a part of the order Insectivora.

Some biologists use Tenrecomorpha as the name for the tenrec-golden mole clade, but prevailing evidence suggests Afrosoricida is more appropriate and Tenrecomorpha is used here as the name of the tenrec suborder.

Traditionally, these two families were grouped with the hedgehogs, shrews and moles in the Lipotyphla. However, there have always been minority opinions suggesting that Tenrecomorpha, or at least the golden moles, are not true lipotyphlans. These opinions are now supported by many genetic studies suggesting an association between Tenrecomorpha and various other African mammals in a proposed superorder known as Afrotheria; however there is no strong morphological evidence to link the Afrosoricida together with other Afrotherians. The Afrosoricida are sometimes considered part of the Afroinsectiphilia, a clade within the Afrotheria.



Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Infraclass : Eutheria
Superorder : Afrotheria
Order : AfrosoricidaStanhope, 1998

Short-Clawed Otter (Aonyx Cinerea)

Short-Clawed Otter (Aonyx Cinerea)


The Short-Clawed Otter (Aonyx cinerea), also known as the Oriental Small Claw Otter, is currently listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This small mammal is the smallest of the otters, but, unfortunately, they remain somewhat of a mystery because of lack of research and study.
The Short-Clawed Otter is found most often in shallow water at the mouths of rivers, near the coast, or in marshy swamps. They are found in southern India and China, Indonesia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. They make their homes on riverbanks and will move in to an abandoned den if possible, or they will dig their own. They tend to travel in groups, sometimes up to 12 otters, that usually consist of a mated pair and their offspring. As its name suggests, the Short-Clawed Otter has claws that are much smaller than other otters’. Also unlike other otters, their paws are almost like hands, very slightly webbed, and they are capable and dexterous when using them. They are very sensitive, much like our own, and they can use them to dig food out of the sand, dirt, or out from under rocks. These otters are very small, only growing to about 2 feet (65 cm) long, which includes the 8 inch (20 cm) tail. At full maturity, the Short-Clawed Otter weighs only 6-12 pounds (2-6 kg). Their fur is a dark brown color, which verges to a lighter tan on their undersides, and they sometimes have whiter spots on their faces, chests, and throats. Their fur is very water-resistant on top with a layer of softer fur underneath that keeps the otter from getting chilled in cold water. Interesting Fact: Short-Clawed Otters can close their nostrils and ears to keep water from getting in when they are swimming.
Short-Clawed Otters’ teeth are built for hard-shelled animals, and the main part of their diet includes crabs, mollusks, and snails. The teeth are wide and flat and are used for crushing the shell so that the otter can get to the meat inside. They are also known to eat frogs and smaller fish, but, unlike other otters, they don’t snag their food out of the water with their mouths but instead use their “hands” to grab it and can find hidden food in the mud and rocks.
Short-Clawed Otters reach sexual maturity when they are about two or three years old. Most of these otters will keep the same mate for life, and they keep their offspring with them, with both of the parents caring for them. The female of the species is the dominant partner, and the male will hunt for and bring her food as she nurses the young. The gestational period in these otters is about 60-64 days, and they can have litters of as many as six pups at a time, although the average appears to be only one or two. They will often mate twice a year. When the pups are born, they are blind and need constant care. They don’t even learn to swim until they are nine weeks old, and they will nurse constantly until they are 10 or 11 weeks old, at which time they will start to eat solid food. The maximum life span for a Short-Clawed Otter in the wild is 10 years.Short-Clawed Otters are very swift little animals, swimming extremely fast. They are also known to communicate with different vocal sounds - there is recorded evidence of at least 12 different vocalizations that they use with one another.


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Alpine Woolly Rat (Mallomys Gunung)

Alpine Woolly Rat (Mallomys Gunung)
The Alpine Woolly Rat
The Alpine Woolly Rat (Mallomys gunung) is currently listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Even though portions of its habitat are protected, the Woolly Rat is still in danger from mining and tourism.
The Alpine Woolly Rat is only found in the high alpine and sub-alpine grasslands in New Guinea. They are actually only one of four species of mammals that live in the area, the other three being the lesser antechinus, the western shrew mouse, and the glacier rat. There is not much known about this animal, but it is in the same family as the giant tree rats. Some giant rats make their nests in trees, far up off of the ground, in the hollows of trees. Other giant rats, however, dig burrows and live on the ground. The Alpine Woolly Rat is an extremely large rodent. The head and body measures a staggering 11-18 inches (28-45 cm) with a tail about the same length. The tail is relatively hairless and scaly, and the skin is partially brown and partially white. The fur is very long, thick, and somewhat woolly. It varies in color from brown to gray with a white underbelly and black whiskers, hands, and feet. They have very distinctive molars with a unique pattern not seen in other rodents.
The Alpine Woolly Rat, if like other giant rats, is primarily herbivorous, eating mostly shoots, grasses, and tubers. Most of the giant rats are also nocturnal, resting during the day and leaving their burrows at night to find food.
When the Alpine Woolly Rat was discovered, specimens were brought back to a museum and studied. Several of the female rats were pregnant with only signs of one baby, so it is assumed that, like some other giant rats, the Alpine Woolly Rat only gives birth to one baby rat at a time. This is in contrast to smaller rats that can have litters of up to 24 baby rats. Since the Alpine Woolly Rat was just discovered and listed in 1989, there is still not much that is known about them. Perhaps in the future there will be some more study done, but, until then, the Alpine Woolly Rat is still somewhat of a mystery.

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Short-Clawed Otter (Aonyx cinerea)

Short-Clawed Otter (Aonyx cinerea)


The Short-Clawed Otter (Aonyx cinerea), also known as the Oriental Small Claw Otter, is currently listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This small mammal is the smallest of the otters, but, unfortunately, they remain somewhat of a mystery because of lack of research and study.
The Short-Clawed Otter is found most often in shallow water at the mouths of rivers, near the coast, or in marshy swamps. They are found in southern India and China, Indonesia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. They make their homes on riverbanks and will move in to an abandoned den if possible, or they will dig their own. They tend to travel in groups, sometimes up to 12 otters, that usually consist of a mated pair and their offspring. As its name suggests, the Short-Clawed Otter has claws that are much smaller than other otters’. Also unlike other otters, their paws are almost like hands, very slightly webbed, and they are capable and dexterous when using them. They are very sensitive, much like our own, and they can use them to dig food out of the sand, dirt, or out from under rocks. These otters are very small, only growing to about 2 feet (65 cm) long, which includes the 8 inch (20 cm) tail. At full maturity, the Short-Clawed Otter weighs only 6-12 pounds (2-6 kg). Their fur is a dark brown color, which verges to a lighter tan on their undersides, and they sometimes have whiter spots on their faces, chests, and throats. Their fur is very water-resistant on top with a layer of softer fur underneath that keeps the otter from getting chilled in cold water. Interesting Fact: Short-Clawed Otters can close their nostrils and ears to keep water from getting in when they are swimming.
Short-Clawed Otters’ teeth are built for hard-shelled animals, and the main part of their diet includes crabs, mollusks, and snails. The teeth are wide and flat and are used for crushing the shell so that the otter can get to the meat inside. They are also known to eat frogs and smaller fish, but, unlike other otters, they don’t snag their food out of the water with their mouths but instead use their “hands” to grab it and can find hidden food in the mud and rocks.
Short-Clawed Otters reach sexual maturity when they are about two or three years old. Most of these otters will keep the same mate for life, and they keep their offspring with them, with both of the parents caring for them. The female of the species is the dominant partner, and the male will hunt for and bring her food as she nurses the young. The gestational period in these otters is about 60-64 days, and they can have litters of as many as six pups at a time, although the average appears to be only one or two. They will often mate twice a year. When the pups are born, they are blind and need constant care. They don’t even learn to swim until they are nine weeks old, and they will nurse constantly until they are 10 or 11 weeks old, at which time they will start to eat solid food. The maximum life span for a Short-Clawed Otter in the wild is 10 years.Short-Clawed Otters are very swift little animals, swimming extremely fast. They are also known to communicate with different vocal sounds - there is recorded evidence of at least 12 different vocalizations that they use with one another.

indonesianfauna

The Anoa

Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis/Bubalus quarlesi)
The Anoa
Anoa come in two types, the lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis), and the mountain anoa (Bubalus quarlesi). The anoa is a species of pigmy buffalo, and they are the smallest of the wild cattle. Both species are currently listed as endangered, being threatened by clearing of the forests where they live and being hunted for their meat, horns, and hides.
Interesting Fact: Little is known about the habits of the anoa as they are one of the least-studied of all endangered species. Anoa are only found on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The lowland anoa is found in swampy forests, and the mountain anoa is found in higher-altitude forests. Unlike most cattle, anoas don’t live in herds but, rather, live solitary or in pairs and only will meet in groups when a female anoa is about to give birth. They are active most often in the morning and evening when it is still relatively cool, and they rest in the shade when the temperature rises in the afternoon. They will also bathe in mud or water to keep cool. The lowland anoa most closely resembles a tiny water buffalo. They usually don’t grow more than 30 inches (76 cm) at the shoulder and can weigh up to 660 pounds (300 kg). When they are young, they are covered with thick, light brown wooly hair, which thins as they grow older and becomes much darker. They have dark brown to black skin that can be easily seen through their hair. There are white marks on their heads and legs, and there is often a crescent-shaped area of white on the throat area. They also have horns, both males and females, that grow out of their foreheads and point straight back, growing to reach lengths of 15 inches (38 cm). Mountain anoas have essentially the same appearance, but they keep their wooly coats through adulthood, and their horns are somewhat smaller. They also are a more solid color without the throat and leg markings that the lowland anoas have.
Anoas are grazers, eating mostly grasses, saplings, ferns, and fallen fruit. They also appear to get additional minerals that they need by drinking sea water. Relatively passive and shy animals, Anoas will, however, attack violently if cornered or threatened, disemboweling their enemies with their sharp, pointed horns, and they seem to be especially violent towards humans.
The anoa reach sexual maturity at about two to three years of age and will mate and give birth once a year. There doesn’t appear to be an obvious breeding season. After a gestational period of about 275-315 days, the mother will give birth to one baby, and very seldom will birth two. The young anoas are weaned after six to nine months, and they are reported to live approximately 15-20 years in the wild. Since so much is unknown about the anoa, experts are still unsure whether the males are territorial or not. Males have been seen marking trees with their horns and scratching the soil after they urinate. No one is sure if they are marking their territories or just showing aggression.


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