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Simply Ecologist

Simply Ecologist
Ecology Made Simple
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Published
Author Erzsebet Frey

Mountain lions, known as “pumas” and “cougars,” are large, powerful predators that have an important role in the ecosystem. Their main food source is deer, but they can also prey on smaller animals such as raccoons, rabbits, pets, and livestock. The historical range of the mountain lion was, aside from humans, the largest of any land mammal in the western hemisphere.

Published
Author Erzsebet Frey

Sleek and elegant, cougars ( Puma concolor ) are secretive loners rarely seen in the wild. Also known as mountain lions, pumas or cougars are famous for their strength, agility, and amazing jump capacity. Their truly powerful legs allow them to leap 30 feet from a standing position or leap 15 feet straight into a cliff. A puma body strength and strong jaws enable it to trip and drag prey larger than itself.

Published
Author Erzsebet Frey

Distribution is endemic to Africa. Widespread, but localized, south of the Sahara from Senegal to Ethiopia and south to South Africa, being absent from the Sahara and Namib Deserts. Not recorded from Lesotho, but they almost certainly do occur. Although sometimes shown as absent from the forests of the Congo Basin, Aardvarks are in fact widely distributed throughout the region;

Published
Author Erzsebet Frey

Synonyms: australis, cetacea, dugung, hemprichii, indicus, lottum, tabernaculi. Chromosome number: 2n = 50. Measurements; 2.4 (2.2–3.31) m; n = 18 WT: 250–570 kg Description Rotund cetacean-like body with flippers and flukes that resemble those of a dolphin without a dorsal fin. Head resembles that of a walrus without the long tusks. Head distinctive, with mouth opening ventrally beneath the broad, flat muzzle.

Published
Author Erzsebet Frey

Elephants live in small family groups led by old females (cows) where there is plenty of food, groups come together. Most males (bulls) live in individual herds, apart from cows, both males and females have two glands, between their eyes. Elephants of all ages and genders secrete a fluid temporin.

Published
Author Erzsebet Frey

The word herbivore comes from the Latin word herbivora. Herba in latin means “a small plant or herb” and vora means “to eat”. So herbivores are animals that eat only vegetables and/or vegetation. Elephants are herbivorous animals that can consume between 149 and 169 kg (330-375 lb.) of vegetation and ten gallons of water daily.