Ben's Zoological Review

Gray Wolf

2009-05-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

Scientific Name: Canis lupus

Length: 3 - 5 ft. (excluding tail)

Weight: 30 - 120 lbs.

Status: Vulnerable

Location: Northern North America, Western Greenland, Asia and Europe

Habitat: Deciduous forests, Coniferous forests, Alpine and arctic regions

Physical Description: Males and females have fur ranging in color from white, brown, Gray (obviously), black, and sometimes a red-brown.

Diet: Mainly Moose and Caribou

Behavior: They form packs of 8 to 12, scent-marking well patrolled territories . Most of the time, there is a single pair in the pack that breeds, so that the others can hunt, fight, and guard their territory. Since they hunt in packs, Gray Wolves can easily take on prey 10 times larger than them.

Breeding: The breeding season for Gray Wolves is January to April, the breeding female gives birth to between 3 and 7 pups. They suckle them for around 3 to 5 weeks, before the parents give them regurgitated meat. In 3 to 5 months, the pups should be ready to travel with the rest of the pack. However, in a few months, some of the young wolves may have decided to leave the pack.

If you have any questions on Gray Wolves, please feel free to ask.

California Sea Lion

2009-05-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Scientific Name: Zalophus californianus

Length: 6 - 7 1/2 feet

Weight: 600 - 850 lbs.

Status: Vulnerable

Location: Western California & Galapagos Islands

Habitat: Coastal Regions

Physical Description: Males are normally dark brown, while females and young are more of a sandy color. They have forked tails that look like flippers, and whiskers on their muzzle.

Diet: Mainly squid, herring, and other schooling fish, and sometimes sardines.

Behavior: These sea lions rarely go over 10 feet away from shore, and frequently enters man made structures for shelter, food, and other substantial needs.

Breeding: The breeding season for these animals lasts from May to July, when males fight for small areas of land on the shore. However, they must find food in two weeks, and upon return, may have to fight again. The female cares for her pup (Sea Lions seldom give birth to more than one) for around a week, then spends some of her time feeding herself, and suckling the young. This may last for up to 9 months, until the female has another pup.

If you have any questions on California Sea Lions, please feel free to ask.

2009-05-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

This blog is going to be a database for information on animals. If you have any questions about animals, please post them as a comment for this post.

Home Pets

2009-05-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here at home, we have four pets (excluding the occasional fly, spider or cricket). My brother, Justin has a border collie mix named Sammy*, and a Rosehair Tarantula named Shelob**. My sister Anna has a Goldendoodle (a dog breed) named Hydro, who helps her with things like picking up pencils, carrying something from her to someone else, etc. Geico, my Leopard Gecko***, is a 'high yellow', meaning he has no spots.

***Eublepharis macularius
**Grammostola rosea
*Canis ????