' \ CARD 341 J

VICUNA
,,_______________
~ ORDER ~ Artiodactyla ~

GROUP 1: MAMMALS

--SJ [i]

KEY FACTS
SIZES Length: Head and body, 4-6 ft. Tail, 6-10 in. Height at shoulder: 2~-3~ ft. Weight: 75-145 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 2 years. Mating season: March to April. Gestation: 11 months. No. of young: 1. LIFESTYLE Habit: Lives in groups of 1 male and several females with young. Males may form bachelor groups. Diet: Rough grasses and plants. Call: Sharp, high warning bark. Lifespan: 15-20 years. RELATED SPECIES There are 3 other members of the camel family living in South America-the guanaco, Lama guanicoe; the alpaca, L. pacos; and the llama, L. glama.
Range of the vicuna.

~ Camelidde

FAMILY

~ GENUS & SPECIES ~ Vicugna vicugna

DISTRIBUTION Inhabits high-altitude grasslands on the plateaus of the Andes, mostly in central Peru . Also occurs in western Bolivia, northeastern Chile, and northwestern Argentina. CONSERVATION The vicuna was hunted almost to extinction earlier in this century. It is now protected in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina, and export is banned. The population exceeds 80,000.

FEATURES OF THE VICUNA

Senses: Pricked ears give excellent hearing. Large eyes give good vision over a wide area. Coloration: Red-brown or cinnamon above and paler below. Shaggy white chest bib. High-altitude adaptations: The vicuna's thick, silky coat traps a layer of air next to its body. This helps protect the animal from the chill mountain air. The vicuna also has almost twice as many red blood cells as a human being , so it can make the most of the available oxygen.

The vicuna looks slender and delicate, but it is actually one of the toughest animals in South America. It lives in a high-altitude wasteland where few other mammals are able to survive.
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In March and April the male vicuna mates with the receptive females in his group. The animals mate while lying on their chests in their feeding area. In the same area the female bears one offspring 11 months later. Soon after giving birth she may mate again. The young is able to follow its mother within half an hour of birth. But it lies low while she forages, pressing close to the
Left: Its highly oxygenated blood

~ BREEDING

ground to hide from pumas . It suckles for up to 10 months and is independent soon afterward. Youngsters in a group play together but act timidly toward the male leader, stretching their necks over thei r backs to indicate submissiveness. The leader drives young males away when they are barely weaned, at four to nine months old. He drives the young females out when they are 10 to 11 months old.
Right: The vicuna breeds in captivity but has never been fully domesticated for its wool.

helps the vicuna survive in the thin air of the high plains.

On the bleak plateaus of the Andes, the vicuna's warm coat is essential to its survival, but its soft fleece almost caused its downfall. By the 1960s this graceful animal was nearly extinct due to hunting for its wool, which is considered the finest in the world. The vicuna's numbers have since revived, however, and now populations in some areas are even being culled-selectively killed-to protect their grassland habitat.

DID YOU KNOW?

The vicuna is the smallest species of camel. To cope with the thin air of the puna, the vicuna's heart is five percent heavier than that of any similar-size mammal. Certain Native Americans revered the vicuna, believing it was the daughter of their fertility goddess. In Incan culture only nobles were allowed to wear clothing woven from vicuna wool, and anyone who was caught killing the animal without permission was sentenced to death. Some people think that the closely related alpaca-also famed for its wool-is a cross between a vicuna and a llama .

~ VICUNA &: MAN

Vicunas have never been domesticated, but the Incas rounded them up for shearing and then released them. When the Incas fell to the Spanish in the 1500s, over 1.5 million vicunas ranged from Ecuador to Argentina . The Spanish killed 80,000 vicunas yearly until 1825, when the species was protected by law. But hunting plus the spread of livestock continued to reduce vicuna numbers. By 1965, only 6,000 remained in the wild. In 1969, the species was declared endangered and serious conservation efforts began. Numbers are now rising. In some areas vicunas are again being rounded up, shorn, and released .

~ HABITS
The vicuna lives at elevations of 19,000 feet on the

~ FOOD &: FEEDING

puna-the
land from rivals. Males without harems join bachelor herds of up to 30 animals or roam alone until they find females. The vicuna feeds on the lower slopes in daytime and walks to a higher sleeping area at night. Few predators can surprise this animal. If a puma approaches, the vicuna utters a high-pitched call to alert the group. When it is in real danger, the vicuna may sprint away, running as fast as 30 miles per hour with its neck outstretched and ears flattened .
Right: Water can be scarce in the mountains, so the vicuna drinks deeply after a rainfall.

Sparse clumps of short, coarse grass and other fibrous plants are all that grow in the puna's poor soil . Ripping this tough vegetation wears down the vicuna's incisor teeth, but it has a special adaptation. It is the only hoofed mammal with lower incisors that grow continually, like a rodent's. The vicuna's plant diet lacks adequate salt and water. Fog often provides the only available moisture. But some areas of the puna have salt lakes where the animal laps brackish water. It also licks salt-bearing rocks to obtain this vital mineral.

windswept plains on the high plateaus of the Andes . The air is very thin, but the animal's large heart and lungs enable it to survive. There is no rain during nine months of the year, and it is very cold. But the vicuna is protected by its coat, which traps a layer of warm, insulating air. The vicuna lives in a group that usually has one male leader and several females with young. The group holds a territory of up to a tenth of a square mile, which is marked with dung and urine. The dominant male defends the

' " CARD 342 I

WEDDELL SEAL

,,~--------------------------------------~~ ORDER FAMILY GENUS &. SPECIES

~
Pinnipedio Phocidoe Leptonychotes weddelli

"I
~

KEY FACTS

~I

SIZES Length: Up to lOft. Weight: Female, up to 1,000 lb. Male, slightly less. BREEDING Sexual maturity: 3-6 years. Mating season: December. Gestation: 11 months. No. of young: Usually 1. LIFESTYLE Habit: Solitary in the water. Forms colonies on land. Diet: Fish, squid, and krill. Lifespan: Probably over 20 years.

Range of the Weddell seal.

RELATED SPECIES There are no other species in the genus Leptonychotes. Relatives in the subfamily Lobodontinoe are all found in Antarctica and include the leopard seal, Hydrurgo /eptonyx, and the Ross seal, Om-

DISTRIBUTION The Weddell seal is confined to the shallow coastal waters surrounding Antarctica. It does not venture as fa r as the edge of the pack ice. CONSERVATION The Weddell seal has no enemies other than humans. Its population may be as high as half a million, but the species is threatened by pollution and habitat destruction .

motophoco rossi.

FEATURES OF THE WEDDEll SEAL

Mother and young: During cold weather, the young pup huddles close to its mother for warmth. Her rich milk enables the pup to increase its weight by 2 pounds per day.

Head: Disproportionately smal l in comparison to the rest of the body.

Coat: Typically dark brown to gray and covered In blotches , but may vary greatly between individuals. The coat is covered In fine hairs. A thick layer of fat under its skin protects the seal from the cold.

The Weddell seal lives in the waters surrounding Antarctica. It stays close to land and spends much of its time underneath the ice, diving to great depths to find food.

Flippers: Propel the seal thro ugh water but do not provi de much support on land.
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FOOD &: HUNTING

ice hole to fill its lungs with air. During a very deep dive, the seal's body has to withstand a pressure of over 840 pounds per square inch. It is able to do so because its surface blood vessels constrict, ensuring a steady supply of blood to its brain and its heart. The animal can also withstand a large amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in its blood.
Right: The large Antarctic cod is a major part of the Weddell seal's

The young Weddell seal feeds exclusively on small crustaceans such as krill. The adult eats both squid and fish, particularly the large Antarctic cod. In order to catch its prey, the seal must dive under the ice. It dives to depths of up to 2,000 feet, deeper than any other seal, and may stay under for up to 45 minutes before returning to its
Left: During the Antarctic winter, the Weddell seal spends most of its

time under the ice.

staple diet.
Left: The Wed-

The Weddell seal is found farther south than any other mammal-in the shallow, freezing waters surrounding Antarctica. One of the most proficient divers in the world, it reaches depths that no other seals have been known to attain. This animal belongs to the group of earless seals known as the true seals, which are distinguished by their streamlined shapes and inability to move easily on land.

DID YOU KNOW?

Weddell seals may sleep under the ice when the weather is too bad for them to haul out. Their blubber makes them buoyant enough to float just under the surface. The Weddell seal is thought to be the only member of its subfamily, Lobodontinae, that gathers in large herds during the mating season, with the bulls forming harems. Old and sick Weddell seals at times try to distanse themselves from their companions. The seals' bodies have been found on the sides of glaciers as far as 35 miles from the sea and up to 3,200 feet above sea level.

dell seal population is about one-quarter to one-half million. Individuals never stroy very for from their Antarctic home.

~ HABITS
The Weddell seal lives along the coastline of Antarctica. It is never found on the floating pack ice surrounding the continent, staying instead near the more solid ice along the coast. In contrast, its relatives the common, Ross, and leopard seals are found farther out at sea. During the long Antarctic winter, the Weddell seal spends the majority of its time beneath the ice, where it makes a great deal of noise. Some of its noises may be a form of echolocation, similar to the sound waves used by bats. These noises may enable the seal to navigate and find its
Right: The highly aquatic Weddell seal is at home in the icy ocean.

~ BREEDING
prey when diving into the dark depths of the ocean. In order to breathe, the Weddell seal cuts holes in the ice with its powerful teeth. Each seal uses its own air hole, making a trilling call as it nears the hole. The seals also emit deep grunts plus sounds made by snapping the teeth together- probably to warn that enemies are near. The female Weddell seal hauls out on the ice to give birth during October and Novemberthe Antarctic spring. All the females stay together in groups called rookeries, while the males gather along the shore. The newborn weighs up to 60 pounds and is more than four feet long. Its fluffy coat, or lanufat. The nursing female does not feed, so she can concentrate on protecting her pup. During the suckling period, the pup enters the water, diving through an ice hole kept open by an adult. It also roams over the ice while its mother basks in the sun. At this time of year, the climate is warm for Antarctica, with the tempera. ture rarely dropping below 23 F If snow falls, the pup huddles beside the mother for warmth. If danger threatens, she utters a warning call. The female mates after weaning her pup. She carries her fertilized egg for several months before it begins to develop, in time for the next spring.

go,

is tan or gray with a dark line along the back. By the time it is weaned in up to eight weeks,

the pup has shed this coat and grown the sleeker adult coat. The pup gains weight rapidly while suckling its mother's rich milK, which is almost 50 percent
Left: The pup huddles close to its

mother for warmth and protection.

RED BAT

,,~----------------------FAMILY ORDER
~
Chiroptera Vespertilionidae

GROUP 1: MAMMALS
GENUS &: SPECIES Lasiurus borealis

SIZES Length: 4-5 in . Wingspan: 6-7 in. Weight:

Il - ~

oz.

BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Mating season: Late summer to fall. Gestation: About 3 months, but implantation is delayed. No. of young: 2-4, rarely 5 . LIFESTYLE Habit: Nocturnal and usually solitary, but females with young may form small colonies. Some northern populations migrate. Diet: Flying insects. Lifespan: Unknown. RELATED SPECIES There are 10 other hairy-tailed bat species in the genus Lasiurus. The Galapagos bat, L. brachyotis, lives only in the Galapagos Islands.

Range of the red bat.

DISTRIBUTION Found in southern Canada and throughout the eastern United States except for southern Florida. Also in the western mountains as far south as Panama and in Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica. CONSERVATION The red bat is common throughout its wide range. Because it usually roosts on tree trunks, it is not affected by disturbances at roosting caves, as many other bats are.

FEATU RES OF THE RED BAT

Male: Rich brick red frosted

ROOSTING ON A
TREE TRUNK
When roosting , bats hang upside down, gripping with their hind feet. Their hind claws are curved like hooks. Wings: Mostly made up of the bat's hand and supported by its finger bones

Easily recognized by its rich reddish color, the red bat is one of the few North American bats that sometimes migrates. It is also unusual because the male is more brightly colored than the female.
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elaborate ornamentation fou nd in many North American bats.

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FOOD & HUNTING The red bat feeds mainly on the wing. It waits until it is almost dark before it begins to hunt. While fluttering about, it uses its sonar to detect moths, beetles, and other night-flying insects. Once it locates an insect, it scoops its prey out of the air with its tail membrane. The red bat may search for insects at streetlights. It sometimes even lands on the lamppost to snatch up insects that are resting there. Although red bats are usually solitary, they may at times forage in pairs. The two bats fly up and down a river or above a road that takes them through the woods.

DID YOU KNOW?

The strong-flying red bat has been seen in Bermuda, which is more than 700 miles from the nearest part of the North American mainland. The red bat is the only mammal species in North America in which the male and the female differ markedly in color. The red bat generally roosts above a clearing. When evening comes, it can just drop from its perch and begin to fly. The long bunches of Spanish moss that hang from trees in the Deep South are a favorite roosting place of the red bat. The scientific name Lasiurus comes from two Greek words meaning "hairy tail." It refers to the furry tail membranes of the bats in this genus. The red bat's species name, borealis, is Greek for "northern./I

Unlike most bats, the red bat is mainly a solitary animal, never gathering in large roosts and seldom even using caves or old buildings. Little is known about the social life
of this species, but red bats often forage in pairs. Two of them may also travel together during migration.

NATUREWATCH
When it is hanging at rest in a tree, the red bat looks like a dead leaf, so it is usually not noticed. But this animal often clings to tree trunks, and then it is easy to spot. It frequently stays in its roost after other bats have begun to forage and does not fly until it is nearly dark. The red bat is easiest to see when it migrates in the fall, especially along the seacoast. Its flight is rapid, and its wings appear more pointed than when it is hunting. When it migrates over the dunes, the red bat is likely to be mistaken for a rustcolored swallow.

HABITS The red bat is the most colorful bat in North America, and it is the most widespread species of hairy-tailed bat. It is common in much of the United States, but it tends to be solitary and is rarely seen in large numbers, in contrast to bats that live in huge colonies. Red bats roost in the open, usually in a tree, rather than in caves or old buildings like other bats. They frequently select a site with a southern or western exposure, which may help them stay warm during the late afternoon and early evening . In the northern section of its

range, the red bat is migratory, traveling south in September and October. During its seasonal journey the animal may cover hundreds of miles. However, the red bat does not migrate in the southern parts of its range. Instead, it tends to stay in the same small area all year. Like all bats, the red bat navigates by echolocation emitting high-pitched sounds that echo back from objects.
Above: The red bat's elastic wing
membrane, called the patagium, is supported by long finger bones.

Right: Like most other bats, the

red bat preys exclusively on insects.

BREEDING The red bat generally mates in late summer or fall, before the northern populations start their southward migration. Implantation, however, is delayed for several months. Births do not occur until the next spring, after a gestation period of about three months. The red bat is unusual in frequently having more than two offspring . A litter of four is not uncommon, and two females are known to have had litters of

five. To suckle these young, the female has four nipples instead of the usual two. Ayoung bat soon weighs as much as a third of its mother's weight. Perhaps because the young are so heavy, the mother does not carry them with her and may leave them hanging from a branch when she sets out for an evening's foraging.
Above: The red bat roosts in the
open. Hanging from a tree, it may be mistaken for a dead leaf.