In this episode of [i]Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom[/i], filmmakers chronicle the lives of the most successful creatures in the animal kingdom. Polar bears, penguins, camels, hyenas, cougars, chimpanzees, termites and octopus are just some of the animal warriors featured.
Ask Peter your questions now. He'll answer them shortly after "Natural Born Winners," which premieres on Sunday, May 22, at 7:00 p.m. EST.
[url]http://animal.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?episode=12&cpi=110893&gid=0&channel=APL] Get a reminder[/url].
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The hyena is one of my favorite animals, so I read alot about them them. There's one thing I've never been able to find out. Is there a way to distinguish a young female hyena from an adult male? Posture? Coat contrast?
It's almost impossible to tell the sex of a hyena when they're very young. They've always been an animal that amazes me with their rituals and strong social bonds. I've watched these amazing scavengers of the wild at work in Africa. They're the only animal I've ever seen that has such phenomenally strong teeth and jaws, enabling them to crush all but the largest bones on heavy animals such as zebra and kudu, helping them to extract the important nutrition from the bone marrow. People often wonder how they can eat dead and decayed carcasses and not get sick themselves. It is due to hydrochloric acid in their stomach, which is highly concentrated, making them more efficient than any other animal at digestion and extracting nutrients. As well as feeding themselves, these hyenas in a sense are nature's waste disposal system. Removing dead and decaying animals helps prevent disease to other animals and people alike.
In most accounts, hyenas are lumped together as scavengers and the browns and, for the most part, the striped fit. But in a few accounts, I've read that the spotted hyenas' diet of carrion is less than 20% and that lions (being less succesful pack hunters) scavenge from them more oft than the reverse. Do you find that true, or would you think those studies were on rarely successful clans of hyena.
Polar bears have adapted to survive in such extreme climates through their thick layers of fat and dense, light-colored hollow hair that absorbs sunlight. And don't forget their unique ability to switch from a normal state of slowed down hibernation condition at times of year when there's an extreme food shortage.
There are estimated to be about 20 populations varying from a few hundred to 1,000. The world population is probably 20,000. Their survival is dependent on climatic changes and the numbers of ring seals, walruses and dead whales that they might find on the fast ice (the ice that freezes from the shore out to the sea). Their incredibly keen sense of smell enables them to smell the odor from the gland of a ring seal miles away on the ice. They will usually sneak up on a seal's layer, rise up on their hind legs, smash the top of the snow drift and snatch out a seal. When they're finished, the remains are usually cleaned up by small groups of Arctic foxes.
At my last visit to Churchill on the Hudson Bay, researchers were studying polar bears to determine how much longer it's taking for the ice to freeze to enable the bears to leave the shoreline and go out and feed. After hibernation and giving birth to their young, they come out quite hungry, pacing along the shores, waiting for the ice to be strong enough to fatten themselves up to make it through another year by feeding on the frozen ice floes.
The polar bear's not endangered, but it is protected and carefully managed because of its slow rate of population growth. In 1976, an agreement on conservation of polar bears has required that polar bears be managed "to sound conservation practices." Which leads me to believe this magnificent beast will continue to survive in the far northern latitudes of our planet.
Good job, glenclaytor! You're absolutely right about the spotted hyena. In contrast with the brown and striped, the spotted hyenas are running down their prey over distances of up to two miles at speeds of over 30 mph. Their targets are usually the young of large antelope, such as gemsbok and wildebeest, but they are also capable of pulling down prey as large as zebra and even adult buffalo. One study showed in South Africa's Kruger National Park they kill less than 50 percent of their food for a proportion that rises to 70 percent in the southern Kalahari, to as much as 90 percent in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater. Spotted hyenas will also bury food in muddy pools and return when they're hungry to their hidden cache.
Cool! I didn't want to lose respect for one of my favorite critters. I'm finally going to see them in July in the Moremi Game Reserve! I've been waiting all my life to see Africa. Thanks for the help. I've been compiling an illustrated study guide of mammals. Just for myself (not to be published) because none of the info came from my own eyes. With those study stats you gave, I got some more writing to do.
It was a very common misunderstanding that camels stored water in their humps, thus enabling them to go many weeks without having to take a drink. The fact is the animals store water in the lining of their stomachs. The hump is for fat storage. There are many reasons they're able to survive such barren, hot, seemingly uninhabitable lands. For starters, this hoofed animal has large sole-pads - only the front ends of the hooves actually touch the ground. The rest of the foot spreads broadly, which is perfect for traversing sand and rocky trails. Camels are also unique among other mammals in having elliptical blood corpuscles. Bactrian camels are particularly hardy as they can consume a wide variety of plants over an expansive range, eating foods that all other mammals avoid, such as thorns, dry vegetation and saltbush. When they finally do drink, they can take in up to 30 gallons in a very short time, and then conserve the water with infrequent urination and allowing their daytime body temperature to rise by as much as 11-14 degrees Fahrenheit to diminish the need for evaporative cooling by sweating.
Some biologists believe that the dromedary camel was first domesticated in southern Arabia before 2000 B.C. The Bactrian camel was domesticated independently of the dromedary in the plateaus of northern Iran and Turkestan, and then spread to Iraq, India and China. These robust camelids have been contributing as pack animals, as well as through products of meat, wool, hair and milk, in an invaluable manner for the success of human settlements. And though often jokingly referred to as "an animal designed by a committee," I have the utmost respect for this natural born winner.
Hey glenclaytor, that sounds like a wonderful trip. Join us again online sometime and share the knowledge you've earned in your travels to one of my favorite countries.
Let's continue to strive and learn as much as we can about the wonders of nature, and all participate locally to do a weekend to help preserve our natural world.
I think the theory about storing water was started by seeing camels after long periods of not eating or drinking having their hump sag to the side. It appears that the camel's "water tank" is near empty, when it's just that the lack of food had forced the camel to use up its fat reserve. Is that right?
I think Peter signed off. According to the show, they are successful about 1 in seven attempts. I've read similar stats elsewhere, so it's probably a good ballpark figure. But like all creatures, there are exceptions. Imagine studying humans and trying to determine such things as speed, size, and demeanor. But by the average, I think most studies agree solo lions are succesful 1 in 7, and as a pack, around 1 in 4-6, depending on available game.
One other factor is how bold the pride is. Those who target large animals as zebra and baby elephant succeed less often, but can afford to lose more often as one catch can last a long time. I'm off to work. Have a good one.
