Beetle

 

True Wild Life | Beetle | The beetle is a small sized invertebrate that is known to be incredibly versatile and is found in numerous different shapes and sizes. Beetles are found in nearly every different habitat on Earth and are only absent from the freezing polar regions. The beetle has the largest number of sub-species out of all the insects, with 40% of all recognised insects being classed as beetles. There are more than 350,000 different species of noted beetle, however, scientists estimate the real number is between 4 million and 8 million beetle species.

 

 

As with other species of insects, the body of the beetle is comprised of three sections all coated in the hard outer shell, which are the head of the beetle, the thorax of the beetle and the abdomen of the beetle. Beetles also have antennae which are used to understand the surroundings of the beetle and are made of about 10 different sections. Beetles are believed to play a vital role in whichever ecosystem they are inhabiting mainly as they consume the debris from plants and animals including fallen petals and animal dung. All animals that ingest decomposing material are working wonders for the soil as they are consuming a large proportion of the compounds that would otherwise be absorbed into the soil, such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen.

 

The beetle is an omnivorous animals and feeds on whatever it can find but generally plants and fungi and the debris from both plants and animals. Some bigger species of beetle have been known to eat small birds and even small species of mammal. Other species of beetle feed of the dust from wood and therefore enjoy burrowing themselves into trees. Due to their small size and wide, diverse range, beetles are prey to numerous species of animal from other insects to reptiles, birds, fish and mammals. The exact predators of the beetle however are largely dependent on the size and species of the beetle and the area in which the beetle inhabits.

 

Recently, the Asian long-horned beetle has been found in number of North American states with the beetle having quickly gained a name for itself as an agricultural pest. The Asian long-horned beetle is a type of bark boring beetle which means that they dig themselves into wood.

Beaver

True Wild Life | Beaver | Beavers are most well known for their distinctive home-building that can be seen in rivers and streams. The beavers dam is built from twigs, sticks, leaves and mud and are surprisingly strong. Here the beavers can catch their fish and swim in the water. Beavers are nocturnal animals existing in the forests of Europe and North America (the Canadian beaver is the most common beaver). Beavers use their large, flat shaped tails, to help with dam building and it also allows the beavers to swim at speeds of up to 30 knots per hour.

The beaver's significance is acknowledged in Canada by the fact that there is a Canadian Beaver on one of their coins. The beaver colonies create one or more dams in the beaver colonies' habitat to provide still, deep water to protect the beavers against predators. The beavers also use the deep water created using beaver dams and to float food and building materials along the river.

In 1988 the North American beaver population was 60-400 million. Recent studies have estimated there are now around 6-12 million beavers found in the wild. The decline in beaver populations is due to the beavers being hunted for their fur and for the beaver's glands that are used as medicine and perfume. The beaver is also hunted because the beavers harvesting of trees and the beavers flooding of waterways may interfere with other human land uses.

Beavers are known for their danger signal which the beaver makes when the beaver is startled or frightened. A swimming beaver will rapidly dive while forcefully slapping the water with its broad tail. This means that the beaver creates a loud slapping noise, which can be heard over large distances above and below water. This beaver warning noise serves as a warning to beavers in the area. Once a beaver has made this danger signal, nearby beavers dive and may not come back up for some time. Beavers are slow on land, but the beavers are good swimmers that can stay under water for as long as 15 minutes at a time. In the winter the beaver does not hibernate but instead stores sticks and logs underwater that the beaver can then feed on through the cold winter.

Bearded Dragon

True Wild Life | Bearded Dragon | The bearded dragon (also known as the dragon) is found naturally in Australia, but bearded dragons are kept as exotic pets in many places all around the world. Bearded dragons can grow up to 24 inches long but that is including their long tail, making the bearded dragon fairly small in body size for a lizard.

Bearded dragons feed mainly on insects, crickets and worms and like all reptiles enjoy spending their days on a rock under the sun recharging until nightfall when the bearded dragon is much more active. The bearded dragon is known to be docile and trusting yet outgoing and curious! The bearded dragon is a quite and gentle lizard and the bearded dragon is therefore a popular exotic pet for children.

The bearded dragon is a territorial lizard and should be keep in a big enough enclosure if the bearded dragon is kept as a pet. The bearded dragons diet is made up mainly of leafy greens which the bearded dragon plucks from trees and bushes.

Bearded dragons go through a period every year that is similar to a mammal's hibernation. The bearded dragon tends to become lethargic and the bearded dragon will not come out that often. The bearded dragon will also be eating less and the bearded dragon does this for a period of two to three months.

Bear

True Wild Life | Bear | Bears are large dog like mammals found all around the world. There are eight different species of bear that are found in a wide range of habitats in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, mainly the Americas, Europe and Asia. Most bears are nocturnal, solitary animals only really congregating during the bears mating season. The mother bear will then raise her cubs until they too, are old enough to live on their own. Bears generally have an excellent sense of smell and are also fantastic at climbing trees, swimming and are able to run at speeds of up to 35 mph for short periods of time.

All bears are generally classified as carnivores but most species of bear today have adapted various herbivorous traits. For example, the giant panda has a diet that primarily comprises of bamboo. Most species of bear tend to hunt fish over land animals, although its not uncommon for a bear to not eat fish at all.

In Viking northern Europe, the locals firmly believed that by wearing a shirt made of bear skin, the wearer would adopt the powerful characteristics of the bear such as the bears strength and courage. Legend has it that the word berserk is said to originate from this belief from the way the affected men adopting these bear attributes behaved, but whether this is true or not is hard to tell.

The Malaysian sun bear is the smallest of the existing bear species, with the average adult sun bear measuring around 1 meter tall. The polar bear is generally the biggest species of bear with the adults growing to over 3 meters tall. The grizzly bear found in North America is the only other species of bear where the adults can get to this size, but it is uncommon.