Tactile sense

Tactile sense includes the obvious sense of contact with another object, but also incorporates a bird's ability to sense air flow over its wings and a fish's sensitivity to water movements. Some creatures, such as the yapok and the star-nosed mole, have a highly sensitive sense of touch through specialised organs that they use in situations where eyes are of no use.

 

Eurasian lynx

The Eurasian lynx is the third largest predator in Europe after the brown bear and grey wolf. It is the largest of the four lynx species and a strict carnivore, consuming one or two kilograms of meat every day. This extremely efficient hunter uses fine-tuned stealth and pounce techniques to bring down animals four times its size, delivering a fatal bite to the neck or snout of an unsuspecting deer. During winter, its variably patterned coat is long and dense and large fur-covered paws help it move through deep snow. The Eurasian lynx is one of the widest ranging cats and is found in the forests of western Europe, Russia and central Asia.

 

Scientific name: Lynx lynx
Rank: Species

Common names:

• Common lynx,
• European lynx,
• Northern lynx,
• Russian lynx

Maternal care

Maternal care is where the mother of the offspring provides most or all of the effort needed to protect, feed or raise the young. In egg-laying species, maternal care includes looking after the eggs before the young hatch - for instance a mother crocodile guarding her clutch. In mammals, only the mother can provide the milk that youngsters are dependent on for the first part of their lives, so in many species all the primary care is done by the female, though males may play a part in defending or providing for the female.

Snow leopard

Snow leopards are exceptional athletes capable of making huge leaps over ravines. They are highly adapted to their harsh environment in the mountainous areas of central Asia, with long, thick body hair, a woolly belly and enlarged nasal cavities which heat inhaled cold air. Snow leopards are critically endangered since their fur was once highly prized and their natural prey has declined. They can bring down prey three times their own size, but on average only kill one large animal twice a month. 

 

Scientific name: Uncia uncia
Rank: Species

South American coati

South American coatis are omnivorous members of the raccoon family and have long mobile snouts, reddish fur and ringed tails. Male coatis were once thought to be a separate species from the females because of their solitary habits, and were called 'coatimundis'. The females live in highly social groups.

 

Scientific name: Nasua nasua
Rank: Species

Common names:

Ring-tailed coati

Fossa

Fossas are the largest carnivores in Madagascar. Secretive and cat-like, these predators are well equipped for chasing down lemurs in the forest. They are famed for having some strange development, courtship and breeding traits. As they grow, female fossas go through a period of 'masculinisation' during which their genitals resemble those of a male. Breeding takes place in the autumn when a female attracts a large number of males. A week later, she leaves and another female takes her place to mate with the assembled males.

 

Scientific name: Cryptoprocta ferox
Rank: Species

Asian golden cat

Asian golden cats are enigmatic and elusive forest predators whose population is difficult to estimate as a result. Very little is known about the behaviour of this medium-sized, wild cat. What is known, is that Asian golden cats are under severe pressure from habitat loss and poaching. Their diet consists of small animals and birds, and individuals team up to bring down larger prey. Asian golden cats have some interesting local names, for example, 'seua fai' which translates from Thai as 'fire tiger'.

 

Scientific name: Catopuma temminckii
Rank: Species

Common names:

• Asiatic golden cat,
• Temminck's golden cat

Cheetah

Cheetahs are found in sub-Saharan Africa and Northern Iran. Reaching speeds of over 100kph (almost 65mph) they are the fastest animals on land, easily capable of outrunning any other animal over short distances. To perfect their locomotive skill, cheetahs have evolved harder paws than most other cats and have claws that are only semi-retractable. These provide continuous traction that allows the cheetah to make quick turns at top speed. Full sprints take a lot of energy, last roughly 20 seconds and rarely exceed a minute. Unfortunately for the cheetah, most of their hunts still fail.

Did you know?
Achieving speeds over 100kph (65mph) cheetahs are the fastest animals on land.

Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus
Rank: Species

Cats

Cats are more purely carnivorous than any other meat-eating family and they like their meat fresh, relying on prey they have caught and killed themselves. Cats usually live solitary lives, with one famous exception: the lion, the only truly social cat. For stealth, and to protect against wear, cats retract their claws, although the cheetah's remain visible. With over 40 species, from the familar domestic to the mighty tiger, cats are found everywhere except Australia and Antarctica. Explore the familiar and the lesser known below, including the Asian golden and leopard cats, as well as the extinct sabre-toothed tiger. 

 

Scientific name: Felidae
Rank: Family

Common names:

• Felids,
• Felines

Tiger

The magnificent tiger, largest of the big cats, is a heavily muscled, powerful predator that stalks and ambushes large prey, camouflaged by its stripy coat. Unlike other cats, tigers are good swimmers and often cool off in lakes and streams during the heat of the day. Sadly, they have been pushed to the edge of existence through hunting and habitat loss, with three of the eight subspecies already extinct, and the other subspecies at high risk.

Did you know?
A tiger's stripes are like a human fingerprint, no two tigers have the same pattern.

Scientific name: Panthera tigris
Rank: Species

South American grey fox

South American grey foxes are widespread throughout Patagonia and western Argentina. They prefer to live in the foothills of coastal mountain ranges and in forest edge habitats. Foxes pair up and maintain their territory throughout the year. Mating is monogamous and both the males and females are actively care for the young. These little foxes are omnivorous, but their diet changes seasonally. They are native to South America, but have been introduced to the Falkland Islands.

Scientific name: Lycalopex griseus
Rank: Species

Common names:

• Argentine grey fox,
• Chilla,
• Grey Zorro,
• Patagonian fox

Red fox

Red foxes have overtaken grey wolves as the most widespread canines in the wild. Distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, red foxes are highly adaptable and occupy territories in deserts and tundra as well as urban areas. They live in family groups in dens and eat most things including small mammals, fruit, carrion and the contents of dustbins. As well as having excellent vision, smell and touch these bushy-tailed true foxes can produce 28 different calls.

Did you know?
There are 45 subspecies and several colour morphs of red fox.

Scientific name: Vulpes vulpes
Rank: Species

Tibetan fox

Tibetan foxes are small true foxes that live high up on the remote Tibetan plain where they form life-long partnerships. They live, hunt and share the responsibility of raising the young together. Kits stay with their parents until they are 8-10 months old, when they leave the den to find mates and home ranges of their own. Tibetan foxes are not overly territorial and many pairs live in close quarters and share hunting grounds.

 

Scientific name: Vulpes ferrilata
Rank: Species

Common names:

• Sand fox,
• Tibetan sand fox

True foxes

True foxes fall within the genus vulpes, and are therefore distinct from other species of canids also referred to as foxes. They are opportunistic feeders, eating what ever they can from small mammals and birds to carrion and fruit. Species of fox can be found on every continent except Antarctica, occupying habitats from the mountainous to the sandy. They range from the large and very successful red fox to the small Rüppell's fox. Quite often the tip of the tail is a different colour from the rest of the pelt. 

 

Scientific name: Vulpes
Rank: Genus

African wild dog

African wild dogs form packs of up to 40 members, each with a dominant breeding pair, that remain monogamous for life. These gregarious animals are co-operative hunters, relying on sight rather than smell to pinpoint their prey. Hunts tend to occur at dawn and dusk, but on occasion the dogs will venture out if there is a full moon. They chase until their prey tires, reaching speeds up to 55 kmph, and sometimes disemboweling prey it while it is still running. 

 

Scientific name: Lycaon pictus
Rank: Species

Common names:

• African hunting dog,
• Cape hunting dog,
• Painted hunting dog,
• Painted wolf,
• Spotted dog

Ethiopian wolf

Ethiopian wolves number fewer than 500 in the wild, and have the unfortunate title of the most threatened canid in the world. They are the only wolf species to exist in Africa, reduced to a handful of mountain ranges by pressures on their habitat. Ethiopian wolves live in close-knit territorial packs. Strong social bonds exist between members of the group. Adults gather to patrol and mark the territory at dawn and dusk repelling intruders, but individual pack members tend to forage alone.

 

Scientific name: Canis simensis
Rank: Species

Common names:

• Abyssinian fox,
• Red fox,
• Red jackal,
• Simien fox,
• Simien jackal

Grey wolf

Grey wolves have long embodied the spirit of the wilderness. Once they had the largest natural distribution of any mammal except humans. Sadly, they can no longer claim this record as they have been lost from much of their former lands. Grey wolves still occupy a range of habitats including Arctic tundra, prairies and forests.

The young are born blind and deaf in dens and totally reliant on their mother, and the pack, for warmth and food. Hunting with the pack for reindeer and bison begins before the pups are a year old. There are almost 40 subspecies including Arctic, tundra and Arabian wolves, domestic dogs and the dingo. They are the largest of the wild dogs. 

 

Scientific name: Canis lupus
Rank: Species

Coyote

With its blood-curdling nocturnal howl, the coyote is emblematic of North American wildlife. Extraordinary adaptability has led to an expansion of their range from Panama to all but the northernmost portions of Canada. Primarily carnivorous, coyotes can sprint at speeds of 65kph - making them one of North America's fastest mammals - though such speed is of little use in their hunt for fruit, insects and human refuse. One of the coyote's most interesting traits is the formation of hunting partnerships with American badgers: the coyotes sniff out rodents, the badgers dig them out, and both share the proceeds.

Did you know?
Reaching speeds of 65kph, coyotes are one of the fastest terrestrial mammals in North America.

Scientific name: Canis latrans
Rank: Species
 

Common names:

• American jackal,
• Prairie wolf

Wolves, dogs and jackals

The canis genus has as its members jackals, wolves, the coyote and the domestic dog. Members of the genus are found on every continent except Antarctica, the dingo having been introduced to Australia a few thousand years ago.

 

Scientific name: Canis
Rank: Genus

Arctic fox

Arctic foxes live in some of the planet's most extreme conditions. An arsenal of cold-conquering adaptations helps them survive temperatures that plummet below -50 degrees Celsius. These include the animal kingdom's best insulating fur and increased blood circulation to the feet which stops the fox's paws freezing to the ice. They range far and wide in the arctic and alpine tundra, but home dens are important and may be used for centuries by subsequent generations. Lemmings are such an important part of their diet that arctic fox populations can be greatly affected by their availability. 

Scientific name: Alopex lagopus
Rank: Species

 

Common names:

• Polar fox,
• Snow fox,
• White fox