#Carnivora

[snototter]

A Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) sleeping in Galapagos, Ecuador

by Tim Matthews

[life-on-our-planet]

Leopard seals are pagophilic mammals, meaning they prefer to live on or near sea ice and depend on it for many activities and functions. ©

[alphynix]

Spectember 2024 #05: Most Weasel

@gaycoonie suggested a "future legless mustelid":

Descended from an arboreal offshoot lineage of the modern least weasel, Maximagale gaycooniei is a bizarre mustelid that appears to have converged on the lifestyle of ambush-hunting tree snakes, evolving in northern latitudes where actual snakes are largely absent.

Growing to about 1m long (3'3"), it's not truly legless but its limbs are all reduced down to tiny vestigial single-clawed spurs, which are used to help anchor its body while climbing and as claspers during mating. It moves around with a distinctive inchworm-like looping gait, alternating grasping and releasing with its front and hind spurs.

Its build is bottom-heavy, with most of its mass concentrated in its thicker back end, and its tail is semi-prehensile. It clings to trees with its body bunched up, camouflaged with cryptic coloration, and rapidly whips its long flexible front half out to snap its powerfully-muscled jaws at prey – such as insects, birds, lizards, frogs, small mammals, and pretty much anything else that comes within its reach.

It will also opportunistically raid the nest of birds and arboreal mammals.

Due to the less frequent meals its ambush-hunting tactics provide, it has a much slower metabolism than its ancestors, and it conserves energy with daily periods of torpor and longer hibernation during the colder months of winter. It has also retained its ancestor's tendency to seasonally shrink its brain size to reduce energy requirements even more.

[birdblues]

European Pine Marten

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Can you do any type of Civet? There some of my favourite obscure little dudes!

Sure!

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Marine mammals have to hold their breath underwater, but some species like the northern elephant seal have to hold it on land too! To conserve heat and energy while they bask, molt, and nurse pups while, northern elephant seals will go through phases of 'apnoea', wherein they cease breathing for 8-10 minutes, followed by periods of breathing for about 5 minutes. On average, they only breathe about 9-10 times per minute while hauled out on the beach.

(Image: A male northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) by NOAA Fisheries)

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[wikipediapictures]

Sea otter

“A close-up of a sea otter, taken in Morro Bay, California in 2016.” - via Wikimedia Commons

[julianhuxley]

A Lion Cub at the London Zoo.

Source: Photograph by F.W. Bond in E.G. Boulenger's Animal Ways (London: Ward, Lock & Co., Limited, 1931).

[spinus-pinus]

Fossa Cryptoprocta ferox

5/28/2023 San Diego Zoo, California

[i-love-hyenas]

Spencer Wright, 2009

[snototter]

A pair of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Manitoba, Canada.

by Sean Crane

[life-on-our-planet]

The highly social and expressive grey wolves are most well-suited to cooperative hunting of all the canids. Playtime looks pretty much the same though! ©

[alphynix]

Spectember/Spectober 2024 #09: Big Bad Wild Dogs

@poshtearexdoodles asked for "African wild dogs evolved to fill the larger pack animal niche of lions":

Although in this particular timeline the endangered and fragmented wild painted dogs in Africa didn't survive far past modern times, that wasn't the final extinction of the species – captive groups persisted, and after the [REDACTED] of humans an escaped population managed to carve out a niche for themselves in the grasslands of southern North America.

Their most notable descendant is Megainolycos poshtearexi. At nearly 1m tall at the shoulder (~3'3") it's one of the largest canids to ever exist, comparable to present-day lions in size and general ecology, with short thick bone-crushing jaws convergent with those of hyenas.

It also retains the complex variable coat coloration of its ancestors, with each individual having a unique disruptive pattern of black, white, and brown blotches.

Much like its ancestors it's a highly social pack predator specialized for endurance hunting. Along with some surprisingly horse-like limb ligament morphology, its feet now sport hoof-like nails rather than claws, and it pursues prey over long distances to the point of exhaustion – mainly targeting the larger ungulates across its prairie habitat such as hogs, horses, bovids, and deer.

[birdblues]

Black Bear

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

has the raccoon featured here yet? would love to request her if not.

We actually haven't, great pick! I'll do the common raccoon.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Voting is so important, even dogs do it! Painted wild dogs live in large packs, typically led by a dominant mated pair. However, it's not a total dictatorship: when it comes time to hunt, the pack decides collectively whether or not to go . One individual, typically a pack leader, initiates a vote by sneezing. If a majority of the pack agrees-- via sneezing-- then it's time for the pack to go catch dinner!

(Image: A painted wild dog (Lycaon pictus) by Pim Stouton)

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