Animal A Day

Stingless Bee

Published on 2012-02-12 10:55:00

Trigona carbonaria Did you know that there are Stingless Bees out there? How awesome! Bee stings stink! ...Though the name is a little bit misleading, as these 500 or so species are not the only bees out there with reduced stingers. Stingless Bees can be found in Tropical and Subtropical regions around the world, like in Australia, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They belong to the Tribe Meliponini, and are active year round due to their warm environment. Stingless bees actually do have

Stoneflies

Published on 2012-02-11 08:00:00

There are over 3,500 species within the  Plecoptera order, and these insects are commonly referred to as Stoneflies. They can be found on every single continent except for Antarctica. They are poor fliers as adults, which means the individual species tend to remain in small, specific areas. This is one of the reasons why there are so many distinct species. Chloroperlidae Enderlein Stoneflies are awesome because they are a very primitive order. Fossils of their close relatives

Imperial Shag

Published on 2012-02-10 09:30:00

Phalacrocorax atriceps The Imperial Shag goes by many names, including the Blue Eyed Shag and the Blue Eyed Cormorant. They live in the southern reaches of the planet, hunting and breeding as far away as Antarctica. As with all Cormorants, the Imperial Shag dives for its food. They have very little body fat and heavy bones. This allows them to be less buoyant and to swim underwater easier. The Shags posses a large volume of blood, and that extra oxygen lets them s

Green and Gold Tanager

Published on 2012-02-09 09:00:00

Tangara schrankii Another day, another pretty bird. Today's feathered friend is one of the 49 species found within the Tanager genus, Tangara. Meet the appropriately named Green and Gold Tanager! While it would be appropriate for these guys to live up near Lambeau Field (horrible football reference, I'm sorry), they are actually found in the tropical and subtropical forests and swamps of the Amazon Basin. Green and Gold Tanagers are omnivores that forage up in the trees for fruits,

Yellow Tang

Published on 2012-02-08 10:00:00

Zebrasoma flavescens I remember going to pet stores as a child and always admiring the huge display tanks of saltwater fish. And one particular fish always stood out- the Yellow Tang. How could it not? Its large(ish) size, its bright, almost neon coloring. It's quite the beauty! Yellow Tangs are native to the shallow, coastal reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They don't swim much deeper than 46m, and the larger fish tend to stay in the shallowest waters. Haw

Wied's Marmoset

Published on 2012-02-07 10:00:00

Callithrix kuhlii Wied's Marmoset is a small New World Monkey that lives in a small little pocket of forest near the Brazilian Atlantic Coast. The social structure of the Wied's Marmoset is rather interesting. They live in a polyandrous society led by a dominant female. This female is often the only one who mates, and she will typically mate with multiple males. Another, even more interesting fact about these Monkeys is that they commonly exhibit Chimerism. Wied's Marmosets typicall

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Published on 2012-02-06 10:03:00

The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle is one of the smaller Sea Turtles; they have a carapace length of around 2ft. They also have the distinction of being the most abundant Sea Turtle on the planet, with about 800,000 females coming ashore to nest annually. Lepidochelys olivacea Olive Ridleys, named for their olive coloration, have a very large distribution and can be found in tropical waters around the world. They are a migratory pelagic Turtle, but they also can be spotted in coastal regions as wel

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Published on 2012-02-05 09:39:00

Pale-mandibled Aracari at the Milwaukee County Zoo Meet the Pale-mandibled Aracari, a species of bird that belong to the Ramphastidae family, making them relatives of the Toucans (can't you tell?) They can be found in the forests of Ecuador and Peru. Pale-mandibled Aracaris are named for... well... their pale-colored beaks. Their bodies are primarily black, but they sport some really beautiful splashes of color, including bright yellows, oranges, and reds on their chest and underbell

Nutria

Published on 2012-02-04 08:00:00

Myocastor coypus What is this weird, beaver/rat looking Rodent? Why, it is the Nutria! Sometimes also referred to as the Coypu. These guys are native to South America, where they live near bodies of water and feed on the aquatic plants. Nutria often live in colonies where they breed at very quick rates. A female may have 2 or 3 litters a year, with each litter producing as many as 13 offspring! The young Nutria leave their mother after only a month or two. They are a s

Pyrenean Brook Salamander

Published on 2012-02-03 09:30:00

Calotriton asper As the name suggests, the Pyrenean Brook Salamander (sometimes called the Pyrenean Newt) is endemic to Europe's Pyrenean Mountains. They live in clear, oxygen-rich mountain streams and lakes, and live at a variety of altitudes ranging from around 175m to 2900m. The species can be identified by its squarish head and warty skin. Pyrenean Brook Salamanders live most of their lives in the water, though they do have very flattened bodies and heads that allow them to hide under rock