Creature Feature #170: Douc

The Douc are a Genus of striking langur monkeys found in Southeast Asia. This fellow is the Red-Shanked species and he is occasionally referred to as the "costumed ape" (although he is not an ape at all). Troops consist of between 4 and 15 members, with up to 50 recorded, and with twice as many females as males. An aerial specialist - the males lead the troops through the treetops, making soaring leaps of up to 6 meters. He is a very expressive monkey, with individuals communicating emotion through facial expression. Gentle and peaceful, the troop gather in the branches to chew on leaves and will share tidbits with one another.

Creature Feature #169: Dormouse

The Dormice are a Family of small rodents spread across Europe, Africa and Asia, although the name is most commonly used to refer to this little critter - the Hazel Dormouse. She is nocturnal and spends her nights clambering through branches in search of fruits, berries, flowers and hazelnuts. Her existence is almost entirely arboreal and she will rarely, if ever, come to ground and will make detours to avoid having to descend. During the days she sleeps in a nest woven from honeysuckle bark, leaves and grasses. If the weather is cold and wet, she will sink into a deep sleep - a torpor, to save energy. In this manner she also hibernates through winter, thus spending a decent proportion of her life asleep (as illustrated in the book Alice in Wonderland)

Creature Feature #168: Dorado

The Dorado, or Dolphinfish, is a surface-dwelling rayfinned fish also known as mahi-mahi. He is short-lived, with most living no more than 4-5 years, but grows very fast and matures at around 4-5 months of age, and can breed year round with females producing between 80,000 and 1,000,000 eggs each spawning event. Of these massive numbers, only a small proportion will survive, but it is enough to keep the population stable. His Spanish name - Dorado - translates as "golden", and when out of the water his scales do change colour, eventually fading to a muted yellow-grey upon death. A popular recreational fish, the Dorado is considered of "least concern" and appears on many menus.

Creature Feature #167: Donkey

The Donkey is a domesticated species, descended from this equine, the African Wild Donkey, or Ass. Two subspecies exist, but only 570 individuals are known to survive. Her life is adapted to a dry, desert environment. The large ears are not only sensitive to sound, but also act in thermoregulation. She lives in herds, lead by a dominant male, although other males are tolerated. Each herd holds a large territory, the male marking the boundaries with his dung. Due to their open and sparse environment, herds may become quite spread out and they communicate with one another making loud braying calls. Her diet mostly consists of dry grass, bark and leaves; despite having a tough digestive system she does need to drink every two-three days.

Creature Feature #166: Domino Beetle

The Domino Beetle is so named for the ten distinctive spots upon his back. He can be found across Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and the UAE, where he colonises desert scrubland and plains. Well adapted for a terrestrial existence, has has long, slender legs and strong eyesight to help him hunt for prey. If threatened, he can squirt jets of formic acid to burn the potential predator and also creating a foul aroma. Nocturnal in nature, he remains hidden away during the daylight hours. During the night he hunts for smaller invertebrates.

Creature Feature #165: Dolphin

The Dolphin is a fully aquatic mammal, noted for her intelligence and playful behaviour. There are almost forty species of dolphin, with the most widely recognised being the Bottlenose Dolphin - named for the shape of her snout. Despite being reliant on the water for survival, the Dolphin still needs to breath air through a single blowhole on the top of her head. Her body is streamlined and sleek with fore limbs modified into powerful flippers and her spine tapering into a propelling tail. Her hearing and eyesight are sharp, with her hearing being linked to her lower jaw. She emits high-pitched sound, sonar, to navigate underwater via echolocation.

Creature Feature #164: Dropbear

The Dropbear is the koala's larger, and more dangerous, cousin. He is about the size of a large dog and can weigh in at up to 120 kg. His preferred habitat is dense forest, with sturdy tree branches and thick canopy, in which he lurks and waits for his prey. Dropbear have a unique method of hunting and one that is well suited to the koala's sedantary way of life - he waits until a potential victim wanders beneath his branch and then drops from it. Often his weight will stun the prey, and it is then quickly dispatched with his specially adapted "killing claw". All koala have two thumbs, but in the Dropbear the claw of the inner thumb has modified into a knife. Unlike most predators (and despite popular rumour), the Dropbear does not sport elongated canine teeth, in fact his most dangerous are his pre-molars, which are razor-edged and powerful. His natural prey is large macropods - kangaroos - but with  more and more humans encroaching on his habitat, attacks of people have become all too commonplace. It is said that anointing oneself with vegemite will act as a sort of Dropbear repellent.