Creature Feature #275: Goblin Shark

A strange monster of the deep, the Goblin Shark is rarely seen and little is known about his behaviour. His large, flabby body and short fins suggest that he leads a largely sedantary lifestyle, probably ambusing his piscian prey. When he bites, he expands his jaws using two specialised ligaments. This allowes him to seize his prey in his needle-thing teeth, before his bashyal, bones analogous to a tongue, descends, increasing his oral cavity and sucking the prey down his throat. . His long snout is likely to play a sensory role, and is capable of detecting electric currents in the water.

Creature Feature #274: Goat

This fellow is an American Mountain Goat. In fact, he is not even a goat at all, but one of the so-called "goat-antelopes".  He is a high altitude and sure-footed beast, making his home high in the alpine peaks of the Rocky and Cascade Mountain ranges. During breeding season, males compete for the females, engaging in some rather vicious head-butting. Afterwards, the males break off into small bands, leaving the females together in a herd to last out the winter and birth their kids come spring. Female goats, who also have horns and beards, are quite aggressive with one another as they jostle for positions in the hierarchy.

Creature Feature #273: Giraffe Weevil

The Giraffe Weevil is a strange insect, found only in Madagascar and first discovered in 2008. The male is characterised by his long neck, which is not used to help him nibble on leaves - although he is a herbivore - but for mortal combat. The two males will battle for the right to mate with the shorter-necked female.  The female then creates a nest for her single egg by curling up the leaf of a very specific plant, weaving it together deftly before snipping it off and dropping it to the forest floor.

Creature Feature #272: Giraffe

So today, due to reasons, I almost didn't make my "Animal a day". It is now 11pm, and here (after 3 episodes of Writing Excuses) he is. Although I may have to do a better illustration later (not happy with the face, dagnammit).

The Giraffe is the tallest living land mammal, with males growing up to 6m in height. These long legs and long neck enable him to browse higher in the trees than other herbivores, and also afford him a good view of the surrounding terrain. Other ungulates will graze near giraffes, knowing that their tall companion will alert them if danger is near. His blue tongue is up to 50cm long and prehensile, perfect to wrap around leaves, and he also has a prehensile upper lip.  Such a long neck and legs does come at a disadvantage, however. To drink, the Giraffe must splay his legs and bend awkwardly to lap the water.

Creature Feature #271: Gila Monster

The venomous Gila Monster stalks the southwestern deserts of the United States. Slow-moving and sluggish, he spends much of his life either underground or in rocky shelters, being most active in the early morning or after rain. He does not eat often - 5-10 times per year - and he uses his acute sense of smell to locate eggs or carrion. When he does feed, he gorges himself, swallowing animal prey head-first. His venom is considered more for defence than the capture of prey, and contains a neurotoxin. His bite contains only small amounts, and his bite is not fatal to humans although it is very painful. Once he latches on, it is very difficult to dettach him.

Creature Feature #270: Gibbon

The Gibbon is one of the so-called "lesser" apes, being behaviourally closer to a monkey than an ape, but displaying the ape's most identifiable feature - the lack of a tail.  The Gibbon is characterised by his long arms, which he  uses for brachiating through his rainforest home. He can do this an speeds approaching 55 km/hr and make leaps of up to 8 metres. With such long arms, he cannot walk on all fours and instead moves upright. He is a social beast, pair-bonding with his mate and defending his territory through loud vocal displays. The pair often duet together, with the sound carrying up to 1 km.

Creature Feature #269: Ghost Frog

The Ghost Frog Family consists of seven species found in South Africa. He is typically found in or around fast-moving streams. His body is slightly flattened, allowing him to squeeze into cracks during the day. As dusk falls, he comes out to forage, using his has large toe discs to help him cling to the rocks as he hunts for insects, arthropods and smaller frogs. The tadpoles' mouthparts are modified into large suckers, so that they can remain in one place while feeding on algae. Due to their limited range, all species are threatened by environmental degradation and also the virulent fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, which is decimating frog populations worldwide.