Creature Feature #528: Ocellated Turkey

The Ocellated Turkey occurs naturally within the the Yacatan peninsula. He is closely related to the wild turkey, but smaller and more dramatically coloured. He leads a terrestrial existence, preferring running to flying. At night flocks will take to the trees to roost, away from nocturnal hunters. Nests are built on the ground, with teh chicks hatching after 28 days. They are precocial in nature and will leave the nest within 12 hours, following their mother as she forages.

Creature Feature #527: Ocean Sunfish

From one ocean giant to another, meet the Ocean Sunfish. This collossus of the piscian world weighs in at around 1,000 kg - the heaviest bony fish in the world. He is dorsally flattened, and sustains his bulk on a diet of jellyfish, with the occasional cephalopod, crustacean or small fish. His thick skin and massive size make him undesirable as prey, but bluefin tuna, shark and orca will occasionally eat juveniles. Sea lions have been known to "play" with them, ripping off the fins and leaving the handicapped fish to die. Female Sunfish produce more fry - around 300 million at a time - than any other vertebrate.

Creature Feature #526: Oarfish

The Oarfish is one of the largest fish in the sea - an adult Giant Oarfish can grow up to 11 m in length. He is a solitary fish, venturing to depths of 1,000 m. Despite his size, his diet consists primarily of zooplankton, small fish, jellyfish and squid. The name "Oarfish" may come from his shape, or from the fact that he uses his elongated pelvic fins to row himself through the water.

Creature Feature #525: Nyala

The Nyala is a spiral-horned antelope of South Africa, where he lives in thickets and woodland. During the dry season, he browses, eating leaves, fruits, flowers and even twigs. When the rains come and make the grass lush, he grazes. Herds can be single gender or mixed, although adult males prefer to be alone.

Creature Feature #524: Nutria

The Nutria, or coypu, is a semi-aquatic rodent of South America. It is not to be confused with the unrelated otter (Nutria nutria). Due to her thick, water-resistant hair, the Nutria was popular in the fur industry. When her popularity declined, captive animals were released into the wild. Thus populations have become established in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Here her tendency to dig into river banks and devour all plant matter has marked her as an invasive pest.

Creature Feature #523: Nuthatch

The Nuthatch are small passerine birds found in the woodlands of the northern hemisphere. He follows an omnivorous diet, dining on a mix of insects, seeds and nuts. When foraging, he hops vertically up and down the trunk of the tree, using his slender, but strong, bill to probe into crevices. Larger food will be wedged in a crevice, then pecked at repeatedly until it splinters enough to be consumed. Nests are constructed within a tree hole, and some species will reduce the size of the entrance with mud and resin, offering some protection from woodpeckers. Another species smears blister beetles about the entrance, the stink is thought to deter squirrels.

Creature Feature #522: Nutcracker

The Nutcracker are three members of the Corvid Family. Their bills are specially adapted to feed on the nuts of pine trees. Using his bill, he removes the seeds, and stores the surplus for later consumption. As many as 30,000 seeds will be stored, and the bird will remember the location of around 70% of these. The remainder are left, sometimes to sprout, and thus help to re-establish pine forests in areas that have suffered fire or logging. Breeding occurs early in the season, with the nest being built in a pine tree, and both parents care for the offspring.

This is a Spotted Nutcracker, found across Eurasia. Other species include the Large-spotted Nutcracker, of the HImalayas and Clarks Nutcracker, who has colonised North America.