Creature Feature #59: Blue Dragon

The Blue Dragon, or Blue Angel, is a species of nudibranch. Like all nudibranches, the Blue Dragon is a hermaphrodite. They can grow up to 3 cm in length. Despite their tiny size, they are a voracious predator, preying on the venomous Portugese Man O’war. They are immune to the poison and actually devour the whole victim, taking the poison into their own system. This then becomes concentrated within this tiny critter and makes them even more venomous than that which they consume.

Creature Feature #58: Black Lemur

This “true lemur” species shows rather dramatic sexual dimorphism: only the male is actually black, whereas the female is a rich chesnut red. She is found in north-west Madagascar and, like all lemurs, leads an arboreal existence. The majority of her diet is fruit, although she will sample invertebrates and enjoys nectar. She has been observed capturing millipedes, biting them into an agitated state, in which the millipede begins releasing its toxin. She then rubs it across her fur. These toxins are not fatal to lemurs, and it is thought that it is used to repel insects, but the lemur also clearly enters a blissful state, more or less getting itself “high” on this narcotic substance.
Watch it here in this over-dramatised video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LwQ0ZiTYkQ

Creature Feature #57: Bison

The Bison is the largest land animal of North America. He leads a nomadic existence, travelling with his herd across the river valleys and plains of Wyoming and Montana. His herd will probably consist of other males, all over three years of age, remaining separate from the larger female herds until mating season. Then competition to secure a mate is fierce, with the bulls clashing in dramatic battles as they endeavour to start their own, short-term, harems. Once they have mated, the bulls play no part in caring for the calves and will return to their bachelor existence. Once widespread across America, the Bison suffered decimation in the 19th century and now fragmented populations remain, whilst stable and increasing there are fears of lost genetic diversity and also inbreeding with domesticated cattle.

Creature Feature #56: Bird-of-Paradise

The Birds-of-Paradise are part of a Passerine Family who m ake their home in Papua New Guinea and its surrounding islands. The males are noteworthy for their elaborate plumage which can include crests; tail plumes or other flamboyant feathering, all of which is displayed in a colourful and quite complicated courtship dance. Sometimes the females he attracts may be different species, and hybrids are not unknown. Outside of these mating rituals, he pursues a frugivorous diet, and is an important agent in seed dispersion throughout the rainforest.

Creature Feature #55: Binturong

The Binturong is sometimes known as the "bearcat" for he has features not disimilar to both a bear and a cat, with a bit of mop thrown in for good measure. He is, in fact, a member of the Viverrid Family and makes his home in tall forests, with a distribution partly across Indochina and SouthEast Asia. He is a large Viverrid and the female is up to 20% larger than the male. His sturdy tail is prehensile and used as he clambers about the trees to help him keep his balance. He does not hang from his tail as a monkey does, however. He enjoys an omnivorous diet - fruits and other vegetable matter featuring highly on the menu, along with small mammals, birds and the occasional earthworm or fish, should he stumble upon them. He is not predatory by nature. His scent is not unlike slightly rancid popcorn and whilst sometimes kept as a pet, can prove to be unpredictable and ill tempered.

Creature Feature #54: Bharal

This caprid is sometimes known as the “blue sheep” due to the blueish tinge to his pelt. He is a nimble footed beast, making his home in the Himalayas and surrounding mountainous regions. Both male and female develop horns, with the females measuring in at around 20 cm, the males up to 80cm. These horns are used by the male in rutting season, when he goes head-to-head with rival males to secure himself a mate.

If threatened, he will either freeze, or leap up the almost vertical cliffs and then freeze, relying on his slate grey colouration to camouflage him against the rock. He features regularly on the menu of the snow leopard, and is sometimes trophy-hunted, but population sizes are healthy.

Creature Feature #53: Bee-Eater

This colourful and charming bird derives its name from, of course, its diet, which consists mainly of insects - especially bees and wasps. To catch this dangerous diet, he snatches the bee from the air, smacking it and rubbing it repeatedly against the branch to extract the stinger. Most prey is captured in flight, with the bird selecting a perch and using it to watch and wait. These perches can be branches, telegraph wires or sometimes even the back of a larger bird (bustard) or animal. If the prey insect lands on the ground, it is generally ignored.