Interesting Facts About Black Bear And Relationship With Humans

The Black Bear (also known as the American Black Bear) is a medium sized species of bear that is found inhabiting a variety of forested habitats across North America. The Black Bear is not only the most widespread bear on the North American continent but it is also the most numerous bear species in the world with there thought to be double the number of Black Bear individuals than all the other species put together. The Black Bear is also one of the only two out of the eight bear species that is not listed by the IUCN as being endangered as extensive conservation efforts added to their versatility has led to healthy populations throughout much of their remaining natural range (providing that there is a good source of food). There are sixteen recognised sub-species of Black Bear found across North America today, which vary mainly in their size and fur colour along with the region in which they live.

Black Bear Anatomy and Appearance
Despite their name, Black Bears can range in colour from black to dark red or brown and can even be a lighter tan in certain areas. They have short thick fur covering their heavily built body and have a pointed muzzle, small eyes and larger and more pointed ears than their Brown Bear relatives. Along with being a great deal smaller, there are a number of other notable differences between the two species including the Black Bear lacking the distinctive shoulder hump of their larger cousins. They also have shorter legs and claws which makes the Black Bear a much more agile climber than the Brown Bear so in areas where the two exist in the same place, Black Bears are able to escape danger by digging their claws into the tree trunk and pulling themselves up. Like all bear species though, the Black Bear has an excellent sense of smell which is used to detect food and less developed hearing and sight, due to their relatively small ears and eyes.

Black Bear Distribution and Habitat
Although the Black Bear is still widespread throughout much of North America today, their historical range once covered the entire continent where they would have been found in every inhabitable patch of forest. Today they are found from northern Canada, throughout western and parts of eastern USA, and down into northern Mexico. Providing there is a forest habitat of some description these incredibly adaptable animals will try their best to survive successfully there and they are actually found in a number of very diverse regions. Black Bears are known to inhabit the hot and dry, shrubby forests of Mexico and the steamy, hardwood swamps of the south-eastern USA, right up to the coniferous forests of Canada and Alaska and the barren treeless tundra even further north. Despite local populations in some areas being affected by loss of their natural habitats, the resilience of the Black Bear means that populations in most areas are actually increasing.

Black Bear Behaviour and Lifestyle
The Black Bear is a largely solitary and nocturnal hunter, that may occasionally tolerate the presence of other individuals when a number gather around an ample food source. Black Bears spend the majority of their waking life searching for food in the surrounding forest and must eat vast quantities of plant matter every day to ensure that they build up a decent fat reserve for the coming winter. When the hostile winter conditions set in, Black Bears retreat into a den under a hollow tree or in a burrow, where they semi-hibernate through the cold months ahead. Although this is not true hibernation as their body temperature only drops minimally, it means that they are able to wake up and venture out in search of a light snack to break up their long slumber. In hotter regions in the south Black Bears may not bother denning over the winter at all (with the exception of pregnant females), but in the most northerly parts of their range they may not emerge until 8 months later.

Black Bear Reproduction and Life Cycles
Male and female Black Bears will briefly come together to mate in the summer, after which time they will become solitary once again and both will begin to start feasting to prepare for winter. After a gestation period that lasts for around 7 months (although this includes an almost 5 month long period of delayed implantation), the female Black Bear gives birth to between one and five cubs at the end of winter in her den. The hairless cubs are incredibly vulnerable and rely on the warmth created in the den from their mother's body heat to help them to survive the early days. Black Bear cubs remain with their mother until they are nearly two years old, learning the skills that they need to survive on their own, and will even share her winter den over their first winter. After around a year and a half, the female Black Bear will again be looking to mate and cubs are often eventually scared away from her by increasingly aggressive, mature males.

Black Bear Diet and Prey
Despite being technically classed as a carnivore, the Black Bear has a diet that is mainly comprised of plant material. Between 75% and 95% of their diet is vegetarian (depending on the food available in different locations) and it is also greatly varied. Black Bears forage for fruits and nuts in the trees which they pluck off the branches using their prehensile lips, along with eating grasses, roots and bulbs on the ground and supplementing their diet with small animals like insects and rodents. Depending on the region and therefore the prey available, Black Bears are also known to hunt young Deer, eat carrion and can also master the art of catching fish in rivers (a skill that is particularly used in areas where they are no Grizzly Bears to compete for food). Due to their large body size though, Black Bears must spend the vast majority of the night eating and will spend an average of 12 hours a day trying to build up it's fat reserves for winter.

Black Bear Predators and Threats
Due to the relatively large size of the Black Bear, fully grown adults have few natural predators within their native habitats with the exception of Grizzly Bears in some areas. However, the Black Bear has evolved to have shorter claws and legs than their enormous and aggressive cousins, making them far more adept at climbing trees and giving them a good chance of escape. Young cubs however, are much more vulnerable and are threatened by a variety of different predators including Foxes, Birds of Prey and even other Black Bears. Although Black Bears and Humans do tend to have a relatively peaceful relationship, they are often persecuted by farmers who fear for their livestock in areas where growing Human settlements are encroaching on their natural territories. A number of isolated populations are also threatened by loss of their habitats mainly due to deforestation for logging.

Black Bear Interesting Facts and Features
Bears differ from other carnivores as the special molar teeth that they possess have not specially adapted to shearing meat, but to instead grind down vegetation. However, for such a large animal to sustain itself successfully on a predominantly vegetarian diet the Black Bear must spend an enormous amount of time eating and is known to consume tens of thousands of nuts and berries in a day. As they spend around half of the day foraging for and eating food, the average Black Bear consumes a nut or berry every second of this time. Although Black Bears normally move around slowly on all fours on the flat soles of their feet, they are not only able to run at speeds of up to 30mph but when they feel threatened, Black Bears will stand up on their hind legs to make themselves look even bigger in an attempt to intimidate a predator or rival, which leads to aggressive fighting if neither side backs down.

Black Bear Relationship with Humans
Black Bears would have once roamed throughout every forested area on the North American continent but although they are still widespread today, the hunting of them by people and the loss of their natural habitat in some areas has led to declines in population numbers. However, these incredibly versatile and adaptable animals have managed to continue surviving successfully and their placid nature has led to them not being scared of people, they have adapted to living close to growing settlements and have been known to raid cars and outbuildings in search of food. Black Bears are also common in a number of national parks with raids on camp-sites by Black Bears sometimes causing problems when food is left in or around tents. Although the shooting of Black Bears is legal in many states, it is said to be so well-regulated that populations throughout much of their natural range appear to actually be increasing.

Black Bear Conservation Status and Life Today
Today, the Black Bear is listed by the IUCN as an animal that is of Least Concern of becoming extinct in it's natural environment in the near future. Although a few remote populations are threatened by increasing levels of both hunting and habitat loss, Black Bears remain common and widespread throughout much of North America's forest. The regulation of Black Bears is also well-managed and although between 40,000 and 50,000 individuals are killed every year (depleting up to 20% of the population in some areas), the general population trend is increasing.

Dusky Dolphin Is One Of The Most Intelligent Animal

The Dusky Dolphin is a small species of dolphin that is found inhabiting the cooler waters along continental shelves throughout the southern hemisphere. This distinctive looking cetacean is closely related to other large marine animals including other dolphins, porpoises and whales but despite their fish-like appearance Dusky Dolphins are true mammals that both breathe air in and out of their lungs and also suckle their young on milk produced by the mother's mammary glands. Dusky Dolphins are widespread throughout the southern hemisphere with three species being recognised that have been grouped by their geographical range, with one found off the coast of South America, one near South Africa and in the Indian Ocean and another inhabits deeper waters close to New Zealand. Sadly however, despite being locally common in certain areas Dusky Dolphin populations have declined throughout much of their natural range primarily due to threats caused by increasing levels of human activity.

The Dusky Dolphin is the smallest of the world's 33 different species of dolphin growing to under two meters in length and generally weighing less than 100kg. Like other species of cetacean, Dusky Dolphins have a smooth and hairless, streamlined body that helps them to glide through the water and is powered by their two tail flukes which lay horizontally rather than vertically like those of fish. The upper-side of their bodies is either dark grey or blue-black in colour and is separated from their light grey to white under-side by a grey line which runs from their beak to the base of their tail. Dusky Dolphins also have two light grey lines which run diagonally from their tail to their dorsal fin which is tall and curved to help them to change direction quickly in the water. The beak of the Dusky Dolphin is black and more rounded in shape than those of other dolphin species and contains between 24 and 36 pairs of sharp, cone-shaped teeth that are ideal for catching slippery and fast-moving prey.

Dusky Dolphins tend to be found in cool to temperate waters (10 - 18 degrees centigrade) close to continental shelves throughout the southern hemisphere, and seem to prefer shallower rather than deep water regions (although this can vary depending on the location and time of year). Although they are not generally known to participate in seasonal migrations, Dusky Dolphins can travel vast distances across the ocean and at great speed in search of food. The three Dusky Dolphin species have been classified by the regions in which they live with the highest populations found off the coast of South America, South-Western Africa and around New Zealand. There are also populations known to occur in the waters close to Argentina along with around the Falkland Islands further south. Despite their wide range and distribution throughout the southern hemisphere Dusky Dolphin populations have been decreasing mainly due to interaction with humans including being hunted for their meat and getting caught in the nets that are used to catch the shoaling fish which the Dusky Dolphins hunt.

The exact behaviours and habits of Dusky Dolphins depends on the species and where they live however, they generally spend time close to the shore resting during the day in small groups that consist of between ten and twenty individuals. As night falls, these small groups begin to travel further away from land to feed and form pods consisting of up 1,000 individuals that includes both male and female members in order to work together to corner shoals of fish. Dusky Dolphins are incredibly sociable animals and can be seen playing, grooming and leaping together after feeding before breaking up into their smaller groups again to return closer to the coast to rest. Although they are able to dive for up to 90 seconds at a time, like other marine mammals Dusky Dolphins must keep returning to the water's surface to breathe, and expel old air and water from their lungs via the single blow-hole that is located on the top of their heads. They are highly intelligent animals and are often seen leaping out of the water before diving back in after gliding through the air for a few seconds. This technique is known as porpoising and enables the Dusky Dolphin to breathe but without having to slow down when chasing prey.

Despite being relatively wide-spread across the southern hemisphere, the fast moving nature of the Dusky Dolphin has meant that it can often be hard to study these animals in the wild and quite little is therefore known about their lifespans in general. Most Dusky Dolphin calves tend to be born towards the end of the winter and in the early summer months between October and February when the female gives birth to a single offspring after a gestation period that lasts for around 11 months. The Dusky Dolphin calf is fed on the nutritious milk provided by it's mother until it is then taught to hunt by her after about a year. Calves tend to remain close their mother until they are around three years old when they leave to join a pod of their own (males with often form bachelor groups), and the female is then able to mate again. Dusky Dolphins are thought to be able to first breed when they are between the ages of four and five and are thought to live for an average of 20 years.

The Dusky Dolphin is a carnivorous animal that only feeds on other animals in order to gain the nutrients that it needs to survive. By congregating in large groups Dusky Dolphins are able to trap vast schools of fish so that they have the best opportunity to feed, by travelling through the waters in a line and pushing the shoal into an area where it is trapped. Prey depends largely on the area in which the Dusky Dolphins are feeding but they most commonly consume anchovies, sardines and mackerel in shallower waters, squid at mid-depths and larger prey including hake and octopus in deeper ocean. Although Dusky Dolphins have excellent hearing and are able to see remarkably well through the water, it is actually a specially evolved system that these animals use which both helps them to locate prey and to also avoid upcoming obstacles. By producing a rapid series of clicking noises, the Dusky Dolphin's brain is then able to translate the clicks that bounce off things ahead (such as fish) into a mental sound map of the surrounding area and therefore knows exactly where to find food.

The relatively large size, sociable nature and sheer speed of the Dusky Dolphin means that it has very few predators that hunt it in it's natural environment. Pods of Killer Whales (to which they are related) are the main predators of the Dusky Dolphin along with some large species of shark that venture into the shallower, coastal waters. The biggest threat to the world's Dusky Dolphin populations though is people encroaching more and more on their natural habitats usually in the form of commercial fishing. As humans are fishing for the same shoaling fish as the Dusky Dolphins it often leads to them being caught up in vast nets where they can quickly become trapped. Other reasons for the decline in Dusky Dolphins include the fact that they are also hunted in some areas (particularly Peru) for their meat and are injured by large boats that hit them.

The Dusky Dolphin is thought to be one of the most intelligent animal species in the world and even communicates with other individuals using their own language which consists of a series of whistles, clicks and squeaks. The unique body shape of the Dusky Dolphin means that it is incredibly flexible and in fact, the most agile species of dolphin in the world. They are often seen leaping out of the water both when swimming and playing and the noise that is caused by them diving back into the water is able to travel for up to 1km through the water and up to 3km through the air. Dusky Dolphins are known to be incredibly sociable animals with sick or injured individuals helped by others that push them towards the surface so the vulnerable individual is able to breathe. Along with being seen together in their own pods, Dusky Dolphins are also known to interact with other cetaceans including Common Dolphins, which they feed alongside.

Despite being one of the most intelligent animals in the world, the increasing amount of man-made obstacles such as boats and rigs that litter the sea has led to a decline in Dusky Dolphin populations as they are often hit by them. Populations around South America have also suffered greatly from hunting by people for their flesh which is used both as bait for fish and for human consumption. A study carried out between 1991 and 1993 revealed that 7,000 Dusky Dolphins were captured each year and although the hunting of dolphins has been recently banned, they are still commonly hunted as food. The issue however that most affects all Dusky Dolphin populations is the fact that they are often caught by accident in large fishing nets that are targeting the same fish that the dolphins are. However, in an growing number of places around the world watching the acrobatic Dusky Dolphin is becoming increasingly popular with tourists and bringing awareness to the threats that they face.

Dusky Dolphin Is One Of The Most Intelligent Animal

The Dusky Dolphin is a small species of dolphin that is found inhabiting the cooler waters along continental shelves throughout the southern hemisphere. This distinctive looking cetacean is closely related to other large marine animals including other dolphins, porpoises and whales but despite their fish-like appearance Dusky Dolphins are true mammals that both breathe air in and out of their lungs and also suckle their young on milk produced by the mother's mammary glands. Dusky Dolphins are widespread throughout the southern hemisphere with three species being recognised that have been grouped by their geographical range, with one found off the coast of South America, one near South Africa and in the Indian Ocean and another inhabits deeper waters close to New Zealand. Sadly however, despite being locally common in certain areas Dusky Dolphin populations have declined throughout much of their natural range primarily due to threats caused by increasing levels of human activity.

The Dusky Dolphin is the smallest of the world's 33 different species of dolphin growing to under two meters in length and generally weighing less than 100kg. Like other species of cetacean, Dusky Dolphins have a smooth and hairless, streamlined body that helps them to glide through the water and is powered by their two tail flukes which lay horizontally rather than vertically like those of fish. The upper-side of their bodies is either dark grey or blue-black in colour and is separated from their light grey to white under-side by a grey line which runs from their beak to the base of their tail. Dusky Dolphins also have two light grey lines which run diagonally from their tail to their dorsal fin which is tall and curved to help them to change direction quickly in the water. The beak of the Dusky Dolphin is black and more rounded in shape than those of other dolphin species and contains between 24 and 36 pairs of sharp, cone-shaped teeth that are ideal for catching slippery and fast-moving prey.

Dusky Dolphins tend to be found in cool to temperate waters (10 - 18 degrees centigrade) close to continental shelves throughout the southern hemisphere, and seem to prefer shallower rather than deep water regions (although this can vary depending on the location and time of year). Although they are not generally known to participate in seasonal migrations, Dusky Dolphins can travel vast distances across the ocean and at great speed in search of food. The three Dusky Dolphin species have been classified by the regions in which they live with the highest populations found off the coast of South America, South-Western Africa and around New Zealand. There are also populations known to occur in the waters close to Argentina along with around the Falkland Islands further south. Despite their wide range and distribution throughout the southern hemisphere Dusky Dolphin populations have been decreasing mainly due to interaction with humans including being hunted for their meat and getting caught in the nets that are used to catch the shoaling fish which the Dusky Dolphins hunt.

The exact behaviours and habits of Dusky Dolphins depends on the species and where they live however, they generally spend time close to the shore resting during the day in small groups that consist of between ten and twenty individuals. As night falls, these small groups begin to travel further away from land to feed and form pods consisting of up 1,000 individuals that includes both male and female members in order to work together to corner shoals of fish. Dusky Dolphins are incredibly sociable animals and can be seen playing, grooming and leaping together after feeding before breaking up into their smaller groups again to return closer to the coast to rest. Although they are able to dive for up to 90 seconds at a time, like other marine mammals Dusky Dolphins must keep returning to the water's surface to breathe, and expel old air and water from their lungs via the single blow-hole that is located on the top of their heads. They are highly intelligent animals and are often seen leaping out of the water before diving back in after gliding through the air for a few seconds. This technique is known as porpoising and enables the Dusky Dolphin to breathe but without having to slow down when chasing prey.

Despite being relatively wide-spread across the southern hemisphere, the fast moving nature of the Dusky Dolphin has meant that it can often be hard to study these animals in the wild and quite little is therefore known about their lifespans in general. Most Dusky Dolphin calves tend to be born towards the end of the winter and in the early summer months between October and February when the female gives birth to a single offspring after a gestation period that lasts for around 11 months. The Dusky Dolphin calf is fed on the nutritious milk provided by it's mother until it is then taught to hunt by her after about a year. Calves tend to remain close their mother until they are around three years old when they leave to join a pod of their own (males with often form bachelor groups), and the female is then able to mate again. Dusky Dolphins are thought to be able to first breed when they are between the ages of four and five and are thought to live for an average of 20 years.

The Dusky Dolphin is a carnivorous animal that only feeds on other animals in order to gain the nutrients that it needs to survive. By congregating in large groups Dusky Dolphins are able to trap vast schools of fish so that they have the best opportunity to feed, by travelling through the waters in a line and pushing the shoal into an area where it is trapped. Prey depends largely on the area in which the Dusky Dolphins are feeding but they most commonly consume anchovies, sardines and mackerel in shallower waters, squid at mid-depths and larger prey including hake and octopus in deeper ocean. Although Dusky Dolphins have excellent hearing and are able to see remarkably well through the water, it is actually a specially evolved system that these animals use which both helps them to locate prey and to also avoid upcoming obstacles. By producing a rapid series of clicking noises, the Dusky Dolphin's brain is then able to translate the clicks that bounce off things ahead (such as fish) into a mental sound map of the surrounding area and therefore knows exactly where to find food.

The relatively large size, sociable nature and sheer speed of the Dusky Dolphin means that it has very few predators that hunt it in it's natural environment. Pods of Killer Whales (to which they are related) are the main predators of the Dusky Dolphin along with some large species of shark that venture into the shallower, coastal waters. The biggest threat to the world's Dusky Dolphin populations though is people encroaching more and more on their natural habitats usually in the form of commercial fishing. As humans are fishing for the same shoaling fish as the Dusky Dolphins it often leads to them being caught up in vast nets where they can quickly become trapped. Other reasons for the decline in Dusky Dolphins include the fact that they are also hunted in some areas (particularly Peru) for their meat and are injured by large boats that hit them.

The Dusky Dolphin is thought to be one of the most intelligent animal species in the world and even communicates with other individuals using their own language which consists of a series of whistles, clicks and squeaks. The unique body shape of the Dusky Dolphin means that it is incredibly flexible and in fact, the most agile species of dolphin in the world. They are often seen leaping out of the water both when swimming and playing and the noise that is caused by them diving back into the water is able to travel for up to 1km through the water and up to 3km through the air. Dusky Dolphins are known to be incredibly sociable animals with sick or injured individuals helped by others that push them towards the surface so the vulnerable individual is able to breathe. Along with being seen together in their own pods, Dusky Dolphins are also known to interact with other cetaceans including Common Dolphins, which they feed alongside.
 
Despite being one of the most intelligent animals in the world, the increasing amount of man-made obstacles such as boats and rigs that litter the sea has led to a decline in Dusky Dolphin populations as they are often hit by them. Populations around South America have also suffered greatly from hunting by people for their flesh which is used both as bait for fish and for human consumption. A study carried out between 1991 and 1993 revealed that 7,000 Dusky Dolphins were captured each year and although the hunting of dolphins has been recently banned, they are still commonly hunted as food. The issue however that most affects all Dusky Dolphin populations is the fact that they are often caught by accident in large fishing nets that are targeting the same fish that the dolphins are. However, in an growing number of places around the world watching the acrobatic Dusky Dolphin is becoming increasingly popular with tourists and bringing awareness to the threats that they face.

African Wild Dog Reproduction And Life Cycles

The African Wild Dog (also known as the Painted Dog and the Cape Hunting Dog) is a medium sized species of canine found across sub-Saharan Africa. The African Wild Dog is most easily identified from both domestic and other wild Dogs by their brightly mottled fur, with it's name in Latin aptly meaning painted wolf. The African Wild Dog is said to be the most sociable of all the canines, living in packs of around 30 individuals. Sadly however, this highly intelligent and sociable animal is severely under threat in much of it's natural habitat, primarily due to habitat loss and having been hunted by Humans.

African Wild Dog Anatomy and Appearance
The most distinctive feature of the African Wild Dog is it's beautifully mottled fur which makes this canine very easy to identify. The fur of the African Wild Dog is red, black, white, brown and yellow in colour with the random pattern of colours being unique to each individual. It is also thought to act as a type of camouflage, helping the African Wild Dog to blend into it's surroundings. The African Wild Dog also has large ears, a long muzzle and long legs, with four toes on each foot. This is one of the biggest differences between the African Wild Dog and other canine species as they have five. They also have a large stomach and a long, large intestine which aids them in more effectively absorbing moisture from their food.

African Wild Dog Distribution and Habitat
African Wild Dogs are found naturally roaming the deserts, open-plains and arid savanna of sub-Saharan Africa where the range of the African Wild Dog has decreased rapidly. It is thought that the African Wild Dog was once found in nearly 40 different African countries but that number is much lower today, at between 10 and 25. Now most African Wild Dog populations are primarily restricted to National Parks across southern Africa, with the highest populations found in Botswana and Zimbabwe. African Wild Dogs require large territories to support the pack, with pack sizes having in fact dropped in number with their decreasing home-ranges.

African Wild Dog Behaviour and Lifestyle
African Wild Dogs are highly sociable animals that gather in packs of generally between 10 and 30 individuals. There is a strict ranking system within the pack, led by the dominant breeding pair. They are the world's most sociable Dogs and do everything as a group, from hunting for and sharing food, to helping sick members and assisting in raising young. African Wild Dogs communicate between one another through touch, movement and sound. Pack members are incredibly close, gathering together before a hunt to nose and lick each other, whilst wagging their tails and making high-pitched noises. African Wild Dogs lead a crepuscular lifestyle meaning that they are most active during dawn and dusk.

African Wild Dog Reproduction and Life Cycles
In African Wild Dog packs, there is usually only one breeding pair, which are the dominant male and female members. After a gestation period of around 70 days, the female African Wild Dog gives birth to between 2 and 20 pups in a den, which she remains in with her young for the first few weeks, relying on the other pack members to provide her with food. The African Wild Dog cubs leave the den at between 2 and 3 months old and are fed and cared for by the entire pack until they are old enough to become independent and generally leave to join or start another African Wild Dog pack. It is thought that the more looked after the pups are, the higher their chances of survival.

African Wild Dog Diet and Prey
The African Wild Dog is a carnivorous and opportunistic predator, hunting larger animals on the African plains in their big groups. African Wild Dogs primarily prey on large mammals such as Warthogs and numerous species of Antelope, supplementing their diet with Rodents, Lizards, Birds and Insects. They are even known to hunt much larger herbivores that have been made vulnerable through sickness or injury, such as Wildebeest. Although the African Wild Dog's prey is often much faster, the chase can last for miles, and it is this Dog's stamina and perseverance that makes them so successful, along with their ability to maintain their speed. Hunting as a pack also means that the African Wild Dogs can easily corner their prey.

African Wild Dog Predators and Threats
Due to the relatively large size and dominant nature of the African Wild Dog and their pack, they have few natural predators within their native habitats. Lions and Hyenas have been known on occasion, to prey on African Wild Dog individuals that have been separated from the rest of the group. One of the biggest threats to the African Wild Dog are farmers that hunt and kill the African Wild Dog in fear that they are preying on their livestock. A drastic decline in their natural habitats has also pushed the remaining African Wild Dog populations into small pockets of their native regions, and they are now most commonly found within National Parks.

African Wild Dog Interesting Facts and Features
The long large intestine of the African Wild Dog means that they have a very efficient system for absorbing as much moisture from their food as possible. This gives these canines an advantage in such arid climates as they do not need to find such a regular supply of water. African Wild Dogs are therefore able to go for long periods of time without needing to drink. Unlike many other carnivores, African Wild Dogs kill their prey by starting to bite it when it is still alive. Although this may sound cruel, the animal actually dies more quickly and less painfully than if it was killed in the generally preferred way.

African Wild Dog Relationship with Humans
African Wild Dog populations have been declining rapidly across the southern African countries mainly due to loss of much of their natural habitat and the fact that they are commonly hunted by farmers in particular. The slightly savage nature of the African Wild Dog has led to a great deal of superstition regarding it, with locals having almost wiped out entire populations in certain areas. The loss of their historical ranges generally due to growing Human settlements has also led to drastic declines in populations throughout much of their environment. Although the majority of the African Wild Dog population is today confined to National Parks, they tend to require much larger territories and come into conflict with Humans when they leave these protected areas.

African Wild Dog Conservation Status and Life Today
Today, the African Wild Dog is listed as an Endangered species as African Wild Dog population numbers have been rapidly declining, particularly in recent years. There are thought to be less than 5,000 individuals left roaming sub-Saharan Africa today, with numbers still declining. Hunting, habitat loss and the fact that they are particularly vulnerable to the spread of disease by livestock, are the main causes for the continent's African Wild Dog loss.

What Is A Domestic Cat

I am thoroughly confused about the definition of a "domestic cat." Aren't all cats domesticated these days? What is the difference between a domestic cat and a mixed breed cat? I thoroughly understand your confusion, and don't feel alone. Many people feel disappointed or feel that their cat has been slighted by being described as a domestic cat. Yes, the cats we enjoy as pets today are all domesticated, in that they all descend from those original cats in Africa, the Mediterranean and middle east regions.

Domestic cats, no matter their breed, are all members of one species. Felis catus has had a very long relationship with humans. Ancient Egyptians may have first domesticated cats as early as 4,000 years ago. Plentiful rodents probably drew wild felines to human communities. The cats' skill in killing them may have first earned the affectionate attention of humans. Early Egyptians worshipped a cat goddess and even mummified their beloved pets for their journey to the next world—accompanied by mummified mice! Cultures around the world later adopted cats as their own companions.

Like their wild relatives, domestic cats are natural hunters able to stalk prey and pounce with sharp claws and teeth. They are particularly effective at night, when their light-reflecting eyes allow them to see better than much of their prey. Cats also enjoy acute hearing. All cats are nimble and agile, and their long tails aid their outstanding balance.

Cats communicate by marking trees, fence posts, or furniture with their claws or their waste. These scent posts are meant to inform others of a cat's home range. House cats employ a vocal repertoire that extends from a purr to a screech.

Domestic cats remain largely carnivorous, and have evolved a simple gut appropriate for raw meat. They also retain the rough tongue that can help them clean every last morsel from an animal bone (and groom themselves). Their diets vary with the whims of humans, however, and can be supplemented by the cat's own hunting successes.

If you have a domestic cats who has honored you with his or her presence in your home, my best advice is to love your kitty unconditionally, as he will love you. In the long run, it really doesn't matter what his heritage is, the most important thing is that he is home with you where he belongs.