The Black & White Ruffled Lemur is one of the many types of lemurs on earth. These forest-dwelling lemurs are found in eastern Madagascar, an island of the coast of southern Africa known for its many species of lemurs.

Black & White lemurs get their name from the white fur found in patches within the lemur's black coat. They have a thick ruff or mane around their necks and have a fox-like muzzle. The average size for a ruffled lemur is 2 feet from head to body and weigh around 7-10 pounds. Lemurs can live up to 18 years of age in captivity.

Ruffled lemurs live in small groups of about 2-5 members, usually consisting of a mating pair and offspring. Black & White lemurs eat mainly fruit and will also eat leaves, flowers and even soil. Ruffled lemurs are built for tree life with hands that are used to grip to the bark and strong legs to jump from branch to branch and from tree to tree. They use a series of vocalizations to communicate with other lemurs, like to warn when there's a predator near or they are ready to mate. Females reach sexual maturity at 20 months of age and will usually mate for life. They are seasonal breeders and have a gestation period of 90-102 days. Over half the litters born consists of twins, while others are single and triplets. At 5 weeks, baby lemurs can climb trees and are weaned at about 4 months.

Black & White Ruffled Lemurs are endangered due to habitat destruction, poaching and commercial exportation.


Two Black & White Ruffled Lemurs relax, sitting in the grass.

In 1926, reports that a cheetah with black stripes down it's back, and splotches instead of spots, had been seen in Zimbabwe began speculation that a new, rare breed of cheetah, the "King Cheetah", was stalking the plains of southern Africa. A man with an extremely cool name, Reginald Innes Pocock, was convinced that it was a new species and in 1927 named it Acinonyx rex, but the animal was only to be sighted five more times between then and 1974 when one was finally photographed in South Africa's Kruger National Park.

Debate then ensued about whether the King cheetah was a separate species, subspecies, or color phase. It was even suggested that they were leopard-cheetah hybrids when some analysts noticed that the cuticular scale pattern from a King cheetah's hair more closely resembled that of a leopard than that of a normal cheetah.

The question was answered in the early 1980's when King cheetahs were born as a result of a pairing of normal cheetahs at the De Wildt Cheetah Center in South Africa. Since then two additional Kings have been wild-caught, but the majority of the world population of King cheetahs are descendants of the De Wildt cats. There are probably less than ten free-living Kings.

The unique coat pattern is now known to be the result of a mutation inherited as a single autosomal recessive allele.


King George, a King Cheetah, relaxes at the Miami Metro Zoo in Florida.

The Crowned Lemur is small lemur with a head and body length of about 34 cm, a tail length of about 45 cm (for a total length of 75-85 cm), and a body weight of around 2 kg. The species is notably sexually dichromatic. Females have a short gray body hair and are lighter on the ventrum. The face is gray and the cheeks and throat are pale. Male body coat is dark gray-brown dorsally, the tail is dark, the face gray and the nose black. The limbs are paler than the back. Both sexes have an orange v-shaped pattern pointing forward on the head, while often the orange crown color circles around the face to connect with the red beard.

The Crowned lemur is found from the extreme north, on the Cap d'Ambre peninsula, southwest to Amilobe and probably some distance down the Mahavavy River. To the east, its limit is some point just north of Sambava, possibly the Bemarivo River. Throughout this range, the crowned lemur exists in practically all forests. It is found at high densities in many dry forests, and tend to occur at lower densities in the moister forests of the region.

The Crowned lemur has been studied in the dry forests of Ankarana and Sakalava and in the humid forests on Mt. d'Ambre. Densities range from about 50 animals/square km in humid forest to more than 100 square km in dry forest, which is the preferred habitat. It is reported to travel in all levels of the forest, seeming to prefer the canopy level, and is likely to be found in lianas, thick cover and terminal branches. It also readily descends to the ground to eat fallen fruit, lick earth or travel.

Group size doesn't appear to differ significantly between the two habitat types, the average size being five or six and the maximum about 15 individuals. Large groups often split into foraging subgroups of one to four. Such subgroups often use vocalizations to maintain contact with or to locate subgroups when separation distances are large.

Although primarily diurnal, Crowned lemurs are also active at night, at which time they have been observed traveling and feeding. Its diet consists largely of fruit, both in dry and moist forests, but also includes young leaves, flowers, pollen and occasionally insects.

In Ankarana and Montagne d'Ambre, mating occurs in late May and June, and births take place from mid-September through October. In captivity, a gestation length of 125 days has been established, and twin singleton births appear to be equally common.


A Crowned Lemur climbs up a tree branch.

Also known as the ribbon fish, the Oarfish is the longest bony fish in the sea. It is a very rare and peculiar fish. Most are seen dead washed up on beaches. Live oarfish encounters are few, though they are sometimes seen on the surface.

The derivation of the common name is uncertain. It may refer to the oar-shaped body, or the long oar-like pelvic fins, or possibly to reports that as the fish swims the pelvic fins scull the water like oars.

Its shiny, silvery body and bright red crest that runs along the entire length of its body easily distinguish oarfish. It has a concave head profile and lacks an anal fin. There are tiny spines projecting laterally off each caudal and pelvic fin ray. It can grow up to 50 feet in length and weigh as much as 100 pounds.

The Oarfish is found worldwide in all tropical and temperate marine waters. It is thought to live at depths up to 3,000 feet, where it feeds largely on invertebrates and fishes. They have only been known to come up to the surface when sick or dying and have rarely ever been seen alive.

An oarfish is believed to be able to survive with only half of its body intact. Oarfish may also be responsible for the many sightings of sea serpents reported by ancient mariners. Although several species of oarfishes have been described, there is now believed to be only one species.


A dead Oarfish washed up on a Florida beach.

Resembling an elongated cat, the fossa is the largest carnivore in Madagascar. The tail is almost as long as the slender, muscular body, and the fossa's coat is short and reddish-brown in color. The head is fairly small, with a short muzzle and prominent ears. Unlike other members of the Viverridae family, the fossa walks on the soles of its feet. The short, retractable claws also enable efficient tree climbing.

Living in Madagascar, the fossa is found throughout the island. In the Central Highlands however, it is only known from certain areas, such as the Andringitra Massif. Fossas inhabit the majority of Malagasy forest types, up to elevations of around 2,000 meters above sea level.

Fossas are active during the day and night and, with the exception of the breeding season, they are generally solitary. Both males and females occupy territories, which are scent marked with anal gland secretions, and vary in size depending on the abundance of prey species.

Fossas feed on a wide variety of small mammals, birds and reptiles. In high mountain areas, small mammals such as tenrecs feature heavily in the diet, whilst in forest areas lemurs can make up more than 50% of prey items. The fossa's long tail provides balance for pursing this agile prey through the trees, and pairs may cooperate to catch larger prey.

Fossas have an extremely unusual mating system. A receptive female will occupy a tree, which males congregate, fighting and calling to the female. Over the period of a week the female will mate with a number of different males, and copulation bouts can sometimes last for over two-and-a-half hours. A new female then arrives and replaces the original one, mating with the gathered males in her turn. The mating season runs from September to November, and between 2 and 4 young are born in a den three months after copulation. The young are initially blind and helpless, opening their eyes after 15 days. They will then remain with their mother until they are 15 to 20 months old.

The fossa population on Madagascar is said to be fewer than 2,500 individuals. Habitat loss is one of the main causes of decline, and fragmented populations become isolated in remaining forest patches. Probably the most important threat to survival however, comes from local farmers who regard fossas as serious predators of poultry.


A group of three Fossa rest on a ledge.

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The Clouded Leopard is distinct from other members of the Felidae family, due mainly to the unique shape of its skull, to be placed in a separate genus - Neofelis. Outwardly, this cat is immediately recognizable by its distinctive coat pattern. The base color of the clouded leopard's fur is pale yellow/brown and is marked with large irregular shaped markings, each dark brown/black around the edge and lighter in the middle and it is this ‘cloud’ pattern that give the cat its name. The undersides and short, stout legs are visible and the head and neck streaked with black/dark brown. In overall size, the clouded leopard reaches up to 38 inches in body length, whilst having an extremely long tail, measuring up to nearly 3 feet. Clouded leopards also have the largest canine teeth in proportion to its body size of any of the cat family.

Native to South Eastern Asia, the habitat of the clouded leopard is generally that of dense tropical forest in the trees up to a height of 7,000 feet, however recent reports indicate that the cat may also inhabit more open forested terrain and swamp margins. A distinct sub-species known as the Formosan clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyurus) is reported to be found only in Taiwan - however lack of recent sightings suggest that due to loss of natural habitat and decline of its prey may indicate that this sub-species may now be extinct in the wild.

The clouded leopard is an extremely good climber, aided by the balancing effect of its long tail and supple ankle joints - in captivity the clouded leopard has been observed hanging from overhanging branches by its rear legs. Although partly arboreal, the clouded leopard hunts mainly on the ground at night. Its prey includes deer, goats, wild pig, reptiles, and birds. Monkeys are also on the prey list and are that of these hunted off the ground.

Throughout its range, the clouded leopard has been heavily hunted for its distinctive fur and for its teeth and bones, which, as with the tiger, are commonly used in Oriental medicine preparations. This with the loss of habitat, mainly due to deforestation, has led to the clouded leopard to being endangered.


A Clouded Leopard rests on a branch at the Miami Metro Zoo in Florida.

The Black Rhinoceros is actually gray, not black. It was named after the Black Umfolozi River, the area in which it was discovered, by William Burchell. Smaller than a white rhino, it stands from four feet nine inches to five and a half feet tall at the shoulder. Black rhinos can weigh as much as 1.75 tons. Its upper lip is pointed and has a prehensile tip.

Both males and females have a set of horns, the front one being longer and averaging about 20 inches, but growing as long as 53 inches. The large bump on its head in front of the skull helps anchor the horn to the head.

A black rhino has poor eyesight, but it is keen of hearing and smell, which reportedly is better than a bloodhound's. Black rhinos live from 40-50 years.

Black rhinoceros live in brush and scattered open woodlands, and frequently mud wallows. The range of the black rhinoceros is limited to areas of eastern and southern Africa. Most of them are found in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya and Namibia.

Rhinoceros tend to be solitary animals, although groups of two or three are not rare. The male, especially, is territorial, and defends his turf vigorously against rivals. Its reputation for being bad-tempered is probably exaggerated, but it is an unsociable and aggressive animal. Probably due to its poor eyesight, rhinos tend to charge aimlessly and unpredictably, and may hit trees or automobiles. Despite a charging speed of 35 mph, a black rhino can stop and change directions very quickly.

The black rhinoceros uses its hooked upper lip for stripping leaves and twigs from the bushes and shrubs on which it browses. They usually feed at night and in early morning, and need to drink at least once a day.

Rhinos have no particular breeding season. A single calf is born after a gestation period of about 15 months. The calf stays with its mother for as long as two years, often remaining with her after the birth of the subsequent calf. Sexual maturity is reached at about five years.


A Black Rhinoceros and calf graze on hay at the Miami Metro Zoo in Florida.