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| Sunday, 24 October 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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They are all cute, cuddly and adorable. As we cannot hug them or cuddle them in real life, we sure can't resist doing so whenever we come across a soft toy in their likeness. Let's check out these cuties to find out how they live, where they live and what they like to eat in the wilds. *** Koala - mammal with the selective diet
One is its long silky fur which is in great demand, and the other is its dangerously selective diet of 1.5 kg of eucalyptus leaves a day. It eats the leaves of only 12 species of eucalyptus gum tree, and forest clearance is fast reducing these trees. It's cuddly bear-like appearance, flat leathery nose and big eyes make it one of the most appealing of all animals. Koalas are helpless creatures on ground because they have no feet as such to walk on flat ground. It really has four 'hands' with which it grips branches. It can move the first and second digits of its 'hands' so that they look like two thumbs.Weighing about 4-15 kg (9-33 lb) the koala is found in dry forests and woodlands in the coastal region of eastern Australia.Koalas live alone or in small groups. The female gives birth to a single offspring and carries the small one in her pouch for about six months and after that for another six months on her back. **** Giant panda - the raccoon in bear's clothing
They have an unusual diet - bamboo shoots and roots which make them one of the most specialised species in the animal kingdom. It has strong jaws and massive jaw muscles to enable it to crush and pulverise (reduce to powder or smash) the tough bamboo leaves and stems. The unique feature is that giant pandas have forepaws with a 'fake' six digits. It can be moved independently of the other true digits. They have lobes or pads at the base of the first and second digits that can also be used as 'thumbs' to grip the bamboo stems. Their fur is rather coarse and greasy. They have a strong grip, hard claws and a formidable bite.They weigh between 75-160kg (165-352 lb).Adult pandas consume about 20kg (44 lbs) of bamboo each day and spend 10-12 hours a day eating! Occasionally they eat small fish, birds and mammals. They catch the fish by flicking them out of the water. When it comes to drinking water, pandas sometimes don't know their limits. They are said to drink so much on occasions that they become too bloated to move. Despite their massive size and clumsy appearance giant pandas are very good climbers. Their sharp claws allow them to climb rapidly up vertical tree trunks to escape from predators. Unfortunately they are not as skilful when it comes to getting down from the trees. Often they come down head first with unfortunate results. Pandas can swim too. In fact they have been known to paddle across raging torrents when the spring thaws fill the mountain streams with melted snow.Pandas are found in Tibet and western China mostly in bamboo forests in mountain areas. ***** Polar bear - King of the pack ice
You may wonder how polar bears can travel great distances across water. Well, as they are expert divers and swimmers they have no problems. And also they are famous at hitching a ride on ice floes (sheets of floating ice). Once a polar was found swimming 320 km (200 miles) from nearest land. It can swim at 4 km per hour (2.5 mph). On land too the polar bear moves with surprising speed and agility. It can outrun a reindeer and achieve speeds of up to 40 km/h (25 mph) when running flat out on ice. It can also leap upto 2 m (6 ft) high and jump distances of 3.7m (12 ft). When they are cornered by predators these bears have been known to take flying dives of more than 15 m (50 ft) into water from the tops of icebergs.Polar bears are creamy white in colour and could weigh up to about 720 kg (1584 lb). Males average about 410 kg (900 lb) and females 320 kg (700 lb). Found in the Arctic region, polars are said to have a life span of 34 years. They eat seals, fish and sea birds. Their sense of smell is so acute that they can detect seal pups in their calving dens even under 1 m (3 ft) of snow.Polar bears hunt by stealth, and often lie in wait at blow holes made in the ice by seals, until a seal comes up. Female bears give birth to 1-4 cubs in March-April, usually in alternate years.Polars are greatly hunted by man and are now on the verge of extinction. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
The Koala (Phascolarctos Cinereus) has no family like other animals. It
is one of a kind and is in danger of being completely wiped out of the
face of the earth because of two reasons.
You may be surprised to learn that the giant panda (Ailuropoda
melanoleuca) despite its bear-like appearance, is, in fact, a member of
the raccoon family. The panda stands apart from the other members of the
raccoon family in a number of respects.
The polar bear (Thalarctos maritimus) is the largest and most
carnivorous (flesh-eating) of the bears. It is also the most nomadic
(wandering) bear, often travelling miles across frozen wastes of the
northern sea.
