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Archive for the ‘Animal’ Category

The Wildcat (Felis silvestris), sometimes Wild Cat or Wild-cat, is a small cat (Felinae) native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa. It is a hunter of small mammals, birds, and other creatures of a similar size. There are several subspecies distributed in different regions. In its native environment, the Wildcat is adaptable to a variety of habitat types: savanna, open forest, and steppe. Although domesticated breeds show a great variety of shapes and colors, wild individuals are medium-brown with black stripes, between 45 and 80 cm (18–32 inches) in length, and weigh between 3 and 8 kilograms (6–17.6 pounds). The Wildcat is extremely timid. It avoids approaching human settlements. It lives solitary and holds a territory of about 3 km².The Wildcat is predominantly a carnivore; insects and plants are unimportant parts of its diet. Most of its prey is small mammals, mainly rodents and rabbits, with lizards being the third most common prey in Portugal, and birds the least common. This wild cat was seen at the forest of Tarahara, Sunsari, Nepal. Animals of Nepal…Wild Cat

A dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest. Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking. Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as “nymphs”, are aquatic. This dragonfly was seen at the forest of Tarahara, Sunsari, Nepal. Animals of Nepal….Dragonfly

Tortoises or land turtles are land-dwelling reptiles of the family of Testudinidae, order Testudines. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise has both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton. They are generally reclusive animals.Female tortoises dig nesting burrows in which they lay from one to thirty eggs. Egg laying typically occurs at night, after which the mother tortoise covers her clutch with sand, soil, and organic material. The eggs are left unattended, and depending on the species, take from 60 to 120 days to incubate.Tortoises generally have lifespans comparable with those of human beings, and some individuals are known to have lived longer than 150 years.Some believe that males grow quicker, while the female grows slower but larger. The male also has a plastron that is curved inwards to aid reproduction. The easiest way to determine the sex of a tortoise is to look at the tail.Most land based tortoises are herbivores, feeding on grazing grasses, weeds, leafy greens, flowers, and some fruits. Animals of Nepal…Tortoise

The Nepalese Pika (Ochotona princeps) is a diurnal species of pika that is found in the mountains of western Nepal. They are flower-gathering animals, which are the smallest of the rabbit group. This Nepalese Pika has a small, round, egg-shaped body, which is covered with brown fur. They have large and round ears, and no visible tail. They usually weigh about 170 grams. They make their homes in the cracks between piles of rocks. They are active throughout the day. They devote most of the day in searching for food, guarding their territory, and watching for predators, which includes: eagles, hawks, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and weasels. They are flower-gathering herbivore. They eat a large variety of green plants, including different kinds of grasses, sedges, thistles and fireweed. When they find food, they eat a portion of it and take the rest for safekeeping in a pile, for use during the winter season. This pika moves the pile around in order to protect it from various kinds of weather. After it has dried, the pika will then move it into its den. During the summer season, pikas feed on short alpine grasses and on their stored food during the winter. If their food supplies are low during the winter, they will search either for lichens or cushion plants, which can be accessible by their underground tunnels. This pika was seen at the rocky mountain of Lantang  National Park, Mid-Western Nepal. Fauna of Nepal…Nepalese Pika

Monkey falls in the primate order. They are excellent climbers, and most are primarily arboreal. They live in tropical or subtropical climates. They are almost all day-active animals. Their faces are usually flat and rather human in appearance, their eyes point forward, and they have stereoscopic colour vision. Their hands and feet are highly developed for grasping; the big toes and, where present, the thumbs are opposable. Monkeys habitually sit in an erect posture. They have a flat nail. This monkey was seen at the forest of Tarahara (Charkose Jhadi), Sunsari, Nepal. Fauna of Nepal…Monkey

The Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) also known as Three-Striped Palm Squirrel, is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. Palm squirrels are about the size of rats with a bushy tail which is slightly shorter than their body. Their back is a grizzled grey-brown colour with five conspicuous white stripes, three of which run from head to tail. The two outer stripes run from the forelegs to the hind legs only. They have a creamy white belly and a tail covered with interspersed long black and white hairs. Their ears are small and triangular. Breeding takes place in grass nests during autumn. The adult weigh about 100g.This squirrel was seen at the pathri village of Koshi Tappu, Saptari, Nepal. Fauna of Nepal— Palm Squirrel

The chital or cheetal (Axis axis), also known as chital deer or spotted deer. Its coat is reddish fawn, marked with white spots, and its under parts are white. It has a protracted breeding season due in part to the tropical climate, and births can occur throughout the year. They eat primarily grass and other vegetation. This deer was seen at the tropical forest of Tarahara, Sunsari, Nepal. Fauna of Nepal—Deer (Chital).

The Wild Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis arnee) is a large ungulate. It is an endangered species. The average weight of a male adult buffalo is 900 kg, a bit larger than the female. Wild Water Buffalo are threatened by genetic pollution when they come into contact with common domestic Water Buffalo which live in and around forests. The only predator of adult Wild Water Buffalo is the Tiger. This Wild Water Buffalo was seen at the Koshi Barrage, Sunsari, Nepal. Animals of Nepal…Wild Water Buffalo

Butterfly

Camera: Nikon D70s
Lens: Micro Nikkor 105mm
F-Stop: f/5.0
Focal Length: 105.0mm
Location: Tarahara, Sunsari, Nepal.
Description: Black skyblue. Photo by: wildlife.n-epal(Milan Gurung).

Grasshopper

Camera: NikonD70s
Lens:  Nikkor 18-70mm                              
F-Stop: f/8.0
Focal Length: 70mm
Location: Tarahara, Sunsari, Nepal.
Description: Grasshopper.

Goat

Camera: Nikon D70s
Lens:  Nikkor 18-70mm                            
F-Stop: f/4.0
Focal Length: 18.0mm
Location: Tarahara, Sunsari, Nepal.
Description: Domestic Goat.

Cat

Camera: Nikon D70s - Lens: Micro Nikkor 105mm - f/stop: 4.0 - Focal Length: 104mm. Location: Tarahara,Sunsari,Nepal. Description:  This  shot was taken waiting for 15 minutes  I wanted the cat to turn towards me and finally I got the shot.