Sophie's swedish journey: fauna

Showing posts with label fauna. Show all posts

Monday, 15 March 2010

Måndagen den 15 mars 2010 - Hur renar bär årstiderna?

Posted by Sophie at 21:12 0 comments

How do reindeers cope with the seasons?

Well, researchers have discovered that the animals did not possess what is called the "circadian clock" that influences processes including the sleep-wake cycle and metabolism, usually based on a 24 hour rhythm.
Apparently, it could be the case for most animals living in polar extreme conditions, this basically helps them not get depressed every autumn before the arrival of extreme weather conditions. It also avoids them go binge-drinking to forget winter is on its way. Clever things!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8565233.stm

Tisdag 8 december 2009 - Taking action

Posted by Sophie at 18:20 1 comments

http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/goto/the_green_testament

Lördag 5 december 2009 - Arctic Hare?

Posted by Sophie at 13:02 2 comments

I believe I was mistaken. This little guy could not possibly be an arctic hare Lepus arcticus. The arctic hare's natural habitat covers Greenland and North America.
My supposition is that he may have in fact been a montain hare Lepus timidus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Hare
They certainly look very much alike to the untrained eye!

A few facts I found on the WWF website about arctic hares:

The arctic hare lives in the arctic tundra of the Arctic islands, western Newfoundland, and the coastal regions of Greenland -- where ice is not present -- and a portion of northern Manitoba, along Hudson Bay. The arctic hare's diet includes woody plants, mosses, and lichens in winter; in other seasons, buds, berries, leaves, roots, and bark. It faces threats from habitat loss and climate change. The hare averages one to two litters per year, with an average litter size of five to six. Gestation is approximately 53 days.

You can adopt arctic hares (and other species) on the website. So help WWF!