randomanimaloftheday

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Day 12#: Central Bearded Dragon

Today's animal of the day is the Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)!

Photo credit: Steve Dew

Also known as the inland bearded dragon, this species of lizard is native the the semiarid regions of eastern and central Australia, however, they are also kept around the world as pets. These charismatic reptiles get their name because of the spikes on the underside of their chins, which will turn black and puff up when threatened. Despite their sharp-looking appearance, these spikes are actually soft and quite delicate. However, they do a good job at discouraging predators such as birds, dingos, and invasive foxes from eating them, as well as scaring off rival bearded dragons.

Photo credit: Stephen Zozaya

Central bearded dragons tend to inhabit rocky partially wooded areas with lots of areas for them to bask in the sun as well as seek shelter when it gets too hot or when a predator is nearby. They are skilled climbers and are often seen perched on tree branches, rocks, and even fence posts. These omnivores aren't picky eaters and will eat a variety of plants as well as insects and the occasional rodent or small lizard.

Photo credit: Nik Borrow

The central bearded dragon is the most common species of bearded dragon found in captivity. This is especially true for areas outside of Australia since it is illegal to import any native Australian species out of the country. So, most of the bearded dragons in the pet trade are actually descended from individuals who were illegally smuggled out of Australia sometime around the 1980s.

Photo credit: Lorraine Harris

These lizards can make great pets, as they are fairly docile and many individuals seem to enjoy interacting with their owners. However, because of their popularity, many people will get bearded dragons without doing the proper research, which is never a good idea. Many captive bearded dragons develop metabolic bone disease caused by an inadequate diet that lacks calcium or a lack of UV light. This condition is incurable and can cause severe and often life-threatening bone malformities.

Photo credit: Kathy Kafka

It's important to make sure that your pet beardie is fed a good mix of both veggies and insects so they get all the nutrients they need, and you should probably dust their food with calcium powder to help promote good bone health. You should also make sure they have a proper light that provides them not just with heat but UV light. Many bearded dragons are also kept in tanks that are much too small, which can stress them out. A 40-gallon tank is the minimum requirement for a bearded dragon, but they tend to do better in larger enclosures.

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Day 11#: Blue Shark

Today's animal of the day is the Blue Shark (Prionace glauca)!

Photo credit: Mark Conlin

Also known as the great blue shark, this species of predatory fish can be found in temperate and tropical waters around the world. They typically grow to around 10 ft long and primarily feed on squids, octopi, crustaceans, and smaller species of fish. They've also been documented occasionally hunting sea birds as well as scavenging on already dead marine mammals. Blue sharks are known to work together as a sort of "pack" to herd fish into a concentrated group, which makes it easier for the sharks to feed.

Photo credit: Byron Dilkes

These sharks are a highly migratory species and will travel great distances between temperate and tropical waters. While in cooler temperate areas they are more likely to inhabit shallow waters and come close to the shore, however, in tropical environments they tend to prefer to inhabit deeper waters.

Photo credit: Byron Dilkes

While blue sharks have excellent eyesight while pursuing prey in front of them, they aren't well adapted to looking behind themselves. This makes it easy for predators to sneak up behind and ambush them. Predators of the blue shark include: larger species of sharks such as tiger sharks and great whites, orcas, elephant seals, sea lions, and humans. While their meat is edible to humans, they're not the most sought-after species of shark for their food due to the high concentration of mercury and lead in their flesh. Instead, they're more likely to be hunted for sport or for their skin which can be used for leather.

Photo credit: Byron Dilkes

Like most species of open ocean sharks, they tend to not do well in captivity. They need a very large tank, and even then, will often bump into the glass and injure themselves. But blue sharks in captivity usually die in transit before even arriving at an aquarium due to stress or other complications. This makes it incredibly important to protect these sharks in the wild, as they are listed as near threatened. While they aren't particularly targeted by the fishing industry, they are often caught as bycatch along with countless other "waste species" which are left to die in nets and then tossed out like garbage.

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Day 10#: Blue-and-Yellow Macaw

Today's animal of the day is the Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna)!

Photo credit: Mike Owyang

Also known as the blue-and-gold macaw, this species of large parrot can be found throughout the rainforests, savannahs, and woodlands of South and Central America. Like other macaw, they are highly intelligent, with their cognitive abilities often being compared to those of a three-year-old human child!

Photo credit: Oswaldo Hernández 

They are very vocal birds and are known for their loud vocalizations, which can be heard from around two miles away! These macaws also have the ability to mimic human speech, which has made them extremely popular in the pet trade. In fact, the blue-and-yellow macaw is one of the most common birds in captivity and is considered to be the most widely available of the larger species of macaw. However, I wouldn't recommend getting one as a pet unless you're willing to have what is basically a super-intelligent flying toddler with a powerful beak and a passion for screaming living in your house for 35 years.

Photo credit: Allison Hales

In the wild, these macaws have a very wide range and are listed as least concern, though in some areas they have almost gone regionally extinct due to habitat loss and poaching from the exotic pet trade. They use their powerful beaks to crack open the shells of seeds and nuts, and in captivity, they need to receive constant attention and enrichment or else these powerful beaks can turn into tools of destruction. While they are primarily herbivorous, they have been reported to eat snails and insects on rare occasions.

Photo credit: Ryan Candee

These birds are highly social and form extremely close bonds with their flock members. In captivity, they can also form close bonds with their human keepers, however, as I stated before they are extremely intelligent and require a lot of time, care, and attention. If they're not properly taken care of it can lead to a lot of problematic behaviors that negatively impact both the bird and the owners. Bored macaws are more likely to destroy things and if there's nothing to destroy they can begin plucking their own feathers out! This can also happen if the macaw is in an overly stressful environment.

Photo credit: snake.discovery on Instagram

Sometimes, if caught and corrected in time by providing proper care and enrichment, the feathers will regrow. However, often this behavior isn't corrected in time and the feather follicles end up being damaged beyond repair and the feathers never grow back. This is what happened to Cheyenne from Snake Discovery, though that was because she was living in a very stressful environment in her previous home before being rescued. However, because she had been plucking for so long she continued doing it even after being provided with the proper care. That's why she's usually wearing a cute little sweater since it prevents her from plucking and also helps keep her warm. This is why you should always do your research and make sure you have the time, resources, and willingness to take on a new pet before purchasing it. DO NOT IMPULSE BUY ANIMALS! ESPECIALLY MACAWS!!!

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Day 9#: Pyroraptor olympius

Today's animal of the day is Pyroraptor olympius!

Image credit: cisiopurple on Deviantart

This species of dromaeosaurid dinosaur lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now the South of France. It is known from very fragmentary remains, which were discovered shortly after a local forest fire, hence its name meaning "fire thief".

Image credit (top & bottom): @ElReptileano on Twitter (I refuse to call it X)

Not much is known about this dinosaur because its fossils are so fragmentary. Paleontologists aren't quite sure how big it was, since they aren't sure whether or not the remains they do have are from a fully grown individual or a juvenile, however, it is estimated to have been around the same size as Velociraptor, and probably a little smaller. What is known about Pyroraptor is the environment in which it lived. During the Late Cretaceous Southern France and Northern Spain were mostly covered by water and Pyroraptor would have lived on an archipelago of islands called the Ibero-Armorica. Many of the dinosaurs and other creatures that Pyroraptor shared its habitat with had undergone island dwarfism, as a way to adapt to the lack of space and resources on the island. So, it's likely that Pyroraptor was smaller as well.

Image credit: Universal Studios

Some of you probably recognize Pyroraptor from Jurassic World: Dominion or season three of Jurassic World: Chaos Theory on Netflix. While it did make history as the first fully feathered raptor to appear in the movie franchise, it's by no means a perfect depiction of Pyroraptor. The creature depicted in the film and show is much bigger than the real-life animal, however, all of the raptors in this franchise are oversized and I will admit that I like that they made it smaller than both the Velociraptors and the Atrociraptors.

Image credit: Universal Studios

It's also shown diving into freezing cold water and swimming after its prey. Not going to lie, I audibly groaned during this scene when I saw Dominion in theaters. So, Pyroraptor probably could swim since most animals are capable of swimming even if they don't appear well-adapted to it. However, it doesn't have the right type of feathers to swim gracefully underwater like a penguin. I heard somewhere that the filmmakers gave it this ability since it's possible that real-life Pyroraptor potentially swam between nearby islands in search of food. But even if this was the case, it still wouldn't be swimming underwater in order to chase its prey. Also, Pyroraptor lived in a pretty tropical environment, so I don't know how well it would do after being submerged in icy water.

Image credit: Cryoll on Deviantart

Personally, I liked it better in Chaos Theory in Dominion since it had more than one scene and actually felt threatening. I will give them credit for showing dinosaurs in a cold environment, especially since the people in charge of making Jurassic World: Rebirth seem to think dinosaurs can't survive outside of the tropics. Sorry for ranting about the Jurassic franchise, I just wanted to clear up any misconceptions people had about Pyroraptor because of Dominion. Also, I have a love-hate relationship with this franchise and a lot of mixed feelings about the upcoming movie.

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Day 8#: Borealopelta markmitchelli

Today's animal of the day is Borealopelta markmitchelli!

Image Credit: Royal Tyrrell Museum

Borealopelta, whose name means "northern shield, was a nodosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous period in what is now Alberta, Canada. It was about 18 ft long, weighed 1.4 tons, and was covered in rows of armored plating and spikes that helped protect them from predators.

Photo credit: Royal Tyrrell Museum

The holotype specimen of this dinosaur was discovered in an oil sands mine near Fort McMurray and was remarkably well-preserved. It seems like the corpse of this dinosaur had somehow been washed out to sea, where it floated for a few days before it sunk to the sea floor and was quickly buried by sediment. This effectively mummified the body and helped preserve it for millions of years.

Image credit: Robert Nicholls

This specimen was so well-preserved that paleontologists were able to see what this dinosaur's last meal was! Its stomach contents consisted mostly of ferns, as well as charcoal, meaning that there had possibly been a forest fire where it had lived shortly before its death. It is possible that this Borealopelta had been eating charcoal to counteract the toxins found in the ferns it had eaten, which is something that many modern animals do as well.

Image credit: cisiopurple on Deviantart

Not only could paleontologists tell what this dinosaur ate, but they could also tell what color it was! The fossilized skin impressions were so well-preserved that paleontologists were able to look at the shape of the fossilized melanosomes inside of the skin. Melanosomes are the pigments that give animals their color, and no matter which creature they appear on, the same color will have the same shape. So, even though there was no actual color in these fossilized melanosomes, by comparing their shape to those of living animals, the paleontologists were able to determine that Borealopelta was a reddish-brown color with lighter coloration on its underbelly. This tactic has been used to determine the coloration of several other dinosaur species, but usually, these are small feathered dinosaurs. I believe that Borealopelta is the largest non-feathered dinosaur that we know the coloration of (at least for now).

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Day 7#: Chinese Pangolin

Today's animal of the day is the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla)!

Photo credit: Mako Pisces

This species of pangolin is native to the forests of southern China and northeast India as well as parts of Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. These shy animals are primarily nocturnal and are rarely seen due to their secretive nature.

Photo credit: Awoto Awomi

Pangolins are the only type of mammal with scales, which are made out of keratin and help to protect them from predators. When threatened, pangolins will roll up into a ball, which helps shield the pangolin's sensitive parts and can also cause predators to cut themselves on the sharp edges of their scales. Unlike the giant and ground pangolins in Africa, the Chinese pangolin is mostly arboreal and uses its sharp claws and prehensile tail to climb trees. Their claws also help them dig for ants and termites to eat, which make up the vast majority of their diet. Like anteaters, they slurp up insects using their long sticky tongues, and then because they don't have any teeth, they swallow small stones to help grind up the food inside of their stomachs.

Photo credit: Chuanshan-Shun on iNaturalist

Sadly, the Chinese pangolin is listed as critically endangered due to overhunting by poachers who sell their scales to be used in traditional Chinese folk medicine. Despite claims that these scales can cure all sorts of maladies, such as asthma and even cancer, these scales are made out of the same thing that human fingernails are made of (keratin) and possess no medicinal properties.

Photo credit: adachao on iNaturalist

While laws have been put in place to protect pangolins from poachers, pangolins are still considered to be one of the most heavily trafficked animals in the world. One of the ways conservationists are working to protect pangolins is to educate people about them in order to discourage people from buying or selling medicine made from pangolin scales.

Photo credit: Firdia Lisnawati

When pangolins get too stressed they can die, which makes it very hard for pangolins rescued from wildlife traffickers to be rehabilitated and released back into the wild, though it's not impossible. This also makes it hard to keep pangolins in zoos, so there's a very small captive breeding population. However, the Chinese pangolin is one of the few species that, according to my research, has been kept in zoos with some success. The only other two species of pangolins in zoos that I could find any information on are the Sunda pangolin and the white-bellied pangolin.

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Day 6#: Lar Gibbon

Today's animal of the day is the Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar)!

Photo credit: Mathias Kabbel

Also known as the white-handed gibbon, these long-armed primates can be found in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. They are primarily arboreal, meaning that they spend most of their time up in the trees and very rarely come to the ground. Their long arms help them swing from branch to branch, but because of their length, it also makes it very hard for them to walk on the ground on all fours like other primates do. Instead, on the rare occasions they do come to the forest floor they walk bipedally, like humans do, and will hold their arms above their heads. This helps them stay balanced but is also very silly-looking.

Photo credit: birdexplorers on iNaturalist

Their fur can come in a variety of different colors such as black, brown, and even a sandy blonde color. As their alternative name suggests, they have white patches of fur around their hands, feet, and faces. Unlike many other species of primates, males and females look very similar and don't really differ in size.

Photo credit: Paolo Berrino

Their diet mainly consists of fruit and leaves, however, they are occasional omnivores and will feed on insects and bird eggs when the opportunity presents itself. Family groups tend to be made up of a breeding pair and their offspring, though sometimes multiple pairs will work together to defend the same territory and will occasionally even switch mates with one another. Sadly, these gibbons are classified as endangered, mostly due to habitat loss.

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Day 5#: Yellow Anaconda

Today's animal of the day is the Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus)!

Photo credit: Michael Barth

Also known as the Paraguayan anaconda, this species of snake is native to the wetlands of southern South America. While they are smaller than their cousins, the northern and southern green anacondas, they are still among the largest snakes alive today. On average, they grow to around 12 ft long, however, some individuals have reached sizes of up to 15 ft long! As with most anacondas, females tend to be larger than males.

Photo credit: Abby Sesselberg

These snakes spend most of their time in the water and prefer to live near bodies of water such as slow-moving rivers, streams, swamps, and marshes. Like the other members of the boa family, they lack venom and instead kill their prey via constriction. They are opportunistic predators and will feed on a wide variety of different prey animals, though wading birds seem to be the most common. However, larger specimens have been known to take on larger prey such as deer, capybaras, and even peccaries! As adults, they have very few predators. However, jaguars, cougars, and caimans will occasionally feed on juveniles and small adults. They are also often hunted by humans for their skin.

Photo credit: Jay VanderGaast

Yellow anacondas spend most of the year alone, except for the mating season. The breeding season typically occurs between April and May, and during this time they will often form "breeding balls" which can last for about a month! These snakes are ovoviviparous, meaning that the eggs hatch inside the mother and she gives birth to live young. A female yellow anaconda can give birth to anywhere between 4 to 82 babies at a time!

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Day 4#: Fish Crow

Today's animal of the day is the Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus)!

Photo credit: S.K. Jones

This species of corvid can be near bodies of water throughout the eastern and southeastern United States. As their name suggests, they are known to feed on fish, though usually they scavenge for already dead fish that washed up on shore. Though, they have been documented occasionally hunting live fish when the opportunity presents itself. However, these opportunistic birds will also feed on a wide variety of other foods such as crustaceans, nuts, seeds, insects, small reptiles, and even the eggs of other birds.

Photo credit: Nathan Dubrow

Fish crows look very similar to the more common American crow, but there are a few ways to tell them apart. Fish crows are smaller with shorter legs and more slender bills. Their feathers are also described as silkier and smoother than the American crow's. However, the best way to tell them apart is by their calls. American crows make a classic "caw caw" call while fish crows make a more nasally sounding "ark-ark-ark" sound. The most common call that fish crows make sounds a lot like someone saying "nyuh unh". This call inspired a fun little saying that birders use to tell the two species apart: "Just ask him if he's an American crow. If he says "no", he's a fish crow,".

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Day 3#: Maned Wolf

Today's animal of the day is the Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)!

Photo credit: Joe McDonald

Despite their name, these South American canines aren't actually a type of wolf, and despite their appearance, they aren't a type of fox either. Instead, they are a unique type of canine belonging to the genus Chrysocyon, and their closest living relative is the tiny bush dog. They are most active during dawn and dusk, and primarily inhabit the grasslands and scrublands of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay (note: they are nearly extinct in Uruguay).

Photo credit: farpost on iNaturalist

They are omnivores and will feed on a variety of small animals as well as various fruits. They are particularly fond of a fruit known as a wolf apple (which is named after them). They actually have a symbiotic relationship with this plant and help disperse its seeds by eating its fruit and pooping out the seeds elsewhere. Wolf apples actually make up around 50% of the maned wolf's diet!

Photo credit: Martin Harvey

Unlike actual wolves, maned wolves are mostly solitary and don't hunt in packs, though mated pairs will sometimes share a territory but will rarely interact with one another outside of the mating season. These canines mostly communicate using scent markings, which apparently smells a lot like the smell of weed. In fact, there have been a couple of cases of police being called to zoos housing maned wolves because someone mistook the smell of maned wolf pee for someone smoking marijuana. Because of their unique odor, the maned wolf has earned the nickname "skunk wolf".

Photo credit: Chiara Bortoloto

These beautiful canines are listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to a combination of habitat loss and being hunted by farmers who believe that they pose a threat to livestock. Despite these claims, the maned wolf is a shy creature and tends to flee when approached. They pose no danger to both humans and livestock. Another issue that these animals face is poachers hunting them for their body parts, especially their eyes which are sold as good luck charms. Luckily, it is illegal to hunt maned wolves in many of the countries where they are found, such as Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

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Day 2#: Wuerhosaurus homheni

Today's animal of the day is Wuerhosaurus homheni!

Paleoart by ABelov2014

Wuerhosaurus was a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now China. There are two species: W. homheni and W. ordosensis. Today we will be focusing on Wuerhosaurus homheni, which is the type species, as it was the first species described. Wuerhosaurus homheni was described by Dr. Dong Zhiming in 1973, and its genus name comes from the city of Wuerho in Xinjiang, China. It is one of the last species of stegosaurids to go extinct, with most of its cousins going extinct in the Jurassic period.

Outdated rounded plate reconstruction (top) & speculative pointed plate reconstruction (bottom) both by cisioplurple on Deviantart.

Wuerhosaurus is often depicted with shorter plates compared to other stegosaurids that are rounder and have flattened tips compared to the more pointed plate tips that its cousins are often depicted with. This is how paleontologists originally thought this animal looked like, and they suspected that their unique plate shape might have helped Wuerhosaurs better identify members of their own species. However, eventually, it was discovered that this unique shape was actually because the only two Wuerhosaurus plate fossils known at the time were broken. Paleontologists still aren't quite sure what the plates of Wuerhosaurus looked like, but it is suspected that they probably looked more similar to other stegosaurids with more pointed tips.

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Day 1#: Australovenator wintonensis

Today's animal of the day is Australovenator wintonensis!

Paleoart by Ashley Patch

Australovenator wintonensis was a species of medium-sized theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Australia. It belonged to a group of theropods known as the Megaraptorans, which are known for having large claws and much longer forelimbs compared to other theropod dinosaurs. A study in 2015 used computer models to test the range of motion of Australovenator's arms and found that they would have been quite flexible. This study also found out that Australovenator could extend its clawed fingers far beyond the capabilities of other theropod dinosaurs, which suggests that it likely used its hands to capture prey. One theory is that Australovenator used its arms to grasp prey and hold it to its chest and then dispatch them using their jaws. In fact, the slender and more gracile shape of Australovenator's jaw seem to suggest that it had a relatively weak bite force, which also helps support the theory that this species specialized in using its hands for capturing prey.

Australovenator size comparison by EthanThomas2022 on Deviantart

There was also a 2016 study that used CT scans of emu feet to help digitally reconstruct the muscles and other soft tissue of Australovenator's feet. This study not only helped paleontologists re-identify a couple of phalanges that were reconstructed in the wrong position but also showed that Australovenator has a splayed phalanx, which means that they potentially could have used their feet as weapons. Perhaps, either to stomp on/pin down their prey or to kick one another in territorial disputes, similar to modern-day cassowaries!

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Introduction

Hello,

I'm a big animal lover and I wanted to create a blog where I info-dump about a new animal every day! I have a randomizer with a number of species (both living and extinct) and each day I will randomly select a new species to talk about. Right now, the list is at 513 animals, but as time goes on I will add to it. Feel free to suggest a species to add to the list! Hope y'all enjoy and learn something new about the amazing species we share our planet with!

Oh, and since I'm not an expert or anything (just a very dedicated layman) I'll probably make a mistake at some point. If that happens, feel free to let me know and I'll do my best to correct it!

All images will be credited to their respective owners.