Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbirds are native to the west coast of North America, where they migrate between their northern breeding grounds and their winter homes down in Mexico. They are quite small, measuring only about 3in (8cm). Males are rufous colored all over, with the exception of a white patch on the throat. Females and juveniles have a greenish tint on their backs. Their diet consists of nectar, sometimes supplemented by insects.

Did you know that Rufous Hummingbirds have the longest migration route of any North American hummingbird? On top of that, if you measure migration in regards to body size, they have one of the longest in the world! Its migration from Alaska to Mexico is over 78,000,000 body lengths. In comparison, the Arctic Tern, whose migration is about three times longer, moves only about 51,000,000 body lengths.

Rufous Hummingbirds also have the distinction of being quite feisty. They are very territorial birds, and will fight for feeding and nesting spots just about anywhere they go, even against much larger Hummingbirds. It helps that they are particularly quick and agile, even for a Hummingbird. They beat their wings 52-62 times per second. During the breeding season, males will perform oval or J-shaped aerial dives in order to impress females.

Rufous Hummingbirds also have excellent memories, and have been know to return to feeder spots year to year, even if the feeder is no longer there.

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Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Binturong

The Binturong ( Arctictis binturong ) also has an equally awesome alternate common name, the Bearcat! However, it really isn't much of a bear OR a cat. While it is true that it is part of the Feliforma suborder, it is not a member of family Felidae. Binturongs are a part of their own family, Viverridae, which is shared with Civets, Linsangs, and Genets. There are six subspecies of Binturong, all of which have slight differences based upon location and habitat. Binturongs range in body size from 60-100cm in length, (not including their tail which has roughly the same length) and weigh between 20 and 30lbs. Binturongs are nocturnal animals native to the rain forests of South East Asia. The species range spans through several countries including China, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. They are tree dwelling mammals, and have fully prehensile tails that basically double their body length and can be used to cling to the trees or to grasp food. Binturongs are phe

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