A pair of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Manitoba, Canada.

by Sean Crane

Leopard seals are pagophilic mammals, meaning they prefer to live on or near sea ice and depend on it for many activities and functions. ©

Black Bear

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Marine mammals have to hold their breath underwater, but some species like the northern elephant seal have to hold it on land too! To conserve heat and energy while they bask, molt, and nurse pups while, northern elephant seals will go through phases of 'apnoea', wherein they cease breathing for 8-10 minutes, followed by periods of breathing for about 5 minutes. On average, they only breathe about 9-10 times per minute while hauled out on the beach.

(Image: A male northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) by NOAA Fisheries)

If you like what I do, consider buying me a ko-fi!

A Lion Cub at the London Zoo.

Source: Photograph by F.W. Bond in E.G. Boulenger's Animal Ways (London: Ward, Lock & Co., Limited, 1931).

Domestic Cat  Felis catus Hubbard County, Minnesota, USA 47.13902, -94.764617 by gori88lla "Deer shot with copper ammo. I was hoping first mammal this winter would be a Mustalid sp."

Spencer Wright, 2009

african wild dog 😎

Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis)

Family: Dog Family (Canidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

A small species of fox native to warm, arid regions of northern Mexico and the southwestern USA, the Kit Fox has independently developed many characteristics also seen in its more famous desert-dwelling relative, the Fennec Fox; its body is small and slender to reduce heat retention, its ears are large and flattened (though not as disproportionally massive as the ears of Fennec Foxes) to increase heat loss through its extremities, and its feet are wide to help distribute its weight while walking on uneven sandy ground, with a light covering of fur on its paw pads to prevent them from being burned when exposed to hot rocks or sand. Like many desert-dwelling mammals Kit Foxes spend much of the day underground (either in burrows of their own creation or in the abandoned burrows of other animals such as American Badgers) and emerge at night (or occasionally early on cool mornings) to search for food, feeding primarily on small rodents but also targeting hares, lizards, insects, carrion and small amounts of fruit. Adult Kit Foxes generally live in pairs, mating once a year and working together to protect and provide for their young, which are born in litters of 4-5 and remain in or near their parents' burrow for much of their early lives, accompanying their parents on foraging trips once around 4 months old and becoming independent 1-2 months later.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Image Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42070-Vulpes-macrotis

A cougar cub (Puma concolor) in the North Carolina Zoo, USA

by ucumari photography

The Sahara can reach temperatures of over 100°F, but the fennec fox’s ears act like an air conditioning system by cooling the blood in a network of veins. BBC Earth

European Pine Marten

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Voting is so important, even dogs do it! Painted wild dogs live in large packs, typically led by a dominant mated pair. However, it's not a total dictatorship: when it comes time to hunt, the pack decides collectively whether or not to go . One individual, typically a pack leader, initiates a vote by sneezing. If a majority of the pack agrees-- via sneezing-- then it's time for the pack to go catch dinner!

(Image: A painted wild dog (Lycaon pictus) by Pim Stouton)

If you like what I do, consider leaving me a ko-fi!

Polar bear at the London Zoo.

Note: The London Zoo had two famous polar bears over the beginning of the 20th century. Their names were Sam and Barbara. Although they bred many times, no offspring survived.

Source: Photograph by P.G. Luck in E.G. Boulenger's Animal Ways (London: Ward, Lock & Co., Limited, 1931).

Leopard, Our Living World, Vol. I (1885) - Rev. J.G. Wood

*Digitally restored by Molly Wilders, from scans uploaded to Biodiversity Heritage Library