Environment And Animals : NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

Environment makes major impact on each animal including human. It influences its life and well-being. Factors such as food and water available within the surroundings, the nature of the soil or the salinity of water are parts of environment. These factors when disturbed affect every animal.

Besides, light, heat, cold and various other such factors which we call as climate needs to be suitable for its living. Each animal is equipped with special physical condition to withstand different climatic conditions around the world.
Each of the animal that includes even human has to live and compete with other of it own kind and at the same time with other species. In death, it becomes the food to other living within the same environment. All animals depend for their existence on an appropriate environment. Many are restricted by their structure and habits to a particular environment. Many have spread from the countries of origin over wide areas of the earth. Thus they have extended their territories. By doing so they have chosen the areas or surroundings suited to their needs. This has enabled them to develop means to control or reduce in intensity factors in their environment. For example most of the herbivores give birth to their offspring during or little after monsoon when the food is abundant and carnivores follows next that is after winter when the preys are plentiful.
Therefore, to take care of itself, the first and most important concern of an animal is to secure food in sufficient quantities.

To secure food and livelihood in many ways, an animal is bestowed with diversity of form and body structure. Some parts of the body structure such as teeth in each of the-both in herbivores or carnivores are distinctive. They are designed in great verities. In normal way the teeth of animals are all of one type. They are built to deal with food in one particular way. For example dolphins have teeth of uniform pattern whereas ant eaters do not have teeth. But other or majority of animals have different types of teeth. They are designed to perform certain functions.
Nails or claws are also different in each kind of animal. For example monkeys have blunt and flat nails whereas in other they are sharp. Cats have sharp, retractile and curved as well and bears, honey badgers and ratals have strong and long to dig. In herbivores such as spotted deer, horse, sambars etc. they are solid.
Self protection is also must against preserving themselves against enemies. Each animal has been equipped with mental design to protect themselves. They have been developed with external organs. It is associated with higher sense of hearing, scent, and touch. Cats, tigers and similar animals have whiskers and elephant has in its tip of truck.
With the help of above mentioned organs of defence, they get alerted and move quickly away from danger. Apart from having sensor organs, they also posses armours in various manners to protect themselves. Ant eaters have armour plating and quills of porcupines are both defensive and offensive in purpose.

Some of the animals have developed teeth to defend themselves from enemies. They also use them in combat
Elephants have developed or converted their incisors into great tusks. Wild boars and male musk deer have canine too which protrude out from side of the jaw. The antlers and horns of hoofed animals are used for counter attacks. These animals have also one more defensive fact in their favour besides above and that is speed. Their limbs are especially designed for quick movement for swift flight from danger. Yet another important factor in the defence armour is concealment. Both hunter and hunted use concealment in their favour either to kill or to be saved. This probably is one of the reason for many animals come out to feed when it is total dark.
As stated in my previous post under ‘camouflage’, I once again reiterate here that concealment is partly effected by the colour and patterns of coat both in herbivores and carnivores. One may notice that most of the animals do not posses brightness of birds. This colour patterns on the body of animal harmonies with surroundings.
Certain mammals or animals display seasonal changes of colour. They are noticed in Arctic Fox and Polar bear. The coloured summer coats of these animals are replaced to white in winter.
The skunk, civets and many small mammals seek to repel attack by using nauseous fumes. Living in herds and flocks is also means of protection. Leadership is carried in black bucks by old female and alarm signal is given by one of the vigilant and alert among flock like gorals and monkeys.

Animals adapt to climatic and temperature change. Hair not only gives certain protection against cold but also helps to retain heat within body. It is an aid to the maintenance of a uniform body temperature. It takes many different forms. It may be converted into quills, scales or even form the horns.
It has been observed by scientists that the temperature of mammals and birds does not vary with the temperature of their surroundings as is the case with the ‘cold blooded’ reptiles and fishes. It always maintains a normal level of heat. The nervous system regulates the temperature of the blood. The considerable heat given off by the body is retained by hair in mammals and feathers in birds.
The mammals are highly protective of their eggs and babies. They provide them milk. Parental care may continue long after the dependence of the babies on such nourishment has ceased. The young are guarded and watched over. Food is foraged for them. Care is taken to train them to hunt.
Animals are dependent directly or indirectly on plants for their food. Animal life in a particular place or country depends on vegetation available in the particular part. But the type of vegetation which grows in any country depends on its climate. Hence availability of animals in the region is based entirely upon the climate change in favour of animals or not and also land fertility.

Apes and monkeys have limbs similar to human. Unlike human they are known to use them for locomotion. Deformation is observed among primates like thumbs are being small in size and sometime non-existence. Yet they have been observed to have adapted to rapid movement through the trees. Hoolock Gibbons in North east India have been observed to posses thumb far lower of its slender hand. It is always parallel to its other fingers.
The feet too are built in same manner as hands. The toes are long and flexible. It is converted into thumb which is opposite of other fingers. Their legs are strong. Gibbons excessively have long arms. Their chest, shoulders and weak hind quarters are designed to help it special methods of progress through the trees. When moving rapidly a gibbon swings on his arms from branch to branch. It is way of getting about quickly and this is observed being used by all apes.
The langurs on the other hand are not seen in act unless it is in the process of jumping from one tree to the other. But of course the hands are stretched out to have grip on the branch when approached. Its legs are in fact longer than the arms. His thighs and loins are powerfully developed. It moves unlike ape which is leaps and bounds. They spring from one branch to other, from trees to trees. While doing so it tails help to maintain it balance.

Both langurs and gibbons-one equipped with tail the other none. Each of them has characteristic way of movement and both the species climb walk and run in different manner. The Gibbon walks erect on the sole of its feet. It uses it outstretched arms to maintain its balance. But this is possible when they are young and not when they are bulky. Apes support their body on knuckles of hand which are bent.
The langurs and monkeys are good swimmers. They use their arms while swimming vigorously. Apes and monkeys being vegetarians have teeth suited to a vegetarian diet. They eat fruits, tender leaves and flowers. They eat much and quickly. Few like baboons and macaques are omnivorous and they cram food into a large pouch in their cheeks to eat much later.
Both species-monkey and apes live in good terms with other wild animals. In India the chief enemy of the monkeys is leopard. The amazing speed at which a leopard charges up a tree makes it a serious menace even to a swift climber as a monkey. I noticed a sudden roar of leopard had a monkey loose it perch on tree top and came hurtling down to the floor for easy feed to leopard.
I also have noticed monkeys though being arboreal species drop down from trees to sneak away silently through the under growth when frightened. It is truly difficult to explain why such intelligent animal do such unbelievable thing and face immediate risk.

The natural weapons the monkeys use for defence is their canine. They are large among males which are clearly known for use fights between rival males for dominance and leadership over females. They attack in self defence and or on defence of their young ones. This is common in all kinds of animals.
In general monkeys are known to inhabit in many kinds of climatic conditions. They are found in tropical and sub-tropical, warm and in cold parts of Himalaya. The Assamese macaque has been seen in Tibet where they are exposed to intense cold. But during such intense cold season they developed thick coat of hair which protect them. With the onset of warm weather this coat is replaced by lighter hair in summer.
Gibbons in Karbi Anglong area of Assam during winter morning have been seen taking shelter in top of the tree and as the sun rises and weather becomes warm, they come down to the lower level of trees. Langurs do not venture out during hot weather and prefer either to doze or rest in shade. Rhesus macaque takes to water during summer. They are found to swim or bath to protect from heat. Monkeys tend to migrate to other parts of forest during seasonal abundance or scarcity of food.
It would be comical to few to learn that monkeys do talk to each other. They produce vocal sound that every person must have heard in forest booming from miles far. All such vocal sound has certain meaning. They can be for pleasure, anger, or fear. They have particular sound to bring all their inmates or troop members together. Besides they express emotions on face and one can easily read them as in the case of human.

I am sure many have seen monkeys searching each other fur when they are not active and mostly during afternoon. Many of us it signifies as hunt for lice or ticks. It’s a strong belief among many. But in fact it is not so. Apes and monkeys are remarkably free of such body pests. It is another kind of intercommunication between troops of monkeys. Monkeys searching fur is nothing but picking fragments of skin, skin secretion and another foreign matter. But this is another part of courtship, build strong bond and means of social communication I am sure many of you must have seen monkeys doing fur picking at any odd time of the day.
The social set up among monkeys gives them maximum advantage in their environment for protection from danger and food. This also adds to chances of survival by adding to pair of eyes. Knowledge of food availability, water and areas free of danger is enhanced. Living in group helps each monkey especially the juvenile to learn from adult necessary knowledge of survival.
Each troop has its own range or territory containing requirement such as food and shelter. There are disputes between two troops and they are not unusual. Each group of langur has its own leader and the ranks are followed down in order. Langurs are more peaceful than the rhesus. There are social orders as mentioned earlier which indicate the ranks among them. If a langur pauses in his stride while passing another stationary langur, it denotes that the walking langur is subordinate to the stationary. On the other hand if stationary langur turns its head in the direction of moving langur it indicates that the stationary langur is subordinate.
There is always a personal space during tense moment between leader and the rest and no other langur is allowed to break this rule.

I did not notice Gibbons more than 5 to 8 in a family in the hills of Assam. May be it was due to scarcity of food available in the region. May be it was due to habitat loss. Each family hunts or collects food within its range or territory. I have not seen them wandering off their route while looking for food. It is easy to notice their path through the tree top by the worn and leafless branches.
I have seen Gibbons eating tender leaves, fruits, some time even insects. Dew collected in the leaves are sipped directly or cupped in the hand. The best time to know where about of Gibbons is during dawn and just when it gets warm. They begin to howl which can be heard from miles in the silence of forest. It is just a matter for one from the family to begin and the rest follow him. Mating is known to begin during monsoon and babies are born between December and March.
As it begins to get hot the gibbons takes shelter lower down the tree for comfort. It is time for silence and rest. As the sun lowers or heat is bearable they begin to feed and call once again before it is time to retire for the night. Hoolocks are believed to be most agile of the ape family. I had seen a young male seating bit far from the rest of the family. I don’t know the reason for it. Perhaps such sub adult male is driven out of the family when it is fit enough to feed itself. I am not aware if the ties with the rest of the members of family are totally cut off as time passes. If it is true, the lone gibbon will have to create its own territory for food. I wonder if there is any conflict later between him and his ex family.

While I was traversing forests of Assam and neighboring states, I observed the Capped Langur which also is known as Leaf Monkey. This species is easy to recognize for its unique features. It has erect and long rough hairs on the forehead which runs backward which looks like a cap set on the head which also sometimes looks like a leaf on the forehead. Therefore the name given suits it well. The male was dark in colour. Its length was about 60 to 70 cm. and tail probably was 70 to 90cm. Where as female being lighter was about 50 to 65 cm, tail was about 70 to 90 cm
The back and the limbs are dark grey and cheeks-under part was golden colour. They prefer to live in dense forests and always seemed to live on trees. During my observations I never saw them coming down to the forest floor like other species of monkeys. They are strictly vegetarian and their chief diet was fruits, flowers and tender leaves. They were most shy of human and immediately took shelter behind dense foliage on seeing me. Their sharp and guttural bark kind of alarm calls sent creepy feeling up my body. The only other sound that I noticed sounded like squealing.
I could not observe their social life in short span of stay but noticed a male, five females and few immature young ones. This probably must have been harem or family but did not notice any other male in the troop. On enquiring with locals I found that the males form own troop which probably should be expelled. Breeding season is observed by the locals during winter but they could not confirm the gestation period.

It was during my visit to Eaglenest in west Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, I was fortunate to observe an animal that I had seen for the first time. It had round head with bulging eyes with brown circles that almost popped out, stout body and fur that denoted an animal of colder region. But the colour could not be distinguished for it gleamed in sunlight. For a moment I thought it looked white-silvery and then I confused it with cream. But what was most distinguishable was the brown stripe that ran from his head over its back to the stout but almost non existent tail. It had it second toe clawed and other toes had flat nails. It was the Slow Loris.
Locals though had seen it few times but even they admitted for having seen it not as many times as other animals. Slow Loris is habitant of dense forest and ventures out during night. The day perhaps is spent in some dark hole while sleeping. I had seen it during day and the weather was warm according to the locals. (Certainly it was not warm for me). Its intake of food consists of fruits, various insects and leaves. Its movement is slow and each step forward is deliberate. Its grip with hand and legs over a branch is very firm and will not let go off its legs until it has grasped branch with next step with hands.
Its hunting method that of insects and small mammals is unique. When within the reach of the insect it would stand erect. It will hold the branch with its legs and will throws it body forward to catch its prey with both hands. The struggling insect then would be guided to the mouth and crushed. Locals have seen it feeding with it body upside down holding the branch firmly with its legs. A lone baby was seen by locals but its other activities could not be recorded.