11/14/2023 0 Comments Maned wolf foodThe name "wolf apple" comes from the fact that they account for more than 50% of the maned wolf's diet. The plant is called lobeira ("wolf's plant") or fruta-do-lobo ("wolf's fruit") in Portuguese. The major push behind diet research for maned wolves is the attempt to find a diet that will raise their urinary pH, thus preventing the formation of stones and excreting the excess cystine.Solanum lycocarpum, or wolf apple, is common in the Brazilian savanna, the Cerrado ecoregion. Cystine has the potential to precipitate out and form "sand" or calculi in the kidney and or bladder and cause blockages or ruptures. Many maned wolves in human care suffer from cystinuria, a metabolic disorder in which the amino acid cystine is not reabsorbed by the renal system. The typical wild wolf has only one functioning kidney, the right kidney having been destroyed by the effects of the giant kidney worm. Current Smithsonian research is focusing on the threats of domestic dog diseases to the wild populations. Maned wolves in human care are susceptible to all of the common viruses of the domestic dog. The Zoo has been working to protect maned wolves for nearly 30 years and coordinates the Maned Wolf Species Survival Plan, which includes breeding maned wolves, studying them in the wild, protecting their habitat, and in situ education programs. Domestic dogs pose threats through direct persecution and disease transmission. Sometimes maned wolves are killed for their body parts, which are believed to have magical properties. General disregard for speed limits leads to significant traffic fatalities. The cerrado has been reduced to 20 percent of its original size. Habitat destruction for agriculture and highways is the main threat to maned wolves. Habitat analysis suggests that as many as 20,000 may remain in Brazil. The total population is believed to be below 5,000 outside of Brazil. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species List lists maned wolves as endangered. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists maned wolves as near threatened. However, the Brazilian Red List and the U.S. Each wolf eats two pounds of food each day. Because of their large size, only the puma and domestic dogs have been reported to kill the maned wolf.Īt the Smithsonian's National Zoo, maned wolves are fed Mazuri Maned Wolf diet, vegetables, mice and occasionally beef bones for treats. Maned wolves share their habitat with a wide variety of other carnivores: bush dog, crab-eating fox, hoary fox, pampas fox, puma, jaguar, pampas cat, jaguarondi, crab-eating raccoon, hog-nosed skunk and grison. Long legs help them move through and see above tall grasses. They may also leap into the air to capture birds and insects. They tap the ground with a front foot to flush out the prey and pounce to catch it, or they may dig after burrowing prey. Maned wolves rotate their large ears to listen for prey animals in the grass. They eat small mammals such as rodents, rabbits and insects. They eat seasonally abundant fruits and vegetables and are particularly interested in lobeira, whose name means "fruit of the wolf." It is a small tomato-like berry that, along with other fruits and vegetables, makes up 50 percent of the maned wolf's diet. Maned wolves are omnivorous eaters and primarily solitary hunters.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |