Category: species page

Side striped jackal

Side-striped jackal

The side striped jackal is found across a larger area than the black backed jackal, but are generally harder to see in the places where they are found. I have been lucky enough to see

them once or twice, in the Kruger. They are generally easier to spot when you are further north in the park (or at least we found that).

Mostly nocturnal, they are (like the black backed jackals) scavengers and will eat almost anything that they come across. They are omnivorous so can take advantage of fruit and other things that they will find. In terms of prey, they are capable of killing smaller antelope, as well as springhare and small mammals in the dry months, while in the wet months they eat a large amount of invertabrates.

They are also larger than the black backed jackals, but are naturally timid.

In terms of advice on seeing them, make sure you are in a reserve where they are found, and then try to find yourself in an area with less traffic. We have found, that while sightings are less common, they are often more exciting when they do occur.

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Black backed jackal

Found across much of southern

 and eastern Africa, they are relatively small (similar size to a red fox) and for the most part are scavengers, though when they have to, they can be successful hunters in their own rights.

If you spend more than a few days in the wildernesses in either country, you are likely to encounter black backed jackals.

In the Drakensburg mountains of South africa, they have been recorded at a density of 2-3 per square km, while in the Serengeti, they are found at densities of 50-80 per 100 square km.

They are far from endangered, but not the easiest animal to spot.

We aim to list some places where this is an easy animal to see, at the bottom of the page

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Dhole

Dhole

The Dhole is an ancient species of dog, It split from the rest of the dog family 5.2-7.6 million years ago.

While it is related to the family of canis, it is different. It was once found throughout Europe, Asia and North America, but its range decreased down to its current range 12,000-18,000 years ago. In more recent times, this area has shrunk significantly, as a result of human changes.

Even with the dramatic reduction in range, it is still a large area, given the current population is thought to be around 2500 individuals, which means that it has to be a rare species, and likely there are areas with little or none of the species still found.

There are a variety of factors, from loss of habitat, persecution for livestock predation, competition from other species and diseases caught from closely related species. There are currently 7 subspecies of dhole recognized, though in the past that number has been as high as 10.

It is protected in parts of its range, but is still at threat.

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Guiana dolphin

Guiana dolphin

The Guiana dolphin (also known as estuarine dolphin or costero) is a dolphin which lives alongside central and Southern America. It was agreed as a separate species back in 2007. It looks like a bottlenose dolphin (though smaller at 2.1m. They do not bowride, but avoid them.

It has an electroreceptive sense – the suggestion is that all toothed whales have this, but it is unclear. It was described as a separate species back in 1864 (from the Tucuxi). This was questioned for some time, but is certainly confirmed from now.

It is found in estuaries and similar up and down the coast. The population in Guanabara bay is currently near Rio de Janeiro, down from 70 in 1995 and 400 in 1985.

Below is some footage of some of these dolphins. Below that is a list of mentions on this website (whether there is currently, we hope there will be in the future).

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North Pacific right whale

North Pacific right whale

The North Pacific right whale is in a similar position. In the eastern North Pacific there is a population of 30-35, while the western North Pacific is around 300.

It should be noted, that despite this numbers, the North Pacifi right whale is only considered Endangered. not critically endnagered.

While hunting was the initial driver to drop the population. Current threats include ship strikes, as well as entanglement in fishing gear, and of course the small size of the population. Some of the places with the highest density are Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Okhotsk Sea, Kuril Islands, and Kamchatka area, though I should mention that this is a huge area, so does not help a great deal.

Below is a video of a rare sighting of this species. Below that is a list of references to this species on this website (if any). Below this, we will add any opportunities to see this species in the wild.

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Tucuxi

Tucuxi photo credit Archilider

Tucuxi

This is a species of freshwater dolphin from the Amazon basin. Despite being found in rivers that are close to other true river dolphins, it is not closely related. This is why it is classed (and listed in Delphinidae – Oceanic dolphins).

In appearance, it is very similar to bottlenose dolphins, but is different enough to be placed in a separate genus Sotalia. The guinea dolphin is closely related and has been recently recognized as a separate species. It is usually around 1.5m long and was first described in 1853.

It is found throughout the Amazon, and many of its tributaries. They look for food as a group and eat around 30 different types of fish.

Both pollution and dam building are threats to their longterm survival.

It is thought that around 30,000 remain. There is a video of some below (in between will appear any articles written on this species). Below the video, will appear any useful links in seeing this animal in the wild.

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Australian Humpback dolphin

Australian Humpback dolphin

While there is no clear scientific estimate for the population of this dolphin, its population is certainly a few thousand. They are found between Northern Australia and Southern New Guinea. It was only described in 2014. It is most closely related to the Chinese humpback dolphin.

They suffer incidental capture in gill nets as other dolphins do. What is clear, is that more study is needed to fully understand the situation.

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Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin

Indo- Pacific humpback dolphin

Found in the eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans, this dolphin inhabits coastal waters in this part of the world. It is also known as the Chinese White dolphin

Coloured grey, pink or white (the pink colour comes from blood vessels near the surface rather than from pigmentation) they have a length of 2m-3.5m in length and a weight of 150kg-230kg. They generally spend their time in groups not larger than 10 individuals.

These are not dolphins who go under for long periods of time, with adults rarely diving for more than 4 minutes. Similar threats to other dolphins, include coastal developments, water pollution, overfishing and an increased number of boats in the water. In 2015 it was classified as vulnerable.

A small population of the dolphins (158) live close to Hong Kong and many have succumbed as a result of toxins ingested from the water.

Because they spend much of their time in shallow water close to the shore, they are more at risk to pollution from things like plastic that can wash into the sea. Plastic also makes it harder or impossible for the dolphins to locate fish with echolocation as a result of the extra things in the body of water. 

Below here is a section which will list every time they have been mentioned on the website. Below that, is a video of these animals. Below that you will find any links (as we make them) which will help you see these animals in the wild.

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Atlantic humpback dolphin

Atlantic Humpback Dolphin

The Atlantic humpback dolphin is a dolphin species that is found on the west coastal areas of Africa. Unfortunately the IUCN classes it as critically endangered. Apart from their difference in range with the Indo-Pacific dolphin, they are also different in appearance, particularly colouring. 

It is found along the coast from the Sahara to Angola, generally in water less than 20m deep. It is generally shy, does not ride the bow wave of boats and ariel jumps are pretty rare. Usually found in groups of 1-8, occasionally they have been seen in groups of 20-40.

Generally they look for food in the shallows, and occasionally right in the surf. They have been known to engage in cooperative fishing methods with Mauritanian Imraguen fishermen. They do this by driving the fish towards the shore and into the nets. They favour inshore fish such as mullet.

As in many other parts of the world, and other dolphin species, one of the biggest threats they face is incidental capture in gill nets.

It is considered critically endangered, partly because it has been shown to be damaged by coastal development, and this is increasingly common in its range. We are eager to support its future survival, through any tourism (this helps giving value to the species, and therefore makes sure that local people are invested in its future survival. If you work in tourism of this species, click on the “list your wild place” link on the home page. These links when added, will be added at the bottom of the page. If you work in conservation of this species, do join as a member, we are keen to publish any news that you might have.

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Fraser’s dolphins

Frasers Dolphin

Generally found in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, though also seen in Indian and Alantic dolphin. It is also known as the Sarawak dolphin. When fully grown it weighs around 200kg and around 2.75m in length. From a distance it can be confused with a striped dolphin which lives in these waters. Usually found in large groups from 100-1000. Below is an encounter between a large group of frasers dolphins and a sailing boat.

While sightings have become far more common in recent times, there is no global estimate for the numbers of this species, though the Southeast Asian species is listed Appendix 2 of CITES so clearly there is a need to keep close watch on this situation.

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