The gerenuk is diurnal and primarily active during the day.
Category: FaunaFacts
FaunaFocus releases a new FaunaFact every single day! These bite-sized bits of information are interesting facts paired with a unique image of that animal.
Gerenuk
Gerenuk young are precocial and begin to walk within minutes of birth.
Gerenuk
Only male gerenuks have head ornamentation in the form of scimitar shaped horns ranging from 25 to 44 cm. in length.
Gerenuk
There are no adverse effects of gerenuk on humans.
Gerenuk
Because they do not form large populations and their food is of limited supply, gerenuk exhibit strange social interactions as males are solitary and territorial and females are social and form small groups.
Gerenuk
The gerenuk's coat is of a pale tawny brown, short, fine, glossy hair that is evenly distributed over the whole body.
Gerenuk
Gerenuk are preyed on by a diverse set of large predators, such as cheetahs, leopards, lions, African wild dogs, hyaenas, servals, honey badgers, caracals, and eagles.
Gerenuk
The gerenuk's common name derives from the Somali name for the animal, gáránúug.
Gerenuk
The gerenuk is one of the most exclusive browsers because it has the ability to stand on its lengthy hind legs and use its long neck to obtain tree leaves that are out of reach for most other antelope species.
Gerenuk
The gerenuk is largely independent of water and does not drink free-standing water, instead relying on water taken in when eating succulent plants.
Gerenuk
The gerenuk is herbivorous and an efficient browser of more than 80 different species of herbaceous and succulent plants.
Bald Eagle
Many bald eagle populations use geographic landmarks for navigation, making the Mississippi River a major migratory corridor.
Bald Eagle
Contrary to popular belief, bald eagles have relatively weak, high-pitched, thin vocalizations composted of chirps, whistles, and harsh chatters and produce 3 main types of calls.
Bald Eagle
As a top predator, bald eagles impact all members of their community and have been causing a population decline in common murres.
Bald Eagle
Immature bald eagles are often confused with golden eagles due to their dark coloration, but bald eagles have longer heads, shorter tails, and blotchy white coloration on their underwing coverts, axillaries, and tails.
Bald Eagle
Due to hunting, habitat destruction, and insecticides, bald eagles were once an endangered species, but thanks to The Bald Eagle Protection Act and other conservation efforts, they're now considered "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
Bald Eagle
Bald eagle home range sizes may vary as populations in Oregon and Washington have larger ranges that those in Alaska, but they do not oscillate between breeding and non-breeding seasons.
Bald Eagle
Although both bald eagle parents care for the offspring, the female broods the eggs more frequently and is present 40% more than the male while the male provides most of the food during the first two weeks post-hatching.
Bald Eagle
While migrating, bald eagles generally soar and congregate in areas with food abundances, specifically in areas below the freeze line with open water for hunting.
Bald Eagle
Bald eagle eggs are generally only exposed for less than a minute at a time when the parents change positions or turn the eggs.
Bald Eagle
Although bald eagles do not have an adept sense of smell, they do avoid food items that taste spoiled.
Bald Eagle
Bald eagles are the largest semi-altricial birds in Norther America, weighing 60 grams at hatching and gaining up to 180 grams per day.
Bald Eagle
Although bald eagles are often solitary, they pair bond during the nesting season and may congregate in areas with ample prey or roost communally in groups of up to 400 individuals.
Bald Eagle
Bald eagles have been the national symbol of the United States since 1782 and draw bird watchers and other nature enthusiasts with their charisma.
Bald Eagle
Because bald eagles reuse and build upon their nests each year, they become massive in size, weighing up to 2 tons.
Bald Eagle
Bald eagles forage, hunt, and pirate for their food, and the speed of a river's flow can greatly impact and eagle's hunting success.
Bald Eagle
Although fully grown bald eagles are not often subject to predation, their eggs and young can be preyed upon by magpies, gulls, ravens, crows, bears, raccoons, bobcats, wolverines, and arctic foxes.
Bald Eagle
About 1-3 months prior to egg-laying, male and female bald eagles will construct nests together, though the dates vary regionally, nesting earliest in the East and latest in the West.
Bald Eagle
Bald eagles perform flight displays with their mates, plummeting towards the ground with their feet clasped and letting go just before impact.
Bald Eagle
If lost, a bald eagle's flight feathers may take 2-3 years to regrow.
Bald Eagle
Bald eagles are fully migratory and most populations of bald eagles, specifically those in northern regions, migrate to southern, milder climates annually.
Bald Eagle
Bald eagles have a low fecundity and typically produce one brood of 1-3 round, white eggs per season, but may have replacement clutches if needed.
Bald Eagle
Bald eagles are diurnal and are less active during the winter, when winds are especially high, or when there's precipitation.