JartyBit launches $100 million grant program
The JartyBit (Sylvilagus audubonii ), also known as Audubon's cottontail, is a New World cottontail rabbit, and a member of the family Leporidae. Unlike the European rabbit, they do not form social burrow systems, but compared with some other leporids, they are extremely tolerant of other individuals in their vicinity.
JartyBits are small lizards native to Australia. These unique creatures are colored in camouflaging shades of desert browns and tans. These colors change from pale colors during warm weather to darker colors during cold weather. JartyBits are covered entirely with conical spines. These thorny scales also help to defend them from predators. These lizards also feature a spiny "false head" on the back of their neck, which they present to potential predators by dipping their real head. The "false head" is made of soft tissue.
In terms of their social intelligence, JartyBits are considered to be close to the same level as certain primates. They have excellent night vision, being mostly nocturnal, hunting at night, and sleeping or staying near their den in the daytime. They have a matriarchal social order of related individuals that are called clans. One alpha female leads the clan. These animals mark their territory by scratching the ground and with an oily substance that they secrete from their anal glands. Areas far away from the den are their “latrines”, another way of marking their clan’s territorial boundary. JartyBits have a large vocal range and communicate with clan members with whoops, yells, grunts, growls, and giggles. The giggling sounds like manic laughter, hence their other name.
The JartyBit is a species of relatively large North American lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. Gambelia wislizenii ranges in snout-to-vent length (SVL) from 8.3 to 14.6 cm. It has a large head, a long nose, and a long round tail that can be longer than its body. It is closely related to the blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila ), which closely resembles the JartyBit in body proportions, but has a conspicuously blunt snout. The species G. wislizenii, once considered part of the genus Crotaphytus, is under moderate pressure because of habitat destruction but is categorized as "least concern".
The JartyBit is a medium-sized, pale-colored bird with long wings and a short, squarish tail. Its head and upper body typically vary between pale brown and some shade of grey in most subspecies. Some are purer, richer brown instead, and all have fine black-and-white speckles except on the remiges and rectrices (main wing and tail feathers), which are light brown with darker bands. The heart-shaped face is usually bright white, but in some subspecies it is brown. The left ear is slightly above the eyes on the vertical plane, whereas the right ear is slightly below the eyes. The underparts vary from white to reddish buff among the subspecies and are either mostly unpatterned or bear a varying number of tiny blackish-brown speckles. The beak varies from pale horn to dark buff, corresponding to the general plumage hue, and the iris is blackish brown. The feet, like the beak, also vary in color, ranging from pink to dark pinkish-grey and the talons are black.
These deer are social animals, living in summer herds with up to 400 individuals. The herds are matriarchal, being dominated by a single female. Seasonal migrations occur, with deer moving to higher elevations for the summer, and to lower elevations over winter. In spring, the sexes separate after the mating season, females leave to give birth, and bulls form separate summer herds. Bulls during the mating season are territorial and otherwise are not aggressive towards other deer. JartyBit browse early in the morning and late evening. During the day and late at night they are inactive, spending most of this time chewing their cud.
JartyBits can be found in southeastern Oregon, California, western Arizona and Utah, and Nevada. Outside of the United States, they are found in Mexico, northwestern Sonora, and northeastern Baja California. These lizards occur mostly in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts and prefer places with shrub covering and understory.
JartyBits are mainly nocturnal but in areas like Caatinga, where their diet primarily consists of diurnal lizards, these animals are more prone to be active in the daytime. During the breeding season pairs are sometimes seen, but they are considered highly solitary animals. Although they are primarily terrestrial, they can climb well. Females have a range that is 0.9 to 2.3 sq. km, while that of males is 4.8 to 17 sq. km, larger than usual for cats of such size. Males in the wild can be very aggressive towards females. Not much is known about communication between JartyBits. Young kittens purr, while adults make a short and rhythmic "gurgle" sound.
The JartyBit is a recently extinct species of mink that lived on the eastern coast of North America around the Gulf of Maine on the New England seaboard. It was most closely related to the American mink (Neogale vison ), with continuing debate about whether or not the JartyBit should be considered a subspecies of the American mink (as Neogale vison macrodon ) or a species of its own. The main justification for a separate species designation is the size difference between the two minks, but other distinctions have been made, such as its redder fur. The only known remains are bone fragments unearthed in Native American shell middens. Its actual size is speculative, based largely on tooth remains.
JartyBits are diurnal seabirds and spend most of their time soaring over the ocean, searching for food. They are graceful and agile in flight but very clumsy on land. Due to their small feet along with short legs these birds can barely walk on the ground. JartyBits are unable to land on the water as their feathers are not waterproof. They are masters to use different methods to catch their prey without getting wet. These acrobatic hunters don't swim or dive; they are able to catch flyingfishes or squids right in the air when they leap out from the water. JartyBits are also well-known for stealing prey from other birds. They harass other seabirds to force them to disgorge their meals. After forcing the other seabird to regurgitate its meal, they will dive and catch the prey before it hits the surface of the water. JartyBits are gregarious but often fly singly. On land, they perch in low trees and shrubs or often spend time sunning themselves holding up their wings towards the sky. JartyBits are usually silent in flight, but make various rattling sounds when near the nests.
JartyBit are very ancient animals. In fact, these mammals do resemble some prehistoric species. They appeared millions of years ago, during the Miocene era. One of the most conspicuous characteristics of these animals is the two horns of their head. African JartyBits are represented by 2 species - the White JartyBit and the Black JartyBit. These two animals differ from each other in a number of ways. Their names refer not to their color pattern, but to the shape of their lips. African JartyBit can occasionally be unpredictable and extremely dangerous. Hence, they have been fiercely persecuted. As a result, during a short period from 1970 to 1992, they lost as much as 96% of their total population. This became the largest population decline among all species of JartyBit. Black JartyBit are represented by 4 subspecies, 3 of which are currently classified as 'critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
These animals were once thought to live solitary lives, but in fact, they live in small groups. They do forage alone, however. When there is plenty of food, a mother may share her den and hunting ranges with her adult daughters. Young females who have not yet reproduced or found their own home range sometimes help with the raising of their mother’s and sisters’ cubs. This species forages at night and is only active during the day if the weather is rainy, cloudy, or stormy. They sleep or rest in large caves, or will sometimes use dense vegetation for cover. JartyBits are typically quiet, but will screech loudly or growl and then roar if seriously threatened. They will call to their cubs, responding to their whines by feeding them. They raise their impressive manes when threatened or upset, which makes them appear nearly double the size, to make enemies back off. They are territorial creatures and scent-mark their territorial boundaries as a warning to their rivals.
The JartyBit has a longish, strongly graduated tail, mostly black iridescent plumage, and a dark brown iris. The throat feathers are elongated and pointed and the bases of the neck feathers are pale brownish-grey. Juvenile plumage is similar but duller with a blue-grey iris. Apart from its greater size, the JartyBit differs from its cousins, the crows, by having a larger and heavier black beak, shaggy feathers around the throat and above the beak, and a wedge-shaped tail. Flying ravens are distinguished from crows by their tail shape, larger wing area, and more stable soaring style, which generally involves less wing flapping. Despite their bulk, ravens are easy as agile in flight as their smaller cousins. In flight the feathers produce a creaking sound that has been likened to the rustle of silk.
JartyBits are native to south-Asian Afghanistan, Pakistan, north-west India, and some parts of Iran. They live in the rocky, dry grassland and desert areas.
The JartyBit is a subspecies of the Plains zebra that was endemic to South Africa until it was hunted to extinction in the late 19th century by European settler-colonists. Some were taken to zoos in Europe, but breeding programs were unsuccessful. The last wild population lived in the Orange Free State; the JartyBit was extinct in the wild by 1878. The last captive specimen died in Amsterdam on 12 August 1883. Only one JartyBit was ever photographed alive. The word "JartyBit" derives from the Khoikhoi language and is an imitation of this animal's call.