On the flooded marshlands of Mombo in the heart of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, there are fertile floodplains filled with trees and greenery and the best game viewing imaginable. This place is known as Africas 'Last Garden of Eden' with vast herds of herbivores tracked by the numerous predators continually on the prowl. These predators include the big cats such as the Lion, the Cheetah and the Leopard.

The normal gestation period of a pregnant leopard is about three months or one hundred days when one to five cubs are born in a rocky den. After about eight days they emerge to begin exploring. The cubs are under constant danger as packs of hyenas stalk for the young looking to uncover the leopards den. The mother must also be on the lookout for troupes of baboons who are know to eat just about anything and have also been known to attack the dens. The cubs therefore must learn how to climb trees quickly. They learn to stalk, hunt and kill and becomes a master when it comes to ambushing its prey.

The leopard is a silent, invisible killer arguably considered to be the ultimate predator. It is a very beautiful creature and its fur provides the perfect camouflage. Invisibility is this creatures best weapon and it can disappear into foliage right before your eyes under a cloak of invisibility. This is also a fast cat and over the first 30 meters it is like lightning rivaling another cat of Botswana, the Cheetah, for the crown.

The preferred habitat of the leopard is the dense foliage of lush forests as these areas provide cover for hunting and refuge from other predators like lions and hyenas. To give you an idea of how successful these predators are, imagine the skill it would take to catch a monkey or better still a squirrel... in a tree. They are excellent climbers and can swing through trees like acrobats. Other prey consists of warthog piglets, young baboons and

impala which is a medium sized antelope and is the prey of choice. A leopard will always attempt to haul a kill into a tree and store it safely out of reach of the other predators but can often kill prey far too big to lift. Predictably the hyenas follow them around hoping for a free feed.

These cats are secretive and solitary creatures.  Male leopards will defend a territory against other males while two females sharing the same territory is a recipe for disaster. This is true even when the female is its own cub. So at what age is another female leopard no longer her mothers cub? Up to a certain age the cub survives on what the mother provides and smaller prey such as guinea fowl. No leopard comes of age until they have killed an impala and when a young female protects her kill from her mother, it is time. Their territory is marked with what is known as a home range with a core area in the center which is strongly defended and a less defended outer area around the center.

There is no doubt that leopards are very successful predators but are they the ultimate predator and are they on the endangered species list? They have amber eyes like honey and sharp teeth with lethal intent. Soft pads cushion their approach, their speed is something to marvel at and their ability in the trees is freakish. The coloration of its fur is spectacular and turns them invisible in the dense foliage of the trees. They are very difficult to see in the wild and census counts are very difficult owing to the fact that these animals are more difficult to locate. In Africa it is estimated that over two thousand leopards are still hunted down and shot as trophies each year. However, a visit to the Mombo Camp in the Moremi Game Reserve on the Okavango Delta in Botswana has a reputation as your best bet for seeing a leopard up close...just do not hold your breath.

How To Get Rid Of Skunk Smell
I can not exaggerate the stink power of the skunk, and if you are living near or skunk is visiting your home it nights, its best to deter it or trap it and call animal wild life so they can come get the creature. If you do engage in an argument with the skunk and he feels his life is threatened and sprays you, you would wish a million times for skunk smell removal recipe or wish you had a skunk spray removal. This is one of the easiest way to get rid of skunk smells, but in case you have none you can make your own skunk smell remover.

Skunk Smell Removal recipe
You will be surprised at how much money people have spent on skunk spray removal sprays when it is quite easy to make their own, all you need are simple house hold items you may already have. In case you don't you can simple run to the corner store or just sit and order these items on the internet. So what is this secret formula that you can make from home that will kill skunk smells; well lets get right into it then and cut the blabbering!
Ingredients:

• 1 quart hydrogen peroxide (Food Grade)
  
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1 tsp. dish detergent
• 1 Gallons of water

Method
Simple mix the ingredients together and use sponge to apply to man, or animal. There you have it. The best skunk smell remover recipe.

What Does the Skunk Musk Smell Like?
You really want to know that? OK well just get sprayed and you will know. The smell is actually quite in-describable somewhat, just know that it stinks and stinks really bad. It is like a mix of a thousand burned tires and thrown in a few vomits and carcasses.

One of the best ways to avoid being sprayed by a skunk is to not trespass on their habitat. Many people who do that end up on this site making the skunk smell remover recipe! According to Wikipedia; "Striped skunks are native to North America, and can be found in Northern Mexico, throughout the United States, and as far north as Central Canada. Other species of skunks, such as the spotted skunk and the hog-nosed skunk, can be found further south, ranging from Canada to Central and South America." You will find these animals digging small burrows and will also take up habitat in fallen hollow trees or just about any where in the forest where they can be hidden.

How To get Rid Of Skunk(s)
If by some reason a skunk wonders into your home, you must remain calm and try not to startle or scare it. Never backup a skunk in a corner! If you do smelly things will happen. Don't try to catch the skunk with your hands as skunk are know carriers of rabbis. If you or your pet should get bitten by a skunk, get medical attention immediately. If the skunk is in the yard and digs hole around the yard, you can do two things to get rid of them:

Set up a skunk Trap
Simple acquire a large racoon size mesh cage and bait it with any type of foods as skunks are not picky eaters. Place this outside before nightfall and hope the skunks takes the bait. The cage will catch the animal without harm and then you can bring the animal to a wild life center or place the animal at least 10 miles in its natural habitat.

Skunk Repellant
There are many skunk repellants on the market that claim to get rid of skunks overnight. These repellants are a mixture of predator urine, ammonia, moth balls and other chemicals that may be considered of unpleasant smell to the skunk. Many people have however complained about the ineffectiveness of some skunk repellant as many just don't work.

Dolphins are really quite adorable and very intelligent creatures.  In fact it is believed that dolphins may be if not the most intelligent creature on earth excluding man. Their intelligence have been proven by scientist on many occasions by administering many tests. Research suggests that the bottlenose dolphins are self-aware, a trait which is considered to be a sign of highly-developed, abstract thinking. One such indicator is that they have been shown to be able to recognize themselves in a mirror, a behavior that until recently has only been recorded in humans and great apes. Interestingly, unlike most animals, they are also interested in television. Whereas chimps only learned to respond appropriately to television after a long period of training, dolphins respond appropriately to the images from the first time they were exposed.

Dolphins stem from the toothed whale family which includes the Pilot whales and Orcas. You will find these smart swimmers mostly in shallow waters of the continental shelves. If you are lucky enough, you may just be there at the right time to even catch a bit of dolphin excitement. bottlenose dolphins are show boats and will put on a show every now and then, it may even get better if you toss them a few fish.

What Do Dolphins Eat?
Dolphins like many other carnivorous fish are not picky eaters. They hunt in groups and will devour hundreds of pounds of fish each day. They will also hunt and eat squids and octopus.

What is That Sounds The Dolphins Make?
Many dolphins in including the famous bottlenose dolphin will whistle, click, moan grunt and squeak. Even though they make these sounds at any given time and at any depths, it is widely believed that each different sound sends out a different frequency and is direct communication with other dolphins or the dolphins environment. The sounds the dolphins make vary in volume, frequency power and pattern and wavelength. What dolphin and bats have in common is what is called echolocation. Echolocation is when high pitched sounds are given out which bounces off objects and listen for their echoes are basically listen to tell where the object is. The Bottlenose will produce pitches from 0.25 to 150 Khz.
 

How Do Dolphins Behave?
Dolphins are known around the world for their friendly and playful behavior, even the way they look makes you believe that they have a permanent smile.  As stated before, if you are at the right place at the right time in the wild, you will definitely see dolphins sometimes put on small acrobatic shows while swimming, some will even do leaps and twist and rise vertically out of the water to view their surroundings. Dolphins are very energetic species as we can see with all their see antics. Dolphins are not loners, you will find many living in social groups of about 6 to over a hundred. Socialization is a smart way to survive in any intelligent animal. Dolphins use these large groups of course to their advantage. It is especially useful when hunting fishes as they use the power of echolocation seek out prey and will hunt them down in groups with very sophisticated hunting strategy.  When they seek and find schools of fish, you will see the intelligence of the dolphin comes into full effect as they form a circle around these fish, trapping them and making the fish form one big sphere of frightened meal. They then take turns to swim through the fishes and snatching up a couple each time they go through.  This is what is called working together for a common cause.

How Much does a Dolphin Weigh?
The familiar bottlenose dolphin is around 8 feet (2.5m) long and weighs between 440-660 lbs. Dolphins comes in about forty species and they all are diverse when it comes on to weight and size.

Largest Dolphin Family
The largest dolphin species is the orca, or killer whale. Male orcas grow to about 25 feet in length and weigh about 19,000 pounds.

Smallest Dolphin Family
The smallest of the dolphin species, Maui's Dolphin, is around 4 feet (1.2m) long and weighs around 90 lbs (40 kg).

How many offspring Do Dolphins have?
Dolphins have a very unique birth rate. They will give birth once at every 2-4 years, the gestation period is a remarkable 11-17 months! That's a long time to be swimming around with a baby in you. Dolphins will generally give birth to a single calf. The other unique thing about the dolphin's birth is that the calf is born tail first, not head what we a used to in mammal births. The calves will be nursed by their mother other for about 1-2 years.

How Long Do Dolphins Live?
Lifespan: Most dolphins live long lives. The bottlenose dolphin can live over 40 years, and the orca can live to be 70 or 80!

Are Dolphins Endangered?
Well like many other animals the dolphins numbers are not that stable. The main reason of course is man and their developments and many times selfish acts. Here are some reasons why Dolphins are endangered.

Caught in The Net

• Dolphins become entangled in disregarded fishing gear and are unable to reach the surface of the water for air and of course will eventually drown.

Habitat Loss

• Here comes man and their developments ans machines again. Some river dolphins share their habitat with us humans, and when that normally happens we usually see a decline in the lower species. we build dams, river attractions and just about anything that will destroy the dolphins habitat.

Climate Change

• Climate change has a multitude of effects on the oceans which can have adverse impacts on marine mammals such as dolphins. As ocean temperatures rise from climate change, prey populations can be affected. Climate change also affects ocean currents altering prey distribution, feeding grounds, and migratory pathways.

Dolphin Fishing

• So there are countries who think dolphin meat is good for consumption and as such will go out and catch them in the numbers. They will even catch pregnant dolphins, thus reducing the population even more as the offsprings are not even given a chance to born.

What Are Dolphins Natural Enemies or Predators?
Dolphins don't really have any feared enemies. They don't spend much time worrying about sharks and other Ocean Predators. In general, their only real predator is the shark. But don't go thinking that just any shark can come bullying and chomping away at these tough mammals. Only the larger sharks dare to attack dolphins. Dolphins have evolved over the millennia to be pretty tough, so in general even most sharks stay away from them.