FAUNA
Many of the animals located in the Bay of Kotor have many adaptations and living styles that help them survive in this habitat, including:
Bears-
Structural: Bears have adapted to the mountainous environment by developing strong arms and claws, this allows them to climb easier and move logs and large rocks. Bears have also adapted to running by developing two round in their backs. This allows the big mammal to move faster.
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| Bear (Ursus,Ursidae) |
Behavioral: All bears have a strong sense of smell and over time this sense has gotten even stronger. This adaptation has helped the bears find food faster which enables them to survive. For reproduction purposes, bears, will keep their cubs in their stomach until they feel like they have enough food to survive giving birth and surviving the winter. If the mother bears don’t have enough food the cub in their stomach will die and they will try again next season.
Deer-
Structural: White- tailed deer, like the ones located here, have adapted to running by developing long, agile legs. This allows them escape from prey a lot faster. Male deer also have adapted to protect themselves with their large antlers. Over time their antlers have grown and changed to fit each deer.
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| Deer (Cervus, Cervidae) |
Behavioral: When the deer hear a predator, they can hear it from 100 miles away and to confuse their predator they will bounce around the area and then run away before the predator figures out what they are doing. Another adaptation is when the deer is running away they will put their white tail up as a warning sign to the other deers in the area.
Martens-
Structural: Since Martens are more active at night they have adapted to have darker fur so that they can move swiftly through the night without being detected. Also, Martens have adapted to climbing trees with their large tail and strong forearms.
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| Martens (Martes, Mustelidae) |
Behavioral: Martens have been adapted to be more active at night vs. the day because most of their prey is sleeping and vulnerable at night, which creates a perfect opportunity for the Martens to eat. Another adaptation is that they eat a variety of food. Since there is high demand for food they have adapted to eating most anything including berries, small rodents, and insects. This allows them a better chance to survive since they don't depend on one specific organism.
Wild pigs-
Structural: Wild pigs have very small eyes, therefore they have terrible eyesight. To make up for it, they have adapted to have a long snout which gives them a very good sense of smell. They also have thick skin to protect themselves from prey and sharp objects that might cut them.
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| Wild Pig (Sus scrofa) |
Behavioral: These animals are nocturnal. They sleep for 12 hours during the day and wake up to get food at night. This allows larger predators to not attack them while they are hunting. Male pigs will be alone most of their life and find new territory for themselves. Then they come back to mate with females and go away again. This adaptation allows the male to only take care of themselves and be able to survive without caring about little ones.
FOOD WEB
All of these organisms can be found in the Bay of Kotor. Two of the most common organisms that you can find around the bay is the white tailed dear and the brown bear. But even though they are the center of the web, all the other small organisms contribute so much to this web! Without the grasses, the berry bush, and the seeds, the food web could not even start! All of those plants are a food source to all of the herbivores such as the deer, the butterfly, the marmot, the grouse and the chipmunk. But carnivores, like the hawk, prefer a different source of food to provide their energy. Carnivores get their food source from meat like the marmot, the grouse, or even the chipmunk. But for the bear, he prefers his meals to be more of a mix of both greens and meats, also known as an Omnivore. He will get his food source from organisms such as the deer, the marmot, the chipmunk, and the berries and flower bush. But we can't forget the decomposer, like the worms and the mushrooms, that do some big work! They have the job of taking the energy that is left from the organisms and putting back into the earth and the atmosphere. In conclusion, you can see that no creature can get its food source with out the help from another.
FOOD CHAIN
As I said before, the white tailed dear and the bear are both very common creatures in the bay. this simple food chain helps shows their food source so each organism can get energy. The sun represents the beginning of all of the energy and passes it on the fruit as its food source. The herbivore or the deer uses the fruit as its food source to then gain energy as well. Finally, the bear takes the deer as its main food source. But one thing that I noticed is that this food chain failed to put in the decomposers which play a main role in the cycle of this food chain. The decomposer's job is to take any of the left of energy of the passed oganims, and place it back into the earth so it can be used for the food chain to continue. Without all these organisms having the roles as the producers and or the consumers, the whole system would messed up! So make sure as you are enjoying your trip in the beautiful Bay of Kotor, watch and take in these organisms and their unique habitats where they do their cycle.
