5 Black Wildlife Species (and how we can study them)

Sick of hearing about Black Friday? How about some BLACK WILDLIFE instead...

Today I wanted a little escape from the usual hype and I invite you to join me to learn more about wildlife instead. Here are a few wild animal species that are (mostly) black in colour... 

 1. Short-Finned Pilot Whale

The Short-Finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is the first of the species I want to share with you today. Preferring warmer waters to their Long-Finned relatives, these whales inhabit tropical and temperate ocean environments.

🦑 their favourite food is squid, but they will also eat octopus and fish too.

🐆 they catch their favourite prey in high-speed deep-dive chases, which has led to them to be known as “cheetahs of the deep sea”.

☾ they feed mostly at night using echolocation to find their prey.

We can use a range of different technologies to survey and monitor marine mammals like the Short-Finned Pilot Whale, including hydrophones, DTAGs and drones.

2. Celebes crested macaque

Next up is Celebes crested macaque (Macaca nigra) a fascinating primate with both black skin, black fur on their bodies and a pretty fabulous do of black hair (the ‘crest’) on their heads. They live primarily in the forests of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

🌳 Though they live among the trees, they are terrestrial creatures, spending much of their time on the ground foraging, eating and socialising.

🙉 Often referred to as ‘Black Apes’, they are in fact, Monkeys not Apes. Why? Because they have a tail…though it is very short (2cm)!

🗣️ As social animals living in groups, they communicate using both acoustic and physical gestures.

We can use a range of technologies to study primates such as Celebes crested macaque, including bioacoustic recording devices, thermal imaging and camera traps.

3. Phainopepla 

Isn’t he stunning? The male Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) is almost entirely covered in beautiful glossy black feathers, including those that make up that fabulous funky crest.

🌵These birds live in deserts and woodlands of North America.

🫐They feed mainly on fruits, particularly desert mistletoe berries. They have specialised digestive systems that help them to break down these berries efficiently, allowing them to eat up to 1100 of them in a day!

🪰 A member of the “silky-flycatcher” family, they also eat small insects too.

There are a range of different technologies we can use to study birds like Phainopepla, including bioacoustic recording devices and thermal imaging.

4. Devil's coach horse beetle

The devil's coach horse beetle (Staphylinus olens) may be small (2-3cm long), but it is a mighty beast. These voracious predators feed on a range of invertebrates including slugs, worms, spiders and woodlice. They will also happily eat carrion too 💀

When threatened they:

💪 adopt a scorpion-like defence pose, opening their strong jaws and curling up their tails

💨 and if that doesn’t do the trick, they can give off a nasty stench their name alludes to (‘olens’ = smell)

😫 and if that STILL doesn’t work…they can give a very nasty bite indeed!

These awesome beetles are a common sight here in the UK and they play a vital role in keeping our ecosystems healthy.

5.  Black girdled lizard

The black girdled lizard (Cordylus niger) is even more niche than the other dark creatures in this #BlackWildlife feature.

Why?

🇿🇦 they are only found in a few isolated populations among the rocks of fynbos habitats in the Western Cape of South Africa

🦎 but it’s not just the populations that are isolated, as individuals these spiny reptiles like to keep themselves to themselves and live solitary lives (except when mating)

🤔 maybe that’s why there is not much available information on this awesome animal!

If YOU know more about them I would love to hear from you!

Would you like to learn how you could use technology to help you study, survey or monitor species like those featured in this article? Check out our Introduction to Wildlife Technology Course, where you can learn about a range of technologies and how to choose the right one(s) for you and the species you are interested in.