1. Wolves
(image.pinterest.com)
Wolves
are mammals, which means they have hair, give birth to live young, and feed
their babies with milk. They are the largest members of the dog family and they
can weigh close to 200 pounds when they are fully grown adults. The most
common type of wolf is the gray wolf, which has gray and brown fur with long,
bushy tails. They have long snouts and pointed ears on top of their
heads. Wolves live in a pack which contains between six and ten other wolves.
This pack is lead by a male and everyone in the pack follows his lead.
Wolves
can be found in different habitats all over the world, but they are most
commonly found in the United
States, Canada and Arctic Russia. Wolves are
popular in forests, but they can also live in grasslands, deserts, the Arctic, and mountains. Most wolves today are found in the frozen tundras in
Canada and Alaska, where there aren’t many people or animals to bother them.
Wolves are carnivores, which means
that they mainly eat meat.Because they live and hunt in packs, they are able to
work together and take down large animals they might not be able to attack on
their own. Some animals that wolves like to hunt are elk, moose, deer, bighorn
sheep, and bison. If they can’t find many big animals, they will also eat
squirrels, mice, weasels, and foxes.
Wolves will also add to their diet with other foods that are readily
available, such as apples, pears, berries, and melons.Wolves are the top
predators in their habitat and have many ways to protect themselves against
threats.They have sharp teeth and
are extremely strong, which helps them take down their prey.They can run fast
and don’t get tired very easily, so they can outrun anything that might be
trying to chase them.Wolves also have sharp eyesight, and an excellent sense of
hearing and smell. While a bear or a
mountain lion might
be able to attack a single wolf all by itself, they are no match for a pack of
wolves that travel together.With all of their defenses, few animals are any
threat to wolves.
(adapted from https://www.coolkidfacts.com/)
2. Tapirs
(image from pinterest.com)
The tapir is a
large mammal that despite it's pig-like appearance, is
believed to be most closely related to horses and rhinos. The tapir is found in moist, dense
forests in the more temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere.There
are four known species of
tapir today, all of which are classified as endangered. The
different species of
tapir are the Baird's Tapir which is native to Central America and the northern
parts of South America. The Baird's Tapir can be identified by the fact that
this species of
tapir has a cream coloured marking on it's face. The Malayan Tapir (also known
as the Asian Tapir) is the largest of the tapir species and
has a distinctive white band across it's body. The Malayan Tapir once roamed
the tropical forests across South East Asia but the Malayan
Tapir today has a much smaller range primarily due to habitat loss.
The Mountain Tapir
is the smallest of the four different tapir species and
(as the name suggests) it inhabits more mountainous regions rather than lowland
forests. The Mountain Tapir
is found in the high forests in the Andes mountains across Colombia, Ecuador and
parts north of Peru.
The Brazilian Tapir (also known as the South American Tapir) is known to be a fantastic
swimmer and the Brazilian Tapir is generally found close to water in the Amazon
Rainforest.
The tapir is a herbivore and
spends it's time browsing for
food to eat. The tapir eats leaves, twigs, branches, buds, shoots, berries,
fruits and aquatic plants. Due to it's large size, the
tapir has few natural predators in
it's environment but
it is known to be prey upon
by wild cats such
as tigers, jaguars and cougars along with
large reptiles like crocodiles and even
the odd snake.
The human is
believed to be the most common predator of
the tapir as they have been hunted for food and even domesticated in
some areas.
Tapirs have a long, flexible nose (similar to the trunk of an elephant but no way
near as big). The tapir uses it's prehensile snout
to grab leaves and branches from bushes and low trees. Despite, their stocky
build, tapirs are known to be fantastic swimmers and tapirs therefore spend a
great deal of their time close to water which the tapirs use to cool down.
Tapirs are even known to dive into the shallows in order to
feed on the lush aquatic plants.
Tapirs are solitary animals with
the exception of the mating season and the mother tapir nursing the baby tapir.
Due to the fact that tapirs are very shy animals there
has been little interaction between humans and wild
tapirs (besides hunters). However, tapirs are known to defend themselves using
their powerful jaws and although rare, tapir attacks on humans are known to
occur. The most damage the tapir will generally do though is give you a nasty
bite!
(adapted form https://a-z-animals.com/)
3. Hippo
(image. from pinterest)
The
hippo is the world's third largest land animal after the elephant and the
rhino. Hippos are found in the central and southern portion of the continent of
Africa. They are herbivores and eat mostly grass. Hippos are really big!
They can grow up to 10 feet long, 5 feet high at the shoulder, and weigh 7000
pounds. Many
of the Hippo's features enable them to spend a lot of time in the water. Their
eyes, ears, and nose are all at the top of their head. This works out well
because it helps them to be almost totally submerged under the water, but at
the same time they can listen and watch for predators. They also have a clear
membrane that covers their eyes and helps them to see under water. When they go
under water, they can hold their breath for a long time.
You
would think that hippos are great swimmers as they spend much of their time in
the water, however, they don't really swim. What they do is bound or walk along
the bottom of the river. They do have a lot of fat which helps them to float a bit, but once
they sink they need to walk to shallow water to get back to the surface.
Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in the world. They are responsible
for more human deaths than any other large animal in Africa. They are extremely
aggressive when provoked and will not hesitate to attack humans. Despite their
huge size, they can run at speed of up to 20 miles per hour. Also, they have
two large tusks on the bottom of their mouth that can be over a foot long. When
you combine their size, speed, aggressiveness, and long teeth together, you get
one dangerous beast.
A hippo baby is called a calf. The calf is actually born under water. Hippos
often live in large groups of up to 40 hippos. Leading each group is a dominant
male along with female hippos and their calves. Sometimes there may be a few
young males included the group. Hippos spend the day in the water
keeping cool and resting. For such giant animals they can move in the water
quite well and can hold their breath for up to five minutes. They also walk
along the bottom of the riverbed or seabed. Once on land, Hippos can run very
fast, much faster than the average human. At night, hippos come out of the
water and feed off of grass.
(image.livescience.org)
The
cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, reaching speeds of up to
113km/h. They can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 3 seconds. Built
for speed, cheetahs are slender, with long thin legs and a long tail. They have
coarse, short fur that is yellowish tan in colour and covered in solid black
spots. Black tear-shaped streaks on the face help to reflect the sun when
hunting. Adults weigh around 46–158 lb (21–72 kg). Cheetahs have between
2,000 and 3,000 spots, which help them to camouflage themselves.
Previously,
cheetahs were wide-spread across African and Asian continents, but now they are
confined mostly to dry open grasslands of Sub-Saharan Africa, with the majority
inhabiting natural reserves or parks. Cheetahs are carnivores, so rely
on meat for survival. Their diet is made up primarily of smaller antelopes
including springbok, steenbok, Thomson’s gazelle, impalas, and duiker. Cheetahs
will also feed on wildebeest calves and, occasionally, smaller animals
including rabbits, hares and birds. Cheetahs have evolved to live in an
environment where water is scarce, and can survive on one drink every three to
four days.
Female
cheetahs are solitary, living alone or with their young. Males however, live in
small family groups of 2–3 brothers, known as coalitions. The cheetah is
the fastest land animal in the world, reaching speeds of up to 70 miles per
hour. They can accelerate from 0 to 68 miles per hour in just three seconds.
Cheetahs are the only big cat that can turn in mid-air while sprinting Cheetahs
long muscular tails have a flat shape that is used for balance and steering.
The tail essentially acts like a rudder on a boat. Cheetahs start
reproducing at a young age; males at the age of one and females at two. There
is no specific breeding season and cheetahs will mate with many individuals
throughout their lifetimes.
Male cheetahs do not remain with the females after mating, and do not play
any role in rearing young. Female cheetahs on the other hand are caring,
affectionate and dedicated mothers. Following a pregnancy of three months,
female cheetahs will give birth to a litter of 2–8 cubs in a secluded spot such
as a rocky outcrop or marshy area with tall grass.Cubs are vulnerable to
predators, and many do not survive the first year. Initially, mothers leave the
cubs hidden whilst hunting, but cubs will start accompanying her at around six
weeks. Female cheetahs spend a long time caring
for their cubs and teaching them essential survival skills like hunting. Cubs
typically stay with their mothers for one and a half to two years.
(adapted from https://onekindplanet.org/)
5. Komodo Dragon
(imagefrom. geek.com)
Komodo dragons
are the largest and heaviest lizards in the world. They have been around for
millions of years and are sometimes known as the last living dinosaurs. Komodo
dragons originated in Australia, where they have lived for four million years,
but are now also found on the Indonesian island Komodo.They can reach up to 3
metres in length and about 70 kilograms in weight. They are so big because
there are no other carnivores that live on the island with them. This gives the
dragons first pick of all the food on the island! The large size becomes a
trait that is passed down to their offspring, a phenomenon known as island
gigantism.
The
komodo’s tail is as long as its body and it has a long forked tongue. Its skin
is covered in strong armoured scales that acts like chain-mail armour. The
komodo dragon has poor eyesight and restricted hearing ability. However, it can
use its tongue to detect smells and taste. The komodo dragon sticks out its
tongue and swings its head from side to side when it moves. This allows it to
find prey up to 6 miles away
Komodo
dragons like to live in hot and dry places and are ectotherms. Ectotherms are
animals that use the sun as a way to heat themselves up. This also means that
they are mainly active in the daytime. Komodo dragons are carnivorous but also
like to scavenge carrion (dead animals). They produce venom which can cause its
prey to lower its blood pressure, mass bleeding and induce shock. This helps
them take down large animals such a deer and water buffalo.
For
many decades people believed that it was the bacteria in the dragon’s mouth
that caused its prey to die by infection. In fact, Komodo dragons have very
clean mouths! They have been known to lick around their teeth and mouth as well
as rub their face among leaves after eating. Komodo dragons are a vulnerable
species. The main pressures on their population are habitat loss and loss of
prey due to poaching.
(adapted from https://onekindplanet.org/)
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