• Interesting Facts about Amphibians (3)
• Interesting Facts about Birds (22)
• Interesting Facts about Fishes (9)
• Interesting Facts about Mammals (48)
• Interesting Facts about Reptiles (16)

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• P
• R
• S
• U
• V
• W
• Z

Hyrax

DESCRIPTION: The hyrax is a small, tailless,rodent-like animal with a long body and stout legs SIZE:Approximately 44-54 cm (18-22 in.) WEIGHT: 1.8-5.4 kg (4-12 lb.) FUN FACTS:  Hyraxes areunique in that the iris slightly protrudes over the pupil of their eye. Thisdecreases the amount of light to the eye from above, serving as a built-in sunvisor. Rock hyraxes are able to climb on steeprock surfaces because of physical adaptations on their feet. They are capableof retracting up the center portion of their feet into a concave dome, whichcreates a vacuum like suction to solid surfaces and aides in their climbingability. Hyraxes have long hairs scattered overtheir bodies. The hairs probably help orient hyraxes in dark areas and burrows,similar to whiskers. Rock hyraxes live in groups rangingfrom 2-26 individuals. A dominant male that watches over the colony carefullyto ensure their safety leads the group. Hyraxes have little control of theirbody temperature and cannot exist without shelter from cold and heat. Instead,they use the environment to regulate their temperature. The hyrax's wide mouth and sharp teethenable it to take large bites of grass and quickly fill its stomach. Eatingrapidly and spending less time on open grazing land lessens its exposure topredators. Hyraxes are considered a close relativeof the elephant because of similarities with the primitive Eocene ungulatesfrom which elephants and sea cows are thought to have developed. Some of thesesimilarities include: males testes within the abdomen; female mammary glandsbetween the front legs; and tusks developed from incisors, rather than canines;resemblance in dentition and foot structure. Verbal communication consists of avariety of different calls, but most startling are the territory and defensecalls. Some scientists have likened them to a woman screaming! Face-to-facemeetings with a direct stare are apt to provoke low-level threat with aretracted upper lip and raised dorsal hair. This can escalate to growling andthen chasing, snapping and biting. The tusks can inflict fatal wounds. To avoidconfrontations, feeding or huddling hyraxes will face slightly away from eachother in a fan pattern and will back into a huddle or den.

Jaguars

DESCRIPTION: The base color of their coat variesfrom pale yellow to reddish brown (with melanistic - black - colorationcommonly exhibited). A subtle countershading is characteristic, with a deepertone to the dorsal coat fading to a light/white ventral coat. Solid, blackspots are found along the head, underbelly, and legs. Oscellated spots occuralong the back and flanks. The general build is stout, compact, and powerful. SIZE: Head & body length = 1,120-1,850 mm,Tail length= 450-750 mm WEIGHT:  36-185 kg FUN FACTS: Though territorial ranges are usuallyestablished by jaguars, these territories may shift due to seasonal conditions.Additionally, male jaguars are known to wander for hundreds of kilometersbeyond their established territory. A population density study insouthwestern Brazilindicated that (for the region) there was one jaguar per every 25 km2. Whilefemales maintained a home range of 25-38 km2 (with little overlap), malesmaintained ranges roughly twice as large (with overlap into multiple femalehome ranges). Through the end of the Pleistocene,jaguars could be found throughout the southern United States.

Kangaroos

DESCRIPTION: These large, muscular animals aregrayish-brown to reddish-brown with a small head, large ears, and a long thicktail used for balance. It also has short forearms, strong hind legs, and longbroad back feet for hopping and standing upright SIZE: Approximately 2 m (6.6 ft) long head to tail;6-7 ft(180-210 cm)in height WEIGHT: Male - About 54 kg,Female - About 28 kg (63 lbs) FUN FACTS: In their native country of Australia,western grey kangaroo females are known as does or fliers, the males as boomersor stinkers due to their strong, curry-like smell, and the young as joeys.Kangaroos live in groups called mobs. These kangaroos are the most vocal ofthe three large kangaroo species. The mothers communicate to the joeys with aseries of clicks. When defensive, they will growl like a dog. The western greys have very closesocial bonds, keeping family connections for years. A daughter often staysclose to her mother even after she has a joey of her own. Young kangaroos sometimes box playfullyto pass the time. Adult males box to determine dominance, with the strongestmale becoming the head of the mob. Whilerunning at speeds of about 12mph, these kangaroos are able to reach 35 mph in short bursts

Koala

DESCRIPTION: Mid-sized marsupial with thick, densefur ranging in color from slate-gray to reddish-brown. They have an opposablemodified index finger that acts as a second thumb. SIZE:Male - 75-82 cm,Female - 68-73 cm WEIGHT: Male -  9.5-12.5 kg,Female - 7-9.8 kg FUN FACTS: Although koalas may look like bears,they are actually marsupials, animals with a pouch that protects developingyoung. Koalas almost never need to drink; theyget most of their water from the succulent eucalyptus leaves they eat. The word"koala" is an aboriginal word meaning "no drink animal." Koalas eat so much eucalyptus, some saythey smell like a giant eucalyptus cough drop! A koala spends over 14 hours a daysleeping. Koalasare perfectly designed for their tree-dwelling life. Their hands have a largegap between the first and second fingers and their big toe is set at a wideangle to the foot. This gives the koala a vicelike grip on branches. They comfortablysit in a tree all day because of their thickly-padded tails.

Kudu

DESCRIPTION: The kudu is a large antelope with fawncoloring and thin, white, sparse vertical stripes. Greater kudu may bedistinguished from similar species, lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), bypresence of throat main. MALE: The male has long black twisted horns FEMALE:        Females do not have horns SIZE:   Approximately 1.2-1.5 m WEIGHT: Male 225-357.7 kg,Female 180-235 kg FUN FACTS: Kudus are one of the largest antelopes. They produce one of the loudest soundsmade by antelope in the form of a gruff bark. Kuduhorns have spirals, which allow males to spar by interlocking horns. The malesthen proceed to shove and twist until one opponent is knocked off balance andthrown down. Some reports show male kudus found with locked horns, even indeath.

Leopard

The Leopard can be distinguished from Africa'sother large spotted cats (cheetah) through its 'rosette" spots. Theleopard lacks tier marks indicating that it is primarily a nocturnalhunter.Usually solitary, the leopard protects its kills from other predatorslike lion and hyena by taking the kill high up into a tree.This allows theanimal to feed at ease, as other predators notably hyenas, can't climb at all.Lions on the other hand may try as long as the branches can support the almost180kg weight of a lioness.

Lion

Social groups are known as prides. The pride usually consists of a dominantmale/males, some adult females and juveniles of various ages. More thanone dominant male is referred to as a coalition. The purpose of the lions"mane", is to intimidate the competition; it also serves as acushion, which absorbs blows and attacks, when males fight over territory. MALE: At maturity, exhibit blond to black manes SIZE:Male - 1.7-2.5 m, and 1.2 m at the shoulder,Female 1.4-1.7 m and 1.06 m at the shoulder WEIGHT: Male -  150-250 kg, Female 120-180 kg FUN FACTS: Lions are the only truly social catspecies, and usually every female in a pride of 5-37 individuals is closely related. An adult lion's roar can be heard up tofive miles away and warns off intruders or reunites scattered pride members. While lions are inactive up to 21 hoursa day, in the darkest, coolest hours of early morning the "queens ofbeasts" hunt as a team to catch a communal meal. Pride lionesses frequently enterbreeding season together and later give birth at the same time which allowsthem to share nursing and other maternal duties. Althoughonly one out of four hunting events is successful, dominant males always eatfirst, lionesses next, and cubs scramble for scraps and leftovers.

Llama

DESCRIPTION:         The llama is a tall horse-shaped animalwith a woolly coat of varying shades SIZE: Approximately 150-180 cm WEIGHT: 135-202.5 kg FUN FACTS: Fossil footprints found in California indicate that llamas, relatives of camels,originated in North America. It is believedthat the animals that moved north and crossed the Bering land bridge evolvedinto camels, while the ones that migrated to the south became the"lama" family. Llamas make a variety of sounds. Themost common sound is a humming noise. A female will hum to her cria(offspring). Males orgle, which sounds like a gurgle, during breeding. If acouple of males decide to have a fight, they will start screaming at eachother. If a llama perceives danger, it sends an alarm call, which warns therest of the herd. In the wild, a male will find a highvantage point to watch over his herd of females and if he spots danger, willstart alarm calling. Moments later every male in the vicinity will be alarmcalling. Theidea that llamas spit is true. Llamas usually spit to settle an argument overfood or to decide which is the dominant llama. A female will also spit at amale to tell him to get lost. They do not normally spit at humans unless theyare provoked. Their body language will warn other llamas; flattened ears are asignal to back off and are usually sufficient. The next threat may be aspitting sound, but using only air.

Madagascar Tenrec

DESCRIPTION: A tenrec's coat is made up of thick,stiff hairs that look very much like spines or quills. Its belly is coveredwith short, soft fur. SIZE: Head & body length: approximately 15-20 cm Taillength: approximately 1.5-1.6cm WEIGHT: Approximately 500 g FUN FACTS: Tenrecs are nocturnal and quite shy. They spend their time foraging forinsects and vegetation or sleeping in an underground burrow. Whenscared, tenrecs curl up in a ball with their spines erect to protect them frompredators.

Manatee

DESCRIPTION: The manatee's body is streamlined -full around the middle and narrowing to a paddle-shaped tail.The truecolor of a manatee is gray, although it may appear brownish gray. Amazonianmanatees usually have white or pink patches on the belly and chest.Organismssuch as algae, which may grow on the skin of slow-moving individuals, alter thebody color and make some manatees look more green or brown. SIZE: Adult West Indian and West African manateesaverage about 3 min length. Large individuals may reach lengths of up to 4 m.Amazonianmanatees are the smallest of all three species. They are shorter and moreslender. The longest specimen measured 2.8 m. WEIGHT: Average adult weights are approximately363 to 544 kg.One particularly large Floridamanatee weighed 1,655 kg.Females are generally larger than males. A particularly large Amazonian manateeindividual weighed 480 kg. FUN FACTS: Manateesaverage 3 mand 363-544 kg.Manatees have paddlelike tails and foreflippers, and no hind limbs. Manatees belong to the mammalian orderSirenia. There are three species of manatee: Trichechus inunguis, the Amazonianmanatee; Trichechus senegalensis, the West African manatee; and Trichechusmanatus, the West Indian manatee. Scientists also recognize two subspecies ofWest Indian manatee: T.m. latirostris, the Florida manatee, and T.m. manatus, theAntillean manatee. The order Sirenia has one other living species, the dugong.A fifth species, Steller's sea cow, was hunted to extinction by 1768. All manatees inhabit tropical andsubtropical waters of North and South America and Africa.The West Indian and West African manatees live in rivers, bays, estuaries, andcoastal areas. They can move freely between freshwater and saltwater habitats.The Amazonian manatee is restricted to the freshwater Amazon basin. All manatees are herbivores. The Florida manatee feeds onmore that 60 varieties of grasses and plants. A manatee's only teeth aremolars, for grinding vegetation. Some research suggests that manateesperiodically require fresh water. West Indian manatees have been seencongregating at river mouths and drinking from hoses, culverts, and sewageoutfalls. A female manatee, called a cow, givesbirth about once every three years. Gestation lasts about 12 months. At birth,West Indian manatees measure about 1.2-1.4 m and weigh 27-32 kg. A calf nurses fromteats under the mother's pectoral flippers. Floridamanatees are highly susceptible to cold; it's not unusual for them to dieduring extremely cold weather. But human activities pose a much greater threatto manatees. Each year, many Florida manateesare killed and injured by watercraft, the greatest human-induced cause of Florida manatee deaths.Other threats include entanglement, poaching, and habitat destruction. Allmanatees are threatened or endangered. They are protected by national and locallegislation in every country in which they are found. Manatees are nonaggressive,nonterritorial herbivores that spend most of their time feeding (six to eighthours per day) and resting (two to twelve hours per day). The remainder oftheir day is spent traveling, investigating objects, and socializing byinteracting with other manatees. Marine zoological parks such asSeaWorld Florida and SeaWorld California help conservemanatees. SeaWorld is authorized to rescue and rehabilitate ill, injured, ororphaned manatees. The first priority of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitationprogram is to return healthy manatees to their natural habitat. SeaWorld Florida has successfullyrescued and released more than 150 manatees as of January 2005. Manatees emit sounds under water. Thechirps, whistles, or squeaks are probably produced in the larynx. They seem tomake these sounds when they are frightened, sexually aroused, or interactingwith each other. Manateeshave well-developed eyes. In the water, they can detect objects from tens ofmeters away. A manatee's retinas contain both rod and cone cells, indicatingthat they probably have the ability to see both dim and bright light. Recenttests suggest manatees can distinguish between blue and green colors, althoughthe full extent of their color vision is unknown and more studies are needed.

<< [Первая] < Предыдущая 1 2 3 4 5 Следующая > [Последняя] >>

List of Animals English Globe