What is this animal's name?

Gray Wolf
What class is this animal assigned to? mammals

What does this animal eat? Animals

Where did this animal live? Eastern Europe, Asia, parts of North
America

About African Elephant

The African Elephant is the world's largest land animal. Adult males can weigh as much as six tons. They
drink more than 100 liters of water each day and eat up to 300kg of food.
African elephants are highly intelligent. They are amongst the world's most intelligent species. With a
mass of just over 5 kg, elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal.

African Forest Elephants live in close social groups called 'herds'. A herd is usually made up of related
females and their offspring. The leader of the herd is called the 'matriarch' and she is usually the oldest
and most experienced female elephant in the herd.

The trunks of African elephants have two tips which they use like fingertips to pick things up. African
elephant calves feed on milk for up to 18 months, and do not breed until at least 11 years old.

About Polar Bear

The Polar Bear is the world's largest bear. Females can weigh over 300kg, while males can weigh more
than double that.
Polar bears are great swimmers; they have been seen in open waters hundreds of miles from land. This
bear's very thick fur keeps its skin dry when it swims so it can stay warm. Their paws prevent the bears
from slipping on the ice. Polar bears range throughout the Arctic in areas where they hunt seals at
openings in sea ice called leads. Five nations have polar bear populations: the United States (Alaska),
Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway.

Polar bears top the food chain in the Arctic, where they prey primarily on ringed seals. They reach these
seals from a platform of sea ice.
Males are active year round, while females usually hibernate in ice dens during the winter. A female
polar bear will give birth to their young inside of these ice dens, and then emerge in the spring.
During summer months, polar bears will eat berries and rodents. During the winter, they eat seals.
BROWN BEAR

The brown bear family is spread all over the world. They live in dense forests in mountains, valleys
and meadows and can be found in Canada, in central regions of the U.S. and throughout Europe and
Asia.

Brown bears can be recognized by their most distinctive feature, their shoulder hump. Super strong
shoulder muscles help this bear to dig up roots and tear apart logs to find food. These muscles are
located in the ‘hump’ of the brown bear. Brown bears can move rocks and logs and dig through hard
soil and rocky ground using their long sharp claws when making their dens.

The brown bear’s diet is quite similar to all other bears. They eat grass, fruit, insects, roots and bulbs
of plants along with carrion and, when hungry enough, they will hunt small animals. Brown bears that
live near the coast feed on fish, particularly salmon. These bears will grow much larger than others
because of their protein rich diet.

The entrance of a Brown Bear's den is a tunnel that goes down to a small ‘bedroom’. The female bear
will hibernate all winter long, not even waking up to give birth! The baby cubs will find their way to
their mother’s chest and nurse and sleep until the mother bear wakes up. By the time she does wake
up her teeny little cubs are much larger and quite playful! The den will probably be used only once.

A Brown Bear cub’s life is dangerous. There are many animals that don’t mind eating bear cubs and
male adult bears are one of them!

About American Alligator

Alligators are large, semi-aquatic carnivorous reptiles with four small legs and a very large, long tail.
The tail is half the animals total length. Alligator’s tails help propel them rapidly through the water
and is used to make pools of water during the dry seasons called 'gator holes'.

The tail is also used as a weapon and stores fat that the alligator will use for nourishment during the
winter. Alligators are cold blooded and like most reptiles they do not make their own body heat.
After decades of being hunted in the 1960s, the American Alligator was declared an endangered
species. They have since recovered in numbers to a great degree.
They feed on anything they can catch, mostly birds and turtles. In the winter, the alligators hibernate
in shallow dens. In the summer, they lay in water-filled hollows, which are commonly known as "gator
holes."
Alligators are the largest reptile in the Western Hemisphere.

About Gray Wolf

The gray wolf is the largest member of the dog family. They live in packs that consist of a pair of adults
with several generations of their young. When wolves hunt, they work together. This allows them to
prey on animals much larger than themselves. Wolves were once found throughout much of the
Northern Hemisphere. But after years and years of being hunted, they are now usually only found in
thick forests.

Wolf pups are born blind, deaf and completely dependant on their mother. There can be between 1 - 14
pups in one litter, with the average number being 4 - 6 pups. For the first 8 weeks, the pups will stay
inside the den in which they were born.

The den is usually on high ground, near and open water source. During this time, the pups will grow and
become more independent. The wolf pups will begin to explore the area just outside the den, gradually
roaming up to a mile away from it.

What is this animal's name? Gray Wolf

What class is this animal assigned to? mammals

What does this animal eat? Animals

Where did this animal live? Eastern Europe, Asia, parts of North America

About Peregrine Falcon

This bird is a powerfully built falcon with long, pointed wings, tapering tail, and feathered legs. Dark
grayish-blue above, with whitish to reddish-buff under parts heavily barred with black. The male is
darker than the female.

This falcon breeds in the spring and summer. Their nests are an unlined hollow on a cliff ledge, a high
crag, or a tall building. They have 2-6 creamy or buff eggs, marked with chestnut or red, gray, and
purple, incubated by both parents for 31-38 days.

This falcon is the fastest and most spectacular of all the falcons. It is big and powerful, especially the
female. It is strong enough to kill a bird as big as a duck or curlew, but most of their prey is the size of a
pigeon or crow. It patrols high in the air or from a high point, and when it sees suitable prey, it will
plunge from the sky on half-closed wings at speeds up 160km to per hour. It tears its victim apart with
its hook-like rear talons, often killing it on impact, it will then follow it down as it falls out of the sky. If its
catch is still alive, the falcon will sever its spinal cord with its bill.

The peregrine pairs perform beautiful aerial courtship displays. They typically breed in remote
wilderness. Some pairs will nest on tall chimneys and high rise buildings, some even in city centers.

The peregrine falcon has superb eyesight and can spot its prey from a long distance. Its eyesight
magnifies the image like a pair of binoculars and has extra-fine definition.

About Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle breeds in the late fall in the south, spring in the north. They pair for life. They build a
large, deep nest of branches and sticks lined with grass, in a tall tree, on cliffs, or on a small island. The
nest is re-used, repaired, and added to each year. They have 1-3 eggs that are white, which are
incubated by the female at first, the male brings food; then both parents take care of the chicks.

The Bald Eagle is one of the fish eagles. Many of their relatives hunt exclusively at sea, but the bald
eagle is more versatile. Although it prefers fish, it will catch a wide variety of live prey, it will steal
food from other birds and scavenges for carrion and scraps. This allows them to live in a wide range of
areas from the lakes and rivers of Canada to the dry sagebrush of Arizona.
Most of the 100,000 bald eagles live on the Pacific coast of Alaska and British Columbia, where there
are fish for them to eat year round. Here they enjoy an annual feast in the fall when thousands of
Pacific salmon swim upriver to spawn, and then die. Hundreds of bald eagles go into the water to
gather up the dying salmon from the water and have a great feast.

At the beginning of the breeding season, pairs perform spectacular display flights, soaring high in the
sky, locking talons, and diving from the sky. They will normally team up with their partners from the
previous season and the aerial displays help them get re-acquainted.
About Common Dolphin
Dolphins are very fast-moving, acrobatic animals, they are capable of swimming up to 25 mph
(40km/h). Dolphins often jump out of the water and enter the water again gracefully. They feed on
fish with their beak-like jaws that contain more than 200 small teeth. They are marked with a
complicated pattern of white, yellow, black, and gray. Dolphins are very smart, and they also have
strong family ties. When a female dolphin gives birth, other females will gather around and help the
newborn dolphin swim to the surface to breathe.

Dolphins can also communicate with other dolphins to join a hunt, attempting to dislodge parasites,
or simply doing it for fun.Play is a very important part of dolphins lives and they can often be
observed playing with seaweed or playfighting with other dolphins. Dolphins have even been seen
harassing other creatures, like seabirds and turtles. Dolphins also seem to enjoy riding waves and are
frequently seen 'surfing' coastal swells and the bow waves of boats.

About Greater Flamingo

They breed in very large colonies in shallow water. They build cone-shaped nests made usually of
mud. The female will lay 1-2 white speckled eggs, taken care of by the female for 30-32 days.

This beautiful graceful bird has to stay in shallow lakes and lagoons of salty or highly alkaline water,
where it lives in large flocks of hundreds or even thousands of birds. They spend most of their time
wading in the water and feeding by day and night. Each bird sweeps its bill upside down and moves it
side to side while it walks forward. It uses its tongue to rapidly pump the water in and out, and traps
edible particles on the comb-like filters resembling those of plankton-feeding baleen whales.

They fly well, often in lines or V-formations, with their long necks and legs stretched out.

Pairs may stay together for life, and all lay and incubate their eggs at the same time, so their young
are all the same age.

About Indian Cobra

The Indian Cobra, also known as the Asian Cobra, is a very poisonous snake. It has been popular with
snake charmers for centuries. These snakes cannot hear. When they are disturbed, they rear up and
spread their ribs to form a hood, making their head appear larger. When they attack, they make a quick
stab and hold their prey until the poison takes effect.

The female lays 20 to 30 eggs at a time. She will guard them until they hatch.
About Giraffe
Giraffes can inhabit savannas, grasslands or open woodlands. Giraffes prefer areas enriched with acacia
growth (a genus of shrubs and trees). Most giraffes live either in East Africa or in Angola and Zambia in
southwestern Africa. Until the middle of the 20th century giraffes were also commonly found in West
Africa, south of the Sahara. But populations there have fallen sharply and become increasingly
fragmented.

Newborn giraffes are often on their feet within 20 minutes and are soon feeding on their mother’s milk.
Calves can walk about an hour after birth and can run within 24 hours of birth. Giraffe calves are about 2
metres (6 feet) tall at birth and weigh 104 - 154 pounds. Giraffe calves grow about 3 centimetres tall
each day during the first week and double their height in their first year.

Giraffes are the tallest animal in the world. On average, the males are about 17 ft. (5m) tall. The tallest
recorded giraffe was nearly 20 ft. (6m) tall. Giraffes can be found living in open woodlands. They use
their long tongues to pull leaves off trees to eat.

Giraffes' long necks make up about half of their height. They are able to watch for danger because they
are so tall. If attacked, giraffes have a strong, deadly kick to defend themselves.

Giraffes also rest with their eyes open, standing or lying for three to five minutes at a time. Throughout
the night, a giraffe may deeply sleep for five to 10 minutes lying down, yet they rarely sleep more than
20 minutes total per day.

About Gorilla
There is a group of primates called the great apes. Great apes can stand on their hind legs. They are also
very good with their hands and can use wooden sticks like tools. Great apes do not have tails. Gorillas
are the largest of the great apes. Gorillas can weigh as much as 650 lb. (300kg). They live in groups of up
to 20 animals. They eat in the trees and on the ground.

Although gorillas are very much like humans, they do not use only their legs to walk on. Instead they
walk in what is known as the 'knuckle-walk'. By doing this, gorillas walk with both their long arms and
legs.

Gorillas are generally quiet animals, however, they communicate with each other using many
complicated sounds and gestures. Gorillas use at least 25 recognized vocalizations, including grunts,
roars, growls, whines, chuckles, hooting, etc. Some gorilla gestures include chest-beating, high-pitched
barks, lunging, throwing objects, staring, lip-tucking, sticking out the tongue, sideways running, slapping,
rising to a two-legged stance and probably many more.
Gorillas live in the moist, tropical rainforests of Africa. The Western and Eastern Gorillas tend to live in
re-growing forests where there are clearings giving easy access to low vegetation. Mountain Gorillas live
higher in the mountains in cloud forests.

About Black Rhinoceros

The black rhinoceros lives in Africa, alongside its less aggressive cousin, the white rhinoceros.

Unlike the white rhino, which will typically run away from threats, the black rhinoceros will often charge
towards it at full speed. In the 1960s there were an estimated 100,000 black rhinos living in the wild.
Today, after decades of illegal poaching, these numbers have dropped to less than 2,000.

This large animal spends most of its day grazing on the wild grasses that grow in the plains of Africa.
Because of its large size, full-grown rhinos have no natural predators.

About Common Frog

The adult species of the Common Frog spends almost all its time on land. In the spring when it is time to
breed, it will return to a pond or other small body of water. The female common frog lays up to 4,000
eggs at a time. The eggs are coated with jelly and they float together in a mass called frogspawn. The
tadpoles hatch and attach themselves to underwater plants. The water temperature helps to mature the
tadpoles. If the water is warm, then the tadpoles will mature faster. If the water is colder, it will take
much longer.

Common frogs use their eyesight to hunt. They eat any insect they can catch.

About Tiger
Tigers are the world's largest cat. The record weight for an adult male tiger is more than one third of a
ton. Tigers can stalk pray in silence. They grab their victims with their front claws and then kill them with
a quick bite to the throat. Today there are fewer than 7,000 tigers left in the wild.

About Lion
After the tiger, the lion is the largest cat. A typical lion group, or pride, consists of about fifteen animals;
two or three are males and the rest are females along with their young. Lions hunt in groups. The
females usually do the job of hunting, but after a kill the males soon show up to eat, too. Lions will eat
just about anything they can find, including lizards, tortoises and dead remains. Lions used to roam all
over Europe and Asia and Africa. Now, a few live in northwestern India while they majority of them live
in the plains and woodlands of Africa. The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus
Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight,[4]
it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in
Asia (where an endangered remnant population resides in Gir Forest National Park in India) while other
types of lions have disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times.

Lions live for 10–14 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than 20 years. In the wild,
males seldom live longer than 10 years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males
greatly reduce their longevity.[6] They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take
to bush and forest. Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related
females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together,
preying mostly on large ungulates.

The octopus

(pron.: /ˈɒktəpʊs/; plural: octopuses, octopi, or octopodes; see below) is a cephalopod mollusc of the
order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms and, like other cephalopods, they are
bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms.
Octopuses have no internal or external skeleton (although some species have a vestigial remnant of a
shell inside their mantles), allowing them to squeeze through tight places. Octopuses are among the
most intelligent and behaviorally flexible of all invertebrates.

The octopus inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, including coral reefs, pelagic waters, and the
ocean floor. They have numerous strategies for defending themselves against predators, including the
expulsion of ink, the use of camouflage and deimatic displays, their ability to jet quickly through the
water, and their ability to hide. An octopus trails its eight arms behind it as it swims. All octopuses are
venomous, but only one group, the blue-ringed octopuses, is known to be deadly to humans.[4]

Around 300 species are recognized, which is over one-third of the total number of known cephalopod
species. The term 'octopus' may also be used to refer only to those creatures in the genus Octopus.

The panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, lit. "black and white cat-foot"),[2] also known as the giant panda
to distinguish it from the unrelated red panda, is a bear[3] native to central-western and south western
China.[4] It is easily recognized by the large, distinctive black patches around its eyes, over the ears, and
across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo.[5]
Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds,
rodents or carrion. In captivity, they may receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or
bananas along with specially prepared food.[6][7] The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in
central China, mainly in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.[8] As a result of
farming, deforestation and other development, the panda has been driven out of the lowland areas
where it once lived.

The panda is a conservation reliant endangered species.[4] A 2007 report shows 239 pandas living in
captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country

The jaguar (pron.: /ˈdʒæɡwɑr/ or UK /ˈdʒæɡjuː.ər/; Panthera onca) is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera
genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after
the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends
from Southern United States and Mexico across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and
northern Argentina. Apart from a known and possibly breeding population in Arizona (southeast of
Tucson), the cat has largely been extirpated from the United States since the early 20th century.

This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, although it is usually larger and of
sturdier build and its behavioural and habitat characteristics are closer to those of the tiger. While dense
rainforest is its preferred habitat, the jaguar will range across a variety of forested and open terrains. It
is strongly associated with the presence of water and is notable, along with the tiger, as a feline that
enjoys swimming. The jaguar is largely a solitary, opportunistic, stalk-and-ambush predator at the top of
the food chain (an apex predator). It is a keystone species, playing an important role in stabilizing
ecosystems and regulating the populations of the animals it hunts. The jaguar has an exceptionally
powerful bite, even relative to the other big cats.[3] This allows it to pierce the shells of armoured
reptiles[4] and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of prey between
the ears to deliver a fatal bite to the brain.[5]

The jaguar is a near threatened species and its numbers are declining. Threats include loss and
fragmentation of habitat. While international trade in jaguars or their parts is prohibited, the cat is still
frequently killed by humans, particularly in conflicts with ranchers and farmers in South America.
Although reduced, its range remains large; given its historical distribution, the jaguar has featured
prominently in the mythology of numerous indigenous American cultures, including that of the Maya
and Aztec.

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds,
most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm (3–5 in) range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a
hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12–80
times per second (depending on the species). They are known as hummingbirds because of the
humming sound created by their beating wings, which sometimes sounds like bees or other insects. To
conserve energy while they sleep or when food is scarce, they have the ability to go into a hibernation-
like state (torpor) where their metabolic rate is slowed to 1/15th of its normal rate.[1] When the nights
get colder, their body temperature can drop significantly and thus slow down their heart and breathing
rate, thus burning much less energy overnight. As the day heats back up, the hummingbird's body
temperature will come back up and they resume their normal activity. [2] They are also the only group
of birds with the ability to fly backward.[3] They can fly at speeds exceeding 15 m/s (54 km/h; 34 mph).
[4] Individuals from some species of hummingbirds weigh less than a penny. Hummingbirds drink nectar,
a sweet liquid inside certain flowers. Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar
they eat; they reject flower types that produce nectar that is less than 10% sugar and prefer those
whose sugar content is stronger. Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their
needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects and spiders.[5]

Chameleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. The
approximately 160 species of chameleon come in a range of colors, including pink, blue, red, orange,
turquoise, yellow, and green. They are distinguished by their zygodactylous feet; their separately
mobile, stereoscopic eyes; their very long, highly modified, rapidly extrudable tongues; their swaying
gait; and crests or horns on their distinctively shaped heads. Some species can change color, and many
have a prehensile tail. Uniquely adapted for climbing and visual hunting, they are found in warm
habitats that vary from rain forest to desert conditions--in Africa, Madagascar, and southern Europe,
and across south Asia as far as Sri Lanka. They have also been introduced to Hawaii, California, and
Florida, and are often kept as household pets. Chameleons feed by ballistically projecting their long
tongues from their mouths to capture prey located some distance away. While the chameleon’s tongue
is typically thought to be one and a half to two times the length of their bodies. Chameleons are
primarily found in the mainland of sub-Saharan Africa and on the island of Madagascar, although a few
species are also found in northern Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East, southern India, Sri Lanka
and several smaller islands in the western Indian Ocean. The oviparous species lay eggs 3–6 weeks after
copulation. The female will climb down to the ground and begin digging a hole, anywhere from 10–30
cm (4–12 in.) deep depending on the species. The female turns herself around at the bottom of the hole
and deposits her eggs.

About Common Zebra or Plains Zebra

Zebras are easily recognized by their black and white stripes. They live in large herds made up of
hundreds of animals. The zebra is a very fast runner and can reach speeds of up to 25 mph (40km/h).
There are three species of zebras. The most common zebra is the only one with stripes on its underside.
About Green Turtle
The Green Turtle spends its life in the water. It has a smooth shell that makes it easy for it to glide
through the water and its strong front legs move like wings. They are able to stay under the water
for over 30 minutes without going to the surface to breathe.

Their diet consists of seaweed and seagrass, which they break off with their sharp-edged jaws.

When they nest on sandy beaches, they do so in the dark for protection from predators. The
female digs a hole in the sand then lays her eggs in it. She then buries her eggs and heads back out
to sea. She will lay about 100 eggs at a time. In about 3 months the baby turtles hatch and dig their
way to the surface. They then instictively head for the water. This is a dangerous trip for the baby
turtles as they are vunerable to being snatched up by birds.

Crabs are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, composed primarily of calcium carbonate,[4]
and armed with a single pair of chelae (claws). Crabs are found in all of the world's oceans, while
many crabs live in fresh water and on land, particularly in tropical regions. Crabs vary in size from
the pea crab, a few millimetres wide, to the Japanese spider crab, with a leg span of up to 4 metres
(13 ft).[5] Crabs typically walk sideways[15] (a behaviour which gives us the word crabwise). This is
because of the articulation of the legs which makes a sidelong gait more efficient.[16] However,
some crabs walk forwards or backwards, including raninids,[17] Libinia emarginata[18] and Mictyris
platycheles.[15] Some crabs, notably the Portunidae and Matutidae, are also capable of swimming,
[19] the Portunidae especially so as their last pair of walking legs are flattened into swimming
paddles.[14]:96 Crabs are omnivores, feeding primarily on algae,[22] and taking any other food,
including molluscs, worms, other crustaceans, fungi, bacteria and detritus, depending on their
availability and the crab species. For many crabs, a mixed diet of plant and animal matter results in
the fastest growth and greatest fitness.[23][24] However, some species are more specialised in
their diets. Some eat plankton, some eat primarily shellfish like clams and some even catch fish.
[14]:85 Crabs are known to work together to provide food and protection for their family, and
during mating season to find a comfortable spot for the female to release her eggs.[25]

Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family.
Foxes are small to medium-sized canids (slightly smaller than a medium-sized domestic dog),
characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail (or brush). Members of about 37
species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to the Vulpes genus of
"true foxes". By far the most common and widespread species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes),
although various species are found on almost every continent. The presence of fox-like carnivores
all over the globe, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their
appearance in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world (see also Foxes in
culture). The hunting of foxes with packs of hounds, long an established pursuit in Europe,
especially the British Isles, was exported by European settlers to various parts of the New World. In
the wild, foxes can live for up to 10 years, but most foxes only live for 2 to 3 years due to hunting,
road accidents and diseases. Foxes are generally smaller than other members of the family Canidae
such as wolves, jackals, and domestic dogs. Male foxes are called Reynards, and weigh, on average,
around 5.9 kilograms (13 lb) while female foxes, called vixens, weigh less, at around 5.2 kilograms
(11.5 lb Foxes are omnivores.[7][8] The diet of foxes is largely made up of invertebrates and small
mammals, reptiles (such as snakes), amphibians, scorpions, grasses, berries, fruit, fish, birds, eggs,
dung beetles, insects and all other kinds of small animals. Many species are generalist predators,
but some (such as the crab-eating fox) are more specialist. Most species of fox generally consume
around 1 kg of food every day. Foxes cache excess food, burying it for later consumption, usually
under leaves, snow, or soil.

Flamingos are very social birds; they live in colonies whose population can number in the
thousands. These large colonies are believed to serve three purposes for the flamingos: avoiding
predators, maximizing food intake, and using scarce suitable nesting sites more efficiently.[15]
Before breeding, flamingo colonies split into breeding groups of between about 15 and 50 birds.
Both males and females in these groups perform synchronized ritual displays.[16] The members of
a group stand together and display to each other by stretching their necks upwards, then uttering
calls while head-flagging, and then flapping their wings. [1

The koala is broadly similar in appearance to the wombat (its closest living relative),[1] but has a
thicker coat, much larger ears, and longer limbs. The koala has large, sharp claws to assist with
climbing tree trunks. Weight varies from about 14 kg (31 lb) for a large southern male, to about 5
kg (11 lb) for a small northern female. The koala's five fingers include two opposable thumbs,
providing better gripping ability. The first two fingers are positioned in apposition on the front
paws, and the first three fingers for the hind paws.[13] The koala is one of the few mammals (other
than primates) that have fingerprints. The koala lives almost entirely on eucalypt leaves. This is
likely to be an evolutionary adaptation that takes advantage of an otherwise unfilled ecological
niche, since eucalypt leaves are low in protein, high in indigestible substances, and contain
phenolic and terpene compounds that are toxic to most species. Koalas spend about three of their
five active hours eating. Feeding occurs at any time of day, but usually at night. Koalas eat an
average of 500 g (18 oz) of eucalypt leaves each day, chewing them with powerful jaws to a very
fine paste before swallowing.
DESCRIPTION:

Kangaroos have powerful hind legs and short, thumbless forelimbs. Kangaroos can travel at speeds
up to 30 miles per hour and can leap some 30 feet. Kangaroos use their long tails for balancing.
Their bodies are covered in thick, coarse, wooly hair that can be shades of gray, brown or red.
Kangaroos are marsupials, which means that females carry newborns, or "joeys," in a pouch on the
front of their abdomens.

SIZE:

Red and gray kangaroos stand between five and six feet tall. Most weigh between 50 and 120
pounds, though some can reach 200 pounds. Female kangaroos are generally smaller than males of
the same species.

POPULATION:

Macropus giganteus (eastern gray kangaroo): 8,978,000.

Macropus fuliginosus (western gray kangaroo): 1,774,000.

Macropus rufus (red kangaroo): 8,351,000.

LIFESPAN:

On average, kangaroos live in the wild for six to eight years.

RANGE:

Kangaroos are found in Australia and Tasmania, as well as on surrounding islands. HABITAT:
Kangaroos live in varied habitats, from forests and woodland areas to grassy plains and savannas.

FOOD: Kangaroos are grazing herbivores, which means their diet consists mainly of grasses. They
can survive long periods without water.BEHAVIOR: Kangaroos live and travel in organized groups
or "mobs," dominated by the largest male.

OFFSPRING: Usually, female kangaroos give birth to one joey at a time. Newborns weigh as little as
0.03 ounces at birth. After birth, the joey crawls into its mother�s pouch, where it will nurse and
continue to grow and develop. Red kangaroo joeys do not leave the pouch for good until they are
more than eight months old. Gray kangaroo joeys wait until they are almost a year old.

THREATS: Humans hunt kangaroos for their meat and hides. Also, the introduction of domestic
herbivores, such as sheep, cattle and rabbits increases competition for many plants and may cause
food scarcity in times of drought.
Seahorses are mainly found in shallow tropical and temperate waters throughout the world, and prefer
to live in sheltered areas such as seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs, or mangroves. In Pacific waters
from North America to South America there are approximately four species. In the Atlantic, the H.
erectus ranges from Nova Scotia to Uruguay. H. zosterae, known as the dwarf seahorse, is found in the
Bahamas. Seahorses are truly unique, and not just because of their unusual equine shape. Unlike most
other fish, they are monogamous and mate for life. Rarer still, they are among the only animal species
on Earth in which the male bears the unborn young.Found in shallow tropical and temperate waters
throughout the world, these upright-swimming relatives of the pipefish can range in size from 0.6 inches
(1.5 centimeters) to 14 inches (35 centimeters) long.

Male seahorses are equipped with a brood pouch on their ventral, or front-facing, side. When mating,
the female deposits her eggs into his pouch, and the male fertilizes them internally. He carries the eggs
in his pouch until they hatch, then releases fully formed, miniature seahorses into the water.

Because of their body shape, seahorses are rather inept swimmers and can easily die of exhaustion
when caught in storm-roiled seas. They propel themselves by using a small fin on their back that flutters
up to 35 times per second. Even smaller pectoral fins located near the back of the head are used for
steering. They anchor themselves with their prehensile tails to sea grasses and corals, using their
elongated snouts to suck in plankton and small crustaceans that drift by. Voracious eaters, they graze
continually and can consume 3,000 or more brine shrimp per day.

Population data for most of the world’s 35 seahorse species is sparse. However, worldwide coastal
habitat depletion, pollution, and rampant harvesting, mainly for use in Asian traditional medicine, have
made several species vulnerable to extinction.

A Horse (Equus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus
Equus. Equus comes from the ancient Greek word meaning quickness. Horses are mammals in the same
family as zebras, mules and donkeys.

Most breeds of horses are able to perform work such as carrying humans on their backs or be harnessed
to pull objects such as carts or plows. However, horse breeds were developed to allow horses to be
specialized for certain tasks. Lighter horses were bred for racing or riding, heavier horses for farming and
other tasks requiring pulling power. Some horses, such as the miniature horse, can be kept as pets.

The horse plays a prominent role as a figure in the ideals of religion, mythology and art and plays an
important role in transportation, agriculture and warfare.

Cows

Cows are members of the sub-family 'Bovinae' of the family 'Bovidae'. This family also includes Gazelles,
Buffalo, Bison, Antelopes, Sheep and Goats.
Cows are raised for many reasons including: milk, cheese, other dairy products, also for meat such as
beef and veal and materials such as leather hide. In older times they were used as work animals to pull
carts and to plow fields.

In some countries such as India, cows were classed as sacred animals and were used in religious
ceremonies and treated with much respect.

Today, cows are domesticated ungulates (hoofed animals with two toes on each hoof) that we see very
often chewing the grass in farmers fields as we walk or drive through the countryside.

There is an estimated 1.3 billion head of cattle and 920 breeds of cow in the world today. Cows are
referred to as the 'fosters mothers to the human race' because they produce most of the milk that
people drink.

A cow spends up to 6 hours a day eating. Cows spend over 8 hours a day chewing thier cud which is
regurigated, partially digested food. Cows each drink equivalent to a bath tub full of water a day.

Cows occupy a unique role in human history. Cows have been considered one of the oldest forms of
wealth. Cows have always been of interest to man because of their amazing ability to be able to provide
meat and dairy products, have been strong animals to work with and also reproduce themselves while
eating nothing but grass. Amazing!

Cow Reproduction

The average cow is 2 years old when she has her first calf. Calves are fed from the cow until they are
between 8 and 9 weeks old. It is essential for a calf to be fed their mothers milk from the start as it
contains antibodies that protect the new calf from diseases. Two months before giving birth, a dairy cow
takes a rest from giving milk in order to grow her calf.

During this period the cow is known as a Dry Cow. When a dairy cow gives birth, this process is called a
freshening. All calves are born with horn nubs. It is common for a vet to remove these nowadays.

A young female calf is called a heifer, she is called this until she has her first calf. A young male is called a
bull calf.

Did you know that cows never forget their calves. It is quite common to see them licking their grown
calves just as they did when they were young.

The age of a cow is determined by examination of the teeth and less perfectly by the horns. The
temporary teeth are in part erupted at birth and all the incisors are erupted within twenty days. The
first, second and third pairs of temporary molars are erupted in thirty days. The teeth have grown large
enough to touch each other by the sixth month. They gradually wear and fall in eighteen months. The
fourth permanent molars are through at around the fourth month.
The fifth at the fifteenth month and the sixth at two years. The temporary teeth begin to fall at twenty-
one months and are entirely replaced by the thirty-ninth to the forty-fifth month.

Goats are amazing animals. Goats are tough and versatile and have more uses than you could ever
imagine. Goats can survive and thrive just about anywhere. A goat is a hoofed mammal in the genus
'Capra'. Most goats are referred to as 'domestic goats which are sub-species of the 'wild goat'.
Altogether there are nine species of goat in the world, however, the domestic goat is the most common.
Goats are 'bovids' and are members of the family 'bovidae' and 'caprins' which are sub-species of the
sub-family 'caprinae'.

Like cows and giraffes, goats are ruminant animals which means they chew cud. Ruminants have a four-
chambered stomach which plays a vital role in digesting, regurgitating and re-digesting their food. Goats
are herbivores (plant-eaters) who spend most of the day grazing. Goats eat grass, herbs, tree leaves and
other plant material. Goats swallow their food without chewing it much. Later, they regurgitate the food
(then called a cud) and chew it thoroughly before swallowing it for the last time.A male goat is called a
buck or billy, and a female is called a doe or nanny. Young goats are called kids.

Just like sheep, goats are considered to be the 'first domesticated animal'. The domestication process
began over 10,000 years ago in a North Iranian town called Sangsar. The initial reasons for
domesticating goats was to have easy access to goat hair, meat and milk. Goat skins were also used up
until the Middle Ages for making bottles out of to hold water and wine for people who were traveling or
camping.

Goats meat and milk is still consumed today and goats milk is becoming ever popular as a healthy
alternative to cows milk. Goats milk is easier to digest than cows milk and many call this milk 'universal
milk' as it can be used to bottle feed most animals.

Goat skin is also still used today to make gloves and other items of clothing. Angora Goats produce
mohair which is a fine, soft, lustrous fibre. Pygora Goats produce a cashmere type of fibre. Both mohair
and cashmere are used to make jumpers and cardigans and other types of woolen clothing
items.However, not all goats are just used for human provisions. A lot of people keep goats as pets.

Goats have many similarities to sheep. The only main difference between sheep and goats is that goats
have shorter tails than sheep and goat horns are longer and grow in a upward, backward and outward
direction, while horns on a sheep grow in a twisted spiral shape.

Like sheep, goats enjoy being in a herd. Goats tend to survive better when they are in a herd rather than
if they were alone. Every herd has a 'Herd Queen', who leads the herd while browsing. Goats are also
much more lively than sheep and their inquisitive nature makes them humourous, enjoyable and curious
pets.
Goat Behaviour

Goats are extremely curious and intelligent. Goats are easily house trained and you can teach them to
pull carts and walk on leads. Goats are also known for escaping their pens. If you have unsecured
fencing, be warned your goats will be inquisitive and test it out and soon you will know where the gaps
are. Goats are very coordinated and can climb and hold their balance in the most awkward places. Goats
are also widely known for their ability to climb trees, although the tree generally has to be at a slight
angle.

If goats are raised correctly and disciplined from an early age, they never develop any bad habits. Goats
will butt each other, this is quite natural and normal as they develop an order of dominance in the herd.
However if corrected from an early age they never butt humans or other animals.

A goat that has been teased may butt people as part of their 'play', which may start as kids, when it is
no problem. It can be a problem if this behaviour extends to adult age and size. Hence start correctly: if
a small kid pushes against your legs, never push back.

Goats make a bleating sound much like a sheep. All in all, goats make wonderful companions and pets.
Goats are a pleasure to keep and give you many hours of fun watching them with their humourous
ways. Goats all have very different personalities and different little habits which can be very interesting
to observe.

PIGS

Many people who know pigs compare them to dogs because they are friendly, loyal and intelligent. Pigs
are naturally very clean and avoid, if at all possible, soiling their living areas. When given the chance to
live away from factory farms, pigs will spend hours playing, lying in the sun and exploring their
surroundings with their powerful sense of smell. Pigs are very clever animals.

The pig was domesticated approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Pigs are found across Europe, the
Middle East and extend into Asia as far as Indonesia and Japan.

The distinction between wild and domestic animals is slight and domestic pigs have become feral (A
feral animal or plant is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to its
wild state.) in many parts of the world (for example, New Zealand) and caused substantial
environmental damage.

Pigs are one of the oldest forms of livestock, pigs were domesticated earlier than cows. Nowadays, pigs
are farmed for their meet called 'pork', although some keep them as pets.

Pigs are known to be intelligent animals and have been found to be more trainable than dogs or cats.
Asian pot-bellied pigs, a smaller subspecies of the domestic pig, have made popular house pets in many
countries.
Regular domestic farmyard pigs have also been known to be kept indoors, however, due to their large
size and destructive tendencies, they typically need to be moved into an outdoor pen as they grow
older. Most pigs also have an extreme fear of being picked up, however, they will usually calm down
once placed back on the floor.