ANIMALS around the World

• World’s largest land mammal• Tusks are present at birth, but the “baby tusks” fall out

after a year, and permanent ones replace them• The large surface area of their ears help radiate excess

heat under the harsh African sun• The ears are used with the soles of their feet and their

trunk to aid in the ability to hear sounds over long distances

• They can hear another elephant’s call at 2.5 miles away• They mostly communicate through low frequency sounds

called “rumbling”• Communication is vital to elephants, who rely on a social

network for survival• Their developed sense of memory allows them to

remember lost loved ones, harbor grudges, and recognize long-lost friends

African ElephantLoxodonta africana

Poaching and urban sprawl pose a massive threat to their survival and they are classified as a vulnerable species

• Nicknamed “sea parrots” and “clowns of the sea”• They are often compared to penguins but they are not

related• For most of the year they live on the open ocean, with a

range spanning from the eastern coast of Canada and the northern United States to the western coast of Europe and northern Russia

• 60% of the world’s puffins live near Iceland• Waterproof feathers allow them stay warm as they float at

the ocean’s surface or swim underwater• They swim by flapping their wings as if flying through the

water and use their feet to steer• They are also excellent fliers• When a puffin is around 3-5 years old, it will choose a

partner at sea to mate with for life• After the female lays a single egg, both parents take turn

incubating the egg for about 40 days• In the wild, puffins can live around 20 years

Atlantic PuffinFratercula arctica

Their main predator is the great black-backed gull, which can capture a puffin mid-flight or swoop in on a puffin on the ground

• The bald eagle has been the national emblem of the United States of America since 1782

• In the 1950s, this symbol of American patriotism began to dramatically decline in numbers due to the use of the chemical pesticide DDT

• After rigorous conservation efforts by the United States government, the bald eagle successfully rejuvenated its population

• With a 7ft wing span, the bald eagle is one of the largest raptors in the world

• They can reach speeds of up to 100 mph when diving• Using thermal convention currents, they can climb to up to

10,000 ft. in the air• At around 4-5 years old, bald eagles choose a mating

partner and they mate for life• Both parents take turns incubating the eggs• While one is incubating, the other searches for food or

more nesting materials• In 2007, the bald eagle was removed from endangered and

threatened species list

Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus

While bald eagles have few natural enemies and are no longer considered endangered, threats still exist to the bald eagle, including habitat loss

• The orangutan is the only ape that inhabits Asia• They share 97% of the same DNA as humans• They travel considerable distances to eat their favorite

fruits and know which ones are in season and where to find them

• Each night, they build nests in the treetops with leaves and branches

• Although orangutans reach maturity at 8 years old, females will stay with their mothers up until their teen years to learn essential parenting skills, observing their mothers care for their younger siblings

Bornean OrangutanPongo pygmaeus

Due to deforestation and poaching, Bornean orangutans have been restricted to the island of Borneo with their population reduced to 50,000-60,000. They are currently classified on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as an endangered species

• Accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds, the cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal

• Cheetahs have several special adaptations that allow them to reach top speeds. Wide nostrils and large lungs combined with a powerful heart and strong arteries provide more oxygen to their muscles. Their huge leg muscles mainly consist of fast twitch fibers, which contract faster than normal muscles. Their small body frame is lightweight and aerodynamic.

• They can cover 20-25 ft. in one stride• They can only maintain the sprint for about half a minute

before burning out• Sometimes confused with leopards, they are distinguished

by their “tear-stained” black marks that run from the corners of their eyes to their mouth

• They cannot roar, but they can purr and chirp• Young cubs grow a thick yellow-gray coat on their backs

called a mantle. It helps camouflage and also makes the cub resemble a honey badger, which is a small feisty carnivore that most predators leave alone

CheetahAcinonyx jubatus

Cheetahs are threatened by habitat loss and conflicts with farmers. With low genetic diversity, the IUCN Red List considers them vulnerable of extinction

• China’s unofficial mascot and the symbol of the World Wildlife Fund

• It is also one of the more endangered species in the world, with only about 1600 living in the wild

• Their thick hair keeps them warm in the cool, wet mountain zones

• They have a protruding wrist bone that acts like a thumb• This helps the pandas hold bamboo while they munch on it

with their strong molar teeth• Bamboo makes up nearly the entire diet• Due to the low nutritional value of bamboo, pandas need

to eat 20-40 lb. a day• Female pandas are only able to become pregnant for 2-3

days each spring• They do not roar like other bears

Giant PandaAiluropoda melanoleuca

Due to the fact that pandas reproduce so infrequently, it is very difficult for their population to recover from such a low point. Giant pandas are currently classified as an endangered species. One the main reasons that pandas have become endangered is habitat destruction

• With an average length of 20 ft. and a top length of 29 ft. the green anaconda is one of the longest snakes in the world

• With a girth of nearly 12 in. and a weight of 550 lb., is the heaviest of all snakes

• Its home is in swamps, marshes and streams• Their enormous size makes it much easier for them to

swim in the water than to slither slowly on land• They use both sight and smell to hunt and they also have

the ability to sense heat emitted by potential prey• They prey on a variety of animals including fish, birds,

tapirs, wild pigs, capybaras, caimans and they’ve even been known to eat jaguars

• Not venomous; they use constriction instead to subdue their prey

• After a big meal, they can go weeks without eating again• The female will produce eggs inside her body. The eggs

develop for 8-12 weeks and then hatch while still inside the mother’s body. She then gives birth to as many as 80 tiny snakes

Green AnacondaEunectes murinus

They are very difficult to catch. Their size makes them inconvenient pets, and their skin is not very popular for clothing and shoes. They do face habitat destruction but despite this they are not considered endangered

• Sometimes called the spiny anteater• Echidnas are monotremes, or mammals that lay eggs• Their sharp, creamy-colored spines are 2 in. in length and

are composed of keratin, the same material that makes up our fingernails

• It has a pointy snout that can sense electrical signals from insect bodies

• They do not have teeth, but they do have long tongues and horny pads in their mouths and on the back of their tongues which grind the prey

• When confronted by predators they may curl into a ball exposing only the spines or dig into the soil only exposing the spines

• At the beginning of the mating season, the female echidna develops a pouch. Then she digs a burrow and lays one soft, leathery egg into her pouch

• After 10 days, a blind, hairless baby echidna (known as a puggle) hatches

Short Beaked EchidnaTachyglossus aculeatus

Although short-beaked echidnas are considered common and widespread, they are protected by law in Australia. Threats include road accidents, bush fires, and droughts