Hello
In this thread you can find a great number of animals with description
Good luck
:rambo:
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Hello
In this thread you can find a great number of animals with description
Good luck
:rambo:
The unusual mammal called the aardvark was named by South Africans in the early 19th century. In the local language, Afrikaans, “aardvark” means “earth pig.” This name aptly describes a large, heavily built animal with thin hair and short, stumpy legs. The aardvark can reach a length of 6 feet (1.8 meters). Its head has huge donkeylike ears, a long snout, and drooping eyelids with long lashes
Aardvarks, which are also called ant bears, live in dry places in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. During the day they sleep in underground burrows. At night they dig underground for their favorite food, termites. Aardvarks use their sensitive snouts to detect these insects. They break open the termites' nests with their massive, flattened claws and suck up the insects with their long tongues. Although they are not aggressive animals, aardvarks can defend themselves by lashing out with their claws. They can also dig very quickly to bury themselves
Female aardvarks give birth to one baby per year. After a few weeks the baby begins to follow its mother around. It feeds and travels with her for about six months until it becomes more independent.
Scientists classify aardvarks in a group called the Tubulidentata, meaning “tube-toothed.” The tubular teeth have no enamel or roots. The scientific name of the aardvark is Orycterops afer
The ocean bird called the albatross is known for its ability to fly long distances with very little effort. There are more than a dozen species, or kinds, of albatrosses. They belong to the family of birds called Diomedeidae.
Where albatrosses live
Albatrosses are birds of the open sea. They have no need to visit land except to nest. Most species, including the wandering albatross and the sooty albatross, nest on remote southern islands and fly over the surrounding oceans. Other albatrosses, however, nest on tropical Pacific islands and fly over the North Pacific Ocean.
Physical features
Albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds. They can weigh as much as 25 pounds (11 kilograms). The wandering albatross has a longer wingspread than any other bird, measuring more than 11 feet (3 meters) across. Albatrosses have big heads, stout bills, and webbed toes that are used for flight control as well as for swimming.
Most adult albatrosses have white bodies. The wings may be a combination of black, brown, and white. Young birds are generally darker and take five years or more to develop adult coloring. A few species, such as the black-footed albatross and the sooty albatross, are brown all over. The most colorful part of an albatross is its large yellow bill.
Behavior
Albatrosses use their long wings to soar and glide on air currents. They can stay in the air for hours without flapping their wings. When they get hungry, they land on the water and fish with their bills. Squid is their favorite food, but they catch fish as well. They also eat scraps cast to sea from passing ships. Like other seabirds, albatrosses drink seawater and get rid of excess salt through a special gland. At sea, albatrosses sleep on the surface of the water.
Albatrosses are majestic in the air but clumsy on dry land. They often land heavily, and they have to run and flap their wings to take off. Sailors sometimes call them gooney birds because of their comical movements. Another common nickname for albatrosses is mollymawk, from the Dutch words for “foolish gull.”
Life cycle
Albatrosses nest in groups on remote islands. Males and females attract each other with dances and displays. Once formed, a male-female pair usually breeds together year after year. The female lays a single large egg in a nest on the ground. Both parents tend the egg, which takes an unusually long time—often more than 70 days—to hatch. The parents care for the chick for three to ten months, until it is ready to fly. The young albatross then goes out to sea until it is ready to mate, about 5 to 10 years later. Because the growth process takes so long, population growth among albatrosses is slow. Albatrosses have few natural enemies, however, and may live more than 30 years.
Albatrosses and humans
With their habit of following ships, albatrosses have captured the human imagination for centuries. Superstitious people once associated the birds with the spirits of drowned sailors. Killing an albatross was thought to be bad luck. Nevertheless, the birds were killed in large numbers, often for their feathers and meat.
Closely related to crocodiles, alligators are large lizard-like animals with long, rounded snouts and powerful tails. They are found in only two countries, the United States and China.
Where alligators live
Only two species of alligator exist on Earth. The larger of the two species is the American alligator. The scientific name of the American alligator is Alligator mississippiensis. It is found in the southeastern United States from North Carolina to Florida and west to the lower Rio Grande. The Chinese alligator (A. sinensis) lives in China in the Yangtze River and its tributaries.
Alligators usually live in slow-moving rivers. They also live along the edges of large bodies of water, such as lakes and swamps. Large adults can stay underwater for over an hour without breathing. Alligators do not have salt glands to remove salt from their body. Because of this, they cannot stay in salty water, such as the ocean, for long.
Although alligators are most comfortable in the water, they are also able to travel on land by sliding on their bellies, stepping with their legs extended, or galloping awkwardly. Alligators dig burrows to escape from danger. They also sleep in these burrows through the winter.
Physical features
The male American alligator grows to an average length of 11 feet (3.4 meters) and can weigh about half a ton. The female American alligator can grow up to 8 feet (2.5 meters). Young American alligators are black with yellow banding on the tail. The adults are brown with dark stripes on the tail.
The Chinese alligator normally grows to a length of 5 feet (1.5 meters). It is blackish with faint yellowish markings.
Alligators have a thick skin composed of close-set, overlapping bony plates called scutes, or osteoderms. They have four short legs. The front legs have five toes, but the back legs have only four. Alligators swim with snakelike movements. Their flat, muscular, oarlike tails provide powerful swimming strokes and are effective weapons as well. Their eyes, ears, and nostrils are located on top of their long head. These can be spotted above the water when alligators are floating at the surface, as they often do.
Although they resemble crocodiles, alligators display some distinctive features. Alligators have a rounded snout, while the snout of most crocodiles is narrow and pointed. When alligators close their jaws none of their teeth can be seen because the fourth tooth in the lower jaw fits into a socket in the upper jaw. The fourth tooth of crocodiles always sticks out at the side of their mouth.
Behavior
Like crocodiles, alligators are basically carnivores, meaning that they eat meat. Young alligators eat worms and insects. As they mature, they add frogs, tadpoles, and fish to their diet. Adult alligators feed mainly on fish, small mammals, and birds, but they may sometimes kill prey as large as deer or cattle. They hunt mainly in water by swallowing their small prey whole. Larger animals are dragged underwater, drowned, and then eaten.
Life cycle
At the time of mating, which is usually in the spring, male alligators give bellowing roars. These roars help establish breeding territories and attract the females. When the time comes to lay eggs, the female builds a mound nest of mud and grass. In this nest, she lays from 20 to 60 hard-shelled, oval, white eggs. They are ready to hatch after about 65 days.
At hatching time the baby alligators start making feeble squeaks. The mother digs the eggs out of the nest. The babies are born with a sharp spike on their noses that they use to break their way through the eggshell. Mother alligators are noted for taking good care of their young. They stay around to protect the eggs and guard the young for as long as a year.
Newborn alligators are about 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) long and face danger from many predators, including fish, birds, and larger alligators. They grow about 1 foot (0.3 meter) in length per year for the first three to four years. After that time, their growth continues more slowly.
Ecological issues
Both the American and Chinese alligator have been killed for their hide, or skin. Their hide is used as leather for handbags, luggage, shoes, belts, and other items. They have also been hunted in order to protect domestic animals and humans. The young of the American alligator have been sold in large numbers as pets. Because of these things, the American alligator has disappeared from many areas where it was once abundant.
The Chinese alligator has become so scarce that it is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
Allosaurus was a fierce dinosaur that roamed the Earth before the similar but more well-known Tyrannosaurus rex appeared. The name Allosaurus means “other lizard.” This dinosaur had bony ridges above each of its eyes. It also had a ridge of bone running down the center of its face between its eyes to the tip of its snout. Allosaurus is a member of the group of dinosaurs known as theropods. The theropods were meat-eating dinosaurs that walked on their two back legs.
Where and when Allosaurus lived
Allosaurus lived about 163 to 144 million years ago, during the period of the Earth's history known as the Jurassic. Most Allosaurus fossils, or remains, have been found in North America, in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Remains also have been discovered in Africa and Australia. Allosaurus, like most other dinosaurs, was a land animal. It most likely lived near areas with thick plant life, close to the plant-eating dinosaurs that it preyed upon.
Physical features
Allosaurus was a large dinosaur that stood and walked on its two muscular hind legs. It reached up to 39 feet (12 meters) in length, stood about 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall, and weighed up to 2 tons. The massive head of Allosaurus measured about 3 feet (1 meter) long and was supported by a short, thick neck. Large, open spaces in the skull made its head fairly light. The sharp teeth of Allosaurus were curved and had sawlike edges. They were 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) long. The dinosaur's powerful jaws could open wide to tear off larger chunks of food. Allosaurus had sharp claws on the three toes of each hind foot. It also had long, grasping claws on the three toes of each front foot. These claws grew as long as 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters). They helped make the animal's short but strong front legs deadly weapons. The long, heavy tail of Allosaurus may have helped the animal balance itself.
Behavior
Allosaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur that preyed on plant-eating dinosaurs. When it hunted alone, Allosaurus would hide among the thick plants then jump out on its prey. It would grab hold with its long front claws and sink its teeth into the neck of its victim. Some scientists believe that Allosaurus also hunted in packs. Together, a pack of Allosaurus could bring down very large dinosaurs, such as Apatosaurus and Diplodocus. It is possible that Allosaurus was also a scavenger, feeding upon carcasses of dead or dying animals. Scientists believe that Allosaurus reproduced by laying eggs.
The alpaca belongs to the camel family and resembles the llama, to which it is closely related. The alpaca's Latin (or scientific) name is Lama pacos. It is valued for its wool and reared mainly in South America.
Where alpacas live
The alpaca is found on marshy grounds at altitudes above 13,000 feet (4,000 meters). It is presently found in central and southern Peru and western Bolivia in South America. The Indians of the Andes Mountains of South America began raising the alpaca several thousand years ago.
Physical features
Although the alpaca is a member of the camel family, it does not have a hump. Like the llama, the alpaca is a slender-bodied mammal with a long neck and legs, a short tail, a small head, and large, pointed ears. It stands approximately 35 inches (90 centimeters) high at the shoulder, and weighs 121–143 pounds (55–65 kilograms). Its shaggy coat varies in color from black or brown to gray and tan to pale yellow and, occasionally, white. The alpaca has a natural life span of 15–20 years.
Economic importance
The alpaca is bred mainly for its fine wool, and the animal is normally sheared, or trimmed, every two years. Its wool is lightweight, strong, shiny, warm, and stands up to rain and snow. It is sometimes combined with other fibers to make lightweight suit fabrics. There are two breeds of the alpaca, the huacaya and the suri. The suris provide fine fleeces of about 6 12 pounds (3 kilograms) per animal, and the huacayas give coarser fleeces weighing about 5 12 pounds (2.5 kilograms) per animal. Peru is the leading producer of the wool.
Most of the animals known as amphibians can live on land or in the water. The word amphibian comes from a Greek word meaning “living a double life.” Amphibians are vertebrates, or animals with backbones. Amphibians were the first vertebrates to appear on land. The early amphibians were the ancestors of all reptiles, birds, and mammals.
There are three types of amphibians. The first group includes the frogs and toads. The second group consists of the salamanders, including the newts and mud puppies. The third group is made up of wormlike creatures known as caecilians.
Where amphibians live
Amphibians are found all over the world except in very cold or dry regions. They are most common in hot, humid areas such as the tropics. Some adult amphibians live only on land. Other species live only in the water. Most amphibians, however, spend at least part of the time on land and part in the water. They live in the areas between freshwater and dry land or in regions that have plenty of dew and moisture.
Frogs and toads have a very wide range but are most abundant in the tropics. Salamanders mainly live in the regions of the Northern Hemisphere that have warm summers and cold winters. They often live in or near streams and are sometimes found under rocks and logs. Caecilians are found throughout most of the tropics. Most caecilians live underground. Some species live in the water.
Physical characteristics
General features
Most amphibians are relatively small animals. However, they vary greatly in length, from less than 25 inch (1 centimeter) to more than 60 inches (150 centimeters).
Amphibians do not have hair or feathers. The skin absorbs water and oxygen. The skin of most amphibians is moist. In most species, if the skin dries up, the animal soon dies. The animal regularly sheds its upper layer of skin, in a process called molting. The lower layer of the skin often includes mucous glands and poison glands. Mucous helps provide essential moisture to the body. Poison helps the animal defend itself against its natural enemies, such as birds and small mammals. Amphibian poisons rarely harm humans.
The skin's protective properties include the ability to change color. This can help the animal hide from enemies by appearing to be a part of its surroundings. At other times, parts of the amphibian's skin may become brightly colored as a warning for enemies to keep away.
Amphibians usually have flat, wide skulls. Although amphibians have teeth, the frogs, toads, and salamanders do not chew their food. They use their long, flexible tongues to capture their prey, which they then swallow whole.
Frogs and toads
Frogs and toads are tailless. They have large, well-developed eyes. They have short, thick bodies and four legs. Frogs have long, powerful hind legs that are well adapted for leaping and swimming. Tree frogs have suction pads on their fingers and toes so that they can hold on to smooth surfaces. Toads have shorter legs than frogs, and they get around by hopping or walking instead of leaping. The skin of toads has a warty appearance and is usually dry.
The West African goliath frog is the largest of this group. It may grow to nearly 1 foot (30 centimeters) long and weigh as much as a house cat. The smallest is a Brazilian species that is less than 25 inch (1 centimeter) long.
Salamanders
Salamanders have tails. In newts, the tail is flattened. Salamanders generally have short bodies, four legs, and moist skin. They are often boldly patterned or brightly colored. Salamanders have great powers of regeneration. If a salamander loses an eye, a leg, or its tail, it can grow a new one. Most salamanders are about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) long. However, the Chinese giant salamander grows to 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length. A tiny species in Mexico measures only about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long.
Caecilians
Caecilians look like worms or snakes. They are well adapted for tunneling underground. The long, slender body is encircled by numerous grooves. The caecilian generally has a short, pointed tail. The eyes are covered by skin or bone, so the animals are blind or nearly blind. Near each eye is a tentacle, which the caecilian uses to feel its way around. Caecilian species range in length from about 4 inches (10 centimeters) to nearly 5 feet (1.5 meters).
Behavior
Amphibians are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperature is about the same as the temperature around them. When the temperature drops or rises, amphibians change habitats in order to become more comfortable. A drop in the humidity levels can also affect them.
Some species of amphibians are active by day, and others move about at night. If it becomes too hot and dry, some amphibians become inactive until conditions are favorable again. This is called estivation. Some amphibians become inactive during winter if the region is very cold. They seek out mud, trees, and other safe places in which they remain inactive for months, until it is warm enough again. This is called hibernation.
Frogs and toads have a strong sense of location. When taken from their territories, they can find their way back by smell and instinctively by the position of the stars. Many species tend to return to the same breeding grounds year after year.
Adult amphibians consume a wide variety of foods. Frogs, toads, and salamanders feed mainly on small boneless animals such as insects, worms, and spiders. Some large salamanders and frogs eat small birds and mammals. Salamanders eat members of their own species as well. Earthworms form the main diet of caecilians that live underground. Caecilians that live in water eat fish and eels.
Life cycle
The majority of amphibians lay eggs, but some species give birth to live young. In most egg-laying species, the female deposits a large number of eggs in the water. The tiger salamander may lay more than 5,000 eggs, and the large bullfrogs may lay 45,000 eggs. In some species, the eggs develop and hatch on land. These amphibians come out of the egg as miniature adults.
The life cycle of most amphibians is divided into two phases. In the first phase, the amphibian exists in the water in an immature form called the larva. In frogs and toads, the larva is also known as a tadpole. The larva begins life with gills, which allow it to breathe underwater like a fish. The larva stage lasts from several weeks to as long as five years, depending on the species.
In the second phase, the larva develops into the adult form, capable of existing on land at least part of the time. The lungs develop, and the gill slits close. The period of transformation from larva to adult is known as metamorphosis. Metamorphosis brings about an abrupt and thorough change in the amphibian's form.
Conservation
Humans are the most serious threat to amphibians. Amphibians help keep insect populations under control. However, amphibians are often destroyed when people drain marshes to kill mosquitoes and other insect pests. Pollution can also destroy the places where amphibians live. Amphibians are eaten in some countries. Frog legs are considered a delicacy. Also, many amphibians are used in scientific experiments. Many species of amphibians throughout the world have died out or are in danger of dying out.
An anaconda is a giant water-loving snake that is found in tropical South America. It is one of the two largest snakes in the world. There are stories of giant anacondas reaching more than 50 feet (15 meters) in length. Disappearances of people in the jungles of South America are often blamed on the snakes. However, scientists believe such long lengths are exaggerated and that human deaths by anacondas are rare.
Physical features
The largest anacondas reach about 30 feet (9 meters) in length, but most only grow to about 16 feet (5 meters). Only certain pythons grow longer. Anacondas are, however, the most massive snakes, and many people consider them the world's largest because of both their great weight and length. Some weigh 550 pounds (249 kilograms) and have thick, bulky bodies measuring 12 inches (30 centimeters) or more around.
Types of anacondas
There are two types of anacondas, the giant, or green, anaconda and the yellow anaconda. The largest is the giant anaconda. It lives in or near the water of slow-moving rivers and streams in the rain forests of northeastern South America and on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. The giant anaconda is typically brown or olive green in color and spotted with large, black, oval patches. The yellow anaconda lives further south. Its skin is tan or greenish yellow with black, overlapping spots across its back. Both types have eyes and nostrils on the top of the head, which allow the animal to see and breathe while lying hidden in water or mud.
Hunting habits
Anacondas usually hunt at night for mammals, reptiles, and birds. They are known to hunt animals as large as a young deer, but they usually do not try to capture an animal weighing more than 50 pounds (23 kilograms). The snake hunts by surprising its prey. It quickly coils its body around the animal and squeezes until the animal can no longer breathe. Sometimes the anaconda pulls its prey under water and drowns it. It may also crawl on land and even climb into trees to capture birds.
Life cycle
Female anacondas give birth to large litters. A typical litter has 14–82 young that each measure more than 2 feet (0.6 meter) long. Many of these young become prey for other animals. In captivity, anacondas may survive up to about 30 years.
Some people enjoy eating the small fish known as anchovies. Their salty taste can add to the flavor of pizza, salads, and other dishes. Likewise, many larger fish find anchovies tasty. Anchovies make good bait for catching such fish as tuna, sturgeon, and salmon.
Anchovies belong to the scientific family Engraulidae. Most of the more than 100 species, or types, live in saltwater. A few tropical anchovies live in freshwater. Anchovies travel in groups called schools. They come to the water's surface at night to feed on tiny plants and animals known as plankton.
Adult anchovies are about 4 to 10 inches (10 to 25 centimeters) in length. The most noticeable feature of an anchovy is probably its large mouth. The mouth almost always extends behind the eye. An anchovy also has large eyes and a pointed snout.
A female anchovy can lay thousands of eggs each year. The eggs are long and transparent (see-through). They float for about two days before hatching. The newborns, known as larvae, sink to the bottom. The larvae change form to look like adult anchovies after about three months. Anchovies are thought to live as long as seven years.
Stories about legendary animals abounded when much knowledge of the natural world was based on travelers' tales and rumor. An example is The Voyage and Travels of Sir John Mandeville, Knight, written in the mid-14th century, which contained fanciful descriptions of monsters. Even works by scientists contained descriptions of legendary creatures. The Swiss naturalist Conrad Gesner described the unicorn and winged dragons in one book. Some legendary animals, such as the yeti, the Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness monster, still arouse general curiosity.
The most well-known of the legends have appeared in many versions in different works. These include the dragon, various sea serpents, the basilisk, the unicorn, and the phoenix.
Dragon
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The dragon was usually thought of as a huge scaly lizard or snake that breathed fire and had wings like a bat. In Greece the word drakon, from which the English word was derived, was used originally for any large serpent.
In the Middle Eastern world, the serpent or dragon symbolized evil. In Christian art the dragon came to stand for sin. In the Far East, however, the dragon is known as a kind creature. The Chinese dragon represented yang, the principle of heaven, activity, and maleness in Chinese cosmology. From ancient times, it was the emblem of the royal family. Until the 20th century the dragon adorned the Chinese flag.
Sea creatures
Sea serpents were supposed to be enormous snakes, or huge creatures that inhabited the deep sea. Sea serpents have a long history of being sighted by mariners and sailors. Belief in them was widespread throughout the ancient world. Accounts of these fabled creatures might have been based on the sightings of giant squids, which can attain a length of 50 feet (15 meters). Sightings of freshwater “monsters,” especially those in Loch Ness in northern Scotland have been investigated. However, all investigations have been inconclusive. In Norwegian sea folklore, the kraken was an enormous creature, part octopus and part crab. This monster may also be based on chance sightings of the giant squid.
Mermaids were also mythical creatures that lived in the sea. They had the head and upper body of a human being and the tail of a fish. In European folklore, mermaids (sometimes called sirens) and mermen were natural beings who, like fairies, had magical and prophetic powers. Aquatic mammals, such as the dugong and manatee, which suckle their young in human fashion above water, are considered by some to be the basis of these legends.
Basilisk
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The basilisk, or cockatrice, was a serpent so horrible that it killed with a glance. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder described the basilisk simply as a snake with a small golden crown. However, it went on to gain a terrifying reputation. The sight of a basilisk was said to be so dreadful that if the creature saw its own reflection in a mirror, it would die of fright. The only way to kill it, then, was to hold a mirror before it and avoid looking at it directly. In the Middle Ages it was supposed to have the head of a cock, or sometimes a human head.
Unicorn
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The unicorn was a mythological animal resembling a horse or a kid, with a single horn on its forehead. The unicorn appeared in the early artworks of the Mesopotamian civilization. It was also referred to in the ancient myths of India and China.
The earliest description in Greek literature of a single-horned animal was by the historian Ctesias in about 400 BC. The actual animal behind Ctesias' description was probably the Indian rhinoceros. Cups said to be made of unicorn horn, but actually made of rhinoceros horn or narwhal tusk, were highly valued in the Middle Ages as a protection against poisoned drinks.
Phoenix
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Early humans were very interested in birds and attributed magic and religious powers to them. Therefore many mythological creatures, such as thunderbird, phoenix, and roc, have taken the form of birds. In ancient Egypt and in classical antiquity, the phoenix was a fabulous bird associated with the worship of the sun. It was said to be as large as an eagle, with brilliant scarlet and gold feathers. Only one phoenix existed at any one time, and it lived at least 500 years. As its death approached, the phoenix made a nest of boughs and spices, set it on fire, and was consumed in the flames. From the pyre miraculously sprang a new phoenix.
Other creatures
More recent creatures are the Yeti and Bigfoot. The Tibetan yeti was a mythical monster inhabiting the Himalayas at about the level of the snow line. Though reports of actual sightings of such a creature are rare, certain mysterious markings in the snow have traditionally been attributed to it. Bears have probably produced some of these.
A large, hairy creature resembling a human, the Bigfoot is believed by some to exist in northwestern United States and western Canada. It seems to represent the North American counterpart of the yeti. Although some people have claimed to have seen and even photographed the creature, none of the evidence has been verified. Also known as Sasquatch, it is described as ranging from 6 to 15 feet (2 to 4.5 meters) in height, standing erect on two feet, and either moving silently or emitting a high-pitched cry.