My Science School

Spectacled bear is the only species of bear that lives in South America. It inhabits the dense Andean jungles. Its body is covered in brown, black or reddish fur. Patches of creamy fur can be seen on the chest, throat and around the eyes. The whitish markings around the eyes look like spectacles and that’s how it got its name. However, some individuals lack the patches.

It spends most of its time on the trees, descending only to search for food. It is a solitary animal. Mature spectacled bears are normally seen together only during mating season.

It feeds mainly on shoots and fruit, but occasionally supplements its diet with meat. It does not hibernate.

Their habitat is being destroyed by a number of things such as farming, lumber and mining operations. They also sometimes are hunted by farmers because as their habitat shrinks they may stray onto farmland and eat the crops that have replaced their natural diet. Also some farmers think that the bears will eat their livestock although they do not eat large quantities of meat. They are hunted for their gall bladders which can fetch a high price in the international market as they are valued in traditional Chinese medicine.

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Peafowl is belonging to the pheasant family. It is native to Asia. It is among the largest flying birds. Male peafowl is called peacock, while female is called peahen.

Peahens are mostly brown on their back with a white belly, while peacocks have long, colorful tail feathers. Both have a crest on their head and green neck feathers.

Males use their large train in courtship displays. They spread it out into an arch-shaped fan, flaunting the colourful “eye” markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. It is an omnivore feeding on insects, amphibians, flowers, and seeds. Its main predators are tigers, leopards, and mongoose. When it senses danger, it flies and hides in the trees.

When the breeding time comes around each year, the peacock will try to impress the peahen as much as possible. Apart from displaying his feathers and train, he will also guard his territory and make a loud noise to ward off other males. In areas of Asia where the peacock is hunted, they are not often seen and remain wary and shy of their surroundings. However, the Indian peacock is protected in many parts of Asia for personal or religious reasons.

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Opossum is a marsupial endemic to the Americas. It loves to visit human homes and raid garbage for food. Its favourites are nuts and fruits, but it also love to hunt mice, birds and insects.

To escape its predators, it plays possum. That is, it pretends to be dead in appearance and in smell. It carries its babies in its pouch or on its back when it goes looking for food.

An opossum, when confronted with a threat, will often hiss or bare its teeth. Or more likely, run. But if it is surprised by a predator, it will enter a catatonic state. It basically faints and is in a state of unconsciousness. The opossum has no control over this; it’s involuntary.

It does indeed appear if the opossum is dead. Its teeth are visible, as if in a death grimace. It emits a foul substance from its anus, the smell described as corpse-like.

A predator is confronted with what appears to be dead, unhealthy prey, and may leave the opossum alone.

This death-feigning strategy, as some sources note, is not without its risks. The opossum is unconscious. So if the predator decides to gnaw on the opossum anyway, there’s no escape. It is also commonly cited as a reason why you see so many road-killed opossums, but I found a lack of research support for this.

The opossum will remain in this unconscious state for minutes to hours.

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You can identify it by the colours on its body. Its crown, wings, tail and belly sport different shades of blue, while its neck its neck and throat are purplish and the chest is brown.

It lives in open areas and agricultural landscapes. It is generally quiet, but turns vociferous during the breeding season. It makes a harsh chack… chack… sound.

It is known for my acrobatic courtship displays. The male Indian Roller is known for its unique and startling sexual display which it performs during the breeding season. During the course of the display the Indian Roller bird flies high up in the sky and descends downwards in a circular motion, flapping its winds rapidly.

Many states in India have made the Indian Roller their state bird. The Indian roller is considered to be a sacred bird in Hindu mythology and is associated with the deity Lord Shiva. The species of the Indian Roller bird does not face the threat of extinction. It is not an endangered species.

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Great egret is a wading bird that belongs to the heron family. It inhabits swamps, lakes, ponds, areas near the rivers, streams and islands.

It has a long leg, S-shaped neck and white plumage. It stands motionless and waits for the prey to come close enough. It catches its prey, usually fish, frogs, snakes and crustaceans, using its long, sharp bill in a fraction of a second.

Its predators are raccoons, owls and hawks.

The great egret is partially migratory, with northern hemisphere birds moving south from areas with colder winters.

The great egret feeds in shallow water or drier habitats, feeding mainly on fish, frogs, small mammals, and occasionally small reptiles and insects, spearing them with its long, sharp bill most of the time by standing still and allowing the prey to come within its striking distance of its bill, which it uses as a spear. It often waits motionless for prey, or slowly stalks its victim.

They are diurnal feeders and at dusk they gather from surrounding areas to form communal roosts.

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Beaver is among the largest rodents in the world. There are two species of beavers: American and Eurasian.

It has thick fur, webbed fur, webbed feet and scale-covered tails. It is a semiaquatic species, which can swim 5 miles per hour and spend 15 minutes underwater without returning to the surface for air.

It uses its powerful jaws and strong teeth to fell trees and build homes and dams, which acts as channels to control the flow of water in a stream or lake.

It eats leaves, roots, and bark from aspens, willows, maples and poplar trees. It also eats aquatic plants.

All beavers need water to survive. They live in or around freshwater ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes and swamps. American beavers live throughout North America, but stay clear of deserts and the far northern areas of Canada. Eurasian beavers once lived all over Europe and Asia. Now, they only live in small numbers throughout southern Scandinavia, Germany, France, Poland, and central Russia due to overhunting.

Beavers don’t just build homes from trees, they also eat them. Unlike other mammals, beavers can digest cellulose, which is a major component of their diet, according to ADW. Beavers eat leaves, roots and bark from aspens, willows, maples and poplar trees. They also eat aquatic plants. 

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There are more than 16,000 species of them, varying in size and colour.

Most of them are active at night and use moon, stars and geomagnetic field to navigate. Some of their kinds are great mimics, impersonating other creatures to avoid being eaten by predators (They even mimic bird droppings!)

It is an important pollinator. It has long, curled tongue designed for diet based on nectar, fruits and berries.

While at rest, it flattens its wings against its body or spread them out (whereas butterflies usually hold their wings up)

The smallest moth in the world is the Stigmella maya, and the forewing measures just 1.2 millimetres. It is found in Yucatan in Mexico.

The largest moth in the world is the Atlas moth (Attacus atlas), with wingspan of up to 30 cm (12 inches) and a surface area of 400 square centimeters (62 square inches). It is found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia.

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Llama is a relative of the camel, native to South America. But unlike camels, it does not have a hump. It has long legs and neck, small head and pointed ears.

It has been used as a pack animal by locals for centuries. It can navigate rocky terrain with ease.

It is a social animal and lives in herds. When it gets annoyed, it spits. It feeds on grass and regurgitates food and chews it as cud.

In mountainous regions llamas migrate up and down mountains, moving up to higher regions when it is warm, in order to stay cooler, and moving back down in winter when temperatures start to drop. Llamas are peaceful natured hardy animals. They have excellent survival skills and their thick coats allow them to thrive in climates with extreme temperatures. The llama is the national symbol of Peru and appears on many tourist products as well as coins and stamps.

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