My Science School

Bears are found all over the world except in Antarctica and Australia. Generally speaking, all bears have a large body, a short tail, small, rounded ears, a long, pointed snout, stocky legs with large paws and very sharp claws. Bears are hunters and eat meat, but they also eat leaves, fruits and nuts, which is why they are considered omnivores.

With some minor exceptions, all eight bear species have roughly the same appearance: large torsos, stocky legs, narrow snouts, long hair, and short tails. With their plantigrade postures—walking upright on two feet—bears walk flat-footed on the ground like humans but unlike most other mammals.

Bears range in color with species: Black, brown and Andean bears are typically red-brown to black; polar bears are generally white to yellow; Asiatic bears are black to brown with a white patch and sun bears are brown with a yellow crescent on their chest. They range in size from the sun bear (47 inches tall and weighing 37 pounds) to the polar bear, (nearly 10 feet tall and weighing 1,500 pounds). 

Most bears are omnivorous, feasting opportunistically on animals, fruits, and vegetables, with two important outliers: The polar bear is almost exclusively carnivorous, preying on seals and walruses, and the panda bear subsists entirely on bamboo shoots. Oddly enough, though, pandas' digestive systems are relatively well adapted to eating meat.

Because the vast majority of bears live in high northern latitudes, they need a way to survive the winter months when food is dangerously scarce. Evolution's solution is hibernation: Bears go into a deep sleep, lasting for months, during which their heart rates and metabolic processes slow drastically. Being in hibernation isn't like being in a coma. If sufficiently roused, a bear can wake up in the middle of its hibernation, and females have even been known to give birth in the deep of winter. Fossil evidence also supports cave lions preying on hibernating cave bears during the last Ice Age, though some of these bears woke up and killed the unwelcome intruders.

Bears may be the most antisocial mammals on the face of the earth. Full-grown bears are almost entirely solitary. This is good news for campers who accidentally encounter lone grizzlies in the wild, but quite unusual when compared with other carnivorous and omnivorous mammals, ranging from wolves to pigs, that tend to congregate in at least small groups.

Depending on species, a bear's basic communication needs can be expressed with about seven or eight different "words"—huffs, chomps, groans, roars, woofs, growls, hums, or barks. The most dangerous sounds for humans are roars and growls, which denote a frightened or agitated bear defending its territory.

Huffs are generally produced during mating and courtship rituals; hums—a bit like the purrs of cats, but much louder—are deployed by cubs to demand attention from their mothers, and moans express anxiety or a sense of danger. Giant pandas have a slightly different vocabulary than their ursine brethren: In addition to the sounds described above, they can also chirp, honk, and bleat.

Considering that early humans used to worship bears as gods, our relationship with ursines hasn't exactly been stellar over the last few hundred years. Bears are especially susceptible to habitat destruction, are often hunted for sport, and tend to become the scapegoats whenever campers are attacked in the wild or garbage cans are overturned in suburbs.

Today, the largest threats to bears are deforestation and human encroachment, and, for polar bears, climate change which is reducing the environment in which they live. On the whole, black and brown bears are holding their own, even though adverse interactions with humans have increased as their habitats become more constricted.

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The jaguar - the third largest of the big cats, after the tiger and lion. They look quite like leopards but have bulkier bodies and the rosettes on their coats are larger, with a spot at the centre. Unlike most cats, jaguars do not avoid water and will catch fish, turtles and caimans, as well as deer, capybara and other land animals.

The name “jaguar” is a corruption of the Brazilian Tupi-Guarani people’s name for this big cat. In their language, “yaguara” means “beast”. The largest cat in the Americas, the jaguar is the third largest feline in the world, after the tiger and lion.

The jaguar is an essentially solitary animal. It hunts alone, wandering through the forest across its territory and ambushing prey opportunistically. The bite of the jaguar is unusually powerful even among large felines, and it is capable of perforating the hides of large reptiles and the shells of turtles. Unusually among big cats, it often attacks the head of its prey directly, relying upon its powerful jaws to penetrate the skull and bite into the brain.

Jaguars are adept swimmers and will readily take to the water in pursuit of their prey. They have been spotted crossing the Tambopata River, and will occasionally take down small caiman.

In the wild, jaguars tend to live for between 11 and 15 years, and can live up for to 25 years in captivity. Jaguars are almost always sighted alone. As solitary hunters, they only come together to breed. When seeking a mate, jaguars tend to roam over vast areas of forest, far beyond their normal hunting range. It is believed that jaguars will breed throughout the year, in wet season or dry. Receptive females mark their territory, in addition to becoming increasingly vocal, when seeking a mate. After breeding, the male and female separate, leaving the female to raise her cubs alone. In common with the tiger, female jaguars will not tolerate the presence of any male after the birth of their cubs, given the high risk of infant cannibalism prevalent among these two species.

Tambopata National Reserve is an ideal place to spot the jaguar (Panthera onca) because its forest and wetland systems are home to many of the species that this big cat preys upon, including capybaras, peccaries and tapirs.

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Lions live in prides of anywhere between 3 to 30 beasts. The females, usually all related, stay with the pride for life. Male lions usually leave when they get to about two years of age. It is the females that select and stalk the prey, then make the short dash to pounce and kill it. However, it is the biggest male who will eat first.

What, Where and When

The choice of animals that the lion hunts for food is largely dependent on what sort of food is available in their particular area of habitation. Generally, the scrub country which lions tend to favour more than anywhere else, provides them with many different kinds of herbivores. Their favourites are wildebeest, zebras, antelopes, gazelles and waterbuck. They do though, also have a fondness for warthogs and have been to know lie in wait outside their burrows for hours on end. However, if a lion is hungry enough and cannot find its preferred food it’ll resort to eating whatever it can find, including fish. They also target other large animals such as buffaloes and giraffes, though they do so with great difficulty and with enormous risk to their own lives. Indeed, many lions injure themselves when they try to control bigger animals. It’s not uncommon after such an encounter for an injured lion to be unable to partake in any future hunts.

Most hunting done by lions is under the cover of darkness; in the gloom of an African night they can easily observe and stalk their prey without the threat of detection. It’s actually quite common for lions to sit and observe their prey during daylight hours, usually just before sunset. But they mostly wait until after dark before launching an attack. Similarly, if the landscape is illuminated by bright moonlight, then they’ll wait until it’s obscured before attempting any sort of hunt. The main reason why they do this is simply because their typical habitation is devoid of cover. Often in the daytime, a lion will begin closing in on a potential victim, but will subsequently give itself away, resulting in the prey escaping easily. Lions that live in areas with thicker cover are able to do more of the hunting in daylight hours. Other hunting that occurs in sunlight is directly related to the activity of a particular prey species. For example, when zebras or gazelles drink from lakes or rivers during the heat of the day, their presence often produces a flurry of hunting. But usually, most stalking by lions is done just after sunset, or during the middle of the night, several hours before dawn.

Senses and Deficiencies

More than anything, lions rely on their sight to help them with hunting. Experts have observed individuals stalking under vegetative cover, occasionally sticking their heads up high out of their cover in order to keep track of a particular animal they may be stalking. In the process though, they do sometimes give themselves away inadvertently.

Lions occasionally detect their prey through hearing. They frequently react to the sounds of animals walking or moving through water and set out to investigate. There have also been examples of lions utilising their sense of smell to aid in the hunting process. But generally, lions hunt only what they can see, and are thus not particularly adept at detecting prey in the same way wolves are for example. It’s quite normal for a large group of herbivores to pass right by a pride during the day, due to the fact that the lions normally use daylight hours to snooze.

Working as a Team

Another, or to put it more accurately the most important reason that lions are able to find enough food is that they usually do their hunting cooperatively. They will stalk their victims for up to an hour, but fifteen minutes is more the norm before deciding to pounce. Normally, several lions circle around the herd they are attacking, slowly driving their victims towards some of their fellows hiding in tall grass. These lions, usually females also known as lionesses then attack their prey from the sides or the rear. Cooperative hunting also makes up for another significant problem that lions have in comparison with other predators, their lack of speed. By our standards of course, these mighty creatures are anything but slow, their top seed is around 30mph, but they can only sustain it for around a minute. Indeed, they rarely pursue a prey item for more than 100 yards. By working in groups they are able to tackle prey that would otherwise prove too fast or elusive for them.

Lions also gain another advantage through group hunting when they have killed an animal too large for one to eat alone; with an entire pride partaking in the consumption of food not only does more food go to more mouths at one time, but it also allows the pride to avoid the problem of having to guard or store their food. Such problems are frequently encountered and dealt with by other big cats such as leopards and tigers, who often find ingenious ways of hiding their kills from competitors. Leopards, for example often stash their kills in a tree while tigers will remain in the vicinity of their kill until it’s fully eaten. Lions, being denizens of open country simply don’t have the luxury of being able to hide or shelter the food.

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The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a large cat that is native to the mountainous regions of South and Central Asia. Living in the alpine and subalpine zones, snow leopards have evolved and adapted to some of the harshest environments on Earth. They are capable of scaling the steep slopes of mountains with agility and can blend into the landscape to avoid detection while hunting. Female snow leopards can have between one and five cubs, but usually have a litter of two or three. Snow leopard cubs are born with a thick coat of fur but are dependent on the mother until approximately 18 months old. Cubs are also born blind, but their eyes open after about one week.

 Physical Description

Snow leopards typically have thick fur that is whitish-gray in color, and can even have a yellow tinge. The neck and head have solid spots, while the rest of the body has rosettes, which are larger and form a ring that encloses smaller spots. Each leopard has a unique patterns of spots, which the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) uses to identify individual snow leopards when conducting research. Snow leopards are characterized by long and bushy tails, which are used for balance, and can also be draped over their body to provide protection from the cold when sleeping. The cat species is very agile, with forelimbs that are shorter than the hind limbs, and are capable of jumping as far as 50 ft. Their paws are large and covered in fur, which which act as snowshoes, as well as providing padding when climbing on sharp rocks.

Range And Habitat

Snow leopards inhabit various regions across central and northern parts of Asia, including the Himalayas, where they live at high altitudes of up to 18,000 ft above sea level. The snow leopard is known to live in 12 countries, including Mongolia, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. Snow leopards are solitary animals and they are very elusive. In fact, snow leopards are sometimes referred to as the "Ghost of the Mountains" because they are very rarely seen. There is no term used to describe a group of snow leopards because they are never observed in groups.

Diet

Snow leopards can hunt large animals with weights exceeding their own by up to three times. Their diet is mainly composed of ibex, Argali wild sheep, blue sheep, deer, pikas, marmots, and other small animals. Most animals hunted by the snow leopard are also hunted by the local indigenous populations, and as their prey dwindle, they begin to hunt livestock for survival, resulting in retaliatory killings by the local communities.

Threats And Conservation

It is estimated that between 4,080 and 6,590 snow leopards currently exist in the wild, which is a population decrease of about 20% over the past 16 years. As a result, the species is listed as "Endangered" (EN) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. Some of the threats facing snow leopards include poaching, loss of habitat as a result of climate change, retaliatory killings, and reduced prey. Organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are working to reduce the threats faced by snow leopards, as well as reducing human-leopard conflicts. They also focus on increasing anti-poaching efforts and protecting the fragile habitat in order to increase the snow leopard's population in the wild.

Credit : Worldatlas

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Lions, tigers, jaguars, pumas and leopards are different kinds of big cats found all over the world except Australasia. Though big cats differ in size from pet cats, they all belong to the same family and share many characteristics. All are expert hunters, sneaking up on their prey and then pouncing on it. Their sharp claws, powerful jaws and fangs are deadly weapons.

1. Lions

Known for the male’s amazing and majestic mane, the lion is also unusual among all types of big cats in that it lives in social groups called prides. Most other big cats are solitary save for mothers and cubs. Lions are found in the grasslands of Africa and a small region of India. The organization of most prides is a few unrelated or related males, females, and cubs. The males’ job is to protect the pride from being taken over by another group of males, while the females hunt and raise cubs. Most coalitions of males last about three years before they’re ousted by another coalition. Because of this, the lifespan of male lions is much shorter than that of females. Males live about 10 years while females can live as long as 18 years.

2. Tigers

Of all types of big cats, the tiger is the largest in size. It is in even more peril than the lion, and its conservation status overall is endangered. Once ranging from India, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia, and China, it is now confined to small areas in its former range. Stunningly beautiful animals, tigers have orange-red coats with dramatic vertical black stripes that are most prominent on the shoulders and sides. The underside of the animal is white. There’s also white on the cheeks and above the eyes, and white spots on the back of the ears, which are often black.

3. Cheetahs

Thanks to its anatomy, especially the unique flexibility of its spine, the cheetah are considered the fastest land animal. It can achieve short bursts of speed between 58 and 61 miles per hour, which it uses to take down fast prey such as Thomson’s gazelle. This beautiful animal is also vulnerable because of habitat loss and human interference. Some populations are so inbred that the animals are also subject to diseases. It is found in Africa and Iran. Built for speed, the cheetah has a long body, very long legs, and a long tail that seems to help it balance when it makes tight turns. Its fur is tawny, buff, or grayish and covered with dots. The head is small for the body and round, and there are black stripes running from the eyes to the mouth. It ranges in body length from 3.5 to 5 feet and weighs 46 to as much as 160 pounds. 

4. Snow Leopards

This big cat also called the ounce is native to the Himalayas. It used to be the only one of the big cat breeds in the Uncia genus but was moved to Panthera. Its conservation status is vulnerable.

The snow leopard has a dense, fluffy white to gray coat that bears rosettes on the back, the sides, and the tail. There are black spots on the animal’s head and neck, and the belly is a dirty white. Like the cheetah, the snow leopard’s head is small for its body and round. Unlike the cheetah, the snow leopard has a robust body and short legs for moving around the cliffs of the mountains where it lives. Its body ranges from 3.25 to 4.25 feet with a tail that can be 31 to 41 inches long, and it weighs between 55 and 165 pounds. It has large, furry paws that help it walk over snow and a fluffy, long tail that stores fat and can protect the cat’s face when it sleeps.

5. Jaguars

The jaguar is a big cat that lives in the jungle. Specifically, it lives in the jungles of Central and South America and is the only member of the Panthera genus to do so, though it is also found in the grasslands and savannas. This near-threatened cat is often confused with the leopard, but it is a much stockier animal. Like the leopard, its coat is covered in rosettes, though it has broken spots down its spine. Its head is large for its size, its tail is shorter than a leopard’s, and its hindquarters are powerful. As with the leopard, melanistic jaguars, or black panthers, are fairly common.

6. Mountain Lions

This big cat has several names, including cougar, catamount, panther, painter, or puma. Like the jaguar, it’s found in the New World and is a bit smaller, though it does share the other wild cat’s small head and muscular body. Interestingly, some biologists don’t consider the mountain lion one of the big cats just because it doesn’t roar. Yet, it is a large animal with a body length of between 3.6 and 6.5 feet long with a weight of 150 to 230 pounds. Despite this, the mountain lion isn’t always the apex predator in its range, and its kill is sometimes stolen by wolf and coyote packs, bears, and alligators.

7. Leopards

The leopard is a skillful hunter, but like the mountain lion, it’s not always the apex predator in its range. It often has to compete with hyenas and lions. Though it is vulnerable, it has a wider range than the other big cats of the Old World and is found in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Russia, India, Southeast Asia, and east Asia. There are eight subspecies that look a bit different from each other, with leopards from colder climates having lighter fur than those that live in the jungle and rainforest. Overall, the leopard is vulnerable.

8. Clouded Leopards

Clouded leopards are considered the smallest of the big cats. The cat has a body length is between 2.25 and 3.5 feet and a tail that’s almost as long. This tail helps it balance as it moves among the trees in the Himalayan foothills. Like a squirrel, the clouded leopard can climb down a tree headfirst. This cat weighs between 35 and 51 pounds. Like a house cat, its pupils are vertical slits, and it can purr.

The cat has a powerful bite for its size and takes such large animals as Indian hog deer, binturongs, and pangolins.

Credit :   A-Z animals

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Takin look a bit large goats but are actually related to sheep. Takin have short horns and a stocky body, covered with dense brown hair. They live just below the treeline, high in the mountains of the eastern Himalayas and in China.

The national animals of Bhutan, the takin is a large, stocky hoofed mammal that sometimes is referred to as a goat antelope. Takins have short legs which are supported by large, two-toed hooves. Their large head is made more distinctive by its long, arched nose and stout horns, which are ridged at the base. These horns are present in both sexes and run parallel to the skull before turning upwards to a short point. The long, shaggy coat is light in color with a dark stripe along the back, and males also have dark faces. Their thick wool often turns black in color on their undersides and legs. The overall coloration ranges from dark blackish to reddish-brown suffused with grayish-yellow in the eastern Himalayas to lighter yellow-gray in the Sichuan Province to mostly golden or (rarely) creamy-white with fewer black hairs in the Shaanxi Province.

Takins are found in the eastern Himalayas. They occur in China, Bhutan, India, and Myanmar. These animals live in various habitats ranging from forested valleys to rocky, grass-covered alpine zones.

Takins are live in small family groups of around 20 individuals, although older males may lead a more solitary life. In the summer, herds of up to 300 individuals gather high on the mountain slopes where favorable feeding sites, salt licks, or hot springs are located. Takins are diurnal creatures feeding in the early morning and late afternoon. These animals may even stand on their hind legs to reach leaves that are over 3 m (10 ft) high. They spend the day in dense vegetation and come out into the open only on cloudy or foggy days. When takins are not feeding, they are usually resting. Each spring, takins gather in large herds and migrate up the mountains. During winter when food becomes scarce, takins moves down to lower, more forested and favor sunny spots upon sunrise. When disturbed, takins gives a 'cough' alarm call and the herd retreats into thick bamboo thickets and lies on the ground for camouflage.

Takins are herbivorous (folivorous) animals. They feed on a variety of leaves and grasses, as well as bamboo shoots and flowers. Salt is also an important part of their diets, and groups may stay at a mineral deposit for several days.

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the takin is unknown. However, there are estimated populations of the takin subspecies in the following areas: Golden takin in China - 5,069 individuals and Mishmi takin in Tibet - 3,500 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.

Main threats to takins include overhunting and the destruction of their natural habitat. Timber harvesting, farming, pasture burning, cane and bamboo cutting, road construction, all this have destroyed large areas of takin habitat. Disturbance from tourism, competition, and diseases from domestic livestock pose another serious threat to these animals.

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Ungulates are animals whose toenails have evolved into hooves. The number of toes they can be either odd or even. Cattle, deer and hippopotamuses are all even-toed. Horse belong to the odd-toed group, as do rhinoceroses.

The ungulates arose from early mammalian stock at the start of the Cenozoic era some 60 million years ago and by the Eocene, some 20 million years later, they had become large, heavy-bodied herbivores many of which were destined to be replaced, in the Miocene, by fleet-footed grazers. Even in the early days of the ungulates three distinct groups began to emerge. Thus although the cow group (even-toed) and the horse group (odd-toed) may seem linked they have a long history of separate evolution.

Of the two, the even-toed species have proved to be the better survivors for almost all the medium to large plant-eaters in the world belong to this group. The more primitive even-toed species include pigs and the peccaries (found in South America), which have four well-developed toes on each limb. They are omnivorous in their choice of food and their dentition is less specialized than in many other forms. Hippopotamuses, which retreat to water during the daytime, come ashore to feed at night, and in some areas of Africa are major crop thieves. Camels, which are highly adapted for desert life, have only two toes on each foot, as do their South American relatives the closely similar llama, guanaco, and alpaca. All of these animals have some upper teeth.

The upper front teeth of the other even-toed, cud-chewing ungulates are missing and are replaced by a horny pad, but they can take in food tremendously fast, often using the tongue to tear at vegetation. The food is passed to a holding compartment in the stomach and regurgitated later to be masticated thoroughly before being swallowed a second time, after which digestion proper starts. One advantage of chewing the cud is that food which may have been gathered in dangerous areas and rapidly eaten can be digested later in a place of comparative safety. Deer, giraffes, antelopes, cattle, sheep, and goats all chew the cud.

Odd toed-animals were at one time more numerous than at present; today only horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs survive. The rarity of the first two is largely due to persecution by man, and the true wild horses and asses and the three species of Asiatic rhinoceroses are among the rarest mammals in the world, although the zebra is relatively common in parts of Africa. No odd-toed animal chews the cud, and none has any true horns, those of the rhinoceros being made of compressed hair. The rhinos have three toes on each foot, the tapirs have four on the front feet and three on the hind feet, while horses (including donkeys and zebras) have lost all but the large central toes of each foot. The balance of the leg is therefore completely different from that of the even-toed animals.

A group of animals found in Africa and the Near East and thought to be closely related to the elephants is that of the hyraxes, small, dumpy yet agile creatures which live socially in forested or rocky areas. All have hoof-like nails on the four toes of the front feet and a large claw on the innermost of the three toes of the hind feet.

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At most six metres in height, it is the giraffe. Almost half of the animal’s total standing height is the length of its neck. Its legs, which can be almost two metres long, contribute to most of the rest. Its height allows the giraffe to feed on the top layer of leaves on trees that other herbivores cannot reach.

Giraffes are the tallest living land animals on earth! No one has towered over these creatures since the time of the dinosaurs. Standing at over 18 ft. tall, these creatures are long-necked and long-legged, making these lanky animals perfectly built for browsing on tall trees and branches, taking advantage of food sources other herbivores cannot. Read on to learn about the giraffe.

These tip-top creatures stand in at 18 ft. tall, with a record height for the males of 19.3 ft. They have long legs, long necks, and relatively short bodies. Their heads are topped with bony horns, and their tails are tipped with a tuft of fur.

A short mane runs down the length of their long necks, and their coat is covered with a blotched/blocky pattern. Their base color is light cream, and their spots range from dark brown to burnt orange in color.

These creatures are relatively specialized to specific habitats. Though they can survive in a number of different ecosystems they have preferences for specific types of trees. This means that they thrive in environments like savannahs and sparse woodlands. They are more common in open woodlands than they are in more dense vegetation. When food is more scarce they tend to congregate around evergreen trees and bushes.

There are a number of different subspecies (or species depending on what research you believe) spread across different regions of Africa. Some populations are quite fragmented, putting them in danger of genetic inbreeding. Some populations are found in southern Africa, eastern Africa, and a few areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

These large mammals are herbivores, which means that they primarily feed on plants. Their primary diet is the leaves of trees and bushes, but they will also eat branches, bark, twigs, and some fruit. Some of their preferred plant species are acacia, apricot, and mimosa trees. They use their long tongues to carefully pluck and strip leaves from branches.

These large mammals are social, but live in flexible groups. While they are almost always found with other members of their own species, they do not keep the same groups over long periods. Most of the time, groups will consist of all males, or all females, though mixed-sex groupings do occur. They are generally quiet and non-confrontational, though males will fight during the breeding season.

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An elephant’s most remarkable feature are it long trunk and fan-like ears. The trunk is actually an extended, highly flexible nose that an elephant uses to pick up food, carry water to its mouth, greet other elephant, pick up heavy objects and lots of other things. The ears, which are covered with blood vessels, help it to keep cool, elephants also have a giant teeth called tusks, which they use for digging or for defence.

An elephant’s heart constitutes about 0.5% of the animal’s total body weight, so if an elephant weighs 10,000 lb, then the elephant’s heart would be expected to weigh 50 lb – if an elephant weighs 4500 kg, then that elephant’s heart may weigh 27 kg.

The intestines of an elephant may be 19 meters in length, or more than 60 feet long. At 5 inches, or 12.7 centimeters long, elephants have the longest eyelashes in the world. The brain of an elephant is larger than that of any other land mammal, weighing between 8 and 12 pounds, whereas a human’s brain weighs 3 pounds on average. The growth and development of an elephant’s brain is similar to that of a human’s. Both are born with small brain masses. Similar to a human being, there is considerable growth and development in the brain as a young elephant grows up. As the mass of the brain increases so does the learning ability of young elephants. Brain size provides a rough measure of mental flexibility; large mammalian brains are associated with superior intelligence and complex social behavior.

The elephant’s body has a number of special features because it is so large and heavy. The skull, parts of which are six inches thick, contains many air spaces making the inside appear something like a honeycomb or sponge. This adaptation has allowed the skull to grow to a large size without enormous weight. The legs of an elephant are in an almost vertical position under the body, like the legs on a table. This design provides strong support for the massive body and huge weight that the legs have to carry. It also allows elephants to sleep standing up without the risk of their legs buckling.

Generally, the size of the ears is directly related to the amount of heat dissipated through them. The difference in ear size between African and Asian elephants can be based on their geographic range. The African elephant usually lives in a hotter, sunnier climate than the Asian elephant and needs larger ears to aid in thermoregulation.

Although ears help to regulate body temperature in both species, they are more effective in African elephants in that regard because the ears are larger. Flapping the ears helps to cool an elephant in two ways. In addition to enabling the ears to act as a fan and move air over the rest of the elephant’s body, flapping also cools the blood as it circulates through the veins in the ears. As the cooler blood re-circulates through the elephant’s body, the animal’s core temperature will decrease several degrees.

The hotter it is the faster the elephants will flap its ears. On a windy day, however, an elephant may find it easier to simply stand facing into the wind and hold its ears outward to take advantage of the breeze.

An elephant may also spray water on its ears, which also will cool down the blood before it returns to the rest of the body. Large ears also trap more sound waves than smaller ones.

Elephants may feed for up to 16 hours a day. In the wild one animal can consume as much as 600 pounds of food in a single day, although 250 – 300 pounds is a more typical amount. In a zoo, a typical adult elephant may eat 4-5 bales of hay and 10 – 18 pounds, or 4.5 to 8 kg, of grain a day. This amounts to a yearly quantity of more than 29,000 kg of hay and 2700 kg of feed per animal, The normal daily water consumption is 25 – 50 gallons per animal, or 100 – 200 liters.

Credit : International elephant foundation 

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The blue whale, the largest known living animal on our planet, can be as large as an aeroplane and can weigh around 200 tonnes! A newborn blue whale is as big as a bus! What is interesting is that these giants mainly feed on tiny, shrimp- like sea animals called krill, which they filter out of the water in their mouths. They can eat around four tones of krill on a day!

1. Blue Whales Can Grow More Than 100 Feet Long

They are gigantic. Generally ranging in length from 80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters), the longest one ever recorded was a magnificent 108 feet (33 meters) long. That's about as long as three school buses lined up end to end.

2. They Can Weigh as Much as 30 Elephants

The average weight for these gentle giants is 200,000 to 300,000 pounds (90,000 to 136,000 kilograms), or about 100 to 150 tons. Some can weigh as much as 441,000 pounds (200,000 kg), or 220 tons. For comparison, an adult African bush elephant weighs up to 6 tons, so it may take 30 or more elephants to equal the weight of one blue whale.

3. They Have Big Hearts

The blue whale's heart is huge. It's the largest heart in the animal kingdom, weighing about 400 pounds (180 kg) and roughly the size of a bumper car. As a blue whale dives to feed, its giant heart may only beat twice per minute.

4. They Have Big Tongues, Too

A blue whale’s tongue alone can weigh as much as some elephants.

5. They Have the Biggest Babies on Earth

Blue whale calves are the biggest babies on Earth, easily, and at birth already rank among the largest full-grown animals. They pop out at around 8,800 pounds (4,000 kg) with a length of some 26 feet (8 meters). They gain 200 pounds (90 kg) a day! Their growth rate is likely one of the fastest in the animal world, with a several billion-fold increase in tissue in the 18 months from conception to weaning.

6. They’re Unusually Loud

Blue whales, in fact, are the loudest animals on the planet. A jet engine registers at 140 decibels; the call of a blue whale reaches 188. Their language of pulses, groans, and moans can be heard by others up to 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away.

7. They Eat a Lot of Krill

Blue whales feast on krill; their stomachs can hold 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg) of the tiny crustaceans at a time. They require almost 9,000 pounds (4,000 kg) of the little guys a day, and around 40 million krill daily during the summer feeding season.

8. They're Pretty Fast

They travel a lot, spending summers feeding in polar regions and making the long trip to the equator as winter comes along. While they have a cruising speed of 5 mph (8 kph), they can accelerate up to 20 mph (32 kph) when needed.

9. They Have Long Life Spans

Blue whales are among the planet’s longest-lived animals. Kind of like counting tree rings, scientists count layers of wax in the ears and can determine a ballpark age. The oldest blue whale they’ve discovered this way was calculated to be around 100 years old, though the average life is thought to last around 80 to 90 years.

10. They Once Were Abundant

Before whalers discovered the treasure trove of oil that a blue whale could provide, the species was plentiful. But with the advent of 20th-century whaling fleets, their population plummeted until finally receiving worldwide protection in 1967. From 1904 to 1967, more than 350,000 blue whales were killed in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the World Wildlife Fund. In 1931, during the heyday of whaling, an astounding 29,000 blue whales were killed in a single season.

11. Their Future Remains Uncertain

While commercial whaling is no longer a threat, recovery has been slow and new threats plague blue whales, like ship strikes and the impact of climate change. There is one population of around 2,000 blue whales off the coast of California, but all told there are only around 10,000 to 25,000 individuals left. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as endangered. Hopefully with time, the planet’s largest gentle giants will again roam the seas aplenty.

Save the Blue Whale

• Look for seafood certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which can help reduce the prevalence of fishing gear known to entangle blue whales.
• If you ever see a blue whale, keep your distance — for its safety and yours.
• Watch your speed and keep a sharp lookout if you're ever on a watercraft in potential blue whale habitat. Boat collisions can seriously injure blue whales.

Credit :  Treehugger.com

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On both land and water, the largest animals are all mammals.

At 100 feet long and 200 tons, not only is the blue whale the biggest mammal in the world, but it's also the largest vertebrate animal that has ever lived. Not even the largest dinosaurs approached it in bulk. Some titanosaurs were over 100 feet long, but they didn't weigh 200 tons. Fittingly, the blue whale is also the loudest animal on earth. This cetacean can vocalize at 180 decibels, enough to render most other animals deaf.

The largest land-dwelling mammal on earth, at seven tons, the African elephant is smaller than the blue whale for good reason: The buoyancy of water helps to counteract the blue whale's weight, and elephants are terrestrial. One reason the African elephant has enormous ears is to help dissipate its internal body heat. A warm-blooded, seven-ton mammal generates a lot of calories.

How can the biggest dolphin be a whale? Killer whales, also known as orcas, are classified as dolphins rather than whales. At six or seven tons, male orcas are bigger than the largest sharks, which means that killer whales, rather than great white sharks, are the atop predators of the oceans. Sharks have a more fearsome reputation because very few humans have been killed by killer whales.

Even-toed ungulates, or artiodactyls, are a widespread family of plant-eating mammals that includes deer, pigs, cows, and the biggest cleft-hoofed mammal, the common hippopotamus. The pygmy hippopotamus doesn't approach its cousin's five-ton heft. You could make a case for another even-toed creature, the giraffe, which is much taller than a hippo, but they weigh only two tons.

Perissodactyls, or odd-toed ungulates, aren't as diverse as their even-toed cousins. This family consists of horses, zebras, and tapirs on the one hand and rhinoceroses on the other. The biggest perissodactyl is the white rhinoceros, which at five tons rivals Pleistocene rhinoceros ancestors such as the Elasmotherium. There are two types of white rhinos, the southern white rhinoceros and the northern white Rhinoceros; it's easy to figure in what part of Africa they reside.

At up to four tons, not only is the southern elephant seal the biggest pinniped alive, but it's also the biggest terrestrial meat-eating mammal, outweighing the largest lions, tigers, and bears. Male southern elephant seals vastly outweigh females, which top out at two tons. Like blue whales, male elephant seals are extraordinarily loud; they bellow their sexual availability from miles away.

If you're under the illusion that polar bears, grizzly bears, and pandas are  comparable in size, you're wrong. Polar bears are by far the biggest—and deadliest—ursines. The largest males can reach a height of 10 feet and weigh up to a ton. The only bear that comes close is the kodiak bear; some males can reach 1,500 pounds.

The sirenians, the family of aquatic mammals that includes manatees and dugongs, are distantly related to pinnipeds and share many characteristics. At 13 feet long and 1,300 pounds, the West Indian manatee is the biggest sirenian by an accident of history: A bigger member of this breed, Steller's sea cow, went extinct in the 18th century. Some of them weighed 10 tons.

The genus Equus comprises not only horses but also donkeys, asses, and zebras. While some domesticated horses exceed 2,000 pounds, Grevy's zebra is the world's largest wild equid; adults reach half a ton. Like many other animals on this list, Grevy's Zebra is nearing extinction; there are probably fewer than 5,000 in scattered habitats in Kenya and Ethiopia.

How big is the giant forest hog? This 600-pound pig has been known to chase African hyenas from their kill, though it's sometimes preyed on by the largest African leopards. Despite its size, the giant forest hog is relatively gentle. It is easily tamed, if not outright domesticated, and can live alongside humans. It's mostly a herbivore, scavenging meals only when it's especially hungry.

Male Siberian tigers weigh a whopping 500 to 600 pounds; females reach 300 to 400 pounds. Only 500 or so Siberian tigers still live in eastern Russia, and continuing ecological pressure may strip this big cat of its title. Some naturalists claim that Bengal tigers have surpassed their Siberian relatives, since they're not as endangered and are better fed. There may be as many as 2,000 Bengal tigers in India and Bangladesh.

There are two contestants for world's largest primate: the eastern lowland gorilla and the western lowland gorilla. Both live in the Congo, and by most accounts, the 400-pound eastern variety has the edge on its 350-pound western cousin, though western lowland gorillas outnumber the eastern variety by a 20-to-1 ratio.

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Apes are so closely related to humans that some zoologists divide them into three kinds: great apes, lesser apes and us humans! Great apes are almost human-shaped, though they tend to have longer arms, big, protruding jaws, and are covered in fur. Gorillas are the biggest of the apes, while chimpanzees are man's closest relative and the smartest of the apes. They can communicate with varied vocal sounds, gestures and facial expressions. Lesser apes include gibbons and monkeys. They are agile apes that live in Southeast Asian forests, and can swing swiftly from branch to branch.

Apes are humanity's closest living relatives. In fact, people are apes; humans share about 98 percent of their DNA with chimpanzees. The non-human types of apes are divided into two groups: great apes — gorillas, bonobos, chimpanzees and orangutans — and lesser apes — gibbons and siamangs.

Apes are not monkeys; they belong to different branches of the Simian infraorder, and there are several physical differences. Apes do not have tails, while most monkeys do, and apes are typically larger than monkeys, according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Apes' noses are short and broad, while monkeys' noses are more snout-like. Apes also have larger brains than monkeys, and they are capable of using tools and learning language. 

Just like their classifications suggest, great apes are large, while lesser apes are small. Gorillas, the largest of the apes, typically are about 4.5 to 5.5 feet (1.37 to 1.67 meters) tall when upright and weigh 200 to 450 lbs. (91 to 204 kilograms), according to Defenders of Wildlife. Mountain gorillas, though, can grow to 6 feet tall and weigh 300 to 485 lbs. (135 to 220 kg). Orangutans are the world's largest tree-dwelling animal. They grow to 4 to 4.5 feet (1.2 to 1.4 m) tall and weigh 90 to 200 lbs. (41 to 91 kg). Gibbons and siamangs are much smaller than great apes. They typically weigh around 9 to 28 lbs. (3.9 to 12.7 kg). Siamangs grow to 29.5 to 35.5 inches (75 to 90 centimeters) tall from head to rump, according to the San Diego Zoo.

The habitats of great apes and lesser apes are very limited. The great apes live in Africa and Asia, according to the National Zoo. They tend to live in jungles, mountainous areas and savannas. 

Lesser apes live in Asia in evergreen tropical rainforests and monsoon forests. Siamangs prefer to live 80 to 100 feet (25 to 30 m) in the air in the trees found in Malaysia and Indonesia. 

Apes are herbivores for the most part, but they also may eat small animals or bugs to supplement their diet. Gibbons, for example, eat mostly fruit, but they also munch on leaves, flowers and insects. Orangutans eat a fruit diet that is supplemented with vegetation, invertebrates, mineral-rich soil and small vertebrates. A chimp's diet is mainly fruits supplemented with insects, birds and small mammals, according to the Center for Great Apes.

Apes have offspring much like humans. They have live births after a gestation period of around eight and a half to nine months and typically give birth to only one or two babies at a time. They also breastfeed their young for an extending amount of time, like humans. 

Unlike other animals, apes take care of their young for many years. Apes also take much longer to mature than other animals. Some apes can take as long as 12 to 18 years to fully develop into an adult.

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Lemurs are nocturnal animals with big, bulging eyes. They live in forests on the islands of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa. They have soft, thick fur and bushy tails with which they scare other animals. They even use their tails to signal to other lemurs, and wave their scent around from a gland in their bottoms.

There are over 100 species of lemur, in all shapes and sizes. With an estimated 112 species, lemurs come in all shapes and sizes. The smallest, Madame berthe’s mouse lemur, has an average body weight of 30g, and the largest, the indri, weighs about 6-9.5kg (that’s about the size of a human child!). The number of lemur species changes often due to new discoveries and genetic testing, leading to the scientific classification of new species!

Lemurs have a female-dominant society. Who rules the world? Well, in lemur society the females rule! At the center of lemur society is a female leader who rises to the occasion of directing a social group. This happens quite rarely in mammals, where male dominance generally stands. Lemur females show signs of dominance in the way they mark their territories within the group. As crucial seed dispersers, lemurs are “creators of the forests”. Lemurs help maintain forest diversity, structure, and dynamics through the movement of seeds! Yes, some lemur species play a significant role in their ecosystem by being seed dispersers. But what does this mean?

 Madagascar is the only place lemurs naturally call home. Located 250 miles off the east coast of Africa is the island of Madagascar, the 4th largest island in the world, and the only habitat for wild lemurs in the world.

Madagascar is one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots! While a large proportion of its wildlife found nowhere else, much of Madagascar’s wildlife is also threatened by human actions.

Being a seed disperser means they help seeds and/or pollen move from one area to another. Ruffed lemurs, like the black and white ruffed lemur, is a good example of a lemur that acts as a key seed disperser.  Besides humans, lemurs are one of the only primates that have blue eyes. Primates have a variety of eye shapes and colors, but blue irises are rare in mammals. Other than humans, the only primates with naturally occurring blue eyes are the blue-eyed black lemurs, sometimes called Sclater’s lemurs.  Lemurs self-medicate, and some get high off of millipedes.  Who needs a pharmacy when you live in the forest?! Some lemur species use the forest to self medicate, acting as their own personal pharmacy. Red-fronted brown lemurs eat millipedes to get rid of gastrointestinal parasites, such as worms.
Some lemurs sing a capella. Others communicate with stink! In the rainforests of east Madagascar you will often hear the songs of the indri. Indri are the talented a capella group of the animal kingdom, with both the males and females singing, and often in sync with each other. Ring-tailed lemurs also communicate and mark their territory in a unique way. They have scent glands on their wrists and chest, which are particularly useful during the breeding season. A male will mix secretions from his wrist and chest glands to mark his territory, and lift his tail to prepare for a ‘stink fight’ against a rival. 
 Lemurs are the world’s oldest living primates. A fact that few people know is that lemurs are considered the world’s oldest primates! The story of lemurs begins over 70 million years ago, long before humans. This was a world when lemur-like animals, the planet’s first primates, roamed Africa along with the dinosaurs. Scientists think that around 65 million years ago, lemurs rafted across the Indian Ocean to the island of Madagascar on floating vegetation. Over the next tens of millions of years, the lemurs evolved and diversified on Madagascar to the 112 species that we see today.

Credit : Lemur conservation network

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Old World monkeys, such as the baboon, live in the warmer parts of Africa and Asia. They tend to be larger than the New World monkeys. Their tails are not prehensile, which means it cannot grip objects. New World monkeys live in Central and South American forests. Many, such as the spider monkey, have prehensile tails that help them climb and hang from branches, keeping their legs and arms free to hold food.

You may have heard plenty about New World Monkeys and Old World Monkeys. Yet it can be confusing to try to figure out what the differences are. Here is some information about them to help clarify the categories. You will also have information about how these two groups of Monkeys are the same.

First, some history about when this all started. It is believed that approximately 40 million years ago there was a significant split among the Monkeys in the world. They New World Monkeys were living in South America and the Old World were living in Africa along with the Apes.

It is believed that the New World Monkeys began the process of migrating to South America. They may have floated there on rafts that they created out of various forms of vegetation. Giving the high level of intelligence of these animals it could have been the result of any number of things that they used to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Of course the level of water and the overall vegetation was very different at that time than it is today. You can’t imagine them trying to do something like that with today’s design but it would have been very possible back then. Odd features such as a stub for a thumb or even no thumbs are also common among Old World Monkey species. You don’t find those variations with the New World species.

Old World Monkeys tend to be larger in overall size. They have fingernails that are flat instead of sharp. They also have nostrils that are narrow and point downward. The checks feature padding in them. They also have buttocks without hair but with padding that they can sit on. They can be found both in the trees and on land. Two common Monkeys that fit this category are the Baboon and the Snow Monkey.

New World Monkeys spend most of their time or even their entire lives in the trees. This is why they need longer nails that are also very sharp. They don’t have the cheek pouches or the padding on the buttocks. They have wider nostrils that are round in shape. Two common species here are the Callimicos and the Marmosets.

Old World Monkeys are only able to see the world in Black and White. However, New World Monkeys see in color just like humans do. It is believed that a genetic mutation over time is what allowed for this significant change to occur. However, all Monkeys seem to have good eyesight regardless of if they are able to see color or not.

It is believed that the amazing care we see the Monkey young receiving is part of the New World Monkey habits. This is an area of great debate though. There are many experts that believe all primates have the desire to be able to care well for their young and to form strong bonds. Others though feel that the intelligence of these animals matured over time as did their parental instincts.

Regardless of whether they belong to the New World or the Old World, all Monkeys are fascinating creatures. They all have tails, fur, and they have large ears. They may be different sizes and they may have different habits when it comes to their social structure. Yet there is no denying that they all have characteristics that will forever bind them. Some of the Monkeys have been able to evolve over time and continue adapt to new environments. Others though tend to have problems due to their natural environment being depleted at a rapid pace.

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To help them balance and control their movement as they leap from branch to branch. The tails of some South American monkeys are like a fifth limb, with special muscles which help them to tightly grip branches.

A few isolated monkey species do not have tails either, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Old World monkeys are most quickly differentiated from New World monkeys by looking at their tails.

The Old World monkeys have non-prehensile tails that can not grip. The New World monkeys have long slim prehensile tails that they may climb with and that they can carry and manipulate items with.

The most dexterous tail in the monkey kingdom belongs to the spider monkey. These monkeys can hold, carry and even catch items with their tails, and will gesture with them as well.

There is a small bare area of rough skin on the underside of the last vertebra in the tail. This "tactile pad" has many nerve endings like a fingertip, which aids in delicate tasks like peeling a banana.

The prehensile tail is surely a product of the New World monkeys densely forested environment. Most New World monkeys are largely arboreal, spending the majority of their time high in the forest canopy, and some never leave the trees at all. While many Old World monkeys like the baboons, spend most of their time on the ground walking around on all fours like a dog.

Credit : Animal Facts Encyclopedia

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