African Lion
Panthera leo Range: Most of Africa, particularly south-east Habitat:Grassy plains, savannahs & semi-deserts. Diet: Large to medium sized prey (e.g. giraffe, buffalo, zebra, ...African Lion
Panthera leo
Range: Most of Africa, particularly south-east
Habitat:Grassy plains, savannahs & semi-deserts.
Diet: Large to medium sized prey (e.g. giraffe, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, warthogs and antelope).
Creature Feature: Known as the ‘king of beasts' the male lion can weigh between 330 and 550 pounds, and his queen can weigh between 260 and 400 pounds. As one of the big cat species these animals can grow up to an impressive 10-foot in length. In the wild lions live between 13 and 23 years old and in captivity they can live up to 30 years. Only the male has a mane that serves several purposes. One is to make him look larger and more fearsome to other males and another reason is that it protects the vulnerable neck area when two males fight. The mane grows darker in colour with age.
Lions live in groups called ‘prides' which can range from 3 to 30 individuals. The main role of the male within the pride is protection from outsiders and his powerful roar can be heard up to 5 miles away. The females' role within the pride is to hunt for food and raise the young. Only one in four hunts are successful and so when food is brought back to the pride the lions will gorge themselves. The dominant males will always eat first.
Females give birth to 1to 6 cubs that stay with their mother for about 2 years. Lions can be inactive for up to 21 hours a day.
African Spur-thighed Tortoise
Geochelone sulcata Status: Vulnerable Range: Central Africa Habitat: very dry grasslands and plains Diet: Grasses and vegetation Creature Feature:The African Spur-thighed Tortoise is the world's ...African Spur-thighed Tortoise
Geochelone sulcata
Status: Vulnerable
Range: Central Africa
Habitat: very dry grasslands and plains
Diet: Grasses and vegetation
Creature Feature:The African Spur-thighed Tortoise is the world's largest mainland tortoise and the third largest of all tortoise species. It can be found in Central Africa just outside of the Sahara Desert. Adults can weigh over 100 pounds and have a shell length of over 24 inches. The shell is brown to golden yellow in colour with growth rings on each plate. The top of the shell is flattened and the males are usually larger than the females. The skin is thick to reduce fluid loss in the hot temperatures of their habitat. The rear legs have well defines spurs that are possibly used for defence against predators.
These tortoises are solitary and very territorial. If two meet they will ram each others shells and try to flip one another over. They spend much of their time grazing. When it is too hot they will burrow into the ground using their powerful limbs to dig tunnels. Nests tend not to be deeper than 3 feet but can be several yards in length. The female lays up to 15 eggs and buries them under leaves. She will then leave them to incubate and hatch alone for 90 to 100 days. Neither the male or the female take part in rearing of the young, who are left to fend for themselves. The lifespan for this species is over 50 years.
Arrow Poison Dart Frogs
Dendrobates family Range: South America Habitat: Rainforest Diet: Spiders, insects, millipedes and worms. Creature Feature: These tiny brightly coloured frogs usually measure between 2 ...Arrow Poison Dart Frogs
Range: South America
Habitat: Rainforest
Diet: Spiders, insects, millipedes and worms.
Creature Feature: These tiny brightly coloured frogs usually measure between 2 and 5 centimetres and weigh only a few grams. Normally they are bright yellow, red, orange blue or green with bold stripes and crossbars. As their name suggests they are poisonous with skin glands that produce one of the strongest toxins in the world. Side effects from different frogs vary from local irritation to hallucinations to constriction of blood vessels. Since ancient times local Indians have used the frogs poisons for hunting, combats with enemy tribes and defence from European invaders. It is believed that the frogs do not produce the poison themselves, but pick it up from the ants that they eat in the wild.
These frogs seldom go into pools except to reproduce. They lay their eggs in luke warm pools surrounded by leaves high in the canopy. It is the males who will guard the eggs and once hatched the males will carry the tadpoles on their backs to a lake or a stream where there is a ready supply of food.
Asian Short Clawed Otter
Aonyx cinerea Status: Near threatened Range: India and South East Asia. Habitat: Rice paddies, marshland and river. Diet: Fish, crab and small mammals. Creature ...Asian Short Clawed Otter
Aonyx cinereaStatus: Near threatened
Range: India and South East Asia.
Habitat: Rice paddies, marshland and river.
Diet: Fish, crab and small mammals.
Creature Feature:Asian Short Clawed Otters are the smallest species of otter in the world. They have short, dark brown hair with a lighter coloured patch on their throats. Unlike most other otter species, the Asian Short Clawed Otter's feet are only webbed on the last joint, not all of the way to the end of toe. Because of this lack of webbing these otters have an excellent sense of touch and coordination. This species can be found in freshwater wetlands and mangrove swamps in Southern India, Southern China, South East Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines. They spend more time on land than any other otter species.
Asian Short Clawed Otters are one of the very few otter species that are social. Breeding pairs will stay together for life and both the male and the female will help to raise the young.
With excellent vision both above and below the water, these otters will use their tails as rudders when swimming. They locate their prey by probing below mud and under rocks and then using their forepaws to catch their food. This otter's diet consists of crabs, molluscs, fish and small aquatic mammals. In Asia the fishermen use the otters to drive fish into their nets. The otters then get to take as many fish as they want for themselves.
Azara's Agouti
Dasyprocta azarae Status: Vulnerable Range: SE Brazil, Argentina & Paraguay Habitat:Rainforest Diet: Fallen Fruit Creature Feature:There are ten species of agouti in the world. The ...Azara's Agouti
Dasyprocta azaraeStatus: Vulnerable
Range: SE Brazil, Argentina & Paraguay
Habitat:Rainforest
Diet: Fallen Fruit
Creature Feature:There are ten species of agouti in the world. The Azara's Agouti is one of the smallest and most distinctive of all agoutis. They have black/ grey fur with orange sections ranging from tawny yellow to bright orange.
This species of agouti can be found in the rain forests of Southeast Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Some local names for these animals include ‘Aguti Amarillento' in Argentina, ‘Cutia' in Brazil and ‘Acuti' in Paraguay.
Agoutis are secretive animals and will hide in burrows when in danger. They can become nocturnal in areas where they are regularly disturbed during the day although most are active in the daytime. The main diet of all agoutis is fallen fruit and they are attracted to the sounds of ripe fruits hitting the ground. When food is abundant they will bury some for time of scarcity. For this reason they have become very important seed dispersers within their South American rainforest habitats.
