The Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is fortunate to be one of two members that are exclusively Asian great apes. It is of the Primates order, Hominidae family, Poginae subfamily, genus Pongo. Its claim to fame is that it is the largest animal still living in an arboreal environment, although sadly, it is an endangered animal.
The Colugo, also know as the “Flying Lemur” is neither a lemur nor does it fly. They are mammals from an ancient lineage, with only two species making up the whole order Dermopetra. They are the most excellent mammal gliders, with a thin membrane stretched from their nails to the tail. They live in jungles,
The Giant Anteater is the largest species of anteater found in Southern and Central America, from southern Belize to northern Argentina. Being one of the oddest looking animals in the world, the Giant Anteaters can grow up to 8 feet in length and 140 pounds in weight. The colour of their fur varies from dark
Amazingly, the Saola were discovered by the Western civilisation only in 1992, but they’re already endangered, and their numbers are estimated to be below one thousand. They’re found only in Vietnam and Laos, near the border of the two countries. The reason for it’s late discovery is their elusiveness and cautiousness and the ability to
The Ring-tailed Cat is actually not a cat, but a mammal of the raccoon family. Why it is called a cat, is a mystery, because it doesn’t really bear a resemblance to cats. As the name suggests, this little mammal has rings on it’s tail. The body is elongated and raccoon-like, though the face is
The Gulf Coast Jaguarundi are an extremely rare species of cat, found only in specific parts of Northern America – in the Western Gulf coastal grasslands of southern United States and Northwestern Mexico. These highly endangered weasel-like wild cats are on the brink of extinction, as more and more of their natural habitat is destroyed.
The American Paddlefish is an incredibly old species of fish, found only in the Mississippi River, therefore being also called the Mississippi Paddlefish. Being a fisherman’s feast for many years, their population is facing a decline. These 2 metre long and 50 kg heavy fish used to inhabit many large rivers and lakes in America,
The Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is a bird also known as a budgie or a parakeet of the Psittaciformes order, Psittacidae family, genus melopsittacus. Domesticated around the world as a common house pet, they are commonly found in the harsher, drier, inland environments in Australia for the past 5 million years. A Budgerigar sitting on a
The Gila Monster is the largest land lizards in the United States and it’s native to southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, where they can be found in desert and semiarid areas, under the rocks, in burrows and holes. A Gila Monster resting on rocks These lizards can grow up to about 60 centemetres (2 feet)
The Galapagos Tortoise is the largest living tortoise, with it’s natural habitat being the Galapagos archipelago. There are 14 subspecies for these turtles, 11 of which still exist, some of them near extinction, but with the help of zoos, their numbers are successfully being increased. The Galapagos Tortoise next to a woman The Galapagos Tortoise
The Bowhead whale is one of the largest whales on Earth, it can grow up to 20 meters (66 ft) in length and 136 tons in weight. Up to one third of it’s body can be made up of it’s head and the Bowhead Whale’s huge mouth resembles an archer’s bow, thus giving the whale it’s name.
The art of breeding cats is certainly much loved and has occurred across the world for thousands of years producing some of our most loved breeds today. There are in fact a number of breeds in existence today that have been created for different reasons, most of which posses unique talents, behavior patterns and physical
Fossa is a very rare predatory mammal, found only on the island of Madagascar off the shore of Africa. These carnivores are closely related to Mongeese and in appearance they resemble a cross between a Puma and a dog, and their size of up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) make them the largest predatory mammal
Argali, also called the mountain sheep, just as the name suggests, is a sheep that lives in mountain areas of Central Asia. They are the largest and probably most impressive sheep, especially the males that are decorated by massive horns and ruff of white hair around the neck. Two Argali males in the mountains These
The Banteng (Bos Javanicus) is a 4-legged mammal, of the Artioactyla order, Bovidae family, subfamily Bovinae. Domesticated in Southeast Asia, they are used as working animals, besides being bred for their meat. They’ve also made their way to Australia for a British military outpost where, after a combination of crop failure and tropical disease, led
