The Common Cuckoo returns from South Africa to Europe in April. It is said, that spring begins when the first song of the Cuckoo is heard. The bird’s name comes from its singing – coucou in French, koekoek in Dutch and kukushka in Russian all note the bird’s distinctive singing. These birds are about 33
Common Lancehead is considered to be the most dangerous snake of Central and South America. They’re accounted for more human deaths than any other snake in the region. Once, two people died from a single bite of the Lancehead – a plantation worker was bit, and his wife tried to was the scar, but the
Cottontail Tamarins have a very unusual appearance, as well as an extremely good abilities to adapt to living in captivity, which is why these animals have become very popular for holding in zoos. The animal’s Latin name (Oedipus) means “on swollen legs” refers to the tamarin’s long, woolly extremities. These tamarins are fairly small, their
Because of its distinguishable looks, the Warthog is one of the most peculiar inhabitant of the African savannas. The impressive tusks are a dangerous weapon, which give for the animal’s militant appearance. Desert Warthogs are widespread over open savannas in Western, Central and Eastern Africa. In North Africa they can only be seen in the
European Starling is one of the most common city birds. Large Starling groups circling around buildings is an impressive view that can observed in most parts of the world – they’re widespread all around Europe, Western Asia, as well as North America, South Africa and Australia. These birds have adapted to living in human populated
Swordfish, also known as Broadbills, are large-sized predataory fish that have a long, flat bill. Although they are elusive, many Fishermen love catching them as they are considered a sport fish. The largest size of swordfish that has ever been caught was a whopping 536.15kg (1,182 lb), which was fished off Child in 1953. The
Mountain Nyala’s homeland is the cold mountain pastures in Ethiopia that are so wide and isolated that this species was discovered only in 1908. In appearance, these animals are very similar to the Greater Kudu, and were therefore sometimes called the “Medium Kudu”. Just like Kudus, Mountain Nyala males have prominent horns, and a rather
The spectacular Ruby-throated Hummingbird, which also inhabits the Southern states of the U.S. is one of the most widely known hummingbirds. Thanks to the bright colours, many hummingbirds have been named after gems, and this is no exception – the Ruby-throated Hummingbird has been named after the colour of its neck. A drawing of the
The Blue Monkey is an elusive and rather shy inhabitant of the African jungle. Despite their name, the Blue Monkeys aren’t actually blue, but gray instead. Their habitat ranges from the Eastern part of South Africa up to Zimbabwe, Kenya and Kongo. Blue Monkeys are among the largest members of the monkey family and are
Indricotherium was the largest known land mammal, even though it was much smaller than its reptile contemporaries. It lived 20-35 million years ago in Central Asia – territories ranging from what is now Caucasia to Mongolia and China. The first Indricotherium fossils were discovered in 1913 by the famous Russian palanteologist Borisyak. The size of
The Diplocaulus was a peculiar reptile, whose head was boomerang-shaped. This helped the creature to maneuver through water, especially to quickly rise to the surface to catch a swimming prey. The shape of its head is so strange that some scientists, upon discovering fossils of the Diplocaulus, raised a theory that the creature had a
The Long-tailed Duck spends all its life in the sea. Only in the summer will the bird fly to dry land, in order to construct a nest. Unlike other species of Northern ducks, the Long-tailed Duck nests in territories far to the North. In North America, this bird is sometimes called “old squaw” because their
The Greater Kudu is a very strong, but skittish animal that spends most of its time in a shelter. They’re one of the biggest antelopes of Africa, reaching up to 1,5 meter height and 2,5 m length. These massive animals have benefited from human populations moving to new areas in Africa, as many areas that
Common Myna, also known as the Indian Myna is a close relative to the modern thrush, but is louder and more aggressive. This species has adapted to living in human populated regions. They inhabit territories East of Afghanistan, up to the Southeastern part of China. Small populations of this species also inhabit New Zealand, South
Common Iguanas are widely spread all over the tropical forests of America, ranging from southern Mexico to Paraguay and south to Brazil. With its whip-like tail and massive head it leaves an imposing impression. Because of its prominent throat skin and back thorns this tree lizard looks quite dangerous. The Iguanas might seem dangerous, but
