The Rook a.k.a. Corvus Frugilegus seems like a really common bird with the tag “Nothing Special” attached to it. Well, think again! Besides the fact that it shares a name with a chess piece, already 2000 years ago a Greek fable writer called Aesop wrote that a rook uses stones to raise water level in
Saw scaled viper or as smart zoologist guys call it Echis Carinatus is a snake found in Middle East and Central Asia, most commonly India. So to start explaining what is so special about this cold blooded murderer, at first you have to know that there is such a thing called the ‘Big four’ –
The Pangolin is probably one of the weirdest mammals on Earth, as it doesn’t really look like a mammal because its whole body is covered in large keratin scales, which serve them as an unusual form of armor. These rather small mammals inhabit the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. These scaled mammals are divided
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 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.
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
Brontosaurus (or Apatosaurus as implied by scientists) was one of the largest animals that ever existed. It was about 23 m (75 ft) long and had a long, giraffe-like neck as well as a whip-like tail. These huge dinosaurs weighed at least 25 tons and the ground thundered under their weight (ergo their name – Brontosaurus, meaning
