The Brushtail Possum is one of the most widely known Australian marsupials, that is – a mammal with a pouch. Initially, they lived only in Australia, but in 1858 they were also introduced to New Zealand, where their numbers have grown to 25 million. These small mammals live in the trees and in the past
The Common Earwig, also known as the European Earwig is a rather peculiar looking bug with a pair of impressive claws. The name comes from a common superstitious belief that the creature can crawl in a human’s ear and pierce the eardrum with the claws. When in danger, the Earwig may indeed seek shelter in
Marsupial Treefrogs take care of their young in a way similar to kangaroos. They carry the babies on a pouch on their backs, until the children are mature enough to start their own lives. Although the Gastrotheca family includes multiple species, they are all fairly similar in lifestyle and habits. These frogs are fairly small,
The Indian Python is a giant among snakes. It’s also known as the black-tailed python, Indian rock python, its Latin name being Python molurus. Although not venomous, these snakes are highly dangerous, and their hunting technique relies on twisting around the prey and choking it to death, by straining the muscles. Indian Pythons are truly
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
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
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
The Pigtail Macaque is one of the biggest members of the monkey family. As the name suggests, this monkey has a short tail, which is often rolled up and raised in the air. They have a rather imposing, if not daunting looks, but actually these monkeys are highly intelligent and can easily be tamed. Despite
As the name suggests this New – World Monkey mostly inhabits territories in Venezuela. However it is also fairly common in Bolivia, parts of Brazil and Peru. Males and females are roughly the same size 1.6 – 2 feet long (50 – 60 cm) without the tail and the tail usually is the same length.
Black Spider Monkey lives in the leafages of the Amazon Jungle and is known for being one of the most agile monkeys. Their brain size, in relation to their body mass, is much larger than those of any other member of the Cebidae family (which is one of the five New World monkey families). The
Geoffroy’s Cat is a very skittish inhabitant of the South American forests and not much is known about the cat’s lifestyle in the wild. They look quite similar to house cats, and if interbred, kittens are the so-called “safari cats”. Trying to interbreed them with house cats wasn’t that easy at first – in Germany
The Brown Woolly Monkey or Humboldt’s Woolly Monkey is one of the largest South American primates. It is a heavy but agile animal and has adapted well to live in the high leafages of the jungle. As the name suggests, these monkeys really are woolly The Humboldt’s Woolly monkey is massive but very dexterous ape
Titi Monkeys live in South American forests and spend most of their time in the trees. They swiftly and move along the branches, looking for food. In the evening, the family meets up and spends the night together. When sleeping, they often tie their tails together, which may be done to strengthen family bonds. There
The Virginia Opossum also known as the North American Opossum inhabits vast territories in North and South Americas. Interestingly it is the only marsupial (an animal with a pouch) north of Rio Grande. The Opposum originated somewhere in South America and has been spreading north ever since. The name comes from Alonquian language (language spoken
Cuscus is a marsupial that spends all its life in the trees, its natural habitat being the wet forests of New Guinea and the Australian province of Queensland. Scientists think that Cuscus established a population in the north of Queensland many thousands of years ago, when the sea level fell and New Guinea and Australia
