recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Reticulated Python

The reticulated python (*Python reticulatus*) is easily recognized by its unmarked head and sheer size. It is the longest snake in the world. It is a strict carnivore, and kills most effectively by waiting in trees to ambush unsuspecting victims. It tends not to hunt actively, preferring to conserve its energy. It will usually eat birds and small mammals, as well as deer and pigs. Like all reptiles, it has a low metabolic rate and can go for long periods without eating. A captive reticulated python once refused food for 23 months, and then resumed normal feeding.

The reticulated python has a striking net-like pattern of markings, made up of darker triangular shapes along its sides, and patterns of yellow or cream running down its back. The head is largely unmarked, apart from a thin black stripe running across the top.

Reticulated pythons are strong swimmers, although they prefer to spend most of their time on land, hiding in trees. They are nocturnal, and usually breed during the winter months. Large eggs are laid in hollow trees or burrows, then the female coils around them and shivers to keep the eggs warm. Once the baby snakes are hatched, however, they are left to fend for themselves.

## Gallery

ARKive photos and videos of the reticulated python
Wild Turkey

Turkey (*Meleagris gallopavo*) hunting generates millions of dollars for national and local government, and public and private groups are introducing the already widespread bird to new areas. Hunters work to preserve habitat and are among the keenest conservationists. Consequently, the turkey has been introduced to almost every state outside its original range.

There are six subspecies distinguished by colour, size, and distribution: eastern, Florida, Gould's, Merriam's, Rio Grande and Mexican. Turkeys eat fruit, seeds, tubers, bulbs, and greenery of common plants. They also eat small creatures such as snails, spiders, grasshoppers, millipedes and salamanders. In turn they are the prey of a wide variety of animals. Turkeys have suffered from urbanization, intense farming and conversion of native forest to pine plantations. They are also susceptible to the same sort of poultry diseases that affect domestic birds.

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ARKive photos and videos of the wild turkey
Red Fox

The red fox (*Vulpes vulpes*) is a very successful and adaptable species. It is mainly active at night but will forage during the day, particularly when there are hungry cubs to feed. It also enjoys curling up and sunbathing in exposed but private spots, often by railway lines or roadsides.

A pair of foxes shares a home range, often with young from the previous breeding season. Mating takes place from December to February and after a few months, females - also known as vixens - give birth to between 3 and 12 cubs. The availability of food determines whether vixens breed and how many cubs they produce. During the mating season, females and occasionally males give out spine-tingling shrieks.

Red foxes mark their territories with a distinctive scent, which lingers and tells when a fox has been in the area. The scent is left with urine or feces and is produced by special glands at the base of the tail. There are further scent glands between the pads of foxes' feet and around their lips.
Komodo Dragon

The Komodo dragon (*Varanus komodoensis*) is probably the world's most infamous lizard. Not only is it the largest and most aggressive living lizard, but it is also one of the most endangered. It belongs to the same family as the monitor lizards, but has evolved seperately for millions of years, becoming incredibly large in the process.

The Komodo dragon is just one of many giant species of animals that have evolved on islands around the world. It is also thought that Komodo dragons originally became so big that they were able to prey on a species of pygmy elephant that inhabited Indonesia thousands of years ago. These pygmy elephants have since become extinct, and the dragons now prey on other mammals, all of which have been introduced into their islands by human populations. The dragons lie hidden for hours upon end, waiting for prey animals to wander past, and then spring from their ambush positions with incredible bursts of speed.

Usually the prey is overpowered within seconds. However, should it escape, the problems for the victim are not yet over. Komodo dragons have a wealth of poisonous bacteria living in their mouths. When they bite prey animals, these bacteria are introduced to the wound, and often cause it to go septic and fester. This results in a slow, painful death.

Female Komodo dragons lay an average of about 20-25 soft, leathery eggs in September. About twice the size of chicken's eggs, they incubate for 8-9 months during the wet season. The young hatch out and immediately start to look for insect prey. However, they have to be careful, because they could well end up on the menus of larger dragons.

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ARKive photos and videos of the Komodo dragon
Meerkat

Meerkats (*Suricata suricatta*) are relatives of mongooses, which live in large bands in the arid, semi-desert areas of southern Africa. They are efficient diggers and live in large underground burrows.

Meerkats live in highly organized societies. While feeding, at least one band member keeps a look-out for danger, communicating to the others with an array of sounds. For example, howling warns that a bird of prey is approaching, while double-barking informs the band that a terrestrial predator has been spotted.

A meerkat band has between 10 and 15 individuals, with two or three pairs of males and females which do all the breeding. The young kits stay close to their dens and are looked after by at least one adult while the rest of their band forages for food.
Striped Skunk

The striped skunk (*Mephitis mephitis*) is well known for the foul-smelling spray it produces to ward off attackers. This spray comes out of two tiny apertures inside the anus. The discharge, known as musk, is squirted in spray form or as a directed arc of droplets.

The skunk will only spray when it has exhausted all other defense tactics. These include arching its back, holding its tail erect and stamping its feet. If these fail, the skunk will twist its body into a U-shape - so its head and tail are facing the attacker - and release its musk. The musk, which can be smelled by humans over a mile away, causes discomfort to the eyes of an enemy.

Striped skunks are most active at night, foraging for food under the cover of thick vegetation. They spend the day in sheltered places, such as disused burrows. During the winter, skunks hibernate in their dens, staying underground for between two to three months. Mating takes place in springtime. Litters of up to ten young are born in summer.

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ARKive photos and videos of the striped skunk
Qianbei Ye

## **History**

He and the Main Antagonist (Cang Ming) are Soul Twins (Two Souls in one Body). One is Good, The other Evil. Because He fell in love with Gu Ruoyun's previous Reincarnation. He Separated his soul from Cang Ming. This caused his cultivation to drop. He cultivated for many years and finally gained a part of his strength back.

Later Cang Ming used Qianbei Ye's Appearance to kill Gu Ruoyun's previous Reincarnation. This caused the misunderstanding between him and Zixie. Qianbei Ye couldn't take the guilt, sealed his memories and Slept until Gu Ruoyun stumbled upon him during the trail of the Weapon refining Sect.
Gemsbok

The gemsbok (*Oryx gazella*), the largest of the oryx family, uses its impressive horns to keep intruders out of its herd's territory but when it comes to establishing dominance within the herd it takes no risks with these deadly weapons. Instead the males will put on a strange, posturing display, standing side by side and pointing their horns over their shoulders at each other in a ritualised fencing match. The oryx is still eaten by native Africans who also use its horn tips as spear points and its hide for shields. Natural enemies include lions, leopards, hunting dogs and hyenas.
Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Jackrabbits (*Lepus californium*) are actually a type of hare and so share many of the hare's characteristics, from long ears to large, hairy hind feet. Jackrabbits live in dry areas with only sparse plant cover. This has benefited the species in the past. Overgrazing of the land by cattle in the arid south-west United States and Mexico has created an ideal habitat for jackrabbits.

Unlike other hares, jackrabbits make use of burrows. They do not dig their own, but they will modify underground shelters made by tortoises trying to escape the heat of the day.
Secretarybird

The secretarybird (*Sagittarius serpentarius*), although a raptor, has virtually given up flying and become a proficient ground-based predator. It uses its long legs to stamp its victims to death and is best known for killing snakes. It also eats insects, rats, amphibians, tortoises and lizards, plodding up to 32km a day as it hunts.

The secretarybird is such an efficient pest killer that it is kept in captivity for just such a task. If alarmed it relies on its running speed to escape and only flies if extremely hard-pressed. Secretarybirds mate for life and usually stay in the same nest, adding to it year by year to create huge bundles of sticks commonly seen in acacia trees.

The bird probably got its common name because of its crest feathers, which are thought to resemble the quill pens habitually carried in the wigs of nineteenth-century British legal secretaries.

## Gallery

ARKive photos and videos of the secretarybird
Ground Pangolin

There are four species of pangolin, also known as scaly anteaters, living in Africa. Two of them are tree-living animals with long prehensile tails, which they use when climbing. The other two species, which include the endangered ground pangolin (*Smutsia temminckii*), live in burrows and forage on the ground.

Pangolins feed solely on ants and termites. They have several adaptations, such as having no teeth, which help them in this regard. Like other ant-eating mammals, they have sticky tongues up to 25cm long for collecting their prey, and strong claws to tear open termite nests. Unlike any other mammals, however, pangolins have scales rather than hairs, giving them a reptilian appearance. When a pangolin is threatened, it rolls up into a tight ball, protecting its soft underparts and presenting a formidable, scaly barrier to predators. The ground pangolin has declined in numbers because, like its Asian cousins, it is in demand for its scales, which are used in local medicines.

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ARKive photos and videos of the ground pangolin
Bornean Orangutan

The orangutan (*Pongo pygmaeus*) is unique among large primates because it is relatively solitary and lives in trees, whereas other large primates, such as humans, chimps, gorillas and baboons, live in social groups and spend most of their time on the ground. The name orangutan means "forest people" in the Malay language.

Female orangutans sometimes accompany each other while travelling and will eat together. Males, on the other hand, usually avoid one another. Orangutans travel less than 1km per day through their home ranges, moving from branch to branch at a leisurely pace. These apes sleep in nests high in trees, made from leafy branches. Like the other great apes, orangutans are intelligent animals, and have often been observed using tools. For example, they use large leaves as umbrellas to keep the rain off, and smaller leaves as pads to protect their hands and feet when moving through thorny vegetation.

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ARKive photos and videos of the Bornean orangutan
Black Mamba

The black mamba (*Dendroaspis polylepis*) is probably Africa's most feared snake, and justifiably so. It is an aggressive animal, armed with venom capable of killing humans in less than four hours. However, its reputation for unprovoked attacks on humans in unjustified. A black mamba will only attack if it feels threatened. Nonetheless, when it does attack it rarely fails to bite.

Raising its head up off the ground to a height of 1.2m, black mouth agape, the mamba charges. It can reach a speed of 161kph, making it one of the fastest snakes in the world.

Clearly the black mamba is a very successful predator. Hunting by day using its excellent eyesight, it usually bites its prey a couple of times and then lets go. The stricken animal may make off but in a very short time it is paralyzed by the snake's toxins, and then swallowed headfirst. Mambas often attack birds, shooting into the air as the birds try to fly away. Adult black mambas are so formidable that they have no natural predators.

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ARKive photos and video of the black mamba
American Black Bear

American black bears (*Ursus americanus*) are the smallest bears in North America. They live in the conifer forests of Canada and a few wilderness areas as far south as Mexico. They share these forests with grizzly bears and are sometimes eaten by them. Their main defense against this is to climb trees out of reach of the less agile grizzly.

Black bears are most active at night. Three-quarters of what they eat is plant matter, with small animals, such as fish and rodents, making up the rest. Like other bears, black bears semi-hibernate through the winter in dens under fallen trees or in burrows. Although they sleep heavily, they often wake through the winter, going on excursions during breaks in the severe winter weather.

Although black bears generally forage for food alone, they will congregate around a large source of food. In general they will stay away from each other, especially unknown bears. In the middle of summer, males and females come together for short periods. The male leaves soon after mating and cubs are born at the end of winter, while the mother is still in her winter den. The young stay with their mother until at least two years old, usually when they are driven away by the aggression of males courting their mother.

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ARKive photos and videos of the American black bear
Giraffe

Giraffes (*Giraffa camelopardalis*) are the world's tallest living land mammals, with some exceeding 5m from top to toe. The giraffe's long neck has the same number of vertebrae as other mammals, but each one is greatly elongated. The giraffe's great height is an adaptation for feeding on young leaves in the upper branches of trees, which other browsing mammals cannot reach.

Giraffes have excellent sight, and because of their height they have the greatest range of vision of any terrestrial animal. If a giraffe spots danger, it will run away at speeds of up to 56kph. Occasionally, a giraffe will face its attacker, striking out with its front hooves or swinging its head like a club.

In order to reach fresh grass or drinking water, giraffes must splay their front legs apart, so that they can get their heads down to ground level. Giraffes settle on to their withdrawn legs to rest, and lie down when sleeping, resting their heads back on their hindquarters.

In times gone by, giraffes could be found in parts of North Africa, but due to a combination of over-hunting and the effects of climate change on vegetation, they are now only thinly distributed south of the Sahara Desert.
Jackson's Chameleon

Chameleons are best known for their ability to change colour to blend in with their surroundings and Jackson's chameleon (*Chamaeleo jacksonii*) is no exception. This master of camouflage can darken its drab green skin to almost black in less than two minutes. Apart from the obvious advantage this provides when hiding from predators, colour change is used to threaten rivals and to attract their prospective mates.

The long, prehensile tail and feet with toes pointing in opposite directions help Jackson's chameleon to grip branches and spend most of its time in trees, coming to ground level only to mate and lay eggs. After basking in the morning sun it lies in wait for insects or spiders, each eye looking in a different direction. A quick flick with its long, sticky-tipped tongue will take the prey by surprise and bring it back to be chewed and swallowed.
Wild Boar

Although domestic pigs usually look quite different from wild boar (*Sus scrofa*), they are in fact sometimes considered a subspecies of them, and can readily interbreed. Wild boar live in groups called sounders, consisting of females and their young. The males live alone, but join sounders in the mating season, when they compete for access to females.

Male wild boar can be very aggressive. In Donana National Park in Spain, they have been known to chase adult lynxes away from carrion. Wild boars sometimes construct shelters from cut grass, and female wild boars are the only hoofed animals that give birth and look after their young inside a crude nest.

These animals have an excellent sense of smell, and are able to sniff out nutritious tubers and roots underground, while they snuffle through the leaf litter. Foraging wild boars often leave telltale signs, frequently ploughing up large patches of soil. In some countries, where wild boar have been introduced, they have had a negative impact on local animals and plants, either by feeding on them directly, or by disturbing their habitats.

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ARKive photos and videos of the wild boar
Hippopotamus

These enormous animals (*Hippopotamus amphibius*) spend much of their time in water, where they keep cool out of the hot sun and take the weight off their legs. Hippopotamuses lie in the water with only their nostrils, eyes and ears above the surface, and they can also submerge for up to 30 minutes, while walking on the bottom of the river or lake. At night they leave their watery refuge in search of grass, sometimes travelling more than 3km from water.

Large males set up territories along riverbanks, which they defend against other males. Although neighbouring territory-holders are usually peaceful, confrontations sometimes occur. When this happens, the males challenge each other with displays, including lunging, splashing, scattering dung with their short tails and displaying their tusks with great yawns of their mouths. If neither male backs off, fighting occurs, and sometimes they attack each other with their tusks - which can lead to fatal injuries.

Males are usually aggressive towards any intruders into their territories, including young hippos. Females are aggressive when they have young, and many consider hippos to be among the most dangerous of African mammals.

## Gallery

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ARKive photos and videos of the hippopotamus
House Mouse

The key to the house mouse's (*Mus musculus*) phenomenal success as a species is its ability to follow humans around the globe, and the way it is able to make use of whatever food sources people provide. By stowing away on ships and, latterly, aeroplanes, house mice have been able to colonize every continent of the world.

Mice were first domesticated, and in some instances worshipped, by the Romans and ancient Greeks. However, these days house mice are considered to be a major pest. They cause billions of dollars' worth of damage to food stores worldwide every year. They also damage buildings, woodwork, furniture and clothing, and are known to carry various dangerous diseases, including typhus and salmonella.

However, house mice are virtually unrivalled in their capacity to adapt to new surroundings. Their generalist habits, rapid breeding rate and talent for slipping into places unnoticed has enabled mice to become possibly the most numerous mammal in the world today.

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ARKive photos and videos of the house mouse
Coastal Taipan

The coastal taipan (*Oxyuranus scutellatus*) of Australia is one of the most venomous snakes in the world, with a bite that can kill a mouse in three seconds and an adult human in 30 minutes. It is highly aggressive and employs a snap-and-release attack strategy, whereby a thrust and sudden bite is followed by withdrawal to avoid being crushed by the possible death throes of the victim.

Taipans thrive on the northern coasts of Australia, possibly because they only eat mammals. When the highly toxic cane toad was introduced to the area, it caused the number of frog-eating snakes to decline, leaving plenty of prey and vacant habitat for the taipan. Its lethal bite and athletic lunging have earned it the nickname the "poison pogo stick".

The female taipan becomes sexually mature at a smaller size than the male, and will often lay two clutches of 10-20 eggs during the breeding season. The hatchlings are around 45cm long. They are usually a light olive colour, with creamy underbellies and reddish eyes.
Asian Elephant

The ***Asian elephant*** (*Elephas maximus*) is one of the world's largest land animals, second only to its close relative, the African elephant. Asian elephants live in a small or medium herd of 15-40 individuals, consisting of related females and their young, led by an old matriarch - a head female.

Asian elephants, like African elephants, are intelligent animals, and they have been reported to be able to use tools. For example, they sometimes use sticks held in their trunk to scratch themselves or to swat insects. They have been domesticated for many thousands of years and have been used as draught and war animals up to modern times. However, the Asian elephant can be an agricultural pest, eating up to 150 kg of crops per day.

## Gallery

ARKive photos and videos of the Asian elephant
Greater Roadrunner

This lightning-fast ground cuckoo (*Geococcyx californianus*) is a master hunter. It is quick enough to catch a hummingbird or dragonfly in flight and is one of the few animals that can out-manoeuvre a rattlesnake. It dances around the rattler using its wing like a matador's cape then snatches the snake's tail, cracks the reptile like a whip and slams its head on the ground until it is dead. it swallows the snake whole and will go about with the tail protruding from its large beak, digesting its meal slowly over several hours. It also catches scorpions, lizards, rodents and other birds. The roadrunner can run at up to 30kph but takes short flights when it needs to escape danger or when travelling downhill.
Toco Toucan

The bright colours, spectacular bill and perky appearance of the toco toucan (*Ramphastos toco*) catch the eye, making it a favourite icon for many advertising campaigns. However, in the forest it blends with its surroundings, its black and white body lost in the shadows and its gaudy bill easily mistaken for a flower or fruit. When sleeping it is even less conspicuous: turning its head to rest its bill along its back and folding its long tail up and over to cover the bill it becomes a mere bundle of feathers. The bill is a honeycomb construction which means that it is light and of no use as a weapon. It helps the bird reach for fruit at the tip of branches and is also used to chip into wood and probe about in mud as the toucan searches for insects to eat. It will sometimes also eat lizards, young birds and eggs. The toucan has a loud and insistent call and in some tribal traditions is associated with evil.
Polar Bear

Polar bears (*Ursus maritimus*) are semi-aquatic animals. They live on the fringes of the vast ice fields that surround the North Pole, where they feed on seals and other marine animals. The bears may cover large distances in search of food, sometimes coming far inland or swimming for miles across open water. Their feet have hairy soles to keep them warm and give them a good grip on the ice. Their forefeet are also very broad, making them good paddles in water.

The bears' snow-white coats help them blend into their surroundings and stay hidden from their prey. A polar bear's staple food is the ringed seal. The bears either wait beside holes in the ice for seals to surface, or sneak up on them across the ice. Bears sometimes dig down into seal dens beneath the surface snow and eat newborn pups.

Polar bears put on a lot of weight in summer because they have less opportunity to feed in winter. They often take shelter from extreme weather in underground dens. Pregnant females sleep inside large dens for long periods during the winter months, before giving birth to their cubs in spring. The young stay with their mother for two years.

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ARKive photos and videos of the polar bear
Platypus

Platypuses (*Ornithorhynchus anatinus*) live in burrows in stream banks, which they excavate with their powerful front legs. There are two kinds of burrow: one for shelter and one for incubation. The incubation burrows can be up to 18m long and rise 1-7m above the waterline. As part of the courtship ritual, females carry bundles of wet leaves to their incubation chamber, at the ends of the burrow. Females then plug the tunnel with soil and lay 1-3 eggs in the incubation chamber. The eggs hatch after ten days and the young stay in the burrow, where the mothers keep them warm and suckle them. They finally emerge after four months.

Males possess spurs on their hind feet that are attached to venom glands, which produce poison strong enough to kill dogs. These are thought to be used in fighting.
Arctic Fox

All foxes are renowned for their cunning and the arctic fox (*Vulpes lagopus*) is no exception. In this harsh environment with scarce prey, it will follow the polar bear's footprints in the snow in the hope of scavenging from a seal carcass. If unsuccessful it will use its keen senses of sight and smell to hunt for smaller mammals, eggs or berries. Occasionally it will sniff out a newly born seal pup and dig down to its lair.

The thick fur of the arctic fox traps air and provides excellent insulation, allowing it to doze unharmed in the snow for an hour or so at temperatures as low as -50 degrees C. Even the undersides of its paws are covered with fur and when scarce winds blow relentlessly across the barren landscape, the arctic fox uses its furry paws to dig a den several feet deep in the snow.

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ARKive photos and videos of the Arctic fox
Dromedary

These tough animals (*Camelus dromedarius*) have been domesticated in and around the Arabian peninsula for more than 4000 years, and are prized for their endurance in hot, dry conditions. The dromedary, or one-humped camel, can carry loads of more than 200kg for several days.

Camels can survive for long periods without drinking water. However, when water is available they can drink up to 57 litres at a time to restore normal levels of body fluids. Camels have almost no sweat glands, so they lose water much more slowly than other mammals. Contrary to popular belief, the camel's hump contains fat, not water, and serves as an energy reserve - although the blubber does hold some water. During the breeding season, dominant males defend groups of up to 30 adult females from other males. Younger males form groups of bachelor males.
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Short-beaked Echidna

The short-beaked echidna (*Tachyglossus aculeatus*) is one of four species of echidna. It is found throughout Australia and parts of New Guinea. The other rarer species, the long-beaked echidna, lives only in the highlands of New Guinea. The short-beaked species regularly feasts on ants or termites, thus earning its common nickname, the spiny anteater.

Short-beaked echidnas live alone, foraging during both the day and the night. They locate their food by smell, and it is also thought that they may be able to pick up electric signals from prey animals using sensors in the tip of their snout. They are powerful diggers, using their clawed front paws to dig out prey or create burrows for shelter.

The short-beaked echidna lays a single egg with a leathery shell into a pouch on its abdomen, and the young hatches soon afterwards. The baby is incubated in the pouch for 10-11 days, and finally leaves the pouch after around 55 days. The mother will continue to suckle her young even after it has left the pouch.

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ARKive photos and videos of the short-beaked echidna
Impala

Impalas (*Aepyceros melampus*) are one of a number of antelopes that live on the African savannah. They are very quick and agile, and are capable of jumping high in the air, often clearing heights greater than 3m.

When conditions are harsh in the dry season, impalas come together in mixed herds, which may number in the hundreds, to search for food. During the more plentiful wet season, males and females separate into different groups, with males competing for territories. Successful males mark their territories with urine and feces and then lure females into them with tongue-flashing displays. This signal has the effect of making the females group together as they pass through the displaying males. Non-resident males run away or flash their own tongues in defiance.
Ostrich

The Book of Job (chapter 39, verse 16) says of the female ostrich (*Struthio camelus*): 'She is hardened against her young ones as though they were not hers'. Job puts this down to stupidity but the real reason is safety in numbers. The senior female in a group is the first to lay her 1.5kg eggs, whereupon other females are attracted to the nest and lay their own eggs in it. The lead pair in the group then raises the resultant brood of 10-15. They kidnap young birds until they have a family of up to several hundred. This may make donor parents look uncaring but individual chicks are vulnerable to predators and a group can protect itself.

The ostrich is the largest living bird and the world's fastest two-legged animal, running at up to 70kph. It was reduced to tiny numbers in the eighteenth century due to demand for its feathers. Nowadays, ostrich farming provides enough meat, leather and feathers to meet consumer demands and wild birds are left to flourish.

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ARKive photos and videos of the ostrich
American Bison

Although rare, the American bison (*Bison bison*) has been saved from extinction. Once, herds of over a million individuals grazed the vast prairies of western North America. They were almost wiped out by hunters in the 19th century where the grasslands were cleared to make way for agriculture.

Bison often rub their shoulders and rumps against boulders and tree trunks, and they enjoy taking mud and dust baths. This behaviour scratches off fly larvae and other parasites that live on their hides.

Mature bulls move in separate groups from the cows. In the mating season, in late summer, the males join the females. They fight for the females by ramming each other head-on. After mating, a bull will guard his mate for several days to prevent other rival males from mating with her.

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ARKive photos and videos of the American bison
Red-bellied Piranha

Former American president and traveller Theodore Roosevelt came back from South America in 1914 with a (probably apocryphal) tale about a school of piranhas (*Pygocentrus nattereri*) eating a soldier down to the bone in seconds after he fell off his cow into a river. Word spread and the piranha, admittedly a fast eater and somewhat aggressive, has had a bad press ever since. Piranhas, with razor-sharp teeth, hunt in groups of 5-30, taking chunks out of anything moving near them - usually fish, birds and mammals. Once the first bite releases the scent of blood they all join in the feeding frenzy, lashing the water into a red froth. The piranha is a popular aquarium pet worldwide but has been banned in China, where it is feared that released fish would devastate indigenous species. Fish released into North American rivers are assiduously exterminated by the authorities.

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ARKive photos and videos of the red-bellied piranha
Bald Eagle

The state of New York used a bald eagle (*Haliaeetus leucocephalus*) in its coat of arms in 1778 but it was not until 1782 that it was chosen to adorn the Great Seal of the United States. This choice was famously much against the desire of Benjamin Franklin who wrote, 'I wish that the bald eagle had not been chosen..., he is a bird of bad moral character, he does not get his living honestly,... he is a rank coward [and] by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest of America.' Franklin wanted the turkey, but was out-voted.

Having plumped for the bald eagle the nation could have been more caring towards it. Settlers blamed it for killing livestock and it was shot indiscriminately. By 1967, when it was officially declared an endangered species, only 400 breeding pairs were left in the lower 48 states. The pesticide DDT was banned in 1972 and this, with other measures, led to a resurgence in numbers to the present 6000 breeding pairs. The bald eagle is found only in North America.

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ARKive photos and videos of the bald eagle
Gila Monster

Gila monsters (*Heloderma suspectum*) are one of only two poisonous lizards in the world. They produce venom in salivary glands in their lower jaws. The venom flows by capillary action along grooves in their teeth, giving the lizard a poisonous bite. The venom acts on the prey animal's nervous system, preventing the heart and lungs from working. For a healthy human, a bite from a gila monster will be very painful but not life-threatening.

Gila monsters are most active at night. They shelter from the heat of the day in rocky crevices or burrows abandoned by mammals. However, in northern parts of their range, the lizards are completely inactive for several months during the winter. Inactive individuals rely on fat stored in their tails to keep them alive when they cannot feed.

Gila monsters mate in springtime, and their copulation can last for over an hour. The eggs develop inside the females for about ten weeks. They then bury the eggs in areas that are often bathed in sunlight. The eggs incubate for up to ten months.

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ARKive photos and videos of the gila monster
Adelie Penguin

Adelie penguins (*Pygoscelis adeliae*), the archetypal 'waiter-in-a-suit' penguins, are one of nature's victims. They face, among other predators, one of the most efficient killing machines: leopard seals. Adelies (45-55cm tall and weighing 3.6-4kg) breed on the Antarctic pack ice and by late summer the young are ready to leave the rookery. The parents feed them closer and closer to the water's edge and then stop feeding them altogether. Now a tense drama plays out. The hungry young penguins edge nearer to the sea, bunching up in their hundreds on the lip of the ice. Finally they leap. The lucky ones dodge under the ice and swim to freedom. For the patient, patrolling seals it is a time of plenty.

## Gallery

ARKive photos and videos of the Adelie penguin
Stoat

Although rarely seen, stoats (*Mustela erminea*) are common in the countryside, where they mainly feed on rodents. However, the large males will often prey on rabbits, even though rabbits are considerably larger. Stoats are famed for mesmerizing their prey by dancing around them, before nipping in for the kill.This is not just an old wives' tale. Stoats have been observed leaping around near rabbits in a seemingly deranged fashion. This curious "dance" seems to have the effect of confusing the rabbits, which just watch the stoat draw slowly closer and closer, until it is too late to escape.

As winter approaches, populations of stoats that live in cooler, northern areas change the colour of their coats. In summer, they are a chestnut colour but, by the time the first snows have fallen, the stoats have changed to pure white. White stoats are known as ermines, and their fur was once prized for its pure colour and soft feel.
Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian devil (*Sarcophilus harrisii*) comes from a family of carnivorous marsupials that includes dasyures, or marsupial mice, and quolls, or native cats, which used to live all over Australia. They are now restricted to the island of Tasmania, which was never colonized by dingoes.

The Tasmanian devil is nocturnal and spends a lot of its time snuffling over the ground trying to pick up the scent of food. It is a very efficient scavenger, and uses its powerful jaws to crush bones and chew up tough skin.

During the day, Tasmanian devils take refuge in nests of bark, grass or leaves inside hollow logs, old wombat burrows or other sheltered spots. The ferocity of Tasmanian devils has been greatly exaggerated, and although they will sometimes fight savagely amongst themselves when feeding, they are apparently docile and safe to handle.

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ARKive photos and videos of the Tasmanian devil
Aardvark

This is one strange animal, the ***Aardvark*** (*Orycteropus afer*) is often found foraging out in the open at night, systematically covering the ground in search of ants and termites. An aardvark travels long distances in looking for food, often travelling 10 km in a single night. Not surprisingly, given the animal's long tubular ears and snout, it has acute hearing and a good sense of smell with which to detect their prey. They use their powerful front claws to dig open an ant or a termite nest, and their long sticky tongues to collect the insects. This creature have very thick skin, and seem to be immune to insect bites.

The aardvark's skin is so tough that it also saves it from bites by predators. Aardvarks are very well adapted for digging. When alarmed, they will either run away or start digging a burrow. A single aardvark can dig a hole faster than several people using shovels. Temporary an aardvark burrow is less than 3 miles deep, with end chambers large enough for the animals to turn in. More permanent burrows can be 13 miles long with several chambers and entrances.
Lingxiao

When he and the other Sacred beasts were mortally injured he was entrapped by a group of people and could not leave or they would be notified and he along with Yunyao, Tianqiong, and Chi would be put into even more danger.

Not long after being trapped by the runes the Xia Family Ancestor found him and under the orders of finding his friends he used his Martial Honor cultivation to helping the Xia Family grow to their status today.

When Xia Zhentian finally found Yunyao and Tianqiong he was almost at the end of lifespan because the runes turned him into a normal Martial Honor (Divine Beast lifespan is much longer) so Gu Ruoyun gave him a Longevity Pill to survive until Zixie was strong enough to break it.

Tian Gu came to the Xia Family at the request of Gu Ruoyun to expose Xia Qi, after doing so she used Tian Gu's strength to replace Xia Qi inside the matrix so he could be freed of the punishments that the matrix creator (Lin Yun would randomly give him.

When Gu Ruoyun returned to the Xia Family he was on the brink of death because Lin Yun found out about Xia Qi so Gu Ruoyun tried to free him from the formation but Lin Yun tried to stop them only to have Qianbei Ye redirect the attack back on him.

## **Cultivation Progress**

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Spectacled Caiman

Spectacled caimans (*Caiman crocodilus*) live in a wide range of habitats from rivers to coastal wetlands. They prefer stiller waters than the black caimans that share parts of their range, and consequently they have taken up residence in many reservoirs.

Spectacled caimans rarely come out of the water, only attacking land animals when they come to the water's edge. They spend the day floating on the surface and hunt mainly at night. During periods of druoght, they aestivate - enter a period of dormancy to avoid desiccation - in cool burrows dug deep into mud.

The breeding season coincides with the wet season in May and June. The dominant males get the best territories and attract most females. Females lay eggs in mounds of vegetation that they build on banks or rafts of plants. Several females may lay eggs in a single nest, which they guard together. The young live in large groups called creches.

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ARKive photos and videos of the spectacled caiman
African Wild Dog

African wild dogs (*Lycaon pictus*) are highly social and live in large packs of around 100 animals. A pack is formed by a group of brothers from one pack meeting with a group of sisters from another. A dominant pair emerges and breeds. Females will fight each other for the top breeding position.

These dogs are truly nomadic carnivores. They are on the move all the time to mark their territories and to avoid conflict with lions. Movement is reduced when there are small pups in the den. Unlike most canids which howl to show their presence, wild dogs use scents that last for months. When packs contain about 20 adults, the older offspring leave to form subgroups and hunt independently.

Individual dogs are capable of killing large prey such as impala, although most hunting is done in packs. Pups typically leave at two to three years of age but sometimes stay to help rear more young. Packs stay together for no more than six years, usually two, when the founder members die. The remaining dogs separate into single-sex groups to find new opposite-sex groups and start all over again.

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ARKive photos and videos of the African wild dog
Common Marmoset

Not really a neglectful mother, the marmoset (*Callithrix jacchus*) will nevertheless take all the help she can get in looking after her young. She normally has twins and her male companions (usually two) and other young (particularly the males) are quick to help. Indeed, this help appears to be essential to the survival of the infants.

The common marmoset's main food is tree sap and gum and it has specialized lower incisor teeth to gnaw holes in tree bark. It has also been seen eating insects, lizards, small mammals, birds, eggs and frogs, but only infrequently. Despite its fall in numbers, due to habitat destruction, it can become a pest when it moves near to plantations, feeding on flowers and fruit. However, it is not as threatened as other marmosets and tamarins and it breeds well in captivity.

ARKive photos and videos of the common marmoset
Black-tailed Prairie Dog

Early American settlers named these sociable animals (*Cynomys ludovicianus*) 'little dogs' because they wag their tails when excited and yap or bark a warning call. Numbers reached pest proportions in the nineteenth century despite the fact that their meat is said to taste better than wild rabbit.

Black-tailed prairie dogs live in huge colonies, known as towns, covering several hundred hectares. The largest prairie dog town ever found was in western Texas. About 160km wide and 400km long, and covering an area the size of Belgium, the town was home to an estimated 400 million prairie dogs. The burrow system is complex, the first tunnel going straight down for about 4.5m providing a quick escape from predators. Throughout the town there are escape hatches - tunnels built up to within a few inches of the surface - to be used in case of flooding.

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ARKive photos and videos of the black-tailed prairie dog
Southern Grasshopper Mouse

Instead of squeaking faintly behind the skirting board like its house-roaming cousin, this small rodent (*Onychomys torridus*) actually howls. It stands up on its hind legs, points its nose in the air and howls like a miniature wolf. This eerie sound is a sign of aggression and is made before launching into battle with another mouse. The other mouse might even be its mate: the grasshopper mouse frequently kills and eats its partner if short of food.

As its name suggests, grasshoppers make up a large part of this mouse's diet. It also eats scorpions and caterpillars and is the only creature to have found a way of eating a darkling beetle. This beetle emits a foul-tasting anal secretion but the mouse wedges the darkling's rear into the soil and eats it head first, leaving the unpalatable part in the ground.
Boa Constrictor

The stories of huge boa constrictors (*Boa constrictor*) crushing people to death are gross exaggerations. The boa is only the world's fifth or sixth largest snake and, on average, only half the size of an anaconda. But, like the anaconda and python, the boa kills by wrapping its coils around the victim's chest and squeezing. As the unfortunate creature exhales, the snake tightens its grip until the prey can no longer breathe and is ready to be swallowed.

Bats make a favourite meal and the boa constrictor hangs from a branch near the entrance to a cave and catches the bat as it flies by. Under the snake's upper lip, heat sensors help it to locate warm-blooded mammals. Because of its penchant for rats, it is sometimes kept as a pet to control rodents.
Koala

Koalas (*Phascolarctos cinereus*) are placed in their own family, which shows how different they are from other marsupials. These animals live practically their whole lives in stands of eucalyptus trees that form the core of their territories. Eucalyptus leaves are by far the most important food for koalas. The animals even smell of eucalyptus oil. A problem with eucalyptus leaves is that they are very fibrous and difficult to digest, so koalas have cheek pouches and long intestines, and occasionally eat soil or gravel. All these traits are adaptations to help them break down the tough eucalyptus leaves.

Koalas are very solitary animals and, although the territories of males and females overlap, males will not tolerate intruders of the same sex. Resident koalas usually attack intruders savagely. Males mark out their territories with strong-smelling scent, and make loud calls to warn off other males.

During the breeding season, males try to guard as many female territories as they can. The single young or joey stays in its mother's pouch for seven months, then rides on its mother's back until the next season's joey matures. Koalas used to be very common in south-eastern Australia, but a mixture of hunting for fur in the early 20th century, habitat loss and severe forest fires have reduced their numbers.
Snow Leopard

There are few sights in nature as breathtaking as a snow leopard (*Panthera uncia*) moving across the mountain. This muscular, agile cat, with its huge paws and long hind legs, can leap 15m horizontally and 6m vertically as it traverses the broken landscape. The average annual diet for one snow leopard has been calculated as five blue sheep (or bharal), nine Tibetan woolly hares, 25 marmots, five domestic goats, one domestic sheep and 15 birds.

Most active at dawn and dusk, the snow leopard grows to a height of 50-70cm, is up to 130cm long in the body and can weigh 75kg. Its thick fur is light or smoky grey, tinged with yellow, shading to pure white on its belly and with 'rosettes' of dark spots scattered all over. Its thick tail is nearly a metre long and it has dense, woolly underfur.

Although endangered and protected and with total numbers down to 4500-7500, the snow leopard is still hunted, not only for its pelt but also for bones and body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine. This, together with depletion of its natural prey, habitat degradation and fragmentation and reprisal attacks by herdsmen for loss of livestock, means the snow leopard faces an uncertain future.

Its geographical range mirrors that of two of its largest prey species, the blue sheep and the ibex: the mountains of China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia.

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ARKive photos and videos of the snow leopard
Kinkajou

Kinkajous (*Potos flavus*) are almost entirely arboreal (tree-living). Thanks to their long claws and prehensile tails, they are very agile climbers. Kinkajous are nocturnal and spend the day in dens inside hollow trees. On the hottest days they emerge from their stifling dens to cool off in the open on branches.

At night, kinkajous race around the trees in search of fruit. After searching through one tree, they will cautiously move to the next before beginning to forage again. They use their long tongues to reach the soft fleshes and juices inside the fruit.

Kinkajous tend to return to the same roosting trees each dawn. They travel alone or in breeding pairs. However, groups of kinkajous may form in trees that are heavy with fruit. Kinkajous leave their scent on branches, probably as a signal to potential mates. They also give shrill calls to communicate with partners. Mating takes place all year round, and single offspring are born after four months.