recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Ethiopian Wolf

The Ethiopian wolf is the most threatened canid in the world and the only wolf species to be found in Africa. It is generally similar to a coyote (*Canis latrans*) in shape and size, and has characteristically long legs and a long, pointed muzzle. The fur is a bright tawny red color, with whitish to ginger underfur, the underparts, chin, chest and the inside of the pointed ears are white, and the bushy tail is black. Females become more yellowish during the breeding season, and juveniles have a charcoal-grey coat. Males tend to be around 20 percent larger than the females. The narrow muzzle and widely-spaced small teeth are adaptations that help this wolf to handle small prey items.

### **Biology**

Ethiopian wolves live in close-knit territorial packs numbering between 3 and 13 adults, but individual pack members tend to forage alone. Afro-alpine endemics such as the giant molerat (*Tachyoryctes macrocephalus*) and three species of grass rats make up the majority of the diet of these wolves; prey are skilfully stalked out in the open or dug out of their burrows. All adults gather to patrol and mark the territory at dawn and dusk repelling any intruders, and rest together during the night, usually spent curled up in the open. Strong social bonds exist between members of the group, who greet each other excitedly. Male wolves seldom disperse, whereas many females leave their natal pack at maturity to seek a breeding opportunity elsewhere, occasionally 'floating' between established pack ranges.

The dominant female of each pack gives birth between October and December, to a litter of two to six pups who spend their first three weeks of life inside a closely guarded den. Most matings occur with males from neighbouring groups in order to avoid inbreeding. Other members of the pack will assist with guarding the den from avian and terrestrial predators. They also regurgitate food for the pups for the first four months of their life, and subordinate females may even suckle the litter.

### **Range and Habitat**

As its name suggests, this wolf is endemic to the Ethiopian mountains between 3,000 and 4,377 metres above sea level. At present, just seven isolated pockets of occupied habitat are known, with the largest population found in the Bale Mountains National Park. As of 2008, the total population was thought to number as few as 500, with around 250 breeding individuals. The Ethiopian wolf usually inhabits afro-alpine open moorland with vegetation shorter than 25 centimetres, and sustaining a high density of rodent species. Also occurs on heather moorland, always above 3,000 metres above sea level.

## Gallery

Ethiopian Wolf HowlingEthiopian Wolf Eating RodentEthiopian Wolf Pups PlayingEthiopian Wolf PackWild Kratts
Horses

Horses are mammals they live in North America they like farms they are brown white and black some have spots only zebras have stripes they eat grass and hey they from in a cartoon like Mickey Mouse clubhouse and ma cli bo that lives in bond county fair parade it is brown with a white pattern do you think horses live in the pasture
Giant Squid

The giant squid remains largely a mystery to scientists despite being the biggest invertebrate on Earth. The largest of these elusive giants ever found measured 59 feet in length and weighed nearly a ton.

## Elusivity

However, their inhospitable deep-sea habitat has made them uniquely difficult to study, and almost everything scientists know about them is from carcasses that have washed up on beaches or been hauled in by fishermen. Lately, however, the fortunes of scientists studying these elusive creatures have begun to turn. In 2004 researchers in Japan took the first images ever of a live giant squid. And in late 2006, scientists with Japan's National Science Museum caught and brought to the surface a live 24-foot female giant squid.

## Massive Eyes

Giant squid, along with their cousin, the colossal squid, have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, measuring some 10 inches in diameter. These massive organs allow them to detect objects in the lightless depths where most other animals would see nothing.

## Diet

Like other squid species, they have eight arms and two longer feeding tentacles that help them bring food to their beak-like mouths. Their diet likely consists of fish, shrimp, and other squid, and some suggest they might even attack and eat small whales.

## Locomotion

They maneuver their massive bodies with fins that seem diminutive for their size. They use their funnel as a propulsion system, drawing water into the mantle, or main part of the body, and forcing it out the back.

## Range

Scientists don't know enough about these beasts to say for sure what their range is, but giant squid carcasses have been found in all of the world's oceans.
Lawes's Parotia

**Lawes's parotia** (*Parotia lawesii*), is a medium-sized (up to 27 cm long) passerine of the bird-of-paradise family, Paradisaeidae. It is distributed and endemic to mountain forests of southeast and eastern Papua New Guinea. Occasionally, the eastern parotia is considered a subspecies of *P. lawesii*. The species is similar to the western parotia (*Parotia sefilata*).

Like most birds of paradise, male Lawes's parotia are polygamous. The clutch contains 1, maybe occasionally 2 eggs; the few eggs that have been studied were about 33 x 24 mm in size, but these were possibly small specimens. It eats mainly fruit, seeds and arthropods. The bird's home was discovered by Carl Hunstein on a mountain near Port Moresby in 1884. Its name honors the New Guinea pioneer missionaryReverend William George Lawes. Widespread and common throughout its range, Lawes's parotia is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

## Description

The male is a velvet black bird with an erectile silvery white forehead crest, iridescent purple blue nape and golden green breast plumes which are structurally colored. The breast plumes have V-shaped barbules, creating thin-film microstructures that strongly reflect two different colors, bright blue-green and orange-yellow. When the bird moves the color switches sharply between these two colors, rather than drifting iridescently. During courtship, the male bird systematically makes small movements to attract females, so the structures must have evolved through sexual selection.

The inside of its mouth is lime-colored. Adorned with three ornamental spatule head wires from behind of each eye and elongated black flank feathers, that spread skirt-like in courtship display. The female is a brown bird with dark head, yellow iris and dark-barred yellowish brown below. The iris is colored in various amounts of blue and yellow, changing according to the bird's mood.
Howler Monkey

**Howler Monkeys** are New World monkeys found in tropical Central and South America. They are aptly named for their cacophonous cries. When a number of howlers let loose their lungs in concert, often at dawn or dusk, the din can be heard up to three miles (five kilometers) away. Male monkeys have large throats and specialized, shell-like vocal chambers that help to turn up the volume on their distinctive call. The noise sends a clear message to other monkeys: This territory is already occupied by a troop.The function of howling is thought to relate to intergroup spacing and territory protection, as well as possibly to mate-guarding.

These vocal primates are the biggest of all the New World monkeys. Unlike Old World monkeys, howlers and other New World species have wide, side-opening nostrils and no pads on their rumps. Howlers also boast a prehensile tail. They can use this tail as an extra arm to grip or even hang from branches—no Old World monkeys have such a tail. A gripping tail is particularly helpful to howler monkeys because they rarely descend to the ground. They prefer to stay aloft, munching on the leaves that make up most of their diet. Howler monkeys are also known to occasionally raid birds' nests and chicken coops and consume the eggs.

Howler monkeys have beards and long, thick hair which may be black, brown, or red. The red howler species is the most common, but it is often targeted by hunters eager for bushmeat. Other species of howler monkey may be critically endangered over sections of their ranges.
Green Anaconda

An **anaconda** is a large snake found in tropical South America. Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to refer only to one species in particular, the common or green anaconda, *Eunectes murinus*, which is the largest snake in the world by weight, and the second longest snake in the world.

Anacondas make their home in the Amazon jungles of South America and are part of the Boa Constrictor family.  Anacondas live near rivers, lakes and swamps and like to live alone.  Water is their main escape method when confronted with danger. Rather than attacking they will choose to slide into the water unnoticed, if possible. Anacondas eat amphibious animals, like frogs & toads, as well as fish, caiman, birds, ducks and turtles. The average size of one of these snake-giants is 6.1 m (20 feet) long and 148.5 kg. (300 pounds)!

Anacondas give birth to live young, around 24-35 at a time and they are very difficult for scientists to study or even find. They are really quiet and leave no trail. They spend a lot of their time in the dark waters of their habitat.

## Physical characteristics

Anacondas are stocky, muscular snakes that are thicker than other boas. They have thick necks and narrow but large heads. All anacondas have nostrils and eyes on the tops of their heads, which allow them to see above the water while remaining mostly submerged. They have a thick black stripe that runs from the eye to the jaw. Anacondas have small, smooth scales that grow larger toward the posterior of their bodies. They have loose, soft skin that can handle a great deal of water absorption, according to the University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web (ADW).

Near their cloacal region, anacondas have spurs on their scales. Males have larger spurs than females, though females are overall larger and longer snakes. In fact, anacondas exhibit the largest sexual dimorphism (with the female being larger) of any tetrapod species, according to Jesus Rivas, a herpetologist and founder of the Anaconda Project. Anacondas’ coloring and size depends on the species. Their spotted, green, yellow and brown color palettes allow them to blend in with tropical rivers and rainforests.

**Green anacondas**

True to their name, these are greenish-brown, olive, or greenish-gray. They have black or brown egg-shaped spots on the mid-to posterior back of their bodies. Their sides are sometimes more yellow than green with egg-shaped spots with yellow centers, according to the Jacksonville Zoo.
Macaroni Penguin

The macaroni penguin is a large-sized species of penguinfound in the Sub-Antarctic regions. the macaroni penguinis one of six species of crested penguins is so closely related to the royal penguin, that some people class the two as the same species.

The macaroni penguin spends most of its time during the colder winter months fishing in the cold oceans where the macaroni penguin is more protected from the bitter conditions of the Antarctic winter on the land. However, when the summer is approaching and temperatures at the South Pole increase, the macaroni penguin makes it way to land in order to breed. The macaroni penguin is the most numerous species of penguin on the planet as there approximately 18 million macaroni penguin individuals. The macaroni penguin population numbers are declined severely over the past few decades meaning that the macaroni penguin is today considered to be a vulnerable species.

Macaroni penguins are one the biggest and heaviest species of penguin as adult macaroni penguins generally average about 70cm in height. The macaroni penguin also has a couple of very distinctive features including a long red-coloured beak and a crest of thin bright-yellow feathers on its head. Like other penguin species, the macaroni penguin is a carnivorous animal as the only source of food is in the surrounding water. The macaroni penguin spends six months during the cold winter months hunting fish, squid, krill and crustaceans which the macaroni penguin catches in its long beak.

The macaroni penguin only has a couple of natural predators in the freezing Antarctic Ocean as there are only a number of animal species that can survive there. Leopard seals, killer whales and the occasional passing shark are the only real predators of the macaroni penguin.

The macaroni penguin returns to the land during the warmer summer months in order to breed. Macaroni penguins gather in large colonies which can contain up to 100,000 individuals in orderto lay their eggs. Female macaroni penguins generally lay two eggs a couple of days apart that hatch after about six weeks. Both the male and female macaroni penguin parents help to incubate the eggs and raise the chicks.
Greater Roadrunner

The most famous bird in the southwest, featured in folklore and cartoons, known by its long tail and expressive crest. The Roadrunner walks and runs on the ground, flying only when necessary. It can run 15 miles per hour, probably with much faster spurts when chasing a fast-running lizard or other prey. Its prowess as a rattlesnake fighter has been much exaggerated, but it does eat a remarkable variety of smaller creatures.

## Feeding Behavior

Usually hunts by walking rapidly, looking for prey, then making very rapid dash forward to catch prey in its bill. May leap straight up from ground to catch insects or birds flying over (has been seen catching hummingbirds this way).

## Eggs

3-5, sometimes 2-6. White to pale yellowish. Incubation is by both parents (male does more), about 20 days. Young: Fed by both parents; leave the nest after about 18-21 days. May begin catching own food soon after leaving nest, but still fed by parents up to another 30-40 days.

## Young

Fed by both parents; leave the nest after about 18-21 days. May begin catching own food soon after leaving nest, but still fed by parents up to another 30-40 days.

## Diet

Includes insects, reptiles, rodents, birds. Feeds on many large insects, plus other arthropods including scorpions, tarantulas, and centipedes. Also catches many lizards, snakes, mice, young ground squirrels, small birds (including baby quail and adult sparrows), sometimes snails. Eats some fruits (especially cactus fruit) and seeds.

## Nesting

May mate for life, pairs defending territory all year. Courtship includes chases on foot, with frequent pauses to rest. One bird (either sex) approaches the other with stick or blade of grass, and drops it on the ground or gives it to other bird. In other displays, male runs away from female with tail and wings raised over back, gradually lowers wings; male wags tail from side to side while slowly bowing. Nest site is in dense bush, low tree, or cactus, usually 2-12' above ground, rarely on ground. Nest is platform of sticks, lined with grass, leaves, feathers, sometimes with snakeskin or pieces of cow manure.
Gaboon Viper

The Gaboon viper, (Bitis gabonica), also called Gabon viper, extremely venomous but usually docileground-dwelling snake found in tropical forests of central and western Africa. It is the heaviest venomous snake in Africa, weighing 8 kg (18 pounds), and it grows to a length of 2 metres (about 7 feet). The Gaboon viper also possesses the longest fangs of any snake, measuring up to 4 cm (1.6 inches) long. The stout body is boldly patterned with rectangles and triangles of buff, purple, and brown, which gives the snake its velvetlike appearance. This pattern provides excellent camouflage and allows this sluggish viper (family Viperidae) to become nearly invisible among leaves and roots of the forest floor.

The Gaboon viper is a broad-headed snake with two hornlike projections on its snout. When threatened it will hiss, a behaviour common to nearly all snakes. Rodents and ground-dwelling birds, its main prey, are struck and held by the viper’s venomous bite until death occurs. The Gaboon viper breeds every two to three years, giving birth to 15–40 live young.
Elephant Shrew

Elephant shrews, sometimes known as “jumping shrews,” or “sengis,” are small, rodent-like mammals. They get their traditional common name from the resemblance between their elongated nose (a “proboscis”) and the trunk of an elephant; as well as an incorrect assumption of a close relationship with the true shrews. There are 19 species of elephant shrews, and they are found across southern Africa.

## Description

Elephant shrews are not, in fact, only shrews. Recent evidence suggests that they are more closely related to a group of African mammals that includes elephants, sea cows, and aardvarks. Elephant shrews (also called sengis) are represented by a single family, the Macroscelididae, including four genera and 19 living species. They take their name from their long pointed head and very long, mobile, trunk-like nose. They have rather long, legs for their size, which move in a hopping fashion like rabbits. They have a hunchbacked posture and a long, scaly tail. A gland on the underside of the tail produces a strong scent used to mark territories. This musky smell serves as a deterrent against many carnivores.

## Distribution and Habitat

The species as a whole is widely distributed throughout Africa, excluding western Africa and the Sahara region, but despite their wide distribution range, sightings are still rare. The four-toed elephant shrew is one of the most widespread of the species, occurring from Central and Eastern Africa to the Northeastern corner of South Africa. The four species of giant elephant shrew prefer to live in forests, closed-canopy woodlands, and thickets, usually with a floor densely covered by leaf litter. The checkered elephant shrew is found in Central Africa; the golden-rumped elephant shrew is endemic to Kenya; the grey-faced shrew is confined to two forests in Tanzania, and the black and rufous elephant shrew is found in East Africa. Smaller elephant shrew species can be found in the uplands of southern, eastern, and northwestern Africa, in dry forests, scrub, savannas, and open country covered by sparse shrubs of grass.

## Diet

Elephant shrews mainly eat invertebrates, including earthworms, spiders, insects, centipedes, and millipedes. Some species also eat green plant matter, seeds, and small fruits.
Kinkajou

Kinkajous live in the tropical forests of Central and South America, where they spend most of their time in the trees. They are able to turn their feet backwards to run easily in either direction along branches or up and down trunks. The kinkajou also has a prehensile (gripping) tail that it uses much like another arm. Kinkajous often hang from this incredible tail, which also aids their balance and serves as a cozy blanket while the animal sleeps high in the canopy. Though many of its features and traits sound like those of a primate, the kinkajou is actually related to the raccoon.

An adult kinkajou weighs 1.4–4.6 kg (3–10 lb). The adult body length is 40–60 cm (16–24 in); in addition to body length, the tail length is 40–60 cm (16–24 in). The kinkajou's woolly fur consists of an outer coat of gold (or brownish-gray) overlapping a gray undercoat. It has large eyes and small ears. It also has short legs with five toes on each foot and sharp claws.

Kinkajous are sometimes called honey bears because they raid bees' nests. They use their long, skinny tongues to slurp honey from a hive, and also to remove insects like termites from their nests. Kinkajous also eat fruit and small mammals, which they snare with their nimble front paws and sharp claws. They roam and eat at night, and return each morning to sleep in previously used tree holes.

Kinkajous form treetop groups and share social interactions such as reciprocal grooming. They are vocal animals—though seldom seen, they are often heard screeching and barking in the tropical forest canopy. Female kinkajous give birth to one offspring in spring or summer. The baby is born with its eyes shut and cannot see for a month. It develops quickly, however, and by the end of the second month, it is already able to hang upside down from its tail.
Lizards

Lizards are a species of reptile that typically have a long body and tail, four legs, movable eyelids, and a rough, scaly, or spiny skin.

## Species

### **Chameleons**

* African Chameleon
* Carpet Chameleon
* Common Chameleon
* Parson's Chameleon
* Veiled Chameleon
* Warty Chameleon

### **Geckos**

* Banana Gecko
* Crested Gecko
* Marbled Gecko
* Tokay Gecko
* Turnip-Tailed Gecko
* William's Dwarf Gecko

### **Iguanas**

* Anegade Ground Iguana
* Blue Iguana
* Fiji Banded Iguana
* Green Iguana
* Marine Iguana

### **Monitors**

* Asian Water Monitor
* Goanna
* Komodo Dragon
* Nile Monitor
* Perentie Lizard
* Savannah Monitor
Lowland Streaked Tenrec

The **lowland streaked tenrec** (*Hemicentetes semispinosus*) is a small tenrec found in Madagascar.

## Distribution and Habitat

The species is found in tropical lowland rain forest, in the northern and eastern parts of Madagascar.

## Description

### **Physical Appearance**

It is a small animal, with a long snout and limbs, and a vestigial tail. Pelage black with yellow longitudinal stripes dorsally, light beneath; scattered quills, some barbed and detachable.

### **Length and Weight**

The head and body are 12.2–16.5 cm (4.8–6.5 in) in length. The weight is about 200 grams (7 oz).

## Behavior

### **Diet**

It is active during day and night, primarily feeding on insects. Most tenrecs possess a long snout for poking around in the ground to find their food. They are also capable of eating worms and fruits. Some species of tenrecs live in water and eat small fish and even frogs.

### **Reproduction**

Breeding takes place during October to December and possibly at other times, depending upon local food supply and temperature. The gestation period lasts 58 days, and the female gives birth to usually between 5 and 8 young. The young are weaned at 18 to 25 days.

### **Shelter**

The streaked tenrec lives in long, shallow burrows which are usually occupied by family groups.

### **Spines as Tools**

If threatened by a predator (most commonly a fossa or Malagasy mongoose), a streaked tenrec erects the barbed quills on its back and on the crest around its head, pointing them completely forward, and drives them in to the attacker's nose or paws with body and head movements. The nonbarbed quills are clustered in the middle of the back, and produce a faint chattering sound when vibrated, and are used to communicate within family groups.

### **Sound**

The streaked tenrec is the only mammal known to use stridulation for generating sound, a method more commonly associated with insects and snakes.
Giant Clam

The largest known specimen of giant clam was over four and a half feet (1.3 m) wide and weighed approximately 550 pounds (250 kg).  The large majority of a giant clam’s mass is in its shell, with the soft parts accounting for only approximately 10% of the weight.  Like most corals, some anemones, and other reef organisms, giant clams utilize a combination of methods to obtain food.  The majority of their energy is derived from symbiotic algae living within their cells, providing the clams with excess energy that they make via photosynthesis (the use of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into food/energy).  In return, the algae have a safe place to live and receive the nutrients necessary to photosynthesize.  The giant clams provides those nutrients by filter feeding small prey from the water above the reef surface, which it siphons through its body.  The beautiful, bright colors characteristic of individual Giant Clams are actually a result of the symbiotic algae.

Giant clams reproduce via external fertilization, where eggs and sperm are released into the water column at the same time.  However, giant clams are cemented to the reef surface, so they are only able to reproduce with other individuals that are close by.  Therefore, individuals of this species are simultaneous hermaphrodites.  They produce both eggs and sperm.  They are not able to self-fertilize (i.e., an individual’s sperm cannot fertilize its own eggs), but this life history strategy ensures that nearby individuals can always reproduce with each other.

Though the soft body only accounts for about 10% of the body weight of giant clams, it is nearly pure, healthy protein, and this species has been hunted for at least several centuries.  Unfortunately, this hunting has put the species at risk, and conservationists now consider it to be vulnerable to extinction.  Recent large-scale aquaculture operations have reduced the pressure on wild populations while allowing for continued human use of this vital protein source (particularly on remote islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans).  This species is also a favorite in public and private aquaria.  Most individuals currently on display were likely raised in captivity rather than collected from the wild.
Hispid Hare

The **hispid hare** (*Caprolagus hispidus*), also called **Assam rabbit**, is a leporid native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Today, the habitat of the hispid hare is highly fragmented with an area of occupancy of less than 500 km2 (190 sq mi) extending over an estimated area of 5,000 to 20,000 km2 (1,900 to 7,700 sq mi). Populations experience a continuing decline in suitable habitat due to increasing agriculture, flood control, and human development. It is therefore listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986.

## Characteristics

The hispid hare has a harsh and bristly coat. The ears are very short and do not project beyond the fur.[4] The coat is dark brown on the back due to a mixture of black and brown hairs; brown on the chest and whitish on the abdomen. The tail is brown and about 30 mm (1.2 in) long. In body weight males range from 1,810 to 2,610 g (3.99 to 5.75 lb) with a mean of 2,248 g (4.956 lb). Females weigh in average 2,518 g (5.551 lb), including a heavily pregnant female weighing 3,210 g (7.08 lb) in this statistical mean weight.

The frontal bones are very wide. The occipito-nasal length generally exceeds 85 mm (3.3 in). There is no clear notch in front of postorbital processes. In average, this hare is 476 mm (18.7 in) long from head to tail.

## Distribution and Habitat

The historic range of hispid hares extended from Uttar Pradesh through southern Nepal, the northern region of West Bengal to Assam and into Bangladesh. Today, distribution is sporadic in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and possibly Bhutan. They occupy tracts of early successional tall grasslands and take refuge in marshy areas or grasses adjacent to river banks during the dry season, when these areas are susceptible to burning.

The population in the extensive grasslands of Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve may be of international significance. Researchers camera trapped the first hispid hares in an area of 38 km2 (15 sq mi) in the reserve in April 2010.

## Ecology

Hispid hares are most active at dawn and dusk. The limited information available on reproduction indicates that their average litter size is small.
Harris's Antelope Squirrel

**Harris's antelope squirrel** (*Ammospermophilus harrisii*) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, and in Sonora in Mexico. They are adapted to hot weather conditions including a technique called "heat dumping". They have a wide-ranging diet, including both vegetation, insects, small rodents and carrion.

## Taxonomy and Description

The species is named after Edward Harris. Examples of *A. harrisii* have distinctive markings on their grey fur, with brown highlights on the sides and legs and a white strip down the side of the torso and encircling their eyes. Their fur grows longer in the winter than it does in the summer. Adults weigh around 4–5 ounces (110–140 g), and measure 8.5–10 inches (22–25 cm) minus their tail, which measures 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm). They can be mistaken for chipmunks.

*A. harrisii* has a high body temperature of 97-107 degrees Fahrenheit (36.7 - 41.6 °C). In order to protect itself from the heat of the Sonoran Desert, *A. harrisii*carries their tails over their bodies in order to provide shade. *A. harrisii* also participates in a heat reduction method where individuals move into shaded positions and lie spread eagled against the ground. This is referred to as "heat dumping". They are active during the day, and do not sweat but otherwise reduce temperature by salivating.

The optimum reproductive period for *A. harrisii* is between February and March although mating can take place between December and June. Gestation lasts thirty days, and females usually have one litter per year with an average of 6.5 pups. Newborns grow to adult size at around 217 days after birth. Both males and females reach sexual maturity during the first year.

## Habitat

The habitat of *A. harrisii* ranges across the Southwestern United States, specifically in Arizona and the southwest of New Mexico. The range extends outside the US into Mexico into the northwest of the state of Sonora. They are designated as a non-game animal by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. While the species is not endangered, the range of its habitats is being reduced by human developments.

Their diet includes the fruit and seeds of local cactus plants, as well as beans of the mesquite plant. They do not only eat vegetation, and also consume insects, small rodents and carrion. They have a variety of predators including the bobcat, coyotes, as well as local snakes and domestic animals such as dogs and cats.
Green Pond Frog

***Euphlyctis hexadactylus***, also known as the **green pond frog**, **Indian green frog**, and **Indian five-fingered frog**, is a common species of aquatic frog found in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The nominal taxon likely represents a species complex.

## Description

Green pond frogs have a set of Vomerine teeth in two oblique series extending beyond the hinder edge of the choanae. Head moderate; snout rather pointed; *cauthus rostralis* indistinct; intororbital space much narrower than the upper eyelid; tympanum distinct, as large as the eye. Fingers slender, acutely pointed, first extending a little beyond second; toes webbed to the tips, which are acutely pointed; outer toe strongly fringed; fourth toe not very much longer than third or fifth; subarticular tubercles of fingers and toes very small; inner metatarsal tubercle small, conical; no outer tubercle. When the hind limb is corned forwards along the body, the tibio-tarsal articulation reaches the eye. Skin smooth, with more or less distinct rows of pores round the neck, sides, and belly. Brown above; sometimes a light vertebral line: two blackish streaks on the hinder side of the thighs, sometimes indistinct. Young beautifully striped. Male with two external vocal vesicles opening by two slits beneath the angles of the mouth.

## Habitat

*E. hexadactylus* is a largely aquatic species, found in most types of water bodies. It has even been recorded from brackish water in Sri Lanka.

## Diet

The diet of adult green pond frogs is unusual in that plant leaves and some flowers constitute a large part of their diets. However, they also consume invertebrates and small vertebrates. Juveniles, however, are insectivores.
Jaguars

Jaguars are mammals they live in South America they like rainforests they look like leopards they have teeth and claws and brown spots they are enemies they eat anteaters and llamas they sleep in dens they from in a cartoon like 64 zoo lane ma cli bo and meet the animals giant anteater 59 do you think Jaguars are dangerous
Eclectus Parrot

Eclectus parrots come in a variety of sub-species, including the Grand Eclectus, the Vosmaeri, and the Solomon Island Eclectus (*Eclectus roratus solomonensis*) which is the most commonly found Eclectus in captivity. Originating in the Solomon Islands, this bird is prized for its stunning appearance and great pet quality. A little harder to find than some of the other parrots of this size, the Solomon is easily recognizable once you do find one — you can’t miss an Eclectus! Their feathers do not have a distinct outline like the feathers of other birds; Eclectus parrots look as if they are covered with a fine fur, and along with their day-glow colors, the effect is astounding.

Eclectus are dimorphic, meaning that there are visual distinctions between the sexes. Males are a bright green and have a horn-colored beak, with a splash of bright blue on the wing and a bright red underwing. The females are a stunning red with a deep violet belly and a black beak. In fact, because of these differences, these birds were not bred successfully for many years because breeders were putting males with males and hens with hens! It wasn’t until a couple of decades ago that someone realized that the green birds were male and the red birds were female.
Horn Shark

The horn shark is a small species of shark, natively found in the coastal waters of north-west North America. The horn shark is named for the broad, flattened head and high ridge found behind this shark's large eyes that is almost horn-like in appearance and makes this shark one of the hardiest of all shark species.

The horn shark is endemic to the Pacific north-east, and is only found in the warmer waters off the coast of California. The horn shark is most commonly found along the temperate to sub-tropical continental shelves where it spends most of it's time in search of hard-shelled marine organisms to eat off the sea-bed.

The horn shark is a small species of shark that typically measures about 1 meter in length. The horn shark can be most easily recognized by a short, blunt head with ridges over its eyes and two high dorsal fins with large venomous spines. The horn shark is usually a brown or grey colour with many small dark spots across it's body.

The horn shark is a clumsy swimmer that prefers to use its flexible, muscular pectoral fins to push itself along the bottom of the ocean rather than swimming through it. The horn shark is usually solitary, though small groups have been recorded (particularly during the mating season). During the day, horn sharks rest motionless, hidden inside caves or crevices, or within thick mats of algae, though they remain relatively alert and will swim away quickly if disturbed. After dusk, they roam actively above the reef in search of food.

Horn sharks are carnivorous predators and although they do eat fish and marine invertebrates on the ocean floor, around 95% of the horn shark's diet is made up of hard-shelled molluscs and crustaceans which they horn shark uses its short, hardened head to break them apart before eating the fleshy insides. Horn sharks also feed on echinoderms such as sea urchins and star fish.

Despite being quite complex predators themselves, the relatively small size of the horn shark means that they are by no means at the top of the food chain within their natural environment. Large species of fish prey on the horn shark along with other sharks that share their native range. Humans are also one of the horn shark biggest threat as although they are not really hunted, horn sharks are often caught as by-catch when we are fishing for other things.

Horn sharks tend to mate in between December and January with the female laying her eggs 4 to 5 months later. Female horn sharks can lay up to 24 eggs over a period of 2 weeks, which float in the ocean in a spiralled casing. The female horn shark is one of the only shark species to display pre-natal care, as she collects her eggs in her mouth before depositing them into the safety of crevices in the rocks. The horn shark pups usually hatch within a month.

Today, as so little is known about the horn shark population off the Californian coast, they have been listed as being Data Deficient as their is not enough information about their status in the wild. Like many other species however, the horn shark populations are being threatened both by water pollution and commercial fishing in the area.
European Hamster

The **European hamster**, (*Cricetus cricetus*), also known as the **Eurasian hamster**, **black-bellied hamster** or **common hamster**, is the only species of the genus *Cricetus*. It is native to a large range in Eurasia, extending from Belgium to the Altai mountains and Yenisey River in Russia. Where abundant the animal is widely considered a farmland pest, and it has also been trapped for its fur. Across its global range, it is considered of least concern, but in many individual Western European countries it is considered critically endangered. *Cricetus* is also a monotypic genus.

## Description

The European hamster has brown dorsal fur with white patches. The chest and belly are black. The tail is short and furred. It is much larger than the Syrian or dwarf hamsters, which are commonly kept as pets. It weighs 220–460 g (7.8–16.2 oz) and can grow to 20–35 cm (8–14 in) long with a tail of 40–60 mm (1.6–2.4 in). Its dental formula is 1/1, 0/0, 0/0, 3/3.

## Behavior

The common hamster is a nocturnal or crepuscular species. It lives in a complex burrow system. It eats seeds, legumes, root vegetables, grasses and insects. It transports its food in its elastic cheek pouches to the food storage chambers. These may be quite large and may consist of a total of 65 kg of food including 5 kg of potatoes and 15 kg of grain. It hibernates between October and March. During this time, it wakes every five to seven days to feed from the storage chambers. The adults reach sexual maturity when they are about 43 days old and breed from early April to August. The gestation period is 18–20 days and the size of the litter ranges from three to 15 young, which are weaned when aged three weeks. They are usually solitary animals.

## Distribution

It is typically found in low-lying farmland with soft loam or loess soils, although it may also inhabit meadows, gardens or hedges. It is found from Belgium and Alsace in the west, to Russia in the east, and Bulgaria in the south. In captivity, the European hamster has an unusually long lifespan, living up to eight years. The Court of Justice in Luxembourg, the European Union's highest court, ruled on 9 June 2011 that France had failed to protect the European hamster. The court said that if France did not adjust its agricultural and urbanization policies sufficiently to protect it, the government would be subject to fines of up to $24.6 million.
Long-Beaked Echidna

The **western long-beaked echidna** (*Zaglossus bruijnii*) is one of the four extant echidnas and one of three species of *Zaglossus* that occur in New Guinea. Originally described as *Tachyglossus bruijnii*, this is the type species of *Zaglossus*.

## Description

The western long-beaked echidna is an egg-laying mammal. Unlike the short-beaked echidna, which eats ants and termites, the long-beaked species eats earthworms. The long-beaked echidna is also larger than the short-beaked species, reaching up to 16.5 kilograms (36 lb); the snout is longer and turns downward; and the spines are almost indistinguishable from the long fur. It is distinguished from the other *Zaglossus* species by the number of claws on the fore and hind feet: three (rarely four). It is the largest extant monotreme.

## Distribution and Habitat

The species is found in the Bird's Head Peninsula and Foja Mountains of West Papua and Papua provinces, Indonesia, respectively, in regions of elevation between 1,300 and 4,000 metres (4,300 and 13,100 ft); it is absent from the southern lowlands and north coast. Its preferred habitats are alpine meadow and humid montane forests.

A re-examination of a specimen in the British Museum (Tring collection), noted as collected at a site in the Kimberley region of north-west Australia, was identified as this species. The skin and skull is labelled as part of the material collected by John T. Tunney on an expedition through that region in the 1930s. If accurate it is evidence of a species thought to be have been extinct for millennia in Australia; the only records up to that time of *Zaglossus*was of fossils dated to the pleistocene period. The conclusion of the authors, supported by evidence from Aboriginal elders of the region and similar habitat to Papuan population, was that this species ought to be recognised in the state's fauna as persisting into the modern era and may be extant in a poorly surveyed area of the region.

## Conservation

The species is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN; numbers have decreased due to human activities including habitat loss and hunting. The long-beaked echidna is considered a delicacy, and although commercial hunting of the species has been banned by the Indonesian and Papua New Guinean governments, traditional hunting is permitted. In January 2013, an expedition led by Conservation International reported finding a population of the mammals as part of what they described as a "lost world" of wildlife in the Foja Mountains of Papua Province, Indonesia. A specimen collected in 1901 by John T. Tunney, later identified by Helgen *et al.* (2012), might prove that, in addition to New Guinea, the species inhabited the northern part of Western Australia (Kimberley) at least as recently as the beginning of the 20th century.
Giraffe Weevil

The **giraffe weevil** (*Trachelophorus giraffa*) is a weevil endemic to Madagascar. It derives its name from an extended neck much like that of the common giraffe. The giraffe weevil is sexually dimorphic, with the neck of the male typically being 2 to 3 times the length of that of the female. Most of the body is black with distinctive red elytra covering the flying wings. The total body length of the males is just under an inch (2.5 cm), among the longest for any Attelabid species. The extended neck is an adaptation that assists in nest building and fighting. When it comes time to breed, the mother-to-be will roll and secure a leaf of the host plant, *Dichaetanthera cordifolia* and *Dichaetanthera arborea* (a small tree in the family Melastomataceae), and then lay a single egg within the tube. She will then snip the roll from the remaining leaf in preparation of the egg hatching.
Donkey

The domestic Donkey, also known as “ burro or ass,” is a subspecies of the African wild ass. Their closest relatives are the other members of the Equidae family and descended from the African wild ass (*Equus africanus*; *see* ass). It is known to have been used as a beast of burden since 4000 BCE. The average donkey stands 101.6 cm (40 inches) at the shoulder, but different breeds vary greatly. The Sicilian donkey reaches only about 61 cm (24 inches), while the large ass of Majorca stands at about 157.5 cm (62 inches), and the American ass has been measured to 167.6 cm (66 inches). In colour the donkey ranges from white to gray or black and usually has a dark stripe from mane to tail and a crosswise stripe on the shoulders. The mane is short and upright and the tail, with long hairs only at the end, is more cowlike than horselike. The very long ears are dark at the base and tip. Although slower than horses, donkeys are surefooted and can carry heavy loads over rough terrain. The mule is a hybrid, the offspring of the mating of a male (jackass, or jack) donkey and a female horse. In some parts of the world where horses cannot easily survive or where extreme poverty prevents locals from owning horses, donkeys are the main beasts of burden and source of transportation.

Although the names donkey and burro are interchangeable, the term burro is widely used in the southwestern United States to describe small donkeys, *burro* being the word for donkey in the Spanish language. Feral donkeys, found in various parts of the world, are descendants of escaped or abandoned domestic animals. In the western United States, many authorities consider that the large population of feral burros is driving the desert bighorn sheep to extinction by competing for the limited resources of its very arid habitat. On tropical islands where plants evolved in the absence of large mammalian herbivores, feral donkeys pose a real threat of extinction for native plants. Efforts to remove donkeys from habitats where they are not native has generated a great deal of controversy, pitting animal rights groups against biologists and other conservation groups who see donkeys as an alien species and a threat to biodiversity conservation.

## Gallery

MoukMoukZoo MixMerge ZooElefant und HasePinkfong: The Donkey in the Lion's Skin
Downy Woodpecker

The smallest woodpecker, the downy is also among our most widespread and familiar species; it is a confiding bird that often visits feeders. In all respects it suggests a small version of the hairy woodpecker, both differing from our other species by the broad white stripe down the back. Poly­typic. Length 6" (17 cm).

**Identification**

The small size and often acrobatic foraging on small branches and twigs are distinctive, and the plumage pattern can be confused only with the hairy. Has hybridized with the Nuttall’s. Adult: black crown, auricular and malar; upper back, scapulars and rump black, but a broad white stripe extends down the center of the back. Underparts unmarked white (to grayish buff in some populations). Outer tail feathers white with limited black spotting; variable white spotting on the upperwing coverts and barring on the remiges. Male has a small red nuchal patch, lacking in the female. Juvenile: as in other pied woodpeckers, both sexes have a pale red patch in the center of the crown, more extensive in male.

**Geographic Variation**

The 7 subspecies differ mainly in size (northern birds generally larger), underpart color (white to gray tinged), amount of black in rectrices, and amount of white spotting in wings. Southeastern birds are smaller and slightly grayer below than boreal and northeastern birds. Pacific coast birds have reduced white spotting on the wing coverts and secondaries; such white spotting is most highly developed in birds east of the Rockies. Birds of the Pacific Northwest are tinged gray on the back and gray-buff below.

**Similar Species**

Nearly identical in patterning to the hairy woodpecker. The downy is much smaller, with a short bill (much shorter than head); outer tail feathers usually show black spots (but these can be lacking, and darkest Hairy subspecies may show a few spots). Pale nasal tuft of the downy is relatively larger than in the hairy. The hairy shows a larger wedge of black from the rear of the malar stripe onto the breast. Note differences in calls.

**Voice**

Call: *pik* call is higher and much softer than hairy’s sharp, ringing *peek*. Commonly gives a distinctive high, slightly descending and accelerating whinny, *kee-kee-kee-kee*. Drum: a soft roll, slightly slower than that of hairy; about 17 beats a second, with drum lasting 0.8–1.5 seconds.

**Status and Distribution**

Common; uncommon in northern boreal regions. Year-round: resident in a variety of deciduous woodlands and, more sparsely, in coniferous forests; also found in parks, gardens, and orchards, even in urban regions. Absent from most of the lowlands of the desert Southwest. Dispersal: this species is not migratory, but some individuals can disperse long distances. Casual in southern Arizona, Queen Charlotte Island.

**Population**

Generally stable or increasing, but some declines have been noted in the Southeast.