Elephants
Billing from varied parts of the world, including India and the African continent and weighing more than 6,000 pounds it is the elephant. Elephants are the world’s largest land animals; their sheer size puts them ahead of anyone else that isn’t in the oceans.
At birth, calves can weigh up to 120kg! Baby elephants are no laughing matter. Elephants have excellent memories and some have even been taught to paint using a paintbrush which they hold with their trunk.
If you want to tell apart two species of Elephants, then you have to focus on their ears.
Cheetahs
Cheetahs are known for being the fastest mammals on Earth. They have earned such an epithet by consistently reaching speeds from 60 to 70 miles an hour. But this speed can only be maintained for short distances, so don’t go on thinking that they are marathon runners.
Despite being wild animals that take the role of predator, they are not the biggest or heaviest. They weigh only 77 to 143 pounds and live 14 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity.
Cheetahs are famous for their spotted patterns.
Giraffes
Giraffes do have knees, but they are not known to use them often. Why? It is because they don’t have the adequate muscles to be able to pick themselves up from the ground should they come to a complete rest. Although this doesn’t mean that they aren’t used at all, quite the contrary, they do see use daily. When drinking water, they spread their legs and aim their large necks downwards to reach the bodies of water below.
Giraffes settle conflicts by swinging their large necks and beating each other.
Black Bears
Black bears get a bad rap for being dangerous savages that will rip you to shreds and assault you the second they get a chance. But in reality, the black ones are nowhere near as dangerous as the white ones. Polar bears are far more aggressive than black bears. Black bears are territorial and are not afraid to leap into danger to protect their cubs. If you ever run into a black bear, back away slowly while facing it.
Black bears are excellent at climbing and running long distances.
Buffalo
Buffalo also goes by the name Bison in some promotions. Bison are the largest mammals in North America; their territory ranges from the upper United States to Canada. Believe it or not, these North American Buffalo are in no way related to the African Buffalo or the Water Buffalo. They are completely separate species and should be treated as such.
The male bison are slightly larger than their female counterparts. Bison are hugely dependent on water, needing to drink it every day.
The American bison is very closely related to goats and cows.
Ostriches
The ostrich is a flightless bird species native to several parts of the African continent. They hold the title of the world’s largest bird and have been the undisputed champions of the said belt for several hundred years.
Ostriches may not be able to fly, but they certainly don’t need to because they can reach speeds of 45 miles per hour. They have huge eyelashes to protect them from the harsh sand storms common in many deserts and barren areas.
Ostriches don’t have any teeth, only a large beak.
Beavers
Beavers are one of the largest living rodents in the world. They may not be the biggest, but their incredible ability to build dams where they can live, store food, and nurse their young is astonishing.
They don’t need to be the biggest, only the smartest. Across the entire world, there are only two species of beavers, and both species have been known to cut down large trees with their teeth. They break these logs into more manageable chunks for construction.
Beavers are excellent swimmers due to their tails.
Camels
It should be said that dogs are not man’s only best friend. Camels have been kept in captivity by humans for the last 4,000 years. They are essential to traverse large parts of the desert while carrying luggage and even humans.
Their long eyelashes protect them against the harsh sands of the desert; without them, camels would quickly go blind. Camels have three sets of eyelashes. They can be found in India, Jordan, and even Tunisia.
Thinking padding on their chest makes for comfortable sitting.
Cows
Let me start this section on cows by stating the two things everyone knows about these mammals. The first is that cows have four stomachs; this is to extract the maximum nutritional value from the grass and vegetation that they eat.
The other commonly known fact is that cows can secrete milk from their udders. But how the milk is made is not common knowledge. Special cells combine with sugars from the livers of cows to create milk.
Non-pregnant cows are given hormone injections to induce milk creation.
Dogs
Dogs are a favorite the world over for many good reasons. They are loyal companions that can be trained to perform and provide assistance in all sorts of tasks.
Did you know, that the print on a dog’s nose is different for each dog?
The print of a dog’s nose is similar to that of a human‘s fingerprints. Dogs also can dream, and they regularly do so. Young pups and old dogs dream much more often than those stuck in the middle of them.
Dogs have a great sense of smell.
Donkeys
Donkeys have massive appetites and can devour a whole acre in no time. Their great appetites are kept in check by the speed at which they can travel and chew. They belong to the same family as zebras and horses and share many common features.
The only difference, though, is that donkeys have ears that are stockier than that of horses. On average, they weigh up to 551 pounds and measure around 49 inches in length. Not the biggest guy around.
Donkeys go by many names, partly due to language differences.
Ferrets
Ferrets may be cute, but they belong to the weasel family. This family of animals contains polecats, stoats, and ermines. Ferrets can be kept as pets because they have been domesticated for around 2,500 years.
This has led the species to become receptive to human ownership and command. The name ferret is derived from the Latin word for “little thief”, that word is “furittus”. The normal heart rate of a ferret ranges around the 200 to 250 beats per minute mark.
Ferrets are crepuscular, being active most at twilight.
Red-Eyed Tree Frogs
These brightly colored frogs have become the mascot for wildlife and business organizations worldwide. They are brightly colored and a group of red-eyed tree frogs is called an army.
Very intimidating! When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles make their way toward the water where they will fight in a battle for survival. Once they have fully matured, they must avoid a laundry list of predators looking to snack on these vibrant little amphibians.
The coloration of these frogs serves as a way to scare off any potential predators because the predators may believe the frog to be poisonous. This notion came from poisonous tree frogs, known for being blue, red, and other incredible colors. In the world of frogs, the pigmentation of your skin is incredibly important.
These frogs start as tadpoles and then grow into brown-colored adolescents before maturing into bright green adults.
Goats
Goats have been domesticated and herded by humans for more than 9,000 years. Some goats can grow an impressive set of horns but this ability is only reserved for the group’s males.
The females will at most experience a couple of small outcroppings rising from their foreheads. The lifespan of a goat is around the same as that of a dog. Goats can even be taught their name and will come to you on command if trained properly.
Baby goats take their first few steps minutes after they have been born.
Lions
Lions are the famed kings of the jungle, but oddly enough, the females engage in most of the hunting.
Although, don’t go any begin needlessly celebrating the female gender just yet because the males must fight and protect the group. They are still respected and seen as leaders. Almost all wild lions live on the African continent, but several smaller groupings are spread worldwide. Lions eat plants to fulfill their need for water.
Lions prefer to hunt during storms, the true “riders of the storm”.