Life of the Unknown

The Mysterious Tapir          Tapirs they look like small pigs but are very different from them. lets learn some interesting facts bout them.Tapirs are large mammals that look like wild hogs with anteater snouts. In reality, tapirs are neither, and they are most closely related to horses and rhinos.   tapirs are a bit of a Hodge-dodge. They are about the size of a donkey. They have round bodies, short legs and stubby tails, sort of like a hippo. Their eyes and ears are small. They have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot                             Tapir fact 1: There are four species of tapir. Baird’s tapir ( Tapirus bairdii ); population: Fewer than 5,500 Lowland tapir ( Tapirus terrestris ); no exact number, habitat decreasing; Mountain tapir ( Tapirus pinchaque ); population: No more than 2,500 Malayan tapir ( Tapirus indicus ); popula...

One Horned  Rhinoceros Rhinoceroses are large, herbivorous mammals identified by their characteristic horned snouts. The    word "rhinoceros" comes from the Greek "rhino" (nose) and "ceros" (horn). There are five species and 11 subspecies of rhino; some have two horns, while others have one. Some amazing facts about Rhino: Rhino horns: Rhino horns are made of keratin, which is also the key component of human hair and      finger nails. But the horns are not just dense clumps of hair. The horns are similar to horse hooves, turtle beaks and cockatoo bills, said Tobin Hieronymus, an OU doctoral student.Rhino horns tend to curve backward,toward the head, because the keratin in front grows faster than the keratin in the back. Though rhinos don't often hang out with each other, they do hang out with birds. The ox pecker  will sit on a rhino's back and eat the bugs that crawl on the rhino's skin. That's not the only thin...

African wild dog Living In the wild  the African wild dog(Lycaon pictus), also known as African hunting dog,African painted dog, painted hunting dog or painted wolf.  The African wild dog is a highlysocial animal, living in packs with separate dominance hierarchies for males and females 1. A fascinating physique  Their scientific name, Lycaon pictus, literally means painted wolf, referencing their mottled fur with black, brown, yellow and white colourings. Every dog’s coat has a unique pattern making individuals easy to spot. They have an extremely powerful bite with specialisedmolars for shearing meat and breaking bone and have exceptionally keen senses of sight, smell and particularly hearing, . Large rounded ears lined with numerous muscles allow the dogs to swivel them like two radar dishes, picking up the minutest of sounds. Long legs, a lean build and rapid muscle recovery all assist in making this animal a formidable endurance hunter . 2. They h...

Captivating Chimpanzees  Their climbing lifestyle accentuates the need for arm strength. A chimp on four legs can easily outrun a world-class human sprinter. But it sounds extreme to suggest that humans are only an eighth as strong as chimpanzees. Facts 1. Much like usChimpanzees represent our closest living relative, sharing 98% of our genetic DNA. 2. Complex social livesChimps live in vast social communities, consisting of up to about 50 individuals and comprising of several family groups. They have strict hierarchies, with one dominant alpha male. 3. How they get aroundThey get around by by swinging through trees and by walking on all fours  (knuckle-walking), but they can also walk upright on two feet if they want to. 4. Varied dietWhile chimps consume a wide variety of foods, including the fruits and leaves of hundreds of plants,they overwhelmingly prefer the fruit of fig or Ficus trees.Though they also eat meat – their favourite is red col...

The Threat in the Snow  In the Snow resides the wild. A  largest cat native to the mountain ranges of Central  andSouth Asia.  The snow leopard, known for its beautiful, thick fur, has a white, yellowish or soft gray coat with ringed spots of black on brown. The markings help camouflage it from prey. The Facts of the Wild Snow leopard : 1.Snow leopards live in harsh, snowy, rugged alpineregions in central and south Asia. They can be foundat elevations between 3,000 to 4,500 metres.  2.Adults are solitary and only interact with other leopards during the breeding season.  3.These big cats have enormous furry paws, which act as snowshoes by spreading their body weight more evenly across the snow. They also help muffle the sound of their movement and protect their toes from the biting cold.  4.Their long, thick tails are used as a balancing aid when chasing prey.Snow leopard walking down a snow covered slope in Hemas Natio...