Saiga Antelope

 

• The saiga antelope is an ancient species having lived during the times of the Woolly Mammoth and Saber Tooth Tiger.
•  Despite outliving these other ancient species, the species is now endangered with three of its five remaining population groups consisting of fewer than 6,500 animals each.
• The saiga can be found living in the dry steppes and semi desert grassy plains of Central Asia. Saigas will eat a range of over a hundred different plant species.
•  During the breeding season males become extremely protective and often fight one another, leaving the males very weak by the end of the season.
  
  
  
  

 

 

 

 

 

Polar Bear

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• Polar bears are solitary creatures. The only times bears will be seen together is during mating season, when a mother is with her cubs, or in rare instances when they are competing over the same limited food source.
• Polar bear cubs will stay with their mother until they are 2-3 years old and can hunt on their own.
• Polar bears spend much of their time away from land, so as the ice caps continue to melt they must travel throughout the artic landscape in order to survive. Individuals can travel thousands of miles in a year to find stable ice and food, swimming at an average of 6 MPH.
• A polar bear’s fur is hollow, which allows it to trap heat from the sun to keep the polar bear warm. The white appearance of the fur is actually a reflection of the light, meaning the polar bear’s fur isn’t actually white.
  
  

Loggerhead Turtle

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• Loggerheads can be found in nearly all the temperate and tropical oceans in the world depending on the time of year.
• Loggerheads have massive heads and an incredibly strong jaw.
• These turtles provide little to no parental support for their young. A female will lay between 110-130 eggs. Once the baby turtles hatch, they will make their way to the ocean following the brightest light on the horizon. As beachfront development continues, many hatchlings become confused by the bright lights and are unable to make it to the ocean.
• In the wild loggerheads can live to be over 50 years old, however many of these animals are being threatened by pollution and boating.

Tiger

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• There are six subspecies of tiger: the Sumatran, Amur, Bengal, South China, Malayan, and Indochinese tiger. Depending on the subspecies these animals can reach up to 700 pounds.
• Tigers are excellent hunters. They will hunt mostly at night using their speed, up to 40 MPH, and size to take down prey, such as deer and antelope.
• Tiger cubs rely on their mothers for food until they are proficient hunters, between the ages of 18 months and 3 years. During this time mothers will increase their kill rate by 50% to provide enough food for the family.
• White tigers are the result of a regressive gene that is only present in 1 out of every 10,000 tigers.

 

 

 

 

Panamanian Golden Frog

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• The Panamanian golden frog is considered to bring luck and prosperity to the dry cloud forests in the Cordilleran Mountains of Panama it once called home,
• Its bright coloration signals to potential predators that it is toxic. The Panamanian golden frog is so toxic, it’s poisonous to touch.
• Young frogs will hide themselves until they develop their toxicity and turn bright yellow, protecting them from predators.
• The Panamanian golden frog is now believed to be extinct in the wild.

 

Monarch Butterfly

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• The monarch butterfly moves between Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. each fall and spring, this migration can take up to four generations and for some individuals can cover over 2,000 miles.
• Monarchs are poisonous if eaten by vertebrates.
• Female monarchs have thicker veins than their male counterparts and lack the swollen pouches on the hind wings that can be found on males.
• Female monarchs will lay their eggs on milkweed plants, which quickly turn into caterpillars. After two weeks, depending on the temperature, the caterpillar will form its cocoon and emerge as an adult butterfly in 9-15 days.

 

Black Rhino

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• Despite its name the black rhino is not actually black in color.
• Black rhinos live in the grasslands, savannahs and tropics of Africa. They are considered to be browsers and scavengers eating a wide array of plants and grasses.
• The black rhino can’t see very well, but makes up for it with keen senses of smell and hearing. This limitation has caused them to develop an aggressive attitude, making them known for their unpredictable charges.
• Rhinos fall victim to poachers who seek out its horn to be sold as medicine.

 

Grevy's Zebra

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• Grevy’s zebra is the largest of the zebra species and sticks out because of its rounded ears and unusually plain white underbelly and thin black stripes.
• Grevy’s zebras are fast runners, up to 40 MPH, and even just an hour after birth foals are able to run with the rest of the herd.
• Unlike other zebra species Grevy’s zebras have a very loose social structure. New members will enter and leave herds on a daily basis. The only stable relationships are those with a stallion to his territory and a mother to her young.
• The species is named after Jules Grevy, a French president in the 1880s. During his presidency, Grevy received one as a gift from what is currently Ethiopa.

 

Hawksbill Turtle

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• Hawksbill turtles have a heat shaped shell that will elongate overtime and its head forms the shape of a beak.
• Male turtles can be differentiated from females by their brighter coloration, long claws and a thicker tail.
• Hawksbills are omnivorous and will eat various sea plants and animals, but they prefer to eat sea sponges, and can eat some sponges that are toxic to other animals.
• Unlike other sea turtles the scales on the Hawksbill’s shell overlap one another.

Jaguar

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• Jaguars are the largest cats found in the Americas. They can weigh up to 300 pounds and typically males will be 10% to 20% larger than females.
• Jaguars are exceptional swimmers and will swim through rivers to find food, such as turtles, fish and caiman. Not only are they great swimmers, but they can also hunt on land and are able to climb trees to find prey.
• Although jaguars currently cover a range of approximately 3.4 million square miles, this is less than half of their original range.
•  Jaguar cubs won’t open their eyes for up to two weeks after birth and will be completely dependent upon their mothers for nearly three years.

 

 

Mountain Gorilla

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• Gorillas live communities of up to 30 members called troops. These troops will cover a range from ¾ to 16 square miles eating and nesting, activities performed by the troops are all led by the troop leader.
• The dominate adult male within a troop is often referred to as the Silverback.
• It is believed that there are only between 400 and 600 mountain gorillas alive in the wild.
• Gorillas are the largest living primates. A male gorilla can be over six feet tall and weigh between 300 and 500 pounds.

 

 

African Elephant

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• There are two subspecies of African elephant: the savanna elephant and the forest elephant. Forest elephants are slightly smaller than savanna elephants.
• African elephants are the heaviest land species, and will continue to grow their entire lives.
• African elephants live in matriarchal societies; meaning that the oldest female will lead the herd of 9 to 11 closely related female elephants and their offspring. The matriarch is responsible for determining where the heard eats, drinks, bathes and rests.
• The ears on an African elephant resemble the content of Africa, and both male and female elephants will have tusks.

Giant Panda

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• Giant pandas will spend nearly half the day eating bamboo, its favorite snack, or on occasion birds or rodents.
• Pandas are extremely talented climbers and have been know to climb up to 13,000 feet in search of food.
• Pandas do not hibernate during the winter like other bear species, it will however move from the highlands into the lowlands in the winter months.
• In the wild pandas are limited to three provinces within China: Sichuan, Gansu, and Shanxi. In total pandas habitat covers approximately 2,200 square miles.

 

Sea Otter

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• Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal species. And are found in temperate coastal waters, typically less than a half mile from the shore.
• Otters will do everything from eating to sleeping to giving birth in the water.
• In order to stay warm in the cold sea, this animal must keep its thick insulating fur extremely clean.
• Sea otters are one of few mammals that use tools. Otters will use stones and shells to break open clams and other food.

 

 

Orangutan

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• There are two subspecies of orangutans, the Sumatran and the Borean. These are the only species of great apes found in Asia.
• Some orangutans may spend up to 90% of their lives living in the trees making their long arms (they can have an arm-span can be up to 8 feet long) an important asset.
• These animals prefer to spend most of their lives alone and will make loud calls to ensure that no other member of their species is around; the longest and loudest of their call can be heard from over a mile away.
• Orangutans share many similarities with humans, they have opposable thumbs and 32 permanent teeth, just like humans.

 

 

 

Golden-lion Tamarin

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• Golden-lion tamarins live up high in the canopy of humid forest, and will often remain 30 to 90 feet off the ground.
• Golden-lion tamarins have bright orange long silky that covers its entire body.
• These animals live as families among the trees, where the males usually care for their young, which are often born as twins.
• Golden-lion tamarins are considered prey to hawks, other raptors, cats and snakes. However, golden-lion tamarins have at least 17 different vocalizations to warn one another.

 

 

Asian Elephant

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• Asian elephants are slightly smaller than African elephants, have smaller ears, and only male Asian elephants will have tusks.
• Asian elephants usually live just outside of forests, in areas that combine grasses, low woody plants, and forests.
•  In its native countries, such as India and Thailand, African elephants have been domesticated for thousands of years.
• In order to cool down elephants will flap their ears at different speeds depending on how hot they are.

 

 

Philippine Cockatoo

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• The Philippine cockatoo is a type of parrot and is highly prized for pet trade.
• Philippine cockatoos are also known as the red-vented cockatoo because of the contrasting orange and red feathers on the underside of its tail.
• The Philippine cockatoo is considered to be one of the most threatened bird species in the Philippines and now only occupies 2% of its original range.
• If multiple birds are calling at the same time the noise they produce is so loud it’s almost deafening.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Saguaro Cactus

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• The saguaro cactus can grow to be over 70 feet tall! It is also a very long living cactus, with one arm taking up to 75 years to grow.
• Found in California, Arizona and Mexico, their blooms open in the evening, producing yellow or white flowers that attracts larger pollinators, like the lesser long-nosed bat.
• The saguaro cactus is and was a very important plant for many Native American tribes located in the Southwest. Tribes rely on the cactus for many things, eating the large red fruit is produces, using the spines as sewing needles, and harvesting the cactus' ribs for roofing or harvesting tools.
• In addition to supporting bats, birds also build their nests within the cactus as they drill holes into the stem.

Lady Slipper Orchid

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• The lady slipper orchids have a large pouch that resembles a slipper. This pouch is a trap for insects that, once caught, must crawl out over the flower's pollen. This clever trick helps to pollinate other orchids and ensure the plant's survival.
• Found in North and South America, as well as in Europe and Asia, there are around 50 species found around the world.
• Contrary to popular belief, some species of orchid are very hearty and tough. One species of lady slipper orchid lives in Alaska and its roots sprout through the snow every year!
• Orchids are desired around the globe because of their unusual beauty and also their value for traditional medicines.

Venus Flytrap

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• Unlike most other plants, the Venus Flytrap is carnivorous, eating insects and spiders.
• When an insect crawls along the venus flytrap's leaves it may touch small hairs, which, once touched, cause the plant's jaw-like leaves to close, trapping the insect inside.
• The venus flytrap evolved to trap insects because its environment lacked the nutrients typically needed by plants. It is found only in the bogs and wet savannahs of North and South Carolina.
• Venus flytraps are popular houseplants, though they can be hard to grow and it may take years for seedlings to mature.

Queen Conch

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• The queen conch (Strombus gigas) is a marine snail or gastropod (Latin for belly-foot).
• The heavy shell is glossy pink, orange, or yellow on its interior and reaches its full size after 3 years. It then starts to form a “lip” that flares away from the shell.The shell continues to thicken throughout the conch’s life.
• Conch range throughout the Caribbean in warm waters varying in depths from 1 to 70 feet although they have been found at depths of 500 feet. Conch may wander for miles foraging on algae, sea grasses, sand, and dead material.
• Adult queen conch are eaten by loggerhead sea turtles, horse conch, and humans. The edible meat comes from the single, long foot common to all snails.