SUPER ANIMAL: June 2012

Saturday 16 June 2012

Anteater

All anteaters have elongated snouts equipped with a thin tongue that can be extended to a length greater than the length of the head; their tube-shaped mouths have lips but no teeth. They use their large, curved foreclaws to tear open ant and termite mounds and for defence, while their dense and long fur protects them from attacks from the insects. All species except the giant anteater have a prehensile tail They capture their prey by inserting their tongues into insect nests that they have torn open with the long, sharp, curved claws of their front feet; the claws are also used for defense. Giant anteaters and the smaller tamanduas use their hind legs and tail as a tripod when threatened, which thus frees the front limbs to slash at attackers.

Anteater

Ant

ANT are social in habit and live together in organized colonies. Ants occur worldwide but are especially common in hot climates. They range in size from about 2 to 25 mm (about 0.08 to 1 inch). Their colour is usually yellow, brown, red, or black. A few genera (e.g., Pheidole of North America) have a metallic lustre. Typically, an ant has a large head and a slender, oval abdomen joined to the thorax, or midsection, by a small waist. In all ants there are either one or two finlike extensions running across the thin waist region. The antennae are always elbowed. There are two sets of jaws: the outer pair is used for carrying objects such as food and for digging, and the inner pair is used for chewing. Some species have a powerful sting at the tip of the abdomen.

Ant

American bison

He American bison differs from domestic cattle or oxen in several respects. It is larger and has a broad, heavy head that is carried low and cannot be raised to shoulder level. The bison also has a pronounced hump at the shoulders, heavy forequarters, and 14 ribs instead of the 13 found in cattle. The coarse, shaggy fur is dark brown in colour. It grows especially long on the head, neck, and shoulders and usually forms a beard on the chin. On rare occasions a white bison is born; these unusual specimens were especially honoured—and even worshiped—by . Both bison sexes bear short, upcurved horns, those of the cow being smaller. Bison are large, powerful animals. A mature bull stands about 2 metres (6.5 feet) at the shoulder and weighs more than 900 kg (1,980 pounds). The female is about 1.5 metres (5 feet) tall and weighs about 320 kg (700 pounds)

American bison

Alpaca

Alpacas are social herd animals that live in family groups consisting of a territorial alpha male, females and their young. Alpacas warn the herd about intruders by making sharp, noisy inhalations that sound like a high-pitched bray. The herd may attack smaller predators with their front feet, and can spit and kick. Like other lamoids, alpacas are slender-bodied animals with a long neck and legs, a short tail, a small head, and large, pointed ears. Alpacas are readily distinguished from llamas by their smaller size; they stand approximately 90 cm (35 inches) high at the shoulder and weigh 55 to 65 kg (121 to 143 pounds). The alpaca also differs from the llama in having a rounded, rather than squarish, body and in its habit of pressing its tail close to the body rather than holding it erect, as does the llama

Alpaca

Friday 15 June 2012

Felidae

Most cats are patterned with spots, stripes, or rosettes, but some, such as the puma (Puma concolor), (Herpailurus yaguarondi), and lion (Panthera leo), are uniform in colour. Black or nearly black coats occur in individuals of several species. Although lynx (genus Lynx) have a stubby tail, most cats have a long tail that makes up about a third of the animal’s total length. The head is characterized by a short nose and round face, usually with short ears. The only cat with a well-developed mane is the male African lion. Cat feet have sharp claws that are retractile except in the cheetah. In most felids the male is larger than the female

Felidae

Equidae

The family of perissodactyle ungulate mammals typified by the horse. According to the older classification this family was taken to include only the forms with tall-crowned teeth, more or less closely allied to the typical genus Equus. There is, however, such an almost complete graduation from the former to earlier and more primitive mammals with short-crowned cheek-teeth

Equidae

Canidae

Canine (family Canidae), also called canid, any of 34 living species of foxees,Wolves, jackalss, and other members of the dog family. Found throughout the world, canines tend to be slender, long-legged animals with long muzzles, bushy tails, and erect, pointed ears.
Canines are crnivoress that prey on a wide variety of animals, large and small, though some also eat carrion and vegetable matter. Highly intelligent and easily trained, canines were probably the first animals to be domesticated. On the other hand, most species have been (and are still) hunted for their pelts, and in many areas they continue to be hunted, trapped, and otherwise controlled in order to mitigate predation on livestock and game

Canidae