Animalia Video

Crocodiles, A Fighter from Swamp

Crocodiles are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, Americas and Australia. Crocodiles tend to congregate in freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water. They feed mostly on vertebrates like fish, reptiles, and mammals, sometimes on invertebrates like mollusks and crustaceans, depending on species. They are an ancient lineage, and are believed to have changed little since the time of the dinosaurs. They are believed to be 200 million years old whereas dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago; crocodiles survived great extinction events.Crocodiles are ambush hunters, waiting for fish or land animals to come close, then rushing out to attack. Crocodiles eat fish, birds, mammals and occasionally smaller crocodiles.

Komodo, A Dinosaur from Komodo Island

The Komodo dragon is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest living species of lizard. Their unusual size has been attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live. As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.

Komodo dragon are protected under Indonesian law, and a national park, Komodo National Park, was founded to aid protection efforts.

Deer, Most Hunted Animal by Hunters

Deer are widely distributed, and hunted, with indigenous representatives in all continents except Antarctica and Australia.

Deer live in a variety of biomes ranging from tundra to the tropical rainforest. While often associated with forests, many deer are ecotone species that live in transitional areas between forests and thickets (for cover) and prairie and savanna (open space). The majority of large deer species inhabit temperate mixed deciduous forest, mountain mixed coniferous forest, tropical seasonal/dry forest, and savanna habitats around the world. Clearing open areas within forests to some extent may actually benefit deer populations by exposing the understory and allowing the types of grasses, weeds, and herbs to grow that deer like to eat.

Deer weights generally range from 40 to 200 kilograms. They generally have lithe, compact bodies and long, powerful legs suited for rugged woodland terrain. Deer are also excellent jumpers and swimmers. Deer are ruminants, or cud-chewers, and have a four-chambered stomach. The teeth of deer are adapted to feeding on vegetation, and like other ruminants, they lack upper incisors, instead having a tough pad at the front of their upper jaw.

Orangutan, Protected by Law

Orangutans are the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. They are more solitary than other apes; males and females generally come together only to mate. Orangutans may live for up to 50 years in the wild. Unlike gorillas and chimpanzees, orangutans are not true knuckle-walkers, and are instead fist-walkers. Like the other great apes, orangutans are among the most intelligent primates Orangutans do not swim. Fruit makes up 65–90 percent of the orangutan' food,

The most recent estimate for the Sumatran Orangutan is around 7,300 individuals in the wild. Orangutan habitat destruction due to logging, mining and forest fires, as well as fragmentation by roads, has been increasing rapidly in the last decade.

Honey Bear, Character of Winnie The Pooh

The Sun Bear or Honey Bear, is a bear found primarily in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.

The Sun Bear stands approximately 1.2 m in length, making it the smallest member in the bear family. Unlike other bears, the Sun Bear's fur is short and sleek. This adaptation is probably due to the lowland climates it inhabits. Dark black or brown-black fur covers its body, except on the chest, where there is a pale orange-yellow marking in the shape of a horseshoe. Similar colored fur can be found around the muzzle and the eyes. These distinctive markings give the Sun Bear its name.

The diet of the Sun Bear varies widely and includes small vertebrates, such as lizards, birds, and other mammals, in addition to fruits, eggs, termites, the young tips of palm trees, nests of bees, berries, sprouts, insects, roots, cocoa, and coconuts. Its powerful jaws can crack open nuts. Much of the Sun Bear's food must be detected using its keen sense of smell, as its sight is poor.

Snakes, A Human Enemy

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears.

The skin of a snake is covered in scales. Contrary to the popular notion of snakes being slimy because of possible confusion of snakes with worms, snakeskin has a smooth, dry texture. Most snakes use specialized belly scales to travel, gripping surfaces.

All snakes are strictly carnivorous, eating small animals including lizards, other snakes, small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails or insects. Because snakes cannot bite or tear their food to pieces, a snake must swallow its prey whole. The body size of a snake has a major influence on its eating habits.

Zebra, A Unique White and Black Stripes

Zebras are known for their distinctive white and black stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. The unique stripes and behaviors of zebras make these among the animals most familiar to people. They can be found in a variety of habitats, such as grasslands, savannas, woodlands, thorny scrublands, mountains and coastal hills.

Like horses, zebras walk, trot, canter and gallop. They are generally slower than horses but their great stamina helps them outpace predators. When chased, a zebra will zig-zag from side to side making it more difficult for the predator. When cornered the zebra will rear up and kick or bite its attacker.

Giraffe, The Tallest Land Animal

The giraffe is the tallest of all land-living animal species. It is approximately 4.3 metres. Giraffes usually inhabit savannas, grasslands, or open woodlands. However, when food is scarce they will venture into areas with denser vegetation. They prefer areas with plenty of acacia growth. They will drink large quantities of water when available, which enables them to live for extended periods in dry, arid areas. The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, which is between ten minutes and two hours in a 24-hour period, averaging 1.9 hours per day.

Elephants, Symbol of Wisdom

Elephants are the largest land animals now living. The elephant's gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 120 kilograms. They typically live for 50 to 70 years. The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1956. This male weighed about 11,000 kg.

Elephants are a symbol of wisdom in Asian cultures and are famed for their memory and intelligence

The Sumatran Elephant is found only on Sumatra. Population estimates for this group range from 2,100 to 3,000 individuals. It is very light grey in colour and has less depigmentation than the other Asians, with pink spots only on the ears. Mature Sumatrans will usually only measure 1.7–2.6 m at the shoulder and weigh less than 3,000 kg

One thing that interesting from elephants are their trunk which is used for drinking. Elephants suck water up into the trunk up to 14 litres at a time and then blow it into their mouth. Elephants also suck up water to spray on their body during bathing. Beside that, familiar elephants will greet each other by entwining their trunks, much like a handshake.

Kangoroo, Maskot of Australia

A kangaroo is a marsupial from Australia and New Guinea. Kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia: its emblem is used on the Australian coat of arms, on some of its currency, as well as by some of Australia's best known organisations. The kangaroo is important to both Australian culture and the national image.

The average life expectancy of a kangaroo is about 4–6 years.
Kangaroos have developed a number of adaptations to a dry, infertile continent and highly variable climate.

The kangaroo has been historically a source of food for indigenous Australians. Kangaroo meat is high in protein and low in fat (about 2%). Kangaroo meat has a very high concentration of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) when compared with other foods. CLA has been attributed with a wide range of health benefits including anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetes properties, in addition to reducing obesity and atherosclerosis.

Hippo, Character of Gloria in Madagaskar

The hippopotamus or hippo, is a large, mostly herbivorous mammals adn the third largest land animal (after the elephant and the white rhinoceros) and the heaviest extant artiodactyl, despite being considerably shorter than the giraffe. It is also the fourth largest mammals in the world (after whales, elephants, and rhinoceroses)

The hippopotamus is semi-aquatic, inhabiting rivers and lakes. Their specific gravity allows them to sink and walk or run along the bottom of a river. During the day they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grass. While hippopotamuses rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land.

A hippo's lifespan is typically 40 to 50 years.

Iguana, A Lizard from Tropic Areas

Iguana is a of lizard native to tropical areas of Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Iguanas have excellent vision and are able to see shapes, shadows, colors and movement at long distances. Iguanas use their eyes to navigate through crowded forests, as well as for finding food. They use visual signals to communicate with other members of the same species. Iguanas are often hard to spot, as they tend to blend into their surroundings. The color green helps as a mode of hiding from larger predators.

Jaguar, A Big Cat from America

The jaguar is a largely solitary, stalk-and-ambush predator, and is opportunistic in prey selection. It is also an apex and keystone predator, playing an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and regulating the populations of prey species. The jaguar has an exceptionally powerful bite, even relative to the other big cats. This allows it to pierce the shells of armoured reptiles and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of prey between the ears to deliver a fatal bite to the brain. A short and stocky limb structure makes the jaguar adept at climbing, crawling and swimming.

Like all cats, the jaguar is an obligate carnivore, feeding only on meat. It is an opportunistic hunter and its diet encompasses 87 species. The jaguar prefers large prey and will take deer, capybara, tapirs, peccaries, dogs, foxes, and sometimes even anacondas and caiman. However, the cat will eat any small species that can be caught, including frogs, mice, birds, fish, sloths, monkeys, and turtles.

Tiger, Pooh's Friend in Winnie The Pooh

The Sumatran Tiger itself is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and is critically endangered. It is the smallest of all living tiger subspecies, with adult males weighing between 100–140 kg and females 75–110 kg. Their small size is an adaptation to the thick, dense forests of the island of Sumatra where they reside, as well as the smaller-sized prey. They have a lifespan of 10-15 years in the wild, but can live longer than 20 years in captivity. The wild population is estimated at between 400 and 500, seen chiefly in the island's national parks. Recent genetic testing has revealed the presence of unique genetic markers, indicating that it may develop into a separate species. This has led to suggestions that Sumatran tigers should have greater priority for conservation than any other subspecies. While habitat destruction is the main threat to existing tiger population (logging continues even in the supposedly protected national parks), 66 tigers were recorded as being shot and killed between 1998 and 2000, or nearly 20% of the total population.

Camel, Undefeatable Animal in Dessert

A camel, an animal which well known with humps on its back. Camels are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia, and Central and East Asia, respectively. They are domesticated to provide milk and meat, and as beasts of burden.

The average life expectancy of a camel is 40 to 50 years. They can run at up to 65 km/hour in short bursts and sustain speeds of up to 40 km/hour

Actually, camels do not store water in their humps as is commonly believed. The humps are actually a reservoir of fatty tissue. Concentrating body fat in their humps minimizes heat-trapping insulation throughout the rest of their body, which may be an adaptation to living in hot climates. Their ability to withstand long periods without water is due to a series of physiological adaptations.

Camels eat green herbage can ingest sufficient moisture in milder conditions to maintain their bodies' hydrated state without the need for drinking.