Howler Monkey

Howler monkeys (genus Alouatta monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests. Threats to howler monkeys include human predation, habitat destruction and being captured for captivity as pets or zoo animals.

These monkeys are famous for their loud howls, which can travel three miles through dense forest. Howler monkeys have short snouts and wide-set, round nostrils. Their noses are very keen, and the Howler monkey can smell out its food (primarily fruit and nuts) up to 2km away. Their noses are usually roundish snout-type, and the nostrils have many sensory hairs growing from the interior.

They range in size from 56 to 92 cm (22 to 36 in), excluding their tails, which can be equally as long, in fact in some cases the tail has been found to be almost 5 times the body length. This is a prime characteristic. Like many New World monkeys, they have prehensile tails, which they use for picking fruit and nuts from trees. Unlike other New World monkeys, both male and female howler monkeys have trichromatic color vision.

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This has evolved independently from other New World monkeys due to gene duplication. They have lifespans of 15 to 20 years. Howler species are dimorphic and can also be dichromatic (i.e. Alouatta caraya). Males are, on average, 1.5 to 2.0 kg heavier than females. The hyoid of Alouatta is pneumatized, one of the few cases of postcranial pneumaticity outside Saurischia. Howler monkeys generally move quadrupedally on the tops of branches, usually grasping a branch with at least two hands or one hand and the tail at all times.

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Horseshoe Crab

The horseshoe crab is a hard-shelled invertebrate found on the sea floor in warmer climates. Despite it's name, the horseshoe crab is not actually a crab (or crustacean) and is in fact more closely related to arachnids such as spiders and scorpions. There are four different species of horseshoe crab found inhabiting the warmer shallows off the coasts of India, Japan, Indonesia, the eastern USA, and the Gulf of Mexico.

The horseshoe crab has a hard outer shell, five pairs of legs and a long, thin tail which the horseshoe crab uses for changing direction whilst swimming rather than as a defensive weapon. The appearance of the horseshoe crab is thought to have changed very little from when it first evolved around 500 million years ago. Horseshoe crabs breathe using book gills, which are thin plates found on the abdomen of the horseshoe crab.

Horseshoe crabs are generally nocturnal animals, coming out of the shadows in the darkness in order to hunt for food. As carnivorous animals, horseshoe crabs only eat meat including sea worms, small molluscs and crustaceans. Thanks to their armoured casing, horseshoe crabs have few natural predators and are primarily hunted by sharks and sea turtles. Humans also widely hunt the horseshoe crab around the world, along with coastal birds that pick the horseshoe crabs out of the shallows.

Female horseshoe crabs are known to lay between 60,000 to 120,000 eggs at a time. After mating, the female horseshoe crab lays her eggs into a hole in the sand which she then covers up to protect them. Today, the horseshoe crab is still found widely along the world's warmer coastlines although horseshoe crab populations in certain areas are suffering from high levels of water pollution and over-fishing. Source

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King Crab

King crabs also called stone crabs, are a superfamily of crab-like decapod crustaceans chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their meat, many species are widely caught and sold as food, the most common being the red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus. King crabs are generally thought to be derived from hermit crab-like ancestors, which may explain the asymmetry still found in the adult forms.

Although some doubt still exists about this theory, king crabs are the most widely quoted example of carcinisation among the Decapoda. The evidence for this explanation comes from the asymmetry of the king crab's abdomen, which is thought to reflect the asymmetry of hermit crabs which is located in the west cost, which must fit into a spiral shell. Although formerly classified among the hermit crabs in the superfamily Paguroidea, king crabs are now placed in a separate superfamily, Lithodoidea.

King Crabs are known for their sheer size but only a couple of species get really big. King crabs are mainly found in the Southern Hemisphere where the waters are warmer but the Alaskan king crab is the obvious exception to this as the waters there are near freezing. Red king crabs can have a leg span of up to 1.8m, blue king crabs often weigh over 8kg! King crabs hunt small fish and plankton in the oceans and are often found close to coral reefs or rocky areas where there are plenty of places for the king crab to hide.

The king crab is generally believed to come from the ancestors of hermit crabs, as with many species of crab today. King crabs are hunted all year round by fisherman and the king crab is seen to be delicacy in many parts of the world. There are thought to be around 40 different species of king crab today, nearly all of which are hunted for food by humans due to their large size and the taste of their flesh. The most popular king crab for a human catch, is the red king crab as the red king crab is one of the largest species and one of the most readily available species of king crab in the ocean. Source

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Jellyfish

Jellyfish (also known as jellies and sea jellies) are boneless animals that float freely through the world's oceans. Although jellyfish exist in our oceans worldwide they are particularly prominent in coastal areas. Jellyfish can be found in all shapes and sizes from just a few inches in diameter to well over a metre. There are thought to be around 2,000 different species of jellyfish, the most common being the big, colourful ones found in warmer coastal areas. There are four different types of jellyfish that are categorised by their shape and the way in which they behave.

Despite the name, jellyfish are not actually fish but are instead classed in a group of their own as they are unlike any other animal on Earth. The body of the jellyfish is made up of a non-living jellylike substance called mesoglea. This jelly is surrounded by a layer of skin that is just one cell thick. The body of the jellyfish is mainly made up of water, around 90% in fact. Jellyfish also have tentacles around their mouths that vary in length depending on the species of jellyfish. The jellyfish use their tentacles to both catch and sting their prey.

Some jellyfish stings contain poison which the jellyfish uses to stun and kill its prey. The box jellyfish, found in the oceans around Australia, has a sting powerful enough to be fatal to humans. The long tentacles of the jellyfish are what produces the sting. Its been tried and tested...you can touch the top of the jellyfish without being hurt! The jellyfish is a carnivorous animal and despite it's appearance, the jellyfish is a remarkably efficient predator. Jellyfish use their tentacles to stun their prey before grabbing onto it and bringing it into their mouth.

Due to the fact that many species of jellyfish are transparent, they are often hard for predators to spot. However, jellyfish are drifters and move very slowly through the water sometimes using their tentacles to propel them along. Jellyfish are eaten by humans, sharks, squid and occasionally birds. Jellyfish release their eggs and sperm into the water which eventually meet and the egg is fertilised. The jellyfish egg quickly becomes and embryo and begins to develop in it's water world. Source

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Koala

The koala is a small bear-like mammal native to the forests of Australia. The koala does not exist in western Australia but can instead be commonly found on the east coast of Australia. Despite the bear-like appearance of the koala, the koala is not a species of bear but is a marsupial as the koala has a pouch on its tummy in which the baby koalas are carried in. The koala is a seemingly fairly docile creature, with the koala spending its time sleeping in the tops of eucalyptus trees. The koala eats the leaves of the eucalyptus tree which accounts for the majority of the diet of the koala.

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The koala in southern Australia was very nearly wiped out by Victorian settlers in the 1800s. Koala conservation work is underway, as the koala numbers slowly repopulate the southern population of the koala. There are believed to be three different subspecies of the koala, although these koala subspecies differ very little from one another. The main noted difference between koala subspecies is the today less common southern koala tends to be slightly larger than the other koalas further north.
 

Female koalas are able to start giving birth to baby koalas when the female koala is between two and three years old. Healthy female koalas will then tend to have one baby koala every year for more than 10 years. Baby koalas are weaned from birth by the mother koala on both the milk of the mother koala and eucalyptus leaves and until the baby koala is about 12 months old. Female baby koalas will tend to leave their mother at this stage and will move to surrounding forest in order to begin starting their own family.
 

Male baby koalas will generally stay with their mother until they are around 2 or 3 years old, and the male will then leave the home of the mother koala in order to find a mate. When a baby koala is first born, the baby koala spends the first 6 months of its life hidden in the pouch on the front of the mother koala. During this time, the baby koala will eat nothing but the milk produced by the mother koala and the baby koala will also grow its fur, ears and eyes. The baby koala will then be ready to begin exploring the world outside the warm pouch of the mother koala. Source

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Jaguar

The jaguar is the largest feline on the American continent, with jaguars also being the third biggest cat in the world behind the African lion and the Asian tiger. Jaguars have the strongest bite force of all the cats and like other pantherines they can roar. The jaguar is indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. Jaguars inhabit the tropical rainforest's of South America with the elusive jaguar spending a great deal of its time asleep in the trees or hunting in dense undergrowth. However, due to the habitat loss within this jaguar kingdom, the jaguar population numbers are declining making jaguars an endangered species.

Jaguars have a similar rosetting pattern to a leopard, but the jaguar has a much heavier and sturdier build. Jaguars hold the reputation for being very aggressive, though attacks on humans have historically been rare. Undoubtedly a strikingly beautiful animal, the jaguar has caught the attention of scientists and hunters alike, with many jaguar individuals having been poached for their distinctively patterned fur. Black jaguars occur from time to time. In jaguars the black colouration is a simple dominant gene. Two black jaguars can produce a lighter spotted cub in a litter of blacks. As with black leopards, you can see the spotting as black on black in strong sunlight.

Jaguars tend to prefer thick, dense, moist jungle where the jaguar has plenty of cover in order to successfully hunt and the ambush prey. Although this is the case, jaguars appear to be fairly adaptable animals and jaguars have been known to reside in reed thickets, shrub land and swamps. A jaguar was found in the desert region of southern Arizona a couple of years ago. The highest concentration of jaguars is today found around the Amazon Basin, where there is plenty of food, water and shelter for the jaguar to live undisturbed.

Although jaguar cubs are generally born between the months of December and March, it is not uncommon for jaguar cubs to be born throughout the year. Female jaguars typically give birth to two or three jaguar cubs. In mating season, the female jaguar will use loud vocal calls to attract a male jaguar into her territory. Once the jaguar cubs are born however, the female jaguar will not tolerate the male jaguar in her territory as the female jaguar becomes very protective of her cubs at this stage. Jaguar cubs are born blind and gain their sight after about two weeks. Source

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Indri

The Indri is a large species of lemur found only on the secluded island of Madagascar. The Indri evolved in the same way as every other lemur, from smaller individuals that came to the island from Africa around 50 million years ago. Due to the fact that there were no other primates to compete with, lemurs soon adapted to live in a variety of habitats, producing a diverse range of different species. Locally, the Indri is known as the babakoto which means little father or ancestor of man.

 

Like all lemurs, the Indri is found only on the island of Madagascar in lowland jungle and tropical forests. Lemurs are arboreal animals meaning that they spend the majority of their lives, eating, sleeping and mating high up in the trees. Today, the Indri however is only found in small pockets of protected forest in Eastern Madagascar, due to increased levels of logging and the clearing of land for agriculture across the island. Although actual figures are unknown there are thought to be less than 10,000 Indri left in Madagascar, meaning that the species is under severe threat in it's natural environment.

The Indri is a sociable animal, living in small family units of between 2 - 6 individuals, that consist of a male and female pair with their young. Lemurs are unique among primates as it is the females who are the dominant ones, meaning that they get to feed first while the males defend their territory. Indri's communicate through a series of eerie wailing calls both to unite families and also to mark their territory, that can be heard up to 2km away. They also urinate along borders to mark out their patch. One of the most noticeable differences between lemurs and monkeys is their dog-like snout which gives all lemurs an excellent sense of smell so they are able to sniff out these markings with ease and avoid confrontation.

The Indri is a herbivorous animal, unlike many other primates that will munch on almost everything in sight. Indris are diurnal animals meaning that they are most active during the day and this is when they hunt for food, both in the trees and on the ground. Females get first pickings and are often found foraging for very new leaves. Young leaves make up the majority of the Indri's diet along with fruits, seeds and flowers, which are easily picked up with their nimble fingers. Indris are known to eat a wide variety of plant matter although it is thought that they predominantly eat vegetation that comes from the trees. Source

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Kangaroo

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The kangaroo is a marsupial that is indigenous to Australia and and the Indonesian island of New Guinea. Although kangaroos are often seen congregating in groups, kangaroos are generally fairly solitary mammals but kangaroos are also known for being sociable animals when with other kangaroos. Kangaroos have a deep pouch on their front in which to carry their young. A baby kangaroo is called a joey. Kangaroos eat plants, nuts, berries and insects that the kangaroos rummage for in the arid wilderness.

Kangaroos are most well known for their ability to jump a phenomenal distance. The kangaroo is the largest of the marsupials, a group an animals that includes koalas and the common brushtail possum. Marsupials are distinguished by the pouch that these animals have on their bellies, in which they carry their young. There are three main species of kangaroo in existence today and these are the red kangaroo, which is the largest and most well-known of all the kangaroo species.

 

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The Eastern grey kangaroo is known to be the heaviest species of kangaroo despite the fact that the red kangaroo is taller. The western grey kangaroo can be found in large numbers and can be anywhere in colour from grey to brown. The kangaroo is the national animal and emblem of Australia. Kangaroos have large, flat feet which the kangaroos use in order to aid their movement which the kangaroos do by hopping.

Despite the fact that kangaroos do not move about in the conventional way, kangaroos can often be seen running at high speeds, generally when the kangaroo is scared or being chased by oncoming predators. Although kangaroos are not commercially farmed, wild kangaroos are often pursued by human hunters for sport, meat, fur and when farmers are conserving their grazing land for their sheep and cows. This method of sustainable hunting is said to have more health and environmental benefits than that of sheep and cattle. Source

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Jackal

The jackal is a medium sized member of the dog family, originally found in Africa, Asia and southeast Europe. There are four main species of jackal with these jackal species being the golden jackal, the side-striped jackal, the black-backed jackal and the Ethiopian wolf jackal. The golden jackal is the most northernly species of jackal and can be found as far east as Burma in Southeast Asia. Jackals are generally found in packs of roughly between 10 and 30 jackal individuals.

Jackals are small canines that have adapted to hunting small mammals, birds and reptiles. Some species of jackal have even been known to eat poisonous snakes. Jackals are carnivorous mammals and jackals will often scavenge the remains of kills made by other larger predators. The jackal is a nocturnal mammal that can easily maintain speeds of 16km an hour for long periods of time. Although the jackal belongs to a jackal pack, jackals often prefer to hunt alone or with only one other jackal.

Although the majority of the diet of the jackal is made up of meat, many jackal individuals (particularly those jackals living in the tropics of Southeast Asia) will often eat plant matter if no meat can be found. Jackals are very territorial animals and jackals have no hesitation in defending their marked territory. Jackals have a wide range of vocal sounds that are specific to each jackal family meaning that is rare for families of competing jackals to come into accidental contact with one another.

Jackals inhabit crevices in rocks and dens made by other animals in order to keep the jackals cool while they sleep. Although many jackal individuals live a nocturnal existence, particularly those jackals that inhabit areas close to humans, some jackals in more remote areas are slightly more diurnal and will be out hunting during the cooler times of the day. Source

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Impala

The impala is one of the many species of antelope that is found inhabiting the African wilderness. The impala is a medium-sized antelope that is primarily found in the savannas and thicker bush-land in the more southern parts of the African continent. The male impala are well-known for their curved horns that are able to reach lengths of around 90 cm hats bigger than the average impala individual.
 

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The male impala are known as rams, mainly due to the fact that the male impala use their horns when defending themselves both from other dominant male impala and from oncoming predators. The female impala do not have horns at all and they are known as ewes. The impala is thought to be one of the most adaptable animals living in the African savanna, as the impala is able to change its eating habits with the seasons and depending on what is available in the near surroundings.
 

Impala like to graze on fresh grass but will also nibble on shoots and foliage when there is no grass growing nearby. The impala has many natural predators in the tough African landscape that include leopards, lions, cheetahs, crocodiles and hyenas. The impala though has a remarkable response when it feels threatened as the impala is able to jump over nine meters in distance and over two meters high.
 

The impala is thought to do this in order to confuse its predators. The average impala individual, lives for around 12 years in the wild although this varies a great deal as the impala is such substantial prey to many of the carnivorous African predators. Some impala individuals that have been bred in captivity have been known to get to more than 20 years old. Source

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Hyena

The hyena is a carnivorous dog-like species of animal, native to parts of both Africa and Asia. There are four known species of hyena, the spotted hyena, the striped hyena, the brown hyena and the aardwolf. Hyenas are scavenger mammals meaning that the hyena tends to eat another animals kill, rather than the hyena actually catching its own food. The hyena is well known for its cackling laugh-like scream, which the hyena is believed to use in order to alert other hyenas of a source of food. This hyena call is thought to be able to be heard by other hyenas for up to three miles.

The hyena is a remarkably intelligent animal. Hyenas are thought to have being compared to primates and humans in the evolutionary status of the hyenas brain. All four hyena species have a bear-like stance as the front legs of a hyena are longer than the back legs of a hyena. The striped hyena, the brown hyena and the aardwolf all have a striped mane on the top of the hyenas neck that stands up when the hyena is frightened. The main of a spotted hyena is considerably shorter and appears to stand on end the majority of the time.

Despite the hyenas once large range across Africa and parts of Asia and Europe, all four hyena species are today found mostly in the African Savannah. The only exception to this is that the striped hyena is often seen roaming in the jungles of India, and western Asia. The hyena is said to be one of the most abundant large carnivores on the African continent and the hyena is often viewed as an irritant by other large carnivores who actually make a kill that is then stolen by a hyena pack.

The only animal that will hunt and kill a hyena intentionally is a human being. Humans and hyenas have a long history of conflict ranging from hyenas killing livestock for an easy meal and the fact that humans used to believe that hyenas were related to witchcraft and supernatural activity, naturally making the human very wary of the hyena. Hyenas group together in packs with the den of the hyena pack generally being in the center of their territory. Source

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Horse

Horses evolved over 50 million years from small many toed animals to the big beautiful, single-toed horses of today. The modern horse has been domesticated around the world for many reasons including transportation and battle. Horses tend to live for about 30 years, and the oldest recorded horse at age 56 died in 2007. Horses graze on plant matter and vegetation, preferably tender green grass. The height of a horse is measured in hands, 1 hand being the same as 10cm (4 inches). The age of the horse is estimated by the pattern of tooth wear in his mouth.

 

An adult female is called a mare, and a young female is called a filly. An adult male is a stallion, and a young male is a colt. An unweaned baby of either sex is a foal. Castrated males and spayed females are called geldings. Mares carry their young inside them for approximately 11 months. When the baby horse is born, the young horse is often able to stand and then run about not long after birth. A mare comes into season one month after her foal is born. If she is remated then, she will have a foal at the same time each year. The horses' hoofs are made out of horn which comes in different colors, with black being most common..

There are thought to be more than 300 different breeds of horse found around the world today, each being bred for a purpose. Enormous draft horses such as Clydesdales pull heavy wagons, lighter saddle horses are for riding, and pony breeds are suitable for children and small adults. Miniature horses (30" and under) are primarily pets, though some have been used to guide blind people. Horses have remarkable hearing and are almost able to have 360 degree hearing. The sense of smell of the horse is better than that of a human but the horse tends to rely more on vision than smell.

 

Horses have an advanced sense of taste which allows the horse to sort through grasses and grains to find the things that the horse would most like to eat. Horses generally will not eat plants that are poisonous, but when the horse cannot find more adequate food, the horse will eat plants that contain toxins. A horse's gut is designed to have food flowing through it almost continually, and horses graze most of the day if allowed. Source

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Hippopotamus

The hippo (hippopotamus) spends most of its time wallowing in lakes and rivers in the jungles of western Africa. Hippos are generally solitary animals but can often be found in groups of between 5 and 30 hippo individuals. Even though the hippo has a pig-like appearance, the closet mammal relatives to the hippo are the whale and the porpoise both of which are found in the oceans. Despite the fact that hippos are roughly the same size and weight of a rhino, some hippos have been seen running at speeds of up to 30mph and the hippo is therefore seen to be the third heaviest animals in the world.

Apparently the hippo has pink sweat, which not only cools the hippo down when the hippo gets too hot, but also has antibacterial properties helping to fight infection in the thick skin of the hippo when the hippo is bitten or injured when fighting, generally with rival hippos. The hippo is also remarkable for the fact that it can take in enough air to stay underwater for half an hour before the hippo needs to resurface again, an astonishing feet seeing as the hippo is a mammal and therefore does not have gills that aid the animal in breathing underwater.

Many people think that large animals such as hippos are lazy and docile and will therefore pose no threat to humans. The hippo is known to be one of Africas most dangerous animals as when you combine the sheer size of the hippo, the territorial temperament of the hippo and the fact that a hippo is capable of running at immense pace (and can easily outrun a human) a wild hippo can therefore become extremely dangerous. The average hippo spends most of the hot daytime cooling itself in the colder water environment in the African jungle.

Despite the immense size of the hippo, hippos have a nearly completely herbivorous diet, as the hippos munch on aquatic water plants during the day and the hippo is capable of eating around 50kg of grass in one go in the cooler night. The hippo has large tusks at the front of the mouth of the hippo which are capable of growing to more than a foot in length. The hippo mainly uses these tusks for fighting off predators and rival hippos and the hippo can therefore give another large animal a near fatal bite. Source

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