 |
 The Bramble
Shark (Echinorhinus brucus)
is distinguished from similar-looking sharks by
having two small dorsal fins located far on the
back just before the tail., as well as the large,
thorn-like denticles that cover its body. |
 The
Nyala
(Tragelaphus angasii) is one of the most sexually dimorphic
species of antelope. An adult male stands about
42 inches at the shoulder, is up to 6.5 feet
long, and weighs up to 275 pounds; females are
considerably smaller. Although only found in a
relatvely small area of southeastern Africa, it
is fairly plentiful within its range. |
 The
Gerenuk
(Litocranius walleri),
also known as Waller's Gazelle, is distinguished
from other antelope by its long neck and long,
thin legs, which allows it literally stand up to
obtain tree leaves that cannot be reached by
other antelope species. |
 Hooded
Seal (Cystophora cristata) This seal gets its common name from an
enlargement of the nasal cavity in males that
resembles a hood. That "hood" can be
inflated like a balloon to become as large as the
seal's head. When not inflated, the
"hood" hangs down over the upper lip. |
 Tayra
(Eira barbara)
This member of the weasel family
grows to a length of about 30 inches, not
counting a long, bushy tail that can be almost as
long as the body. It is native to the neotropical
deciduous and evergreen forests of Central and
South America and the island of Trinidad. |
 Wood
Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
This pigeon is generally gray in
color, with a pinkish breast and ga reen, white
and purple patch on the neck. The tail has a
black tip, and there is a prominent white patch
on each wing. The eyes are bright yellow, and the
legs and bill are pink. |
 The Brushtail
Possum (Trichosurus
vulpecula) is
the largest possum in Australia. About the size
of a domestic cat, it averages 12-24 inches in
length and weighs up to 10 pounds. It has a
prehensile tail that adds another 9-16 inches to
overall length, a pointy snout, pink nose, and
long whiskers. Fur color may be silver gray,
brown, black, or gold. |
 Narwhal
(Monodon monoceros)
The most characteristic feature of
the narwhal is its tusk, which is always spiral
in a counter-clockwise (as viewed by the animal)
direction and can be as long as 9 feet. Only
present in males, the tusk is actually a greatly
elongated tooth. |
 Japanese
Spider Crab (Macrocheira
kaempferi) The world's largest living arthropod,
the Japanese Spider Crab has a leg span of up to
13 feet from claw to claw, a body up to 15 inches
across, and weighs up to 44 pounds. |
 The
Whale
Shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish in the sea, being
18-40 feet long and weighing an average of 20.6
tons. In addition to size, the whale shark is
distinguished by its blunt snout and a mouth up
to 4 feet wide at the very front of the head;
most other sharks have a more pointed snout and
the mouth is on the underside of the head. |
 Common
Earthworm (Lumbricus
terrestris),
also known as the night crawler, may
be up to 10 inches long. Earthworms move an
incredible amount of soil as they burrow and
feed. There may be as many as 3 million
earthworms per acre of soil, and it has been
estimated that 7½ to 18 tons of soil can be
thrown up by earthworms per acre per year. |
 Blue
Wildebeest (Connechaetes
taurinus) Wildebeest get their name from an
Afrikaans word that means "wild beast,"
which is a reference to the menacing appearance
presented by the animal's large head, shaggy
mane, pointed beard, and sharp, curved horns. |
 Gray
Goral (Nemorhaedus goral)
Gorals can be described as either
large goats or small antelope, having
characteristics of both. The gray goral is found
from northern Burma through the Himalaya and
other mountain systems through China into Korea
and far eastern Siberia at elevations of
3,300-13,500 feet. |
 The Barbary
Sheep (Ammotragus lervia),
also known as the Auodad, is up to
five feet long and four feet high on average and
weigh up to 300 pounds. Barbary sheep are expert
climbers and are able to ascend and descend
precipitous slopes with ease. They are also
excellent jumpers, able to clear obstacles of
over six feet from a standing start. |
