African Elephant

African elephants (Loxodonta africana), also known as African bush elephants or African savanna elephants, are the largest living land mammal. African elephants have a large head, large ears, and a long muscular trunk. The two front incisors of African elephants grow into large tusks that curve forward. Tusks are present in both male and female African elephants. The African elephant's trunk has two fingerlike outgrowths, one at the top edge of the tip and another on the bottom edge. These outgrowths, also called proboscides, enable the elephant it to pick up small objects and strip leaves from trees. African elephants, like most elephants, require a great deal of food to support their large body size. They can eat up to 350 pounds of food each day and their foraging can drastically alter the landscape. The African elephant's predators include lions, hyenas, and humans. The basic social unit in African elephants is the maternal family unit. Sexually mature males also form groups while old bulls are somtimes solitary. Large heards can form, in which the various maternal and male groups mix. African elephants are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. The main threats facing African elephants are hunting and habitat destruction. The species is targetted by poachers who hunt the elephants for their valuable ivory tusks.
Diet: African elephants are herbivores. They feed on plant material such as grasses, buds, fruits, leaves, roots and bark. Size and Weight: About 13 to 16 feet long and 4 -7 tons Habitat: African elephants once inhabited a range that stretched from the southern Sahara Desert to the southern tip of Africa and reached from the west coast of Africa to the Indian Ocean. Today, African elephants are restricted to small pockets in southern Africa.

Blue Whale - Balaenoptera musculus

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is among the largest animals ever to have lived. Blue whales are baleen whales. This group of whales is characterized by a set of baleen plates in their mouth that serve to filter prey from the water. The blue whale has grooves or folds of skin that run along the underside of its mouth, throat, and upper abdomen. The skin folds expand when the whale opens it mouth to scoop up prey. Blue whales are streamlined creatures with pale blue-gray coloration. In addition to being the largest animal, they are also capable of producing the loudest sound. Blue whales moan, grunt, and hum at impressive volumes of up to 180 decibles. When diving from the surface, blue

whales arc at near vertical angles, exposing their broad tail flukes. The power needed to propel themselves through the water comes from their back muscles, not from their flippers.
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Mass: 190,000 kg Body Length: 26-33 m Diet: small crustaceans Breeding Season: during winter months Age at Sexual Maturity: 5 years Number of Offspring: 1 Average Lifespan: 85 years

Brown Bear
The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is among the largest and most powerful of all land carnivores. Brown bears have non-retractable claws that they use primarily for digging. They can run at a considerable clip despite their large size and are know to reach speeds of up to 35mph. Brown bears have a coat of black, brown or tan fur with longer outer hair often of a different color. They have a sizable mass of muscle on their shoulders that gives them necessary strength to dig. Brown bears are usually solitary animals. Occasionally though, bears may gather to feed at salmon-rich fishing spots. Another exception to their solitary lifestyle is that of females with their cubs. The mother bear remains with her bear cubs until the cubs are ready for independence (2 to 3 years of age). Brown bears are more active in the morning and evening and often rest during the day. Seasonal activity of brown bears varies depending on where they live. Bears excavate dens in sheltered ground (such as on a slope or behind a large rock) in which they sleep and during the winter months can enter a deep sleep and their body temperature can drop several degrees.
Habitat: Brown bears live in a variety of habitats including boreal forests, alpine forests and meadows, tundra, and coastal regions. Their range is the most extensive of all bears and includes northern and central Europe, Asia, Alaska, Canada, and the western United States (with populations in the Sierra Nevada and Rockies).

Black Rhinoceros - Diceros bicornis

The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), also known as the hooked-lipped rhinoceros, is one of five living species of rhinos. Despite its name, the skin of the black rhinoceros is not truly black but instead slate grey in color. Skin color can varry depending on the mud in which the black rhino wallows. When covered in dry mud, the black rhinoceros may appear white, light grey, reddish, or black.

Of all the rhinoceros species, black rhinos are most closely related to white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum), but there are a number of respects in which the two species differ. Black rhinos are smaller than white rhinos. Black rhinoceroses also have a smaller head which they hold higher and in horizontal orientation. White rhinos have a comparitively larger head which they hold lower to the ground. The lips of black rhinoceroses are also unique. They have a pointed upper lip that is muscular and enables them to grasp shrubs and vegetation which they pull from the ground as they eat. Black rhinos were once the most numerous of the five rhino species. Sadly, their population has plummeted by more than 90 percent since the 1940s. In 1995, the rhino population fell to just 2,410 individuals. Since that time their numbers have recovered modestly but the species remains classified as Critically Endangered on the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The main threats to black rhinos are poaching and habitat destruction. The horns of the black rhinoceros are prized for use in traditional medicine and for carvings and ornaments. As a result, intense poaching of black rhinos has been a major force in the decline of the black rhino population. Additionally, conservation efforts have been marred by civil unrest in regions such as Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, DR Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. Black rhinos have a poor sense of sight but acute sense of smell. When threatened, black rhinos may charge, although in some cases the charges are bluffs and the animal stops a few feet before it makes contact with its target. Black rhinos inhabit home ranges, and individual territories often overlap. Waterholes are necessary parts of a rhino's home range, as it provide water for drinking as well as wallowing.
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Mass: 1.5 tons Body Length: 3.2 m Tail Length: 60 cm Shoulder Height: 1.55m Diet: browsers (shrubs, shoots, twigs) Breeding Season: throughout the year Age at Sexual Maturity: 8 years (male), 4 years (female) Gestation Period: 15 months Number of Offspring: 1 (3-year birth interval) Predators: humans, lions, hyenas Average Lifespan: 40 years

Cheetah - Acinonyx jubatus

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) holds the distinction of being the world's fastest land animal. Cheetahs can sprint at speeds in excess of 62 mph for short periods of time. After just 10 to 20 seconds, the amount of heat generated by such exertion is too much for the cheetah to handle and their sprint fizzles to a standstill. Cheetahs depend on their speed to survive, for without their

speed they would go hungry. Their prey includes Thompson's gazelles, young wildebeest, impala, and haresall fast and agile animals themselves. Cheetahs are superbly adapted for speed. They have extremely flexible spines that allow them to stretch their body in order to take long strides. Cheetahs have a long tail that serves as a balance when running, allowing them to change direction efficiently when moving at top speed. Cheetahs are unique among cats in that they are the only species that lacks fully-retractable claws. Since the claws of cheetahs remain extended at all times, they enjoy better traction while running. Cheetahs have golden to cream colored coats with black spots. They have distinct tear stripes that run from inner and outer corners of their eyes down their muzzle. The underside of their face, neck, and belly is of a lighter golden color than the fur on their back and flanks. The cheetah's tail is dappled with black spots at its base and these spots gradually merge towards the end of its tail to become black rings.
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Mass: up to 72 kg Body Length: 1.5 m Tail Length: 61-76 cm Shoulder Height: 70-85 cm Diet: mainly small to medium sized antelope such as impala, duiker, hartebeest, dik-dik, springbok, kudu Breeding Season: throughout the year Sexual Maturity: 456 days Gestation: about 95 days Number of Offspring: 1-8 Time to Weaning: 120-150 days Predators: lions, Nile crocodiles, spotted hyaena, leopards Average Lifespan: 12-14 years (wild) Habitat: semi-deserts and grasslands Geographical Range: Africa and West Africa

Elephants
Elephants (Proboscidea) are a group of large herbivorous land mammals. There are three species of elephants alive today, the African savanna elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. There are four subspecies of Asian elephants which include the Borneo elephant, the Sumatran elephant, the Indian elephant and the Sri Lankan elephant. The various elephants species differ in their appearance. Asian elephants are smallest of all elephant species. They have a smaller body, smaller ears and females lack tusks. African savanna elephants are the largest of all the elephant species. They have large ears, a short and wide mandible, and both males and females have tusks. African forest elephants have a long and narrow mandible, a characteristic which distinguishes them from African savanna elephants which have a short, wide mandible.

Elephants have a bulky body, large ears, a long trunk and most have proimant tusks (although female Asian elephants lack tusks). They have thick grey skin but often their color is red or brown in color from wallowing in mud and dusting with dirt. The trunk of an elephant is formed from the elephant's upper lip and nose. An elephant's trunk is highly sensitive and enables it to lift food and water from ground level to its mouthtasks that would otherwise be challenging due to the height of an elephant. To drink, elephants suction water up into their trunk (as much as ten quarts) and then spray it into their mouth. The elephant's nasal openings are located at the end of its trunk. Elephants have sparse hair covering their body and their skin. Their skin, which appears tough an leathery, is in fact extremely sensitive and requires a great deal of care. Elephants bath frequently, wallow in the mud. They also dust their skin by tossing dirt over themselves. Bathing, wallowing, and dusting removes parasites, cools the skin and applies a layer of protective dirt that acts as a sunscreen. Elephants are herbivores and require a great deal of food each daymore than 800 pounds per individual, daily. They eat grass, foliage, twigs, branches and fruit. Elephants are capable of uprooting over entire trees as they forage. For this reason, elephants are often viewed as destructive pests wherever their range overlaps with human populations. The skeleton of an elephant is shaped by its need to support the animal's massive weight. Elephants have stocky, sturdy limb bones and their feet are wide. The heel is reinforced with a cushion of dense connective tissue. Habitat: Central Africa including the Congo Basin, south Africa, India and southeast Asia. Asian elephants inhabit grasslands, tropical forests and scrub forests in India and southeast Asia including Sumatra and Borneo. African savanna elephants inhabit savannas and grasslands in central and southern Africa. African forest elephants inhabit forests in the Congo Basin in central Africa.

Giraffe - Giraffa camelopardalis

Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are hoofed mammals with long legs and a long neck. Their skin is a patchwork of dark chestnut spots separated by thin cream colored lines. Their coloration varies slightly, with various subspecies having less disinct spots or spots that can vary from a yellowish color to black. Giraffes are well adapted to graze leaves and fruit from the branches of trees. Their elongated tounge and long neck enable them to extend up to 18 feet when reaching upward among vegetation. Specialized teeth help them to efficiently strip leaves from a branch.
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Diet: leaves, fruit, especially acacia leaves and wild apricot Breeding Season: Age at Sexual Maturity:

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Number of Offspring: Predators: Average Lifespan:

Classification:
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Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order Artiodactyla Family: Giraffidae Genus: Giraffa Species: Giraffa camelopardalis The Species Giraffa camelopardalis contains the following subgroups:
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Subspecies: Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi (Rothschild's giraffe) Subspecies: Giraffa camelopardalis peralta (West African giraffe) Subspecies: Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis (Angolan giraffe) Subspecies: Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata (reticulated giraffe) Subspecies: Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi (Masai giraffe) Subspecies: Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa (South African giraffe)

Where to See: Africa. Woodland savannas.

Lion
Lions (Panthera leo) are the largest of all African cats. They are the second largest cat species worldwide, smaller than only the tiger. Lions range in color from nearly white to tawny yellow, ash brown, ochre, and deep orange-brown. They have a tuft of dark fur at the tip of their tail. Lions are unique among cats in that they are the only species that forms social groups. All other cat species are solitary hunters. The social groups lions form are called prides. A pride of lions typically includes about five females and two males and their young. Lions play-fight as a means of honing their hunting skills. When they play-fight, the don't bear their teeth and the keep their claws retracted so as to not inflict injury on their partner. Playfighting enables the lions to practice their battle skills which is useful for tackling prey and it also helps to establish relationships among the pride members. It is during play that lions work out which members of the pride are to chase and corner their quarry and which members of the pride are the ones to go in for a kill. Male and female lions differ in their size and appearance. This difference is referred to as sexual dimorphism. Female lions are smaller than males and have a uniformly colored coat of a tawny

brown color. Females also lack a mane. Males have a thick, woolly mane of fur that frames their face and covers their neck. Diet: Lions are carnivores (that is, meat-eaters). Their prey includes zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, impala, rodents, hares, and reptiles. Size and Weight: About 5-8 feet long and 330-550 pounds Habitat: Savannas of Africa and the Gir Forest in northwest India

Panther - Panthera onca

Panthers or jaguars (Panthera onca) are among the world's largest species of cats (only lions and tigers are larger). They grow to a mass of between 100 and 250 lbs and lengths of 4 feet. Jaguars are usually tan with black rosettes (a ring of spots with another spot in the center). They live in a range of different habitats including dense rainforest, scrubland, and grasslands. Diet: deer peccaries, fish, amphibians, and reptiles Where to See: Jaguars once lived throughout the southwestern United States, Central and South America. They were hunted to extinction in most of their range in the United States and have only recently started repopulating their former range. Jaguars live in a range of different habitats including dense rainforest, scrubland, and grasslands.

Tiger - Panthera tigris

Tigers (Panthera tigris) are the largest and most powerful of all cats. They are extremely agile despite their bulk and can leap between 8 and 10 meters in a single bound. They are also among the most recognizable of cats thanks to their distinct orange coat, black stripes and white markings. There are five living subspecies of tigers, all of which are classified as endangered. These five subspecies include Siberian tigers, Bengal tigers, Indochinese tigers, South China tigers and Sumatran tigers. There are also three additional subspecies of tigers that have gone extinct during the past sixty years. These extinct subspecies include Caspian tigers, Javan tigers and Bali tigers. Tigers vary in color, size, and markings depending on their subspecies. Bengal tigers, which inhabit the forests of India, have quintessential tiger appearance: a dark orange coat, black stripes

and a white underbelly. Siberian tigers, the largest of all the tiger subspecies, are lighter in color and have a thicker coat that enables them to brave the harsh, cold temperatures of the Russian taiga. Tigers are both solitary and territorial cats. They occupy home ranges that are between 200 and 1000 square kilometers, with females occupying smaller home ranges than males. They often create several dens within their territory. Tigers are not water-fearing cats. They are, in fact, adept swimmers capable of crossing moderately sized rivers. As a result, water rarely poses a barrier to them. Diet: Tigers are carnivores. They hunt at night and feed on large prey such as deer, cattle, wild pigs, young rhinoceroses and elephants. They also supplement their diet with smaller prey such as birds, monkeys, fish and reptiles. Tigers also feed on carrion. Size and Weight: About 4-9 feet long and 220-660 pounds Habitat: Tigers historically occupied a range that stretched from the eastern part of Turkey to the Tibetan plateau, Manchuria and the Sea of Okhotsk. Today, tigers occupy only about seven percent of their former range. More than half of the remaining wild tigers live in the forests of India. Smaller populations remain in China, Russia, and parts of Southeast Asia. Tigers inhabit a wide range of habitats such as lowland evergreen forests, taiga, grasslands, tropical forests and mangrove swamps. They generally require habitat with cover such as forests or grasslands, water resources and enough territory to support their prey.