fact+sheet+on+animals+and+birds

WILD CATS

Wild cats are carnivores. They are mammals.Their babies are called cubs. They are crepuscular and/or nocturnal. Though they are terrestrial, some are arboreal like the leopard and some like to be near the water like the tigers and the jaguars. Tiger is the largest and the most powerful cat. Their fur helps them to camouflage in their habitat. They are poached mainly for their fur. Jaguars live in the rainforest of S.America; they have the most powerful jaws amongst the wild cats. South American lion is called puma, cougar or the mountain lion. Snow leopard and clouded leopard are 2 varieties of leopard. A black leopard is called as the Black Panther.

BEARS Bears are mammals. They are omnivore. Polar bear is carnivorous and giant panda is herbivorous. Seal is the favourite food of polar bear and bamboo grass is the favourite food of giant panda. Female bear is called sow and the male bear is called boar. They have an excellent sense of smell. All bears are good climbers (except polar bear) and good swimmers. Smallest is the sun bear of Southeast Asia and the largest is the polar bear and the brown bear. Some bear species helps in the dispersal of seeds.(spectacle and sun bear).sun bearsbuilds a nest on the tree and sleeps in it. Polar bear is a threatened species because of global warming. Other species of bears are also vulnerable because of habitat loss. They are killed for their fur and gall bladder.

MONKEYS Monkeys are arboreal mammals. Smallest is pygmy marmoset and the largest is the baboon. Most of their diet comprises of fruit so they r frugivore, yet they are omnivore. Owl monkey is the only nocturnal monkey. They have teeth and hand like us (opposable thumb). Monkeys belong to a group called primates. Apes and humans also belong to this group. Monkeys have tails whereas apes do not. Monkeys are geographically divided into old world monkeys and new world monkeys. New world monkeys have a prehensile tail and nostrils facing sideways. Lemurs is a primate that is found only on the island of Madagascar.

SEA MAMMALS Sea mammals are carnivorous except the dugong which is a herbivore sea mammal. Sea mammals need to come out to breathe. They breathe through blowholes. They have spine and that is the reason they move up and down, unlike fishes that moves from side to side. The biggest dolphin is the killer whale or orca. Whales are of 2 types toothed and baleen. Baleen whale eats krill (a type of crustacean) fish whereas the toothed whale eats fish, seal pups, penguins… Whales and dolphins communicate through echo location. The blue whale (is bigger then the biggest of dinosaur that ever lived) is the biggest mammal and it is a baleen whale. We did difference between seal and sea lion; Sea lion has external pinna whereas seal does not have external pinna. Walrus is the biggest seal.

BAT IS A MAMMAL....DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BAT AND BIRD Bats are the only flying mammals. Bat help in pollination and also helps in the dispersal of seeds. The smallest bat is the kitti hog nose bat whereas the largest bats are the fruit bat (also called as flying foxes). Birds do not have teeth so they eat food depending on the type of beak they have. Young ones are called chick and a group of bird is called flock. Preening is done by all birds. Preening means applying oil, combing of feathers. A person who studies about bird is called an ornithologist.Dr.Salim Ali was a renowned ornithologist. Birds are easily spotted on low foliage. The smallest bird is the bee humming bird and the biggest is the ostrich. Penguin is the only flightless bird which is a good swimmer.

REPTILES AND SNAKES Reptiles are cold blooded, so they r unable to bear the extremes of the temperature. Reptiles need to bask in the sun to be active. Reptiles lay eggs. Reptiles have scales on their body. The biggest lizard is Komodo dragon The biggest turtle is the leatherback turtle. The smallest turtle is the kemps turtle. The biggest tortoise is Galapagos tortoise. The marine iguana is herbivores reptile feeding on sea plant. The extinct dinosaur was also a reptile. Snakes do not have legs, eyelids and ears but it has a keen sense of smell. The smell is picked up by the flickering of the tongue. They kill by either injecting venom or by strangulating the prey. They swallow their prey whole. Snakes are carnivores so let’s not torment them by giving them milk on nag panchmi day. Snakes shed their skin as they grow. Some snakes do give birth to snakes without laying eggs. The venom of the snake is used to prepare lie saving medicines.

Ducks

PENGUINS
Penguins are the only birds that are fantastic swimmers and scientist studies have shown that they can stay under water for 30mins which is a remarkable feat for a bird. They have flippers instead of wings Penguins mostly lay one egg at a time and mostly their nests are made up of stones.(can u guess...why) The largest penguin is the Emperor penguin and the smallest is Fairy Blue penguin living in New Zealand. Most of the penguins live in Antarctica,though they are also found in warm water around south Africa (the jack ass penguin) Its diet mainly comprises of squid,fish and krills. They are prey to leopard seal and killer whale. Their distinct black and white colouration helps them to camouflage against its predators.