Animal Life

	Hedgehog by Adam © 2006
	Hedgehog, common name for any of several spiny mammals that are similar in appearance to the porcupine, but more closely related to the mole. The hedgehog, which is found in Europe, Asia, and Africa, has a coat of long, stiff, pointed spines on its back. The fur on its underside is soft. Hedgehogs average 25 cm (10 in) in length and range in color from light tan to black. They have pointed snouts, small eyes, short legs. When threatened, the hedgehog rolls itself into a ball. Hedgehogs conceal themselves in hedgerows during the daytime and emerge at night to hunt. They eat insects, worms, frogs, snakes, mice, and birds' eggs. European hedgehogs hibernate during the wintertime. In July or August the European hedgehog gives birth to four to eight young.
	Fly by Adam © 2006
	Leopard by Alex © 2006		Baby leopards growl when playing. Daddy leopard goes out slaying. Daddy leopard attacks so fierce Chasing buffalo and deer Mammy leopard goes out prowling, While the cubs still are growling.
	The leopard is the third largest cat of the eastern hemisphere. Only the lion and the tiger are larger than it. Leopards live in many, many places such as Asia, Turkey, Korea, and Java, China and in Africa as far north as the Sahara Desert .They also used to live in Europe in bygone days. Although they may look a lot like the cheetah their body structure is completely different .Although cheetahs are a lot faster, the leopard is the much better hunter of the two. When leopards kill their prey they may bring it up to a tree and store there till they are hungry. Most leopards' coats are a light tan colour with black spots. Leopards that live in forests coat are slightly darker than leopards that live in open plains and desert scrub. Black leopards (otherwise known as panthers) coats are so dark that you cannot see the spots. When in trees leopards attack monkeys or drop down on deer or antelopes passing beneath the tree. Sometimes leopards raid nearby villages for their cattle, goats and dogs. Occasionally leopards will attack humans, but they do this more rarely than tigers.
	Duck by Alex © 2006
	Giraffe by Aoife © 2006		Giraffes are tall. In Africa. Running wild. At their speed. Fury from the lions. Fury from the hyenas. Eating leaves from way up high. Sun's heat makes them sigh.
	Giraffes are some of the hundreds of giant animals on land. No two Giraffes have the same pattern of spots. In the wild Giraffes live about 25 years. Only male Giraffes engage in fights with other male Giraffe. Giraffes usually sleep standing up. Giraffes can go weeks without drinking water. Their long necks let them eat off the top of trees .Also male Giraffes necks are longer than females' necks.

	Polar Bear by Becky © 2006			Lemur by Reece © 2006
	Polar bears! Arctic animals have to survive freezing temperatures. Many have thick bushy white coats to keep them warm and help them blend in with snow. Some have a layer of fat for extra warmth. Polar bears claws are thick and curved. Each can measure more than two inches (5.1 cm) long.			Ring tailed lemurs The island of Madagascar is home to the ring tailed lemur. They have survived through very bad times there. Lemurs use their tails in loads of different ways; they balance themselves with their tails. When they walk along the ground they keep their tail in the shape of a question mark, this insures that they know were the other group are. The males use their tails to have stink fights. Whoever has the strongest smell wins. There are fifty different types of lemurs. When they jump through the air they appear to fly. You can find them nowhere else, but in Madagascar.

	Kangaroo by Daniel © 2006
	The kangaroo is a common marsupial from the islands of Australia and New Guinea. There are 47 species of "roos". Kangaroos can hop up to 40 miles per hour (74 kph) and go over 30 feet (9m) in one hop .These shy animals live about 2 years in the wild and up to 20 in captivity. Most "roos" are nocturnal (active at night). Many "roos" are in danger of extinction, but they are also considered pest due to the way they damage crops. An adult male is called a buck, boomer or jack; an adult female is called a doe, flyer, roo, or jill. A baby is called a joey. A group of roos is called a mob. Females have a pouch in which the young live and drink milk. Diet: These herbivores (plant-eaters) eat grass, leaves, and roots. They swallow their food without chewing it and later regurgitate a cud and chew it. Roos need little water; they can go for months without drinking, and they dig their own water wells.
	Tiger by Dylan © 2006
	A Tiger belongs to the cat family. The Siberian tiger measures 11 to 13 feet long from his nose to the tip of his tail. This animal is the largest of all the big cats. The background of a tiger coat is usually a bright reddish orange op a pale yellow brown. The stripes that mark the body are usually black. Like all cats tigers have sharp teeth and claws they can move quickly and quietly. Springing with ease, tigers may cover 15 feet in one leap. They rarely climb and they are good swimmers too. Tigers usually hunt alone at night. To make a kill, the tiger leaps on the animal biting its neck. He then takes the slain animal to some hidden spot. If it's a large animal, the tiger may feed on it for several days. During this time he does not kill again. Tigers eat deer, pig, cattle, goats, and some smaller animals. Tigers are only found in Asia.
	Eagle by Jamie © 2006		Eagles flying in the sky Look at them before they go by Mind how close you get Because they will peck you I bet.
	An eagle lives for about 20 or 30 year. Eagles breed when they are about 4. In winter eagles go to places with lots of food .Bald eagles are white with reddish-brown feathers. There are 60 species of eagles. The bald eagle is found in America. The golden eagle eats rabbits and squirrels.
	Fly by Lauren © 2006
	Snake by LeeMc © 2006
	Brazilian rainbow boas occur naturally across much of the northern half of south America they were exported in fair numbers from Surinam and the Guyana area during the eighties and nineties .In the wild the Brazilian rainbow boas diet is rodents, birds and could be some forms of aquatic life and lizards . They may live up to 20 years.
	Lion by Michael By © 2006
	During the hottest hours of the day the lions rest to avoid over heating and keeping their hunting until cooler hours.Their prey is wild boars, deer and antelope. Africa is the only place in the world with wild lions.
	Rabbit by Michael G © 2006
	Rabbits are small mammals and found in many parts of the world.
	Rhino by Michael R © 2006
	Rhinos can come in different sizes and colours. The most common colours for a Rhino are grey, brown and black. There are also different types of Rhinos such as the Black, White, Indian, Javan and the Sumatran. The smallest Rhino is the Sumatran which can be found in Malaysia, Thailand and some parts of Indonesia. The Sumatran's colour is a reddish brown The largest Rhino is the White Rhino which can be found only in a few Southern states of Africa. There are two horns, the front is bigger than the back.
	Shark by Niall © 2006
	Sharks are found in nearly every sea of the world. Sharks are carnivorous and will eat anything from plankton to even whales.The most dangerous shark of all is the great white shark, sometimes known as the man-eater .They grow up to 20 feet long and live in some cold waters. The largest shark of all is the whale shark which lives in warm waters .although it may reach a length of more than 15 metres and weigh several tonnes, it is quite harmless. There are about 368 different species of sharks.
	Cat by Oleg © 2006
	It is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to destroy vermin. Intelligent, the cat can be trained to obey simple commands. Cats have lived in close association with humans for at least 9,500 years. The Egyptians believed that slim cats brought good luck. Cats use more than one hundred vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including mewing, purring, hissing, growling, chirping, clicking, and grunting. Cats have even been observed mimicking the calls of birds. Unlike dogs and most mammals, cats walk by moving both legs on one side and then both legs on the other. Cats share this unusual gait with camels, giraffes, and only a few other mammals.
	Crocodile by Penuel © 2006
	Survivors of the dinosaur age, crocodiles are found in the warmer waters of Africa, Asia, Australia, and America. Crocodiles are often confused with alligators, but you can tell them apart by the shape of their tapered snout, and by the way crocodiles' lower teeth stick out when their jaws are closed. Crocodiles vary in size. The saltwater crocodile measures up to 10 m in length, while others are no more than 1 m long. Hunted extensively for their skins, large crocodiles are becoming increasingly rare. They eat fish, birds, and mammals, including the occasional human. Crocodiles are cold-blooded. They like basking in the sun.
	Jaguar by Ricardo © 2006
	Jaguars are the largest cat in the western hemisphere. Black jaguars live in South America. The jaguar symbolized strength and courage to the ancient Maya Indians who considered the animal a god.
	Fly by Robert M © 2006
	Tarantula by Robert M © 2006
	Tarantulas are the world's largest spider. The biggest ones live in South American jungles. Great numbers of Tarantulas also are found in the Southern United States. Many kinds of Tarantulas dig burrows or nests. A California Tarantula builds a turret [small tower] out of grass and twigs at the entrance to its burrow. This spider then sits on the tower watching for insects in the nearby grass. And few Tarantulas live in trees. A bite from a Tarantula is deadly to insects and can be extremely painful to a man. Tarantulas can eat lizards, insects and even small birds.
	Ladybird by Stephen © 2006
	Panda by Stephen © 2006
	Pandas are black and white and loved all over. The giant panda is a national treasure in China and is therefore protected by law. This unique bear has long been revered by the Chinese and can be found in Chinese art dating back thousands of years. The length of a panda is about 5 feet (1.5meters). Pandas live to about 14 to 20 years in the wild but in managed care they can live up to 30 years. Did you know? Giant pandas are technically Carnivores, but they have adapted to the life of herbivores eating around 10 kgs of bamboo a day. If bamboo is scarce they will turn to eating chickens and small rodents.
	Spider by Shannon © 2006
	Spiders are not insects like some people think they are, but they are arachnids. Black widow spiders are very timid spiders and are not known to aggressively bite humans. After being bitten by a black widow one may feel painful rigidity in the muscles of the abdomen and a feeling of tightness in the chest.
	Whale by Barbara © 2007
	In the Antarctic whale diet is plankton, marine mammals, fishes and squids. Female whales weigh as much as 32 elephants. The heart is the same size of a car. Killer whales normally eat seals.
	Gorilla by RobertL © 2007
	Gorillas are found in places like Africa. The colour of their fur is black and they eat Leaves, shoots and stems. They are in danger of becoming extinct.
	Lynx by Sam © 2007
	They are mainly nocturnal. Their kittens are born in May and June.
	Cheetah by Nicole © 2007
	Unlike most animals humans apply the name cheetah to both female and male. The average life span of wild radio-collared female cheetahs is 6.9 years. The cheetah is said to be the fastest animal in the world. This wild animal, who lives in the southern Sahara in Africa, hunts by day. Compared to other members of the cat family the cheetah does not approach its prey stealthily, nor does he jump on it, but runs after it and chases it. Its main source of food is antelope and deer. An antelope can also run very fast up to 100km per hour, giving it a chance to escape from the cheetah. Cheetahs run fast, but they cannot last for long. The body of the cheetah is adapted for taking prey by running rather than leaping from ambush, and the cheetah hunts by sight rather than by smell. Over short distances it is the fastest ground animal on earth, being able to attain speeds up to about 110 km/h It hunts by day, feeding mainly on antelope. The cheetah was formerly trained and used for hunting in Asia, Libya, and India; it is now extinct or endangered in much of its range. In tropical Africa, where it lives on open plains, the cheetah is an endangered species.
	Dolphin by Niamh
	Dolphins are whales. Dolphins often swim together in groups called schools. Sometimes they jump out of the water. The name "dolphin" belongs to part of the whale family, and so dolphins are mammals. Most dolphins are less than 10 feet long, with sharp teeth and rather pointed jaws. The head seems to have a beak Dolphins are prey to sharks. Dolphins eat fish and squid. Dolphins have a maximum life span of 25 years. Dolphins are in no danger as their numbers are abundant. Dolphins breath air. They can jump 20 feet or 6 metres out of the water into the air. Dolphins live in small pods of up to 12 dolphins, they are very social animals.
	Lizard by LeeG
	Lizards are reptiles a class of animals that also includes turtles and snakes. There are 3000 kinds of lizards. Some lizards look like dragons others look like worms like snakes.One of the dragon kind of lizards is called a komodo monitor - the largest lizard. A typical lizard is four legged short bodied and long-tailed. All lizards shed their scaly skins.
	Chimpanzees by Lauren
	Chimps spend most of their time on the ground where they both walk and run on two legs. Chimpanzees can be told from other monkeys from their large hairless ears. They weigh slightly less then most humans. They are able to lift or move objects that a strong man can not even budge. Chimpanzees are considered the most intelligent of the apes in captivity. Chimpanzees are covered with black hair on most of their body (except their fingers, palms, armpits, and bottoms of their feet).
	Dogs by Amy
	A lot of people think a dog is dumb put dogs can sense if a storm is coming like an earthquake or a volcano. Their fur keeps them warm in the winter. In summer a dogs fur turns brighter, in winter its fur turns dark. If you train a dog don't do it in the morning or when its excited or tired.

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