Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Rainforest aniamals





Sugar glider

The sugar glider lives in the rainforests of Australia. It is a nocturnal animal, during the day they rest in trees and is active at night. It is like a possum that has two flaps of thin skin connected to its four thumbs and body(pictures). It has four toes to grasp the tree. It moves around from tree to tree by using its hind legs to launch itself from the tree and then glide using the flap of skin to another tree, it uses its long furry tail to steer. This helps it stay away from predators on the ground and it could help it get away from predators that can't fly. http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/zoology/ClassMammalia/Mammals/OrderDiprotodontia/SugarGlider/sugarglider.jpg



Sloth

These slow moving mammals live in the rainforests of south and central America. They are nocturnal animals that spend most of their lives hanging upside down on branches of trees. They have strong curved claws to grip the branches. Their slowness makes them virtually impossible to spot because they blend into the background. They also have algae encrusted on their fur which provides camouflage and when the sloth licks it gives them nutrients. They don't need to eat or drink very much because of their low body temperature.







Emerald tree boa

This snake lives in the amazon. It hunts at night and with its tongue which senses odors and its upper lip that has heat sensors hunts its prey. They use their teeth to catch the prey and then using its body squeezes it to death. Its jaws have stretch ligaments that let it swallow things that are wider than itself. As you can tell from its name it is very green which provides perfect camouflage in the tree canopy.








Leopard


These big cats are widely distributed animals. There are many different variations of leopards i.e. clouded leopard, snow leopard, panther, etc. They are fast runners so the can catch their prey or escape from humans hunting. They are good swimmers too. They are wonderful tree climbers (pictured)and would hide their food in a tree to protect it from land scavengers. They have long retractable claws to grip the trees and to grip their prey. They can also maintain their balance in a tree because they have long tails. Their spotted coats provide good camouflage in the rainforest background.

















































Thursday, February 5, 2009

Mountainous Animals

Mountain goat





In the high altitudes of the mountains the air is very thin so it can't retain the heat. Therefore it gets colder the higher up you get. The air is moister than usual as well.


The mountain goat has very sturdy hooves with two toes for balance and pads on each toe for grip so they can climb the jagged and steep rocks. They can also jump 12 feet in a single bound. They have curved horns to defend themselves from predators. In the winter they have a white woolly coats which provides them with camouflage and protection from the sharp winds and the cold, (as seen in picture).http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/mountain-goat.jpg




Alpine salamander


The alpine salamander lives in very high altitudes of 4,600 feet on mountains. They live in the damp forrests and are completely black(pictured). They have adapted their gestation period so that it lasts 3 years and the babies are born alive so that there is no risk of the tadpoles freezing in a pond or eaten. They will often hibernate in the winter when it is really cold. http://www.club100.net/reports/reportimages/switzerland2004/040730_046.jpg


Panda

The pandas live the mountains of China. They did live on the lowlands as well but with farming they have retreated to the mountains. They live at about 5,000 to 10,000 feet in the mountains, they have thick woolly fur to keep them warm. They have a diet of bamboo shoots(pictured). They have strong jaws, teeth and claws to chew. Their digestive system has adapted as well so it can digest the hard, tough bamboo. To get the nutrients it needs each day the panda has to eat 20-40 pounds of bamboo and to get this they have to spend 10-16 hours eating. Unlike most bears pandas do not hibernate. http://iwmf04.ustc.edu.cn/images/giant%20panda.jpg