Hi everybody! There are 5 animals which I find interesting. They are the chameleon, rabbit, star-nosed mole, polar bear and the elephant. I hope you will enjoy reading this posting.
The Chameleon
Scientific name:Chamaeleo parsonii
Life span: 7 years
Physical Description
Chameleons are masters of disguise and they vary greatly in size and body structure. The male chameleon is slightly larger than the female chameleon,reaching up to 25 cm in length. They have bulging eyes which allows them to see up to 360 degrees around them. Chameleons also have rough skin and the colour of their skin changes along with the surroundings. They camouflage in order to hide from their enemies.
Reproduction
Reproduction occurs once every two years and the female produces 20 to 25 eggs per clutch. Incubation for this species takes longer than a year. As with other chameleons, once the babies are hatched from the egg, they are on their own.
Fun facts
Did you know that:
~ A chameleon's tongue can be shot out to an extraordinary length: in some species the tongue is longer than is body!
~Chameleons seem to prefer running water to still water.
~The chameleon can rotate and focus its eyes separately to look at two different objects.
The Rabbit
Scientific name: Oryctolagus cuniculus
Life span: 6 years
Physical Description
Long ears and long hind legs are the physical characteristics by which rabbits are recognise.Their large ears help them detect danger and their eyes are adapted to nighttime activities. Rabbits may be adorable and fluffy but they are also adapted to quick movement and hopping.
Reproduction
Female rabbits usually have 2 to 10 babies in the litter. Rabbits also produce several litters per year. The babies are born helpless and blind so their mother takes care of them in the fur-lined nest for the first five days of their life.
Fun facts
Did you know that:
~Rabbits' tongue contains 17 000 taste buds!
~Rabbits' teeth are always growing to cope with all that gnawing.
~A rabbit's eyes protrude from the side of its head which gives them near 360 degrees vision - the one area they can't see is right in front of their own nose!
The Star-nosed mole
Scientific name: Condylura cristata
Life span: 3 to 4 years
Physical Description
Its nose is hairless and is ringed by a unique "star" of 22 pink, fleshy tentacles. Like other moles, it has a stout, roughly cylindrical body with heavily-built forelimbs, broad feet and large claws. Its hair is short, dense and coarser than that of other moles.
Reproduction
Females produce one litter of offspring per year of between 2 and 7 young, though 5 is a typical litter size. At birth, the young are hairless, are approximately 49mm long and weigh about 1.5g. The eyes and ears are closed and the tentacles of the star are folded back along the rostrum. Eyes,ears and star become functional after about 2 weeks. Young are independent at 30 days and reach maturity at 10 months.
Fun facts
Did you know that:
~It uses its fleshy nose for hunting.
~The Star-nosed mole has 100,000 nerve fibers that run from star to the brain. This is almost six times more than the touch receptors in the human hand!
The Polar Bear
Scientific name: Ursus maritimus
Life span: 15 to 18 years
Physical Description
A polar bear has an elongated body, with low, well-developed shoulders. They have a long thin but well developed neck, highly developed hindquarters and a straight profile.
Reproduction
Females usually breed for the first time when they are 4 years of age and usually breed once every 3 years. The cubs' eyes are closed at birth and Male cubs are usually larger than the female cubs. During the first 2 months, cubs have an unsteady walk.
Fun facts
Did you know:
~Though polar bears appear white, their skin is actually black in colour!
~All polar bears are left-handed!
~They are one of the very few mammals that have fur on the soles of their feet.
The Elephant (African Elephant)
Scientific name: Loxodonta africana
Life span: 40 to 60 years
Physical Description
They have four toes on the forefeet and five toes on the hind feet. African elephants have larger ears and tusks than Asian elephants. Females are smaller and have shorter tusks than males. The skin is grey, with a little covering of hair.
Reproduction
Females and usually breed by age ten and they breed every four years and are only receptive for between 3-6 days, so bulls in must need to be alert to the location of receptive females. They listen for the females tummy-rumbles that can be heard from many kilometres. The gestation period is 22 months long and usually only one calf is born.
Fun facts
Did you know that:
~The African elephant has the biggest brain of any land mammal!
~Man is the only real enemy of elephants!
~Both male and female elephants have ivory tusks.
CREDITS:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/amaze.html
http://www.indyzoo.com/content.aspx?cid=505
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Condylura_cristata.html
http://www.bear.org/Polar/Polar_Bear_Facts.html
http://biology.about.com/library/bldyknow091099.htm
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