The Capybara Is The Largest Rodent In The World
Close relatives are guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, chinchillas, and the coypu. Native to South America, the capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually lives in groups of 10–20 individuals. The capybara is not a threatened species and is hunted for its meat, hide and also for a grease from its thick fatty skin which is used in the pharmaceutical trade.
Lowland Streaked Tenrec: They Are Endemic To Madagascar
These unusual insectivores form a rather diverse. Tenrecinae resemble a cross between a shrew and a hedgehog: their snouts are long and pointed, while the coat exhibits spines. The Lowland streaked tenrecs are distinguished by two main features: the first is a rather long, black colored nose, which is longer than that of other small sized insectivores, including hedgehogs, mice and shrews; the other feature is black colored coat, displaying yellow stripes and bright yellow spine crests, located over the top of their head and acting as a mean of self-defense against predators
Mexican Salamander(Axolotls) Or A Mexican Walking Fish, Is A Neotenic Salamander, Closely Related To The Tiger Salamander
Although the axolotl is colloquially known as a "walking fish", it is not a fish, but an amphibian. Axolotls are unusual among amphibians in that they reach adulthood without undergoing metamorphosis. Instead of developing lungs and taking to land, the adults remain aquatic and gilled. As of 2010, wild axolotls were near extinction due to urbanization in Mexico City and consequent water pollution. They are currently listed by CITES as an endangered species and by IUCN as critically endangered in the wild, with a decreasing population. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate limbs. Axolotls were also sold as food in Mexican markets and were a staple in the Aztec diet.
Cute Or Strange?
The bat-eared fox is a species of fox found on the African savanna, named for its large ears, which are used for thermoregulation. Fossil records show this canid to first appear during the middle Pleistocene, about 800,000 years ago
The Emperor Tamarin, Also Known As The Brockway Monkey, (Saguinus Imperator)
Species of tamarin allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. It lives in the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas. The fur of the emperor tamarin is predominantly grey colored, with yellowish speckles on its chest. The hands and feet are black and the tail is brown. Outstanding is its long, white mustache, which extends to both sides beyond the shoulders
A Salp (Plural Salps) Or Salpa (Plural Salpae Or Salpas) Is A Barrel-Shaped, Planktonic Tunicate
It moves by contracting, thus pumping water through its gelatinous body. Salp jet propulsion is one of the most efficient in the animal kingdom. The salp strains the pumped water through its internal feeding filters, feeding on phytoplankton
The Angler Fish Is Perhaps One Of The Most Fascinating And Bizarre Sea Creatures Known To Man
Not only known for its wily predation techniques (re: possessing a spine that grows its own glowing fleshy mass, which the fish wiggles about to lure in other predatory sea creatures that it will ultimately devour), the angler fish’s mating habits are rather unique. When scientists first discovered the angler, for instance, they noticed that almost all of those observed were female…and that these specimens had what appeared to be some sort of parasitic growth attached to their lower parts. Turns out that those “parasites” were actually just greatly reduced male angler fish, whose puny size means that the male angler fish’s sole objective in life is to find and mate with a female. Once they do find a female partner, male anglers quickly bite into the female’s skin and thus fuse them together–so much so that all that is discernible of the male angler fish are two globular growths on the female’s skin: its gonads. From this point on, the male’s life literally depends on its female host, as they share a circulatory system. And, well, just about everything else. When the female is ready to mate, the male pays his dues by providing her with sperm on the spot so that she might impregnate herself
The Red-Lipped Batfish Or Galapagos Batfish Is A Fish Of Unusual Morphology Found Around The Galapagos Islands And Off Peru At Depths Of 3 To 76 M (10 To 249 Ft)
Red-lipped batfish are closely related to rosy-lipped batfish, which are found near Cocos Island off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. This fish is mainly known for its bright red lips. Batfish are not good swimmers; they use their highly adapted pectoral fins to "walk" on the ocean floor. When the batfish reaches maturity, its dorsal fin becomes a single spine-like projection (thought to function primarily as a lure for prey). Like other anglerfish, the red-lipped batfish has a structure on its head known as illicium. This structure is employed for attracting prey
The Aye-Aye Is A Lemur, A Strepsirrhine Primate Native To Madagascar That Combines Rodent-Like Teeth And A Special Thin Middle Finger To Fill The Same Ecological Niche As A Woodpecker
It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unusual method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood using its forward slanting incisors to create a small hole in which it inserts its narrow middle finger to pull the grubs out. This foraging method is called percussive foraging. The only other animal species known to find food in this way is the striped possum. From an ecological point of view the aye-aye fills the niche of a woodpecker, as it is capable of penetrating wood to extract the invertebrates within
The Venezuelan Poodle Moth
Very little is known about this moth but it is a possible new species of moth discovered in 2009 by Dr. Arthur Anker of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela. It bears similarities to the Muslin Moth, but most likely belongs to the lepidopteran genus Artace
The Tufted Deer Is A Small Species Of Deer Characterized By A Prominent Tuft Of Black Hair On Its Forehead And Fang-Like Canines For The Males
It is a close relative of the muntjac, living somewhat further north over a wide area of central China northeastern Myanmar and have been recently seen in Afghanistan after it last appearance 60 years ago. Although suffering from overhunting and habitat loss, this deer is not considered to be endangered. It is restricted to forested mountain habitat up to 4500 m above sea level, making study difficult
Puss Mouth Catepillar: The Larvae Of The Puss Moth Caterpillar Is Said To Resemble A Persian Cat, Contributing The “Puss” To The Name Of This Intimidating Caterpillar
If the off-putting appearance of this insect were not enough, it also happens to be one of the most toxic caterpillars in North America
Flower Mantises Are Those Species Of Praying Mantis That Mimic Flowers
Their coloration is an example of aggressive mimicry, a form of camouflage in which a predator's colours and patterns lure prey. Most species of flower mantis are in the family Hymenopodidae. Their behaviour varies, but typically involves climbing a plant until they reach a suitable flower, and then staying still until a prey insect comes within range. Many of these mantises have deimatic displays to startle or put off potential predators
The Thorny Dragon Or Thorny Devil Is An Australian Lizard, Also Known As The Mountain Devil, The Thorny Lizard, Or The Moloch
This is the sole species of genus Moloch. The thorny devil grows up to 20 cm (8.0 in) in length, and it can live for up to 20 years. Most of these lizards are coloured in camouflaging shades of desert browns and tans. These colours change from pale colours during warm weather and to darker colours during cold weather. These animals are covered entirely with conical spines that are mostly uncalcified
The Atlantic Wolffish Is Also Known As The Seawolf, Atlantic Catfish, Ocean Catfish, Devil Fish, Wolf Eel
Numbers of the Atlantic wolffish are diminishing rapidly thought to be due to overfishing, they live in cold waters and have a natural antifreeze in their blood