July 2017 - A To Z Posting Contest - Animals

K...KOALA'S ARE OFTEN CALLED KOALA BEARS, BECAUSE OF THEIR RESEMBLANCE TO A TEDDY BEAR,THEY ARE IN FACT MARSUPIALS, FOUND IN THE FOREST OF SOUTH-EAST AUSTRALIA. KOALAS HAVE ADAPTED VERY WELL
TO LIFE AS TREE DWELLERS, THEY HAVE SHORT POWERFUL LIMBS AND HANDS WITH 3 FINGERS AND OPPOSABLE THUMBS' THAT ALLOW THEM MOVE
ABOUT FREELY AMONGST THE TREES

L - Ladybird

The ladybird (also known as the ladybug) is a small colorful beetle found all around the world. There are thought to be more than 5,000 different species of ladybird in the world, with more than 450 species found in North America alone. It is best known for it's spotted body, normally red with black, but often orange and yellow ones are found. The ones we have around our place are kind of a pinkish orange

M - Meerkat - also called a ‘Suricate’; a small member of the mongoose family whose range extends from South West Angola to South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a ‘mob’, but also referred to as a ‘gang’ or a ‘clan’. Meerkats are well known for their upright position and sociable behavior.

N NORWEGIAN FOREST CAT

The Norwegian Forest cat is one of the largest breeds of domestic cat, generally reaching more than a meter in length. The Norwegian forest cat has a heavy body due to its large size and can often be more than twice the weight of other domestic cat breeds.

O....OCELOT, IS A MID SIZED SMALL CAT, NATIVE TO THE JUNGLES OF SOUTH-
AMERICA. AKA THE PAINTED LEOPARD, DUE TO THE BEAUTIFUL MARKINGS ON
IT'S COAT THAT CONSIST OF DARK ROSETTES, SPOTS AND STRIPES, THIS
CAT IS STRONG AND AGILE,NOT ONLY ARE THEY GREAT CLIMBERS AND FAST
RUNNERS, BUT HAVE NO FEAR OF WATER, WHICH MAKES THEM GREAT SWIMMERS AS WELL. THE OCELOT IS A NOCTURNAL ANIMAL, SLEEPING MOST
OF THE DAY, AND VENTURING OUT AT NIGHT. WHICH MAKES SIGHTING THEM VERY RARE.

Panther - The Panther (also commonly known as the Black Panther) is a large member of the Big Cat family, native to Asia, Africa and the Americas. The Panther is not a distinct species itself but is the general name used to refer to any black coloured feline of the Big Cat family, most notably Leopards and Jaguars. The Panther is an elusive and powerful animal that has adapted well to a variety of habitats around the world, and is known to be one of the strongest climbers of all felines. Although the Panther is not technically classified as a separate species, they are considered to be endangered by many due to the declining numbers of both Leopards and Jaguars throughout much of their natural ranges.

Q QUETZAL


The Quetzal is an incredibly coloured bird with males displaying a bright metallic green or blue on most of their bodies besides the deep red of the chest and belly. The male Quetzal also has a distinctive tuft of golden green feathers that form a crest on top of their heads and immensely long twin tail feathers that can grow up to a meter in length. Although females do not grow such an impressively long train they are of a similar colouration to their male counterparts with their plumage not being quite as bright. The deep red of the chest is often much duller or even grey (as is the metallic green) and they have grey or bronze coloured heads edged with green

R - Rough-toothed Dolphin - The characteristic feature of this Dolphin is its conical shaped head and slender nose. The flippers are set back further along the body than other similar dolphins. Their dorsal fins are more pronounced. Rough-toothed dolphins have sharp, serrated teeth.

S....SAW-SCALED VIPER, HAS MADE THE LIST AS #11 ON THE WORLDS MOST
DEADLY SNAKES. THE MORTALITY RATE FOR THOSE BITTEN BY THESE SNAKES
IS HIGH IN REGIONS WHERE THEY ARE FOUND, AFRICA, ARABIA AND SOUTH-WEST ASIA. THIS SNAKE IS SMALL, IRRITABLE AND VERY AGGRESSIVE, THEY
ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE HUMAN DEATHS, THEN ALL OTHER SNAKE SPECIES COMBINED!!!

T - Tarsier

The Tarsier is a unique animal as they are the only completely carnivorous primates in the world. Under the cover of night, Tarsiers sit clinging to vertical branches where they wait motionless and survey their surrounds 180 degrees each way watching closely with their huge eyes and picking up on even the tiniest noise with their incredibly sensitive hearing. Once food has been located, the Tarsier moves slightly closer to it before leaping onto it and catching it with its front hands. The long fingers and toes of the Tarsier enable it to also trap flying prey mid-air and provide an almost cage-like device to prevent it from escaping before the Tarsier has killed it. Insects make up the bulk of a Tarsier's diet along with small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards and small birds.

U - Uinta ground squirrel - It is brown to buff above and has buff undersides. The top of the head, sides of the face, and neck are gray. Because the Uinta ground squirrel hibernates and estivates, it is only active for 3.5 months out of the year.

V VAMPIRE BAT
The Vampire Bat is quite a small animal, with it's body rarely growing larger than the size of a human thumb. It's wings are long, finger-like bones that are covered in a thin layer of skin, with a thumb claw that pokes out of the front and is used for grip when clambering about on their host.

W-is for Wolverine (not from X-MEN)
The Wolverine is from the mammal class. Their average life span is 7-12 years. The need a lot of space to roam around. They travel about 15 miles a day looking for food. They are found in the remote boreal forests in Europe, Asia and North America. They have very heavy pretty fur which use to be used to line parkas. This practice is no longer being done.

X - X-Ray Tetra

The most distinctive feature of the X-Ray Tetra is the translucent layer of skin that covers its small body, allowing the Fish's backbone to be clearly seen. The scales of the X-Ray Tetra are a silvery-yellowish color that is very faint, looking almost golden in some lights.

Y - The Yacare Caiman is similar in general design to the Common Caiman (Caiman crocodilus), reaching lengths of 2.5 to 3 metres (8.2 to 9.4 feet). The common name ‘Piranha caiman’ is derived from its more visible display of teeth, an unusual characteristic whereby certain large teeth in the lower jaw may protrude through the top surface of the upper jaw.