Animals

French Bulldogs were probably derived from undersized English Bulldogs that British workers brought to France in the 19th century. These little bulldogs became popular as ratters and companions of European artists. The Frenchie makes a terrific companion dog and is ranked 49th out of 154 dog breeds in 2004 AKC registrations.

The French bulldog is a small companion breed of dog, related to the English bulldog and American bulldog. The name suggests France as the origin of the breed; however, Americans and British breeders may have played a larger role in the breed’s development.

The dogs are commonly called the Frenchie and are nicknamed “clowns” and “frog dogs”.

The French Bulldog or Frenchie is a small, muscular and fairly active member of the bulldog breed. This chunky breed is characterized by its erect bat-shaped ears. Frenchies have a short, smooth, shiny and dense coat. Coat colors can be roan but are usually fawn and white with streaked patches or tiger markings. These dogs stand 11 to 14 inches tall at shoulder height and weigh from 17 to 26 pounds. Frenchies are members of the American Kennel Club (AKC) Non-Sporting Dog Group.

French Bulldogs are one of the nicest, most amusing and amiable of all dog breeds. The Frenchie is a perfect apartment dog that is clean, easy to groom and sheds very little.

The gray wolf or grey wolf (Canis lupus), often known simply as the wolf, is the largest wild member of the Canidae family.

Though once abundant over much of Eurasia and North America, the gray wolf inhabits a reduced portion of its former range due to widespread destruction of its territory, human encroachment, and the resulting human-wolf encounters that sparked broad extirpation.

Even so, the gray wolf is regarded as being of least concern for extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, when the entire gray wolf population is considered as a whole. Today, wolves are protected in some areas, hunted for sport in others, or may be subject to extermination as perceived threats to livestock and pets.

What color are gray wolves? If you said gray you’re partly correct, they can also have white, red or black fur. Gray wolves are 2- 2.5 feet tall (shoulder height) and their bodies are between 4-5 feet long. Male wolves weigh on average 90 pounds and females generally weigh 80 pounds. Gray wolves can run 35 m.p.h. and can jump 12 feet.

Gray wolves live in packs with 8 to 35 members. The leader of the pack is the alpha.

Gray wolves, like maned and red wolves, mate for life. Usually only the alpha pair breeds. Pairs mate in the winter and about 9 weeks later 2 to 14 pups are born. Pups are born blind. Other females in the pack help take care of newborn pups. Within 3 to 5 months the young pups are able to travel with the pack.

The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, literally meaning “black and white cat-foot”) is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the Giant Panda’s diet is 99% bamboo. Other parts of its diet include honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, and bananas when available.

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 Chinese call their beloved pandas “large bear-cats.” People outside of China have been fascinated by giant pandas since they were first described by French Missionary Pere Armand David in 1869. Now, more than 100 years later, the worldwide love for pandas has been combined with international efforts to keep them from becoming extinct.

Bamboo is the most important plant in a giant panda’s life. Pandas live in cold and rainy bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China. They spend at least 12 hours each day eating bamboo. Because bamboo is so low in nutrients, pandas eat as much as 84 pounds (38 kilograms) of it each day. Pandas grasp bamboo stalks with their five fingers and a special wristbone, then use their teeth to peel off the tough outer layers to reveal the soft inner tissue.

Today, only around 1,600 giant pandas survive on Earth.

Wild boar (also wild pig, Sus scrofa) is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises.

Boars (a type of wild pig) are not native to North America. They were brought here from Europe, first by the Spanish explorers in the 1500’s (for food) and later in the 1900’s by people who wanted to hunt the pigs for sport. The wild boars you see today are the great grandchildren of European boars brought here a long time ago. They are NOT pink with curly tails. Wild boars are large – sometimes 5 feet long, and weigh up to 300 pounds.

Boars like to live in forests near streams or ponds. Since boars don’t have any sweat glands, they must wallow in the mud to cool off. Wallowing may also help get rid of fleas and ticks. Boars are fast runners and good swimmers. In the autumn, they eat forest foods like acorns, hickory nuts, and pecans.
Sexual activity and testosterone production in males is triggered by decreasing day length, reaching a peak in mid-autumn. The normally solitary males then move into female groups and rival males fight for dominance, whereupon the largest and most dominant males achieve the most matings.
The age of puberty for sows ranges from 8 to 24 months of age depending on environmental and nutritional factors. Pregnancy lasts approximately 115 days and a sow will leave the group to construct a mound-like nest, 1–3 days before giving birth.

Adult males are usually solitary outside of the breeding season, but females and their offspring (both sub-adult males and females) live in groups called sounders. Sounders typically number around 20 animals, although groups of over 50 have been seen, and will consist of 2 to 3 sows; one of which will be the dominant female. Group structure changes with the coming and going of farrowing females, the migration of maturing males (usually when they reach around 20 months) and the arrival of unrelated sexually active males.

The artic fox also known as the White Fox, Polar Fox or Snow Fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome.

The Arctic Fox lives in some of the most frigid extremes on the planet. Among its adaptations for cold survival are its deep, thick fur, a system of countercurrent heat exchange in the circulation of paws to retain core temperature, and a good supply of body fat. The fox has a low surface area to volume ratio, as evidenced by its generally rounded body shape, short muzzle and legs, and short, thick ears. Since less of its surface area is exposed to the Arctic cold, less heat escapes the body. Its furry paws allow it to walk on ice in search of food.

The arctic fox ranges throughout the Arctic. They are found on land. They also live on sea ice, sometimes traveling hundreds of miles from land. Its coat is white in winter and brown in summer. Arctic foxes do not hibernate in the winter. They are a scavenger and tend to eat animals that are already dead. They often travel in packs.

The arctic fox is dark gray to bluish brown in the summer. In the winter its fur is white or creamy white. It has a long bushy tail, a short nose and small curled back ears. It has short, stubby legs and thick fur. Its short legs and nose, thick fur and small ears are adaptations that help it survive in cold climates. Because its legs are so short and its ears and nose are small, they are less exposed to the cold. The arctic fox also has thick fur and hair on its paw pads that help keep it warm.

The fur on its paws also gives the fox traction so it doesn’t slide on the ice. When the arctic fox is sleeping, it protects its nose from the cold by curling its bushy tail around its body. The arctic fox is about three feet long and weighs between five and fifteen pounds. Males are larger than females.

The reindeer is a majestic animal that inhabits the frozen arctic tundra. It has adapted remarkably to a harsh, barren habitat where food is scarce much of the year. It is an excellent swimmer. Aided by a thick coat that traps air and gives good buoyancy in the water, it can easily swim across wide rivers.

The reindeer inhabits the bleak arctic plain or tundra, and the surrounding forest and mountain areas. Within this harsh and freezing-cold environment, reindeer live together in herds.The smallest herd may contain 20 animals, while the largest may contain thousands. The herd is almost constantly on the move.

The reindeer mates sometime between August and November, depending on location, but mostly in October. This is known as the rutting season, and the male becomes very aggressive, fighting with other males as he competes to win control of a harem of 5 to 15 females. Reindeer and young
As the time approaches to give birth, the female leaves the herd and chooses a secluded spot. She usually returns to the same spot each year to calve, or bear young. The calf is born between late May and early June, when the herd is at the summer grazing grounds. It weighs 11 – 20 pounds and can stand within minutes after being born. It suckles until it is five to six months old.Unlike many baby deer, the reindeer fawn’s coat is not marked with camouflaging spots.

Becasue they are born in early summer, the calves have enough time to feed and grow strong before the Fall migration, when predators are most likely to attack.The calf’s antlers begin to grow when the animal is a year old.
The reindeer is a plant eater and eats a wide variety of vegetation. The mainstay of its diet are the lichens and tough grass that grows on the tundra. In the spring, the reindeer will graze the newly sprouted shoots of grass and shrubs.

The Raccoon is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of 40 to 70 cm (16 to 28 in) and a body weight of 3.5 to 9 kg (8 to 20 lb). The raccoon is usually nocturnal and is omnivorous, with a diet consisting of about 40% invertebrates, 33% plant foods, and 27% vertebrates.

Raccoons are large mammals, most often seen dead on roadsides or at night going through garbage cans. They are shy creatures, active at night.

Raccoons are often thought to be close relatives of weasels, but they are actually more closely related to pandas.

Their fur is grayish brown with black markings. Raccoons are easily identified by the black mask on the face and a bushy tail with four to six black rings.

Raccoons den in hollow trees, fissures in rocks, caves, or burrows (usually old fox, woodchuck or skunk burrow). They almost always live near water. They will also move into a muskrat house.

The original habitats of the raccoon are deciduous and mixed forests of North America, but due to their adaptability they have extended their range to mountainous areas, coastal marshes, and urban areas, where many homeowners consider them to be pests. As a result of escapes and deliberate introductions in the mid-20th century, raccoons are now also distributed across the European mainland, the Caucasus region and Japan.

Raccoons are omnivorous and eat almost anything, including: nuts, berries, acorns, leaves, grasshoppers, crickets, grubs, worms, dragonfly larvae, clams, wasps, salamanders, frogs, crayfish, snakes, turtles and their eggs, bird eggs and nestlings, fish, voles, and squirrels. They often eat garbage scraps and at times have been seen eating dead animals on the sides of roads.

The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia.

Its range has increased alongside human expansion. Because of these factors, it is listed as Least Concern for extinction by the IUCN.

The red fox has orangish-red fur on its back, sides and head. It has white fur under its neck and on its chest. It has a long bushy tail tipped in white, pointed black ears and black legs and feet.
The red fox is mostly nocturnal, although it will sometimes venture out in the day. The red fox, unlike other mammals, hears low-frequency sounds very well. It can hear small animals digging underground and will frequently dig in the dirt or snow to catch prey. The fox stalks its prey, much like a cat. It gets as close as it can and then pounces and chases its prey.

Except for breeding females, the fox doesn’t usually use a den. Sometimes it will sleep in the open, wrapping its bushy tail around its nose to stay warm. When it does use a den, it will usually find an abandoned rabbit or marmot den instead of making its own den.

Elephants are large land mammals in two genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta. Three species of elephant are living today: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant (also known as the Indian elephant). All other species and genera of Elephantidae are extinct, some since the last ice age although dwarf forms of mammoths may have survived as late as 2,000 BC. Elephants and other Elephantidae were once classified with other thick-skinned animals in a now invalid order, Pachydermata.

The African elephant is the largest living land mammal. Of all its specialized features, the muscular trunk is perhaps the most extraordinary. It serves as a nose, hand, extra foot, signaling device and tool for gathering food, siphoning water, dusting, and digging. The tusks are another notable feature of both males and females. Elephants are right or left-tusked, using the favored tusk more often, thus shortening it from constant wear. Tusks differ in size, shape and angle and researchers can use them to identify individuals.

Elephants are gregarious and form small family groups consisting of an older matriarch and several generations of relatives. These family groups are often visited by mature males, who check for females in estrus. Several interrelated family groups may inhabit an area and know each other well. When they meet at watering holes and feeding places, they greet each other affectionately.

Elephants consume about 5% of their body weight and drink 30-50 gallons of water per day. Young elephants must learn how to draw water up their trunks and pour it into their mouths. They eat an extremely varied vegetarian diet including grass, leaves, twigs, bark, fruit and seed pods.

The Giraffe is the tallest animal in the world. Males may be 16-18 feet tall and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Females are usually lighter and about two feet shorter. The giraffe’s front legs are only slightly longer than the back ones, the height of the fore part of the body being largely due to the heavy muscular development of the base of the neck.

The long neck has the usual seven vertebrae of most mammals, although each is greatly elongated. The giraffe’s soup-plate-sized hooves are used as offensive weapons, usually in the defense of the calves. The powerful kick from the front feet can kill a lion.

Early written records described the giraffe as “magnificent in appearance, bizarre in form, unique in gait, colossal in height and inoffensive in character.” Ancient cultures in Africa revered the giraffe, as some modern cultures do today, and commonly depicted it in prehistoric rock and cave paintings. Unknown outside of Africa, this animal so excited man’s curiosity that it was sometimes sent as a diplomatic gift to other countries; one of the earliest records tells of a giraffe going from “Melinda” (presumably Malindi) in Kenya to China in 1415. The animal was thought to be a cross between a camel and a leopard, a mistake immortalized in the giraffe’s scientific name of Giraffa camelopardalis.

The giraffe is non-territorial and social; it lives in very loose, open herds with no specific leaders or coordination of herd movement. This structure reflects that a giraffe’s size makes a “safety in numbers” tactic unnecessary, and that the trees they feed on tend to be spaced apart. Dominance between males is established by “necking”—swinging heads at one another in tests of strength.

Giraffe tails are highly prized by many African cultures. The desire for good-luck bracelets, fly whisks and thread for sewing or stringing beads have led people to kill the giraffe for its tail alone. Giraffes are easily killed and poaching (now more often for their meat and hide) continues today.

One of Africa’s Big Five, the lion is a carnivore (meat eater) and a hunter. It uses its powerful forelegs to grab or slap down large prey that would otherwise outrun it. The jaws are short and strong with long canine teeth that are used to quickly kill the prey, either by biting the neck and strangling or by biting the nose and suffocating.

The tongue’s upper surface has small bumps on it which enables the lion to hold on to meat while eating and to remove parasites when grooming.

Of all the great cats, the lion has always held a supreme place in man’s esteem and imagination. The lion has always been honored by man, crediting the regal beast with attributes he prizes most; nobility, courage, loyalty, combative skills and sexual prowess. This attribution applies to both sexes, for a lioness is a creature of sinuous beauty ,but the full-grown male, whose magnificent mane ranging in color from a rich golden brown to a deep blackish-brown, mark him as the veritable monarch of the plains. The legacy of the lion, King of Beasts, as the model throughout history is demonstrated by its appearance among the earliest drawings made by humans over 15,000 years ago.
Its legs are short with very powerful muscles enabling it to sprint and bring down large prey. The ability to retract its claws helps in protecting them so they maintain their sharpness.
Male lions are 20 to 35% larger than the females and 50% heavier. The male’s chief role is to protect the pride’s territory and females from other males. Size is therefore an advantage though it increases the male’s need for food. Only males grow a mane. It causes him to look bigger without increasing his weight or need for food. It also protects him from bites and scratches should he have to fight another male.

Of the known sub-species of lion there seems to be an agreement on 2 as far as genetics go – Pantherinae Panthera leo leo – the African lion, and Pantherinae Panthera leo persica – the Asian lion. Regardless of the area of Africa a lion is found in today, their DNA analysis has shown them to be the same, whereas there is a difference between African and Asian. As of the time of this writing, the Barbary lion has never been tested and compared to these results, and may in fact be a third and distinct lion sub-specie.

Lion prides are often found in the open plains, but are known from nearly all habitats except deep desert and rainforest. Lions climb trees to rest and cool off, or sometimes to escape stampedes. During the day, lions rest by water holes or salt licks, but at night these places are usually reserved for hunting.

The African Golden Cat is a medium sized cat and can grow to 90cm in body length and weigh up to 18kg. Although its name implies a golden coloured coat the golden cat is polymorphic – its base coat coloration varies extensively depending on its location -ranging from a golden/reddish brown to slate/silver grey.

The African golden cat has long been regarded as closely related to the Asian or Temminck’s golden cat, but a recent review of cat taxonomy by Wozencraft (1993) separates the two into different genera.
Two subspecies are described:
- F. (P.) a. aurata (Congo to Uganda )
- F. (P.) a. celidogaster (West Africa )

The primary habitat of the golden cat appears to be the Tropical Rain Forest belt which traverses the African equator, however penetration into the adjoining tropical Dry Forests and Savannah scrub is also in evidence. To the east of its range in Uganda the golden cat has been known to inhabit regions up to 3500 meters and be present as far east as the Mau Escarpment in western Kenya. Although the golden cat is said to prefer virgin forest, reports from around the Bwindi Mountain Gorilla National Park in South West Uganda suggest that the cat is equally at home in secondary forest areas where logging activities had led to an initial decline in many of the herbivore prey species and an increase in human activity.
Primarily due to its dense rain forest habitat very little is known of the lifestyle and biology of the golden cat. Most reports suggest that golden cat is a solitary and crepuscular hunter but sightings of a golden cat stalking the mainly diurnal black-fronted duika in South West Uganda suggest that the cat may well be active during daylight hours in parts of its range. Apart from duika and other small antelope it is thought that the main part of the golden cats diet is made up of rodents, tree hyraxes and birds. There are conflicting reports of the golden cat foraging close to human habitation – sources around the Bwindi National Park in Uganda have confirmed that the preying on domestic poultry and livestock is common, whilst research in the Tai National Park in the Ivory Coast suggest that domestic predation is a rare occurrence. Small monkeys are also known to be taken by the cat which may suggest that although thought of as mainly terrestrial, the golden cat is also active in the lower branches of the forest canopy and can climb well.

The little that is known of the golden cats biology and reproduction is gained from captive bred animals – the litter size is small, usually consisting of 1-2 young and are born after a gestation period of approximately 75 days. The kittens have a daily weight gain of approximately 30g per day and are weaned at about 14 weeks – the golden cat reaches maturity at about 18 months of age.

The slow loris is any one of three species of loris classified in the genus Nycticebus: Sunda Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang), Bengal Slow Loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) and Pygmy Slow Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus).

These slow-moving Strepsirhini primates range from Borneo and the southern Philippines in Southeast Asia, through Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, India (North Eastern India, Bengal), southern China (Yunnan area), and Thailand.

The Slow Loris is a mysterious creature that moves slowly though skillfully through the forest at night. These beautiful animals are marked with large eyes and bold stripes.

Solitary creatures, Slow Lorises are active mainly at night. They forage for tender shoots and fruit, eating insects and bird eggs as well.

Most Slow Lorises weigh about three pounds (one and a half kilograms). They are usually between 10.5 and 15 inches (25 to 40 centimeters) long and their bodies have plump appearances. Slow Lorises have very large eyes circled by dark rings. White lines are seen between the Slow Loris’s eyes. Their bodies are predominantly white or very light gray in color. A darker stripe, usually of brown or reddish brown, runs down the back from the crown. The muzzles of Slow Lorises are relatively short and round. They have opposable thumbs. The tail is a mere stump.

The slow loris is a rather peculiar animal with their big eyes and variety of calls including hisses, buzzes and loud whistles. For the purpose of this weeks fact though we will talk about their unique venom they are capable of producing. This primate has sebaceous glands located in the crook of their elbow. When this clown is about to bite into its prey they will lick these glands coating their teeth with a poison. Once they bite into their unfortunate prey this poison will cause the bite site to itch, swell and ache for days. Let this be a warning that not all primates are friendly and fun. I don’t think you would want to get bit by this little guy.

The slow loris will also coat their babies with this poison if they have to leave them alone for any amount of time. This is a very interesting technique to ensure that nothing attacks your children. Instead of getting a babysitter the next time you go out, just spread harmful poison on your kids. Not only will your kids be safe from predators but you just saved yourself some money by not having to hire that pesky 14 year old babysitter.

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae now found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania.

Tasmanian Devils are black with a white mark on the chest and rump, and look similar to a medium sized solid dog. Their tracks are in a diamond pattern: a single pawprint, followed by two pawprints side by side, and then another single print. They have a rocking movement when they run, at a top speed of about 13 kilometres per hour.

The Tasmanian devil hunts at night and spends the day in a burrow. Tasmanian devils have powerful jaws that can bite through bones. The can open their mouths in a very wide gape. When several gather at one carcass, they growl and screech loudly, but rarely injure each other. This bone-chilling screeching gave the devil its name: early settlers thought that they sounded like devils in the night.

Generally Tasmanian devils eat dead animals they find. This is an important activity because they clean up dead carcasses, which keeps the bush clean and on farms prevent sheep getting infected by maggots. However, they can also hunt and kill birds, reptiles and small mammals. Like many marsupials, devils can retain fat in their tails to keep up nutrition when there is little food around.

The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small gliding marsupial native to eastern and northern mainland Australia, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Archipelago, and introduced to Tasmania, Australia.

Sugar gliders are diminutive in size. They are generally 11-16 in (27.5 – 40 cm) in length, with 6-8 in (15-20 cm) of that belonging to the bushy, non-prehensile tail. Sexual dimorphism is present in this species, with the males being larger than the females. The males weigh approximately 115-160 g, while the females weigh 100-135 g.

Sugar gliders have a squirrel-like body ending in a long tail. The heady is rather short and narrow. The legs are small and end in five-digit feet. All of the toes are clawed, with the exception of the opposable toe on each hind foot. The hind feet are syndactylus, with two of the toes being partially fused together. The sugar glider uses these fused toes for grooming.

They are silvery blue grey in colour (dark stripe on back) , very light (100 to 160g), their body length is around 200mm long with a similar length tail.

It is thought that Sugar gliders live for 9 years in their natural habitat.
The sugar glider makes a variety of noises ranging from shrill yapping ( predator is near), a sharp shriek (when fighting)to a “gurgling chatter” when in their nest.

Sugar Gliders are active at night and during the day sleep in a nest made of leaves in tree-hollows.
Anywhere from 7 and 12 gliders will co-habitat in these nests, some say to help keep themselves warm by sharing body heat.
click for info on pic Another way they can conserve heat, when food is scarce or temperatures plummet, is to go into a Torpor (Like a mild hibernation- where its body temperature drops down close to the air around them)

They are playful amongst their own “clan” group but will fiercely attack any intruder whether it be another Sugar Glider or a totally different animal.

Dominant male sugar gliders will scent other clan members and the territory around the nest.

Opossums are the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere.

They are also commonly called possums, though that term is also applied to Australian fauna of the suborder Phalangeriformes.

There are more than 60 different species of opossum, which are often called possums. The most notable is the Virginia opossum or common opossum—the only marsupial (pouched mammal) found in the United States and Canada.

Opossums are excellent tree climbers and spend much of their time aloft. They are aided in this by sharp claws, which dig into bark, and by a long prehensile (gripping) tail that can be used as an extra limb. Opossums nest in tree holes or in dens made by other animals.

Opossums are at greatest risk from humans, domesticated pets, and cars. Often, an opossum mother killed by a car will have uninjured babies in her pouch. Opossums that survive until adulthood usually live only 1 to 2 years.

The Fallow Deer (Dama dama) is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae.

Intermediate in size between roe and red deer. There are four main variations in coat but many minor variations also exist including a long-haired version found in Mortimer forest, Shropshire. The common variety is the familiar tan/fawn colour with white spotting (becoming long and grey with indistinct spots in winter) on the flanks and white rump patch outlined with characteristic black horse-shoe.

The Menil variety is paler, lacks the black bordered rump and keeps its white spots all year. The black variety is almost entirely black with no white coloration anywhere. Finally, the white variety can be white to sandy coloured and becomes more white at adulthood. This is a true colour variety and not albinism, which is rare. The fallow is the only British deer with palmate antlers.

Adult size. Bucks (males): 84 to 94cm at shoulder, 46 to 94kg. Does (females): 73 to 91cm at shoulder, 35 to 56kg.

Behaviour is dependent upon the environment and population density. In most populations bucks maintain a traditional, defended rutting stand. In others a temporary rutting stand is maintained to attract sufficient does to herd them into a harem. In areas with very high buck densities a lek may be formed. In lower density areas bucks may simply seek out receptive females. During conflict, the escalation of display behaviour in bucks, from groaning and parallel walks to fighting, is in common with other larger species of deer.

The Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest deer species. The Red Deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor and parts of western and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being the only species of deer to inhabit Africa.

The animal’s coat is reddish brown. There is a white patch on the rump. The red deer is four to five feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) at the shoulder and weighs 220 to 550 pounds (100 to 250 kg). The adult male is called a stag or hart; the adult female is called a hind.

Red deer live in herds, but the males associate with the females only during the breeding season, which occurs in August or September. During the breeding season the males, bellowing loudly, fight each other to determine which will mate with the best females. Each female bears one white-spotted fawn after a gestation period of eight months. The average lifespan of the red deer is 16 years.
The natural habitat of the red deer is forest, but as the great forests of Britain were felled over the centuries, most of them were forced to live on exposed moorland, moving into wooded plantations during severe winter weather.

The deer are browsers by nature, pulling off leaves from oak, birch and rowan trees. They will also eat twigs, ivy and lichen from trees, especially during the winter. In open habitats, the deer become mainly grazers, cropping grass and browsing from small shrubs such as heather. Feeding takes place mainly during the early morning and evening, the deer resting and ruminating (chewing the cud) by day.
The red deer has always been hunted by man for its meat, known as venison, and for sport. In Roman times, coaches were pulled by teams of red deer during ceremonial processions connected with the worship of Diana, the goddess of hunting.

Today, man is the adult deer’s only predator. Calves are sometimes taken by carnivores such as foxes, Scottish wild cats and golden eagles, but the wolf, which may well have once been the red deer’s main predator, became extinct in Britain during the 18th Century.

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a bear native largely within the Arctic circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world’s largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak bear, which is approximately the same size.

They are the largest land meat-eater in the world and the largest of the bear family. They are well suited to the cold Arctic ice and snow.

The polar bear has many unique adaptations for dealing with the Arctic cold. The polar bear’s skin is actually black, which allows it to soak up as much heat as possible from the sun. They are also great swimmers and will swim from ice floe to ice floe. They have been seen swimming 50 miles away from any ice or land.

Sexually mature at 4-8 years. Breed polygamously, April through June, with 1-3 cubs every 28 months. Pregnant females dig a den in October through December where cubs are born December to January and stay until March or April. Lactation lasts 28 months. May live 25-30 years.

They spend their entire life associated with pack ice. Females may prefer ice along the shoreline while others prefer moving sea ice at the floe edge -usually within 180 miles of shore.

Eats mostly ringed and bearded seals. They will occasionally eat other mammals, eggs, vegetation and beach-cast carrion. Polar bears don’t drink water. They get all the liquids that they need from the animals that they eat.

The beaver (genus Castor) is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) (native to North America) and European Beaver (Castor fiber) (Eurasia).

This very large, dark brown rodent has a black, scaly tail which is horizontally flattened and paddle shaped and used as a rudder while swimming , as a sturdy support on land and for balance when the beaver carries heavy tree branches or building materials in its front paws. The back feet are large, webbed and black; the eyes and ears small; incisors are very large and chestnut coloured. Average weight is 45-60 pounds but they have been recorded at up to 110 pounds.

Beavers are known for their natural trait of building dams on rivers and streams, and building their homes (known as “lodges”) in the resulting pond. Beavers also build canals to float build materials that are difficult to haul over land. They use powerful front teeth to cut trees and other plants that they use both for building and for food. In the absence of existing ponds, beavers must construct dams before building their lodges. First they place vertical poles, then fill between the poles with a crisscross of horizontally placed branches. They fill in the gaps between the branches with a combination of weeds and mud until the dam impounds sufficient water to surround the lodge.

Beavers’ ability to change the landscape is second only to humans. But that is just one reason why we find the flat-tailed species fascinating. Adults may weigh over 40 pounds, and beavers mate for life during their third year. Both parents care for the kits (usually one to four) that are born in the spring. The young normally stay with their parents for two years, and yearlings act as babysitters for the new litter. While some beaver behavior is instinctive, they also learn by imitation and from experience. Dr. Donald Griffin, the father of animal cognition, has said, “When we think of the kinds of animal behavior that suggest conscious thinking, the beaver comes naturally to mind.”