Animals usborne fact cards eng 2010

Lives in: S and W Africa Weight: 1.4kg 3lbs Habitat: grasslands, woods Speed: 23kph 14mph Food: rats, birds, lizards Lifespan: 12 years Predators: mongooses Active: in the day... Essen

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Black mamba

These mambas are the most feared

reptiles in Africa They're fast, fierce

and extremely dangerous

Silvery skin tinged

with green or yellow

Skin lighter underneath

Slithers up trees to hunt birds,

or warm itself in the sun ©

ẤN

® Deadly venom A bite from a black mamba

can killa person in twenty minutes Its venom

brings down small animals almost instantly,

by paralyzing their hearts and lungs

° Speed king, Black mambas are the fastest snakes

in the world They can skim across the ground

as fast asa person can run

® Dark lining It’s called

a black mamba because

the inside of its mouth

is inky black

sv Hatchlings As soon as they hatch,

black mambhas are ready to hunt

small rats and other rodents 3

© Attack When threatened, a black

mamba rears up until its head is

more than 1m (about 4ft) off the

ground, then it shoots forward

and lashes out with rapid bites

Lives in: S and W Africa Weight: 1.4kg (3lbs)

Habitat: grasslands, woods Speed: 23kph (14mph)

Food: rats, birds, lizards Lifespan: 12 years

Predators: mongooses Active: in the day

Crocodile

One of the oldest creatures on

Earth — around at the same

time as the dinosaurs

and replaced — goes through e

about 3,000 ina lifetime

® Jaws Crocodiles have the most powerful jaws

of any animal in the world They bite 15 times

harder than an angry Rottweiler dog

® Death toll Crocodiles eat more people than

any other animal — about 2,000 every year

® Powerful acid A crocodile’s stomach juices

are so strong they can dissolve steel nails

® Ambush Crocs lurk at

an onto the shore to seize their

=—= little chance of escape

° Toothpicks Nile crocodiles Egyptian

P over

open their mouths to allow

Egyptian plovers to

hop inside The

little birds then

eat the food scraps

stuck between the

crocodiles’ teeth

Essential facts (Saltwater crocodile) Size: 7m (23ft) long

Lives in: Australia, SE Asia Weight: 550kg (1,200Ibs)

Food: fish, snakes, cattle Lifespan: 60 years

Giant tortoise

Hard shell is made from the same

Longest-lived

Lives entirely on land — the closest

it comes to swimming is When it

wades in a stream to wash

aT

® Oldest The oldest giant tortoise on record was

25S years old When he died in 2006, he was 26 years older than the United States of America

* Babies Baby giant tortoises have a soft shell, and

make a tasty snack for birds, rats, crabs and cats

° Keeping safe A scared tortoise tucks its head and legs under its shell, and nothing can tempt

it out until it feels safe

* Temptation Giant “se

tortoises taste so delicious (wo xx

that it took 300 years to ES

peta live one brought to Š 5

England, because the sailors Ne

kept eating them on the way GX `

S° Neck-peckers When a giant tortoise

is feeling itchy, it stretches out its neck

and little birds peck it clean of ticks

Lives in: Indian, Pacific oceans Weight: 250kg (550lbs) NT

Habitat: tropical islands Špeed: 0.3kph (0.2mph) - Food: leaves, grass Lifespan: 150 years” i

Predators: none Active: in the day

Brown rat

The world’s most common mammal,

living in almost every city, town

and village on the planet

(even concrete) to

keep them short

Use their long tails to balance

when climbing or swimming

° Super rat Rats can swim non-stop for 72 hours, scale vertical walls, jump down 15m (soft)

drops, and eat almost anything — even soap

<4

® Crop thief Every year, : fifth of all the world’s

crops are eaten by rats

® Scent trail Rats use urine as a marker They leave

it on everything they come across (including each other) to let other rats know where they ve been

® Breeding machine

A female rat can have

150 babies in her lifetime

~ and more than 10,000 grandchildren

© Rat-free zones Only two places in the world are

free from rats: the polar ice caps, and Alberta in Canada Alberta has set upa specialist rat patrol to

guard its eastern border, and all its other borders are protected by impassable wildernesses

Essential facts

Lives in: almost everywhere

Habitat: towns and cities

Food: grain, waste food

Predators: cats, foxes, dogs

Size: 25cm (10in) long

Weight: 400g (140z) Speed: 10kph (6mph)

Lifespan: 18 months

Active: at night

Cape buffalo

Nicknamed ‘black death’

200 people a year hooked horns

Lives in herds near rivers

J

° Huge horns Both males and females have horns The males’ join in the middle; the females’ don’t

Male “ee Female

® Big five Cape buffalo are one of the ‘big five’ — the

African animals most prized by hunters for the skill and bravery needed to bring one down The

others are lions, leopards, rhinos and elephants

e Mud bath Buffalo

roll in mud to keep

cool and protect

themselves from biting insects

© Hunter becomes the hunted Hunters say that

a wounded cape buffalo sometimes sets up an ambush as a last resort It doubles back into the undergrowth and charges them as they walk past

Food: grass Lifespan: 45 years Predators: lions Active: day or night

Camel

All a camel’s fat is stored in its

hump, so the rest of its body keeps

as lean and cool as possible

scalding sand

Wide heen Th at " ‘

® One hump or two? Camels with one hump are called

dromedaries Two-hump camels are Bactrians

® Precious water Camels can last for weeks without

drinking, because they don’t waste a drop of

water They very rarely sweat and their

urine can become as thick as syrup

© Flexible jaw When a camel chews, its lower jaw swings

wildly from side to side

ƒ © Camel spit If they xe

j) agitated, camels burp up

spit it at whatever's ⁄22 -/@x)\ (e

annoying them

® Catwalk camels

Camel beauty contests are held in

the Middle East every year Owners

travel thousands of miles with their

best-looking camels to take part

Food: plants, grass Lifespan: 45 years

Predators: none Active: in the day

World’s tallest animal,

with a neck that can

reach the highest

© Stink bulls Male giraffes give off an awful

stench that drives away disease-ridden parasites This has earned them the nickname ‘stink bull?

® Ear cleaner Giraffes have ⁄? Í

long, dark blue tongues GLA

that they sometimes use NN aa :

° High birth Giraffes

ive birth standin

up The baby drops 2m

(7£t) onto the ground,

® Little sleep Giraffes only

poe leen £ le of h in 24

SR s cep 0T" 2a coup €o ours ln

weighs the same as a sack

of potatoes When males

fight, they hang their heads

low, swing them like a mace

and strike such blows they

can knock a rival off his feet

Essential facts Size: 5m (16'/2ft) tall

Lives in: Africa Weight: 1,200kg (2,650lbs)

Food: acacia leaves Lifespan: 25 years

Predators: none Active: day and night

Gorilla

Adult males are called

‘silverbacks’ because of the pale hair on their backs

® Relations Gorillas are one of our closest relatives

Like us, they show feelings of love, hate, fear, j joy;

jealousy, pride and shame They laugh when they are tickled and cry when they are sad

° Warning! If they feel threatened, gorillas beat their chests, tear up plants, then bellow and charge

° Dung-eaters Gorillas eat their own dung to get

every last bit of nutrition from their food

® Tools Gorillas have learned jee Ji

to use tools They place a WG 4

log across a swamp to make

a bridge, and use a stick to

fest the depth of a river

* Sign language A gorilla

named Koko has been

taught to communicate

with people using sign +

language She calls herself a “fine

animal person gorilla” and someone

she doesn't like a “dirty stupid toilet”

Lives in: C Africa Weight: 200kg (440lbs) Habitat: forests Speed: 40kph (25mph)

Food: fruit, plants Lifespan: 40 years

Green anaconda

Largest type of snake in the world,

and made almost entirely of muscle

Nostrils and eye Sleek skin

on top of its head, so

/

® Snakelets Most snakes lay

eggs, but anacondas give _ Swe

birth to between 20 7, Mn ee

and 30 live snakelets *' 72 ie ` HAG

® Record breaker The largest anaconda ever

caught was 8.5m (28ft) long It weighed about

200kg (440]bs), and mmeasured 111cm (44in)

around its middle

® Death squeeze, Anacondas coil around their prey: squeezing tighter each time it breathes out, until its lungs are squashed flat like empty balloons

° Open wide Anacondas have incredibly stretchy

jaws so they can swallow huge prey in one gulp

© Feast and fast One large meal

can keep an anaconda fed for a month

Food: deer, boars, capybara Lifespan: 30 years

Predators: none Active: at night

Grizzly bear

Grizzly bears are the

second largest bear

in the world, and the

most aggressive

/ Very sensitive nose Huge

(even better than shoulder

* Incredible strength A grizzly’s

claws hit like sledgehammers and

slash like knives In California

in the 1850s, cage fights were put on between grizzlies and lions The bear would split the

lion’s skull with one swipe

® Speedy bear A grizzly bear can match a

racehorse stride for stride over 100m (3301)

* Nuts and leaves A grizzly’s diet ,

is 75% nuts, berries and leaves de La _ eee

° Fishing trips Every summer,

grizzly bears catch salmon

in the wide, clear rivers

of Alaska and Canada

® Deep sleep During their

long sleep through winter,

grizzlies don't eat, drink

or release any body waste

Lives in: N America Weight: 450kg (1,000Ibs)

Food: nuts, berries, leaves Lifespan: 25 years

Predators: none Active: at night

Hippopotamus

Skin on body is 4em (11⁄:in) thick,

and almost completely bulletproof

li

Spends most of the

day wallowing in

Oozes a pinkish lakes and rivers

liquid that stops it

from getting sunburn

® Muck spreading Male hippos mark their

territory with dung, They swish their tails

like whirling propellers to spread it as far

as possible

® Sea relatives Hippos are more closely related to

whales and dolphins than to any land mammal

® Wallowers A hippo’s eyes and nose

are on top of its head, so it can

stand deep in the water and

still see what’s going on

® African menace Hippos lose their temper very

quickly, and often without warning They kill

about 150 people each year, and have been known

to overturn boats and tear into the passengers

Habitat: rivers, lakes Speed: 32kph (20mph)

Food: grass Lifespan: +5 years

Predators: none Active: at night

Thick, loose skin, so its body can twist

we /

® Not picky Honey badgers eat pretty much

anything they can catch Their thick skin allows them to kill scorpions, venomous spiders and

even black mamba snakes without getting hurt

° Honey thief Honey badgers love honey

They raid bees’ nests by letting loose a foul

skunk-like smell that drives the bees away

® Bird guides Honey badgers

are led to bees’ nests by a honey

guide bird These birds like to eat

beeswax, but aren't strong enough

to break into the nest themselves

Essential facts

Lives in: Africa, SW Asia

Habitat: scrublands, forests

Food: rodents, lizards, snakes

Predators: none

® Fast digger Honey badgers

blow down any holes they come across and listen for

i a startled rustle If they

a hear one, they start digging

furiously to get at the animal inside

Size: 80cm (32in) long

Weight: 12kg (26lbs)

Speed: 32kph (20mph) Lifespan: 16 years

Active: day or night )

i aguar

Unlike most cats, jaguars have

no problem hunting in water

Looks similar to a leopard, but

rel

much more muscular, with bigger

rosette markings on its coat

° Ambush Jaguars are

ambush specialists They attack from cover with a

quick and fatal pounce

® Awesome jaws A jaguar has the most powerful

bite of any big cat It can bite through a

turtle’s shell as if it were made of chocolate

° Heavy lifter Jaguars are incredibly strong,

They can drag a dead bull along in their jaws

° Deadly The word ‘jaguar’ comes from a Native

American word meaning ‘he who kills with one

leap: Other cats kill their prey by biting through the throat, but a jaguar bites through the skull

Lives in: S America Weight: 120kg (265lbs) Habitat: rainforests Speed: 55kph (35mph)

Food: deer, boars, capybara Lifespan: 15 years

Predators: none Active: at dawn and dusk ý

venomous snake — can

rear up high enough to

® Lethal venom One bite froma king cobra

injects enough venom to kill an elephant

© Snake eaters King cobras feed

mainly on other snakes, including

pythons and smaller cobras

® Snake charming King cobras

are used by snake charmers

in Burma The cobra becomes

so mesmerized by the

swaying of their flute that

the snake charmer can lean

over and kiss it on the head

_———=—

° Striking distance A king cobra can strike a target 2m

A2 (7) away As it rears up, it

Sea AN sends outa low, chilling hiss

kì that sounds like a dog's s growl

\ K : 4 © Nest builders King cobras

\ are one of the few snakes to

| make nests for their egos

Food: snakes Lifespan: 20 years

Predators: none Active: in the day

Strong claws grip

trees even when it’s asleep

® Clingy Koala babies spend

their first six months inside

a pouch on their mother’s

front, and the next six

clinging to her back

® Poison-leaves Eucalyptus

is poisonous to most

animals, but a koala’s

digestive system filters

out the dangerous chemicals

® Little thirst Koalas hardly ever

drink, because they get enough water from the leaves they eat

Ge nề vf ® Sleepy creatures Koalas

Tah V4 sleep for twenty hours a day

y ® Tiny brain Koalas have one of

the smallest brains of any mammal

That’s because large brains need lots of energy, and eucalyptus leaves give hardly any at all

Food: eucalyptus leaves Lifespan: 16 years

Predators: dingoes, owls Active: at night

® Lethal teeth Komodos have 60 teeth Each one

is 2.5cm (lin) long and jagged like a saw

® Cannibals Komodos eat their own babies,

so young komodos climb into the treetops

where the adults can’t reach them

° Waiting game, Komodos ambush large prey and

attack it with savape bites Then they wait for

their victim to collapse from the venom

° Gulp Komodos swallow

smaller preys such as goats,

whole If a carcass gets stuck

part way, the dragon rams it

against a tree to force it down

® Survival technique

Female komodos can give birth without mating, These

young are always male, and

the female can mate with them once they re fully frown

Lives in: Indonesian islands Weight: 150kg (330lbs)

Food: deer, boars, buffalos Lifespan: 40 years

Predators: none Active: in the day

Swings through trees

` faster than an athlete _ running a 100m race @

° Outstanding swing Gibbons build up enough

speed to launch themselves across gaps in the

trees that are the length of a tennis court

b Daily duet A gibbon lives with the same partner

its whole life Every couple has its own ‘song, which they perform together each day

5° Tightrope walkers High up in

the trees, gibbons cross thin

branches like tightrope

walkers, with their arms

held out for balance

* Morning din

Gibbons are one of

the noisiest animals in

the rainforest Every

morning, families make

deafening screeches

and howls to warn

other gibbons away

from their territory

Lives in: SE Asia Weight: 6.5kg (14Ibs)

Food: fruit, leaves Lifespan: 30 years

Predators: eagles, leopards Active: in the day

Leop ard

excellent climbers

° Camouflage A leopard’s tawny fur and dark Ase

shade of its surroundings

© Over here! A female leopard has a

white patch on the end of her tail

so her cubs don't lose sight of her

© Smart thinking, Leopards are the

most intelligent of the big cats They're

watchful and wary, and can vary their hunting technique to

suit almost any terrain

® Black panther Leopards

(and jaguars) with

: \ự 1ù Gal gee black panthers

® Man-eaters Man-eating leopards are hard to

stop They never hunt in the same spot twice,

and melt into the darkness at the first sign of

trouble From 1905-1910, over 400 people in

India were killed by the Leopard of Panar

Food: antelopes, monkeys, deer Lifespan: 15 years

Predators: none Active: at night

Lion

Lions are the rulers of the

African plains, and lounge

around in groups called prides

Tassel

onend

of tail

Males have a thick mane

of hair that grows bushier

the older they get.

® Pride A pride isa group of females and cubs led by

a few males If a new gang of males wins control,

they kill the cubs to start a family of their own

® Fast females Lionesses often do more hunting

than lions, because they're faster and more agile

5° Mighty males Male lions hunt some of the

largest, most powerful animals in Africa They

can even take down a cape buffalo - a formidable hook-horned beast that’s four times their weight

® Fearsome roar A lion’s ear-splitting roar

can be heard over 8km (5 miles) away

® Asiatic lions Not all lions live in Africa There’s a small group of lions living in Gir Forest in India

Essential facts (African lion) Size: 2m (61/›ft) long

Habitat: grasslands Speed: 55kph (35mph)

Food: zebras, wildebeest, buffalos Lifespan: 15 years

Predators: none Active: at dawn and dusk /