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Just for Kidz - Wild Animals |
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God has given us more animals than you can imagine. Most of these animals still live in the wild all over the earth. We can visit zoos to see some of these wild animals that live far away. Do you know what kinds of wild animals live near you? Hold your mouse over the pictures to get even more facts.
 One difference between big cats and your pet kitty is that big cats roar while your kitty can purr. Wild cats have excellent eyesight and hearing. They are the most secretive and quiet of all predators or animals that hunt for food. Many wild cats are endangered species because they are being illegally hunted or losing their homes.
Lions live on plains and forests in India and Africa. They live in groups of about 15 animals called prides.
Tigers are the biggest and most powerful cats in the world. They are even bigger than lions.
Most cats hate to get wet but the Fishing Cat loves the water and spends most of its time in or near rivers or streams hunting fish, frogs and snakes.
The puma, also known as a cougar or mountain lion, lives in North America and makes more of screaming sound instead of a roar.
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Most primates or monkeys live in warm climates like Africa, Asia and South America. They tend to be good at climbing trees and have hands that are similar to ours with four fingers and a thumb. There are over 230 different species or kinds of primates in the world.
Gorillas are the largest primates and part of a group called Great Apes. Great apes walk on two feet and don't have tails like most other primates.
Spider Monkeys are the most acrobatic of the monkeys. They use their tail, arms and legs to swing from tree to tree.
Chimpanzees are the smartest of all the primates. They are the only known animals to use tools like rocks and sticks to catch insects.
When baboons are threaten by a predator the female baboons take the young up into trees while the males fight back.
Most monkeys groom each other to keep clean and to show affection to each other.
Orangutans are the second largest ape and are great apes like the gorilla. Orangutans live alone and spend most of their time in the trees.
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More Wild Trivia
Lemurs are primates like monkeys. Small lemurs are nocturnal which means they are most active at night and sleep during the day.
The fastest animal on land is the Cheetah. A cheetah can run as fast a 60 mph or 95 kph. Next time you are in the highway in a car, ask your parents to tell you when you are driving that fast.
Did you know that many scientist don't think the Panda is a bear. They think it is a relative of the raccoon.
Rhinoceroses often roll or lay in the mud. When the mud dries it is a natural sunblock and protect the rhino's skin from the hot sun.
Meerkats leave their young with a few adult babysitters while the rest of the group hunts for food.
Have you ever heard a Hyena? They make a sound like a crazy laugh and they are easy to recognize.
Raccoons are often called bandits because they steal food from people's garbage and they have a black stripe of fur over their eyes that looks like a robber's mask.
Marsupials are animals that raise their babies in a pouch. A baby Kangaroo lives in its mother's pouch for 6 months. Other marsupials include Koala Bears, Wallabies, Wombats and Opossums. Do you know what we call baby kangaroos?
Guess what Anteaters eat? You got it, ants and other insects. Up to 30,000 a day. Their sticky tongue is 2 feet or 60 cm long. Insect stick to the tongue and the anteater can swallow them up.
The Chinchilla looks like a mouse but is the size of a rabbit. The Chinchilla lives in the Andes Mountain in South America.
You've probably seen squirrels around your house. They can jump long distances from tree to tree. But have you ever seen them fly? Flying squirrels have a skin membrane between their front and back paws that they use to glide even further distances.
Baby White Tailed Deer have no scent so that predators can't find them by smelling them. The spots on their back help hide them in the bush so they are hard to see.
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A lot of animals have hooves. They are made of a hard material keratin. Your fingernails and animal claws are made of the same stuff.  A hoof is like the animal's shoe. It helps to support the weight of the animal. Horses, Zebras, Giraffes and Deers have hoofs but so do Pigs and Rhinoceroses.
A Zebra's stripes are for more than looks. The stripes help the herd recognize each other and stay together.
You guessed it. The Giraffe is the world's tallest animal. It can be up to 17 feet or 5 metres. It's neck makes up half of its height. It helps them reach leaves from tall trees and keep a lookout for enemies.
Camels are created for dry weather. It can store water for days when so they don't get thirsty quickly. Their long eyelashes keep sand out of their eyes. Some camels have one hump but others have two.
The hooves of Alpine Ibexes and Mountain Goats are hollow so they can climb more easily on rocky mountain surfaces.
There really are Reindeer that live in Alaska, Northern Canada and Russia. Real reindeer don't fly but run like other kinds of deer. Also called the Caribou, this deer's hooves are work like snowshoes on the snow.
In the mid 1800's there were more Buffalo or Bison than any other grazing animal in the world. But they were almost all killed by hunting when the European moved to America. Today all wild buffalo live in National Parks in Canada and the United States.
The Elk or Wapiti is the world's most common deer. It lives in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The male elk have large antlers and fight with each other during mating season.
Moose are the largest of all the deer. They are good swimmers and can even go under water to eat plants at the bottom of lakes.
The Springbok is an African antelope that can leap up to 11 feet or 3.5 metres in the air and look like they are bouncing.
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There are two kinds of elephants, the African and Indian Elephants. Most people know elephants because of their long trunks, tusks and huge size. Elephants like to be with other animals and live in herds. They live over 70 years in the wild.
African Elephants are the largest land animals and can be 12 ft or 3.6 m high at their shoulder. The Indian Elephant is slightly smaller.
You can tell the difference between the two kinds of elephants by looking at their ears. The Indian Elephant has smaller ears than the African.
The elephant's tusks are teeth. They use their tusks to dig for water, scrap bark off trees and keep predators away.
Trunks are actually the elephant's nose. They have two nostrils and use it to breathe and smell. Too bad we can't pick up things with our noses!
Elephants love water and soak in the water to stay cool. They also use their trunks to spray themselves with water. They can have a shower anytime!
Elephants drink 40-80 gallons or 150-300 litres of water a day by sucking water into their trunk and spray it into their mouths. That's like 40-80 milk jugs every day.
Can you guess where the Indian and African Elephants live?
Bears are the largest meat-eating animals on land, but they also like to eat berries, roots and insects. There are seven kinds of bears that live all over the world.
Polar Bears are the largest bears. They love the cold and you have to travel to artic regions to see them. Churchill, Manitoba in Canada is a world famous place where you can see wild polar bears.
Polar Bears are excellent at swimming and can swim in the icy artic waters. Their thick white water-repellent fur and a layer of fat or blubber keeps them warm even during the long winters.
Grizzly Bears can run very fast for short distances but they can't climb trees.
Many of the bears that live in cooler climates, including grizzlies, black bears and female polar bears, hibernate or sleep all winter long.
The Spectacled Bear got its name from the white fur patches on its face that look a little bit like spectacles or eyeglasses. They are the only bears that live in South America.
Black Bears are not always black, sometimes they are brown. They are excellent at climbing trees.
The Asiatic Bear lives in Asia and likes to climb trees to get honey from wild bee's nests.
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These animal facts were gathered from assorted Animal and Nature Encyclopedias. To find out more check out your local library or bookstores. There's plenty more wild animals to read about!
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