| Animal_Name | Size | Weight | Diet | LifeSpan | Fact1 |
|---|
| RHINOCEROS IGUANA | Total body length of up to 1.2 m (4.5 ft.) | 4.5-9 kg (10-20 lb.) | Omnivores, will eat a wide assortment of vegetable matter, invertebrates, small mammals and birds | 2-3 years | Rhino iguanas are much more terrestrial than the green iguanas which allows them to live in rockier and drier areas. They are rarely found in trees or even forested areas. |
| AFRICAN CAPE BUFFALO | About 1.0-1.7 m (3.3-5.6 ft.) tall at shoulder; 2.1-3.4 m (7-11 ft.) in length | Approximately 425-900 kg (935-2000 lb.) | Herbivore - eats tall, coarse grasses | Between 3.5-5 years | The horns of the cape buffalo are an excellent indication of age and gender. The females and young males do not have the hard shielding that protects the base of the skull in large adult males. |
| GRAY-WINGED TRUMPETER | Approximately 43-53 cm (17.2-21.2 in.) | Approximately 1000 g (2.18 lbs) | Includes vegetable matter and insects | No data | Trumpeters are non-migratory terrestrial birds. |
| BLUE TANG | 12-25 cm (5-10 in) avg; 38 cm (15 in) max | 600.0 g (1.6 lbs) avg | Marine plants and detritus | No data | The blue tang's scientific order, Perciformes, is the largest vertebrate order - with 148 families containing roughly 9,300 species. |
| LEOPARD SEAL | May reach lengths of 3.6 m (11.8 ft.) | Up to 450 kg (992 lb.) | Diet includes mostly krill (a shrimp-like crustacean), cephalopods, fishes, seals (mainly crabeater seals), seabirds, and penguins (mainly Ad?lie penguins) | 26 or more years | Leopard seals belong to the scientific order Pinnipedia, which includes seals, sea lions, and walruses. |
| AXOLOTL | 20-30 cm (10-12 in.) | Up to 300 g (8 oz.) | Small aquatic creatures including worms, insects, crustaceans, and small fishes | 6-12 months | One derivation of the name 'axolotl' references the Aztec god Xolotl, the god of games who could turn himself into an axolotl to escape his enemies. |
| YELLOW BABOON | Head & body length = 60-72.5 cm (24-29 in)
Tail length = 56-84 cm (22-34 in) | Average roughly 20-30 years | Sub-Sahara Africa | Unknown | Baboons have complex social structures with anywhere from 8 to 200 individuals per troop. They use at least 10 different vocalizations to communicate. |
| PUFFINS | Common puffins (Fratercula artica) are 20-30 cm (8-12 in.) tall | Common puffins weigh between 396-482 g (14-17 oz.) | Fishes and aquatic invertebrates | Approximately 3-5 years | Puffins possess adaptations that allow them to thrive in the harsh, cold ocean waters of the Northern hemisphere. A layer of fat acts as insulation while their feathers trap air for extra warmth. They also produce oil from a gland by their tail. The oil, once spread over their feathers, helps repel water. |
| GREEN IGUANA | | 4.5-6.75 kg (10-15 lb.) | Omnivorous as young but adults are almost exclusively herbivores; fruits, flowers, leaves; insects and snails opportunistically; young iguanas eat more insects and shift to 95% vegetation as they age | 2 years; males sometimes longer (need longer period of growth in order to be large enough to compete for females) | Iguanas are able to hold their breath for up to 30 minutes. |
| AMERICAN ALLIGATOR | The American alligator has a large lizard-like body with four short legs and a long muscular tail. A gator's hide is rough and scaled. Young alligators are black with bright yellow blotches and stripe | Alligators and crocodiles are similar in appearance, but exhibit a number of differences. Alligators are dark colored with a broad, rounded snout and are usually found in fresh water. Crocodiles are g | Feeds on fishes, turtles, mammals, snakes, birds, and even other alligators (under certain conditions); also will eat carrion. | Reached at about 1.8 m (6 ft.) in both male and female (about 10-12 years) | Alligators are one animal that has changed very little since the prehistoric days. When dinosaurs became extinct, these modern day contemporaries continued to prosper. |
| BEARS | Head/body length: 1,000-2,800 mm (3.28-9.19 ft.) | 27-780 kg (59.5- 1720 lb.) | Most bears are omnivorous with the exception of the polar bear which is primarily carnivorous | 2.5-6 years | |
| HONDURAN MILKSNAKE | 150 cm (5 ft.) | Average 1270 g (2.77 lb.) | Small mammals, eggs, and other reptiles including snakes | 3-12 years | Like many reptiles, the incubation temperature of their eggs may determine the offsprings' sex; warmer temperatures usually create males while cool temperatures create females. |
| AFRICAN ELEPHANT | 3-4 m (10-13 ft.) tall at shoulder; 6-7.25 m long (20-24 ft.) | 3200-6400 kg (7000-14000 lb.); females are smaller | Herbivore that eats all types of vegetation such as grasses, leaves, fruits, and bark | Up to 70 years | Elephants live in a highly organized social structure referred to as a matriarchal herd. The herd is typically composed of up to ten females and their young. All of the females in the herd are directly related to the matriarch, who is typically the oldest and largest female. Males beyond the age of maturity are with the herd only during mating. |
| DOMESTIC DOG | The smallest breed is the chihuahua and the largest is the Irish wolfhound. | Weight range: 1-79 kg (2.2-174 lb.); Largest dog ever officially recorded was a St. Bernard weighing approximately 150 kg (330.7 lb) | Feral and semi-feral dogs scavenge roadkill and garbage. They hunt small prey such as rodents and birds, and in some cases prey as large as deer. | 10-24 months | Humans have been selectively breeding dogs for thousands of years to enhance and specialize specific behaviors, abilities and body types. The result is over 400 breeds representing a myriad of appearances and capabilities. Organizations such as the American Kennel Club have divided the breeds into groups representing certain specialties for which the breeds have been bred; for instance hunting, herding, guarding and companionship. |
| NURSE SHARK | 300 cm (10.0 ft) avg; 430 cm (14.1 ft) max | 110 kg (242.5 lbs) max | Nurse sharks primarily feed on benthic invertebrates (i.e. spiny lobsters, shrimps, crabs, sea urchins, squids, octopuses, marine snails and bivalves) and benthic fish (i.e. sea catfishes, mullets, pu | Approximately 25 years in zoological facilities | One of the distinguishing features of nurse sharks are their barbells - fleshy appendages which hang below their nostrils and, in part, provide a sense of touch which assists in the location of prey along the bottom. |
| GREAT BARRACUDA | 45.7-91.4 cm (1.5-3 ft) avg; 200 cm (6.6 ft) max | 50 kg (110.2 lbs) max | Fish, cephalopods, and occasionally shrimp | 66 cm; 2-4 years | For more information about bony fishes, explore the bony fishes info book. |
| GOLDEN-BREASTED STARLING | 30-37.5 cm (12-15 in.); wingspan 11.5-13 cm (4.6-5.6 in.) | No data | Mostly feeds on insects and fruits | No data | Starlings live in small family groups of 3-12 members and are very noisy. |
| ELECTRIC RAYS | Atlantic torpedo ray may be up to 1.82 m (6 ft.) in length | Atlantic torpedo ray may reach 90 kg (200 lb.) | Depending on the species, electric rays may eat fishes, worms, and crustaceans. Adult Atlantic rays consume eels, flounders, and small sharks. | No data | Electric rays belong to the superorder Batoidea, which includes stingrays, skates, guitarfishes, and sawfishes. Like their relatives the sharks, batoids have skeletons made of tough connective tissue called cartilage. |
| SCIMITAR-HORNED ORYX | Height at shoulder = 0.9-1.36 m (3-4.5 ft) | 205 kg (451 lbs) | Browser, trees, fruit, shoots, grasses, herbs, and leaves | 1.5-2 years |  View More...Scimitar-horned oryx once inhabited the arid borders of the Sahara desert. Because of overhunting, the last wild oryx observed was seen in the late 1980's. Fortunately, this species has been bred in zoos and today small groups have been introduced into northern central Africa. They have white coats that help to reflect the heat of the sun, broad hooves to prevent sinking into sand, and the ability to go for days without drinking, in part because they eat plants high in moisture. Scimitar-horned oryx are an important example of how humans can impact animal populations, both negatively and positively. |
| AFRICAN SPURRED TORTOISE | text | text | text | text | View More...African spurred tortoises inhabit the southern edge of the Sahara desert in northern Africa. They get their name from two to three large spurs located on their thighs. This species has many adaptation s and behaviors for living in a dry environment. Thick skin prevents loss of moisture. They are active in the morning and evening, spending the hottest part of the day underground. Their diet of succulent plants provides them with water, and they coat their skin with mud to cool off. Spurred tortoises are important to deserts because their burrows provide shelter for other animals. |
| TIGER SALAMANDER | 15-20 cm (6-8 in.), with some specimens reaching a length of 30 cm (12 in.) or more | Average weight is approximately 126 g (4.4 oz.) | Feed on invertebrates and small vertebrates | 4-5 years | Salamanders do not have fracture zones in their tails as some lizards do, but are able to regenerate entire limbs. Regenerated parts are usually distinguishable by the lack of characteristic pigmentation. |
| BORNEAN ORANGUTAN | 260-270 days | 7-10 years | Borneo | Unknown | Unlike other great apes, orangutans are solitary by nature; this may be related to their need for large quantities of fruit, which are dispersed throughout the forest. |
| KOMODO DRAGON | 8-8.5 months | 5-7 years | Sunda Islands of Indonesia | No data | Komodo dragons are found on only four islands in Indonesia with a total area approximately the size of Rhode Island! |
| REEVE'S MUNTJAC | The Reeve's muntjac is a small brown deer with branched antlers, and a longer nose than other deer. It has a gray to reddish-brown coat with blackish brown legs, and a white chin and throat with a bla | Approximately 6 months | Southern China and Taiwan | Exact numbers are not known; however, they are commonly found in their native habitat | Reeve's muntjac is primarily crepuscular, active at dawn and dusk. |
| RED RUFFED LEMUR | Head and body length = 47.5-50 cm (19-20 in)
Tail length = 59 cm (23.6 in) | 3.6-4.5 kg (8-10 lbs) | Predominantly vegetation such as flowers, fruit, seeds, nectar, and leaves | 20 months | Lemurs are also called prosimians, which means "before apes". They have primitive primate features such as a small brain case and a prominent nose. |
| PUFFERFISH & PORCUPINEFISH | Up to a maximum of 90 cm (35.4 in.) | No data | Feeds mainly on mollusks (hard, powerful teeth enable them to break through mollusk shells); also fed on other invertebrates including sponges and coral | No data | The order Tetraodontiformes (Latin for "four teeth") is a group of more than 300 fish species that includes sunfishes, spike fishes, leatherjackets, boxfishes, puffers, and porcupinefishes. As the Latin translation suggests, most of these fish have four teeth fused into their jaws. Exceptions include three tooth puffers (Triodon macropterus), as well as porcupinefishes and sunfishes, which have two fused teeth. |
| INDIAN PEAFOWL | Approximately 28 days | Approximately 2-3 years | Eastern Pakistan through India, south from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka | Unknown | Hindus consider this bird to be sacred because the god Kartikeya rides on its back. Legend also says the peafowl is able to charm snakes and addle their eggs! |
| MANDARIN DUCK | Approximately 21.0-24.5 cm (8.3-9.7 in.) long | Approximately 1 year | Found throughout Southeast Asia, Soviet Union, and China; largest populations found in Japan and England | No data | Mandarin ducks are highly social, flying in large flocks during winter. |
| BAR-HEADED GOOSE | Approximately 75 cm (30 in.) | 1.87-3 kg (4-6.5 lbs) | Includes plants and occasionally crustaceans and invertebrates | Approximately 3 years | View More...Bar-headed geese are hardy birds! Every spring flocks of bar-headed geese fly from India through the Himalayan range, above Mount Everest, on their way to their nesting grounds in Tibet. They are capa ble of flying through the passes of the highest mountains at heights of 12,000-14,000 feet with winds that blow at speeds of more than 200 mph and temperatures low enough to freeze exposed flesh instantly. At this height, oxygen levels drop by one-third; even kerosene cannot burn there and helicopters cannot fly there. |
| RED-CRESTED TURACO | 47.5-50 cm (19-20 in) from beak to tip of tail | Less than .45 kg (less than 1 lb.) | Fruit, flowers, leaves, termites, seeds, acacia, figs, and snails (up to the size of a peach!) | 1-2 years | Turacos are the only birds to possess true red and green color. When you look at most birds, the color you are seeing is a reflection produced by the feather structure. The turaco's red pigment (turacin) and green pigment (turacoverdin) both contain copper. In fact, if you stirred a glass of water with a red turaco feather, the water would turn pink! In museum species, the pigments deepen with age because the copper begins to oxidize. |
