Asian elephants are the largest living land mammal in Asia and the second-largest in the world behind African elephants. On average, males stand 9 ft. tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 12,000 lbs. Unlike African elephants, only male Asian elephants have tusks. Besides their tusks, elephants are distinctive due to their trunks. The…
Whooping cranes are the rarest of all the cranes. According to the International Crane Foundation (ICF), based in Wisconsin, there are currently just over 840 birds in North America (in the wild and human care). The good news is that those numbers are up from only 21 birds in 1944. The primary reason for their…
Slender-horned gazelles have a small compact build, with the adults weighing 44–66 lbs. Both males and females have relatively long horns, which are characteristically tall and upright. Gestation in females is around 5.5 months, and twins are not uncommon. Slender-horned gazelle herds normally consist of 2-5 individuals, but larger herds of 15-25 have been…
Lechwe are members of the waterbuck family of antelope, so named because they are always found living near water. One of the most aquatic antelope species, lechwe have adapted to living in swampy areas, particularly in grassy river bottoms and meadows where they feed on vegetation, often wading in water to feed on submerged plants. They have…
The zebra is an icon of the plains of Africa. The Grevy’s zebra is the largest and perhaps least well known of the three zebra species. They can be identified by their size (up to 430 kg), long ears, and narrow “pinstripes”. Living in small herds in the semi-arid environments of northern Kenya and Ethiopia…
Learn More: visit Birdlife International The Wattled curassow’s range consists of Upper Amazonia from southeastern Columbia south along the eastern foothills of the Andes through Ecuador and Peru to northeastern Bolivia. They inhabit somewhat dry areas in the tropical Amazonian forest, staying away from swampy places. Curassows, in general, are about the size of a wild turkey,…
Their diet consists of primarily fruit and greens in the wild. Their captive diet consists of various chopped fruits, greens, seeds and grains. Northern helmeted curassows are a very striking bird in appearance; they have a distinctive large, fig-shaped, pale slate-blue casque on their head. Their feathers are primarily a sooty blue-black color with white…
The okapi is perhaps the most unique large mammal in the world. First described by western scientists in 1902, the okapi is a forest giraffe species that lives in the rainforests found only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Feeding on a large variety of plants, the okapi are specialized leaf-eaters…
Saving the small species too The Florida grasshopper sparrow was first described in 1902. At the time, a relatively widespread population of the birds lived in south-central Florida. By 2017, only about 15 pairs remained in the wild, mainly because their native prairie grassland had been converted to cattle pastures, sod production and other agricultural…
The tiger is the only big cat with a striped coat. The stripe pattern works well as camouflage in the dense foliage of forests or tall grasslands that they frequent. They prefer to stalk and ambush their prey. Their size easily allows them to pull down their victims. Tigers are primarily crepuscular, hunting at dusk…
