Ocean Animals
-------------are not predatory. They filter feed for tiny krill and are totally harmless to people (other than through accidental collisions). This life-history strategy is common among several large animals in the ocean, including the whale shark, the basking shark, and the other great whales. Like all whales, ------------ are mammals and give live birth to very large calves that they nurse for six or seven months. Because the female is responsible for providing milk for its babies, she must store extra energy reserves and is consequentially larger than males. All of the record ---------- (by size) are females. Males do not provide parental care and do not seem to live near the females/young for most of the year.
Blue whales
Few animals have captured the imagination like -----------. They can stand on two legs, walk on the soles of their feet, pick things up with their “fingers,” and often eat what they eat. This—coupled with their ability to communicate with one another through scratch marks left on trees, smells, and sounds—establishes a similarity to our own way of life. Some of the largest living carnivores, --------- have fallen prey to hunting and other conflicts with humans.
Brown bears
When running, a When running, a -------- can reach a speed up to 40 mph in short bursts, 25 mph for longer periods of time. --------- do not have hooves. The foot of a --------- is made up of a large leathery pad, with two toes at the front, the bones of which are embedded in the foot. The padding makes the gait of a camel silent, and keeps it from sinking in the sand. The ---------- also has pads of thick leathery skin, on its leg joints, enabling it to kneel or lay in the hot sand. Similar to giraffes, -------- move both legs together on each side of their body to walk.
Camel
Like many other animals in this ecosystem, a ---------’s tan color lets it blend in with the surrounding environment. Retractable claws, similar to those of cheetahs, make it easier for ------- to catch their prey, while their rough tongues help the predators get to the meat more efficiently.------- have also evolved to survive the temperature conditions of their home by adjusting the thickness of their manes in periods of drought or high temperatures.5 Likewise, -------- are generally nocturnal, which enables them to hunt during the evening, when it’s cooler.
Lion
----------- form monogamous pairs through a breeding season (April to May) though often several females will live together in a large and complex den that can be many years old, even centuries. Typically they have litters of 5 to 8 but may be as many as 25, the most of any carnivore. Sometimes young non-breeding --------- will live in the den also and help to raise the pups from the following year. A wide range of foods, the main prey is lemmings, they will hunt and catch other small animals and will also scavenge food from beneath sea-bird colonies on cliffs and left overs from predators such as polar bears. They will take eggs where possible from tundra nesting birds, though are not entirely carnivorous also eating berries and seaweed when available.A family of -------- can get through several dozen lemmings in a day. They will eat young ringed seals when they are vulnerable in the snow den shortly after they are born in the same manner that they attack lemmings beneath the snow, detecting them by sound and then jumping on and punching through the covering snow layer.
Arctic fox
-------------can be quite large, reaching weights of up to 1400 pounds (~640 kg) and lengths of 12.5 feet (~4 m). They are relatively long-lived (40-50 years) and reach sexual maturity at ages between 5 and 14 years old. Some individuals are known to be reproductively active for their entire lives, a rare characteristic among mammals. Like all mammals, ------------ reproduce through internal fertilization, and females give birth to live young. Juveniles can swim from the moment they are born, but they are totally dependent on nursing their mothers’ milk for nearly two years.
Common bottlenose dolphins
------------ is slightly larger than a domestic cat with a bear-like body and thick russet fur. The belly and limbs are black, and there are white markings on the side of the head and above its small eyes. --------------- are very skillful and acrobatic animals that predominantly stay in trees. Almost 50% of the habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas. They use their long, bushy tails for balance and to cover themselves in winter, presumably for warmth. Primarily an herbivore, the name panda is said to come from the Nepali word ‘ponya,’ which means bamboo or plant-eating animal.
Red panda
-------------is the only member of the dog family that can climb trees, usually to seek refuge or in search of roosting birds. It can reach a speed of 28 mph for short distances and has lived for up to 10 years in captivity; longevity in the wild is probably much shorter.----------- is smaller in size than the coyote -- usually 32 to 45 inches long, and weighs 7 to 11 pounds. Its coloration is grizzled gray on top, with a white throat extending underneath; it is rusty-red along the sides. The tail usually has a black mane along the top, with a dark-gray or black tip. ------------ have elongated muzzles and forward-pointing ears.
Gray fox
One of the more well-known savanna dwellers, --------- live in the grasslands and open woodlands of the eastern and southern Africa savanna. Not only does the ---------’s coloring camouflage them in the savanna’s grasslands, their bodies are specifically designed for hunting.In fact, --------- have the ability to run up to 70 miles per hour, making them the fastest animal on Earth. The cats have even developed slightly curved and fully retractable claws that make it easier to grip the ground when sprinting after prey. This feature also makes it easier to sink their claws into prey when the chase is over.
Cheetah
April to mid-September, usually one or two litters per year with 5 to 6 leverets (baby ------) at a time. A depression in the ground or under rocks for shelter is used as a nest, usually lined with moss, fur and grass. Once born the young are left by the female who only returns to feed them with milk every 18 hours or so, they are fully weaned at 8-9 weeks. The young from one year are ready to breed the following year. ---------- tend to disperse during the breeding season, individuals pair up and adopt a mating territory, males may have more than one partner. They have a rapid ability to reproduce and build up numbers. Mainly herbivorous though can act as an opportunist predator or scavenger, they eat a wide range of foods, mosses, lichens, buds, berries, leaves, roots, woody plants, seaweed and bark depending on the season and availability. During the winter, they will dig through snow to find buried food. They have been reported to scavenge on fish and other meat, they eat snow to get water.
Arctic hare
----------are restricted to the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters. They feed in shallow, coastal waters during the summer and near the ice edge [link] in winter. Some populations undergo long, seasonal migrations, while others are more resident in nature. They eat a variety of fish and invertebrate prey. Killer whales and polar bears have been known to attack and eat -----------. Scientists believe that --------- may swim far into ice-covered waters to avoid orcas but that this may put them at greater risk of predation by polar bears. When hunting ---------- polar bears use their incredible strength to pull them onto the ice surface whenever they come to a hole to breathe.
Beluga whales
The Amazonian rain forest is a bird lover's paradise, home to over a thousand different species, including the blue-and-yellow ---------. -------- are highly intelligent, mate for life, and can live up to 60 years. The vibrant color and pattern of their feathers make them a popular species in the illegal pet trade, which has devastated populations of wild exotic birds.
Macaw
The name "----------" is a bit confusing because, in Europe, moose are called "--------." Also in Europe, the red deer is considered the same species as North America's ----------, which doesn't help matters. Many biologists believe the name "wapiti" (WAA-pi-tea) is a Shawnee Indian word meaning "white rump," an appropriate description for the elk's large rump patch. Cervus is from the Latin word meaning stag or deer.
Elk
-----------, often referred to as laughing ---------, are the most common large carnivore in Africa. As hunters and scavengers, hyenas use animal matter very efficiently, making it easier to compete for food. This is made possible in part by how large the ---------’s heart is in proportion to its body — accounting for almost 1% of its body weight. Because of this unique adaptation,--------- have high endurance for the long chases required to hunt their prey.--------- then cool off in watering holes and sleep in shallow pools and holes under bushes and scrub vegetation. This lets them take advantage of shade during hot days.
Hyena
---------- breed on open tundra between the tree line and the coast, they are usually monogamous and mate for life, the nest is a shallow scrape on the ground and tends to be in a somewhat elevated position. 5-8 white eggs are laid in May but this may be up to 14 in years with very high lemming populations. The eggs are laid at 2 day intervals and each hatches after 32-34 days leading to chicks that are different in size and maturity. They leave the nest about 25 days after hatching and are fledged after 50-60 days in August.----------- hunt mainly at dawn and dusk but will do so at any time of day if conditions allow, particularly in the summer and when there are chicks to feed. Small prey are swallowed whole with the indigestible parts, bones, teeth, fur and feathers being produced as "-------- pellets" 18-24 hours later. These pellets are often regurgitated at regular perches and dozens of them can build up on the ground, this allows biologists to see exactly what has been eaten and in what quantities. Very young chicks are fed prey with the bones and fur removed, larger prey are torn into chunks before being eaten.
Snowy owls
--------------are foraging predators that eat several dozen species of bony fishes and invertebrates. They will eat just about anything they can catch. Juveniles eat krill and other pelagic crustaceans, and the diet diversifies as they grow. Adult ----------- are eaten by killer whales and large sharks. Juveniles are eaten by polar bears and other terrestrial predators, including foxes and wolves.
Harp seals
------------—also known as the Guiana or red-faced ------------—is found in eastern South America in areas north of the Amazon River. They are one of seven species of------------ found in Latin America and one of the largest primate species in South America.
Black spider monkey
Today, after decades of eradication by federal, state, and local governments, devastation from disease, poisoning, recreational shooting and habitat destruction, ----------- are rapidly disappearing. More have been exterminated than remain, inhabiting only about 2 percent of their former range. Colonies are being preserved, however, in Wind Cave National Park, Devils Tower National Monument and in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Reserve. The city of Santa Fe, New Mexico maintains a municipal park with a resident colony of Gunnison's ---------.--------- are robust rodents, slightly grizzled and fat. They have broad, rounded heads, hairy tails and short legs. The skull has 22 teeth.
---------- weigh 1 1/2 to 3 lbs. The head and body are 11 to 13 inches long, with a tail length of 3 to 4 inches. They are yellowish in color, with darker ears and a pale buff to whitish belly. ---------- have whitish or buffy patches on the sides of their nose, their upper lips and around their eyes in the form of a ring.
Prairie dogs
Also called gnus, ---------- are members of the antelope family, though they more closely resemble cattle. As a keystone species of the plains and acacia savanna ecosystems, these herbivores play an important role in keeping grass low and otherwise maintaining the savanna ecosystem for other local animals. Among their own adaptations for savanna life,---------- have long tails to swat flies and dark, vertical stripes that help them hide at night. And, because they’re prey animals, ------------ have adapted by birthing their calves in a three-week period to keep their numbers high and increase survival rates.
Blue wildebeest
Little is know of the diet, different populations seem to have particular favoured prey, in Antarctica, seals, minke whales, fish and squid are eaten.--------are black and white and also eat narwhals.Also known as "killer whales" they are fierce hunters.
Killer whales
-------------are not predatory. They filter feed for tiny krill or small pelagic fishes and are totally harmless to people (other than through accidental collisions). This life-history strategy is common among several large animals in the ocean, including the whale shark, the basking shark, and the other great whales. Like all whales, ------------- are mammals and give live birth to very large calves. These whales are known for their singing; during courtship, the males compose intricate songs to attract females. The killer whale is the only species known to attack and eat ------------ (always juveniles).
Humpback whales
------------- embark on a marvelous migratory phenomenon. They travel between 1,200 and 2,800 miles or more from the United States and Canada to central Mexican forests. There the butterflies hibernate in the mountain forests, where a less extreme climate provides them a better chance to survive. ------------- is known by scientists as Danaus plexippus, which in Greek literally means "sleepy transformation." The name evokes the species' ability to hibernate and metamorphize. Adult ----------- possess two pairs of brilliant orange-red wings, featuring black veins and white spots along the edges. Males, who possess distinguishing black dots along the veins of their wings, are slightly bigger than females. Each adult butterfly lives only about four to five weeks.
Monarch butterfly
-------------is the largest of the four kangaroo species. It is also the largest of Australia's land animals, the largest of the world's hopping vertebrates, and the largest of the world's marsupials. A marsupial, a taxonomic category within the class of Mammalia, is born only partially developed. The newborn is minute, hairless, deaf, and blind. Instinctively, within moments, it climbs up the mother's abdomen and into her belly pouch. Inside, it attaches itself by mouth to one of her mammary glands, where it will remain connected for months to nurse and complete its development.
Red Kangaroo
These adorable hunters are the smallest raptors in Africa and max out just under 8 inches in height. Even with their small stature, ---------- pack a punch; they are extremely agile and perch in high trees to better spot and target their prey. ---------- also help other residents of the savanna — most notably weaver birds — by sharing communal nests and reducing threats from predators like snakes and rodents.That said, ----------- are survivors.2 When their preferred meal of insects, lizards, rodents, and small birds isn’t available, they will attack and kill weaver chicks in their communal nests.
African Pygmy Falcon
-------- breed at the end of the winter out in deep water, gestation lasts for about 14-16 months and the following summer calves are born in shallow water where the whales migrate to in the summer months. They have one calf every 3 years or so and become reproductive after 5 years for females and 8 years for males.A limited range of fish, Greenland halibut, Arctic cod, polar cod, squid and shrimp are foods that ------- eat. Other than the tusk ------- are toothless, no-one has seen them feeding in the wild as it happens in the depths of icy seas but it is thought they ingest their prey with a powerful suck. It is by looking at the stomach contents of dead ---------that their diet has been determined and also their dive depth as some fish species they feed on are only found below certain depths.
Narwhal