Wild Animals

• Wildlife traditionally refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans.
• Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems. Deserts, forests, rain forests, plains, grasslands and other areas including the most developed urban areas, all have distinct forms of wildlife. While the term in popular culture usually refers to animals that are untouched by human factors, most scientists agree that much wildlife is affected by human activities.
• Some religions declare certain animals to be sacred, and in modern times concern for the natural environment has provoked activists to protest against the exploitation of wildlife for human benefit or entertainment.

Some examples are:

Species	Basic Information
Giant Panda	1. The giant panda, also known as panda bear or simply panda, is a bear native to south central China. 2. It is easily recognized by the large, distinctive black patches around its eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. 3. The giant panda is a folivore, with bamboo shoots and leaves making up more than 99% of its diet. 4. The giant panda is a conservation-reliant vulnerable species. A 2007 report showed 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country.
Gorilla	1. Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Sub-Saharan Africa. 2. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas (both critically endangered). 3. They are the largest living primates. 4.The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans afterthe chimpanzees and bonobos.
Walrus	1. The walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. 2. Adult walrus are easily recognized by their prominent tusks, whiskers, and bulk. 3. Adult males in the Pacific can weigh more than 2,000 kg and, among pinnipeds, are exceeded in size only by the two species of elephant seals. 4. Walruses are relatively long-lived, social animals, and they are considered to be a “keystone species” in the Arctic marine regions.
Lion	1. Lion has rounded head, a reduced neck and round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. 2. The lion is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females. 3. The lion inhabits grasslands and savannas but is absent in dense forests. 4. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. 5. The lion has been extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature.
Wolf	1. The wolf also known as the gray/grey wolf, timber wolf, or tundra wolf, is a canine native to the wilderness and remote areas of Eurasia and North America. 2. The gray wolf is one of the world’s best-known and most-researched animals, with probably more books written about it than any other wild species. 3. Although the fear of wolves is pervasive in many human societies, the majority of recorded attacks on people have been attributed to animals suffering from rabies.
Zebra	1. Zebra are united by their distinctive black-and-white striped coats. Their stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. 2. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds. 3. Unlike their closest relatives, horses and donkeys, zebras have never been truly domesticated. 4. They occur in a variety of habitats, such as grasslands, savannas, woodlands, thorny scrublands, mountains, and coastal hills. Various anthropogenic factors have had a severe impact on zebra populations, in particular hunting for skins and habitat destruction.
Giraffe	1. Giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animals and the largest ruminants. 2. The giraffe’s chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. 3. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. 4. Their food source is leaves, fruits and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach. 5. They may be preyed on by lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs.
Hyena	1. Hyena eats food quickly and may store it. 2. Their calloused feet with large, blunt, non-retractable claws are adapted for running and making sharp turns. 3. Spotted hyenas may kill as many as 95% of the animals they eat, while striped hyenas are largely scavengers. 4. Generally, hyenas are known to drive off larger predators, like lions, from their kills, despite having a reputation in popular culture for being cowardly. Hyenas are commonly viewed as frightening and worthy of contempt. 5. In some cultures, hyenas are thought to influence people’s spirits, rob graves, and steal livestock and children.

Other wild animals are leopard, elephant, shark etc…

Some facts:

• The heart of a shrimp is located in its head.
• A snail can sleep for three years.
• The fingerprints of a koala are so indistinguishable from humans.
• Elephants are the only animal that can’t jump.
• Slugs have four noses.
• A rhinoceros’ horn is made of hair.
• It takes a sloth two weeks to digest its food.
• Nearly three percent of the ice in Antarctic glaciers is penguin urine.
• An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
• Around 50 percent of orangutans have fractured bones, due to falling out of trees on a regular basis.
• Kangaroos can’t fart.
• Giraffes have no vocal chords.