Animals

  The giant African land snail, is the largest species of snail found on land and generally grow to around 20 cm in length. The giant African land snail is native to the forest areas of East Africa but has been introduced into Asia, the Caribbean and a number of islands in both the Pacific and the Indian oceans. The giant African land snail is generally seen as a pest as these snails will eat almost anything vegetarian that they can find and have proven to be quite destructive when around crops and wild flowers. Giant African land snails are also known to carry parasites and are illegal to keep as pets in some countries such as the USA.

  The gharial is a large-sized reptile found in the murky waters of Northern India and the surrounding countries. The gharial is closely related to other large reptiles including caimans and alligators, although the salt-water crocodile is believed to be the gharial's closest relative. The gharial is most commonly found in the calmer areas of the deep, fast-flowing rivers of the North Indian subcontinent. The gharial spends most of its time in the water as it is not well suited for a life on the land, due to its short legs.

  A small desert animal like a mouse, that is often kept as a pet, A gerbil is a small mammal of the order Rodentia. Once known simply as "desert rats", the gerbil subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats.

  Geese are waterfowl of the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera Anser (the grey geese) and Branta (the black geese). Chen, a genus comprising 'white geese', is sometimes used to refer to a group of species that are more commonly placed within Anser.

 Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 to 60 cm (0.64 to 24 inches). Most geckos cannot blink, but they often lick their eyes to keep them clean and moist. They have a fixed lens within each iris that enlarges in darkness to let in more light.

  A small antelope, A gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus Gazella or formerly considered to belong to it. Six species are included in two genera, Eudorcas and Nanger, which were formerly considered subgenera.

  A large bird that lives near the sea which catches fish by diving. Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies.

  The Galapagos penguin is the third smallest species of penguin in the world and is the most distinctive as it lives further north than any other penguin species. The Galapagos penguin is thought to be most closely to the African penguin and the Humboldt penguin found along the coast of Peru and Chile. While ninety percent of the world's Galapagos penguins live among the western islands of Fernandina and Isabela, they can also be seen on Santiago, Bartolome, northern Santa Cruz, and Floreana. The northern tip of Isla Isabella crosses the equator, meaning that these animals occasionally visit the northern hemisphere, and are the only species of penguin to do so .

  There are eight different species of fur seal found in the worlds oceans. Only one of these fur seal species is found in the northern hemisphere with the remaining seven species of fur seal found in the southern hemisphere. Fur seals are much more closely related to sea lions than true seals, and like sea lions the fur seal has external ears (many species of true seal are in fact earless). The fur seal also has relatively long and muscular foreflippers, and fur seals are also able to walk on all fours when the fur seals reach land.

  The frilled lizard is a large species of lizard natively found in the jungles of Australia and its surrounding islands. The frilled lizard is known by a number of names including the frill-necked lizard and the frilled dragon. The frilled lizard is an arboreal animal meaning that it spends the majority of its life in the trees. Frilled lizards can be found in humid climates such as tropical jungles and forests, across Australia and Papua New Guinea.

  The frigatebird (also known as the man of war bird and the pirate bird) is a species of sea-bird found in warmer, tropical regions. Frigatebirds are thought to be most closely related to pelicans giving rise to another name for them, which is the frigate pelican. The frigatebird is a large species of sea-bird that has an enormous wingspan that often exceeds two meters in length. Male frigatebirds are most commonly known for their red throat pouch, which are inflated to attract female frigatebirds during the mating season.

  A wild animal of the dog family, with reddish-brown fur, a pointed face and a thick heavy tail. Foxes are small-to-medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. Foxes have a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or brush).

  Fossa Classification and Evolution The Fossa is a medium-sized carnivore that is found exclusively on the island of Madagascar. The Fossa belongs to the Malagasy Carnivores group which are thought to have descended from Mongoose-like ancestors that arrived on Madagascar from Africa up to 24 million years ago. The Fossa is not only one of the most ancient of the eight species found on the island but it is also the largest, meaning that the Fossa is Madagascar's largest mammalian predator. However, due to the cat-like appearance of the Fossa it was believed to be a primitive species of feline until recently. Sadly like a number of the unique animal species found in Madagascar today though, the Fossa is incredibly rare and is now considered to be endangered in its natural habitat primarily due to habitat loss.

 A foal is an equine up to one year old; the term is used mainly for horses. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, used until the horse is three or four, ery young horse or donkey.

  A small animal like a squirrel which travels through the air between trees, spreading out the skin between its front and back legs to stop itself from falling too quickly.

  A large pink bird with long thin legs and a long neck, that lives near water in warm countries.

  The fire-bellied toad is small to medium-sized species of toad that is found naturally across mainland Europe and northern and central Asia. The fire-bellied toad is most commonly known for the brightly-coloured markings on its body, which are predominantly found on the underside of the fire-bellied toad. The fire-bellied toad is found close to water in a variety of different habitats. Forest, woodland, temperate rainforests, marshlands, swamps and even farmland, often provides the perfect home for the fire-bellied toad. The fire-bellied toad also spends a great deal of time in water from tiny freshwater, mountain streams to large slow-flowing rivers and lakes.

  Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate, small bird with a short beak. There are several types of finch.

 Fennec Fox Classification and Evolution The fennec fox is a small species of fox found in the deserts of North Africa. They are the smallest canine species but have the largest ears relative to their body size which are used to both aid their hearing and to help them to control their body temperature in the hostile environments in which they live. Fennec foxes are largely nocturnal animals as this both helps protect them from the scorching African heat and keeps them safe from predators during the day. Their adorable appearance has lead to them being kept as pets throughout much of their natural range and also overseas. Male fennec foxes are known as reynards and females are called vixens

 A young deer , Deer (singular and plural) are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the fallow deer and the chital, and the Capreolinae, including the elk, reindeer (caribou), the Western roe deer, and the moose.

 Are birds of prey in the genus Falco, which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except. ntarcticaa bird of prey (= a bird that kills other creatures for food) with long pointed wings.

  Emperor Penguin Classification and Evolution The Emperor Penguin is found on and around the Antarctic continent and is not just the largest species of penguin in the world but also one of the most unique. Instead of breeding in the warmer summer months like other penguin species, Emperor Penguins lay and incubate their eggs during the coldest time of year in the coldest place on Earth. Emperor Penguins are flightless birds that have small, stiff wings that help them to fly through the water, rather than through the air. Despite having been first recorded by Captain Cook on his second voyage in the late 1700s, the first Emperor Penguin colony wasn't discovered until 1902 with their extreme southerly-dwelling nature leading to new colonies still being recorded as late as 1986. Due to the fact that Emperor Penguins breed on the ice, they are thought to be one of the only species of bird that could spend their whole life without actually walking on land .

  A large deer with brownish-red fur and large antlers (= horns like branches) that lives in the forests of North America, s one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, in the world, and one of the largest land mammals in North America and Eastern Asia. This animal should not be confused with the still larger moose (Alces alces) to which the name "elk" applies in British English and in reference to populations in Eurasia.

  The dormouse is a small mouse-like rodent predominantly found in Europe. There are 29 different species of dormouse found today, which are most well-known for their long periods of hibernation throughout the cooler winter months. Although the dormouse is mainly found inhabiting areas of dense forest and woodland across Europe, a number of dormouse species also extended their range into the warmer Asian and African continents, where they can be found nesting and foraging in the thick undergrowth, out of sight from predators.

  The elephant shrew is a small-sized mammal that is found exclusively in Africa. The elephant shrew is also known as the jumping shrew, as elephant shrews can hop like rabbits using their long back legs. Elephant shrews can be found inhabiting forests, jungles, grasslands and dense woodland all across Africa. There are nearly 20 different species of elephant shrew, all of which vary in both colour and size.

  There are two types of elephant seal found in the worlds oceans. The northern elephant seal is found in the Northern Hemisphere in the Pacific Ocean near to the coast of Mexico, Canada and the USA. The southern elephant seal is found in the southern hemisphere on the coast of Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand. The elephant seal is the largest species of seal in the world with the average male elephant seal growing to around 5 m long. The female elephant seals are generally quite a bit smaller than the male elephant seals, and the female elephant seals therefore grow to around 3m.a very large seal with a long nose

  A very large animal with thick grey skin, large ears, two curved outer teeth called tusks and a long nose called a trunk. There are two types of elephant, the African and the Asian.

  A long thin sea or freshwater fish that looks like a snake. There are several types of eel, some of which are used for food.

  An Australasian animal which has a long nose, sharp claws on its feet, and sharp spines on its body, and which eats insects.

  A small brown insect with a long body and two curved pointed parts called pincers that stick out at the back end of its body.

  An earthworm is a tube-shaped, segmented worm found in the phylum Annelida. Earthworms are commonly found living in soil, feeding on live and dead organic matter.

  Eagle is a common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae; it belongs to several groups of genera that are not necessarily closely related to each other, large bird of prey (= a bird that kills other creatures for food) with a sharp curved beak and very good sight .

  The dugong is a large marine mammal found in the warm waters surrounding Indonesia and Australia. Although the dugong can be found widely throughout the Indo-Pacific tropics, the highest population of the dugong is concentrated around northern Australia. Although the dugong looks extremely similar to a manatee, the two are different species. The dugong and the manatee are very closely related and can look almost identical until you look at their tail. The tail of the dugong is typically forked like the tail of a shark, where the tail of the manatee is broad and flat, and slightly more flipper looking than fin looking.

  A common bird that lives on or near water and has short legs, webbed feet (= feet with thin pieces of skin between the toes) and a wide beak. There are many types of duck, some of which are kept for their meat or eggs.

  A white or grey bird, often used as a symbol of peace. igeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae, which includes about 42 genera and 310 species.

 An animal of the horse family, with short legs and long ears. People ride donkeys or use them to carry heavy loads.

 A female deer, rabbit or hare.

  Discus Classification and Evolution The Discus is a species of tropical Cichlid, found in the Amazon basin of South America. There are three recognised sub-species of the Discus which are the Green Discus, the Blue Discus and the Brown Discus. The Discus was first described by Dr. Heckel in 1840 and despite variations in colour, all are similar in appearance but are found in different geographic locations. There is however some disagreement over the scientific names for each species, but many agree that most captive bred Discus are thought to have originated from these three sub-species.

  The desert tortoise is a medium-sized species of tortoise that is found in the south-western desert regions of Northern America, and parts of northern Mexico. The desert tortoise is most commonly known for its high, patterned shell and the fact that is lives in burrows underground. The desert tortoise is found inhabiting the vast sandy plains and rocky foothills that are in and surround both the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. When temperatures get too high for the desert tortoise it simply digs itself a burrow into the sand where it can remain cool until the heat dies down.

  An animal with long legs, that eats grass, leaves, etc. and can run fast. Most male deer have antlers (= horns shaped like branches). There are many types of deer.

 Damselflies are insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller, have slimmer bodies, and most species fold the wings along the body when at rest. An ancient group, damselflies have existed since at least the Lower Permian, and are found on every continent except Antarctica. An insect with a long thin body and two pairs of wings.

  A large dog that has short white hair with black spots.

  The dachshund  is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed.

  A sea creature with eight arms, two tentacles (= long thin parts like arms) and a wide flat shell inside its body, that produces a black substance like ink when it is attacked.

 The cuscus is a large marsupial native to the Northern forest of Australia and the large, tropical island of Papua New Guinea. The cuscus is a subspecies of possum with the cuscus being the largest of the world's possum species. The cuscus is known to range in size from just 15cm to more than 60cm in length, although the average sized cuscus tends to be around 45cm (18inches). The cuscus has small ears and large eyes which aid the cuscus through it's nocturnal lifestyle.

  A bird with a call that sounds like its name. Cuckoos leave their eggs in the nests of other birds.

  The cross river gorilla is one of two subspecies of western gorilla (the other being the more numerous western lowland gorilla) found in the jungles on the African continent. The cross river gorilla is now incredibly rare in the wild and there are just a handful of cross river gorilla individuals thought to be in just 11 locations. The cross river gorilla is found inhabiting the tropical jungles and forests of western and central Africa, along with lowland swamps and secondary forests. The cross river gorilla is generally found on the border between Nigeria and Cameroon, where less than 300 individuals are estimated to be inhabiting the forests.

  A large reptile with a long tail, hard skin and very big jaws. Crocodiles live in rivers and lakes in hot countries.

  The crested penguin (also known as the Fiordland crested penguin) is a medium-sized species of penguin natively found along the New Zealand coast. Crested penguins are named after the prominent yellow feathers that are arranged over the eyes and run along on top of these penguin's heads. The crested penguin is found inhabiting dense tropical rainforest along the Fiordland coast, which is a region of New Zealand's South Island, found at the south-west tip. The crested penguin is also found on a number of the surrounding islands in Stewart Island where it shares it's habitat with other penguin species such as the yellow-eyed penguin and the little penguin.

  The cougar is native to the Americas, particularly south America and western North America and is often known by other names such as mountain lion, puma and panther. Cougars can be found mainly in the mountain regions of Canada and Mexico, but as the name cougar is often used to describe an un-spotted leopard, cougars are also found in Asia and Africa. The cougar is the fourth biggest feline in the world behind the lion, tiger and jaguar, making the cougar the second largest cat in the Americas. The cougar has longer back than front legs and a long heavy body.