The Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla).Lives in the open forests and savannas of South and tropical America.Giant anteaters find anthills or termite mounds with their sense of smell—which is 40times more powerful than a human’s—then rip into the insect colonies with their long claws and stick their tongues in to extract their prey.
Anteaters can flick their tongues in and out of their mouths up to 160 times a minute.
Anteaters walk on the knuckles of their forepaws to keep their claws sharp. When threatened, they stand up on their hind feet and use their claws as defensive weapons. Even jaguars hesitate to attack them.
The Guenther's Dik-Dik (Madoqua guentheri). Lives in the brushy steppes and semi-desert regions of Somalia and northeastern Kenya About the size of a hare, the dik-dik is one of the world’s smallest antelopes.The dik-dik walks on both hooves and pseudo-claws.
They have a reddish tuft of hair on the forehead, which can stand erect like a small crown when the animal is excited, and have a movable trunk-like nose to help keep cool.
The Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti).Lives in the wild? In the warm waters of coastal Peru and Chile.Of the 17 penguin species, Humboldt penguins are the most threatened. With nearly 30 penguins, the Oregon Zoo has one of the largest collections of Humboldts in the country.They are very agile in the water and can swim at speeds of up to 30 mph.
The bones of penguins are solid (as opposed to the hollow bones of flying birds) and act as ballast while diving.
The Hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas). Lives in rocky gorges of dry subdeserts, grasslands and savanna woodlands of Ethiopia.A hamadryas baboon family is called a harem (featuring one male and multiple females). Two to three harems form a clan, two to three clans form a band and three to four bands form a troop.
Prolonged staring or bearing of teeth is a sign of aggression while grooming. This behavior also helps to maintain group cohesion and has a soothing social influence.
These primates live on the ground rather than in the trees.
The Cape Griffon vulture (Gyps coprotheres)Lives in the mountainous areas of southeastern South Africa Cape Griffons, like all vultures, do not kill other animals for food, but scavenge for the carcasses of dead animals. Cape Griffon vultures have extremely good eyesight and find their food strictly by sight. They not only look for dead and dying animals on the ground, but also keep a close eye on each other.
Known for their powerful beaks, these large birds are able to consume up to three pounds of meat within minutes.
The Freshwater Sawfish (Pristis microdon).Lives throughout the Indo-Pacific from eastern Africa to the eastern coast of Australia This rare fish can reach lengths of about 20 feet and has the ability to live in salt or fresh water.The "saw" reaches 1/4 to 1/5 of the length of its body and has rows of “teeth” that the animal uses to stun fish, dig up prey and defend itself.
Although sawfishes have a shark-like body, they actually evolved from rays about 56 million years ago.
The Coquerel's Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli).Lives on the island of MadagascarUnlike many primates, sifakas don't rely on their arms for swinging through trees. In fact, their arms are short and their range of motion is limited. With their powerful hind legs, sifakas can propel themselves more than 30 feet in a single jump.
A group of sifakas moves about one-half mile a day and covers its entire home range in 10 to 20 days. Sifakas are named after the alarm cry they make at the sight of an enemy: "shee-fa'-ka”.
The African Wild Dogg (Lycaon pictus).Lives in the savanna, bush and woodlands of east and southern Africa.
The African wild dog’s coat has a unique pattern of tan, black and white patches.These wild dogs live in packs and have a social behavior similar to that of wolves.
Despite hunting twice a day, they are only 70-80% successful in catching prey (usually antelope and small mammals).
The Okapi (Okapi johnstoni). Lives in the Ituri forest of central Africa.Many people think the okapi is related to the zebra because of its white stripes, but the okapi is actually related to the giraffe.
Although the okapi was long hunted by natives, western scientists did not know of their existence until 1901. The stripes on their hindquarters and legs resemble the serrated patterns of some trees and plants, helping the animal blend into its environment.
The Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas).Lives in western Hudson Bay, in the offshore waters off Alaska, Siberia, Scandinavia and the Atlantic coast of Canada.Nineteenth-century mariners called belugas the “canaries of the sea” because of the whales’ repertoire of whistles, squeals, clicks, chirps, trills and other sounds—some loud enough to be heard through the hulls of ships.
Their skin color, which is slate gray at birth and gradually becomes creamy white, helps to blend their bodies into the icy background.Belugas are the only whales that can bend their necks.
The Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) .Lives in rocky outcroppings and scrub areas throughout AfricaAlthough rock hyraxes are about the size of a guinea pig and weigh just eight pounds, they are the closest living relatives to elephants (according to DNA testing).
They live in colonies with a dominant male usually on the lookout—somewhat similar to meerkats.Rocky hyraxes have approximately 20 different vocalizations to communicate with each other.
The Visayan Warty Pig (Scientific name: Sus cebifrons).It lives in the dense forests of the Visayan Islands of the Philippines.Unlike other wild pig species, male warty pigs sport a flamboyant mane that may stand straight up when the animals are excited. The three pairs of bumps or “warts” on their faces may help protect them against the tusks of other males in battle.
Visayan warty pigs are the most critically-endangered of the world's wild pig species. They have disappeared from 98% of their former habitat.
