The Caribou is a wild species of deer often called reindeer when domesticated.They belong to a large group of hoofed ungulate mammals called artiodactyls which also includes camels and giraffes. They are found in the arctic tundra regions of North America, Asia, Northern … [Read more...]
Cheetah
The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest terrestrial animal in the world and is a unique member of the cat family 'felidae'.The scientific name for a Cheetah is Acinonyx jubatus.The Cheetah appeared on Earth around 4 million years ago, well before the other big cats. The … [Read more...]
Aardvark
The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) ('Digging foot'), sometimes called 'antbear' is a medium-sized mammal native to Africa. The name comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch for 'earth pig', because early settlers from Europe thought it resembled a pig. However, the aardvark is not related to … [Read more...]
Whales
Whales belong to the order Cetacea which has 79 species, including Dolphins, Porpoises and Killer Whales (orcas). The name 'Whale' is quite a confusing term when classifying these large mammals. Some Whales that are called 'Whales' are not actually Whales. It can refer to all … [Read more...]
Bowhead Whale
Bowhead whales have robust bodies. Bowhead whales are dark-colored whales with no dorsal fin and a strongly bowed lower jaw and narrow upper jaw. Their baleen plates exceed three metres and are the longest of the baleen whales. Baleen plates are used to strain tiny prey from the … [Read more...]
Right Whales
Right Whales are baleen whales belonging to the family 'Balaenidae'. Three right whale species are recognized in the genus 'Eubalaena', while the Bowhead Whale, also a Right whale, is placed in its own genus, 'Balaena'. Right Whales can grow up to 18 metres (60 feet) long and … [Read more...]
Dog
A dog is a mammal in the order Carnivora. The history of dogs is an old tale indeed. You could say as long as there has been civilisation, there have been records of humans and dogs. Dogs were domesticated from wolves around 15,000 years ago. New evidence suggests that dogs were … [Read more...]
Hectors Dolphin
Hector's Dolphin is also known as the White-headed Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori). The Hector’s dolphin is the most well-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus. Hector's Dolphin has a sub species called 'Maui's Dolphin' (Cephalorhynchus hectori maui) which is … [Read more...]
Pantropical Spotted Dolphins
The Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuata) is a species of dolphin found in all the worlds temperate and tropical oceans. This species was beginning to come under threat due to the killing of millions of individuals in tuna purse seines. The 1980s saw the rise of … [Read more...]
Risso’s Dolphin
The Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus), sometimes called the gray dolphin, is the only species of dolphin in the genus Grampus. Risso's dolphins are cetaceans found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters, usually in deep waters rather than close to land. As well as the … [Read more...]