Animal Facts: August 2010

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Komodo Dragon

Type:Reptile

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:30 years+

Size:10 ft (3 m)

Weight:330 lbs (150 kg)

Protection status:Endangered

Did you know?

Komodo dragons can run up to 11 mph (18 kph) in short bursts.

Galapagos Tortoise

Type:Reptile

Diet:Herbivore

Average life span in the wild:100 years+

Size:4 ft (1.2 m)

Weight:475 lbs (215 kg)

Protection status:Endangered

Did you know?

Today the 3,000 to 5,000 tortoises that live on Volcano Alcedo on Isabela Island are the largest group of giant tortoises in the Galápagos.

Thescelosaurus Neglectus

Type:Prehistoric

Diet:Herbivore

Size:12 ft (3.7 m) long; 650 lbs (300 kg)

Protection status:Extinct

Did you know?

The first Thescelosaurus specimens, collected in the late 19th century, sat in a crate for decades before they were rediscovered.

Hesperornis Regalis

Type:Prehistoric

Diet:Carnivore

Size:Length, up to 5 ft (1.5 m)

Protection status:Extinct

Did you know?

The bulk of Hesperornis fossils known are from Canada, a testament to the ancient bird's preference for cooler waters at northern latitudes.

Ammonite

Type:Prehistoric

Diet:Carnivore

Size:Some more than 3 ft (1 m) in diameter

Group name:School

Protection status:Extinct

Did you know?

Female ammonites grew up to 400 percent larger than males, presumably to make room to lay eggs.

Polar Bear

Type:Mammal

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:25 to 30 years

Size:Head and body, 7.25 to 8 ft (2.2 to 2.5 m); Tail, 3 to 5 in (7.5 to 12.5 cm)

Weight:900 to 1,600 lbs (410 to 720 kg)

Giant Panda

Type:Mammal

Diet:Omnivore

Average life span in the wild:20 years

Size:4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m)

Weight:300 lbs (136 kg)

Protection status:Endangered

Aardvark

Type:Mammal

Diet:Omnivore

Average life span in captivity:23 years

Size:Head and body, 43 to 53 in (109 to 135 cm); Tail, 21 to 26 in (53 to 66 cm)

Weight:110 to 180 lbs (50 to 82 kg)

Did you know?

An aardvark's tongue can be up to 12 in (30.5 cm) long and is sticky to help extract termites from the earthen mounds.

Nudibranch

Type:Invertebrate

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:Up to 1 year

Size:0.25 to 12 in (6 mm to 31 cm)

Weight:Up to 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)

Did you know?

Some nudibranchs are solar-powered, storing algae in their outer tissues and living off the sugars produced by the algae’s photosynthesis.

Giant Clam

Type:Invertebrate

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:100 years or more

Size:4 ft (1.2 m)

Weight:More than 440 lbs (200 kg)

Did you know?

No two giant clams have the same coloration

Blue Crab

Type:Invertebrate

Diet:Omnivore

Average life span in the wild:1 to 3 years

Size:4 in (10.2 cm) long; 9 in (23 cm) wide

Weight:1 to 2 lbs (0.45 to 0.9 kg)

Group name:Cast

Did you know?

Female blue crabs mate only once in their lives.

Pufferfish

Type:Fish

Diet:Carnivore

Size:Up to 3 ft (1 m)

Group name:School

Did you know?

Some predators, such as tiger sharks and sea snakes, are unbothered by the pufferfish’s natural toxins.

Flying Fish

Type:Fish

Diet:Omnivore

Size:Up to 18 in (45 cm)

Group name:School

Did you know?

Flying fish can soar high enough that sailors often find them on the decks of their ships.

Alligator Gar

Type:Fish

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:Females 50 years, males 26 years

Size:Up to 10 ft (3 m)

Weight:Up to 300 lbs (140 kg)

Did you know?

The alligator gar has become something of an Internet celebrity. Tales and photos of these enormous, fierce-looking fish are widely circulated—and sometimes dismissed as hoaxes.

Mosquito

Type:Bug

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:2 weeks to 6 months

Size:1/8 to 3/4 in (0.3 to 2 cm)

Weight:Average 0.000088 oz (2.5 mg)

Group name:Swarm

Did you know?

The red bump and itching caused by a mosquito bite is actually an allergic reaction to the mosquito’s saliva.

Honeybee

Type:Bug

Diet:Herbivore

Average life span in the wild:Up to 5 years

Size:0.4 to 0.6 in (5 to 15 mm) (Workers)

Group name:Colony or Swarm

Ant

Type:Bug

Diet:Omnivore

Average life span in the wild:Several weeks to several years

Size:0.08 to 1 in (2 to 25 mm)

Group name:Army or colony

Did you know?

Ants can lift and carry more than three times their own weight.

Pileated Woodpecker

Type:Bird

Diet:Omnivore

Size:Body, 16 to 19 in (40 to 49 cm); wingspan, 26 to 30 in (66 to 75 cm)

Weight:8.8 to 12.3 oz (250 to 350 g)

Peregrine Falcon

Type:Bird

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:Up to 17 years

Size:Body, 14 to 19 in (36 to 49 cm);

wingspan, 3.3 to 3.6 ft (1 to 1.1 m)

Weight:18.8 to 56.5 oz (530 to 1,600 g)

Golden Eagle

Type:Bird

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:30 years

Size:33 to 38 in (84 to 97 cm);

Wingspan, 6 to 7.5 ft (1.8 to 2.3 m)

Weight:6 to 15 lbs (3 to 7 kg)

Emperor Penguin

Type:Bird

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:15 to 20 years

Size:45 in (115 cm)

Weight:Up to 88 lbs (40 kg)

Group name:Colony

Albatross

Type:Bird

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:Up to 50 years

Size:Wingspan, 6.5 to 11 ft (2 to 3.4 m)

Weight:Up to 22 lbs (10 kg)

Group name:Flock

Adelie Penguin

Type:Bird

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:Up to 20 years

Size:27.5 in (70 cm)

Weight:8.5 to 12 lbs (4 to 5.5 kg)

Group name:Colony

Did you know?

Adult Adélie penguins have been observed stealing rocks from their neighbors’ nests.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Poison Dart Frog

Type:Amphibian

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:3 to 15 years

Size:1 in (2.5 cm)

Group name:Army

Protection status:Threatened

Did you know?

The only natural predator of most of the poison dart frog family is a snake called Leimadophis epinephelus, which has developed a resistance to the frogs' poison

Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad

Type:Amphibian

Diet:Omnivore

Average life span in the wild:Up to 20 years

Size:1.5 to 2 inches (3.8 to 5.5 cm)

Weight:1 to 2 oz. (28 to 56 g)

Did you know?

The pupils of the oriental fire-bellied toad are triangular-shaped.

Northern Leopard Frog

Type:Amphibian

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:2 to 4 years

Size:3 to 5 in (7.6 to 12.7 cm)

Group name:Army

Protection status:Threatened

Did you know?

A genetic mutation gives rise to the Burnsi leopard frogs, which have no spots.

Mudpuppy

Type:Amphibian

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:11 years

Size:8 to 13 in (20 to 33 cm)

Did you know?

Fishermen who hook mudpuppies will often cut their line rather than touch these extremely slimy amphibians, believing incorrectly that they are poisonous.

Mexican Axolotl

Type:Amphibian

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:10 to 15 years

Size:Up to 12 in (30 cm)

Weight:2.11 to 8 oz (60 to 227 g)

Protection status:Endangered

Did you know?

Because they have the ability to regenerate lost body parts, axolotls are probably one of the most scientifically studied salamanders in the world.

Green-Eyed Tree Frog

Type:Amphibian

Diet:Carnivore

Size:2.8 in (7 cm)

Group name:Army

Did you know?

The green-eyed tree frog’s previous scientific name was serratta, which more closely describes the serrated skin flaps along the edges of its legs.

Golden Poison Dart Frog

Type:Amphibian

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in captivity:10 years

Size:1 in (2.5 cm)

Weight:Less than 1 oz

Group name:Army

Protection status:Endangered

Did you know?

The only natural predator of the golden poison dart frog is Leimadophis epinephelus, a snake that has developed a resistance to the frog's poison.

Cane Toad

Type:Amphibian

Diet:Omnivore

Average life span in the wild:5 to 10 years

Size:4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm)

Weight:2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)

Group name:Knot or nest

Did you know?

An Australian government entomologist named W.W. Froggatt nearly succeeded in halting the release of cane toads in Australia in 1935.

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Type:Reptile

Diet:Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:20 to 70 years

Size:26 in (66 cm)

Weight:220 lbs (100 kg)

Group name:Bale or dole

Protection status:Threatened

Did you know?

A 403-lb (183-kg) alligator snapping turtle was supposedly found in the Neosho River in Kansas in 1937. This claim was never verified.

Devil Frog

Type:Prehistoric

Diet:Carnivore

Size:16 in (41 cm)

Weight:10 lbs (4.5 kg)

Protection status:Extinct

Did you know?

Ceratophyrines, living descendants of the devil frog, are sometimes called "Pac-Man frogs," because their round shape and oversized mouth resembles the old video game character.