Posts Tagged ‘nature’
King of the Jungle: Lion
The lion (Panthera leo) is a large cat belonging to the genus Panthera and is native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body, a short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. Lions are sexually dimorphic; adult males are larger than females and have prominent…
Read MoreArctic hunter: Polar bear
The Polar bear (Ursus Maritimus), is a fascinating creature that belongs to the hyper-carnivorous family of bears. They can only be found in their native range within the Arctic Circle, which includes the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding landmasses located in North America and Eurasia’s northernmost regions. This species is considered the largest extant bear…
Read MoreNatures royalty: King penguin
The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin, smaller, but somewhat similar in appearance to the emperor penguin. There are two subspecies: A. p. patagonicus and A. p. halli; patagonicus is found in the South Atlantic and halli in the South Indian Ocean (at the Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Island, Prince Edward Islands and Heard Island and McDonald Islands) and at Macquarie Island Habitat King penguins breed on subantarctic islands that are located…
Read MoreNatures Trumpeter: Gentoo penguin
The gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) is a penguin species (or possibly a species complex) in the genus Pygoscelis, most closely related to the Adélie penguin (P. adeliae) and the chinstrap penguin (P. antarcticus). The species calls in a variety of ways, but the most frequently heard is a loud trumpeting, which the bird emits with its head thrown back. Habitat These charismatic waddlers, who…
Read MoreMajestic: African Bush Elephant
The African bush elephant, also known as the African savanna elephant, is a majestic creature and one of the most recognisable animals in the world. It is one of two extant African elephant species and one of three extant elephant species overall. The African bush elephant is truly impressive in size, being the largest living…
Read MoreMan of the forest: Orangutan
The name orangutan (Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus) means “man of the forest” in the Malay language. In the lowland forests in which they reside, orangutans live solitary existences. They feast on wild fruits like lychees, mangosteens, and figs, and slurp water from holes in trees. Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in…
Read MoreAntarctic expert: The Emperor penguin
The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 100 cm (39 in) in length and weighing from 22 to 45 kg (49 to 99 lb). Feathers of the head and back are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear…
Read MoreVibrance in nature: The red-eyed tree frog
The red-eyed tree frog is a small, vibrantly coloured tropical frog. Its scientific name is, “Agalychnis callidryas”, comes from the Greek words kalos (meaning “beautiful”) and dryas (a “tree” or “wood nymph”). Distribution and habitat Red eyed tree frogs are known for their vibrant colors and distinctive appearance. They have bright green bodies with blue and yellow stripes, large bulging red eyes, and orange feet…
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