WILD ANIMALS

School:”OMIROS”

Accept:Ms.Philippa Kontopotu

ILIA LEGO

ELENA LEG

LEON The lion is one of the five big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of

the family Felidae. The commonly used term African lion collectively denotes the several subspecies found in Africa. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger.

Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia (where an endangeredremnant population resides in Gir Forest National Park in

India) while other types of lions have disappeared from North Africa andSouthwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land

mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from theYukon to Peru.

The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a major population decline in its African range of 30–50% per two decades during the second half of the 20th century. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves

and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the

greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the West African lion population is particularly endangered.

2

CHEETAH The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a big cat in the subfamily Felinae that

inhabits most of Africa and parts of Iran. It is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx. The cheetah can run as fast as 109.4 to 120.7 km/h (68.0 to 75.0 mph), faster than any other land animal. It covers distances up to 500 m (1,640 ft) in short bursts, and can accelerate from 0 to 96 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in three seconds.

The cheetah's closest extant relatives are the puma and jaguarundi of the Americas. Cheetahs are notable for adaptations in the paws as they are one of the few felids with only semi-retractable clawsTheir main hunting strategy is to trip swift prey such as various antelope species and hares with its dewclaw.

Almost every facet of the cheetah's anatomy has evolved to maximise its success in the chase, the result of an evolutionary arms race with its prey. Due to this specialisation, however, the cheetah is poorly equipped to defend itself against other large predators, with speed being its main means of defence.

3

GRAY WOLF The gray wolf or grey wolf (Canis lupus[a]) also known as the timber wolf,[3]

[4] or western wolf,[b] is a canid native to the wilderness and remote areas of North America and Eurasia. It is the largest extant member of its family, with males averaging

43–45 kg (95–99 lb), and females 36–38.5 kg (79–85 lb).[6] Like the red wolf, it is distinguished from other Canis species by its larger size and less pointed features,

particularly on the ears and muzzle.[7] Its winter fur is long and bushy, and predominantly a mottled gray in color, although nearly pure white, red, or brown to

black also occur.

The gray wolf is the second most specialised member of the genus Canis, after the Ethiopian wolf, as demonstrated by its morphologicaladaptations to hunting large

prey, its more gregarious nature,[9] and its highly advanced expressive behavior.[10][11] It is nonetheless closely related enough to smaller Canis species, such as the eastern wolf,

[5] coyote [12]  and golden jackal [13] [14]  to produce fertile hybrids. Its closest relative is the domestic dog, with which it shared a common European ancestor which likely

diverged 40,000 years ago.

4

BEAR Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike

carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout theNorthern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found on the continents of North America, South America,Europe, and Asia.

Common characteristics of modern bears include large bodies with stocky legs, long snouts, shaggy hair, plantigrade paws with five nonretractile claws, and short tails. While the polar bear is mostly carnivorous, and the giant panda feeds almost entirely on bamboo, the remaining six species are omnivorous with varied diets.

With the exception of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals. They are generally diurnal, but may be active during the night (nocturnal) or twilight (crepuscular), particularly around humans. Bears possess an excellent sense of smelland, despite their heavy build and awkward gait, are adept runners, climbers, and swimmers. In autumn, some bear species forage large amounts of fermented fruits, which affects their behaviour. Bears use shelters, such as caves and burrows, as their dens; most species occupy their dens during the winter for a long period (up to 100 days) of sleep similar to hibernation.

5

FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to

several genera of the Canidae family. Foxes are slightly smaller than a medium-size domestic dog, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a

pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or brush).

.

Twelve species belong to the monophyletic group of Vulpes genus of "true foxes". Approximately another 25 current or extinctspecies are always or

sometimes called foxes; these foxes are either part of the paraphyletic group of the South American foxes, or of the outlying

group, which consists of bat-eared fox, gray fox, and island fox. Foxes are found on every continent except Antarctica. By far the most common and

widespread species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with about 47 recognizedsubspecies. The global distribution of foxes, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their prominence in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world. The

hunting of foxes with packs of hounds, long an established pursuit in Europe, especially in the British Isles, was exported by European settlers to

various parts of the New World

.

6

TIGER The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest cat species, reaching a

total body length of up to 3.38 m (11.1 ft) over curves and exceptionally weighing up to 388.7 kg (857 lb) in the wild. Its

most recognisable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside. The species is

classified in the genus Panthera with the lion, leopard, jaguar and snow leopard. Tigers are apex

predators, primarily preying on ungulates such as deer and bovids. They are territorial and generally solitary but social animals, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey requirements. This, coupled with the fact that they are indigenous to some of the more densely populated places on Earth, has caused significant conflicts with humans.

Tigers once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia. Over the past 100 years, they have lost 93% of their historic range, and have been extirpated from

southwest and central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia.

7

AMERICAN BISON The American bison (Bison bison), also commonly known as the American

buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds. They became nearly

extinct by a combination of commercial hunting and slaughter in the 19th century and introduction of bovine diseases from domestic cattle, and have

made a recent resurgence largely restricted to a few national parks and reserves. Their historical range roughly comprised a triangle between

the Great Bear Lake in Canada's far northwest, south to the Mexican states of Durango and Nuevo León, and east to the Atlantic Seaboard of the United States(nearly to the Atlantic tidewater in some

areas) from New York to Georgia and per some sources down to Florida. Bison were seen inNorth Carolina near Buffalo Ford on the Catawba

River as late as 1750.

8

JACKAL The jackal is a small omnivorous mammal of the genus Canis, which also

includes the wolf and dog. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many small canids, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed jackal and side-striped jackal of

sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of south-central Eurasia.

Jackals and coyotes (sometimes called the "American jackal") are opportunistic omnivores, predators of small- to medium-sized animals and proficient scavengers. Their long legs and curved canine teeth are adapted

for hunting small mammals, birds, and reptiles, and their large feet and fused leg bones give them a physique well-suited for long-distance running, capable of maintaining speeds of 16 km/h (9.9 mph) for extended periods of

time. Jackals are crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk.

9

THE END!!!

10