Lynx


Lynx interesting facts:
- The lynx is a lone cat that lives in the remote northern forests of North America, Europe, and Asia.
- A lynx is about the size of a small to medium sized dog. It weighs about 11 - 45 pounds.
- A 30 pound lynx has bigger feet than a 200 pound mountain lion.  Their big feet act like snowshoes, allowing them to hunt effectively even in deep snow.

- Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during frigid winters. Lynx tufts of fur on their ears and huge feet. They have fluffy gray fur and very short tails.
- All lynx are skilled hunters that make use of great hearing (the tufts on their ears are a hearing aid) and eyesight so strong that a lynx can spot a mouse 250 feet (75 meters) away.
- There are several species of lynx. Few survive in Europe but those that do, like their Asian relatives, are typically larger than their North American counterpart, the Canada lynx.

- Lynx are very vocal.  They can make an amazing variety of chattering, hissing and yowling sounds.
- Lynx mate in early spring or late winter. About two months later, females give birth to a litter of one to four young.
- Lynx are large stealthy cats and they tend to avoid humans by hunting at night, so they are rarely seen.

- Lynx live primarily in the snowy and cold parts of the far north. They like cold wilderness areas far away from people.
- Lynx populations rise and fall in sync with the population cycles of their pray, especially the snowshoe hares. When hares are abundant, more lynx survive to reproduce and their numbers increase. When hare populations crash, about every 10 years, many lynx die of starvation.
- Lynx large paws are also furry and hit the ground with a spreading toe motion that makes them function as natural snowshoes.

- Humans sometimes hunt lynx for their beautiful fur. One endangered population, the Iberian lynx, struggles to survive in the mountains of Spain, far from the cold northern forests where most lynx live.
- The female lynx will nurse the kits for five months, although some meat is eaten as early as one month. The male does not participate in parental care.
- Although females continue to breed and reproduce they usually have difficulty supporting both themselves and their young on a reduced food supply resulting in fewer kits surviving.

- There are four lynx species: Eurasian Lynx, Canadian Lynx, Iberian Lynx and Bobcat. Eurasian Lynx are the largest species of their genus and are found all across northern Europe and Asia. Iberian Lynx are present in Spain and are amongst the most endangered of all wild cats.
- The lynx lives of maximum 12-13 years thought few survive to such age.
- The word Lynx is derived from the Greek word meaning 'to shine' and is a reference to the cat's bright eyes.

- Despite being solitary by nature, some lynx cats (particularly females) have been observed hunting cooperatively.
- Historical persecution for fur trade has meant that all the beautiful lynx cats have suffered heavily at the hands of man everywhere.
- Today hunting of lynx is prohibited in most of their natural habitats and there are signs of recovery in numbers of some of the lynx species.




Beautiful animal world 2








Polar bear



Polar bear facts:
- Polar bear is the largest predator animal on land. Also polar bear is the largest of all bears.
- Polar bears evolved about five million years ago from brown bears. Polar bears adapted to survive in the Far North and also over sea ice.
- Adult male polar bears weigh from 800 to 1,200 pounds. Adult female polar bears normally weigh from 320 to 650 pounds.

- Polar bears sit on the top of the food chain in the Arctic. They prey primarily on ringed seals.
- Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. When the weather is exceptionally cold - sea ice forms over the ocean, and many polar bears, except pregnant females, head out onto the ice to hunt seals.
- Polar bears live over five countries: USA (Alaska), Russia, Canada, Norway and Greenland.

- After failing to catch a seal, a frustrated and angry polar bear may kick the snow, slap the ground or hurl chunks of ice. But polar bears do not use any tools, neither blocks of ice, to kill their prey.
- Female polar bears usually bear two cubs. The baby polar bears stay with their mothers for up to two and half years, learning how to hunt and survive in the harsh arctic environment.
- Polar bears have fur and skin that allow them to absorb sunlight and to keep their internal temperature high enough. The fat below their skin insulates them in cold water.

- The polar bears are not left-pawed. Scientists observing the animals have noticed that polar bears seem to use their right and left paws equally.
- Polar bears could swim up to 100 miles (161 kilometers) when they search for food.
- In fall, pregnant polar bears make dens in earth and snow-banks, where they are going to stay through the winter to give birth.

Giraffe



Giraffe interesting facts:
- Giraffes inhabit open grasslands in they move in small groups of about half a dozen.
- Giraffe is the tallest animal in the world. Male giraffes stand 16-18 feet, female giraffes are usually about 15 feet tall.
- Male giraffes weight is up to two thousand pounds and the females are a little bit lighter.

- Giraffe has the longest tail of any land mammal. The tail could be up to eight feet long. This includes the tuft at the end.
- Giraffe has very long legs and use them to run as fast as 56 km. (or 35 miles) an hour. Giraffe runs only to reach short distances.
-  The favorite food of the giraffe are Acacia Leaves.

- Even the tongue of the giraffe is very long – it is about 18 inches.
- Giraffe has four chambered stomach and it will usually regurgitate the food by chewing it additionally, just like the cows do.
- Giraffe spotted coats patterns are never the same for two different animals.

- The usual sleep time of the giraffe is only five minutes.
- Giraffes could rest while they are standing.
- Giraffes sleep on the ground with their front legs tucked under itself and the head placed over the croup.

- It is dangerous for giraffe to drink water, because it needs to spread its legs and bend down becoming vulnerable to big cats predators and other animals.
- Giraffe only need to drink water just once in a week as most of the water it uses comes from the plants it eats.
- Male giraffes sometimes battle one another by butting their long necks and heads. Such battles are not dangerous and end when one of the giraffes walks away and accept the loss.

- Female giraffe give birth while standing up.
- The young giraffe baby falls more than one meter to the ground at birth.
- Just after half an hour the baby giraffe could stand up and run with the rest of the herd.

- Giraffe heart is two feet long and weighs about 25 pounds. The heart beats up to 170 times in a minute.
- Giraffe has the highest known blood pressure of any mammal in the world. It could go up to 280/180mm Hg – and is twice that of an average human being.
- Giraffe is only found naturally in Africa and its tongue is black.