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All About Tigers

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 The continental tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) and the Sunda tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) are the two recognised subspecies of tiger* (Panthera tigris sondaica). Tigers, the largest of all Asian big cats, hunt mostly by sight and sound rather than scent. They usually hunt alone, stalking their prey. A tiger can eat up to 80 pounds of meat in one sitting. Every two years, tigers give birth to two to four cubs on average. If all of the cubs in one litter die, a new litter could be born in five months. Female tigers reach sexual maturity at the age of three or four years, whereas males reach sexual maturity at the age of four or five years. However, juvenile mortality is high—roughly half of all cubs die before they reach the age of two. In the wild, tigers have been known to live up to 20 years. Males of the continental tiger, the largest subspecies, can weigh up to 660 pounds. The highest limit for males of the lesser subspecies, the Sunda tiger, is roughly 310 pounds. Males ...

All About Rabbits

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 Rabbit, any of the 29 species of long-eared animals in the family Leporidae that do not include hares (genus Lepus). Often, the terms rabbit and hare are used interchangeably, which can be perplexing. For example, jackrabbits are actually hares, whereas rockhares and hispid hares are rabbits. Rabbits are smaller, have a different life history, and require a different habitat than hares. Rabbits are generally smaller and have shorter ears than hares. They are born without fur and with closed eyes during a 30–31-day gestation period. They favor wooded and shrubby settings, where they dwell in tunnels dug into the soil. Hares, on the other hand, are larger and are born fully mature with fur and open eyes following a gestation period of approximately 42 days. They favor open habitats like as prairies, where they nest in tiny depressions in the ground. Rabbits are ground-dwelling mammals that inhabit a variety of habitats, from desert to tropical forest and marsh. In the Western He...

All About Lions

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 The lion (Panthera leo) is a huge, powerfully built cat of the Felidae family, second only to the tiger in size. The lion, the fabled "king of beasts," has long been one of the most well-known wild creatures. Lions are most active at night and can be found in a range of environments, but their preferred habitats include grassland, savanna, deep scrub, and open forest. They used to be widespread throughout most of Europe, Asia, and Africa, but currently they are mostly found south of the Sahara. In India's Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, an isolated group of about 650 Asiatic lions form a slightly smaller race that lives under extreme protection. Identifying feature The lion is a huge, muscular cat with short legs and a long body. The size and look of men and women differ significantly. The male's most distinguishing feature is his mane, which differs between individuals and communities. It can be completely absent, fringed around the face, or full and s...

All About Lemurs

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 Lemur, (suborder Strepsirrhini), any primitive primate other than the tarsier; more precisely, any of Madagascar's indigenous primates. In a broad sense, the term lemur refers not only to the typical lemurs (family Lemuridae), but also to Madagascar's avahis, sifakas, indri, and aye-aye, as well as Southeast Asia's and the Philippines' colugos, as well as Southeast Asia's and Africa's lorises, potto, and bush babies. Strictly speaking, it excludes the last three (the Lorisiformes). The majority of Madagascar's lemurs and the neighbouring Comoro Islands have large eyes, fox-like faces, monkey-like bodies, and long hind limbs. The length of a lemur (excluding the tail) varies from approximately 9 cm (3.5 inches) for Madame Berthe's mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae) to nearly 70 cm (28 inches) for the indri (Indri indri). Lemurs' bushy tails can grow to be as long as their bodies; the indri, on the other hand, has only a stub of a tail. Except for the a...

All About Horses

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 The horse (Equus caballus) is a hoofed herbivorous mammal belonging to the Equidae family. It is made up of a single species, Equus caballus, which has various variants referred to as breeds. Prior to the invention of mechanical vehicles, the horse was extensively used as a draft animal, and horseback riding was a primary mode of transportation. Typical characteristics The wild horse was probably originally hunted for sustenance in prehistoric times. Domestication, according to research, occurred roughly 6,000 years ago. The horse is believed to have been invented by an Indo-European tribe that lived in the steppes north of the chain of mountains that separates the Black and Caspian seas. The horse swiftly evolved into its current shape as a result of environment, food, and humans. The horse's interaction with humans has always been unusual. The horse is both a companion and a buddy. It has plowed fields and harvested crops, carted goods and transported passengers, tracked game an...

All About Hamsters

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 Hamster, (subfamily Cricetinae), any of the 18 rodent species found in Euraasia that have internal cheek pouches. Syria's golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is a popular pet. Hamsters have a robust build, a tail that is significantly shorter than their body length, small hairy ears, short stocky legs, and broad feet. Their dense, long hair varies in color from grayish brown to reddish brown, depending on the species; their underparts are white to shades of gray and black. The Dzhungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) and the striped dwarf hamster (Cricetulus barabensis) both have a dark stripe running down the center of their backs. Dwarf desert hamsters (genus Phodopus) are the tiniest, measuring between 5 and 10 centimeters (approximately 2 and 4 inches) in length. The common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) is the largest, reaching a length of up to 34 cm, not including a short tail of up to 6 cm. Hamsters are primarily nocturnal and solitary, although they are occasionally activ...

All About Gorillas

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 Gorilla, (genus Gorilla), primate genus that includes the largest apes. The gorilla is one of the closest surviving cousins of humans; approximately 10 million years ago, both groups shared an ancestor. Only the chimp and the bonobo are more closely related. Gorillas are found only in equatorial Africa's lush woods. According to the majority of sources, there are two species and four subspecies. The western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is divided into two subspecies: the western lowland gorilla (G. gorilla gorilla), which is found in lowland rainforests from Cameroon to the Congo River, and the Cross River gorilla (G. gorilla diehli), which is found in a small forested region along the Cross River that separates Nigeria and Cameroon. The eastern gorilla (G. beringei) is also subdivided into two subspecies: the eastern lowland, or Grauer's, gorilla (G. beringei graueri), which is found in the lowland rainforests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), and the mount...