The Axolotl (or ajolote) (Ambystoma mexicanum) is the best-known of the Mexican neotenic mole salamanders belonging to the Tiger Salamander complex. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled. The species originates from the lake underlying Mexico City. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate most body parts, ease of breeding, and large embryos. They are commonly kept as pets in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Japan (where they are sold under the name Wooper Rooper, and other countri...
Sloths are medium-sized mammals that live in Central and South America belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, part of the order Pilosa. Most scientists call these two families the Folivora suborder, while some call it Phyllophaga.
Sloths are omnivores. They may eat insects, small lizards and carrion, but their diet consists mostly of buds, tender shoots, and leaves.
Sloths have made extraordinary adaptations to an arboreal browsing lifestyle. Leaves, their main food source, provide very little energy or nutrition and do not digest easily: sloths have very large, spe...
Many animal species are adapted to quite narrow habitats providing certain living conditions. This is not different concerning cats: Cheetahs, eg., are animals which are able to survive only in savannas and semi-deserts, while Tigers are "forest creatures", which prefer habitats with a lot of trees and much water. But on the other hand there are also species, which are real allrounders, inhabiting all kinds of habitats in many subspecies. The most prominent examples are the Leopard in Africa and Asia and its American counterpart - the Puma.
Camels inhabiting the Andes in South America? Sounds quite surprising! Thinking of camels, the One-humped camel or Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) and the Two-humped camel or Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) from the African and Asian deserts come to one's mind. But these tall camel species have close relatives in South America - the smaller Llamas or South American camels. This group consists of just two species too: the Guanaco (Lama guanacoë), the wild ancestor of the domestic Llama and Alpaca, and the even smaller and daintier Vicuna (Lama vicugna). Reaching a length of about 1,5 m,...
A 30-foot-long, two-legged cross between a crocodile and a mountatin lion. Add a huge skull and the predatory behavior of a shark. That's Allosaurus
This was how a 1993 issue of National Geographic appropriately described this remarkable animal. Allosaurus was the most common & successful predator of the late Jurassic. These theropods are often referred to as "the wolves of the Jurassic" because they so were so widespread (A. fragilis is the only theropod species positively identified on more than one continent) and they are believed to have been pack hunters. Thousands of fossilized bones (in a few cases,nearly complete skeletons) found throughout North America has made Allosaurus one the most well understood of all predatory dinosaurs.
A large, cowlike mammal with distinct hump in the shoulder region; head, neck, shoulders, and forelegs with long, shaggy hair; hind part of body with short hair; head heavy with short, curved, black horns; tail short and ending in tuft of hair; color brownish black anteriorly, brownish posteriorly. Dental formula: I 0/3, C 0/1, Pm 3/3, M 3/3 X 2 = 32. External measurements approach: (males) total length, 3,400 mm; tail, 610 mm; hind foot, 610 mm; height at shoulders, 1,800 mm; females somewhat smaller. Weight of bulls, 700-1,000 kg; females, 300-400 kg.
A large, grayish, nearly hairless, aquatic mammal without hind limbs; tail broadened into a horizontal, rounded paddle; front limbs paddlelike. Dental formula: I 2/2 (nonfunctional), C 0/0, Pm 0/0, M 6/6 (variable and continuously being replaced) X 2 = 32. Total length of adults, up to 3.5 m; weight, up to 1,000 kg.
Distribution in Texas: West Indian manatees are found in rivers, estuaries, and coastal areas of the tropical and subtropical New World from the southeastern United States coast along Central America and the West Indies to the northern coastline of South America. Manatees are ex...
A member of the crocodile family, alligators are living fossils that can be traced back 230 million years.
First listed as an endangered species in 1967, the American alligator was removed from the endangered species list in 1987 after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pronounced a complete recovery of the species.
Population: Once on the brink of extinction, well over a million alligators can be found today in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia.
Threats: Once hunted for their hides, alligators today are threatened mainly by habitat loss and encounters with people.
Survival: Alligators can live 35 to 50 years in the wild. In captivity, 60 to 80 years.
The original home of the Welsh Mountain pony was in the hills and valleys of Wales. He was there before the Romans. His lot was not an easy one. Winters were severe. Vegetation was sparse. Shelter, most often, was an isolated valley or a clump of bare trees. Yet the Welsh pony managed not only to survive, but to flourish.
What's the most versatile breed of horse from the show ring to the work fields?
Legendary for its beauty, stamina, and calm disposition, the popularity of this noble animal grew strong on the great southern plantations before the Civil War. It was learned that the horse could be ridden comfortably for hours because of his smooth, natural gait.
The phenomenal growth of this breed can be directly attributed to its intelligence and versatility. Beginning riders cherish the smooth, easy gait and the calm temperament of the Racking Horse. Veteran horsemen admire his beauty and ability...
The principle development of the Quarter Horse was in the southwestern part of the United States in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, eastern Colorado, and Kansas. Some breed historians have maintained that it is the oldest breed of horses in the United States and that the true beginning of the Quarter Horse was in the Carolinas and Virginia. Nye1 has suggested that the Chickasaws secured from the Indians were the true beginning of the Quarter Horse. These were small blocky horses, probably of Spanish extraction, which the planters secured from the Indians, and which were adapted for a variety o...
The Pony of the Americas is a popular and growing breed. It was begun in 1954 to provide a pony with good appearance, speed, and stamina for young riders who were too big for a small pony but not ready for a full-sized horse. The Pony of the Americas is a distinctive breed of pony possessing the attractive coloration of Appaloosa Horse. The POA is a rugged, athletic pony with the speed for games and jumping and the intelligence and patience for showmanship and equitation. Small size makes it easy for parents to match a child to a pony. The POA's great disposition makes them highly competit...
The American Paint Horse - A Colorful Part of Our Western Heritage
Let your imagination carry you back to a simpler time. A time when wide open spaces under clear, crisp skies beckoned to come explore the wild frontier. Rediscover those basic values and simple pleasures on the back of a colorful horse. Celebrate this chance to return to the roots of the American West with a unique, living legend - the American Paint Horse.
American feral horse, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) horse, Range horse
The Mustang is a feral horse found now in the western United States. The name Mustang comes from the Spanish word mesteño or monstenco meaning wild or stray. Originally these were Spanish horses or their descendants but over the years they became a mix of numerous breeds. These were the horses which changed the lives of the Native Americans living in or near the Great Plains. As European settlers came farther west they brought their horses with them. Some were lost to Indian raids, others were freed as wild stallions tore down fences to add the tame mares tn his herd or tame horse escap...
Justin Morgan was a living legend. In the manner of so many heroes, he began as an unremarkable colt and became the father of an entire breed of horses recognized for quality and dependability.
Born in 1789, Justin Morgan started life as a small, rough-coated colt known as "Figure." In 1791, he left his birthplace in Springfield, Massachusetts with his new owner, the soft-spoken schoolteacher Justin Morgan, by whose name the stallion eventually became known. Although his breeding was unknown (thought to be of Dutch, Thoroughbred, or Arabian breeding), the quality of Justin Morgan's ances...
The American Miniature is a "height" breed; they must measure no more than 34 inches in height at maturity. This measurement is the vertical distance from the last hairs at the base of the mane to the ground. These tiny equine are replicas of their larger breed cousins and will look like Quarter Horses, Arabs, Thoroughbreds, and Draft Horses.
The American Miniature Horse Association's Standard of Perfection calls for a small, sound, well-balanced horse, possessing correct conformation characteristics. These horses are not dwarves, runts, or "genetic" errors, but are produced by selectiv...
The herd of ponies at Lojsta moor on the island of Gotland is unique. The Gotland pony, or Russ, as it is called in Sweden, has been called a living relic of the past, and that is precisely what it is. Thanks to decisive intervention on the part of the local inhabitants, Sweden's most primordial horses still live as they have for thousands of years on the wooded moors of Gotland.
The Gotland Pony horses have lived in the forest regions of the island of Gotland from time immemorial. Their history is mysterious and fascinating. Discoveries from the Stone Age show that horses have been pr...
The origin of the Falabella horse can be linked to the origins of a horse in Latin America called the Andalusian horse that the Spaniards brought with them to accomplish the enormous task of the conquest--chosen for their rusticity and resistance. They were later left to survive on their own due to unsuccessful attempts to conquer the area's human inhabitants. The name comes from the family who developed the breed in the middle of the nineteenth century.
Wandering without destination over the vast plains ("pampas"), the surviving horses underwent by necessity a series of biological proce...
