Walrus

The Walrus: Possibly the fattest, ugliest sea creature I written up. These blubbery, long tusked freaks are the last in the Odobenidae species that are left. Both girl and boy walruses have tusks. The tusks are actually very long canine teeth. They can grow to be over 3 feet long and weigh up to 12 pounds. Wouldn't you HATE to have THAT on your face???

Walruses live in the Arctic Sea, and their hibernation is when it is warm: summer through fall. This technically means that they stay awake through winter. Now, you are probably wondering how they do it. I mean, look at them! But a walrus stays warm by 2 layers of skin, one of skin and one of blubber. Both of these layers put together gives a walrus skin 9.8 inches thick.

Walruses are BIG. They can grow to be 4400 pounds in total by the time hey are adult. This weight would make an average walrus overweight though. Their normal weight is typically 3700 pounds.

Vulture

Vultures are sneaky, bullying, lazy animals. They refuse to prey on healthy animals that are strong and can run away. They only prey on weak, helpless creatures that can't defend themselves. They will signal that they are going to attack by flying in a large circle around their prey. If the prey has tough skin, the vulture will wait for another animal to have first dibs.

Vultures are somewhat pigs when it comes to eating. They will stuff themselves with food if it is available. Another strange thing about vultures is that they don't bring food to their children in their claws. They spit it up to their young after eating it. Vultures have very strong stomach acid, so they can devour things that have diseases too.

Other predators are not able to digest things with such diseases or else they would die. Vultures have the upper hand in more food this way. Some vultures can vomit for safety when they are in danger. Vultures ARE an endangered species that are hunted for the veterinary drug found in their body. 

Green Moray

Doesn't that thing look creepy? And doesn't it remind you of a plasticky hand puppet? But this thing is real. And the "thing" is called a green moray eel. They are found in the Western Atlantic along New Jersey shores. (This explains why the aquarium in NJ I went to had one. When I first saw the thing, I almost laughed because I thought it was fake. That is how bright green the eel was.)

The smallest moray eel is only 4.5 inches long. Don't mistake this eel for tiny, though. Some of the bigger ones can grow to be 13 feet in length and weigh 66 pounds. Even when they are this big, though, morays will hunt in large groups. The invitation to hunt with an eel is a shake of a head. The bad thing about being in a group of morays is lack of ability to drive small critters out of crevices.

Most people think of morays as vicious, annoying creatures. But in reality, morays are actually shy creatures that would rather hide in a crevice than come up and fight. The only times a moray would attack a human would be mistaken identity or self defense. These creatures are gentle giants.

Racoon

A masked bandit guilty for tipping garbage cans for food, the racoon is a shifty character. Racoons are nocturnal, so they are hard to catch in the act of toppling garbage cans. Racoons have a burglar-like mask that stretches just across their eyes, giving them a very weird look.

Racoons are omnivorous and will eat whatever they can get their germy little paws on. Racoons, before eating their food, often clean it in water first. Tests have been done showing that food is cleaned by racoons in captivity more than it is done by wild racoons.

Racoons stay away from wide open spaces and beech trees. They tend to climb trees when they get scared, so open spaces are a no-no for them. Beech trees are so slippery, racoons have a tough time getting their claws into them.

That is all I have to say on the racoon.

Blue Tang

Most people reading this will take one look at the picture and automatically think Finding Nemo. Since I saw it in 3D this weekend (let me warn you- it stank to high heavens), I decided I would do an absolute animal on my favorite character in the movie. Dory is a regal blue tang fish. Tangs live in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, but also live in captivity.

In captivity, adult tangs typically need a 75 gallon aquarium tank. They feed off of algae, krill, and nori. In the wild, adults will occasionally eat plankton as a snack. Having more than one tang in a small aquarium causes tension, which often results in death of one or both fish after fighting for space.

The blue tang is a very valuable fish. While it is not typically sold in fishing stores, it is good for bait. The skin is worthless, as it has an awful stench when you kill the fish. This fish is not sold for meat, because a person can die from a certain disease it carries. Handling it can be difficult, because it sends painful scales out when it is excited. It is only used for pets mainly.

Porcupine

Awwwww- how cute- NOT

Do not be fooled by what you see above! This porcupine is young, and it's quills have not come in yet. And though it may look cute and incredibly soft, trust me- these animals are deadly. These menacing- yet not so menacing creatures defend themselves with camouflage. If all else fails, they unleash their hidden weapon- pointy, sharp quills.

I have had plenty of experience with porcupines. They are my dog's sworn enemy. 3 times he has come back with quills in his lips and leg- once over 200 stuck into him. It took about an hour for my Dad to pry them all out. When a porcupine feels endangered, it reacts normally like any other living creature does- defends itself with what it has.

Porcupines can be found all over the world, and can survive in most climates. They can also live in most living conditions, though they are not known to be good swimmers. They prefer woods or rock terrain to hide out in, most likely because of camouflage. (Now, my dog is a WATER DOG. Why the heck can't he just find some water to go in when he finds a porcupine?!?)

Porcupines, though the third biggest rodent, are not fast like rodents. They are known to be slow and big. This is why so many dogs are frequently porcupined. They come up and stumble over the slow moving creature and make them go on defense. 

Ostrich

Ostriches are one of the few flightless birds native to Africa. Once more, the female species is deprived of colors, while the male has plenty of color. Males are glossy black, but the females are a dead brown. 

Ostriches are the world's fastest 2-legged animal, reaching up to 43mph. They have very sensitive hearing and eyesight, and know when a predator is near. They can deliver a very powerful kick when in danger. They can only kick to the front because of their structure, however.

The male will do a kind of dance to attract a mate, and then will maintain privacy by scaring away intruders. Next, the male will flap his wings against the ground to make a nest. The female will lay her eggs and sit on them to incubate them until they hatch. The eggs are gigantic, usually weighing in at more than 3 lbs.

Ostriches are hunted for their feathers and meat. They are also captured for zoos and farms.