Filefish

The file fish is a very strange fish- it has 2 spines that it can move up and down its body at will! Once it is raised, it gets locked into place by a smaller spine. To lower its spine again, the fish has to move the lower spine first.


These fish are flattened, and can barely be seen from the front or back. However, they grow up to 20 inches long and look huge when seen from the side. Their eyes are set high up and far back on their head. It lives in tropical reefs, and is often brightly colored.

The filefish also has very strong teeth, and eats its food by cracking its shells and carrion. Its diet is mainly mollusks and things like that. Filefish ARE territorial, and will occupy a small piece of each reef. It will alert other fish of their territory by making noises with their teeth and spine, which echo through the water. They also use their bright colors to warn other fish about their territory.

Pleurodele

There are two known species of pleurodeles- the pleurodele of Poiret, and the pleurodele of Watl. The watl is bigger and has spots on it's back legs and flank, while the poiret is smaller and plain.

 The poiret is found in Algeria and Tunisia, while the watl is found in Morocco. Both live in fresh stagnant water, but are equipped with two lungs and can survive on land for long periods of time in case of drought.

Pleurodeles have quite strange mating rituals that is actually very important to the development of the legs and the growth of the horn on their forelegs. Eggs are laid in large clusters and are hatched over a period of 2-3 days. After this time period, 150 lizards (mainly female) hatch. They grow to be about a foot long if they are watls, and half that size if they are poirets. Adults will feed on worms, mollusks, and other such grubs and bugs.

Beluga Whale

Dubbed the "canary of the sea" by fishermen, belugas are known for their beautiful songs. Belugas usually live in the Arctic seas, migrating south for the winter. There have been migrating whales found as far from the Arctic as Japan. Sometimes, ice will become so thick that a beluga cannot break it with it's forehead. If the whale cannot get air, it will die from suffocation. The beluga is 16 feet long and weighs about 1000 pounds if not more, and has a protruding, padded forehead with a short snout.

Belugas often live in schools with only about a dozen whales in them. On rare occasions, large schools of thousands have been found. Belugas feed on fish, and will typically hunt in shallow water- making them easy targets for their predators. A beluga has two primary enemies: the killer whale, which is almost ANYTHING'S enemy, and man. Fishermen will hunt the beluga for their fat and skin, which is tough and makes good leather.

A female beluga gets pregnant once a year, for a year. The baby what develops inside her for a year, and then is born tailfirst. As soon as the baby is born, the female gets pregnant again. She does this for five years, and then gives herself a year's rest before birthing again.

Agouti

The agouti is often described as a large, long-legged guinea pig. Found in central and south America, this creature is nocturnal, spending the day burrowed with its family and its nights scrounging for food.

The agouti's diet is vegetarian, and it will eat mainly fruit and leaves, often burying some for later. But however cute this creature may look, don't upset it- it is very jumpy and will attack if startled or threatened.

The agouti is so jumpy that if it is scared enough, it will do anything to get away- including leading its fellow agoutis off of a cliff to their death. The agouti's mating season is in May and October. After a three month gestation period, a female will give birth to 2-3 babies. There are usually two litters per year. After the babies are born, the father is not permitted to come near the nest. Agoutis use their speed to escape the enemy, not their stealth. They can make a fast getaway, and without barely any effort can jump 20 feet away.

Agoutis are not very big- the biggest is only around 9 inches tall, and weighs only 30 pounds.

Adder Snake

A female and a male adder snake are very different and easy to tell apart- the female snake is a good 5 inches longer and has dark brown patches on her light grey scales. Other than this the snakes looks are alike- the same zig-zag pattern running down the whole body and ending in a v on the head. Like most vipers, the adder is short tailed and has a thin body. It hunts lizards, mice, and occasionally other snakes by smell.

 The adder is a northern snake- it has even been found in the Arctic Circle! It is found commonly in Europe and Siberia. It is often found living in rocks or on sunny hills. The snake hibernates whenever the temperature drops below 45 degrees. In some far north regions, the adder hibernates for 3/4 of the year. Not that this interrupts the life of the adder very much- they don't need much food to survive, and only reproduce once in every two years.

The adder is ovoviviparous- which means it lays its eggs and they hatch soon after. When the young snakes are born, they are independent, but will stick close to their mother for about a month for protection. 10-15 young are born at a time. Females grow to be about 25 inches long, while males grow to be 20 inches.

Pike

A pike is a very large and toothy fish. When I say toothy, I MEAN toothy- the pike has over 700 teeth! And for good reason, too- a pike can catch a fish as big as itself. Some pikes are so big that they can catch ducks and water rats. But pikes also have to be careful about what they eat- their mouth stretches wide and will suck in the food- but it can not reverse the motion and cough food that is too big up. Many pikes die from suffocation because they go after fish or ducks that are too big.

The true pike is found only in Europe, but in the US there are fish called northern pike. The only difference is that northern pike don't have teeth. There are also fish similar to the pike, such as the muskellunge, or as my dad calls them, "muskies". Muskellunge are VERY big, growing up to 6 feet in length. While the pike doesn't swim around very much, when it does, it can swim over 30 feet with a simple flick of it's tail. The dorsal fin is placed high on the fish's back, and the position has a lot to do with it's power when swimming.


With all the power in its swimming, the pike is an excellent stealth hunter. It camouflages in well with murky water, and when food comes swimming by- all it has to do is lunge forward and suck it in. The pike always lives in fresh water, and cannot live in water that is too deep or that is running. Pike are also known to eat their own species if food becomes scarce.

Agama

The agama is a mini-monster lizard- both in appearance AND attitude. Avid insect hunters, agamas are colored to blend into the tropical forests that are their home. They are dark green/blue, with a deep red head and a white tipped tail. This lizard is often very acrobatic and vicious when catching food, but will not be AS vicious in hot weather, as it often has to stay under shrubbery and plants if the temperature is over 100 degrees. Since the agama often preys on household pests, such as termites, it is welcomed by many people and so can safely reside in tropical towns as well as it can in the brush.

As I mentioned above, the agama has quite a nasty attitude- if anything unknowingly stumbles onto the creature's territory, it turns a fierce shade of red and charges it's opponent, and a brutal fight ensues. The agama has a powerful tail, but sometimes overestimates itself and swings its tail too hard, resulting in a broken tail. The male is also very aggressive towards other males that come near his "harem" (a group of female lizards, about 5-6 per male).

Each lizard lays about 12 eggs per mating season. The season lasts from June to September. When young are born, they are very alert and in fact copy their parents- when the females and males fight for territory, the young ones will fight amongst each other in preparation for their future. I find this funny, since human toddlers often mimic their parents and come up with the funniest things... but that is beside the point. The agama is about 1 foot long, including it's tail.

Black Salamander

The black salamander is quite a strange creature- during its mating season, forty eggs are hatched, but only two actually develop. And as if that isn't bad enough- it takes about 3 years for the young salamander to be born! It is a wonder that this species isn't extinct yet, as they are small creatures that are easily preyed upon by birds and snakes- they are only 5 inches long!

On occasion, the female will give birth to the salamander before the three years are up. She will give birth in the water to two fully developed salamanders (if the gestation period was full). The black salamander is a basic land animal and can be found in the Alps, Asia, and northern Africa. The Asian salamander is a giant variety that is 5 feet long and weighs 25 pounds- but other than that is pretty much the same as the regular sized animal.

These creatures have a toothed upper jaw, and eat insects such as millipedes, ants, termites and the like. Juveniles have a similar diet, only their diet includes flies. The black salamander is nocturnal like most lizards and hides during the day. The lizards in captivity fight, and many of the species found in the wild are scarred, leading biologists to believe that the creatures are territorial. It will bite when attacked.

Pigeon Hawk

Pigeon hawks are small, fearless little hunters, and are very much alike the blackbird. Pigeon hawks are found in Europe, Asia, and America. They never migrate very far: the birds from England spend their winter in North Africa, while the birds from Norway and Iceland go to England. Funny, huh?

Pigeon hawks are often found in swamps and moors, where they can hunt easily without scaring away their food. They can live happily on the outskirts of a forest, but never in one as they do not like flying at high heights, unlike most raptor birds. In fact, pigeon hawks often hunt at ground level, only chasing their food through the air if it flies. Often times they will eat small birds, but will also eat rodents and insects.

Pigeon hawks are very smart when it comes to reserving food- if they catch and kill something that is too big for them to eat, they bury it and will return to it for another meal. I think this is great, keeping in mind that the pigeon hawk is a bird and not a dog. Saving food is just one representation of how "lazy" the bird is- it doesn't build it's own nest, but instead uses the abandoned nests of other birds! If there are none nearby, it is also content with a hole in the ground with grass and twigs.

When young are hatched, the mother stays with them to protect them while the father hunts and brings back food for the babies. There are usually 4 or 5 mouths to feed. All this protection is really all for naught, however- the babies are born very independent and are often flying and fending for themselves at the age of one month.

Heron

The heron is a tall and silent fishermen. The heron has long legs, and stands in ponds and lakes motionless until a fish, frog, crab, or anything edible comes along. If it spies food, it will shoot its long neck out to spear it with its beak. This bird has a large appetite and a wide variety, meaning it will eat almost anything that comes (or swims) its way. Anything leftover (such as bones, hair, and insect casing) is regurgitated into pellets.

The only food that a heron really had 'trouble' with is the eel- the eel will wrap itself around the bird's beak and will get away. The heron NEVER fishes alone, however- it is a very social bird and nests and feeds with several other pairs of herons. The nests are built by the females high in the trees, so as to protect from predators.

 Like storks, herons use the same nest for years- but it is not always the same herons. Young herons leave the nest as soon as they can fly and often go far away from home. Herons stand about 3 feet tall fully grown (sometimes taller!) and belong to the Ardeidae family. This family has 63 species in it, all of which are scattered around the world.

Some of the more 'notable' species include the ibis, the bittern, and the egret.

BulBul

The alcoholic bird! The bulbul, a brown or green sparrow, loves ripe fruit and will eat it constantly- sometimes TOO constantly. Often, people will find these birds dead from intoxication of fruit. The bulbul gets its name from the Arab word bulbul, to describe its song. Some of the 119 species of bulbul sing so beautifully they have been mistaken for nightingales- numerous times!

I know that my Dad will sometimes talk about his "flavor savor" (his beard) jokingly. To this bird, facial hair is not a joke- the two tufts of hair on each side of their beak serve as almost flypaper, catching and slowing down insects. A few common types of bulbuls are the red-whiskered bulbul, the white-cheeked bulbul, and the black bulbul. These birds are native to South Africa. The mating of the bulbul is quite strange- the male will display the colors on his tail and the female will sing a special song. The female will then go to the nest (often low in a tree and made out of grass and vegetable debris) and lay 2-3 eggs. She will hatch these on her own.

Newborn bulbuls

The male guards the female as she sits on the nest, bringing her food and watching for enemies, like owls, crows, and mongooses. If an enemy DOES come near the nest, a bulbul will sound the alarm and the whole flock will come together and fight the predator. This goes on for 10-15 days (the incubation period of the eggs).

Alpaca

The alpaca is a domesticated animal that is much like a sheep, only taller and MUCH more prized for its wool. It is, however, not related to sheep at all- it is actually the selective breeding of llamas to produce good fleece. And good fleece is what the breeders got, alright- it is very light and soft to touch, but it also provides the wearer with good warmth. People can say what they want, but the Incas were the first to discover alpaca fleece, and often made their clothing out of it.

However, as usually, we Americans came along and bred the alpaca, but to no real avail- most 'alpaca' found today is just wool and synthetic material sold at hyped up prices. However, alpaca is harder to come by than most people think- while alpacas look fluffy and kind on the outside, they are actually very temperamental creatures, and to catch a tame one let alone shear is a task. Alpacas have many different colors of fur: black, white and brown, and are often a solid color. Only on rare instances does an alpaca have mixed coloring.

A llama enjoys the high life of eating and relaxing in pastures year-round and is only brought into a town and sheared once a month. I would call that a darn good life- only one bad day a year.

Jeweled Lacerta

Found in France and Morocco, lacertas are the largest European lizard. They have small, sharp scales that are brown on their backs and get green as they go up, with yellow scales on the underbelly. The scales are very shiny, hence its name, the "jeweled" lacerta. Male lizards have blue spots with black outlines in addition to the other colors. These are warnings not only to humans but to other lizards. The males will fight in the dust with other lizards until one of them dies or retreats.

These lizards are quite carnivorous, eating insects, spiders, snails, small snakes, rodents, birds, and even smaller of their own kind. They will also eat rotting fruit. Jeweled lacertas are very good hunters- they wait for their prey to approach them, and then pounce on their food and eat it whole, as they have very strong jaws. Even though this lizard is VERY big (some grow more than 52 inches long), it is quite timid and VERY sneaky. It will enter gardens at night to eat its food, and will make a mess of the garden in this process. If it has any sense of danger, it hides.

These creatures HAVE been caught and bred successfully for resale and for pets. While in the wild they are very timid and scamper off at the first sight of a human, once they are used to the domesticated life they associate their owner with food and lighten up. In captivity they will eat most bugs and mushed apple and banana.

Pug

The pug is certainly a well known, even famed dog breed- many countries claim to have been the source of the pug, though no one knows which one REALLY had the pug first. Those countries are China, Russia and Holland. Madame Pompadour's favorite pet was her pug. Empress Josephine also had a spoiled pug. There are plenty of rumors that the dog was, in fact, jealous of Napoleon Bonaparte (Josephine's husband).

The pug is a short, small little dog, only growing to about 1 foot tall and weighing in at a meager 9-18 pounds- sometimes less. A pug's head is very large and round, with a squashed looking muzzle that is semi-square and big, bulging eyes that I personally find ugly (no offense, pug owners). The ears are high on the head and are typically very thin and soft. In comparison to the ears, the rest of a pug is actually quite the opposite- the pug has a round, loglike body that is short and fat. The forelegs of a pug are usually straight and muscular, while the hind legs are very powerful.

Other than their appearance, pugs are actually very nice dogs. They are cheery, intelligent, affectionate, and very gentle dogs, though they do get into mischief at times. The pug has sensitive ears, and can hear things from very far away. There is one detail I forgot to mention above, and that is the tail of the pug. The tail is medium sized, and curls once or twice. Usually the tail only curls once, and it is rare if it curls twice.

Axis Deer

The axis deer of southern Asia are distinguished by their white spotted coats. To date, there are two types of them in Asia- the chital and the hog-deer. The hog-deer lives in India and Indonesia, and has a short-legged body, giving it a slightly piggish appearance (hence it's name). The males often act like mean pigs around mating season too- they will attack ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. It will even hurl itself at trees and shrubbery and also dig into the ground with its antlers like it is on a mad rampage. This is the reason this deer is hard to keep in captivity- be within its reach when it has a "temper tantrum", and you are DEAD!

Hog deer.

Axis deer are not group animals and typically live alone at the edges of forests. On occasion they will make small herds, but it is very rare. It does not shed its horns at any specific time of the year. They are nocturnal creatures, sleeping in the undergrowth during the day and feeding at night. If startled, it will run away. It is known to lower its head and duck under obstacles (like a pig) rather than jumping them like normal deer.

The chital deer is basically a larger version of the hog-deer. It's mating seasons are irregular (like the hog-deer) and it sometimes mates the whole year round. The only significant difference, excusing size, is that a female can bear up to three fawns at a time, while a hog deer can only bear one, and only on rare occasions two fawns.

Goshawk

A male goshawk. Fun Fact: Did you know that
a goshawk's wingspan is usually around 4 feet?

The goshawk was once a highly prized bird in the sport of falconry due to its unique killing strategy. It strikes its prey and then stays with it, carefully bringing it to the ground. The goshawk will snatch its unknowing prey from any terrain, and if its prey finds out it is being hunted and runs, the goshawk uses its wide wingspan and TAILSPAN to chase the creature down, even through thick forests. The goshawk uses the opened tail to steer itself through the forests and in between trees.

The saying "what you give, is what you get", really applies to the goshawk. While it is an excellent hunter, it attacks EVERYTHING, and humans use this excuse to shoot them for game and fun. The hunting of these gorgeous birds has caused them to go nearly extinct. The picture on the right is a male goshawk.

An interesting fact about the goshawk is that it often uses the same nest for its whole life. The nest is originally built high in a forked tree with twigs. The nest is repaired each year before the next brood is born. The male goshawk will catch food and leave it far away from the nest (so as not to draw predators to the young). Later, the female collects the food and feeds it to her young in the safety of the tree. A male will NEVER bring food directly to the nest.

Banteng

The banteng are wild oxen that live in the jungles and forests of Burma, Thailand, Malacca, Java, and Borneo. The banteng are an endangered species due to land development on its territory and illegal hunting, but in Bali, there is a project going on to domesticate the banteng because of it's breeding qualities. The hunting of these creatures is quite sad- in its native territory, the population has declined 80%. As of today, less than 8000 banteng are still alive. There is a herd being kept in Northern Australia as well that is trying to breed them so the race does not go completely extinct. Which brings up an interesting story about the breeding of these creatures... When the farmers of Java want better cattle, they open their barn doors at night, letting the female cows wander into the woods at night. After mating with the banteng, the female comes back to the barn to be fed.

A male (right) and female (left)

Banteng are beautiful creatures though, and do improve the cattle- the male banteng stands 5 feet tall and is 10 feet long including it's tail. It has a russet coat, with white hindquarters and lower legs. It has heavy horns on it's head. The color in female banteng is much brighter than that of the males.

In the wild it can survive from altitudes above 6400 feet. It often gathers in small herds that are led by a head female. The herds usually consist of a few females and jueveniles. Males are most often solitary. The creatures are semi-nocturnal, feeding at night and sleeping during the day. It is a vegetarian, and its diet consists mainly of grasses, leaves, and young plant shoots.

Barbary Ape

The barbary ape is not a barbarian... even though that IS the word it's name is derived from. It also comes from the Greek word for "foreigner", and this fits the monkey perfectly. It is the only monkey found in Europe!  That's right, monkey... though they are called apes, they are actually monkeys.

 Barbaries only live on the Rock of Gibraltar, which is at the very tip of Southern Spain. It is unknown how they got to Gibraltar. There are many local legends about tunnels under the sea, but none of these have ever been found.

These monkeys are quite small and very quick. They often steal and scrounge from orchards to eat. They usually weigh from 15-22 lbs. Their mating season is in the fall, and they stay pregnant for almost a year. Their young are often born in May. A female often only has one baby per pregnancy- cases of twins are very rare.

Fun Fact: Barbary Apes live in large groups that are led by old female monkeys. Unlike most other primate groups, the males are the primary caregivers to their young. This is thought to be due to the selectiveness of the females. Also, the whole tribe helps to care for the young one- not just the "family".

A barbary ape reaches maturity at 3 or 4, and can live to over 30- especially females. The oldest male known died at 25, while some females have exceeded 30 years. A male monkey will rarely attack a higher ranking male in his pack for any reason. IF by chance they do end up fighting, the monkey tries to make coalitions with the higher ranking male. However, the monkeys do not often fight as males are usually caring for the young.