Sheep that can jump over 2 m from a stand-still

Barbary Sheep can jump over 2 m from a stand-still. Barbary Sheep stand 80 to 100 cm (30 to 40 inches) tall at the shoulder and weigh 40 to 140 kg (90 to 310 lb). They are a sandy-brown color, darkening with age, with a slightly lighter underbelly and a darker line on the back. Upperparts and outer legs are uniform reddish-brown or grayish-brown. There is some shaggy hair on the throat (extending down to the chest in males) and a sparse "mane". Their horns have a triangular cross section. The horns curve outwards, backwards then inwards, and reach up to 50 cm (20 inches). The horns are smooth, but wrinkled at the base. Scientists say that the horns can grow to be about six inches long. Barbary Sheep are found in arid mountainous areas of the Sahara where they graze and browse all available plants -- grass, bushes, lichen and acacia. They obtain all their moisture from food, but if water is available they drink and wallow in it. Barbary Sheep are crepuscular, active in the early morning and late afternoon, resting in the heat of the day. They are very agile and can jump over two metres from a stand-still. Barbary Sheep are usually solitary, and freeze in the presence of danger. Their main predators in North Africa are leopards and caracals.

World's largest alligator

Black Caiman is both the world's largest alligator and the Amazon Basin's largest predator. The black caiman has a bony ridge over red eyes, and black, scaly skin. The skin coloration helps with camouflage during its nocturnal hunts, but may also help absorb heat. The black caiman can grow to 5 m (16.5 ft) long, making it the largest member of the Alligator family and the largest predator in the Amazon basin. The largest reported black caiman, measuring 7.7 meters (25.2 ft) and weighing 1,310 kg (2,870 lb), was shot in Acre, Brazil in 1965 and, which if accurate, would count as the largest crocodilian recorded besides saltwater crocodiles. They eat fish, including piranhas, catfish, and other animals, including birds, turtles, and land-dwelling animals like the capybara and deer when they come to the water to get a drink. Larger specimens can take tapirs, and sometimes anacondas and jaguars. Conversely, jaguars may prey on caimans and these two large predators are each likely to avoid large adults of the other species. Their teeth are designed to grab but not rip, so they swallow their food whole after drowning it. Immature specimens eat crustaceans and insects. Their main predator is humans, who hunt them for leather or meat. In return, black caimans are known to catch and eat humans as well.

Bird which traps itself

Female Wrinkled Hornbills build nests in treeholes, then plaster over the holes, trapping themselves inside for months. The Wrinkled Hornbill is around 70 cm long, and has a very large bill that is fused to the skull. It has mainly black plumage, a blue eye-ring, and a broadly white or rufous-tipped tail. The male and female have different head and bill patterns. Males have bright yellow feathers on the auriculars, cheeks, throat, neck-sides and chest, but these areas are black in the female, except for the blue throat. The bill of the male is yellow with a red base and casque, and a brownish basal half of the lower mandible. The bill and casque of the female is almost entirely yellow. They use holes found in trees for nests, and the female will plaster over the entrance with mud and droppings, leaving a nesting mother and her chicks only a small hole, too small for them to exit. They are fed exclusively by the male, who regurgitates food for them. After several months, when the chicks are ready, the female will break out of her nest.

Goanna oil

Goanna oil was sold amongst early European settlers of Australia as a panacea much like snake oil was in the Old West. Like most native fauna, goannas are rather wary of human intrusions into their habitat, and will most likely run away (into the scrub, up a tree, or into the water, depending on the species). A goanna is a rather swift mover, and when pressed will sprint short distances on its hind legs. The diet of goannas varies greatly depending on the species and the habitat. Prey can include all manner of small animals; insects, lizards, snakes, mammals, birds, eggs. Meals are often eaten whole, and thus the size of their meal may depend on the size of the animal itself. Many of the small species feed mostly on insects, with some being small lizard specialists. Many of the medium to large species will feed on whatever prey items they can catch.

Largest European tortoise

The Marginated Tortoise is the largest European tortoise, reaching a weight of up to 5 kg (11 pounds) and a length of 35 cm (14 inches). Its shell is oblong and has a notable thickness around the middle of the body. The posterior end of the shell has a saw-like formation, flanged outward like a bell. The carapace of adult specimens is almost completely black, with yellow highlights. The ventral shell is lighter coloured and has pairs of triangular markings with the points facing the rear of the animal. The front sides of the limbs are covered with large scales. In old female specimens, the rear flaps of the underside of the plastron are somewhat moveable. The tail is notable for a lengthwise marking and for an undivided carapace over the tail. Males have a longer tail, which is thicker at the base than the females. Their underside is more strongly indented. Males are also often larger than the females. The females lay their hard-shelled spherical eggs in the soil in May and June. Early in the morning, Marginated Tortoises bask in the sun to raise their body temperature, and then search for food. After feeding, the tortoises return to their shelters in the hot midday hours, leaving them again in the late afternoon.

Spider spinning gold-colored webs

Long-jawed orb weaver family of spiders spins gold-colored webs. The long-jawed orb weavers or long jawed spiders (family Tetragnathidae) are elongated spiders with long legs and chelicerae.
The spiders are orb web weavers, weaving small orb webs with an open hub and few, wide-set radii and spirals. The webs have no signal line and no retreat. Some species are often found in long vegetation near water.
The genus Nephila, or golden silk orb-weavers, named after the golden tint of their silk, has been separated into its own family.

Giant isopods

Giant isopods, which live in the depths of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, can grow up to 45 cm long. Although generalist scavengers, these isopods are mostly carnivorous and feed on dead whales, fish, and squid; they may also be active predators of slow-moving prey such as sea cucumbers, sponges, radiolarians, nematodes and other zoobenthos, and perhaps even live fish. They are known to attack trawl catches. The young isopods emerge from the marsupium as miniatures of the adults, known as manca. This is not a larval stage: the manca are fully developed, lacking only the last pair of pereopods.

Fish with no apparent sexual dimorphism

Pineconefish have no apparent sexual dimorphism. Pinecone fishes are small and unusual beryciform marine fish of the family Monocentridae. The family contains just four species in two genera, one of which is monotypic. Their distribution is limited to tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. Pinecone fishes are popular subjects of public aquaria, but are both expensive and considered a challenge for the hobbyist to maintain. These fish are aptly named; their rounded, compressed bodies are completely covered (with the exception of the caudal peduncle) with very large, strong platelike scales called scutes which are fortified with prominent ridges.The first dorsal fin is composed of 4-7 strong, disunited spines which vary in length; the second dorsal fin and anal fin are small, spineless and rounded, situated far back of the convex head. The pelvic fin possesses one large erectile spine which can lock into place. The pectoral fins are somewhat elongate and the caudal fin is truncate.Coloration is typically a yellow to orange, the scales dramatically outlined in black. The eyes are relatively large, and the mouth oblique and subterminal. On either side of the lower jaw there is a bioluminescent organ called a photophore: a pale light is produced by symbiotic bacteria within the organ, and the colour of the light varies with ambient light levels—orange by day and blue-green at night.

Excellent climber - Alpine Ibex

Alpine Ibex being an excellent climber, its habitat is the rocky region along the snowline above alpine forests of the European Alps. They tend to occupy steep, rough terrain at elevations of 6,500–15,000 feet (2,000–4,600 m).Both male and female ibexes have large, backwards-curving horns although those of the male are substantially larger and can grow to an impressive length of up to 1 m. These horns are used to defend themselves from predators such as wolves, lynxes, bears and foxes. Ibexes are strictly herbivorous and survive on a diet of grass, moss, flowers, leaves and twigs. If leaves and shoots are out of reach, Ibexes often stand on their rear legs to reach this food. They eat during late afternoon and evening hours, descending at this time from the high steep cliffs and into the lower alpine meadows below. The rest of the day is spent in the higher altitude of the cliffs and hills.

Gelechiid moths

The Gelechiid moths, are a family of Lepidoptera (moths). These are generally very small moths with narrow, fringed wings. The larvae of most species feed internally on various parts of their host plants, sometimes causing galls.There are about 650 North American species.

The Komodo dragon

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a species of lizard that inhabits the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, [3] A member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) and weighing around 70 kilograms (150 lb). Komodo dragons were discovered by Western scientists in 1910.Komodo dragons also possess virulent bacteria in their saliva, of which more than 28 Gram-negative and 29 Gram-positive strains have been isolated.if an initial bite does not kill the prey animal and it escapes, it will commonly succumb within a week to the resulting infection. There is no specific antidote to the bite of a Komodo dragon, but it can usually be treated by sterilizing the wounded area and giving the patient large doses of antibiotics. If not treated promptly, gangrene can quickly develop around the bite, which may require amputation of the affected area.

The largest land-living arthropod in the world

The Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is the largest land-living arthropod in the world. It is a highly apomorphic hermit crab and is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents.It is also called the robber crab or palm thief, because some Coconut Crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents.Coconut Crabs cannot swim and even small specimens will drown in water. They use a special organ called a branchiostegal lung to breathe. This organ can be interpreted as a developmental stage between gills and lungs, and is one of the most significant adaptations of the Coconut Crab to its habitat. Coconut Crabs live on the land, the aesthetascs on their antennae differ significantly from those of other crabs and look more like the smelling organs of insects, called sensilia.The smell of rotting meat, bananas, and coconuts, all potential food sources, catch their attention especially.Coconut Crabs live alone in underground burrows and rock crevices, depending on the local terrain. They dig their own burrows in sand or loose soil. During the day, the animal stays hidden, to protect itself from predators and reduce water loss from heat.The Coconut Crab is admired for its strength, and it is said[who?] that villagers use this animal to guard their coconut plantations. The Coconut Crab, especially if it is not yet fully grown, is also sold as a pet, for example in Tokyo. The cage must be strong enough that the animal cannot use its powerful claws to escape. Should a Coconut Crab pinch a person, this is not only painful but the frightened crab will usually hold fast.Adult Coconut Crabs have few natural predators, and significant numbers are eaten only by people. The adults have poor eyesight, and detect enemies based on ground vibration.

Swallowtail butterfly

The Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon, is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America. Both the upper and lower sides of its wings are black, but the upper wing has a broad yellow stripe across it, which gives the butterfly an overall yellow appearance. There are striking blue spots on the rear edge of the rear wing, and the characteristic tails of the swallowtails. Its wingspan is 7-9 cm.The caterpillar is green, with dark bands spotted with yellow. Its major food plants are members of the carrot family, Apiaceae, (including fennel), and also some members of the citrus family.

The horse chestnut leaf miner

The horse chestnut leaf miner moth grows up to 5 mm long and has shiny, bright brown forewings with thin black and white stripes. Its larvae are leaf miners on the Common Horse-chestnut, causing significant damage to the appearance of the trees.The larva digs its way into the leaves of the tree, damaging the leaves and stunting growth. Infected leaves are covered in small brown patches which spread rapidly across the entire tree, giving an autumnal appearance (these patches are similar to damage caused by the fungus , but can be distinguished by their more regular size and shape). Eventually the leaves die and drop off; when new ones grow they are again infected. This cycle can repeat itself several times in one season.The moth is able to live at temperatures as low as -23 °C, although it thrives in warmer climates, where it can achieve as many as six generations a year. Its natural enemies are parasitic wasps, but there are few of the required species in Europe, meaning there is next to no natural control.

Plant grows almost everywhere in the world that does not have frost

Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. In many parts of the world, such as Mexico and Zimbabwe, the blooming of this tree is welcomed as a sign of spring.The species are shrubs to large trees ranging in size from 2 to 30 m tall.

Sidewinding unique to caenophidian snakes

Sidewinding is a type of locomotion unique to caenophidian snakes, used to move across loose or slippery substrates. It is most often used by the Saharan horned viper, Cerastes cerastes, and the sidewinder rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, to move across loose desert sands, but it is also used by Homalopsine snakes in Southeast Asia to move across tidal mud flats. Any number of caenophidian snakes can be induced to sidewind on artificial smooth surfaces, though difficulty in getting them to do so and their proficiency at it vary greatly.In the resultant movement, the snake's body is always in static (as opposed to sliding) contact when touching the ground. The head seems to be "thrown" forward, and the body follows, being lifted from the prior position and moved forward to lay on the ground ahead of where it was originally. Meanwhile, the head is being thrown forward again. In this way, the snake slowly progresses at an angle, leaving a series of mostly straight, J-shaped tracks. Because the snake's body is in static contact with the ground, imprints of the belly scales can be seen in the tracks, and each track is almost exactly as long as the snake.Crude animated line-drawing shows the locomotor pattern of sidewinding. The light brown areas are the tracks left behind, and also indicate where the body of the snake touched the ground.

Australian Green Tree Frog

The Australian Green Tree Frog, simply Green Tree Frog in Australia, White's Tree Frog, or Dumpy Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea) is a species of tree frog native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand and the United States. The Green Tree Frog is larger than most Australian frogs, reaching 10 centimetres (4 inches) in length. The average lifespan of the frog in captivity, about sixteen years, is long in comparison with most frogs. Green Tree Frogs are docile and well suited to living near human dwellings. They are often found on windows or inside houses, eating insects drawn by the light.Due to its physical and behavioural traits, the Green Tree Frog has become one of the most recognisable frogs in its region, and is a popular exotic pet throughout the world. The skin secretions of the frog have antibacterial and antiviral properties that may prove useful in pharmaceutical preparations.

The Casque of the Tarictic Hornbill is hollow

The Casque of the Tarictic Hornbill is hollow and made of keratin. Penelopides is the genus of relatively small, primarily frugivorous hornbills found in forests of the Philippines and the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Their common name, tarictic hornbills, is an onomatopoetic reference to the main call of several of them. They have a ridged plate-like structure on the base of their mandible. All are sexually dimorphic, with males of all except the Sulawesi Tarictic Hornbill being whitish-buff and black, while females of all except the Mindoro Tarictic Hornbill are primarily black.

The most colorful tree in the world

Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant from the Fabaceae family, noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of flowers. Often grown as an ornamental tree and given the name Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant, it is also known as Krishnachura, Gulmohar, Peacock Flower, Flame of the Forest, Malinche, and Tabachine, and one of several named the Flame tree.The tree's vivid red/vermilion/orange/yellow flowers and bright green foliage make it an exceptionally striking sight. The flowers are large, with four spreading scarlet or orange-red petals up to 8 cm long, and a fifth upright petal called the standard, which is slightly larger and spotted with yellow and white.

The lion's mane jellyfish

The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is the largest known species of jellyfish. Its range is confined to cold, boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic and northern Pacific Oceans, seldom found farther south than 42°N latitude. Similar jellyfish (which may be the same species) are known from the seas off Australia and New Zealand. The Arctic Lion's mane jellyfish is one of the longest known animals; the largest recorded specimen had a bell (body) with a diameter of 2.3 m (7 feet 6 inches) and the tentacles reached 36.5 m (120 feet). It was found washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870. This specimen was longer than a blue whale, which is commonly considered to be the longest animal in the world.the lion's mane jellyfish is well known to divers for its painful, but seldom fatal stings; they are toxic and can cause severe burns. Most encounters cause only temporary pain and localized redness.Although capable of attaining a bell diameter of 2.5 m (8 feet), these jellyfish are highly variable in size; those found in lower latitudes are much smaller than their far northern counterparts with bells about 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter. The tentacles of larger specimens may trail as long as 30 m (100 feet) or more. These extremely sticky tentacles are grouped into eight clusters, each cluster containing 65-150 tentacles, arranged in a series of rows.

The Nicobar Pigeon

The Nicobar Pigeon is a pigeon which is a resident breeding bird on small uninhabited islands in Indonesia and the Nicobar Islands. This is a large, heavy pigeon at 40cm in length. It is mainly metallic green with green and copper hackles on the neck. The head and upper neck, flight feathers and breast are dark grey. The tail is very short and pure white. There is a black knob on the base of the bill, and the strong legs are dark red. This is not a very vocal species, but possesses a low pitched repetitive call.The Nicobar Pigeon roams in flocks from island to island, including inhabited sites, seeking its food of seeds, fruit and some invertebrates, and is attracted to areas where grain is available; usually, it sleeps on offshore islets where no predators occur and spends the day in areas with better food availability. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general. Peculiarly, groups tend to fly in columns or single file, not in a loose flock as most other pigeons do; the white tail seems to serve as a sort of "taillight" when crossing water at dawn or dusk.

Short-horned Lizards

Short-horned Lizards are flat-bodied, squat lizards with short spines crowning the head. They have a snub-nosed profile and short legs. The trunk is fringed by one row of pointed scales, while the belly scales are smooth. The color is gray, yellowish, or reddish-brown, and there are two rows of large dark spots on the back. When threatened or aggressive, their colors become more intense.Short-horned Lizards are "sit-and-wait" predators. They feed primarily on ants, but will also take an occasional grasshopper or beetle. Often, they can be found sitting in the vicinity of ant nests or trails. They are most active during midday and burrow at night. They rely extensively on camouflage to avoid predators.

White-tailed deer

The White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the Virginia deer, or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to most of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and northern portions of South America as far south as Peru.Whitetails communicate in many different ways including sounds, scent, body language, and marking. All whitetail deer are capable of producing audible noises, unique to each animal. Fawns release a high pitched squeal, known as a bleat, to call out to their mothers. Does also bleat. Grunting produces a low, guttural sound that will attract the attention of any other deer in the area. Both does and bucks snort, a sound that often signals danger. As well as snorting, bucks also grunt at a pitch that gets lower with maturity. Bucks are unique, however, in their grunt-snort-wheeze pattern that often shows aggression and hostility. Another way whitetail deer communicate is with their white tail. When a white-tail deer is spooked it will raise its tail to warn the other deer in the area that can see them.

Leopard frogs

Leopard frogs also called meadow frogs are the archetypal "grass frogs" of North America.They are generally very similar, green with prominent black spotting (though actually more like that of a cheetah than that of a leopard).Once abundant in North America, their population has declined in recent years because of pollution and deforestation. Leopard frogs are often used as environmental indicator species because of their heightened sensitivity to chemical pollutants found in the air and water, and they are commonly used as dissection specimens in biology classrooms. They were subject of some pioneering studies in evolutionary biology in the 20th century, and continue to be of much interest to various disciplines of biology.

The spider monkey's brain

The spider monkey brain is twice the size of a howler monkey's of equivalent body size; this is thought to be a result of the spider monkeys' complex social system and their frugivorous diet, which consists primarily of ripe fruit from a wide variety (over 150 species) of plants and this requires the monkeys to remember when and where fruit can be found. The slow development may also play a role: the monkeys may live 20 years or more, and females give birth once every 3-4 yearsThe diet of spider monkeys consists of about 90% fruits and nuts. They can live for long periods on only one or two kinds of fruits and nuts. They eat the fruits of many big forest trees, and because they swallow fruits whole, the seeds are eventually excreted and fertilized by the feces.

Jerusalem crickets

Jerusalem crickets are a group of large (body length up to 69mm), flightless insects native to the western United States, along the Pacific Coast, and south into Mexico. Despite their name, Jerusalem crickets are neither true crickets nor true bugs and they do not prefer potatoes for food. Active only at night, the insects use their strong mandibles to feed primarily on dead organic material but can also eat other insects. Their highly adapted feet are used for burrowing beneath moist soil to feed on decaying root plants and tubers.Jerusalem crickets which do make audible sound rub their hind legs against the sides of the abdomen, which produces a rasping, "hissing" noise; this rasping noise appears to be designed to frighten predators, rather than being used in communication between the crickets themselves.

Lumpsuckers

Lumpsuckers or lumpfish are mostly small scorpaeniform marine fish. The "sucker" part refers to the fish's modified pelvic fins, which have evolved into adhesive discs (located ventrally, behind the pectoral fins); the fish use these discs to adhere to the substrate. Many species have bony, wart-like tubercles adorning the head and body.The relatively small mouths of lumpsuckers are lined with narrow rows of small conical teeth. The gas bladder is absent. In terms of length, lumpsuckers range in size from two centimetres in Lethotremus awae to 60 centimetres in Cyclopterus lumpus (known commonly as simply the lumpsucker). Young fish remain in shallow, warmer water until fully developed.Members of the family are found primarily on the continental shelf or slope, at depths from 100-1,700 metres.

Greeneyes

Greeneyes are deep-sea aulopiform marine fishes.Greeneyes are generally deepwater fish, found from 50 to about 1,000 metres. They seem to prefer the continental slopes and shelves, possibly forming schools. Greeneyes are known to primarily feed on benthic invertebrates, as well as pelagic crustaceans such as decapods and mysids.
Like many members of the Aulopiformes, greeneyes are hermaphroditic; this is thought to be a great advantage in deep-sea habitats, where the chances of running into a compatible mate are uncertain. Young and larval greeneyes are pelagic rather than benthic, staying within the upper levels of the water column. Hake are known predators of greeneyes.

California Sea Slug

California Sea Slug species lives in California and northern Mexico.
The California sea hare can be very large, the maximum recorded length being 75 cm (30 inches) when crawling and thus fully extended. Most adult specimens are half or less than half of that size. Like all Aplysia species, the California sea hare is herbivorous. Its diet consists primarily of red and brown seaweed, which gives the animal its typically dark coloration. When it is considerably disturbed, as shown in the photograph on the right, the sea hare is capable of releasing reddish-purple ink (much like an octopus does) from a gland in its mantle cavity.

The nectar of Yellow Jessamine

The nectar of Yellow Jessamine causes brood death when gathered by honeybees?All parts of this plant contain the toxic strychnine-related alkaloids gelsemine and gelseminine and should not be consumed. The sap may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals. Children, mistaking this flower for honeysuckle, have been poisoned by sucking the nectar from the flower. The nectar is also toxic to honeybees, and causes brood death when gathered by the bees.Despite the hazards, this is a popular garden plant in warmer areas, frequently being trained to grow over arbors or to cover walls.Yellow Jessamine is the state flower of South Carolina.Its flowers are strongly scented and produce nectar that attracts a range of pollinators.