Penguins

There are lots of different penguin species. They include: the Fairy penguin, the Emperor penguin, and the Gentoo penguin.

Breeding

Most penguins normally lay 1 brood, but the Little Penguin, or the Fairy Penguin, lays about 2. 

Habitat

Penguins live mostly in the southern hemisphere, though they can also be found on every other continent. They nest on islands, where they are safer from predators.

Looks

Penguins cannot fly; instead of using their tiny wings to lift themselves, they use them to swim. They are very agile in the water, looking like a bird in the air. But on land they are quite clumsy. Sometimes they slide on their bellies down hills.


Penguins are black with white chests and belly, with white under their wings. They use the same camouflage as dolphins. Anyone looking up would not see the white belly of a penguin against the pale water. Someone looking down from above wouldn’t see black against the deep, dark water. 

Feeding

Penguins can dive very deep in search of prey. Penguins eat fish and squid, sometimes krill. They also eat other crustaceans. 

Here's an incredible video of king penguins!

Pandas

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Due to farming, pandas are very rare.


Feeding 
Pandas eat bamboo stalks, buds and leaves. They also like to eat grass, tubers, and yams. They will even eat rodents and birds! They eat by holding the bamboo with their ‘thumb’ while they munch on the hard stalks. 


Breeding 
When baby pandas are very young, they have not grown their black patches yet. They are small, pink, and helpless. Adult pandas have woolly fur that keeps them warm in cold weather. Female pandas breed once a year. They are ready to mate when they are around 4 to 6 years old. Panda cubs stay around their mums until they are about two years old. 


Looks 
Pandas are black and white, with wide paws and a round body. They have a short snout and short, thick legs. Their ears are small and rounded, and they have black patches of fur over their eyes. 


Habitat 
Pandas live in China, in the mountains where bamboo grows. But sadly, their habitat is being destroyed, so they are endangered. They live usually by themselves, wandering through the forest. Each panda has some marked territory. 


Lifespan 
Pandas live up to 20 years at most in the wild, but about 30 years in captivity.

Red-eyed tree frogs

Red-eyed tree frogs are not reptiles.They are amphibians.

Feeding

Red-eyed tree frogs feed on flies, crickets and moths, using their long tongue to snatch them out of the air.

Breeding

Red-eyed tree frogs breed from the end of May to the end of November, in the wet season. Once they have mated, the female frog lays a large clutch of eggs on a leaf. The tadpoles change into frogs in about 80 days.

Looks

Red-eyed tree frogs have bright red eyes and webbed orange-yellow feet. They are lime green with yellow and blue patterned sides. Luckily they do not carry poison, unlike the poison dart frog. They like to keep moist and stay near the water in case an enemy approaches.

Habitat

These frogs live in rainforests and the tropics. They also live in ponds in gardens and forests.

Nocturnalism

Red-eyed tree frogs are nocturnal.

Lifespan

These frogs live up to 5 years.

Tigers

Tigers belong in the same family as your pussycat. 

Feeding

Tigers eat mostly wild boar and deer, though sometimes they hunt bigger animals, like elephant calves! Tigers stalk their prey by creeping quietly forward so the animal doesn’t hear them, then pouncing.

Breeding

Female tigers have cubs when they are about four or three. Their den is a cave or clump of bushes. Baby tigers follow their mothers for up to 3 years, then depart to look for their own place to live.  

Looks

Tigers are the biggest feline in the cat family. They are red-orange with black stripes and a white ruff around their face. There are also white tigers in the world; pure white with dark stripes. ‘Golden tabby tigers’ can be seen, but they are very rare. ‘Golden tabby tigers’ or ‘Strawberry tigers’ are golden with white underbelly and legs. Because of tiger hunters, tigers are extremely endangered.

Habitat

Bengal tigers are found in India. They like grasslands and swamps, as well as rainforest. Tigers’ stripes blend in with the grass. Strangely, Tigers love to swim. 

Lifespan

Tigers can live up to 26 years in captivity, though they don’t survive for very long in the wild. 

Barn Owls

Barn owls have a large wingspan. Their disc-shaped faces help them to locate prey.

Feeding

Barn owls eat small rodents, like rats and mice. They hunt using their amazing hearing and eyesight, flying close to the ground then diving when they spot prey. 

Breeding

These owls breed mostly in April. Barn owls can nest in caves and attics. The mother owl lays about seven eggs, and the father takes prey to the mother while she sits on the eggs and looks after her chicks. 

Looks

Barn owls have heart-shaped faces. They are gold-brown and white, with long legs and a short tail. They have black and white speckles on their shoulders and wings, with a hooked beak. They scream instead of hoots, and they have large black eyes.

Habitat

Barn owls live in South America, North America, Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, India and also Australia. They like forests, fields and farms.

Nocturnalism

Barn owls are nocturnal.

Lifespan

Barn owls can live up to 5 or 27 years.

Here's an awesome video of the majestic Barn Owl!

Arctic Foxes

Feeding

Arctic foxes eat small rodents. They also eat birds, and sometimes a few fish. When prey is hard to find in winter, they will eat the scraps that polar bears leave after they hunt.

Breeding

Arctic foxes have a litter of about 14 pups in spring. The father helps to raise them as well as the mother fox. The cubs are a brown-grey colour when they are first young, but when they age the brown fur drops away to be replaced with white.

Looks

Arctic foxes are usually white to blend in with their surroundings. They live in a snow-covered part of the world, so they need fur on their pads to grip the slippery ground. They can live in FREEZING temperatures! They nest in burrows that they dig in the ground. Their coats change to match the seasons: in winter their fur is snow-white, but in summer they are brownish-grey so they can hide among the rocks and grass.

Habitat

Arctic foxes live in the arctic, as their name suggests. The days are cold and snowy, so it is quite hard to find food. Luckily they have a thick coat and incredible hearing.

Nocturnalism

Arctic foxes are mostly up in the evening and early morning, but they are often seen out of their burrows in daytime.

Lifespan

These foxes can live up to 15 years, but sometimes they only live 3 years! :(

River Otters

Otters are mammals. They are mainly active at night, but they like to sun themselves in the daytime.

Feeding

River otters’ main food is fish, which they hunt using their underwater swimming skills. They eat by lying on their backs on top of the water and holding the food in place with their front paws. River otters eat crabs as well, plus other seafood.

Breeding

River otters have their babies in the springtime. Newborn otters are blind. They stay in their den until they are a month old. They learn to swim a bit earlier. Baby river otters are ready to live by themselves when they are about one year old.

Habitat

River otters live along rivers, streams, or lakes. They can swim very well, using their webbed feet to paddle and their tails to steer. This species of otter can stay under the water for about four minutes, but they breathe air. They spend most of their lives in water, but they also journey on land to find a mate.

Looks

Otters belong to a family that includes badgers and skunks. They have short, smooth fur which is almost always wet! Otters have large black noses, long whiskers and a thick, furry tail.

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Lifespan

Wild River otters live 10 years, but they may reach 16 years in captivity.