ANIMALS YOU MAY

HAVE NEVER HEARD

OF!

Ms. Sara A. Herrmann

Alpaca

Alpacas have a life span

of about 15 - 20+ years.

Some alpacas make a

humming sound to

communicate.

Spitting is used by

alpacas, probably as a

sign of warning to

intruders.

Bison

The bison is the heaviest land

animal in North America.

It lives in parks and reserves, inhabiting

flat grasslands.

Bison can run at speeds

up to 30 mph.

Clams

Clams burrow under the sea floor.

They have two shells that protect a soft body.

The biggest clam is the Giant Clam, it is up to

4.8 feet long and weighs up to 550 pounds

(250 kg).

Emu

The Emu is a large,

flightless bird from

Australia.

It is the third-biggest

bird in the world.

Emus swim very well.

Gnu

The Gnu or Wildebeest is a fast-running plant-

eater from eastern African grasslands.

The name wildebeest

means "wild beast" in

the language Afrikaans.

Wildebeests gather in

enormous herds of up to

a million animals.

Nightingale

The Nightingale is a small songbird that

belongs to the thrush family.

Nightingales have an incredibly rich, loud,

complex, and melodious song.

Opossum

The Opossum is the only living marsupial from

North America.

This large opossum lives in forests and

prairies.

Opossums are most active at night.

Platypus

The duck-billed platypus is an Australian

mammal.

Platypus live in burrows and spend much of

their time in freshwater ponds and streams.

The name platypus means "flat footed."

Pronghorn

Pronghorns are the fastest mammals in North

America.

These graceful mammals are

the only living animal with

doubly-branched horns.

Pronghorns are closely

related to antelopes.

Quail

The Quail is a common bird from

the western USA.

Quails congregate in groups

of 10 to 20 birds.

These plump birds live in

woodlands, chaparral,

desert edges, and

grassy valleys.

The Sand Dollar

The Sand Dollar is a spiny, hard-skinned

animal that is shaped like a coin.

They live on the sandy sea floor.

If you break open a test,

there are many hard,

loose, white pieces; these

were the teeth of the

Sand Dollar.

Serval

The serval is a wild cat that lives in

grasslands, rain forests, woodlands, plains,

forests, deserts, and shrubby areas.

This solitary cat is found in much of Africa.

Servals are fast runners over short distances

and are good leapers and climbers.

Wombat

The Wombat is a rare marsupial from dry and

semi-dry areas on the islands of Australia

and Tasmania.

It is the largest

burrowing mammal.

This solitary animal

is most active at night.

Zebra

Zebras are large, fast-running mammals that

live on African grassy plains.

They can run up to 40 mph in short bursts in

order to escape from predators.

Zebras are closely related to horses and

donkeys.