221 Amazing Wild Animals Encyclopedia

Common name : Jumping shrew Scientific name : Rhynchocyon chrysopygus Family : Macroscelididae Native to : Kenya, Africa Interesting fact : Has skin that is three times thicker on its bottom than anywhere else. Conservation status : Least Concern It gets its name from the golden fur on its hindquarters, apart from which it has […]

Common name : Reed wolf Scientific name : Canis aureus Family : Canidae Native to : North and North-Eastern Africa, South-Eastern and Central Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, and South-East Asia Interesting fact : A white golden jackal was found in Iran in 2012. Conservation status : Least Concern They pair for life, looking

Scientific name : Allactaga bullata Family : Dipodidae Native to : Deserts of China and Mongolia Interesting fact : They don’t drink water, and jump, not walk. Conservation status : Least Concern It is a species of a rodent found in the temperate grasslands. It has dense, light fur, with the back and outer sides

Common name : Zarafah (Arabic) Scientific name : Giraffa camelopardalis Family : Giraffidae Native to : Africa Interesting fact : Just like snowflakes and human fingerprints, no two giraffes have the same spot pattern. Conservation status : Least Concern Its coat has dark blotches or patches, which can be orange, chestnut, brown, or nearly black

Common name : Waller’s gazelle Scientific name : Litocranius walleri Family : Bovidae Native to : Deserts of Eastern Africa and the African great lakes region Interesting fact : They are violent and fight for territorial dominance. Conservation status : Critically Endangered The word gerenuk means giraffe-necked in Somali language. It is found in the

Common name : Bos frontalis; Mythun, Mithan Scientific name : Bos gaurus frontalis Family : Bovidae Native to : North-Eastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China Interesting fact : It is the largest of the wild oxen. Conservation status : Critically Endangered They usually have short, dense fur, blackish-brown in colour, with white or yellowish lower

Common name : Fossa. Scientific name : Cryptoprocta ferox Family : Eupleridae Native to : Madagascar Conservation status : Endangered The fossa is a mongoose-like mammal which is found only in the forests of Madagascar. It has a short, dense red-dark brown coloured fur, a cat-like head and a dog-like snout. With large forward facing

Scientific name : Mustela putorius furo Family : Mustelidae Native to : Europe Interesting fact : The name ferret comes from the Latin ‘furonem’ which means ‘thief’. Conservation status : Some species are Endangered Ferrets are carnivorous animals and their diet consists of meat when they are domesticated, and in the wild they hunt small

Scientific name : Vulpes zerda Family : Canidae Native to : African Sahara region Interesting fact : It is the smallest species of fox measuring between 24-41cm. Conservation status : Least Concern It has a remarkably long tail measuring between 18-31cm, and ears that can measure up to half its body size. The fox has

Common name : Emperor tamarin, Black-chinned emperor tamarin Scientific name : Saguinus imperator Family : Callitrichidae Native to : South America Interesting fact : Is arboreal, and does not live on the forest floor. Conservation status : Least Concern It is named for its long white moustache which extends beyond the shoulders and resembles that

Common name : Wapiti Scientific name : Cervus canadensis Family : Cervidae Native to : North America, Eastern Asia Interesting fact : Largest mammal found in North America and Eastern Asia Conservation status : Least Concern They migrate to higher altitudes in summers and return to lower valley pastures in winters. Male elks have large

Common name : Short-beaked echidna, Spiny anteater, Native porcupine Scientific name : Tachyglossus aculeatus Family : Tachyglossidae Native to : Australia, New Guinea Interesting fact : They are one of the only two egg-laying mammals in the world. Conservation status : Critically Endangered They are black or brown in colour with bodies covered with coarse

Common name : Arabian camel, Indian camel Scientific name : Camelus dromedarius Family : Camelidae Native to : Sahara Desert in North Africa and along the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East, South-East Asia in the Indian desert, Australian Outback. Interesting fact : The hump stores fats, not water as commonly believed Conservation status :

Scientific name : Mandrillus leucophaeu Family : Cercopithecidae Native to : Between Southern Congo and Eastern Nigeria Interesting fact : Communicates through facial expressions such as a ‘grin’. Conservation status : Most Endangered The drill is a large monkey with dark grey pillage; it has reddish-yellow stripes on its body, and some are greenish-grey as

Common name : Hazel dormouse, Common dormouse Scientific name : Muscardinus avellanarius Family : Gliridae Native to : Africa, Europe, Asia Interesting fact : Hibernates for up to six months, in the cold months; if the cold weather persists, they continue to hibernate. Conservation status : Critically Endangered They breed twice a year sometimes and