221 Amazing Wild Animals Encyclopedia

Scientific name : Desmodontinae Family : Phyllostomidae Native to : Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina Interesting fact : Hematophagy refers to the food habit of some animals feeding on blood. Conservation status : Least Concern Vampire bats are bats whose food source is blood; they are of three types. Unlike other bats, vampire bats can […]

Common name : Arkars, Shapo Scientific name : Ovis orientalis vignei Family : Bovidae Native to : Central Asia Interesting fact : It is found in Ladakh as well. Conservation status : Threatened It is a type of wild sheep. It has reddish-brown long fur that fades during winter. Urial males have large horns, curling

Scientific name : Panthera tigris x Panthera leo Family : Felidae Interesting fact : Not found in the wild. Usually, tigons weigh around 180 kilograms. Tigons can exhibit visible characteristics from both parents, they can have both spots from the mother and stripes from the father. Usually they have orange-yellow coats with stripes or spots,

Scientific name : Sarcophilus harrisii Family : Dasyuridae Native to : Australian Island state of Tasmania Interesting fact : The largest carnivorous marsupial in the world; locates prey by itswhiskers. Conservation status : Endangered The size of a small dog, it has a stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, disturbing screech, and a

Scientific name : Tapirus indicus Family : Tapiridae Native to : Asia Interesting fact : They have powerful jaws and bite when threatened. Conservation status : Endangered It is similar in shape to a pig. Their coats are short and range in colour from reddish-brown to grey to nearly black. Their size varies between types,

Common name : Japanese raccoon dog Scientific name : Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus Family : Canidae Native to : Japan Interesting fact : It is immortalized in Japanese folklore tradition. Conservation status : Least Concern It measures 45-71 cm and has a 12-18 cm long tail, and weighs about 3 kg in spring and 6.5-7.0 kg

Common name : Sunda flying lemur, Malayan flying lemur or Malayan colugo Scientific name : Galeopterus variegatus Family : Cynocephalidae Native to : South-East Asia Interesting fact : It is unable to function on the ground. Conservation status : Least Concern It glides as it leaps among trees, but is not a lemur and does

Common name : Honey bear Scientific name : Helarctos malayanus Family : Ursidae Native to : South-East Asia Interesting fact : It has avoracious appetite for honey and honeycombs. Conservation status : Vulnerable Usually, the sun bear’s fur is jet-black, short and sleek with some under-wool and some individual sun bears are reddish or grey.

Common name : Rope dancer Scientific name : Petaurus breviceps Family : Petauridae Native to : Australia Interesting fact : Its preferred diet is sugary nectarous foods, and it is able to glide through the air. Conservation status : Least Concern It is an omnivorous marsupial. A sugar glider has a thick, soft fur usually

Common name : Madagascar sucker-footed bat or Old world sucker-footed bat Scientific name : Myzopoda aurita Family : Myzopodidae Native to : Madagascar Interesting fact : Uses wet adhesive-like secretion to stick to surfaces, not suction. Conservation status : Least Concern There are peculiar cup-like features on its wrists and ankles. The sucker-footed bat can

Common name : Sumatra short-eared rabbit or Sumatran rabbit Scientific name : Nesolagus netscheri Family : Leporidae Native to : Sumatra, Indonesia Interesting fact : Locals have no name for it, because they don’t even know that it exists! Conservation status : Vulnerable It is usually about 40 cm (1 foot 4 inches) long, with

Scientific name : Condylura cristata Family : Talpidae Native to : Canada and the United States Interesting fact : They weigh about 55 grams, and have 44 teeth. Conservation status : Least Concern The star-nosed mole is covered in thick, blackish-brown, water-repellent fur, and has large, scaled feet and a long, thick tail, along with

Common name : Canadian hairless cat Scientific name : Felis catus Native to : Philippines Interesting fact : The first hairless cat was born in 1966. Conservation status : Domesticated It is a hairless breed of cat, although it does have slight fur. They need constant oiling and moisturizing. Many people are fascinated by the

Common name : Andean bear or Andean short-faced bear, Jukumari Scientific name : Tremarctos ornatus Family : Ursidae Native to : South America Interesting fact : Their gall bladder is valued in traditional Chinese medicine. Conservation status : Threatened Overall, its fur is blackish in colour, though it may vary from jet black to dark

Common name : Indian muntjac, Barking deer, Kakar Scientific name : Muntiacus muntjak Family : Cervidae Native to : South Asia Interesting fact : Alarm call resembles a ‘bark’. Conservation status : Least Concern These deer can bark for almost an hour. In the Nilgiri, where they are found, they have been known to feed