Elephant Scientific name: Loxodonta africana

ELEPHANT
Scientific name: Loxodonta africana
Elephants are the largest land animals now living.Elephants are a symbol of wisdom in Asian cultures and are famed for their memory and intelligence.
African elephants
Scientific name: Loxodonta
African elephants, are currently found in 37 countries in Africa.
African elephants are distinguished from Asian elephants in several ways, the most noticeable being their much larger ears. Also, the African elephant is typically larger than the Asian elephant and has a concave back. In Asian elephants, only males have tusks, but both males and females of African elephants have tusks and are usually less hairy than their Asian cousins.
Asian elephant
Scientific name:Elephas maximus
The Asian elephant, is smaller than the African. It has smaller ears, and typically, only the males have large external tusks.
The world population of Asian elephants—also called Indian elephants—is estimated to be around 60,000, about a tenth of the number of African elephants.
Range and habitat
Elephant were found throughout Asia and Africa.Because of their high intelligence level, elephants can adapt to and modify habitat, while their wide range of food choices permits habitation of a diverse range of ecosystems, including forest, woodland, savanna, grassy plains, swampy areas, and sparsely vegetated desert. Elephant were found throughout Asia and Africa.

Physical characteristics
Average shoulder height: Males - 3.5m; Females - 2.7m.
Weight: Males - up to 6 tons; Females - 2.7 tons.
Trunk
The elephant's nose and upper lip are elongated into a muscular, powerful trunk. This truly multi-purpose tool is powerful enough to uproot trees but dextrous enough that the two 'fingers' at its tip can pick up single seeds. Elephants can swim considerable distances and, in deeper water, will use their trunks like snorkels.

Tusks
The tusks are elongated upper incisor teeth and are not necessarily the same size. Some adults lack tusks and some have only one. Bulls typically have thicker, heavier tusks than females. Elephants will often uproot trees and then use their tusks to chisel the bark off.
Teeth
Elephants' teeth are very different from those of most other mammals. Over their lives they usually have 28 teeth. These are:
The two upper second incisors: these are the tusks.
The milk precursors of the tusks.
12 premolars, 3 in each side of each jaw.
12 molars, 3 in each side of each jaw.
Skin
Elephants are colloquially called pachyderms, which means thick-skinned animals. An elephant's skin is extremely tough around most parts of its body and measures about 2.5 centimetres (1.0 in) thick. However, the skin around the mouth and inside of the ear is considerably thinner. Normally, the skin of an Asian is covered with more hair than its African counterpart. This is most noticeable in the young. Asian calves are usually covered with a thick coat of brownish red fuzz. As they get older, this hair darkens and becomes more sparse, but it will always remain on their heads and tails.
The species of elephants are typically greyish in colour, but the Africans very often appear brown or reddish from wallowing in mud holes of colored soil.

Eyes and Ears
An elephant's eyes are small relative to the huge size of the animal. The ears are very large, flat and roughly the shape of the African continent, often with tears and holes in them. The ears are laden with blood vessels and when flapped, help bring down the huge beast's body temperature.

Feet and Tail
The front feet are roughly circular, with five blunt toenails; the hind feet are oval, with four blunt toenails. The soles are padded, allowing amazingly silent movement for such a large amimal. The tail is thin, up to 1.5 m long, and has a whisk of long, thick hairs at the end.
Intelligence
Elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal. A wide variety of behaviours associated with intelligence have been attributed to elephants.The elephant's brain is similar to that of humans in terms of structure and complexity.
Senses
Elephants have well innervated trunks, and an exceptional sense of hearing and smell. The hearing receptors reside not only in ears, but also in trunks that are sensitive to vibrations, and most significantly feet, which have special receptors for low frequency sound and are exceptionally well innervated. Elephants communicate by sound over large distances of several kilometres partly through the ground, which is important for their social lives. Elephants are observed listening by putting trunks on the ground and carefully positioning their feet.
The eyesight of elephants is relatively poor.
Subspecies
Three species of elephant are living today:
The African bush elephant
The African forest elephant
The Asian elephant (also known as the Indian elephant).
All other species and genera of Elephantidae are extinct

Hunting and diet
Elephants are herbivores, and spend up to 16 hours a day eating plants. Their diets are highly variable, both seasonally and across habitats and regions. Elephants are primarily browsers, feeding on the leaves, bark, and fruits of trees and shrubs, but they may also eat considerable grasses and herbs.

Reproduction
A female will usually be ready to breed around the age of thirteen.Females prefer bigger, stronger, and, most importantly, older males. Such a reproductive strategy tends to increase their offspring's chances of survival.The mating season is short and females are only able to conceive for a few days each year. She will detach herself from the herd.Gestation period: 22 months. Elephants have a very long development. As is common with more intelligent species, they are born with fewer survival instincts than many other animals. Instead, they rely on their elders to teach them what they need to know.Single calves weighing 120kg are born throughout the year after a gestation of 22 months. Calves are weaned at 3-8 years, just before the birth of the next calf.
predatory
According to observations, healthy adult elephants have no natural predators, although lions may take calves or weak individuals. They are, however, threatened by human intrusion and poaching.

Life expectancy
They typically live for 50 to 70 years, but the oldest recorded elephant lived for 82 years.

JAGUAR Scientific name :Penthera onca

JAGUAR
Scientific name :Penthera onca
Jaguars are the largest of beings from the South American's big cats. They are the third biggest cats in the world, after African Lion and Asian Tiger.
Range and habitat
Jaguars is found in the United States (central and western part) and in South America.It has been an American cat .They inhabit grasslands, woodlands and swamps. Its present range extends from Mexico, through Central America and into South America, including much of Amazonian Brazil.The countries included in this range are Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica , Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, United States and Venezuela.
Physical characteristics
They are dark in colour while females are generally lighter. The jaguars have got large rounded head with powerful jaw and knife-sharp teeth which are able to break a neck. Extremely agile and muscular body and strong legs with claws enable them to climb trees without any obstacles.They are approximately 5 feet long with a tail measuring 30 inches and weighing up to 250 pounds. The females are smaller.
Subspecies
There are three subspecies.
1.Jaguar: Venezuela through the Amazon, including
Jaguar peruviana (Peruvian Jaguar): Coastal Peru
2.Jaguar hernandesii (Mexican Jaguar): Western Mexico – including
Jaguar centralis (Central American Jaguar): El Salvador to Colombia
Jaguar arizonensis (Arizonan Jaguar): Southern Arizona to Sonora, Mexico
Jaguar veraecrucis: Central Texas to Southeastern Mexico
Jaguar goldmani (Goldman's Jaguar): Yucatán Peninsula to Belize and Guatemala
3.Jaguar palustris (the largest subspecies, weighing more than 135 kg ) The Pantanal regions of Mato Grosso & Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, along the Paraguay River into Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.
Hunting and diet
Jaguar prefers large prey and will take adult caiman (a form of small alligator), deer, capybara, tapirs, peccaries, dogs, foxes, and sometimes even anacondas.Its diet consists mainly of other animals for instance deer, rodents, hares, reptiles, birds, fish, monkeys etc. They can kill they prey by using their sharp teeth and extraordinary strong jaw. They can reach and jump at a very high speed so they can catch up almost any animal. Apart from that they are also perfect swimmers. They are solitary animals and hunt for food usually alone especially before dawn and at dusk.
Reproduction
Jaguar females reach sexual maturity at about two years of age, and males at three or four.Females give birth to typically two or three cubs. They are generally born between the month of December and March. It is not common for Jaguar cubs to be born throughout the year. Jaguars are blind and helpless at birth. They gain sight after about two weeks. The mother stays with them and protects them from other animals, including their father. The female Jaguar becomes very protective at this stage. The cubs learn to hunt by staying with their mother for two or more years.
Predatory
Apex predators are predators that have no predators of their own, residing at the top of their food chain. Apex predator species are often at the top of long food chains, where they have a crucial role in maintaining the health of their ecosystems.

Life expectancy
Life span is approximately 15 years.

LEOPARD Scientific name:Panthera pardus

LEOPARD

Scientific name:Panthera pardus

The leopard is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar.

Range and habitat

The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, and China. Because of its declining range and population, it is listed as a "Near Threatened" species.Leopards live mainly in grasslands, woodlands, and riverine forests.

Physical characteristics

Most Leopards are orange or fawn with black spots, but their coats are very variable. The spots tend to be smaller on the head, larger and have pale centres on the body.They range in size from 1 to almost 2 metres long, and weigh between 30 and 70 kg. Females are typically around two-thirds the size of males.

Subspecies

The nine subspecies recognised by IUCN:

· African leopard:inhabits sub-Saharan Africa.

· Indian leopard:inhabits the Indian Subcontinent.

· Javan leopard:inhabits Java, Indonesia.

· Arabian leopard:inhabits the Arabian Peninsula.

· Amur leopard:inhabits the Russian Far East, Korean Peninsula and Northeast China.

· North Chinese leopard:inhabits northern China.

· Caucasian leopard:later described as Persian leopard :inhabits central Asia: the Caucasus, Turkmenistan and northern Iran.

· Indo-Chinese leopard:inhabits mainland Southeast Asia.

· Sri Lankan leopard:inhabits Sri Lanka.

A morphological analysis of characters of leopard skulls implies the validity of two more subspecies:

· Anatolian leopard:inhabits Western Turkey.

· Balochistan leopard:inhabits Pakistan, and possibly also parts of Afghanistan and Iran.

Hunting and diet

Leopards are versatile, opportunistic hunters, and have a very broad diet. They feed on a greater diversity of prey than other members of the Panthera species, and will eat anything from dung beetles to 900 kg (2,000 lb) male giant elands. Their diet consists mostly of ungulates and monkeys, but they also eat rodents, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds (like the Vulturine Guineafowl), fish and sometimes smaller predators (bat-eared foxes, martens, jackals...). They stalk their prey silently, pounce on it at the last minute, and strangle its throat with a quick bite.In Asia, the leopard preys on deer such as chitals and muntjacs, as well as various Asian antelopes and ibex. Prey preference estimates in southern India showed that the most favored prey of the leopard were chitals.

Reproduction

Depending on the region, leopards may mate all year round. In Manchuria and Siberia, they mate during January and February. Gestation lasts for 90 to 105 days.Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2–4 cubs.But mortality of cubs is estimated at 41–50% during the first year.
Females give birth in a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow tree, or thicket to make a den. Cubs are born with closed eyes, which open four to nine days after birth.

Predatory

Leopards must compete for food and shelter with other large predators such as lions, tigers, spotted hyenas, and both African and Asiatic wild dogs. These animals may steal the leopard's kill or devour its young. Leopards live alongside these other predators by hunting for different types of prey and by avoiding areas frequented by them.Lions are occasionally successful in climbing trees and fetching leopard kills.In the Kalahari desert, leopards frequently lose kills to the brown hyena, if the leopard is unable to move the kill into a tree. Single brown hyenas have been observed charging at and displacing male leopards from kills.

Life expectancy

Leopards in the wild live for 15 to 20 yrs.

CHEETAH Scientific name:Acrimony jabots

CHEETAH

Scientific name:Acrimony jabots

The cheetah is a large-sized feline ,a member of family Elide.The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acrimony.

Range and habitat

The cheetah inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East.Cheetahs thrive in areas with vast expanses of land where prey is abundant. In Namibia cheetahs have been found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, savannahs, dense vegetation, and mountainous terrain. Ninety-five percept of the Namibian population lives on commercial farms.There are several geographically isolated populations of cheetah, all of which are found in Africa or south-western Asia. A small population (estimated at about fifty) survive in the Khorana Province of Iran.

Physical characteristics

Most notable for modifications in the species' paws. As such, it is the only felid with non-retractable claws and pads that, by their scope, disallow gripping (therefore cheetah cannot climb vertical trees, although they are generally capable of reaching easily accessible branches).

Average Weight:
Female: 41kg - 50kg ( 90 - 110 lbs.)

Male: 50kg - 64kg (110- 140 lbs.)

Size (Length):

Female: 1.5m-1.8m (5 ft. - 6 ft.)

Male: 1.8m-2.1m (6 ft.. - 7 ft.).

Reproduction

Sexual maturity occurs at 20-23 months. The gestation period is about 95 days, and the average litter size is 4-5 cubs. Cubs are smoky-grey in colour with long hair, called a mantle, running along their backs; they are up to 30 cm long and weigh 250-300 grams at birth.

Hunting and diet

The cheetah is a carnivore, eating mostly mammals under 40 kg , All felines are carnivorous. Cheetahs main diet is small hooved mammals , the smaller of the many antelope species such as the Thompson's gazelle and impalas. When Cheetahs hunt in groups, they are capable of taking down the larger wildebeest and zebra species. Cheetahs also hunt hares, small mammals and birds.
The cheetah has an average hunting success rate of around 50%.Running at speeds between 112 and 120 km/h (70 and 75 mph) puts a great deal of strain on the cheetah's body.

Predatory

Despite their speed and hunting prowess, cheetahs are largely outranked by other large predators in most of their range.A cheetah has a 50% chance of losing its kill to other predators. They usually avoid fighting and will surrender a kill immediately to even a single hyena, rather than risk injury.The cheetah's mortality is very high during the early weeks of its life; up to 90% of cheetah cubs are killed during this time by lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, or even by eagles.

Life expectancy

Its Lifespan: 10-12 Years.

TIGER Scientific name:Panthera tigris

TIGER

Scientific name:Panthera tigris

The tiger a member of the Felidae family, is the largest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera.

Range and habitat

The tiger‘s native is eastern and southern Asia.The Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is found through the forests and grasslands of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India and Nepal. It is the national animal of India.

Physical characteristics

Males in the wild usually weigh 205 to 227 kg (450 to 500 lb), while the average female will weigh about 141 kg. Aside from their great bulk and power, their most recognisable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes that overlays near-white to reddish-orange fur, with lighter underparts.

Tigers have a lifespan of 10–15 years in the wild, but can live longer than 20 years in captivity.

Tigers hunt alone, and their diet consists primarily of medium-sized herbivores such as barking deer, sambar, elk, chital, swamp deer, red deer, rusa deer, wild pigs and buffalo, but they will also take larger prey if the circumstances demand it.The Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is found through the forests and grasslands of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India and Nepal. It is the national animal of India.

Subspecies

There are nine recent subspecies of tiger, three of which are extinct.

· Bengal Tiger

The Bengal tiger is found in India as well as Bangladesh and it is known to live both in the heated areas of desert and the grasslands where it is wet and cool.

· Siberian Tiger

The siberian tiger is the largest of all tigers. As its name implies, it inhabits the region of siberia in Russia.

· Sumatran Tiger

You will find the Sumatran Tiger in the island of Sumatra. The Sumatran Tiger is smaller than other species of tigers.

· Malayan Tiger

The Malayan Tiger is only found around the Malayan Pennisula which is where the name comes from

· Indochinese Tiger

The Indochinese Tiger is found in areas of Vietnam, Thailand, China, and Cambodia.

· South China Tiger

The South China Tiger features a very vibrant color of orange with black stripes on it.

Extinct Tiger Species:

· The Balinese Tiger became extinct in 1937 and until that time they resided on the Island of Bali. In the 1950’s the Caspian Tiger became extinct.

· The Javan tiger limited to the Indonesian island of Java. It now seems likely that this subspecies became extinct in the 1980s, as a result of hunting and habitat destruction, but the extinction of this subspecies was extremely probable from the 1950s onwards (when it is thought that fewer than 25 tigers remained in the wild). The last confirmed specimen was sighted in 1979, but there were a few reported sightings during the 1990s.

· The Caspian Tiger also known as the Persian tiger or Turanian tiger was the westernmost population of Siberian tiger, found in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus,Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan until it apparently became extinct in the late 1950s.

Colour variations-White tiger

There is a well-known mutation that produces the white tiger, technically known as chinchilla albinistic, an animal which is rare in the wild, but widely bred in zoos due to its popularity. Breeding of white tigers will often lead to inbreeding (as the trait is recessive). Many initiatives have taken place in white and orange tiger mating in an attempt to remedy the issue, often mixing subspecies in the process. Such inbreeding has led to white tigers having a greater likelihood of being born with physical defects, such as cleft palates andscoliosis (curvature of the spine).

Reproduction;
Females reach sexual maturity at 3–4 years, whereas males reach sexual maturity at 4–5 years.Mating can occur all year round,A female is only receptive for a few days and mating is frequent during that time period. The gestation period is 16 weeks. The litter size usually consists of around 3–4 cubs of about 1 kilogram . each, which are born blind and helpless. The females rear them alone, sheltering them in dens such as thickets and rocky crevices.The cubs become independent around 18 months of age, but it is not until they are around 2–2½ years old that they leave their mother.

Life expectancy

Tigers have a lifespan of 10–15 years in the wild, but can live longer than 20 years in captivity.

Lioness the Prowess

Lioness the Prowess

Females are the prime hunters and work together to prey. They do this by splitting into groups. One group chases the animals to a certain area whilst another group waits to ambush the victims. Their technique and skill is highly praised for its complexity and precision.Most lionesses will have reproduced by the time they are four years of age, and all females of reproductive maturity will breed at the same time. This allows them to give birth in synchrony with each other, thereby sharing the suckling responsibilities. Lions give birth to 1-6 cubs after a gestation of 110 days. The cubs are born blind and helpless, and weigh approximately 2-4 pounds.

LION Scientific name -Panthera leo

LION

Scientific name -Panthera leo

The lion is a member of the Felidae family,and one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera.The lion is called the king of all animals.

Range and habitat

Lion lives in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia. The lion prefers to live in open woodlands and thick bush, scrub, and tall grassy areas.

Physical characteristics

Their colour may vary from yellowish to brownish.The lion males weigh up to 420 pounds and are about 50 inches tall.They have got muscular body covered with a beautiful fur, strong legs with sharp retractable claws and a long tail.

Subspecies

There are eight subspecies:

· The Asiatic Lion or South Asian, Persian, or Indian Lion, once was widespread from Turkey, across Southwest Asia, to Pakistan, India, and even to Bangladesh,now around 300 exist in and near the Gir Forest of India.

· The Barbary Lion, originally ranged from Morocco to Egypt. It is extinct in the wild due to excessive hunting, as the last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922.This was one of the largest of the lion subspecies.

· The West African Lion, is found in western Africa, from Senegal to Nigeria.

· The Northeast Congo Lion, is found in the northeastern parts of the Congo.

· The East African, Massai Lion or Tsavo Lion, is found in east Africa, from Ethiopia and Kenya to Tanzania and Mozambique.

· The Southwest African or Katanga Lion, is found in southwestern Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Katanga (Zaire), Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

· The Southeast African Lion or Transvaal Lion, is found in the Transvaal region of southeastern Africa, including Kruger National Park.

· The Cape Lion, became extinct in the wild around 1860. Results of mitochondrial DNA research do not support the status as a distinct subspecies. It seems probable that the Cape lion was only the southernmost population of the extant.

Hunting and diet

It feeds on a huge variety of animals. When preying it can reach the speed of 60 km per hour and leap even 12 metres. No animal is safe when the lion is preying even not the lions themselves.The prey consists mainly of large mammals, with a preference for wildebeest, impalas, zebras, buffalo, and warthogs in Africa and nilgai, wild boar, and several deer species in India.

Predatory

Hyenas are the only animals which kill lions for food. But sometimes hyenas themselves end up as a lion’s prey.

Reproduction

Most lionesses will have reproduced by the time they are four years of age and all females of reproductive maturity will breed at the same time.Its Gestation period 110 days.Lions gives birth to 1-6 cubs.The cubs are born blind and helpless, and weigh approximately 2-4 pounds. Cub mortality is very high in lions, and less than half will survive their first year.

Life expectancy

Lions live for ten to fourteen years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than twenty years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than ten years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity.