Swamp deer Scientific name:Cervus duvauceli

Swamp deer
Scientific name:Cervus duvauceli
Swamp Deer, also known as Barasingha, is one of the most vulnerable species of deer of the Indian subcontinent as well as the world. The is a species of deer, native to India, Pakistan and Nepal. In Assam in the North-East India, barasingha is traditionally known as dolhorina.
Range and habitat
swamp deer lives in areas with tall grasses or in the reed beds near rivers.They prefer to stay in marshes or swamplands. In the India subcontinent, Barasinghas can be found occupying the forested areas in the Gangetic and Brahmaputra basins.
Bara Singha used to inhabit most of the areas of northern as well as central India. However, today their habitat has been restricted to the protected forests of Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Madhya Pradesh only.
Physical characteristics
Swamp deer is a medium sized deer, which grows to a maximum height of 130 cm and weighs around 180 kg. A male deer has huge antlers,  Average antlers may measure 75 cm (30 in) round the curve with a girth of 13cm (5 in) at mid beam. A record antler measured 104.1 cm (41 in) round the curve.The coat is generally orange to brown colour, with males being slightly darker than females.The underparts, including the underside of the tail, are whitish.
Subspecies
Swamp deer of India can be further subdivided into two subspecies.
Cervus duvaucelii branderi : South Indian Swamp Deer, North-central India.
Cervus duvaucelii duvauceli : North Indian Swamp Deer, North of Ganges, Assam, India.
Feeding and diet
Barasinghas are basically herbivores. Their staple diet mainly consists of grass and leaves. Their main diet consists of grass which they feed on in the vast grasslands of central and northern India. Some of them have also been seen eating grass from the bed of wet swamps.
Reproduction
The breeding season of the Swamp deer is during the winter months of November and December.  During the breeding season, the males colouration takes on a darker hue and appear a much darker brown when compared to that of the rest of the year.They have a gestation period of 6 months and have a litter of mostly just one young. This birth takes place mostly in tall grass where the vulnerable baby is concealed from predators.  They have an acute sense of smell and it serves as their best defense against their hunters.
Predatory
Hunting, poaching and, more important, diversion of the bulk of grassland to agriculture, are considered the main causes of their reduced numbers. At the same time, Barasinghas are hunted for their horns.
Life expectancy
Their life expectancy ranges between 20 - 30 years.

Wild bison

Wild bison
The American bison (Bison bison), also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds. American Buffalo, It is believed that buffalo, or bison, crossed over a land bridge that once connected the Asian and North American continents.
Bison are now raised for meat and hides. The majority of bison in the world are being raised for human consumption. Bison meat is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef.
Bison are among the most dangerous animals encountered by visitors to the various U.S. and Canadian national parks, and will attack humans if provoked.
Range and habitat
Bison once roamed across much of North America. Today bison are ecologically extinct throughout most of their historic range, except for a few national parks and other small wildlife areas.
Yellowstone National Park has the largest population of free-roaming plains bison (about 4,000), and Wood Buffalo National Park has the largest population of free-roaming wood bison (about 10,000).
The centuries buffalo slowly moved southward, eventually reaching as far south as Mexico and as far east as the Atlantic Coast, extending south to Florida. But the largest herds were found on the plains and prairies from the Rocky Mountains east to the Mississippi River, and from Great Slave Lake in Canada to Texas.
Physical characteristics
A bison has a shaggy, long, dark brown winter coat, and a lighter weight, lighter brown summer coat. As is typical in ungulates, the male bison are slightly larger than the female. Plains Bison are often in the smaller range of sizes, and Wood Bison in the larger range.
Head-and-body length ranges from 210-350 cm (83-138 in) long, the tail adding 50-60 cm (20-24 in). Shoulder height in the species can range from 152 to 186 cm (60-74 in). Typical weigh can range from 318 to 1000 kg.
Subspecies
There are two living subspecies of wild bison in North America
The plains bison Bison bison bison
Two hundred years ago, the plains bison was by far the more common of the two subspecies. It was the dominant grazing animal of the interior plains of the continent, and it often occurred in large herds. A smaller population occurred east of the Mississippi.
There are  few plains bison. A herd of about 600 is fenced in at Elk Island National Park.There are small numbers at Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan, Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. There are at least 25 herds of plains bison in national and state parks and wildlife refuges in the United States. There are more private collections and on a large number of commercial ranches in both Canada and the United States.
The wood bison Bison bison athabascae.
The wood bison has always lived to the north of its prairie cousin. In historic times its range was centered in northern Alberta and the adjacent parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan. Herds made use of aspen parkland, the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the lowlands of the Peace and Slave rivers, and the coniferous forests and wetland meadows of the upper Mackenzie Valley.
Feeding and diet
Bison are herbivores, grazing on the grasses and sedges of the North American prairies. Their daily schedule involves two-hour periods of grazing, resting and cud chewing, then moving to a new location to graze again.
Reproduction
Bison mate in August and September; gestation is 285 days. A single reddish-brown calf nurses until the next calf is born. If the cow is not pregnant, a calf will nurse for 18 months. Bison cows are mature enough to produce a calf at 3 years of age. Bison bulls may try to mate with cows at 3 years of age, but if more mature bulls are present, they may not be able to compete until they reach 5 years of age.
Predatory
wolves are a major predator of bison. Wolf predation typically peaks in late spring and early summer, with attacks usually being concentrated on cows and calves.
Life expectancy
Bison have a life expectancy of approximately 15 years in the wild and up to 25 years in captivity.

Yak Scientific name:Bos grunniens

Yak
Scientific name:Bos grunniens
The word yak refers to the male of the species; a female is a dri or nak.Yak is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalaya in Nepal which is in region of south Central Asia.Wild yaks stand about two meters tall at the shoulder. Domestic yaks are about half that height. Both types have long shaggy hair to insulate them from the cold.The domesticated yak is smaller, with short horns; its coat, which may be long enough to reach the ground, may be black, brown, reddish, piebald, or albino.
Range and habitat
Wild yaks are found primarily in northern Tibet and western Qinghai, with some populations extending into the southernmost parts of Xinjiang, and into Ladakh in India. Small, isolated populations of wild yak are also found farther afield, primarily in western Tibet and eastern Qinghai. In historic times, wild yaks were also found in Nepal and Bhutan, but they are now considered extinct in both countries, except as domesticated animals.
Domesticated yaks are kept primarily for their milk and meat. They are also used as beasts of burden, transporting goods across mountain passes for local farmers and traders as well as in support of climbing and trekking expeditions.
Physical characteristics
Wild yaks are among the largest bovids, with males standing about 2 to 2.2 metres (6.6 to 7.2 ft) tall at the shoulder and weighing up to 1,000 kg and having a head and body length of 3 to 3.4 m (9.8 to 11 ft).The females weigh about one third of this and are about 30% smaller in their linear dimensions.
Domesticated yaks are much smaller. males weighing 350 to 580 kg and females 225 to 255 kg.
Yaks are heavily built animals with a sturdy frame, short legs, and rounded hooves. They have small ears and a wide forehead, with smooth hollow horns that are generally dark in colour. In males, the horns sweep out from the sides of the head, and then curve forward; they typically range from 48 to 99 centimetres (19 to 39 in) in length. The horns of females are smaller, only 27 to 64 centimetres (11 to 25 in) in length, and have a more upright shape. Both sexes have a short neck with a pronounced hump over the shoulders, although this larger and more visible in males.
Hunting and diet
The diet of wild yaks consists largely of grasses and sedges, such as Carex, Stipa, and Kobresia. They also eat a smaller amount of herbs, winterfat shrubs, and mosses, and have even been reported to eat lichen.
 
Reproduction
Yaks mate in the summer, typically between July and September, depending on the local environment.Yak heifers can be bred as early as 18 months, and gestation is 258 days (8.5 months). Yak bulls are dependable for breeding at age three. Calving is usually real fast! Hardy yak calves grow quickly on the cow’s rich milk. Wild yaks usually calve every other year but domestic yaks, with access to plentiful pasture, reproduce every year, and occasionally have twins. Calves are weaned at one year and become independent shortly thereafter. Wild calves are initially brown in colour, and only later develop the darker adult hair.Females of both the wild and domestic forms typically give birth only once every other year, although more frequent births are possible if the food supply is good.

Predatory
The main natural predator of the wild yak has been the Tibetan wolf, but brown bears and snow leopards.
Life expectancy
Yaks may live for more than twenty years in domestication or captivity, although it is likely that this may be somewhat shorter in the wild.

Zebra Scientific name: Equus quagga

Zebra
Scientific name: Equus quagga
Zebras are members of the horse family native to central and southern Africa.Zebras are best known for their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual.
Range and habitat
Zebra  habitat is from southeastern Sudan to South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, Etosha NP, and west to Angola, in Somali-Masai Arid Zone, Southern Savanna, and South West Arid Zone.
Zebra occur in a variety of habitats, such as grasslands, savannas, woodlands, thorny scrublands, mountains, and coastal hills.
Physical characteristics
The common plains zebra is about 50–52 inches  at the shoulder with a body ranging from 6–8.5 feet  long with an 18-inch  tail. It can weigh up to 770 pounds (350 kg), males being slightly bigger than females. Grévy's Zebra is considerably larger, while the mountain zebra is somewhat smaller.
It was previously believed that zebras were white animals with black stripes,The stripes are typically vertical on the head, neck, forequarters, and main body, with horizontal stripes at the rear and on the legs of the animal.
Like horses, zebras walk, trot, canter and gallop. They are generally slower than horses, but their great stamina helps them outpace predators. When chased, a zebra will zig-zag from side to side, making it more difficult for the predator. When cornered, the zebra will rear up and kick or bite its attacker.
Zebras have excellent eyesight and have excellent hearing.
Subspecies
There are three species and many subspecies.

The Plains Zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchelli) is the most common, and has or had about 5 subspecies distributed across much of southern and eastern Africa. It, or particular subspecies of it, have also been known as the Common Zebra, the Dauw, Burchell's Zebra (actually the extinct subspecies, Equus quagga burchelli), and the Quagga (another extinct subspecies, Equus quagga quagga).
The Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra) of southwest Africa tends to have a sleek coat with a white belly and narrower stripes than the Plains Zebra. It has two subspecies and is classified as endangered.
Grevy's Zebra (Equus grevyi) is the largest type, similar in appearance to Grevy's Zebra but with an erect mane, and a long, narrow head making it appear rather mule-like. It is a creature of the semi-arid grasslands of Ethiopia, Somalia, and northern Kenya. It is endangered too.
Feeding and diet
Zebras feed almost entirely on grasses, but may occasionally eat shrubs, herbs, twigs, leaves and bark. Their digestive systems allow them to subsist on diets of lower nutritional quality than that necessary for other herbivores.
 
Reproduction
Female zebras mature earlier than the males, and a mare may have her first foal by the age of three. Males are not able to breed until the age of five or six. Mares may give birth to one foal every twelve months.
Single foals weighing 30-35kg (66-77lbs) are born at any time of year after a gestation of 360-390 days. Foals can stand after about 10 minutes, start eating grass within a few days and wean at 11 months.

Predatory
The lion and spotted hyena are about the only predators that can take on an adult Zebra, with the foals being preyed upon more when given the choice. However, many mares are taken when there is not a stallion around to help protect them and their young.
Life expectancy
Its life span is between 30 to 25 years.

Giraffe Scientific name: Giraffa camelopardalis

Giraffe
Scientific name: Giraffa camelopardalis
 
Range and habitat
Giraffes are found throughout the central and South African savannah (African plains), from south of the Sahara desert to as far south as South Africa. giraffe is the most readily recognized giraffe sub-species. It is found mainly in southern Ethopia and northern Kenya.

Physical characteristics
The giraffe is Africa's tallest mammal, reaching full heights of more than 5m. The attractive marking is made up of irregular patches, in varying shades of brown, on a cream or buff background.It has a very long neck and a small head with three horns.
Males are known to grow up to 11 ft, 6 inches (3.5m) at shoulder-height and 18 ft (5.5m) tall to the top of it's head. They can also weigh as much as 1,365 kg.
Males are larger and darker than females, have thicker horns and have a lump on the forehead. The horn tips are bald in males and old females while hairy in younger females.The giraffe's tongue is blue-black or black, (possibly to prevent sunburn).
The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, which averages 4.5 or 4.6 hours per 24 hours
 
Subspecies
There's only one species of giraffe: Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine generally accepted subspecies.
The subspecies are distinguished by the coat markings (colour, size, and shape) and their geographic range and location.
The Nubian Giraffe. Its coat pattern has large, four-sided spots of chestnut brown on an off-white background and no spots on inner sides of the legs or below the hocks. It is found in eastern Sudan and northeastern DR Congo.
The Reticulated or Somali Giraffe, has a coat pattern of well defined patches that are normally a bright orange-brown colour. These patches have sharp edges and are separated by bold, bright white lines. It ranges from northeastern Kenya, into southern Ethiopia and Somalia.
The Angolan or Smoky Giraffe, has large spots with some notches around the edges, extending down the entire lower leg. It is found in southern Angola, northern Namibia, southwestern Zambia, Botswana and western Zimbabwe.
The Kordofan Giraffe, has smaller, more irregular spots that cover the inner legs. Its distribution includes southern Chad, Central African Republic and northern Cameroon.
The Maasai Giraffe or Kilimanjaro Giraffe, has jagged-edged, vine-leaf shaped spots of dark brown on a brownish-cream background. It is the darkest coloured subspecies.[14] It occurs in central and southern Kenya and Tanzania.
The Rothschild Giraffe or Baringo Giraffe or Ugandan Giraffe. Its coats bears deep brown, blotched or rectangular spots with poorly defined cream lines. Its legs are mostly white with no pattern. Its range includes Uganda and west-central Kenya, especially near Lake Baringo. It may also occur in southern Sudan.
The South African Giraffe, has rounded or blotched spots, some with star-like extensions on a light tan background, running down to the hooves. It is found in northern South Africa, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe and southwestern Mozambique.
The Thornicroft Giraffe or Rhodesian Giraffe, has star-shaped or leafy spots extend to the lower leg. It is restricted to the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia.
The West African Giraffe or Nigerian Giraffe, has numerous pale, yellowish red spots. It is endemic to southern Niger.
Feeding and diet
The giraffe requires less food than typical grazing animals because the foliage it eats has more concentrated nutrition and it has a more efficient digestive system.During the wet season, food is abundant and giraffes disperse widely, but during the dry season they need to congregate around evergreen trees and bushes. A giraffe can eat 65 pounds (29 kg) of leaves and twigs daily, but can survive on just 15 pounds (6.8 kg).Giraffes browse on the twigs of trees, preferring trees of the genera Acacia, Commiphora and Terminalia, and also eat grass and fruit.The tongue, lips and palate are tough, which allows them to feed on trees with sharp thorns.
 
Reproduction
Giraffe reach sexual maturity in four to six years.The giraffe is the only  with gestation longer than a year and a single calf weighing 100kg is born after a gestation of 457days.bonds between mother and calf persist beyond weaning, until the birth of her next offspring.
Within a few hours of being born, calves can run around and are indistinguishable from a week-old calf; however, for the first two weeks, they spend most of their time lying down, guarded by the mother.

Predatory
The young can fall prey to lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and wild dogs. Mother giraffes will defend their young by placing themselves between the young and the predator and kicking the predator. Giraffes only defend their own young and form calving herds for selfish reasons
Giraffes are hunted for their tails, hides and meat.The tails are used as good luck charms, thread.The total African giraffe population has been estimated to range from 110,000 to 150,000.
Life expectancy
Maximum lifespan is ~25 years in the wild and 28 years in captivity.

Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia.The rhinoceros can run at a speed of 30 to 40 miles per hour.The rhino can live four to five days in the absence of water.
Range and habitat
Rhinoceros lives in Africa and southern Asia. Habitat - Savannahs, grasslands as well as tropical and subtropical forests.Black rhinos have various habitats, but mainly areas with dense, woody vegetation. White rhinos live in savannahs with water holes, mud wallows and shade trees.
Physical characteristics
Rhinoceroses are universally recognized because of their massive bodies, stumpy legs and either one or two dermal horns. But this animal is most famous for the fact that it has got a very thick hide.The most obvious distinguishing characteric of the rhinos is a large horn on the nose.
Size: The rhinoceros stands about 60 inches at the shoulder.
Weight: Black Rhino: 1 to 1½ tons. White Rhino: over 2 tons.
Size (Smallest) - The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest in height. It reaches a shoulder height of about 1.4 m. The weigh is about 1,000 kg.
Size (Largest) - The White rhinoceros can reach a shoulder height of up to 4 m. It weighs more than 2,500 kg.
Subspecies
Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis)
There are four subspecies of black rhino:
South-central (Diceros bicornis minor), the most numerous, which once ranged from central Tanzania south through Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to northern and eastern South Africa.
South-western (Diceros bicornis bicornis) which are better adapted to the arid and semi-arid savannas of Namibia, southern Angola, western Botswana and western South Africa.
East African (Diceros bicornis michaeli), primarily in Tanzania.
West African (Diceros bicornis longipes) which was tentatively declared extinct in 2006.
White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum)
There are two subspecies of White Rhinos
Southern White Rhinoceros :South Africa has the most of the first subspecies, the Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum). The population of Southern White Rhinos is about 14,500, making them the most abundant subspecies of rhino in the world.
Northern White Rhinoceros :The population of the second subspecies, the critically endangered Northern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), is down to as few as four individuals in the wild, and as of June 2008 this sub-species are thought to have become extinct in the wild.
Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)
The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) is the smallest extant rhinoceros species, as well as the one with the most fur, which allows it to survive at very high altitudes in Borneo and Sumatra. Due to habitat loss and poaching, its numbers have declined and it is one of the world's rarest mammals. About 275 Sumatran Rhinos are believed to remain.
Javan Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is one of the rarest and most endangered large mammals anywhere in the world. According to 2002 estimates, only about 60 remain, in Java (Indonesia) and Vietnam. Of all the rhino species, the least is known of the Javan Rhino. These animals prefer dense lowland rain forest, tall grass and reed beds that are plentiful with large floodplains and mud wallows.
Indian Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis)
The Indian Rhinoceros or the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is now found almost exclusively in Nepal and North-Eastern India. The rhino once inhabited many areas of Pakistan to Burma and may have even roamed in China.
Diet
The rhino is herbivores. It eats grass, tender plants and other type of vegetation.  It eats a large variety of vegetation, including leaves, buds and shoots of plants, bushes and trees. The white rhino is a grazer feeding on grasses. The black rhino is a browser, with a triangular-shaped upper lip ending in a mobile grasping point. It eats a large variety of vegetation, including leaves, buds and shoots of plants, bushes and trees.
Reproduction
Its gestation period of 16 months.
Predatory
In the wild, adult rhinoceros have few natural predators other than humans. Young rhinos can fall prey to predators such as big cats, crocodiles, wild dogs, and hyena.
Life expectancy
Its life span is 35 to 40 years.

Hippopotamus Scientific name :Hippopotamus amphibius

Hippopotamus
Scientific name :Hippopotamus amphibius
Hippopotamus is a large, plant-eating African mammal, one of only two in the family Hippopotamidae.Hippopotamuses are among the largest living mammals, only elephants and some whales are heavier. They can live in the water or on land. Their specific gravity allows them to sink and walk or run along the bottom of a river. Hippos are considered megafauna, but unlike all other African megafauna, hippos have adapted for a semi-aquatic life in freshwater lakes and rivers.

Range and habitat
The majority of Hippo’s that live in the wild are found in Africa. Approximately 125,000 to 150,000 of them are found in that area. Smaller amounts of these animals are found in some other areas.Hippos lives in the lakes and rivers. Sometimes the groups are very small with only about five members. They can be as large at to have thirty members though. It depends on if there is enough room for their basic needs to be met.
Physical characteristics
The average weights for adult males ranged between 1,500–1,800 kg . Females are smaller than their male counterparts, with average weights measuring between 1,300–1,500 kg. Older males can get much larger, reaching at least 3,200 kg and occasionally weighing 4,500 kg.Hippos measure 3.3 to 5.2 meters (11 to 17 ft) long, including a tail of about 56 centimetres (22 in) in length and average about 1.5 meters (5 ft) tall at the shoulder. their running speed vary from 30 km/h (18 mph) to 40 km/h (25 mph), or even 50 km/h (30 mph). The hippo can maintain these higher speeds for only a few hundred meters.The eyes, ears, and nostrils of hippos are placed high on the roof of the skull. This allows them to be in the water with most of their body submerged in the waters and mud of tropical rivers to stay cool and prevent sunburn.
Subspecies
Five subspecies of hippos have been described based on morphological differences in their skulls and geographical differences:
H. a. amphibius – (the nominate subspecies) which stretched from Egypt, where they are now extinct, south up the Nile River to Tanzania and Mozambique.
H. a. kiboko – in the Horn of Africa, in Kenya and Somalia. Kiboko is the Swahili word for hippo. Broader nasals and more hollowed interorbital region.
H. a. capensis – from Zambia to South Africa. Most flattened skull of the subspecies.
H. a. tschadensis – throughout Western Africa to, as the name suggests, Chad. Slightly shorter and wider face, with prominent orbits.
H. a. constrictus – in Angola, the southern Democratic Republic of Congo and Namibia
Feeding and diet
The main source of food for the Hippo is the short grass. They spend five or more hours grazing every single evening. They may walk up to five miles during that period of time. They can also consume up to 150 pounds of food per day.
Reproduction
Female hippos reach sexual maturity at five to six years of age and have a gestation period of 8 months.Males reach maturity at around 7.5 years.t female hippopotamuses may begin puberty as early as 3 or 4 years of age.Baby hippos are born underwater at a weight between 25 and 45 kg and an average length of around 127 cm (50 in) and must swim to the surface to take their first breath. A mother typically gives birth to only one hippo, although twins also occur.
Predatory
The Hippo has no natural predators on the wild. They don’t have very many but those that they have are tough ones. The life of a Hippo is mainly spent in the water during the day.
Life expectancy
A hippo's lifespan is typically 40 to 50 years. Donna the Hippo, 60, is the oldest living hippo in captivity. She lives at the Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville, Indiana, USA.