Dromedary

The dromedary drɒmədɛri or -ədri, also called the Arabian camel Camelus dromedarius, is a large, even-toed ungulate with one hump on its back. Greek philosopher Aristotle 4th century BCE was the first to describe the species, and the animal was given its current binomial name by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish zoologist. 

The dromedary is the largest camel after the Bactrian camel. Adult male dromedaries stand 1.8–2 m 5.9–6.6 ft  at the shoulder, while females are 1.7–1.9 m 5.6–6.2 ft tall. The weight typically ranges from 400–600 kg 880–1,320 lb in males and 300–540 kg 660–1,190 lb in females. The distinctive features of this camel are its long curved neck, narrow chest and only one hump compared to the two on the Bactrian camel, thick double-layered eyelashes and bushy eyebrows.The coat is generally a shade of brown, but can range from black to nearly white.The hump, which can be 20 cm 7.9 in tall or more, is made up of fat bound together by fibrous tissue.

Their diet includes foliage and desert vegetation, like thorny plants which their extremely tough mouths allow them to eat. These camels are active in the day, and rest together in groups. Led by a dominant male, each herd consists of about 20 individuals. Some males form bachelor groups. Dromedaries show no signs of territoriality, as herds often merge during calamities. Predators in the wild include wolves and lions; and tigers in the past. Dromedaries use a wide set of vocalizations to communicate with each other. They have various adaptations to help them exist in their desert habitat. Dromedaries have bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes to protect their eyes, and can close their nostrils to face sandstorms. 

Their ears are also lined with protective hair. When water-deprived, they can fluctuate their body temperature by 6 °C, changing from a morning minimum of 34° to a maximum of 40° or so in the afternoon. This reduces heat flow from the environment to the body and thereby water loss through perspiration is minimised. They have specialized kidneys, which make them able to tolerate water loss of more than 30% of their body mass; a loss of 15% would prove fatal in most other animals. Mating usually occurs in winter, often overlapping the rainy season. One calf is born after the gestational period of 15 months, and is nurtured for about two years.The term camel could have been derived from the Latin camelus, or the Greek kamēlos. It could also have originated from an old Semitic language, for example from the Hebrew gāmāl or the Arabic ǧamal. A northern oïl dialect, such as Old Norman or Old Picard, could have also been an intermediate, where the word for "camel" was camel compare Old French chamel, modern French chameau. The scientific name of the dromedary is Camelus dromedarius, which could be based on the Greek δρομὰς κάμηλος dromas kamelos, which means running camel.

Vipera ammodytes

Vipera ammodytes is a venomous viper species found in southern Europe through to the Balkans and parts of the Middle East. It is reputed to be the most dangerous of the European vipers due to its large size, long fangs up to 13 mm and high venom toxicity. The specific name, ammodytes, is derived from the Greek words ammos, meaning sand, and dutes, meaning burrower or diver, despite its preference for rocky habitats. 

Five subspecies are currently recognized, i V. ammodytes grows to a maximum total length body + tail of 95 cm 37.62 in, although individuals usually measure less than 85 cm 33.66 in. Maximum length also depends on race, with northern forms distinctly larger than southern ones. According to Strugariu 2006, the average total length is 50–70 cm 20 to 28 in with reports of specimens over 1 m (40 in) in total length. Females are usually larger and more heavily built, although the largest specimens on record are males. The head is covered in small, irregular scales that are either smooth or only weakly keeled, except for a pair of largesupraocular scales that extend beyond the posterior margin of the eye. 10-13 small scales border the eye, and two rows separate the eye from the supralabials. 

The nasal scale is large, single (rarely divided), and separated from the rostral by a single nasorostral scale. The rostral scale is wider than it is long.The most distinctive characteristic is a single horn on the snout, just above the rostral scale. It consists of 9-17 scales arranged in 2 (rarely 2 or 4) transverse rows. It grows to a length of about 5 mm (0.20 in) and is actually soft and flexible. In southern subspecies, the horn sits vertically upright, while in V. a. Ammodytes it points diagonally forward. The body is covered with strongly keeled dorsal scales in 21 or 23 rows rarely 25 at mid-body. The scales bordering theventrals are smooth or weakly keeled. Males have 133-161 ventral scales and 27-46 paired subcaudals.

 Females have 135-164 and 24-38 respectively. The anal scale is single. ncluding the nominate subspecies described here. The color pattern is different for males and females. In males, the head has irregular dark brown, dark gray, or black markings. A thick, black stripe runs from behind the eye to behind the angle of the jaw. The tongue is usually black, and the iris has a golden or coppery color. Males have a characteristic dark blotch or V marking on the back of the head that often connects to the dorsal zigzag pattern. The ground color for males varies and includes many different shades of gray, sometimes yellowish or pinkish gray, or yellowish brown. The dorsal zigzag is dark gray or black, the edge of which is sometimes darker. A row of indistinct, dark (occasionally yellowish) spots runs along each side, sometimes joined in a wavy band. Females have a similar color pattern, except that it is less distinct and contrasting. They usually lack the dark blotch or V marking on the back of the head that the males have. Ground color is variable and tends more towards browns and bronzes, such as grayish brown, reddish brown, copper, dirty cream, or brick red. The dorsal zigzag is a shade of brown.Both sexes have a zigzag dorsal stripe set against a lighter background. This pattern is often fragmented. The belly color varies and can be grayish, yellowish brown, or pinkish, heavily clouded with dark spots. Sometimes the ventral color is black or bluish gray with white flecks and inclusions edged in white. The chin is lighter in color than the belly. Underneath, the tip of the tail may be yellow, orange, orange-red, red, or green. Melanism does occur, but is rare. Juvenile color patterns are about the same as the adults.

Numbat

The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), also known as the banded anteater, marsupial anteater, or walpurti, is a marsupialfound in Western Australia. Its diet consists almost exclusively of termites. Once widespread across southern Australia, its range is now restricted to several small colonies, and it is listed as an endangered species.

The numbat is an emblem of Western Australia and protected by The numbat genus Myrmecobius is the sole member of the family Myrmecobiidae, one of the three families that make up the order Dasyuromorphia, the Australian marsupial carnivores. The species is not closely related to other extant marsupials; the current arrangement in the order Dasyuromorphia places its monotypic family with the diverse and carnivorous species of Dasyuridae. 

A closer affinity with the extinct thylacine, contained in the same order, has been proposed. Genetic studies have shown the ancestors of the numbat diverged from other marsupials between 32 and 42 million years ago, during the late Eocene. Two subspecies are recognized, but one of these, the rusty numbat M. f. rufus, has been extinct since at least the 1960s, and only the nominate subspecies M. f. fasciatus remains alive today. As its name implies, the rusty numbat was said to have a more reddish coat than the surviving subspecies. Only a very small number of fossil specimens are known, the oldest dating back to the Pleistocene, and no fossils belonging to other species from the same family have yet been discovered. 

The numbat is a small, colourful creature between 35 and 45 centimetres 14 and 18 in long, including the tail, with a finely pointed muzzle and a prominent, bushy tail about the same length as its body. Colour varies considerably, from soft grey to reddish-brown, often with an area of brick red on the upper back, and always with a conspicuous black stripe running from the tip of the muzzle through the eyes to the bases of the small, round-tipped ears. Between four and eleven white stripes cross the animal's hindquarters, which gradually become fainter towards the midback. The underside is cream or light grey, while the tail is covered with long, grey hair flecked with white. Unlike most other marsupials, the numbat is diurnal, largely because of the constraints of having a specialised diet without having the usual physical equipment for it. Most ecosystems with a generous supply of termites have a fairly large creature with powerful forelimbs bearing heavy claws.] Numbats are not large, and they have five toes on the fore feet, and four on the hind feet. However, like other mammals that eat termites or ants, the numbat has a degenerate jaw with up to 50 very small, nonfunctional teeth, and although it is able to chew, rarely does so, because of the soft nature of its diet.Like many ant-eating animals, the numbat has an unusually long, narrow tongue, coated with sticky saliva produced by large submandibular glands. A further adaptation to the diet is the presence of numerous ridges along the soft palate, which apparently help to scrape termites off the tongue so they can be swallowed. The digestive system is relatively simple, and lacks many of the adaptations found in other entomophagous animals, presumably because termites are easier to digest than ants, having a softer exoskeleton.

Cormorant

Phalacrocoracidae is a family of some 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed. There is no consistent distinction between cormorants and shags, and these appellations have been assigned to different species randomly.Cormorants and shags are medium-to-large birds, with body weight in the range of 0.35–5 kilograms 0.77–11.02 lb and wing span of 45–100 centimetres 18–39 in. 

The majority of species have dark feathers. The bill is long, thin and hooked. Their feet have webbing between all four toes. All species are fish-eaters, catching the prey by diving from the surface. They are excellent divers, and under water they propel themselves with their feet with help from their wings; some cormorant species have been found to dive as deep as 45 metres. They have relatively short wings due to their need for economical movement underwater, and consequently have the highest flight costs of any bird. Cormorants nest in colonies around the shore, on trees, islets or cliffs. They are coastal rather than oceanic birds, and some have colonised inland waters – indeed, the original ancestor of cormorants seems to have been a fresh-water bird. They range around the world, except for the central Pacific islands.

No consistent distinction exists between cormorants and shags. The names cormorant and shag were originally the common names of the two species of the family found in Great Britain, Phalacrocorax carbo now referred to by ornithologists as the great cormorant and P. aristotelis the European shag. Shag refers to the bird's crest, which the British forms of the great cormorant lack. As other species were discovered by English-speaking sailors and explorers elsewhere in the world, some were called cormorants and some shags, depending on whether they had crests or not. Sometimes the same species is called a cormorant in one part of the world and a shag in another, e.g., the great cormorant is called the black shag in New Zealand the birds found in Australasia have a crest that is absent in European members of the species. 

Van Tets 1976 proposed to divide the family into two genera and attach the name "cormorant" to one and shag to the other, but this flies in the face of common usage and has not been widely adopted.The scientific genus name is Latinised Ancient Greek, from φαλακρός phalakros, bald and κόραξ korax, raven. This is often thought to refer to the creamy white patch on the cheeks of adult great cormorants, or the ornamental white head plumes prominent in Mediterranean birds of this species, but is certainly not a unifying characteristic of cormorants. "Cormorant" is a contraction derived either directly from Latin corvus marinus, sea raven or through Brythonic Celtic.Cormoran is the Cornish name of the sea giant in the tale of Jack the Giant Killer. Indeed, sea raven or analogous terms were the usual terms for cormorants in Germanic languages until after the Middle Ages. The French explorer André Thévet commented in 1558,...the beak is similar to that of a cormorant or other corvid, which demonstrates that the erroneous belief that the birds were related to ravens lasted at least to the 16th century.

Pteropus

Bats of the genus Pteropus, belonging to the megabat suborder, Megachiroptera, are the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as the fruit bats or flying foxes among other colloquial names. They live in the tropics and subtropics of Asia (including the Indian subcontinent), Australia, East Africa, and a number of remote oceanic islands in both the Indian and Pacific Oceans. At least 60 extant species are in this genus. The oldest ancestors of the genus Pteropus to be unearthed appear in the fossil record almost exactly as they are today the only notable differences being early flight adaptations such as a tail for stabilizing. 

The oldest megachiropteran is dated about 35 million years ago, but the preceding gap in the fossil record makes their true lineage unknown.Characteristically, all species of flying foxes only feed on nectar, blossoms, pollen, and fruit, which explains their limited tropical distribution. They do not possess echolocation, a feature which helps the other suborder of bats, the microbats, locate and catch prey such as insects in midair. Instead, smell and eyesight are very well-developed in flying foxes. Feeding ranges can reach up to 40 miles. 

When it locates food, the flying fox "crashes" into foliage and grabs for it. It may also attempt to catch hold of a branch with its hind feet, then swing upside down; once attached and hanging, the fox draws food to its mouth with one of its hind feet or with the clawed thumbs at the top of its wingsMany species are threatened today with extinction, and in particular in the Pacific, a number of species have died out as a result of overharvesting for human consumption. In the Marianas, flying fox meat is considered a delicacy, which led to a large commercial trade. Human consumption of flying fox meat in Guam is hypothesized to have led to an increase of human neurodegenerative illness.  In 1989, all species of Pteropus were placed on Appendix II of CITES and at least seven on Appendix I, which restricts international trade.

 The subspecies P. hypomelanus maris of the Maldives is considered endangered due to limited distribution and excessive culling. The commerce in fruit bats continues either illegally or because of inadequate restrictions. Local farmers may also attack the bats because they feed in their plantations, and in some cultures, their meat is believed to cure asthma. Nonhuman predators include birds of prey, snakes, and other mammals. The pelage is long and silky with a dense underfur. No tail is present. As the name suggests, the head resembles that of a small fox because of the small ears and large eyes. Females have one pair of mammae located in the chest region. Ears are simple long and pointed with the outer margin forming an unbroken ring a defining characteristic of megabats. The toes have sharp, curved claws.

Baboon

Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. The five species are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger. Previously, the closely related gelada genus Theropithecus and the two species mandrill and drill of genusMandrillus were grouped in the same genus, and these Old World monkeys are still often referred to as baboons in everyday speech. They range in size and weight depending on species.

The Guinea baboon is 50 cm 20 in and weighs only 14 kg 31 lb, while the largest chacma baboon can b Five species of Papio are commonly recognized, although there is some disagreement about whether they are really fullspecies or subspecies. They are P. ursinus chacma baboon, found in southern Africa, P. papio western, red, or Guinea baboon, found in the far western Africa, P. hamadryas hamadryas baboon, found in the Horn of Africa and southwestern Arabia, P. anubis (olive baboon, found in the north-central African savanna) and P. cynocephalus yellow baboon, found in south-central and eastern Africa. 

Many authors distinguish P. hamadryas as a full species, but regard all the others as subspecies of P. cynocephalus and refer to them collectively as savanna baboons. This may not be helpful: it is based on the argument that the hamadryas baboon is behaviorally and physically distinct from other baboon species, and that this reflects a separate evolutionary history. However, recent morphological and genetic studies of Papio show the hamadryas baboon to be more closely related to the northern baboon species the Guinea and olive baboons than to the southern species the yellow a The traditional five-form classification probably under-represents the variation within Papio. Some commentators argue that at least two more forms should be recognized, including the tiny Kinda baboon P. cynocephalus kindae from Zambia, DR Congo, and Angola, and the gray-footed baboon P. ursinus griseipes found in Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and northern South Africa. However, current knowledge of the morphological, genetic, and behavioral diversity within Papio is too poor to make any final, comprehensive judgment on this matter.nd chacma baboons. All baboons have long, dog-like muzzles, heavy, powerful jaws with sharp canine teeth, close-set eyes, thick fur except on their muzzles, short tails, and rough spots on their protruding buttocks, called ischial callosities. These calluses are nerveless, hairless pads of skin that provide for the sitting comfort of the baboon.All baboon species exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism, usually in size, but also sometimes in colour or canine development. Males of the hamadryas baboon species also have large white manes.Baboons are terrestrial ground dwelling and are found in open savannah, open woodland and hills across Africa. 

Their diets are omnivorous, but mostly herbivorous, yet they eat insects and occasionally prey on fish, trout and salmon if available, shellfish, hares, birds, vervet monkeys, and small antelopes. They are foragers and are active at irregular times throughout the day and night. They can raid human dwellings, and in South Africa, they have been known to prey on sheep and goats.Baboons in captivity have been known to live up to 45 years, while in the wild their life expectancy is about 30 years.Baboons are able to acquire orthographic processing skills, which form part of the ability to read.

Aardvark

The aardvark ɑːrd.vɑːrk ARD-vark; Orycteropus afer is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known. Unlike other insectivores, it has a long pig-like snout, which is used to sniff out food. It roams over most of the southern two-thirds of the African continent, avoiding mainly rocky areas. 

A nocturnal feeder, it subsists on ants and termites, which it will dig out of their hills using its sharp claws and powerful legs. It also digs to create burrows in which to live and rear its young. It receives a least concern rating from the IUCN, although its numbers seem to be decreasing. The aardvark is sometimes colloquially called African ant bear anteater, or the  Cape anteater after the Cape of Good Hope. The name aardvark Afrikaans pronunciation: ˈɑːrtfɐrk comes from earlier Afrikaans erdvark and means earthpig or ground pig aarde earth ground, vark pig, because of its burrowing habits similar origin to the name groundhog. The name Orycteropus means burrowing foot, and the name afer refers to Africa. The name of the aardvarks's order,Tubulidentata comes from the tubule style teeth. The aardvark is not closely related to the pig; rather, it is the sole extant representative of the obscure mammalian orderTubulidentata, in which it is usually considered to form one variable species of the genus Orycteropus, the sole surviving genus in the family Orycteropodidae. The aardvark is not closely related to the South American anteater, despite sharing some characteristics and a superficial resemblance. 

The similarities are based on convergent evolution. The closest living relatives of the aardvark are the elephant shrews, tenrecs and golden moles. Along with the sirenians, hyraxes,elephants, and their extinct relatives, these animals form the superorder Afrotheria. Studies of the brain have shown the similarities with Condylarthra, and given the clade's status as a wastebasket taxon it may mean some species traditionally classified as condylarths are actually stem-aardvarks Based on fossils, Bryan Patterson has concluded that early relatives of the aardvark appeared in Africa around the end of thePaleocene. 

The ptolemaiidans, a mysterious clade of mammals with uncertain affinities, may actually be stem-aardvarks, either as a sister clade to Tubulidentata or as a grade leading to true tubulidentates. The first unambiguous tubulidentate was probably Myorycteropus africanus from Kenyan Miocene deposits. The earliest example from the Orycteropus genus was the Orycteropus mauritanicus found in Algeria in deposits from the middle Miocene, with an equally aged version found in Kenya. Fossils from the aardvark have been dated to 5 million years, and have been located throughout Europe and the Near East. A close relative lived in Madagascar during the last ice age. The mysterious Pleistocene Plesiorycteropus from Madagascar was originally thought to be a tubulidentate that was descended from ancestors that entered the island during the Eocene. However, a number of subtle anatomical differences coupled with recent molecular evidence now lead researchers to believe thatPlesiorycteropus is a relative of golden moles and tenrecs that achieved an aardvark-like appearance and ecological niche through convergent evolution.