BEAVERS: Castoridae NORTH AMERICAN BEAVER (Castor canadensis): SPECIES ACCOUNT Beavers are found in North America, northern Europe, and northern Asia. After a decrease in population, these animals have been reintroduced to Russia, Scandinavia, and Argentina. They are also found in Chile. Beavers live primarily along streams, ponds, lakes, swamps and other waterways, in areas where they c…
Cetaceans are found in all oceans of the world. In the Arctic and Antarctic they avoid ice-covered water, since they must rise to the surface to breathe. Dolphins live in the ocean, but are also found in several freshwater rivers in Asia and South America. The ocean is divided into different zones or regions based on depth, closeness to land, and underwater features. Cetaceans inhabit virtual…
The monito del monte has a limited range in South America, in southern Chile, overlapping into Argentina, from Concepción, Chile, southward to and including the Chilean island of Chiloé, and inland to the Andes and just over the border into Argentina. The monito del monte is mostly insectivorous, meaning that it forages for and eats insect larvae (LAR-vee) and pupae (PYOO-pee). …
Old World leaf-nosed bats are found in tropical (hot and humid weather) and subtropical areas of the Old World, meaning the part of the world made up of Australia, Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are found in Africa and southern Asia, east to the Philippine Islands, the Solomon Islands, and Australia. These bats live in a range of habitats that include deserts and rainforests. They roost (sett…
Pocket gophers are found in North America and extend into Central America. They are found from southern Canada through western North America, southward to northwestern Colombia in South America. One species occurs in the southeastern United States, in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Pocket gophers live in almost any area that has soil that they can dig. They are found in meadows, forests, dese…
Animals in this order live in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and also inhabit some of the nearby Pacific islands. Farmers consider many Australasian carnivorous marsupials pests because they prey on livestock such as sheep and chickens. Some animals have been collected for zoos, but none of the animals in this order have been significantly hunted for their fur. In times past, some may h…
Ganges and Indus river dolphins eat bottom-dwelling fish such as carp and catfish, and occasionally shrimp and clams. In captivity they eat from 1 to 3.3 pounds (0.5 to 1.5 kilograms) of fish daily. …
These bats are also called New World leafnosed bats because of where they are found. The New World is made up of North America, Central America, and South America. American leaf-nosed bats are found in the southwestern United States south to northern Argentina, the West Indies, and central Chile. Most American leaf-nosed bats live in the forest. They can live in forests that range from the dr…
Heteromyids are found in the western United States, southwestern Canada, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Heteromyids live in deserts, dry grasslands, and, in a few cases, wet and dry tropical forests. Desert pocket mice and kangaroo rats like arid, dry, climates that contain sand, scrubs, sagebrush, grasses, and chaparral. Kangaroo mice prefer sandy habitats. In all cases…
The baiji lives along the 1,056 miles (1,700 kilometers) of the Yangtze River in eastern China. During the late spring and early summer, this freshwater dolphin moves to smaller streams and lakes if the water is high enough. At one time the lakes of Dongting and Poyang were home to the baiji year-round, but with the drop in water level these lakes can no longer support its presence. The baiji…
Members of Dasyuridae live in Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania, and can also be found on some small islands in that area of the Pacific. Members of this family usually do not have much direct interaction with people. Some species, however, have been thought to kill livestock and because of this have been hunted by farmers. No species in this family are known to be extinct, but many, such a…
Moustached bats are found from the southern United States, including Arizona and southern Texas, through to Mexico, Central America, and South America to Brazil, and much of the West Indies. These bats generally live in tropical (hot and humid) habitats below 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). They live in the rainforest, forest, and in open areas. They generally roost in caves, mines, tunnels, and …
The Dipodidae family is widespread throughout the world, and its species are present in North America, northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Europe, and Asia, where they are believed to have originated. Birch mice and jumping mice eat berries, fungus, nuts, fruits, and insects. Jerboas are omnivores, and eat insects, fruits, seeds, bulbs, plant parts, and even other jerboas. While the Dipod…
Franciscana dolphins are found in the Atlantic Ocean along the coasts of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina in South America. Their northern boundary is near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and their southern boundary is the Valdes Peninsula in Argentina. Their distribution within this range is uneven. In some places they are rare or absent, and in others they are more common. Franciscana dolphins are us…
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, when Europeans began to settle in Australia, numbats occupied a much larger area than they do today. At that time, numbats lived in the southern half of central and western Australia. They lived as far east as New South Wales and as far north as the Northern Territory. Today, numbats inhabit nine wild and two free-range areas across the sou…
Bulldog bats are found in Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Argentina. The greater bulldog bat also lives on islands in the West Indies. Bulldog bats are found living near water and in other moist habitats. Greater bulldog bats generally roost, settle or rest, in dark caves, often located on the seashore, and the hollows of trees. Lesser bulldog bats roost in hollow t…
Botos are found in the Amazon and Orinoco River systems in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. They require fresh water and do not live in estuaries (EST-yoo-air-eez) where rivers meet the ocean. Botos are not hunted, but are sometimes intentionally killed to prevent them from destroying fishing gear. Botos are associated in folklore with misfortune and bad luck. …
New Zealand short-tailed bats are found on New Zealand and some of its offshore islands. New Zealand is made up of two large and many smaller islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia. New Zealand short-tailed bats are found in moist forests, where they roost, settle or rest. These bats also forage, search, for food along low-growing shrubbery and the coastline. The greater sh…
Tasmanian wolves are extinct. They were killed off mostly by farmers and bounty hunters during the 1800s. Tasmanian wolves were thought of as pests and killers of livestock, much the way the coyote was thought of during the settlement of the American West. …
Rats, mice, and relatives are found throughout the world except for the extreme polar regions of Earth. Rats, mice, and relatives live in many different habitats including open flatlands, savannas (flat grasslands), grasslands, prairies, steppes (treeless plains that are often somewhat dry and grass-covered), woodlands, forests, deserts, scrublands, foothills, jungles, rainforests, wetlands, …
The five species of funnel-eared bats are found in several areas. One species is found in northern Mexico, eastern Brazil, and specific Caribbean islands. Another species occurs in northern South America and nearby islands. The other three species are found on islands in the Caribbean. These bats live in lowland forests that are dry and deciduous, forests where the trees lose their leaves at …
Scaly-tailed squirrels are native to the middle region of Africa, and live mainly south of the Sahara Desert in west, central, and east Africa. Countries in which they appear regularly are Sierra Leone, Kenya, Angola, Mozambique, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, and Ivory Coast. Scaly-tailed squirrels prefer the open woodlands of east, central, an…
Porpoises are found along the coasts of large parts of North and South America (except the tropics and subtropics), Europe, and in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. They are also found off the coast of Siberia and northern Japan. Porpoises live in a variety of ocean habitats. The spectacled porpoise lives in cold, open ocean in the Southern Hemisphere. Another Southern Hemisphere porpoise, Bur…
Species in this order are found only in limited parts of Australia, New Guinea, and the Indonesian island of Seram. In the past, these animals were abundant. They were found in about 70 percent of Australia, throughout New Guinea, and on several other Indonesian islands. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, their range has been drastically reduced by human activities. The two familie…
The two species of the family are found in different areas. The thumbless bat is found west of the Andes, from central coastal Ecuador south to northern Chile. The smoky bat is found in Costa Rica, lowland Brazil, Peru and Trinidad. Furipterids (members of the family Furipteridae) live in diverse habitats. The thumbless bat has been found living in lowland rainforests to the arid (extremely d…
SPRINGHARE: Pedetidae Springhares can be found in Angola, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists springhares as Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. This is due to the fact that their population is decreasing from poor habitat quality and hunting by humans. …
These bats are found in Central and South America, east of the Andes, including southern Nicaragua to the Guianas and Peru, and southern Mexico to Bolivia and southern Brazil, and Trinidad. Disk-winged bats live in the moist parts of forests. They are common in many areas, and in Costa Rica there are up to four colonies (groups) for every 2.5 acres (1 hectare). They generally roost (rest or s…
Before the arrival of European colonists in 1770, bandicoots and bilbies were found in about 70 percent of Australia and on several nearby islands. Today they are found in many fewer places in Australia and the island of Tasmania. The bilby, especially, can be found only in isolated pockets mainly on protected park land or in captive breeding areas. Bandicoots and bilbies prefer dry areas. Be…
Dolphins are found in every ocean and sea and in many major river systems. They are the largest family of cetaceans. Dolphins live in salt water, fresh water, and brackish water, a mixture of salt and fresh water. They live in both the open ocean and in coastal waters, although more live shallow water. Their distribution is determined mainly by the availability of prey. …
This species has been found only in Madagascar. It has been observed primarily from areas that stretch the full length of the east coast, and one area on the west coast. There are fewer than twenty localities where this bat has been recorded. Old World sucker-footed bats are found primarily in the rainforests along eastern Madagascar. An examination of one bat's droppings found that mo…
Gundis can be found in northern Africa. Gundis are herbivores (plant-eating animals) and mainly eat leaves, stalks, flowers, and plant seeds. They cannot gnaw well, so they mainly eat these softer foods. Food is usually somewhat difficult to find in their habitat, so they have to travel far to find it. Gundis do not store food or reserve fat in their bodies, so their search for nourishment is…
Spiny bandicoots live mainly on the island of New Guinea and a few small neighboring islands. One species is found in Australia only on the northernmost tip of Queensland, the part of Australia closest to New Guinea. Spiny bandicoots prefer damp, humid habitats. They live in tropical rainforests and mountain rainforests at elevations from zero to 14,800 feet (zero to 4,500 meters). Species li…
Dormice are found in Europe, Africa, central and western Asia, and Japan. Dormice can be found in deciduous forests, woodlands, grasslands, gardens, parks, rocky areas, or scrub areas. Within these areas, they create nests where they rest during the day. These nests are built off of the ground in holes in trees, rocky crevices, abandoned burrows, building attics, or in wedges of tree branches…
Beaked whales live in every ocean of the world. The only place they are not found is under the permanent ice pack at either pole. Beaked whales are mainly deep water whales. They can be found beyond the continental shelf in water as shallow as 660 feet (200 meters) and as deep as 9,900 feet (3,000 meters). Most live at depths of 3,300 to 9,900 feet (1,000-3,000 meters). These whales are often…
Molissids eat a variety of insects, such as moths and ones with hard shells, such as beetles and stinkbugs. …
Marsupial moles live in the deserts of Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and southwestern corner of Queensland. These moles live in sandy desert regions and seem to prefer sand plains near seasonal rivers or sand ridges where spinifex grass grows. Marsupial moles hunt and feed underground, digging their food out of the sand. They are insectivores, eating mainly ants, …
Dassie rats can be found in the Southwest Arid Zone of Africa, from southwestern Angola to the central and western parts of Namibia to the northwestern Northern Cape Province in South Africa. Dassie rats do not have any special relationship with humans. Dassie rats are not listed as threatened by The World Conservation Union (IUCN), but there is only a small population and they are not presen…
Members of this family are found in oceans worldwide. These are deep-water whales, living in water over 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) deep. Smaller species may live in slightly shallower water. Sperm whales eat mainly squid, although they will also eat fish, crabs, and octopus that live on or near the ocean bottom. Not enough is known about the smaller sperm whales to give them a conservation rat…
CANE RATS: Thryonomyidae GREATER CANE RAT (Thryonomys swinderianus): SPECIES ACCOUNT Both species are native to Africa, where they occupy habitats south of the Sahara Desert. They may be found everywhere in west, central, and southern Africa all the way down to the eastern Cape in South Africa. Although they look similar, the greater and lesser cane rats prefer different environments. Th…
Diprotodonts are native only in Australia, New Guinea, and a few islands of Indonesia. The brush-tailed possum was introduced to New Zealand, where it is considered a pest. …
Both these species live in the Arctic oceans, although their distribution is not continuous. Narwhals live in deep water farther north than any other whale, following the ice pack as it grows and recedes. Beluga whales live in shallower water and are sometimes found farther south. In the summer, they move into estuaries (places where rivers empty into the ocean). They can survive in fresh wat…
Vespertilionid bats live in temperate to tropical climates worldwide. They are absent from far northern North American and Eurasia, as well as Antarctica. The diet for most of the vespertilionid bats consists of insects, and many species eat their body weight in insects each night. A few species eat other things, including spiders, scorpions, fish, and lizards. …
African mole-rats are found in sub-Saharan Africa. They eat bulbs, tubers, and corms, the underground stem base of plants such as the crocus or gladiolus. Food is either eaten when it is found or brought back to a central storage area near the nest. Large food sources are often left to grow, and eaten on from time to time. African mole-rats are considered pests in farmlands and in urban devel…
Koalas are found in isolated patches along the eastern coast of Australia from Queensland to Victoria. Koalas eat only eucalyptus (yoo-kah-LIP-tus) leaves. Therefore, they are limited to areas where eucalypts grow. This can range from wet tropical forests to dry open woodlands. Aboriginal peoples of Australia hunted koalas for food, as did Europeans when they arrived in Australia. Today koala…
Gray whales migrate between northwest Alaska in the Chukchi Sea, where they live during the summer, and the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, where they live during the winter. A few individual gray whales live year-round in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, located between the state of Washington and Vancouver Island, Canada, and off the coast of California. Most whales, however, make the 10,000-mile (16…
Primates are found in Africa, Asia, and South and Central America. The largest number of primates live in Africa, including the pottos, bushbabies, guenons, mangabeys, colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, and baboons. Tarsiers, macaques, lorises, and most of the leaf monkeys live in Asia. Lemurs and aye-ayes are found only on the island of Madagascar. The New World monkeys, such as the mar…
Old World porcupines tend to live in the warmer habitats of southern Europe, many islands of the East Indies, across southern Asia (particularly India and the Malay Archipelago), and through all of Africa. Old World porcupines generally like to live in deep burrows, which they often dig themselves or appropriate after the former occupants leave. However, they will also live in caves, rotting …
Wombats live in southeastern Australia. The common wombat is fairly widespread and can be found in parts of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. The northern hairy-nosed wombat lives only in one place in Queensland, and the southern hairy-nosed wombat lives in a small area along the south central coast of Australia. Wombats live under the ground in open grassland, open wo…
The pygmy right whale lives deep in Southern Hemisphere in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Most often this species is seen around Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, South Africa, and the southern tip of South America. Pygmy right whales live where the surface water is between 41 and 68°F (5 and 20°C). Not much else is known about the habitat preferences of this whale. T…
The slow lorises live throughout tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. The slender lorises are found in the tropical forests of India and Sri Lanka. Pottos occur only in the tropical and subtropical forests of West and Central Africa. Lorises and pottos live only in thickly forested areas. Most often, they live in the trees of tropical rainforests, forests where the trees are evergreen and …
New World porcupines are found in North, Central, and South America, from Canada and Alaska to Argentina. These porcupines live primarily in trees throughout rainforests and deciduous and coniferous woods, except for one species that lives in deserts and a few others that are found in plantations and other cultivated areas. New World porcupines eat fruits, seeds, leaves, and bark. Some New Wo…
Phalangers are found in New Guinea, Australia, Tasmania, the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and a few other small islands. The common brush-tailed possum was introduced in New Zealand over a century ago and has become an alien (non-native) pest species. Possums and cuscuses spend their lives in trees. Most live in rainforests. However, the common brush-tailed possum has adapted to life in dev…
Bushbabies are found in many parts of Africa, from sea level to 6,000 feet (1,800 meters). Bushbabies live in many areas, from dry, thorny scrub to evergreen tropical rainforests. Depending on the species, bushbabies usually eat fruit, gum or plant fluids, and insects. They can find insects by sound alone and snatch them from the air as they fly past. Bushbabies are often captured by local pe…
The musky rat-kangaroo lives only in a small area of Australian rainforest in northeastern Queensland. Musky rat-kangaroos live on the rainforest floor. They usually prefer places where there are many plants that provide good cover for them. They often live near water, such as streams and lakes, because that is where the vegetation is more dense. The musky rat-kangaroo does not have any known…
Right and bowhead whales can be found throughout most of the world's oceans and seas. They go farther into the Arctic than many other whales and are capable of breaking through newly formed ice up to 9 inches (23 centimeters) thick. These whales do not generally enter the warmest waters close to the equator. Right whales and bowhead whales travel long distances and can live in a variet…
This family of mammals occurs only in western and southern South America, but their largest populations are in southern Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, and northern Chile to the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Patagonia (Argentina). While most of the viscacha species tend to remain at elevations below 1,640 feet (500 meters), the mountain viscacha and chinchillas colonize areas from 13,120 to 1…
A South American rodent, pacaranas' sparse populations may be found in the mountainous areas of a band running through western Venezuela, western Colombia, central Ecuador, Peru, part of western Brazil, and into northwestern Bolivia. In Peru, this species occupies suitable habitat from 800 to 6,600 feet in elevation (240 to 2,000 meters), but in Venezuela they occur up to 7,870 feet (2…
Dwarf and mouse lemurs live in Madagascar, an island off the southeast coast of Africa. Dwarf and mouse lemurs live in a variety of forested habitats, including evergreen rainforest, deciduous forest where trees lose their leaves each year, and semiarid forest, which doesn't get rain part of the year. Mouse lemurs are also found in patches of scrub vegetation where there are small bush…
Rat-kangaroos live on the coasts of Australia, especially the southern and eastern coasts. They also live in Tasmania and on a few nearby islands. Rat-kangaroos live mainly in forests where there are many eucalyptus trees. Some types of rat kangaroos, like the burrowing bettong, live in other habitats, such as sandy areas that have dunes. …
Rorquals are found in all of the oceans of the world and the seas that connect to these oceans. They do not live in the parts of the Arctic and Antarctic Ocean that are covered by ice, since they must come to the surface to breathe. Rorquals are more often found in shallower parts of the ocean that are closer to land. These areas are called continental shelves. Rorquals can be seen most often…
Cavies are found over most of South America, except Chile and some areas of the Amazon River basin. Maras inhabit southern Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina. Cavies and maras are found in a variety of habitat, depending on the species. These include marshes, tropical floodplains, rocky mountain meadows, grassland, desert, and areas with lots of trees and bushes near water, grasslands, and cultivat…
Lemurs are found in Madagascar and the Comoros Islands. Lemurs live in tropical forests, or warm damp forested areas, plus subtropical areas located near tropical areas. These include dry scrub, dry tropical deciduous forests where leaves fall off during winter months, and occasionally grassy areas. Lemurs eat plant foods, including flowers, plant juices, fruits, leaves, seeds, and seedpods. …
Though not common anywhere, aardvarks live primarily in the grassland and woodlands of the part of Africa south of the Sahara desert. They have also been seen in rainforests. Termites are the aardvark's preferred food. Aardvarks will dig at a termite mound and eat the escaping termites, or look for a whole colony on the move and eat them as they march along. (© Nigel J. Denn…
Capybaras are found on the eastern side of the Canal Zone in Panama, and on the east side of the Andes Mountains in South America, including Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana, Guyana, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, and northeastern Argentina. Capybaras live in areas of dense trees and plants near rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, and swamps. There are four areas in …
Kangaroos and wallabies live all over Australia, as well as in parts of New Guinea and some surrounding islands. They have been introduced into Hawaii, New Zealand, Great Britain, and Germany. Kangaroos and wallabies live in many different habitats. Some live in the tropical rainforest while others live in the grasslands or woodlands. There is almost no area of Australia where at least one sp…
Indriids are found in Madagascar. Indriids live in a wide range of environments, including original forests, disturbed forest fragments, and desert areas with spiny plants. Indriids feed on fruit, leaves, bark, and flowers. Six indriids are considered threatened due to loss of habitat occurring from deforestation (tree removal), fire, poaching, and encroaching human populations. The golden-cr…
Agoutis are found from southern Mexico to southern Bolivia and northern Argentina. Their range includes Brazil, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, El Salvador, and Venezuela. They have also been introduced into the Cayman Islands. Agoutis are found throughout the forests of Central and South America, usually in areas with heavy…
Pygmy possums live in central New Guinea, Tasmania, and southeastern and southwestern Australia. Most pygmy possums live in wet forest areas with evergreen or eucalyptus (yoo-kah-LIP-tus) trees. One species, the mountain pygmy possum, lives in the tropical mountain rainforest of New Guinea above 4,900 feet (1,500 meters). Different species of pygmy possums have different diets, ranging from p…
Sportive lemurs live only on the island of Madagascar, which is off the east coast of Africa. Evergreen forests, where the trees stay green all year, and hot, dry forests. Most sportive lemurs live in forested areas, ranging from evergreen rainforests to hot dry forests. Sportive lemurs are hunted for food. All seven species of sportive lemur are listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) …
African elephants live in central Africa, from Democratic Republic of the Congo to Mauritania. Asian elephants inhabit India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and southern China. All elephants are listed as Endangered, facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). They are threatened by …
Pacas are found from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Their range includes Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Pacas primarily live in tropical rainforests but are also found in a wide variety of forest habitats, including mangrove swamps, decidu…
Aye-ayes are found in Madagascar. Aye-ayes live in several habitats, including rainforests where the weather is damp or wet throughout the year, dry forests that get little rain, mangroves or riverbank tree areas, and bamboo thickets or groups. In many unprotected areas, aye-ayes are destroyed by the local people, either due to superstition, or because of aye-aye crop raiding on coconut plant…
Ringtail and greater gliding possums live along the eastern coast of Australia from its northern-most tip near New Guinea to its southern-most tip near Tasmania. They can also be found in the more mountainous areas of New Guinea, as well as Tasmania, and the southwestern tip of Australia. Most of the species that live in New Guinea, live in mountain forests. In Australia there are a number of…
Hyraxes live mainly in Africa. The rock hyrax has been seen from Lebanon to Saudi Arabia. The hyrax eats mostly twigs, fruit, and bark as well as leaves, but it also feeds on lizard and bird eggs. Because their food is plant based, hyraxes can go for long periods of time without water, getting the moisture they need from the plants they eat. Some African people hunt hyraxes for food and skin.…
Central and southern South America, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. All species of tuco-tucos are believed to be herbivores, meaning they are plant-eaters. Their primary food sources are roots, grasses, herbs, and shrubs. Tuco-tucos are hunted for their meat by several native South American groups, including the Tehuelches and Onas. Farmers who consid…
Tarsiers are found in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Borneo. Tarsiers live in a variety of habitats. They occupy mainly secondary forests with enough canopies that provide vertical branches for clinging, usually about 3 to 6 feet (0.9 to 1.8 meters) above the ground. Tarsiers also inhabit shrublands, bamboo thickets, mangroves, grasslands, and plantations. They also live in primary forests w…
Octodonts are found in southwest Peru, Chile, Argentina, and southwest Bolivia. The octodont habitat ranges from coastal scrub brush to barren rocky outcroppings in mountains. They are found in desert, deciduous forest, grassland, and foothills. Octodonts are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. All but one species eat mainly at night. The degu feeds during the early morning and early ev…
Striped possums live in New Guinea. One species is also found in the rainforest on the northern tip of Australia that is closest to New Guinea. Gliding possums also live in New Guinea and Australia, but are found in a much wider area. They live both on the northern and eastern coast of Australia and on the island of Tasmania. Gliding and striped possums live in many different types of forests…
Sirenians live in tropical, subtropical, and temperate, or mild, regions throughout the world. The exception to this is Steller's sea cow, now extinct, which lived only in the frigid waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean. …
They are found from coastal areas to the Andes Mountains in southern Peru, northern Chile, northwest Argentina, and central Bolivia. Chinchilla rats live in rock crevices and elaborate burrows under rocks or at the base of shrubs. Chinchilla rats are herbivores, meaning they eat only plants. The feed at night on seeds, fruits, and nuts. The Bolivian chinchilla rat is listed as Vulnerable, fac…
Honey possums live in a very small region in the southwestern tip of Australia. The honey possum lives on uninhabited sandy beaches where the kinds of flowers that they feed on bloom almost all year round. In 1992, much of the habitat and food supply of the honey possum was disappearing because humans were developing their habitat with little regard to this small animal. Today, with increased…
Squirrel monkeys are found in most of South America and in Central America (just Costa Rica and Panama). Capuchins are found in most of South America and Central America and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Cebids are found in the spreading forest canopy and in smaller understory trees. Squirrel monkeys also inhabit swamps, while capuchins thrive in dry forests. Squirrel monkeys …
Dugongs live in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific. Steller's sea cow was found in the western North Pacific Ocean. Dugongids live in coastal waters that contain sea grass. Steller's sea cow lived with macroalgae, large, plant-like algae (AL-jee) also called kelp. Dugongs primarily feed on sea grasses that grow on the ocean's floor in shallow water. Steller'…
Spiny rats are found throughout southern Central America and northern and central South America, from southern Honduras to northern Argentina and Chile. Spiny rats are mostly herbivores, meaning they eat only plants, although some species eat insects. Their diet includes fruits, nuts, grass, and sugar cane. Several species, including rato de Taquara, eat only bamboo shoots and leaves. Several…
The pygmy glider lives in eastern Australia. The feather-tailed possum lives in New Guinea. Both species in this family live in trees. Feather-tailed possums live in tropical rainforests and woodland areas. They are also sometimes found in suburban gardens. Pygmy gliders prefer forests that contain many eucalyptus (yoo-kah-LIP-tus) trees. They also live in other woodland areas. Feather-tailed…
Manatees live on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In the west, they are found from the southeastern United States throughout the Caribbean region to southeastern Brazil and in rivers of the Amazon River Basin. Manatees migrate, travel from one region to another, seasonally, to Florida coastal waters during the winter months. In the east, they live along the African coast, from Senegal to Ang…
Callitrichids are found in most of South America and in Central America (Panama and Costa Rica). Callitrichids occupy various habitats, including primary forests with well-developed canopies and secondary forests with dense understories. They live in open woodlands, bamboo thickets, and scrub forests, as well as forests along rivers. Fruits, insects, and gum (a sticky substance from tree bark…
Hutias are found exclusively in the Caribbean, particularly Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Hutias usually live in forests, plantations, scrublands, marshy areas, and mountainous, rocky areas of rainforest. Brown's hutia, also known as the Jamaican hutia, usually lives on exposed areas of limestone in the interior of Jamaica. They build their nests in roc…
Night monkeys are found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, and Venezuela. Night monkeys inhabit evergreen tropical rainforests and deciduous scrub forests. They also occupy forests along rivers. They prefer dense middle-level canopies and understories with tangled vines that provide cover for sleeping sites. They also like hollows in old trees. Night monkeys…
Perissodactyls are found in Asia, Africa, and America in limited populations. Tapirs are found in Central and South America and in southeastern Asia. Rhinos live throughout Central and East Africa below the Sahara Desert and in the tropical region of Asia. Horses are found in eastern and southern Africa and Asia from Near East to Mongolia. Domestic horses live throughout the world, and there …
Coypus adapt well to a wide range of habitats, including rainforest, deciduous forest, coniferous forest, scrub forest, Coypus are not native to the United States, but were brought to Louisiana to raise for fur. A number escaped, and now breed in the wild. (© YVA Momatiuk and John Eastcott/Photo Researchers, Inc. Reproduced by permission.) grassland, wetland such as swamps and ma…
The extinct West Indian sloths lived in the West Indies, in island countries including Haiti. Living two-toed sloth species reside in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The earliest West Indian sloths were arboreal, living in trees. Later species lived both on the ground and in trees. Most two-toed…
Equids live in Africa below the Sahara Desert, in the Middle East, Arabia, Central Asia, and Mongolia. Equids graze throughout the day, and various species live in deserts to grassland and shrubland (similar to grassland, only with small trees and shrubs as well). Equids eat grasses high in fiber, which makes them more difficult to chew and digest. Their teeth are made for breaking down the r…
Pitheciids are found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname. Pitheciids inhabit a variety of rainforest habitats. Sakis prefer the middle and lower layers of the canopy, as well as the understory. They are found in savanna forests, mountain forests, swamps, and forests along rivers, but not flooded forests. Uakaris choose forests that get flooded from…
RABBITS PIKAS AND HARES: Lagomorpha Lagomorphs are found on every continent except Antarctica. They are native to every continent they are found on, except Australia where they were introduced. Pikas are found in two distinct habitats. Some live among rocks and rocky areas. Others live in meadows, steppes (semiarid, grass-covered plains), shrubs and desert. Hares live in arctic tundra, s…
Three-toed tree sloths live in Central and South America. Species are found in Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, French Guiana, and Guyana. Monk sloths live only on Escudo de Veraguas Island off the coast of Panama. Three-toed sloths live primarily in forests. They are located in rainfore…
All pikas (PEE-kuhz) are similar in appearance, being small, compact mammals with large, round ears and short front and rear legs. They resemble guinea pigs in size and appearance, ranging in length from 5 to 12 inches (12.5 to 30.0 centimeters) and weighing 3.5 to 7 ounces (100 to 200 grams). Pikas lack a noticeable tail. They have long, soft fur that is usually gray or brown, often with red…
Anteaters live in Central and South America, in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Silky anteaters live in trees in rainforests, areas where abundant rainfall produces heavy growth. They also inhabit grassland, areas where there are few trees. Giant anteaters live on…
Tapirs live in South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Sumatra. All four species are listed as Endangered, facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, or Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, due to habitat destruction and hunting. …
Atelids are found in Mexico, all of Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama), and South America (including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela). Howler monkeys and muriquis inhabit secondary forests with open canopies. Spider and woolly monkeys prefer full-canopied primary fore…
Hares and rabbits are found on every continent except Antarctica. They are native to every continent they are found on, except Australia where they were introduced. Hares live in arctic tundra, steppes, wetlands, forests, and deserts. Rabbits live in pine and deciduous forests, desert, mountainous areas, scrubland, tropical rainforest, near rivers and streams, rocky outcroppings, grasslands, …
The nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo living in the United States. Armadillos live in the South American countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Some armadillo species range in Mexico and the Central American countries of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and P…
Found in Africa and Southeast Asia. Different species prefer different habitats. The white rhino likes grasslands and savannas (similar to grasslands but with small trees and bushes), while the black rhino prefers bushland and semidesert. The Indian rhino is found on meadows and swamplands, and Sumatran and Javan rhinos occupy rainforests. Rhinos are vegetarians and feed primarily on leaves, …
Sengis are found throughout Africa except western Africa and the Sahara Desert region. They are most common and diverse in southern and eastern Africa. Sengis live in deciduous forest, rainforest, grassland, and desert areas of Africa, especially where there is an abundance of water. They are found in the thick ground cover of coastal bush forests, rocky outcroppings, and highland and lowland…
Leaf monkeys are found in Asia and Southeast Asia, except for the colobus monkeys. Cheek-pouched monkeys are found in Africa, including the Barbary macaque. All other macaques are found in Southeast Asia. Old World monkeys live in virtually all land habitats, including grasslands, open dry forests, dense evergreen forests, mangroves, swamps, and forests along rivers. Some live near humans. Le…
Insectivores occur worldwide except Antarctica, Australia, and northern South America. For the most part, people rarely see insectivores and are not affected by them. A few, like the eastern mole, make above-ground mounds when they tunnel, which are visible and may present a source of frustration to people who want to maintain a perfect lawn. The majority of insectivores are small and inactiv…
Artiodactyls can be found on every continent except for Antarctica and Australia. They also do not inhabit oceanic islands. …
Gibbons are found in Southeast Asia, including China, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Gibbons prefer the upper forest canopy, where fruits are abundant and spreading branches allow for continuous travel. They also thrive in surviving areas of forests that have been logged. Ripe fruits are gibbons' main diet. Figs are their favorit…
Gymnures and hedgehogs are found in parts of Africa, Eurasia, central Asia, and southeast Asia. New Zealand is also home to a healthy population introduced by humans. Hedgehogs tend toward the cooler climates, while gymnures and moonrats demand tropical and subtropical areas. Members of this family thrive in a number of varying habitats on land, usually living and feeding at ground level and,…
Pigs live on every continent except Antarctica. They also occupy a number of oceanic islands. They are not indigenous (in-DIJ-un-us), native, to all ranges, but have been introduced by humans. Wild pigs are omnivorous, eating meat and plants, feeding on leaves, grasses, seeds, fruits, eggs, young trees, carrion, or dead animals, invertebrates, or animals without backbones, and small vertebrat…
Gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos are dark-colored, while orangutans are reddish brown. All have arms that are longer than their legs. Gorilla and orangutan males are twice as big as females. Great apes have forward-facing eyes for three-dimensional (height, width, and depth) viewing. They have powerful fingers and toes for gripping branches. They have no tails. Orangutans are the only great…
The southern half of Africa. Golden moles typically live much of their lives underground in shallow burrows they dig themselves. The burrows are often visible above ground as slight ridges in the soil. Many golden moles prefer loose soil that is easily moved by their hollow claws. Some species, such as the rough-haired golden mole, make tunnels to connect chambers within mounds of soil. Golde…
Peccaries are found in southwestern North America to Mexico and Central America, as well as South America. Peccaries live in the desert areas of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They also occupy the tropical forests and rainforests of Central America as well as the wetlands and forests of South America. They can be found in the dry tropical thorn forests of Bolivia, Paragua…
Carnivores are found throughout the world. Some, however, are not naturally occurring but have been introduced to some areas. Carnivores are found both on land and sea. Although most terrestrial carnivores live on land, the polar bear spends most of its time on sea ice, while the palm civet is arboreal (a tree-dweller). The sea otter lives exclusively in the water, as opposed to other marine …
Tenrecs live in Madagascar and western central Africa. Introduced to Comoros, Mascarenes, and Seychelles, which are islands in the Indian Ocean. Most species live in humid forests or in grasslands. A few species can survive well in marshy areas, drier forests, or agricultural fields. Aquatic tenrecs and otter shrews spend much of their time in or near freshwater streams. The tenrec diet varie…
Hippos live throughout Africa. Common hippos like deep freshwater locations during the day, but venture out of the water at night to graze. The pygmy hippo lives in the forest and spends its day near or in water. Water is important to the hippo because if it can't submerge itself, its skin will crack from dehydration and overheating. Hippos are vegetarians and eat mainly grasses, thoug…
Solenodons live in Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Cuba. In the past they were also found in Puerto Rico. Solenodons occupy tropical forests on the sides of mountains, and also can be found in plantations and other flat, brushy areas. Solenodons spend most of their nighttime hours above ground, poking their long snouts into the dirt and any other little opening they can find to search for inse…
Canids live on every continent except Antarctica. Most canids favor areas where forests meet open country. Some live in deserts. The Arctic fox and some gray wolves occupy the tundra. The bush dog and raccoon dog prefer thick forests near water. Canids have also adapted to human environments. Canids primarily prey on other mammals. Large prey include elk and caribou, and small animals include…
Shrews can be found nearly worldwide, including North America, Central America, northern South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. This is a very wide-ranging family, but most species tend to prefer areas with at least some moisture. Many scuttle along the damp earth under leaf litter, but a few will climb trees in search of food. The aquatic species naturally seek out water sources that may r…
Spectacled bears are found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Brown bears live in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. American black bears inhabit the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Malayan sun bears, sloth bears, and Asiatic black bears thrive in Asia. Giant pandas live in China, while polar bears occupy the Arctic regions. Bears live in a variety of habitats. F…
Camelidae are found from the Arabian Peninsula to Mongolia, and in western and southern South America. Alpaca and llamas are now found throughout North America since they have become popular ranch animals. Wild camelids live in the desert and semi-arid environments that have a long dry season and short rainy season. Guanacos live in warm and cold grasslands up to 13,120 feet (4,000 meters) ab…
Chevrotains are found in Southeast Asia and east central Africa. Asian chevrotains live in rainforests, lowland forests, mangrove forests, and thickets. They prefer areas with thick vegetation during the day and venture into open area at night. The vegetation provides refuge from predators. African chevrotains live in tropical rainforests and thick growth along water courses. This species esc…
Except for red pandas, procyonids are found throughout Central America (including Costa Rica and Panama), South America (including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela), the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Russia. Red pandas live in Asia, including China, India, Nepal, and Tibet. Some procyonids prefer forested areas close to streams and rivers where …
Moles, shrew moles, and desmans are found in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and much of Europe and Asia. About three-quarters of the species in this family live much of their lives underground. A few live above ground on land, and others spend a good deal of their time in or near the water. Those that prefer the water usually make their homes near fresh water, but a few will also enter br…
Tree shrews are found in south and Southeast Asia, ranging from India and southwest China eastward through Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Out of the nineteen tree shrew species, ten live on the island of Borneo. Tree shrews live in shrub and forested areas, which are often mountainous. Many of the tree shrews are arboreal, meaning that they live in trees. Some species spend the maj…
Mustelids, members of the family Mustelidae, may either have a slim, elongated body and long tail like weasels, mink, martens, and otters, or a stocky body and short tail like badgers and wolverines. Some have webbed feet for swimming. Their fur may be uniform in color, striped, or spotted. They may be white, silver, brown, or black in color. The smallest mustelid, the least weasel, is also t…
Deer are found everywhere except Australia and Africa. Depending on the species, deer live in a variety of habitats. Most deer species prefer areas with thick forest undergrowth. Deer are herbivores (plant eaters) that eat lichens (fungus found on trees), leaves, twigs, shoots, berries, and grasses. They have four stomach chambers, which allow them to chew and swallow their food and then regu…
The Philippine colugo is found only in the Philippines, and the Malayan colugo is found in Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Indochina, and some of the Indonesian islands. Colugos live in the rainforest. They are often found in coconut, banana, and rubber plantations. Their habitat must contain many trees with few branches low on the trunk. Colugos are herbivores, animals that eat plants…
Viverrids are found in western Europe (including France, Portugal, and Spain), Southeast Asia (including Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia), and most of Africa. Viverrids occupy tropical deciduous forests that provide canopies (uppermost layer of a forest consisting of spreading branches). They also inhabit tall grasses and thick brush for cover. Some prefer wetlands, while others live near r…
Giraffids (giraffes and okapis) are found only in sub-Saharan Africa. Giraffes live in savannas (tropical or subtropical community characterized by small trees and shrubs among herbs and grasses). Okapis live in tropical lowland forests. Giraffes are poached (illegally hunted) for their hair, which is made into thread, bracelets, fly whisks, as well as for their meat and hide. Okapi breed suc…
Bats live on every continent on Earth except Antarctica and some remote islands. Most bats live in the tropics and species are most numerous around the equator. …
Found in western North America. Pronghorn are not threatened. …
Mongooses live in mainland Africa, southern Europe, Madagascar, southern Asia including India, the Malay Peninsula as far as and including Sumatra, Borneo and Java; also the islands of Hainan and Taiwan. …
Old World fruit bats can be found in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, through southern and central Asia to Australia, including the Philippines, a number of islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, in Pakistan, and across India. Old World fruit bats live in a variety of habitats. Many fruit bats live in humid forests in tropical and subtropical areas. Species of flying foxes live …
Hyenas and aardwolves are found in the Middle East (including Turkey, Israel, and Saudi Arabia), Pakistan, India, and in Africa south of the Sahara Desert (except the rainforests of The Democratic Republic of the Congo). Hyenas and aardwolves occupy grasslands, bush country (wild, uncultivated land), and open woodlands. They dig burrows (holes) underground or live in burrows abandoned by othe…
Found in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. Bovids occupy a wide variety of habitats, including grasslands, swamps, tropical forests, arctic tundra, desert, cliff faces, and mountain ledges. Most abundant in tropical forests and grasslands. They occupy different habitats at different times of the year, with migration (seasonal movement from region to region) dependent upon food supply. …
Monotremes are found in Australia and New Guinea. Platypus are found in Australia, including the southern island of Tasmania. Echidnas are found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. Fossil evidence from sixty-three million years ago confirms that monotremes once lived in South America, dating back to a remote time when the continents of Australia, Antarctica, and South America were closer …
Mouse-tailed bats are generally found in Africa and Asia, across the Sahara, from western Africa through the Middle East to India and Thailand. Mouse-tailed bats are usually found in arid, extremely dry, regions. This can range from deserts to extremely dry woodland. They roost, rest or settle, in caves, rock clefts, wells, pyramids, and buildings. Mouse-tailed bats are indirectly helpful to …
Pangolins are found in the tropical, hot and humid climate, and subtropical areas of Africa and Asia. Pangolins live in a variety of habitats, including forests, thick bush, sandy areas, and open grasslands. Some species of pangolins are arboreal, live in trees, and shelter in tree hollows. Other species live on the land and stay in burrows, holes, dug either by other animals or themselves. P…
Emballonurids live in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including Mexico, Argentina, Madagascar, and Southeast Asia. Emballonuridae bats generally live in humid rainforests. These bats tend to roost, rest or settle, in areas that are relatively light compared to what other bat families prefer. Their roosts include the entry areas to caves and other structures, the outside of …
Cats naturally occur in most areas of the world, except Australia, the polar regions, and some oceanic islands. Cats inhabit all types of habitats with the exception of tundra and polar ice. Most species occupy more than one type of habitat. Large cats prey on ungulates (hoofed animals) such as deer, zebras, and wildebeests, but also eat other meat. Small cats eat rabbits, hares, rodents, sna…
The short-beaked echidna lives throughout Australia, Tasmania, and the lowlands of New Guinea. The long-beaked echidna lives only in the New Guinea highlands. The short-beaked echidna lives wherever its main food sources, ants and termites, are abundant enough to keep it fed, allowing the species to occupy nearly all habitat types in Australia and New Guinea, from tropical rainforest and gras…
Kitti's hog-nosed bats were once found only in Thailand. Most of these bat populations were located in Sai Yok National Park. In 2001 a second population of bumblebee bats was found in a cave in Myanmar. Bumblebee bats have been found deep inside small, remote limestone caves, caves formed by water dissolving calcium carbonate rock. Hog-nosed bats appear to prefer caves with multiple c…
Rodents are found in all parts of the world, including the Arctic tundra, desert, and oceanic islands. About 70 percent of all rodents are rats and mice, and these animals are found on every continent. The IUCN lists 669 species of rodents under varying degrees of threat and endangerment (facing varying risks of extinction in the wild) as of 2004. There are 32 species that are listed as Extin…
Otariids haul out on land near the waters they inhabit, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. When breeding or molting, shedding fur, otariids gather on rocky coastlines, sandy and gravel beaches, and caves. They also breed in mainland areas in Africa, Argentina, and Peru. Otariids feed on krill, a small shrimp-like an…
Platypus are found only in mainland Australia and the southern island of Tasmania. Platypus are distributed along Australia's east coast, to about 500 miles (800 kilometers) inland, from Cook-town, Queensland to Melbourne, Victoria, and into Tasmania. All platypus live on the edges of freshwater bodies like lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams, in tropical and temperate regions. …
Slit-faced bats are found throughout most of Africa, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar. Most species are found in Africa. Some species of slit-faced bats live in woodland savanna or dry country, and others live in rainforests in Africa or in Southeast Asia. A slit-faced bat's diet depends upon the species. Most species of these bats feed primarily on a variety of arthropods (animals that …
Mountain beavers are found in North America along the Pacific Coast. They live in southwestern British Columbia to northwestern California, in certain coastal areas as far south as San Francisco Bay, and in the Sierra Nevada of eastern California. Mountain beavers generally live in moist forests, especially near streams, which are dense with herbs and shrubs. They are found on mountains with …
Walruses live mainly in the sea, occupying pack ice, large pieces of ice frozen together, that floats on the continental shelf, the shallow part of the ocean floor that starts at the shoreline. Males haul out on sandy, cobble, or boulder beaches. Though not considered Threatened, the walrus is protected by the governments of the countries in which it lives. Only native people are allowed …
In a very general sense, the Didelphidae can be said to inhabit both New World continents, from southeastern Canada to southern South America, but the common or Virginia opossum is the only marsupial making its home in the continental U.S. and Canada. All other species of Didelphidae range across Mexico, Central, and South America, from northern Mexico to southern Patagonia in South America, …
Megadermatids are found in Africa, Asia, east India, Philippines, and Australia. Megadermatids live in open, dry habitats in Australia, and in open woodlands. They also live in the very dry or arid areas of Africa and India. Typical habitats for heart-nosed bats include dry lowlands, coastal strip habitats, and sometimes river valleys. The IUCN lists the heart-nosed bat as being Near Threaten…
Squirrels are found throughout the world, except in Australia, Madagascar, southern South America, and certain desert regions, such as in Egypt. Most squirrels eat primarily plant materials. Tree squirrels and flying squirrels often eat nuts and seeds, and will occasionally also feed on fungi, eggs, insects, young birds, and small snakes. Ground squirrels also eat seeds, fruits, and nuts, but…
True seals inhabit all oceans, except the Indian Ocean. Some species live in inland lakes in Siberia, Russia, and Finland. True seals forage, search for food, at sea, but haul out (get out of the water) to land to breed, molt, or shed fur, and rest. They prefer ice floes, large sheets of floating ice, or fast ice, ice attached to a land mass. They also inhabit sand, cobble, and boulder beache…
Tiny, secretive, and living in remote regions, shrew opossums have very little interaction with humanity and pose no threats. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists the Chilean shrew opossum as Vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction), due to deforestation (removing trees) from logging. …
Horseshoe bats are found in temperate (areas with moderate temperatures) and tropical regions of the Old World, meaning the part of the world made up of Australia, Africa, Asia, and Europe. These bats are found in southern Europe, Africa, and southern Asia to northern and eastern Australia, including many Pacific islands. They do not live in the arid (extremely dry) ranges of Africa. In many …
