Elephant: The Giant Mammal in the World

They’re enormous and intelligent, strong and sociable. Humans have been impressed by elephants for centuries, simply because they are so big—a male African elephant can weigh up to 7.5 tons (6.8 metric tons)! They also amaze us with their long and flexible noses, large and flapping ears, and loose, wrinkly skin. There are many stories about elephants—you’ve probably heard of Horton, Babar, and Dumbo. Elephants are one of the best-known animals in the world.

Scientific Classification:

Class: Mammalia (Mammals)

Order: Proboscidea

Family: Elephantidae

Genera: Loxodonta (African elephant) and Elephas (Asian elephant)

Species: africana and maximus

Subspecies: Loxodonta africana africana (African bush elephant)

Subspecies: Loxodonta africana cyclotis (African forest elephant)

Subspecies: Elephas maximus indicus (Indian elephant)

Subspecies: Elephas maximus maximus (Ceylon elephant)

Subspecies: Elephas maximus sumatranus (Sumatran elephant)

Quick Facts:

Life span: Late 30s to more than 50 in the wild and in zoos

Gestation: 20 to 22 months

Number of young at birth: 1

Age of

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Antelope

The word antelope has been used to describe a wide variety of horned mammals in the Family species within the Bovidae family that are known as goat-antelope! For the purposes of this fact sheet, we’ll focus on some of the species in the Antilopinae subfamily, animals commonly called antelope as well as those such as impalas, gazelles, and gnu or wildebeest. Be sure to see Goats & Sheep, Oryx, and Nile Lechwe to read about other Antilopinae subfamily members.

Scientific Classifiacation:

Class: Mammalia (Mammals)

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Bovidae

Subfamily: Antilopinae

Genus and species: 43 genera and 239 species; however,

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Cassowary

Scientific Classification

Class: Aves (Birds)

Order: Struthioniformes

Family: Casuariidae

Genus: Casuarius

Species: casuarius (southern or double-wattled cassowary)

Species: unappendiculatus (northern or single-wattled cassowary)

Species: bennetti (dwarf cassowary)

 Quick Facts

Life span: 12 to 19 years in the wild, up to 40 years in zoos

Incubation period: 49 to 56 days

Number of eggs laid: 3 to 5

Age of maturity: 2½ to 3 years old

Size: Largest - southern cassowary, 4 to 5.6 feet (1.2 to 1.7 meters) tall, females usually larger than males

Size: Smallest - dwarf cassowary, 3.2 to 3.6 feet (1 to 1.1 meters) tall

Weight: Heaviest - southern cassowary, females up to 128 pounds ( 58 kilograms), males up to 75 pounds (34 kilograms)

Weight: Lightest - dwarf cassowary, up to 39 pounds (17.5 kilograms)

Size of egg: Up to 6.3 x 4.1 inches (16 x 10 centimeters)

Egg weight: About 20 ounces (580 grams)

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Camel:Ship of the Desert

Scientific Classification

Class: mammalia (Mammals)

Order: Cetartiodactyla

Family: Camelidae

Genus: Camelus

Species: bactrianus (Bactrian camel)

Species: dromedarius (dromedary camel)

Quick Facts

Life span: Median life expectancy is 17.8 years

Gestation: 12 to 14 months, depending on species

Number of young at birth: 1, rarely 2

Age of maturity: Females, 3 years; males, 5 to 7 years

Size: Bactrian - 10 to 11.5 feet (3.2 to 3.5 meters) long

Size: Dromedary - 7.2 to 11.2 feet (2.2 to 3.4 meters) long

Size: Bactrian - 5.2 to 5.9 feet (1.6 to 1.8 meters) tall at shoulder

Size: Dromedary – 5.9 to 6.6 feet (1.8 to 2 meters) tall at shoulder

Weight: Bactrian - 990 to 1,100 pounds (450 to 500 kilograms)

Weight: Dromedary – 880 to 1,320 (400 to 600 kilograms)

Weight at birth: Bactrian - 70 to 75 pounds (32 to 34 kilograms)

Weight at birth: Dromedary – 57 to 114 pounds (26 to 52 kilograms)

Fun Facts

• Camels store fat, not water, in their humps to tide them over on long walks through the desert when there is not much to eat.
• Camels have a natural pacing gait, moving both legs from the same side of the body at the same time.

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The Giraffe

Taxonomy:

                         Giraffe                                 Okapi

Kingdom:	Animalia	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla	Artiodactyla
Family:	Giraffidae	Giraffidae
Genus:	Giraffa	Okapia
Species:	G. camelopardalis	O. johnston
Binomial Name:	Giraffa camelopardalis (Linnaeus, 1758)	Okapia johnstoni (Sclater, 1901)

How long do giraffe live?

We don't really know how long giraffe live in the wild as there is no recorded evidence. We believe that both male (bulls) and female (cows) giraffe can live to about 25 years in the wild and even longer in captivity. In our long-term conservation project in North-West Namibia we now know that some giraffe that were first identified in the year 2000 and were sub-adults then, are still alive today - making them the oldest recorded giraffe in the wild.

                                

However, even the world’s tallest animal has enemies. Giraffe mortality rates vary from region to region dependant on density of natural predators. Even adult male giraffe are predated by lions, while sub-adults and calves are particularly vulnerable and can also be taken by hyena, leopard, wild dog and crocodile. 

As an example,

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Wildlife:Mammals

Mammals are some of the most beautiful, amazing animals on our planet Earth. They come in all shapes and sizes – from armadillos to whales!  Mammals share very distinct similarities that might surprise you.

Mammals belong to the animal class Mammalia. They share specific  characteristics that differ from other animals. For one, nearly all mammals are warm-blooded and give birth to live young, rather than laying eggs.

Female mammals are the only creatures on our planet that make milk  for their young. The milk is produced through the mother’s mammary glands, which are located on the chest and upper groin area. The milk is rich in vitamins and special nutrients crucial to a baby animal’s needs.

Unlike our cold-blooded reptile friends such as snakes, who require morning sunlight to warm up, mammals are virtually ready to start the day instantly. Their bodies make enough heat to hold a consistently warm temperature.

While most mammals

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