What is the difference between the African Leopard (Panthera pardus), the Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), the Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) and the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)?
The African Leopard, Amur Leopard, Persian Leopard, and Snow Leopard are all solitary, elusive, large felines or wild cats. All of the leopards have pale-green or grey eyes.
The African Rhinoceros is a distinctive animal due to its thick, armoured skin and large curved horn. Rhinoceros means ‘nose with a horn.’ The critically endangered Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) is also called the Hook-Lipped Rhinoceros. The White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is also called the Square-Lipped Rhinoceros. Most rhinos in zoos are the Southern White Rhinoceros.
Some animals are described as ‘rhinoceros’ in their scientific or common name because they have a horn that looks like a rhinoceros horn.
The Rhino Catfish (Pterygoplichthys scrophus) from South America is a fish with a ridged, armoured body and two horn-like protrusions from its head that looks like the horns of a rhinoceros. The protrusions are actualy nostril flaps so that water doesn’t get up its nose. Its body is completely covered in small plates that look like armour.
What is the difference between the Great Capricorn Beetle (Cerambyx cerdo) and the Rhesus Capricorn Beetle (Dorcadion carinatum)?
The Great Capricorn Beetle and the Rhesus Capricorn Beetle are both insects in the Cerambyx family of longhorn beetles.
The Great Capricorn Beetle and the Rhesus Capricorn Beetle both have hard, protective wing cases, called elytra, that are reddish-brown at the tips.
The Great Capricorn Beetle is thinner than the Rhesus Capricorn Beetle.
What is the difference between the African Lion and the White Lion?
The White Lion (Panthera leo) is a feline, or felid, mammal – a wild cat. It is different from the African Lion (Panthera leo leo) and the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica), but it is more similar to the African Lion.
The White Lion is not albino. It is leucistic, which means that it has reduced colouring, but not complete albinism. An animal that is albino lacks colour and has pink eyes. A leucistic animal does not have pink eyes.
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What is the difference between an African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) and an Asian Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)?
The African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo is not related to the Asian Water Buffalo.
The African Buffalo has an almost black coat, whereas the Asian Water Bufffalo has a blue-grey coat.
The African Buffalo has larger horns than the Asian Water Buffalo.
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What is the difference between the Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird-Eating Tarantula (Lasiodora parahybana) and the Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula (Brachypelma smithii).
The Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird-Eating Tarantula and the Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula are both ground-dwelling arachnids with an exoskeleton. The male of each species has a shell on its back, called a carapace.
The male Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird-Eating Tarantula has a black carapace and the male Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula has a yellowish-brown carapace.
The Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird-Eating Tarantula has pink-red hairs along its legs and abdomen, whereas the Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula has three dark reddish-orange coloured rings on its legs.
What are the similarities between the Burmese Python and the Rock Python?
The Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) and the Rock Python (Python sebae) are both non-venomous constrictor snakes (they squeeze their prey to death).
The Burmese Python and the Rock Python are both oviparous (egg-laying) reptiles.
The Burmese Python and the Rock Python are both dark-coloured with brown markings on their back.
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What are the similarities between the Jungle Carpet Python and the Northwestern Carpet Python?
The Jungle Carpet Python (Morelia spilota cheynei) and the Northwestern Carpet Python (Moelia spilota variegata) are both non-venomous constrictor snakes (they squeeze their prey to death).
The Jungle Carpet Python and the Northwestern Carpet Python are both oviparous (egg-laying) reptiles.
What are the similarities between the Bush Stone-Curlew (Burhinus grallarius) and the Eurasian Stone-Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)?
The Bush Stone-Curlew and the Eurasian Stone-Curlew are also called the Thick-Knee. They are both related to the Bustard.
The Bush Stone-Curlew and the Eurasian Stone-Curlew are both ground-dwelling, nocturnal birds.
What is the difference between the African Pygmy Goose and the Green Pygmy Goose?
The African Pygmy Goose (Nettapus auritus) and the Green Pygmy Goose (Nettapus pulchellus) are both perching ducks, because they have the feet and body of a duck, but the beak of a goose.
The African Pygmy Goose is from sub-Saharan Africa and the Green Pygmy Goose is from northern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The African Pygmy Goose has a white face with black eye patches and light green ear patches. The Green Pygmy Goose has white cheeks.
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What is the difference between a clam, a cockle, a mussel, and a scallop?
The clam, cockle, mussel, scallop, and even the oyster, are all marine bivalve molluscs. Bivalve means two valves.
They all have a shell structure, called a mantle, with two valves (two halves) and a ligament hinge with two adductor muscles that enable them to open and close.
All bivalves have light-sensitive cells that can detect light and motion, even though most do not have eyes. Giant clams have simple eyes on the edge of the mantle. Scallops have more complex eyes on the edge of the mantle – they have 10-100 eyes that each have a lens, a two-layered retina, and a concave mirror.
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What is the difference between a Burmese Python and an albino Burmese Python?
A Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) has dark-brown and light-brown patterned scales and brown or hazel eyes.
An albino Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) is a yellow-white variegated python with pink eyes.
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What is the difference between the Asian Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea), the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), and the Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)?
The Asian Golden Eagle, the Eastern Imperial Eagle, and the Steppe Eagle are all large birds of prey, raptors, and accipiters from the Northern Hemisphere.
The Asian Golden Eagle, the Eastern Imperial Eagle, and the Steppe Eagle all have a dark-grey or black-tipped sharply down-turned beak with a yellow cere (the hard substance at the top of the beak).
The difference between them is mainly due to size, colour, and flight.
What is the difference between a skate (Raja undulata) and a ray (Dasyatis)?
Both the skate (an undulate ray) and the ray are marine (saltwater) cartilaginous fish related to the shark. Not all rays are stingrays.
Both the skate and the ray have flat, boneless bodies. Instead of bone, they have cartilage (the human nose and ears are made of cartilage).
Both the skate and the ray glide through the water.
The skate has an almost-rounded body, whereas the ray is usually diamond-shaped or kite-shaped.
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What is the difference between an African Lion and an Asiatic Lion?
The African Lion (Panthera leo leo) and the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) are both predatory mammals.
The African Lion is native to sub-Saharan Africa and the Asiatic Lion is native only to the Gir Forest in Gujarat in India.
The African Lion is bigger and heavier than the Asiatic Lion.
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What is the difference between the African hornbills: Grey Hornbill, Red-Billed Hornbill, and Von der Decken’s Hornbill?
The Grey Hornbill (Tockus nasutus), the Red-Billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus), and the Von der Decken’s Hornbill (Tockus deckeni) are all large African birds with a large downward curved beak.
The Grey Hornbill and the Red-Billed Hornbill are grey-brown, with black regions, whereas the Von der Decken’s Hornbill is black and white.
The male Grey Hornbill has a black beak with a cream patch on its maxilla (upper beak), and narrow pale lines on its mandible (bottom beak). The female Grey Hornbill has a large black beak with a dark red beak tip, with half of the maxilla (upper beak) a cream-yellow colour.
The Red-Billed Hornbill has an all-red beak. The male Von der Decken’s Hornbill has a large downward curved two-toned red and ivory-cream beak with a black tip. The female Von der Decken’s Hornbill has a large all-black beak.
Why do nocturnal and diurnal snakes have different eyes? Nocturnal snakes are active at night. Diurnal snakes are active during the day.
Snakes that are mainly nocturnal have eyes with vertical pupils (like the eyes of a cat). This includes the Puff Adder.
Snakes that are mostly diurnal have eyes with round pupils (like the eyes of a human). Many snakes are diurnal.
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What is the difference between an African Elephant and an Asian Elephant?
The African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) are both land mammals.
The African Elephant has larger ears than the Asian Elephant.
The African Elephant has ears shaped like the continent of Africa; the Asian Elephant has ears shaped like the country of India.
The African Elephant has no frontal hump on its head; the Asian Elephant has a frontal hump on its head.
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What is the difference between the Black Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina ceciliae) and the Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum)?
The Black Crowned Crane has a black neck, and the Grey Crowned Crane has a soft slate-grey neck.
The Black Crowned Crane has pinkish-white cheeks, and the Grey Crowned Crane has white cheeks.
The Black Crowned Crane has a pink throat pouch, and the Grey Crowned Crane has a red throat pouch.
What is the difference between the Lesser Kudu and the Greater Kudu?
The Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis)and the Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) are both African antelopes.
The Lesser Kudu and the Greater Kudu are both ungulate mammals (they have hoofed feet).
The Lesser Kudu has no beard or fringe. The Greater Kudu has a beard along its throat or a white fringe.
The Lesser Kudu has more white stripes on its body than the Greater Kudu.
The Lesser Kudo has up to 14 vertical white stripes on its body. The Greater Kudu has 6-10 vertical white stripes on its body.
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