Sichuan Takin – a lot of bovine manure

The Sichuan Takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) is an ungulate bovine mammal native to Sichuan, Gansu and Xinjiang in China and the Himalaya Mountains. It is a goat-antelope related to goats and sheep. 

The Sichuan Takin is known to produce a lot of manure. Most bovines (cattle – such as cows and bulls) produce a lot of manure.

How much manure does the Sichuan Takin produce?

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CREATURE FEATURE: Dama Mhorr Gazelle

The Dama Mhorr Gazelle (Nanger dama mhorr) is a mammal in the Bovidae family of bovines, including gazelles and antelopes. It is also known as the Mhorr Gazelle, the Mohor Gazelle, and the Addra Gazelle. It is a sub-species of the Dama Gazelle (Nanger dama). It is extinct in the wild and was last seen in the wild in 1968, therefore it is a critically endangered species. It exists in breeding programs in zoos and reserves.  

The Dama Mhorr Gazelle is white below with a reddish-brown head and neck. It has a small head with a narrow muzzle (nose). It has large eyes. The male and the female have medium-length curved horns in the shape of an S. It has longer legs and a longer neck than other gazelles. It is an artiodactyl because it has cloven (split) hooves.

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Red-Necked Ostrich

The Red-Necked Ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus) is a large flightless bird in the Struthionidae family of ratites. It is also known as the North African Ostrich or the Barbary Ostrich. It is a sub-species of the Common Ostrich. It is related to the emu, rhea, cassowary, and kiwi. 

The male Red-Necked Ostrich is black with white tail feathers, a featherless red neck, and red thighs. The female and young male have grey feathers. It has the largest eyes of any land vertebrate. Its legs have no feathers. The Red-Necked Ostrich has two toes on each foot, whereas most birds have four toes and emus have three toes.  

It cannot fly because its feathers lack the tiny hooks that lock together to make external feathers smooth for flying. Its long legs and large wings makes it able to zigzag when it runs. 

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Purple Sea Urchin

The Purple Sea Urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) is a marine (saltwater) animal in the Parechinidae family of urchins. 

The Purple Sea Urchin is spherical with long, sharply-pointed purple spines. The spines can also be dark-brown, light-brown, or olive-green. It has 5-6 pairs of pores on each plate. It has tubed feet in groups of five or six in a small arc shape. It has a small mouth.

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What is the difference between the American Bison and the European Bison?

What is the difference between the American Bison (Bison bison) and the European Bison (Bison bonasus)? 

The American Bison and the European Bison are large ungulate (hoofed) mammals in the bovine (cattle) family.

The American Bison and the European Bison are artiodactyl, because they have cloven (split) hooves.

The American Bison has longer hair on its neck, head, and forequarters than the European Bison.

The American Bison has less hair on its tail than the European Bison.

The American Bison has shorter horns and tail than the European Bison. 

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Forest Sitatunga

The Forest Sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii gratus) is a medium-sized ungulate (hoofed) antelope mammal. It is also known as the Congo Sitatunga or Marshbuck. It is similar to the Waterbuck.

The Forest Sitatunga has orange-brown or rufous-red, shaggy fur with white spots. It has white facial markings. Its fur darkens with age, becoming grey to dark-brown. Only the male has horns. Its horns are spiral with one or two twists. The male also has a V-shaped stripe between its eyes. It has pointed, hoofed toes.

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What are the similarities and differences in the faces of the Kangaroo, Pademelon, Tree-Kangaroo, and Wallaby?

The Kangaroo, Pademelon, Tree-Kangaroo and Wallaby are all macropod (large-footed) marsupial (pouched) mammals.

The Kangaroo, Pademelon, and Wallaby have triangular-shaped faces with black noses, whereas the Tree-Kangaroo has a square-shaped face with a pink nose.

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Eastern Bongo

The Eastern Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) is a large, critically endangered ungulate (hoofed) mammal. It is a bovine antelope. It is also known as the Mountain Bongo.

The Eastern Bongo has reddish-brown fur, black and white markings, 10-15 white vertical stripes, and long, slightly-spiralled horns (they twist only once). Both the male and the female have hollow horns, but the male has longer horns. It has a white stripe between its eyes and two white spots on its cheeks. It has large ears. It has a black nose and white lips. 

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Chinese Goral

The Chinese Goral (Naemorhedus griseus) is an ungulate (hoofed) mammal. It is also known as the Grey Long-Tailed Goral. 

The Chinese Goral is a stocky animal that looks like a goat or an antelope. It has long legs with broad hooves and short horns. Its ears are long and pointed. It has short pale-grey to dark-brown or reddish-brown fur. It has a dark stripe along its back, with a pale throat and underparts. 

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CREATURE FEATURE: Lesser Kudu

The Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) is a medium-sized African antelope. It is an ungulate mammal (it has hoofed feet).

The Lesser Kudu is narrow-bodied with a small head and huge cupped ears. It has a distinct white patch on its upper and lower throat, with two white cheek spots and a chevron stripe from its eyes. It is blue-grey, darkening in colour with age. It has up to 14 vertical bright white stripes on its body. It has a short bushy tail, black-tipped with white underneath. On its legs are black garters (a stripe or line). Only males have horns.

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Greater Kudu

The Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) is an ungulate (hoofed) mammal in the Bovidae family of cattle and antelopes.

The Greater Kudu is narrow-bodied with a small head and huge cupped ears. It has a chevron stripe between its eyes, and two white cheek spots. It has a beard along its throat, usually only on males. Females may have a white fringe on her throat. It is sandy-brown to grey, darkening in colour with age. It has 6-10 vertical white stripes on its body. It has a short bushy tail, black-tipped with white underneath. On its legs are black garters (a stripe or line). Only the male has horns – the horns have two spirals.

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Carnivore Teeth and Herbivore Teeth

What’s the difference between the teeth of carnivores and the teeth of herbivores?

 

Carnivores – or carnivorous animals – eat the flesh (meat) of other animals.

Carnivores have specialized teeth for killing an animal and tearing its raw flesh. These long, sharp teeth are called canine teeth or carnassial teeth. Some carnassial teeth are so strong that they can cut through bone.

Carnivores also have powerful jaws, a short nose, a strong neck, and powerful legs. This is because carnivores need to actively hunt and catch their prey, so they must be fast and strong.

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Common Eland

The Common Eland (Taurotragus oryx) is also called the Southern Eland. It is a large antelope from eastern or southern Africa – the second largest antelope in the world (second to the Giant Eland).

The Common Eland has tan fur, with or without narrow white vertical stripes on its large body. It has small, round, narrow ears and a long, thin tail with a black tuft of hair at the end. It has a black stripe behind its front knees. The male has a dark mark on its face, a large dewlap on its throat (loose skin), and long, almost straight horns with one or two twists. The female has longer, thinner horns than the male.

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What’s the difference between giraffe manure and zebra manure?

What’s the difference between giraffe manure and zebra manure? Manure is also known as dung, poop, poo, or droppings.

Giraffes and zebras are both ungulate mammals.

Giraffes and zebras are both herbivores, because they both eat vegetation.

Specifically, giraffes are ruminant browsers, eating bushes, leaves, and branches of trees, whereas zebras are cecal grazers, eating mainly grass.

Giraffes have manure similar in texture to sheep manure, whereas zebra manure is similar in texture to horse manure.

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Grevy’s Zebra

The Grévy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi) is an ungulate (hoofed) mammal in the Equidae family of horses and zebras. It is also known as the Imperial Zebra. 

The Grévy’s Zebra is black and white striped, like the Common Zebra, with stripes all the way to its hooves, but it is taller and the stripes are narrower. It does not have stripes on its belly – its belly is white. It looks more like an ass or a mule, rather than a horse. It has a large head, with large ears. Its nose is pale grey to brown, and its lips have whiskers. Its mane is tall and stands up.

It is the largest of the wild equines. It can grow to 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) tall.

It is only found in the semi-arid grasslands of northern Kenya and Ethiopia.

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What’s the difference between Ostriches: Masai Ostrich and Somali Ostrich

The Masai Ostrich (Struthio camelus massaicus) is also called the Pink-Necked Ostrich or the East African Ostrich.

The Somali Ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes) is also called the Blue-Necked Ostrich.

The male Masai Ostrich has a featheless pink neck, pink thighs, and pink legs.

The male Somali Ostrich has a featherless blue neck, grey thighs, and grey legs.

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Somali Ostrich

The Somali Ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes) is a large bird in the Struthionidae family of ratites. It is also called the Blue-Necked Ostrich. It is a ratite, related to emus, rheas, cassowaries, kiwi, and the Masai Ostrich.

The male Somali Ostrich is a flightless black bird with white tail feathers, a featherless blue-grey neck and featherless grey thighs. The skin of the female’s neck and thighs is grey. The male’s neck and thighs become brighter in mating season. The female and young males have brown feathers. It has the largest eyes of any land vertebrate. The Somali Ostrich has two toes on each foot, whereas most birds have four toes and emus have three toes.

It cannot fly because its feathers lack the tiny hooks that lock together to make external feathers smooth for flying. Its long legs and large wings enable it to zigzag when it runs.

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