Tiger

The tiger , or Panthera Tigris if you use its scientific name, has five different species in the world. Those species are the Siberian, South China, Bengal, Indochinese, and Sumatran.

All wild tigers live in Asia, and thier habitat consistis of thick forest or areas with tall grassed to hide in for cahtching prey. Tigers are carnivorious (that means they eat meat) animals and hunt for prey.

Depending on the species, the head-body lenghth of a tiger can range from 4 1/2 feet to 9 feet long. The tail itself can measure up to 3-4 feet. Tigers are heavy creatures, and depending on the tiger, Some can weigh up to 500 pounds (225kg)! Tigers live an average life span of about 10 to 15 years in the wild. Tigers are usually solitary animals, but when they are in a group they are called a streak.

Lion

Lions are large carnivorious animals that live in Africa and India. Unlike the tiger, the lion is a social cat that live in a group called a pride. Lions live in lightly wooded country with rich grasslands. The scientific name for the lion is Panthera Leo.

Lions live in territories that they mark with their own scent. The lion's pride usually consists of twelve related female lions and their cubs, and up to six males.

The adult male lion can grow up to 9 feet in lenth including the 3 foot tail. the male lion can weigh between 330-550 pounds. the females are a little lighter weighing between 260-400 pounds. The male lion is the only one that can grow a mane. Lions are fast animlas, they can reach speeds up to 35 miles per/hour or faster! They can be very loud as well, sometimes their roar can be heard up to 3 miles away.

Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus comes from the Greek word meaning "river horse" even though it is more related to the hog than the horse. The hippos live Central, Southern, and Western Africa.

Hippos prefer habitats of rivers with marshes of reeds and grasslands. They are herbivores (That means they only eat plants) that feed mostly at night on grass and water plants.

Hippopotamuses stand about 5 feet tall and weigh 3 to 5 tons. Their ears, eyes, and nostrils are on top of their heads. They can see, hear, and breathe when most of their body is under water. A hippo can stay under water for as much as 5 minutes at a time.

The hippo has dark skin and is hairless. The skin is 1 1/2 inches thick and sometimes secretes an oily pinkish-red liquid. This liquid may be used to keep the skin from drying out, and to keep bacteria off the hippo.

Giraffe

The tallest living animal, the giraffe, is a ruminant (that means cud chewing) mammal, with only two species both found in Africa. In Arabic giraffe means "graceful, swift walker."

Giraffes are found in Southern Etheopia, Northern Kenya, and surrounding regions on flat grassy savannahs. There are only two species, the ordinary giraffe (the Giraffa camelopardis) and the reticulated giraffe, (Giraffa reticulata) but there are several subspecies.

Giraffes can grow to be any where from 18 to 20 feet tall, and they can weigh between 1000 to 2000 pounds. Giraffes have very long tounges for reaching and grasping leaves off of tall trees. The tounge can measure 18 inches in length. They like to eat tree leaves, tree and shrub shoots, and flowers.

Rhinoceros

There are five different species of rhinoceroses in the world. There are two African, and three Asian. The African species include the White and Black Rhinos, and the Asian species are the India, Javan, and Sumatran.

The word rhinoceros means "horn-nosed". They use their horns for more than one purpose. They use the horn to shovel the ground for salt, to fight other rhino's, or defend themselves against a preditor. The different species have different a number of horns. The African White and Balck Rhinos and the Asian Sumatran all have two horns, but the Asian India and Javan only have one horn.

Rhinos grow to be very large animals. Some species of Rhinos can become as tall as 6 feet, and weigh between 6 to 8 thousand pounds. Their horns can reach a length of 4 feet. Rhions are also herbivores who like to eat grasses and shrubs.

The number of Rhino left in the world are few. There are less than 100 Javan Rhinos left, and very few Sumatran Rhions remain. Now, the Black Rhinos live only on game reserves.