Posting 3

Fascinating animals

Koala
Koalas are marsupials, which are related to kangaroos. Mother koalas have pouches where their tiny newborns develop. The baby koalas are born blind and they use their smell and touch to tell which direction to head. The male koalas are larger than the female koalas and southern koalas weigh more than northern koalas. Koalas live mainly on trees and occasionally go to the ground for shade. Mature male koalas rub the brown scent glands found on the center of their white chests to mark their territory. The koala habitats are close to being destroyed and many people are trying to save them.

Chameleons
Chameleons are squamates that belong to one of the best-known lizard families. They have four legs and have five toes on each foot, of which are fused into groups of two or three, allowing them to grip tightly to narrow branches. They also have very long tongues which are capable of rapidly extending out of their mouths. Their upper eyelids and lower eyelids are joined, allowing only a small hole for them to see through. Their eyes can also observe two different objects at the same time. This helps it to catch its prey easily.

Wolves
Wolves communicate to other animals through howling, whimpering, whining, growling, barking, yelping and snarling. They live in groups called packs and work together to hunt, raise their young and protect their territory. They use urine to mark their territory so that the other wolves know that they are intruding. Wolves usually weigh from 32kg to 62kg. They also have two layers of coats to keep them warm and protect them from injuries.

Polar Bear
The polar bear is the world’s largest land carnivore and it has a white coat, which camouflages it in the Arctic. It has a short tail and small ears to help it reduce heat loss and it is adapted for life on combination of land, sea and ice. It feeds mainly on seals, young walruses and whales, although it will eat anything it can kill. They are very aggressive and are a threat to humans. Lastly, they are at a high risk of extinction due to global warming.

Cobra
The cobra is a venomous snake which inhabits tropical and desert regions of Asia and Africa. It has a hood on its neck which can flatten outwards in a threat display. Most cobras are quite large and are the prey of the mongoose, honey badger and some raptors. It has a deadly bite and only attacks humans if provoked or in other extreme circumstances which threaten its survival.