Armadillos....The Little Armoured Animals

Can you imagine an animal covered in armour from head to toe, like a great warrior? If not then you must meet the amazing armadillo. The 'armadillo' is a Spanish word meaning  'little armoured animal'. Thus the very name clarifies its most important characteristic.
Armadillos are round and short legged creatures about the size of a small dog. 


They have strong claws, and their bodies are covered with armour. This armour is made of hard plates like scales connected by stretchable bands. If they did not have the ability to stretch, the armadillo would have great difficulty moving around.

The armour helps protect the armadillo from its enemies. But its main job is to protect the armadillo from being cut and scratched by thorns and cactuses abundant in its habitat.

A group of armadillo in their natural habitat

Central and South America are home to many kinds of armadillo. There you'll find the pichi armadillo, Burmeister;s armadillo, and the pink fairy armadillo. you'll also find the giant armadillo, which is nearly 1.5 metres long. One species, the nine-banded armadillo, is found in Texas and several other U.S. States.

Armadillos can't see very well and are almost toothless. They hunt mostly at night and eat insects and worms, soft roots and fruits, and occasionally dead animals.

When enemies appear, the armadillo usually runs away into the tough undergrowth, where its predators can't follow. Sometimes the armadillo will jump straight into the air to scare its enemies. 
As a last resort it will roll itself up into a hard ball.

You may not believe it, but armadillos are very good swimmers. They stay afloat by swallowing a lot of air. In fact, under all that armour, armadillos are full of surprises!

King Cobra.... The Reptile Royalty

The king cobra is the world's largest venomous snake Thats why people name it as the King of reptiles. Its venom is so strong and powerful that huge African elephants have been reported to die within three hours of a bite on the toe or trunk.

King cobras are found in olive-yellow to brownish black colours. Sometimes they have lighter stripes across the back. Like other cobras, the king cobra is best known for its unique 'threat display'. When you try to intrude with it or disturb it , it raises its head and flares its narrow, unmarked hood. This shows its yellow or red throat, which has also coloured bands or stripes across.

The king cobra is known to raise its head to a third of its full length. It also had the unique ability to move forward while keeping its head high upright. It is very curious by nature and often sits upright to see farther. Some people consider it as the most intelligent species of all snakes.

A fierce upright  cobra trying to take a far view around it

The king cobra hunts in forests, fields, and villages. It also loves to eat other snakes. According to the experts the king of reptiles normally does not like to bite or tangle with people.
People in Thailand love to keep it as a pet in their homes. It has been reported to act aggressively in captivity, especially towards the strangers. On the other hand  it recognizes its keeper very well and knows when it is mealtime. However, it can become dangerous during the mating season or when cornered or startled.

baby cobra just after being hatched

The female cobra builds a nest of leaves, soil and other forms of jungle litter for laying eggs. It is very expert in using the loop of her body as an arm. She pulls leaves, soil, and ground litter into a mound. In this nest she lays 20 to 40 eggs and then coils above or near the eggs for about two months and defends them     fiercely.

If you are eager to meet a king Cobra in its natural habitat, you may find one in parts of Asia from Southern China to the Philippines, Indonesia, and India.


Some more types of Snakes....

Chameleons.....The Coloured Lizards

Magical change of colour on a chameleon's skin

Chameleons belong to the family of lizards but they are unique enough because of the dramatic change of their skin colour. Many people believe that the chameleon has the ability to change its colour , whenever he wants, according to its surroundings. It is true that the colour of a chameleon's skin can change, but the fact is this change of colour is not as result of its own efforts or decision.  Its a totally involuntary act which happens automatically and chameleon does not need to play any active role to do so. The colour change is a form of camouflage, a disguise that lets something blend in with its surroundings. It helps the chameleon to avoid its enemies.

Baby chameleons as compared with human fingers

Chameleon's skin has colour-causing 'pigments that change under certain conditions. For instance, on a day when there is no bright sunlight, chameleons appear grey or green. Bright sunlight causes the skin to darken. On cool nights the colour fades to a creamy colour. The skin also changes colour when chameleons are excited, angry, or afraid.

There are many types of chameleon. About half of them are found only on the African island Madagascar. The others are found mostly south of Africa's Sahara desert, with another few in western Asia and southern Europe. The 'false chameleon', known as anole, is often sold in pet stores. This American lizard also changes colour, but not as dramatically as a true chameleon.

A beautiful blue chameleon

Chameleons live in trees and usually eat insects. They catch their prey with the help of their long and slender tongues. They shoot the tongue out, grab the prey on the sticky end, and then draw the it back into their mouth. Large chameleons also use their sticky tongues to catch birds.

Another unusual thing about chameleons is that each of their eyes can move independently of the other, so they can see in different directions at once. This makes it very hard to sneak up on a chameleon.

Some people are of the view  that the chameleon's eyes helped inspire the invention of the military turret. It is a revolving tower which  you can see today on the tops of tanks.

porcupines.... The Animal with Quills

cute baby porcupine on a tree

Porcupine is a small rodent like animal whose body is covered with long and sharp needle like quills.  Its name comes from the combination of two words meaning 'pig' and 'spines' which means a small pig like animal coved with spines or quills. 
Some of the porcupine's quills are attached in bunches while others are attached singly. Because of these quills the porcupines sometimes look very ferocious. They act as an important weapon to help it protect against enemies.

porcupice showing her quills to frighten an attacking tiger

 When threatened or faced with a challenging situation , a porcupine puffs out its quills. They easily come loose if touched and stick in an enemy's skin. They can cause injuries and painful wounds and may even kill if they make their way into vital organs or cause infection.

There are about as many as 25 species of porcupine, divided into Old World and New World porcupines.

an adult porcupine in the zoo cage

Old World porcupines include the crested porcupines of Africa, Asia and Europe. Long-tailed porcupines live in Asia. Brush-tailed porcupines are mainly common in Asia and Africa.

 Porcupines like to live in a variety of home made in tree branches and roots, hollow logs, burrows, and caves. Old World species like to stay on the ground mainly.
Baby porcupines have very soft quills when they're born, kind of like cooked spaghetti but they stiffen quickly after the baby is born.

mother porcupine carressing her baby

Porcupines are most active at night. They eat almost any part of the tree they can reach including the hard bark or stem. Some of the porcupines are extremely choosy for food i.e the North American porcupines prefer a tender layer beneath the bark. In trying to get at it, they may chew away the bark in a ring, which kills the tree. Porcupines sometimes gnaw antlers and wooden tools and handles of different things from the hand of a saucepan to the paddles of a boat. It likes to gnaw at it for the sake of salt and oil they contain.

Gorillas....The Fierce Looking Apes

A fierce looking adult gorrila

Gorillas, although, look ferocious but they are actually very quiet and shy animals. They live in large family groups in the thickest parts of jungles, away from the less dense parts where they are not likely to be disturbed. Each group contains of a few father gorillas, some females and a large number of kids

A large gorrila family group napping in its nest

At night, the father gorillas sleep on the ground while the mother and baby gorillas sleep in big nests of sticks and leaves. Sometimes they sleep in the lower branches of trees, where they are safe from prowling animals and other beasts.

Baby gorrila enjoying sun on the branch of a tree

If you were to go near a gorilla's territory, the male head of the group would try to protect his family. His first move would be to beat his chest, grunt, hoot, shout and roar to scare you away. Rather than confronting the intruder , it would hope to scare him away by such aggressive moves.


Gorrilla family unit with a fierce male member ahead



A gorilla's feet, hands, and wrinkled face are bare and black. Its arms are very long in comparison with its body and other most of other animals. They almost touch the ground, even when it is standing up. A gorilla's fur may be short or long, depending on where it lives. The short-haired gorillas are found in the hot and damp jungles of western Africa while the long-haired ones are found in the cooler regions of  high mountains in central Africa. There are not many gorillas of either kind left in the wild. Only a few of them are still found and those too in animal parks and man made sanctuaries.

Mother gorrilla cuddling her baby

Gorillas and chimpanzees are the closest living animal 'relatives' to humans. Along with the bonobos and the orang-utans, these animals make up the 'great apes'. Like the other great apes, gorillas are very clever and can solve problems. They have good memories, and some can even learn sign language. 

King and Queen of Beasts

Lion is the second largest animal from the cat family after tiger. Lions live in groups, called 'prides'. They can be found in jungles, rocky grasslands and desert areas. But except for African animal parks, there are few places left in the world where lions still roam freely. Wild lions are found only in Sub-Saharan region of Africa and in the Gir Forest National Park in north-western India. According to the scientists and experts until the last 10,000 years lion was the most widely populated mammal on earth  after human beings. A wide variety of them was found in almost every continent of earth. 

Each pride of lions is made up of a few lionesses of different ages (all related to each other), plus their cubs, and one or two adult male lions. Number of the members of a pride may vary from  as few as 4 to as many as 37, but about 15 to 20 is the usual number. Elderly lions live in separate groups normally away from other prides.

During the day lions lie in the shade or climb trees and rest on the branches. But they become very active at night. Because of this habit some people name them as the beasts of night.
As for the life span of a lion , wild animals may live from 11 to 14 years in the jungle but in captivity they may live up to 20 years. According to some reports male lions in the wild seldom cross the life span of 10 years as continuous struggle for survival and combats with other male lions of the pride affects their longevity severely.   
As compared to other cats, lion is a social animal thats why female lions hunt in herds. Another fact to show their immensely social behavior is that female lions, after killing their prey, leave it for the male lion to eat to his fill. After the male lions, its the turn of cubs to satisfy their appetite. Turn of the lionesses comes in the last. Some people compare this behavior to that of a women about her husband and kids. 
Like other cats, they can see well in dim light and like to hunt in the dark. Lions hunt grazing animals, such as zebras, antelopes, buffaloes, and gazelles. But when they are hungry, are cornered or in a challenge to protect their cubs , they don't hesitate to attack human beings, therefore, never try to confront a hungry lion.

Most lions that live near villages may carry away donkeys, goats, or even small cows. Imagine how strong a lion's teeth and neck have to be to lift a cow over a fence and run away.

A male lion is usually identified by the big and majestic fur collar around its neck called 'mane', and by the dark tuft of hair on its tail. Females are the same sandy colour as males, but they are a little smaller. Lion cubs have dark spots when they are born but with growing age these spots begin to disappear.

Lions are mostly considered to roar only, but they also growl, grunt, and cough. Sometimes they even purr like giant cats.

Their tongue is so rough that it could lick the skin off your body.
According to researchers it is quite safe to keep a lion's cubs as pet but when they grow up its better to send them to animal sanctuaries or zoos otherwise they may prove dangerous.
Interesting Facts about Lions:

• The roar of a male lion can be heard from a distance of, as much as, five miles.
• The largest lion till date was almost 11 feet long and weighed nearly 700 pounds.
• Lions do not eat an entire kill in most of the cases. Other predators, like hyenas and vultures, have been known to enjoy feast on the kill of a lion.