North American beaver

Beavers are large, heavily built animals with a broad, scaly, spatulate (horizontal flattened) tail. They are the largest of North American rodents, some attaining a weight of 32 kg or 70 Ibs.

There are only two species of beavers. The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is distributed through much of North America except the arctic tundra in the north, deserts regions of the southwest and the Florida Peninsula.

Its close relative, the European beaver lives in central Europe and Mongolia. Both modern beaver species, Eurasian and North American, are physically very similar making them hard to distinguish in the field.

The American beaver is the largest of the North American rodents measuring 30 cm tall up to a meter in length and weighing 15-35 kg. The fur of these semi-aquatic rodents is dark brown-chestnut on the back and sides and lighter on the chest and underside.

The tail is large, flat paddle-shaped, mostly hairless, and scaly and measures about 25 cm in length. When the beaver dives, its nostrils and ears are tightly closed to prevent water from entering. A see-through eyelid also closes to protect the eye so that the beaver can see underwater.
North American beaver

American bison

Bison are hoofed mammals that have curved horns and a dark brown, shaggy coat. They are distinguished by a shoulder hump. The scientific name for American bison is Bison bison.

The bison’s hump helps support its huge head. The hair on the hump and on the bison’s whole front end is two to five times thicker than the hair on the rear end. The bison also has sharp, curved horn.

Bison bison

Larger than cattle, bison have 14 pairs of ribs compared to the 13 that cattle have. Long before the first Europeans arrived in North America, American bison roamed the continent from Great Slave Lake in what is now Canada to what is now Mexico.

Bison measure about 11 and one-half feet in length. It stands about 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall at the shoulder. It may weigh about 900 kgs. The females are smaller.

American bison prefer grasslands and open prairies. Today the American bison is found mainly in protected areas such as national parks.

They are herbivores. Herbivores are animals that eat plants. Bison eat mostly prairie grasses and plants.
American bison

The wombats

Wombats are ancient animals. Marsupials – the pouched mammals, of which the wombat is one – evolved about 100 million years ago, but the Australian fossil record is woefully sparse.

Wombats are grazing animals and are among the world’s largest burrowers. All wombats live in burrows underground. They use their strong limbs to dig into and sweep away soil. To enlarge a tunnel, a wombat rolls onto its back and scratches at the walls.

The wombat has a chunky physique, short legs and a generally uncouth and frowsy look. They have large flat heads with small eyes.

Southern hairy-nosed wombat 

The average wombat is about a yard long from the tip of his nose to his vestigial tail.

The average weight of mainland wombats is about 26 kilograms, but weights of 35 kilograms are not uncommon.

Tasmanian wombats are slightly smaller. Tasmanian wombats have tough hides and thick, coarse hair. They lead extremely boresome lives.

Three wombat species belong to the family Vombatidae:
*The southern hairy-nosed wombats
*The northern hairy-nosed wombats
*The common wombats
The wombats

Genet (Viverra genetta)

The common Genet, G. vulgaris – Viverra genetta of Linnaeus is a beautiful reddish gray spotted with small black or brown patches, which are sometimes round and sometimes oblong.

The tail which is as long as the body is ringed with black and white, the black rings being to the number or nine or eleven.

They are attractive, cat-like animals with long and slender bodies, about 20 inches  in length, and weigh about 6 pounds. Genets are agile climbers, using their short, curved, retractile claws to traverse branches upside down and descend trees headfirst.

This animal also purrs, hisses and arches it back like a cat.  Genets jump well, have a slinking walk, trot and run in a diagonal stride and jump-run with body alternately flexing and extending.

This animal is found both in a wild and domestic state in the south of Europe and thence southward through Africa to the Cape of Good Hope.

The large spotted genet lives in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the arid south western zone.
Genet (Viverra genetta)

Moose (Eurasian elk)

Moose are the largest members of the deer family, a group that also includes caribou, elk and white tailed deer.  But unlike the other deer species, moose are usually solitary animals, preferring to live alone. They are also one of the largest land mammals in North America.

Moose love in the United States and Canada. They also live in parts of northern Europe and Asia, where they are called elk.

A moose makes its ho0me in and near the forests, swamps and bodies of water found in these regions. Moose habitat has to heave leafy trees and freshwater. It also has to have cold weather.

Moose have large bodies and heads. They are more than 6 feet tall. They have lumps on their shoulders. Their legs are long and thin. Moose’s front legs are longer than their back legs. In winter, a moose’s long legs help it move though deep snow. Moose can even run in deep snow.

A moose can weigh from 600 to 1800 pounds. Just one moose could weigh more than 20 children. Despite its huge size and weight, the moose is very agile.
Moose (Eurasian elk)