Neofelis nebulosa

Clouded Leopard

The clouded leopard gets its name from the cloudlike markings on its coat. The hunting of this big cat for its magnificent pelt is one of several threats to its survival. The clouded leopard is not actually a leopard at all. In fact, the species is sufficiently distinct to be classified all by itself. The skull and teeth of the clouded leopard are similar to those of big cats such as lions and tigers. However, it is unable to roar [Read more]

OrangUtan

Pongo pygmaeus

Orang utan means “man of the forest” in the Malay language. Once numbering hundreds ofa thousands, the orang Utan population has declined sharply in recent years because of loss of habitat and capture for the pet trade.The orang utan holds two animal records: It is the world’s largest tree dwelling mammal, and it is the only great ape that lives in Asia. Living in the trees of the tropical rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra, [Read more]

American Bison

Bison bison

Formerly America’s most abundant large mammal and integral to the culture of native Americans, the bison was hunted to the brink of extinction during the development of North America. It is now numerous once more, and large herds live in protected areas and on ranches. Plodding across the plains, bison look like pretty solid, sedate animals. However, they can swim, run fast-up to 30 mph (50 km/h)-and even jump over 3 feet (90 cm) into the air! They live in [Read more]

African Elephant

Loxodonta africana

The African elephant is the largest land mammal on earth. It is a remarkable creature, not only because of its size and bulk, but also because of its intelligence, memory, and behavior. The statistics surrounding the African elephant are as impressive as the animal itself: It is the world’s largest land mammal and has the longest gestation of any animal (660 days-nearly two years). An adult elephant can drink between 15 and 20 gallons (70 and 90 I) of water a day and eat [Read more]

Proboscis Monkey

 

Nasalis larvatus

The proboscis monkey was once fortunate enough to live in one of the world’s most inaccessible and undisturbed areas. Today, despite government protection, the species is endangered because of destruction of its mangrove forest habitat. Until quite recently the extraordinary-looking proboscis monkey was relatively common on its native island of Borneo. Even while other native primates-such as the orang utan were suffering dramatic population declines, the proboscis monkey appeared to be holding its own. The main [Read more]

Western Lowland Gorilla

Gorilla

The forest-dwelling western lowland gorilla is a gentle giant. It has suffered from generations of hunting, kidnapping, and habitat destruction, and its numbers are still in decline. The western lowland gorilla, in common with other gorillas, shares 98 percent of its genes with humans. Most people now realize that gorillas are peaceful creatures. Despite their huge size, they rarely act aggressively toward people. There are three subspecies of gorilla: the mountain gorilla and the eastern and western lowland gorillas. [Read more]

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