Our Favourite Animals

	Cats by James
	Cats can come in one colour or mixed. Their mother must carry kittens for 3 weeks until they can walk on their own. Cats can live up to 14 years of age. Cats can also see and hear much better than us. Their teeth can get really strong and they can jump higher as well . Cats have claws for safety when being attacked by bigger animals like the dog. But sometimes they can be good friends like my cat and dog. Some cats don't kill fish they only drink the water.

	Lizards by Conor
	Lizards are the largest living group of reptiles. The lizard family is made up of more than 3,000 species. They make up 57% of the world's reptiles. Lizards have claws, lungs and a tough outer skin. Like all reptiles, they do not adjust their own body temperature. They assume the temperature of their environment and cannot live in extreme cold or heat. A typical lizard is four-legged, short-bodied, and long-tailed. All lizards shed their scaly skins, they may do this several times a year. Their skin may come off in patches, but some lizards shed it in one piece, as a snake does. The Komodo monitor, is the largest lizard and the Gecko, is the smallest.

	The Centipede by David
	The Centipede is 25.4mm long, which is about three lines of a copy book page. It is a reddish-brown colour. The first pair of legs is modified into poisonous jaws located below the mouth to kill insects. Their antennae are longer than those of millipedes. Centipedes live in damp basements in the autumn. Centipedes feed on live insects and other small animals. They feed on insects such as cockroachs,clothes moths and house flies. Centipedes sometimes live up to six years.

	Dung beetles by Rebecca
	The dung beetles lays it larvae in elephant droppings. They dig down into it to lay their larvae. The larvae is the beetles eggs. They eat their way out. The beetles have chewing jaws called mandibles. Some beetles are only about 0.025 cm long and goliath beetles may reach lengths of 10 to 15 cm.

	Koala Bears by Naomi
	Koalas are about 2 foot long. The koalas may weigh 30 pounds. Koalas feed off the eucalyptus trees which are found in Australia. They drink the alcohol out of the eucalyptus tree for an hour. They are drunk so they go to sleep. Koalas only stay awake for an hour and they sleep for 23 hours a day. Koalas could be a pet for anyone who could supply them with the right kind of food. Koalas have nice soft fur. Koalas have sharp claws to grab onto trees. There are around 50,000 koalas still alive.

	Rabbits by Jenny
	A little grey thing came out of the grass So I let him pass He sat close where I could see His big still eyes looking at me

	Elephant by Megan
	Elephants are beautiful animals. They are the biggest land animal in the world. They are about 10 or 11 feet high and weigh up to 5 or6 tons. Elephants are full of wrinkles and elephants can be hunted for their tusks. They have huge ears. Elephants have a long and flexible trunk. They really like peanuts. Elephants are really, really strong and they could kill you in seconds but they are very friendly animals. Most animals would be afraid of elephants because they are so big but they would not hurt them only if you annoy them. Elephants are highly intelligent and adaptable. Elephants were used and still are used as work animals. They have a good memory so they seldom forget a trick or command once they learn it. In ancient times elephants were often used in battles. Today they are very popular in zoos or at the circus.

	Dolphins by Sara
	A calf weighs up to 13,200 pounds. A calf measures between 12 and 18 feet at birth. The dolphins' cousins are porpoises. Dolphins eat fish and squid. Dolphins eat 15 to 20 pounds a day. A calf is born tail first and then surfaces for air. When dolphins are playing they sometimes leap out of the water. There are different types of dolphins. There is the striped dolphin and the bottle nosed dolphin. Dolphins often swim in groups called schools.

	Snakes by Julie
	Snakes are long and skinny and they have no legs. Snakes are reptiles like crocodiles, lizards, alligators and turtles. All reptiles are cold blooded which means they have no control over their body heat. Scientists think that there is between 3,000 and 3,500 types of snakes. Most snakes are not venomous. Snakes have no ears so they taste the scent with their tongues. Some snakes have heat pits on the sides of their face which can detect animals up to 50 feet away. Some snakes will eat other snakes. Snakes have no teeth so they swallow their food whole. I think snakes are cool and that's why I picked snakes.

	Leopard by Aisling
	The leopard is the largest cat. They live in Africa as far north as the Sahara and live in Asia from Turkey to Korea and Java. Leopards are graceful, alert and cunning. Their average height is 70 centimetres at the shoulder and 2.5 meters long. A big male may measure almost 2.8 metres from the nose to tail and they weigh 35 kilograms. They have a light tan with dark black spots. Black leopards look like black panthers. When a leopard kills his prey it goes up on a tree and stores his prey until he is hungry. The female weighs about 35 kilograms and they give birth to two, three, or four in a litter.

	Grizzly Bear by Aoife R
	The grizzly bear is a large, powerful bear found in Alaska and western Canada. Small bears are called cubs and adult bears measure from 1.8 metres to 2.5 metres long. They feed on fish, berries, leaves and roots. During winter they live in dens. Bears sleep during much of the winter, but they do not really hibernate. Bears are very good climbers. With their sharp claws the cubs soon learn to climb for fun and exercise. The cubs stay with the mother for about two years. Bears also love honey and their thick fur protects them from the angry bees. Bears are excellent swimmers. They are able to stand on their back legs to check their surroundings. Other species: The Sun Bear is the smallest bear and lives in Asia. The Spectacled Bearlooks as if it is wearing glasses and is the only bear that lives in South America. Sloth Bears live in India and Sri Lanka. They move very slowly and are also called Honey Bears because they are fond of honey.

	Lion by Amanda
	The Lion is the king of the jungle because of its strength and fierceness. The Lion has a thick shaggy mane. The Lioness does not. It is one of the largest members of the cat family. About 200 Asiatic Lions still survive in the grassland and woodland of India. A full grown male lion; standing just over 3 feet high and weighing about 500 pounds from it's nose to the top of it's tail. Today the Lion is generally thought of as an African animal.

	Fox by Emer
	The fox lives in a family group. A cub does not open its eyes till nine days after it is born. The bat eared fox has large ears. It lives in parts of Africa. The grey fox is the only member of the dog family that can climb trees.

	Monkey by Aaron
	There are about 200 species of monkeys. One of the most common is called chimpanzee and a not so common one is called proboscis monkey, which has a big nose .The smallest species, the pygmy marmoset, measures only about 15 centimetres long , not including the tail. The mandrill, one of the largest species, may grow as long as 80 centimetres, not including the tail.

	Falcon by Neil
	The falcon is a hunting bird found throughout the world except in arctic regions. They are short-necked with long, pointed wings. The peregrine falcon can reach speeds of up to 320kms an hour. It is about 50 centimetres long. Peregrine falcons live along cliffs near seacoasts, rivers and lakes or in mountains. They are becoming fairly rare. They feed on insects, birds and rodents. Also they were once trained to hunt game birds for man.

	Dog by Thomas
	Rottweiler is a muscular dog with short coarse black hair. It has markings on the head, chest and legs. Most male are larger than the females.

	Cheetah by Kevin
	The Cheetah is a large, wild cat mostly found on grassy plains of Africa. Cheetahs are the fastest animals for running short distances. Cheetahs can run at a top speed of about 110 kilometres per hour. The Cheetah uses its great speed to run down its prey after stalking closely. Cheetahs prefer small prey and usually hunt by day. The Cheetah has a slender body and extremely long legs. An adult stands about 1 metre high and weighs slightly more than 45 kilograms. Its tail measures about half a metre. The Cheetah has a brownish-yellow coat with black spots, except for the throat and under parts, which are white. Unlike other cats it cannot completely retract its claws.

	Hedgehog by Harriet
	Facts: An normal hedgehog is about 7 to 10 inches long The hedgehog hunts for food at night And during winter you will never find a hedgehog as they hibernate in their burrows You will find their burrows dug under a stump or in a bank They eat snails insects and other small animals
	Why I like Hedgehogs: I picked to write about hedgehogs because I think they are cool. They can eat a snake and if they are under attack they roll up in a ball with their spines and do not hurt themselves.

	Mink by Karl
	Mink is a small mammal with a slender body and short legs. Mink weigh from about 0.5 to 1kilogram. They range in length from about 50 to 65 centimetres not including their bushy tail. Wild mink have brown fur. But mink raised in captivity have been bred to have blue black and white coats. Their coats are used to make coats, hats and capes.

	Pigeon by Gabriella
	Tame pigeons come in many colours, but most are the same shape as their wild cousins, the rock doves. They are powerful fliers. Sometimes they make their nest in rocky hills.

	Whale by Ciara
	Whales are one of the biggest mammals in the world. They can live up to be 90 years old. They can be 30 metres long. They can be found in groups or on their own. Females give birth to their young under water with the help of other females.

	Kangaroo by Aoife C
	Kangaroos have pouches in which to carry her young in. Kangaroos usually give birth to one young. The pouch means that there is a warm place for the joey to sleep. When a joey is born it is about an inch long and totally dependent. For the next 6 months the joey will stay in his mother's pouch. When the joey is fully grown it can feed on grass, but if an intruder pops up he will scurry back into the pouch! Kangaroos are usually about 5 metres in height. The kangaroo with it's strong back feet can kill a dog and seriously injure a man. Old male kangaroos can weigh 200 pounds. The kangaroo family includes 50 different species. They include huge red kangaroo to the tiny 60cm potoroo.

	Butterfly by Hayley
	A caterpillar eats about 80 times his own body weight a day. It does this to prepare itself for when it will go into the chrysalis. A chrysalis is a cocoon, which the caterpillar goes inside when it reaches a certain point in its life. When this time comes the caterpillar turns into goo and melts. Its DNA changes and after twenty-four hours the caterpillar reforms, has a different DNA and is a butterfly. The butterfly stays on a branch for a while to dry off and then flies away. If you touch butterflies wings something like dust comes off on your fingers. This is made up of tiny scales. The scales grow on the butterfly to give their wings colour and patterns. They have many different scales to hold different colours and patterns. It holds colours like red, orange, yellow, brown, blue and black but struggles to hold the colour green. Most of their scales catch the sunlight and this separates the colours.

	Tiger by Orla
	The wild tigers are only found in Asia . The young tigers are born from 100 to 112 days after the parents are mated. Their cubs weigh about 2 or 3 pound at birth. When they are 6 or 8 weeks the cubs begin to go on hunting trips with their mothers. In the zoos they can live up to 20 years. The Siberian tigers are the biggest tigers of all the big cats and weigh up to 650 pounds and maybe 11 to 13 feet long from his nose to the tip of his tail. Tigers' fur is long and thick. Like all cats tigers have sharp claws and teeth and what they have for dinner are deer, pigs, cattle and some other small animals and they live in jungles and forest and they are good swimmers. Tigers hunt alone day and night.