Zebra

Have you ever wondered if zebras are black with white stripes, or white with black stripes? Well, the answer is that they are both! What is interesting is that each zebra has a unique stripe pattern. That means that no two look exactly the same.

Zebras are mammals, and members of the horse horse family.  Like wild horses, zebras live in herds which are groups of mammals with hooves.  Because they live in herds, they are very social and work together like a big family.  When the herd senses danger is approaching,  the zebras all run together to try to find safety. They might have stripes to confuse their preditors. A herd of Zebras live together all there life, and sometimes work with other herds.

Zebras are pray to lions, cheetahs, and other carnivores. Zebras sometimes have have plans if they are attacked by a predator.

Zebras’ teeth grow all their life because they graze all day long and wear them down.

 

Giraffe

This post is for Victoria who loves animals, especially giraffes.

Giraffe couple in love
© Martinan – Fotolia.com

Did you know that the giraffe is the tallest animal in the world? They can grow up to 18 feet high! Their long legs and neck help them eat leaves from tall trees. Their favorite food is the thorny leaves of an acacia tree.

The predators giraffes have to look out for the most are lions. If a giraffe senses danger he or she sends a signal to the rest of the herd. Then they all take off running at up to 35 miles per hour! If a lion tries to catch a baby giraffe, and the mom sees this, she will get ready for a fight with the lion! Her strong legs could kick and kill a lion. When they are fully grown, most lions won’t mess with giraffes.

Coyote

This is for my friend’s mom, Miss Shari.

Coyote howling in winter..Photographed in Northern Minnesota
© outdoorsman – Fotolia.com

Did you know that coyotes live all over the United States? This might be really hard to believe but coyotes even live in big cities like Los Angeles and Dallas, Texas.

Coyotes can have up to twelve pups. Coyote pups are born in spring, and when their mom thinks they’re ready, they come out of their den to play and learn. To teach their pups to hunt, a mother coyote catches a mouse very carefully, then she lets the pups chase after them until they catch one.

Coyotes are very good tricksters.  Sometimes they jump around like goofs while birds watch. Then his or her partner will catch them for diner.  That’s a good hunting trick.

In the hills by my house, where my family and I like to run and hike, there are a lot of coyotes. My school’s mascot is even a coyote.

Capybara

This is for Rilee, who loves Capybaras!

Capybaras have  very sharp teeth . They are the biggest members of the rodent family.  They love to swim, unlike other rodents. When they sense fear, sometimes they dive under water. They can stay underwater for 5 minutes! Can you imagine that?  They can even sleep underwater with just their noses poking out.

Capybara means “Master of all grasses.”  That is a good name because they eat a lot of grass and live in grasslands.