Sloth

Sloth
The living sloths comprise six species of medium-sized mammals that live in Central and South America belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, part of the order Pilosa. The sloth's taxonomic suborder is Folivora, while some call it Phyllophaga. Both names mean "leaf-eaters"; the first is derived from Latin, the second from ancient Greek. Tribal names include Ritto, Rit and Ridette, mostly forms of the word "sleep", "eat" and "dirty" from Tagaeri tribe of Huaorani.
All sloths are built for life in the treetops. They spend nearly all of their time aloft, hanging from branches with a powerful grip aided by their long claws. (Dead sloths have been known to retain their grip and remain suspended from a branch.) Sloths even sleep in trees, and they sleep a lot—some 15 to 20 hours every day. Even when awake they often remain motionless. At night they eat leaves, shoots, and fruit from the trees and get almost all of their water from juicy plants.
Sloths mate and give birth while hanging in the trees. Three-toed sloth babies are often seen clinging to their mothers—they travel by hanging on to them for the first nine months of their lives.

On land, sloths' weak hind legs provide no power and their long claws are a hindrance. They must dig into the earth with their front claws and use their strong front legs to pull themselves along, dragging their bellies across the ground. If caught on land, these animals have no chance to evade predators, such as big cats, and must try to defend themselves by clawing and biting.

Though they couldn't be clumsier on land, sloths are surprisingly good swimmers. They sometimes fall directly from rain forest trees into rivers and stroke efficiently with their long arms.

The three-toed sloth emits a long, high-pitched call that echoes through the forests as "ahh-eeee." Because of this cry these sloths are sometimes called ais (pronounced "eyes").

Three-toed sloths also have an advantage that few other mammals possess: They have extra neck vertebrae that allows them to turn their heads some 270 degrees.

Deer

deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related families within the order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates) are often also called deer. Male deer of all species (except the Chinese water deer) grow and shed new antlers each year – in this they differ from permanently horned animals such as antelope – these are in the same order as deer and may bear a superficial resemblance. The Musk deer of Asia and Water Chevrotain (or Mouse Deer) of tropical African and Asian forests are not true deer and form their own families, Moschidae and Tragulidae, respectively. All other animals in Africa resembling deer are antelope.
Deer usually inhabit a relatively small home range, until harsh weather conditions force them to temporarily move elsewhere. Thus, deer in northern states have larger home ranges, since the winters are often long and brutal. Some northern deer travel 50 miles or more to suitable winter ranger. Weather is not the only factor that impacts on a herd's home range. For example, most whitetails in Colorado or Kansas have larger home ranges than deer in Virginia or Alabama. Out West, the habitat is more sprawling and open and the doe densities are not as high as in the Southeastern states. Thus, western deer are forced to move longer distances to feed, bed and breed.

The lifespan of a whitetail is 11 to 12 years (17 to 20 years in captivity). But most free-roaming deer never live that long; they are hit by cars, succumb to disease, killed by predators or shot by hunters. In heavily hunted areas, many bucks live only 1½ or 2 ½ years. Deer grow to about 6 feet long and stand 3 to 4 feet high. They are reddish or grayish in color, depending on their habitat and the time of year. The weight of whitetails varies, from 100 to more than 300 pounds.

Baboon

baboon
Baboons are African Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominid members of the primate order; only the Mandrill and the Drill are larger. Previously, the closely related Gelada (genus Theropithecus) and two species of Mandrill and Drill (genus Mandrillus) were grouped in the same genus, and these Old World monkeys are still often referred to as baboons in everyday speech. They range in size and weight depending on species. The Guinea Baboon is 50 cm (20 inches) and weighs only 14 kg (30 lb) while the largest Chacma Baboon can be 120 cm (47 inches) and weigh 40 kg (90 lb). A group of baboons is collectively called a troop.
Baboons generally prefer savanna and other semi-arid habitats, though a few live in tropical forests.
Like other Old World monkeys, baboons do not have prehensile (gripping) tails. But they can and do climb trees to sleep, eat, or look out for trouble. They spend much of their time on the ground.

Baboons are opportunistic eaters and, fond of crops, become destructive pests to many African farmers. They eat fruits, grasses, seeds, bark, and roots, but also have a taste for meat. They eat birds, rodents, and even the young of larger mammals, such as antelopes and sheep.

Octopus

Octopus
Octopuses (or octopi) are truly fascinating creatures and come in many sizes, from over 30 feet long to only 4 inches in size, but they all have eight tentacles (the word octopus means "eight feet"). Octopuses are in the same family as squid, but no one knows exactly how many species of octopuses there are, though they number well over 100.

Octopuses are extremely talented creatures. They can change color and shape, and many can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime!

Octopuses are very smart and have excellent eyesight. They can learn to solve problems and remember things, such as how to open a glass jar.
Octopuses prefer to live alone.

They get around by squirting water out of their body, jet-propelling through the sea.

Octopuses are found in waters all over the earth. They like to hide in rocks and crevices and can squeeze into tiny holes, as they have no bones.

Octopuses have membranes between their arms that they use to catch crabs, shrimp, and snails. They snatch their prey with their beaks, inject poison into them, and then take them home to eat. The giant octopus can even kill sharks!

Octopuses can squirt black ink to cloud the water, keeping predators from finding them as they escape. This ink is toxic, even to the octopus.

With over 200 known species we cannot list them all here, but here are the most commonly known:
COMMON ATLANTIC OCTOPUS
GIANT PACIFIC OCTOPUS
PACIFIC RED OCTOPUS
BLUE RINGED OCTOPUS
DAY OR REEF OCTOPUS
REEF OCTOPUS
CARIBBEAN ARMSTRIPE OR BROWNSTRIPE OCTOPUS
ATLANTIC LONGARM OCTOPUS

Blue Whale

Blue Whale
The blue whale is the largest mammal ever to inhabit the Earth.
Estimated between 1,300 to 2,000, the population of blue whales is dangerously low.
Blue Whales are difficult to weigh because of their size. Most Blue Whales killed by whalers were not weighed whole, but cut up into manageable pieces first. This caused an underestimate of the total weight of the whale, due to the loss of blood and other fluids. Nevertheless, measurements between 150 and 170 tonnes (160 and 190 short tons) were recorded of animals up to 27 m (88 ft 6 inches) in length. The weight of a 30 m (98 ft) individual is believed by the American National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) to be in excess of 180 tonnes (200 short tons). The largest Blue Whale accurately weighed by NMML scientists to date was a female that weighed 177 tonnes (196 short tons).
The Blue Whale is the largest animal ever to have lived. The largest known dinosaur of the Mesozoic Era was the Argentinosaurus, which is estimated to have weighed up to 90 tonnes (100 short tons), though a controversial vertebra of Amphicoelias fragillimus may indicate an animal of up to 122 tonnes (135 short tons) and 40–60 meters (130–200 ft).Furthermore, there are weight estimates for the very poorly known Bruhathkayosaurus ranging from 140 up to 220 tonnes, besides length estimates up to about 45 meters. The extinct fish Leedsichthys may have approached its size.However, complete fossils are difficult to come by, making size comparisons difficult. All these animals are considered to be smaller than the blue whale.
The lifespan of a blue whale is estimated to be 80 years.
Blue whales may also make sounds to communicate with other whales and to find a mate.Imagine what it would be like to be the biggest animal in the world swimming alone through the cold ocean waters.

Giraffe

giraffe
The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant. It is covered in large, irregular patches of yellow to black fur separated by white, off-white, or dark yellowish brown background. The average mass for an adult male giraffe is 1,191 kilograms (2,630 lb) while the average mass for an adult female is 828 kilograms (1,830 lb). It is approximately 4.3 metres (14 ft) to 5.2 metres (17 ft) tall, although the tallest male recorded stood almost 6 metres (20 ft).
The giraffe is related to deer and cattle, but is placed in a separate family, the Giraffidae, consisting of only the giraffe and its closest relative, the okapi. Its range extends from Chad in Central Africa to South Africa.

Giraffes usually inhabit savannas, grasslands, or open woodlands. However, when food is scarce they will venture into areas with denser vegetation. They prefer areas with plenty of acacia growth. They will drink large quantities of water when available which enables them to live for extended periods in dry, arid areas