ANIMALS YOU MAY
HAVE NEVER HEARD
OF!
Ms. Sara A. Herrmann
Alpaca
Alpacas have a life span
of about 15 - 20+ years.
Some alpacas make a
humming sound to
communicate.
Spitting is used by
alpacas, probably as a
sign of warning to
intruders.
Bison
The bison is the heaviest land
animal in North America.
It lives in parks and reserves, inhabiting
flat grasslands.
Bison can run at speeds
up to 30 mph.
Clams
Clams burrow under the sea floor.
They have two shells that protect a soft body.
The biggest clam is the Giant Clam, it is up to
4.8 feet long and weighs up to 550 pounds
(250 kg).
Emu
The Emu is a large,
flightless bird from
Australia.
It is the third-biggest
bird in the world.
Emus swim very well.
Gnu
The Gnu or Wildebeest is a fast-running plant-
eater from eastern African grasslands.
The name wildebeest
means "wild beast" in
the language Afrikaans.
Wildebeests gather in
enormous herds of up to
a million animals.
Nightingale
The Nightingale is a small songbird that
belongs to the thrush family.
Nightingales have an incredibly rich, loud,
complex, and melodious song.
Opossum
The Opossum is the only living marsupial from
North America.
This large opossum lives in forests and
prairies.
Opossums are most active at night.
Platypus
The duck-billed platypus is an Australian
mammal.
Platypus live in burrows and spend much of
their time in freshwater ponds and streams.
The name platypus means "flat footed."
Pronghorn
Pronghorns are the fastest mammals in North
America.
These graceful mammals are
the only living animal with
doubly-branched horns.
Pronghorns are closely
related to antelopes.
Quail
The Quail is a common bird from
the western USA.
Quails congregate in groups
of 10 to 20 birds.
These plump birds live in
woodlands, chaparral,
desert edges, and
grassy valleys.
The Sand Dollar
The Sand Dollar is a spiny, hard-skinned
animal that is shaped like a coin.
They live on the sandy sea floor.
If you break open a test,
there are many hard,
loose, white pieces; these
were the teeth of the
Sand Dollar.
Serval
The serval is a wild cat that lives in
grasslands, rain forests, woodlands, plains,
forests, deserts, and shrubby areas.
This solitary cat is found in much of Africa.
Servals are fast runners over short distances
and are good leapers and climbers.
Wombat
The Wombat is a rare marsupial from dry and
semi-dry areas on the islands of Australia
and Tasmania.
It is the largest
burrowing mammal.
This solitary animal
is most active at night.
Zebra
Zebras are large, fast-running mammals that
live on African grassy plains.
They can run up to 40 mph in short bursts in
order to escape from predators.
Zebras are closely related to horses and
donkeys.