Mountain Goat

The

The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. Despite its vernacular name, it is not a member of Capra, the genus that includes the wild goat, Capra aegagrus, from which the domestic goat is derived. A subalpine to alpine species, it is a sure-footed climber commonly seen on cliffs and ice.The mountain goat is an even-toed ungulate of the order Artiodactyla and the family Bovidae that includes antelopes, gazelles, and cattle. It belongs to the subfamily Caprinae (goat-antelopes), along with 32 other species including true goats, sheep, the chamois, and the muskox. The mountain goat is the only species in the genus Oreamnos.

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Bison

Bison are large, even-toed ungulates in the genus Bison within the subfamily Bovinae.There are two extant and four extinct species recognized. Of the four extinct species, three were North American: Bison antiquus, B. latifrons, and B. occidentalis. The fourth, Bison priscus, ranged across steppe environments from Western Europe, through Central Asia, and onto North America.There are two surviving species: the American bison, Bison bison, found only in North America, is the most numerous. (It is only distantly related to the buffalo.) The North American species is composed of two subspecies, the plains bison, Bison bison bison, and the wood bison, Bison bison athabascae, which is the namesake of Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada. The European bison Bison bonasus, or wisent is found in Europe and the Caucasus, re-introduced after being extinct in the wild.While all bison species are usually grouped into their own genus, they are sometimes included in the closely related genus Bos, together with cattle, gaur, kouprey and yaks, with which bison have a limited ability to interbreed.

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Giant Panda

 

The Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, lit. "black and white cat-foot"),also known as the giant panda to distinguish it from the unrelated red panda, is a bear native to south central China. It is easily recognized by the large, distinctive black patches around its eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo. Pandas in the wild will occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents or carrion. In captivity, they may receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially prepared food.The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. As a result of farming, deforestation and other development, the panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived.

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Agkistrodon Contortrix

Agkistrodon contortrix is a species of venomous snake endemic to North America, a member of the Crotalinae (pit viper) subfamily. The common name for the species is the copperhead. The behavior of Agkistrodon contortrix may lead to accidental encounters with humans. Five subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.Adults usually grow to a total length of 50–95 cm (20–37 in), although some may exceed 1 m (3.3 ft). Males are usually larger than females. The maximum length reported for this species is 134.6 cm (53.0 in) for A. c. mokasen (Ditmars, 1931). Brimley (1944) mentions a specimen of A. c. mokasen from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that was "four feet, six inches" (137.2 cm), but this may have been an approximation. The maximum length for A. c. contortrix is 132.1 cm (52.0 in) (Conant, 1958).The body is relatively stout and the head is broad and distinct from the neck. Because the snout slopes down and back, it appears less blunt than that of the cottonmouth, A. piscivorus. Consequently, the top of the head extends further forward than the mouth.

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Vipera Berus

Vipera berus, the common European adder or common European viper, is a venomous viper species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and as far as East Asia.Known by a host of common names including common adder and common viper, adders have been the subject of much folklore in Britain and other European countries. They are not regarded as especially dangerous;the snake is not aggressive and usually bites only when alarmed or disturbed. Bites can be very painful, but are seldom fatal. The specific name, berus, is New Latin and was at one time used to refer to a snake, possibly the grass snake, Natrix natrix.The common adder is found in different terrains, habitat complexity being essential for different aspects of its behaviour. It feeds on small mammals, birds, lizards, and amphibians, and in some cases on spiders, worms, and insects.

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Bitis Atropos

Bitis atropos is a small, venomous viper species endemic to mountainous regions in southern Africa. No subspecies are currently recognized.The average adult size is 30–40 cm (about 12-16 inches) in total length (body + tail), with some females reaching a maximum total length of 50 cm (20 in) in the wild and 60 cm (24 in) in captivity.The species is found in isolated populations of the mountainous regions of southern Africa. In South Africa, the species is known to occur in the Transvaal, along the Drakensberg escarpment of the eastern and northern Transvaal. Elsewhere in South Africa, it occurs in western Natal, Lesotho and eastern Free State, and in the southern coastal mountains of western and eastern Cape Province. Spawls and Branch (1995) also mentioned, in Cape Province, its range extends into the Cape Peninsula. It also occurs in Swaziland, in higher altitudes of eastern Zimbabwe such as the Inyanga Highlands and Chimanimani Mountains and in nearby Mozambique.The type locality given is "America", but this is obviously a mistake. More likely is the Cape of Good Hope, according to FitzSimons (1962).

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Impala

The impala (Aepyceros melampus) is a medium-sized African antelope. Its height ranges between 75 and 95 cm (30 and 37 in) and it weighs between 40 and 60 kg (88 and 130 lb).It is found in savannas and thick bushveld in Kenya, Tanzania, Swaziland, Mozambique, northern Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, southern Angola, northeastern South Africa, and Uganda. It can be found in numbers of up to two million.

The name impala comes from the Zulu language meaning "gazelle". The scientific name, Aepyceros melampus, is derived from Greek words αιπος aipos ("high"), κερος ceros ("horn") and melas ("black"), pous ("foot").In the past, taxonomists had put impalas in the same tribe as gazelles, kobs, and hartebeests. However, the impala is so different from any of these tribes, it was put in its own tribe, Aepycerotini. This tribe has now been elevated to subfamily status.Up to six subspecies have been described.Usually, however, only two are distinguished.

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