G is for Great White Shark

The great white shark lives in oceans of the coasts of North America, Southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, parts of the Meditaranian and Japan.  They are in a group called Mackerel sharks.  They are rare.

Great white sharks can be 5940 to 7040 pounds in weight.  They are very big compared to us.  Their teeth are about 3 inches long.

They usually hunt alone and can sometimes eat mammals.  Sometimes a great white shark will poke its head out of the water to smell for prey in the area.  They sometimes stay along the reefs to spot fish and mammals.  If an animal is bleeding the great white shark can smell it from a distance.  They attack very fast.

They can have  one to two babies.  Sometimes baby sharks will be eaten by other sharks. 

I think that great white sharks sound very scary and I would not want to meet one face to face!

 

 

 

 

F is for Flying Fish

Flying fish live in tropical and subtropical waters all over the world.  They have large, stiff pectoral fins  and they are about 45 centimeters long from head to tail.  The pectoral fins are used for gliding through the air near the water.

They swim up and break through the water surface by moving their tail 70 times per second!  Once the flying fish breaks through the water, it opens its pectoral fins and holds them slightly up to itself  in the air.  It folds its wings back to dive into back into the water.

The top speed for gliding is 16 kph.

The flying fish eats plankton which it gets from the surfac of the water.

I think the flying fish is one of the weirdest creatures that I've ever heard of and I would really love to see one!

 

 

 

 

E is for Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes are also called diamond snakes, the common rattle snake, the diamond rattler, the Florida diamondback snake, water rattler, or the woodland rattler. They are the most venomous snakes in America.

These snakes are among the largest snakes on earth.  The heaviest Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake ever found weighed 15.4 kilograms (34 pounds).  The length is usually 3 to 5 feet long.  People have seen Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes that are 8 feet long!  They are usually brown, brownish yellow, brownish grey, or olive brown in color.  Their skin is covered with diamond shaped scales.  Their belly is yellow or cream.

They live in dry pine forests, salt marshes, swamp forests and cypress swamps in the united states.  They live in southeastern North Carolina, Florida, southern Alabama, and Mississippi.

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes catch their prey by surprising it.  It eats small mammals like rats, birds rabbits, and lizards.  Adults usually eat rabbits.  Some people have seen them eat turkeys! Young snakes eat smaller mammals like rodents and squirrels and sometimes insects.

Since they are reptiles they lay eggs.   

My nana once saw a rattlesnake at Zion National Park while we were walking on a trail.  She screamed! I was very surprised!

D is for Dingo

The dingo lives in Australia.  They can also live in south east Asia.  They were discovered at least 3000-4000 years ago.

Dingoes look just like dogs.  They have golden, reddish fur.

They have about 5 pups at a time.  They breed once per year.

Dingoes can eat rabbits, rodents, birds and lizards.  They are not just carnivores because they will sometimes eat fruits and plants.  That makes them omnivores.

Dingoes communicate by howling.  The young males hunt alone while the others say together in  packs of ten or more.  Sometimes, dingoes attack humans when they feel threatened or when a human is stealing their pup.

C is for Cheetah

The cheetah is found in the west, east and south of Africa.  They can also be found in Iran, but there are only about 250 cheetahs left in that country.

Cheetahs are the fastest animals on land.  Over short distances they can reach 60 miles per hour.  The cheetah runs very fast because it is built as a predator.  They eat animals like hares and game birds.  Their weight can be 75 to 150 pounds.

The cheetah can breed all year long.  They can have up to 8 cubs at one time. Cubs are protected by their mother for 20 months.  They have long, grey fur when they are young.  Sometimes, the cheetah mother will catch live prey so that her young can practice hunting!

 

 

B is for Bengal Tiger

The bengal tiger lives in the south of India.  There are over 40 reserves for Bengal tigers.  There are about 3,000 to 5,000 Bengal tigers in India.

Bengal tigers have large canine teeth for biting prey on the neck to kill them.  The weight of this tiger is between 396-583 pounds.  They can see 6 times better than us!

Large areas are often held by males.  It needs to hunt in it's own space.  Waterholes are great places to hunt for and ambush prey.  Tigers always go backwards into the waterholes so that they can look for other animals.  Some animals that the tigers kill can last for a few meals. 

Bengal tigers mate in winter and breed in the spring.  They can have between 2 and 4 cubs at a time. Baby tigers love to play in cool shallow water.  Some tigers love water while others don't.  They re great swimmers.  Cubs can hunt when they get to 14 months old.  

I think Bengal tigers are scary but very cool!

A is for Angelfish

Angelfish live in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans in shallow reefs.  They have flat bodies, long fins and small mouths.  They have a pattern that changes as they get older.  An angelfish may grow to be 6 inches long.

Angelfish can not move fast through water very well because their bodies are squashed like a pancake, but they can turn very quickly.

They are omnivores so they eat algae, zooplankton and small fish.

I think that angelfish are very pretty and wonderful!