Animal Profiles

Koalas have soft gray fur and some white fur on their chests. They can live to be up to 17 years old and love to live in eucalyptus forests. They eat bark and leaves from the eucalyptus trees and sleep up to 16 hours per day. Unlike many other kinds of animals, koalas prefer to live by themselves rather than in large groups. Each year, habit destruction, hunters, and dogs kill up to 4,000 koalas! There used to be over a million koalas around the world; however, now the number hangs around 100,000. Australian laws prevent the hunting of koalas but each state is responsible for their own conservation.

Gila Monsters can grow up to 2 feet long and can weight up to 4 pounds. They primarily eat baby animals of mammals. Although the bite of a Gila Monster can be fatal to other small animals (due to the venom), there has never been a reported death of a human caused by this lizard. Gila Monsters spend 95% of their day in their underground burrows and the other 5% is spent trying to find food. Surprisingly, they can store fat in their over-sized tails and can go for months without eating. Gila Monsters are considered a threatened species because their numbers are declining due to human encroachment.

White Bengal tigers originate in India and are fully grown at 2-3 years old. No two tigers have the same stripe patterns, similar to how humans fingerprints are all different from each other. White Bengal tigers are one of two feline species that enjoy playing in water. They sleep an average of 16-18 hours per day! White Bengal tigers’ diets consist of water buffalo, goat, deer, and wild boar in the wild. Due to small numbers of these tigers, inbreeding is common in irresponsible zoos which causes deformities in tiger cubs. All White Bengal tigers have white spots on the back of their ears, making them look like eyes.

White Bengal Tigers

The Florida panther is a large feline that is on the endangered species list. They live in the forests and swamps of Florida. Male panthers can weigh up to 160 pounds. The panther is the official Florida state animal. Florida panthers typically have blue eyes. They are kept in captivity or constantly under surveillance because there are only an estimated number of 80-100 panthers left. The Florida panther’s diet consists of white-tailed deer and wild hogs. The two natural predators of the Florida panther are alligators and humans. Because of habitat loss and automobile collisions, the number of Florida panthers decreases swiftly.

Florida Panther

African elephants can grow until they are 70 years old and they can weight up to 7 1/2 tons! Elephants can consume as much as 300 pounds of forage per day and 50 gallons of water. The wooly mammoth was an old relative of the African elephant. Some elephant calls can be as low as 15 hertz which is too low for humans to hear, however they can be heard up to 110 miles away by other elephants. A typical elephant can make up to 25 different sounds, such as rumbles, grunts, and and trumpet sounds. Similarly to a human handshake, elephants greet each other by extending their trunks out and smelling the other elephant for clues as to who they are and where they have been. African elephants have longer ears than Asian elephants however both have a limited sparse of hair on their tails.

African Elephant