May: St. Louis Zoo
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California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus)
The playful, curious California sea lions are highly social animals. They live in group or "harems," with an adult bull and 10-15 cows. During the summer-long breeding season, the animals collect by the thousands on isolated coastlines and islands. Females give birth to a single pup a year later. Sea lions spend much of their time in the ocean in search of herring, mackerel and squid. You can easily tell a sea lion from a seal by its external ear flaps, which seals do not have.
North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis)
These weasel-like mammals make their home along rivers, lakes and rocky coasts, where they prowl for fish, crayfish and other small animals. Otters are well-adapted for a watery life, from their webbed feet to their dense, oily fur. They can also hold their breath underwater for six to eight minutes. River otters have disappeared from many parts of North America because of habitat destruction and water pollution. But they have been successfully reintroduced to Missouri's waterways.
Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis australis)
These shy East African antelopes live in the safety of dense vegetation and thickets, where they browse or graze in the early morning and late evening. Lesser kudu males and females look distinctly different. Males are larger, dark gray, and have horns; females are smaller, brown, and do not have horns. The sleek coats of both sexes are marked with vertical white body stripes, which camouflage them in there woodland habitat.
East African Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum gibbericeps)
This bird gets its name from the distinctive golden "crown" of feathers on it's head. It lives in open areas and grasslands, where it feeds on grass seeds, insects, frogs, and lizards. Crowned cranes usually mate for life. Both the male and female cooperate in building the nest, and in defending the eggs and the chicks. Crowned crane parents often pretend to be injured to lure predators away from their nestlings.
White storks have long been associated with the delivery of human babies, maybe because these birds themselves are such good parents. The storks mate for life and return to the same nest each year to raise 3 to 5 chicks. They build their bulky nests on rooftops, chimneys and telephone poles. Storks have disappeared from most of northern and western Europe, most likely because of pollution and loss of their wetland habitat.
Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri)
This wild pig cousin was only discovered in 1972, making it one of the most recently discovered large mammals. The Chacoan is the largest of the three known peccaries. It lives in small herds of three to seven adults and their young. Peccaries "bond" by rubbing their members with the smells produced by their scent glands. The numbers of Chacoan peccaries have declined drastically because of hunting and habitat destruction.
Speke's Gazelle (Gazella spekei)
Small herds of Speke's gazelles roam across the arid African scrublands in search of plants to eat. These gazelles are well-adapted to their parched habitat, and their pale fawn color blends well with the sandy terrain. To avoid predators, newborns lie still in the bush, emerging from hiding only to nurse. The number of wild Speke's gazells is decling due to overhunting and habitat loss.
Red kangaroos are the largest marsupials (pouched mammals). Females can have three joeys "under construction" at one time --- one out of the pouch but still nursing, one in the pouch, and one as an embryo awaiting it's turn. Red kangaroos live in herds called mobs. It's common to see two males fight over a femail: they balance upright on the large tails, lock forearms and try to push their opponent with their rear legs.
Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)
The extraordinary height of giraffes allows them to browse on the branches of trees that other hoofed animals can't reach. This has helped make them one of the most successful animals of the Agrican savanna. Giraffes are also fast, able to gallop up to 35 miles per hour. Mothers agressively defend their calves, kicking out with their feet at the approach of lions or hyenas.
Grevy's zebras, the largest of the three zebra species, live on the dry scrublands of East Africa. Stallions defend large territories in the hopes of attracting herds of wandering females. Mares give birth to foals during the rainy season, when water and food is plentiful. Newborns can stand within minutes and soon run with the herd. Poaching for their coats and competition with livestock have caused a decline in Grevy's zebra populations.
Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
You might have known this highly endagered subspecies as the Siberian tiger. But it's gone from Siberia, so now goes by a new name. Sadly, there are only 350 to 450 Amur tigers left in the wild. These massive cats roam small pockets of snow-covered forests near Russia's Amur River, where they hunt deer, elk and wild boar. The biggest threat to the tigers is habitat loss due to logging. But poaching for their meat, skins and bones is also taking a toll.
Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
You might have known this highly endagered subspecies as the Siberian tiger. But it's gone from Siberia, so now goes by a new name. Sadly, there are only 350 to 450 Amur tigers left in the wild. These massive cats roam small pockets of snow-covered forests near Russia's Amur River, where they hunt deer, elk and wild boar. The biggest threat to the tigers is habitat loss due to logging. But poaching for their meat, skins and bones is also taking a toll.
The jaguar is the largest cat found in the Americas. It lives in a variety of habitats, from tropical forests and swamps to grasslands. Although and excellent tree climber, the jaguar prefers to hunt on the ground and at night. Prey species include peccaries, tapirs, monkeys, capybaras, crocodiles and fish. The number of jaguars in the wild has declined because of habitat loss and hunting for its magnificent spotted coat.