Animals Around The World

 All around the world, from populated areas to far flung corners, there is an abundance of animals, both small and large.  There is a vast variety of both domesticated animals and wild animals living on the land and both the skies and the oceans are also filled with an abundance of different species.  While there are many animals which are widespread and found in many different countries, there are also lots of animals that have a specific habitat that they live in and so are unique to that area.

 

 

Animals from Around the World

Asian Animals

Asia is the largest continent in the world and as such it has a wide variety of habitats including forest and mountains and so there is a huge variety of animals which inhabit Asia.  From tigers to elephants to snakes, Asia is home to many different species of animals, including a number of exotic animals and also many which are endangered too.

 

The tiger and the Asian elephant are perhaps the better known animals that call Asia their home, but so too does the giant panda which lives mainly in the mountain regions of China.

 

Some of the other animals found in Asia include the pangolin, draco lizard, Indian rhino, Indian cobra and the sun bear.

 

American Animals

Like Asia, America has a wide range of different habitats available for animals to live in - including deserts, grasslands, mountains, and wetlands - and it has a diverse population of animal species.  Animals such as the Luna Moth and  the black-footed ferret are unique only to North America.

 

The bald eagle is an iconic animal of America and has been the national bird of the USA since 1782.  It is often found near open water where there is plenty of food available for it.

 

Other animals found only in America include the coyote, American alligator, Hawaiian monk seal, American bison, and American black bear.

 

Madagascan Animals

Madagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean and around ninety percent of all the animals which live on the island are found only there and nowhere else in the world (endemic).  As such it has a fascinating range of unique animals.

 

Fossas are a carnivore that is similar to a cat and endemic to Madagascar.  They resemble a small cougar and are found only in forest areas of the island.  They eat lemurs (a small primate that is endemic to the island), rodents, lizards, and birds.

 

The lemur is a primate that is also found only in Madagascar and are the smallest primate in the world.  There are many sub-species or types of lemur living on the island.

 

There are forty six different species of bats that are found only in Madagascar, as well as Madagascan pochards which are the rarest duck in the world, giraffe weevils, blue coua, panther chameleons, tomato frogs, and many many more.

 

 

Japanese Animals

Japan is another place that has many animals which are not found anywhere else in the world and one of the most well known is the Japanese macaque which is the most northerly monkey in the world.

 

Other animals which are native only to Japan are the red-crowned crane, Japanese giant salamander, sika deer, Ussuri black bear, and the Japanese spider crab.

 

 

Animal Classification

All animals are classified into groups based on their similarities and it is important for recognising and understanding how they are related and the more characteristics that they share the more specific the classification group is.  All animals are classed by a number of different categories which are:

1) Domain

2) Kingdom

3) Phylum

4) Class

5) Order

6) Family

7) Genus

8) Species

 

In simplified terms, domain determines whether something is animal, plant, fungi etc while kingdom determines whether something is a vertebrate (has a backbone) or an invertebrate (no backbone) or is something else such as a jellyfish.  Class decides whether something is a mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or fish etc.

 

There are many different orders that an animal can be, but some of them include primate, even-toed animals, carnivora, rodents, bats, or cetacea (whales, dolphins, porpoises etc).

 

Family is when each order is divided even further.  For example, carnivora is split into equine (horse), felidae (cat) etc.  Genus then breaks down the family further into more specific groups, before the species determines the individual animal such as a red fox, or a coyote.