BIODATA: Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
The giraffe, Earth’s tallest land animal, belongs to the
cud-chewing hoofed mammal species (suborder
Ruminantia under the order Artiodactyla). Giraffes have a
keen sense of smell, hearing and sight. Contrary to
popular belief, giraffes emit low call notes and moans.
The giraffe lives in savannas and open bush country,
south of the African Sahara. Males grow to a height of 18
feet and females to 16 feet. Young ones at birth are 6
feet tall and they grow about one inch a day and become
12 feet tall in just a year.
Giraffes eat continuously and drink very little water and survive on a moisturerich diet like the leaves of acacia and other evergreen trees. Known as
Camelopardalis, (camel with leopard spots), by the Romans, these animals
don’t sleep for more than 10 minutes a day, each nap lasting around a minute.
A giraffe walks differently than most four-footed animals. It swings both legs
on each side of the body forward at the same time, i.e., both right legs, and
then both left legs, to avoid stepping on its own front feet as each giraffe step
is 15 feet long.
© Chitra Soundar
More resources at www.chitrasoundar.com
Bio-data: St. Bernard dogs
St. Bernard has been a Swiss national
dog since 1887. Hailing from an
ancestry of farm-dogs, today’s St.
Bernard dogs have been bred and
trained as companions, watchdogs or
farm-dogs. They are calm and lively
and possess a keen sense of watchfulness. They are named after the
Christian Monastery in the Great St. Bernard Pass in the Alps, where they
were initially used in rescue operations to save travellers lost in snow and fog.
These dogs have a short muzzle and a black, broad square nose. The edge
of their lips is black and strong, regular teeth. Their brown eyes are not deeply
set and have a friendly expression. St. Bernard dogs have high and wide set
ears, and a strong neck. The tail is long and heavy and turns upwards very
high when the dog is excited. A fully-grown dog could be 65 cm tall up to 90
cm.
© Chitra Soundar
More resources at www.chitrasoundar.com
Biodata: Yak (Bos grunniens )
Yak is a variety of cattle found in the Himalayan mountain ranges, especially
in the Tibetan plateau of steppe, alpine tundra and ice desert between 4,300
and 5,200m above sea level. Yak bulls can be as tall as 6 feet and 1000 kilos
heavy, though the females (called cows) are smaller in size and less than a
third in weight. Yaks have horns that curve upward and they hold their head
down like the bison. They have black, short hair on their body, but shaggy
long fringes at the tails.
Yaks are found
widely in the
highlands of Tibet,
China and India.
The Yak stays at
high areas with
permanent snow
during the relatively warm months of August and September and spends the
rest of the year at lower elevations.
Researchers believe man domesticated this species as early as the 1st
millennium BC. The domesticated Yak is used for milk, meat, and leather and
as a beast of burden.
© Chitra Soundar
More resources at www.chitrasoundar.com