Circle of Animals

I’m a Platypus  You will have to travel a far distance if you wish to see me in my natural habitat. I am native to Australia and Tasmania. I live in rainforest waters, streams, ponds and freshwater lakes and rivers.  I have a unique look with a long duck beak-like bill and a steam lined body.   I have webbed feet, short limbs, small eyes and a fur covered tail.  Platypus weigh anywhere between 1 and 7 pounds and range in size from 15 to 25 inches in length.  Male platypus are venomous having spurs that are attached to their hind legs and are used for production of venom to disable a would be predator from threat or possible attack. Platypus are shy animals and will avoid confrontation but if forced to the male will use their spurs to poison their attacker.  Platypus have a mouth pouch to store their food. They do not possess teeth so they have to grind down their food in their mouths.  Females do not produce venom.  Females lay eggs and are repres...

I’m a Coyote I’m a cross between a wolf and a dog. I’m similar to the wolf in how I appear in the wild and different in other aspects of my life such as behavior and size. Whereas wolves huddle in packs we huddle in pairs or go solo. I can run with the best of them. I may not be as fast as the wolf but I’m fast enough and I can survive in the cold weather and in the heat of summer. Coyotes are smaller than wolves and although they’re predators they have a lesser range of prey they select from than wolves who are apex predators that are at the top of the food chain.  Coyotes have lighter coats than their wolf counterparts and are thinner in size, weight and height. They are generally grey in color with some more tan or red similar to wolves. Adult male coyotes weigh around 50 pounds while adult wolves weigh up to 120 pounds. Wolves are stronger than coyotes by nature of their size and speed. Wolves live in more isolated regions in the world compared to coyotes who have found their w...

I’m a Snail People ask who is slower The snail or the turtle  If there was a race between the two who would win Well according to animal experts the snail is slower and smaller than the turtle.  So if you held a race for both of them the turtle would cross the finish line first but the snail would persist and cross it as well in time. You as spectator would need patience to watch such a race. Snails are amazing little shelled creatures. The shell serves for their protection and they can hide within their shell from potential predators.  Some snails however are too big to retract their head into the shell given their shell size.  Snails seek out damp living environments with plenty of moisture and an abundance of food to forage. Their food of choice are plants and vegetation usually with occasional insects and worms they come upon in the soil. Snails have two pairs of tentacles on their head to help them in finding food, in navigating their terrain and for alerting th...

I’m a Wasp I fly and make buzzing sounds in flight  I have two sets of wings that continuously buzz when I’m flying. I have two sets of eyes, compound eyes and simple eyes. My compound eyes allow me to see from many directions and angles so I’m aware of movements from potential predators. I can also see ultraviolet light.  My simple eyes allow me to navigate my surroundings and fly.  I have a hard exoskeleton to protect me against dangers I might encounter in my navigating this fascinating place we call earth.  I have antennae to help me detect if I’m encountering any danger in my immediate surroundings.  I have six legs that help me in getting around in my daily routine. I have a stinger and I can sting multiple times unlike the bee that stings only once. A wasp will survive after stinging.  A honeybee that stings will die shortly after they sting because the bee can’t pull its stinger out from the pierced skin and the poor bee will be torn apart trying to...

I am a Walrus  Not to be confused with the Beatles hit song I Am The Walrus which is a catchy song that is a bit fantastical and psychedelic. I suggest you give it a listen as it’s a Beatles song that enlightens the senses and has you coming back for more. It’s up there with Octopuses Garden, another hit song by the 4 lads from Liverpool. There is one species of walrus and two subspecies, Atlantic walrus and Pacific walrus. The walrus is a marine mammal known as a pinniped and is included among seals, sea lions and walruses.  The walrus like his counterparts can live on land and in the ocean. They live most of their lives in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  Walruses are social animals that live in large groups of hundreds and there is a hierarchy and separation of males and females to their respective herds.  Walruses do mate but since males and females live in separate groups the males will fight for the honor of mating with several females and then the sole male w...

I’m a Lizard  I am a reptile  Once I hatch from the egg I’m on my own I never meet my mother  Most people think gecko when they think of a lizard  They see those tv commercials for Geico and they see cute little old me Geckos are lizards too They’re small in size The smallest lizard in the world is the male Brookesia nana or nano-chameleon which measures from head to tail 22 mm or approximately an inch in length while the female measures 29 mm, 1.1 inch. It’s so small that it can hide in a blade of grass.  The Brookesia nana lizard lives in the mountainous rainforests of Northern Madagascar in Africa and was discovered in 2012. It feasts on mites and springtails.  The largest lizard in the world is the Komodo dragon measuring in length of 10 feet and weighing in at 330 pounds.  The Komodo dragon is native to Indonesia and is an apex predator listed at the top of the food chain and will eat animals that it preys on as large as deer and buffalo and will ...

I’m a Chinchilla  I am a furry little animal of the rodent family. I’m tiny in size and weight with soft hair, expressive eyes, long ears, paws and a bushy tail.  I am native to South America and lay claim to the Andes Mountains which is my natural habitat.  Baby chinchillas, known as kits are nurtured up to 3 months of age when they become mature enough to go on their own. They start their adult stage at 1 year old and grow to about 8 to 11 inches in length with a bushy tail 6 inches long.  In the wild chinchillas eat nuts, seeds, twigs, tree bark, stems and roots of plants, fruits and vegetation.  Chinchillas in the wild live in large colonies as they are very social animals but they do have shorter lifespans than those living in captivity in some of the zoos that showcase them or in households as family pets. Chinchillas must be properly cared for in domestic settings because they are prone to anxiety and depression and must be treated with tender loving care...