Land Animals

Land animals live in many different places. The orangutan and the monkey live high up in tropical trees. Others, like bears and wolves, many live on cold mountains while the camel lives in the desert. All the animals on this page have four limbs but each animal is special in certain ways to help it live in a particular place. The orangutan has long arms to swing through the jungle. The tiger has tripes to hide in the grass and strong claws to catch its prey. The camel has a big hump on its back so that it can live without water for a long time in the desert. All of these animals give birth to babies and feed them on milk but they look after them in different ways. Foxes and wolves make their home in caves or in the ground. The kangaroo carries its tiny baby in a pouch.

Orangutan

The orangutan is rather like a hairy human being. It uses its long, strong arms to swing through the jungle. On the ground, it can also walk on two legs like a human being.

Monkey

Monkeys live high in the tree tops and feed on fruit, birds' eggs and insects. They have long arms and a long tail so that they can swing easily from branch to branch.

Tiger

(Adult males are up to 10 ft/3 m long)

This is the biggest, strongest cat in the world. Its black stripes help it hide when it is hunting. It often catches deer with its powerful paws and sharp canine teeth.

Camel

The camel is usually found in or near sandy deserts. It can travel a long way without drinking water because of the special hump on its back.

Lion

The lion lives in a family called a pride and is often known as the king of the jungle. It certainly makes a mighty roar to frighten its enemies away.

Wolf

(Adult males grow up to 6 ft/1.7 m long)

Wolves have very powerful teeth that can even crush bones. They hunt in packs and usually choose to kill the oldest or sickest deer in a family or herd.

Panda

A panda eats all day and feeds on bamboo shoots. Its face looks like a white mask with round black patches for its eyes.

Rhinoceros

(Up to 10 ft/3 m long)

The rhinoceros lives on shoots and leaves. It has a thick, tough skin and looks very fierce with its sharp horn on the end of its nose.

Kangaroo

(Adults weigh up to 198 lbs/90 kg)

A kangaroo has strong back legs and a powerful tail. The mother kangaroo has a pouch on her stomach where she carries her tiny baby until it is big enough to look after itself.

Armadillo

Armadillos use their sharp curved claws to dig in the soil for worms, ants and snakes. They have a very tough skin like a suit of armour.

Zebra

Zebras are like horses, but have black and white stripes. They can run very fast to escape from their enemies.

Horse

A horse is a large plant-eating animal. It has special hard feet called hooves to help it run fast and kick hard. People use horses for riding and carrying heavy things.

Jaguar

The jaguar is a big wild cat that lives in the jungle. It hunts smaller animals by jumping down on them from the trees.

Fox

The fox hunts mainly at night. It catches rabbits and fish, and even eats plants and fruit.

Elephant

The elephant is the largest living land animal. It uses its trunk for lifting things, for eating and also for spraying water into its mouth.

Bear

This brown bear eats plants and animals and sleeps through the winter. The black honey bear lives in the hot tropics and the white polar bear lives in the arctic.

Giraffe

The giraffe has long legs and a very long necks. This means it can reach the tender leaf shoots at the tops of trees.

Hippopotamus

This shy animals hides in water to escape from its enemies. It has a very wide mouth and short stumpy teeth. It feeds on water plants and leaves.