Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine is the fastest flying animal and is considered the king of all birds in the world. They live on all continents except for Antarctica. When they are in level flight they fly 64 to 96 km/h, even a

The Peregrine is the fastest flying animal and is considered the king of all birds in the world. They live on all continents except for Antarctica. When they are in level flight they fly 64 to 96 km/h, even a pigeon can fly faster than the falcon at 123 km/h. But when the falcon dives, they can reach a speed up to 354 km/h. According to the Guinness World Records, in 2005, a peregrine falcon was recorded flying faster than 380 km/h = 105.5 m/second which is about 8.5 times faster Usain bolt’s record.

The male peregrine is known as a tiercel as it is 3 times smaller than the female. About 3500 years ago, peregrines were used in falconry (the art of training and using falcons to hunt small animals and birds)

Peregrine falcon chicks called the eyases mature quickly. At 3 weeks of age, they are already 10 times their size of birth.

During the Second World War peregrines were deliberately shot down in case they caught carrier pigeons which were delivering messages. Today, the main threat to peregrines is chemical pollutants, which they ingest from their prey and are highly sensitive too.

Komodo Dragons

The Komodo dragon is the largest and heaviest type of lizard in the world. They are an endangered species. The World Animal Foundation estimates the number of Komodos in the wild to be only 6,000. The Komodo dragon is a type of monitor lizard. There are over 60 different species of Monitor lizards.

The Komodo dragon is the largest and heaviest type of lizard in the world. They are an endangered species. The World Animal Foundation estimates the number of Komodos in the wild to be only 6,000. The Komodo dragon is a type of monitor lizard. There are over 60 different species of Monitor lizards.

Monitors have strong arms that help them to dig and climb, sharp claws to grab on to trees or prey, a long tail that can whip predators or prey and have a long tongue which helps them to taste the air which helps them to find prey. The forked tongue gives the tongue 2 sides so that the dragon can smell which side the smell is strongest on.

Komodo dragon eggs are buried underground. The Komodo dragon eggs cant stay out of the ground for too long. The baby has an egg tooth which helps it to break out from the egg. It disappears after it grows bigger. From the moment they are born, they are on their own. So they stay on the trees to protect themselves from bigger lizards eating them up and feed on bird eggs and bugs. They come down only when they are big enough to defend themselves.

Basilisk

The Basilisk is a kind of Reptile That looks like a mini dinosaur. They are able to run fast on the water as they have fringes under their feet. When they go on the water, the fringes widen. When the foot hits hard on the water, the fringes open and create air bubbles under their feet which help them to stay on the water. It is for this very reason that the Basilisk is popularly called the “Jesus Christ Lizard”.However, they cannot run continuously they only run at bursts and then they sink. 

They eat fruit and bugs so they are omnivorous. Male basilisks are bigger, heavier and have crests and ridges all down its back. They are also great swimmers and can hold their breath up to half an hour underwater.

A 48 million-year-old fossil of a basilisk, has been discovered in Wyoming, the United States, The lizard is believed to be the earliest member of the Jesus lizard group known as Corytophanids. As the present-day Basilisks are found in an area across central Mexico and northern Colombia, mainly in regions around the equator, the new discovery suggests that later clades (groups) of Corytophanids were pushed to southern parts of the equator as their surroundings cooled down.

Sifaka Lemurs

Sifaka Lemur's are an endangered species and are found only in Madagascar and near Comoros Islands. They are one of the top long leapers in the animal kingdom jumping as far as 10 meters from tree to tree. They can climb thorny plants finding the few spaces where there are no thorns.

They do not stay long on the ground as their super legs become their weakness. They have stretchy skin under their arms helping them glide while jumping prolonging their flight. 

These Sifakas bob their heads to express curiosity, the mom is always the boss of the group like in the human life too :-).