Storks are large wading birds with long legs, necks, and bills. There are 17 species of stork. The most famous type is the white stork. In some European countries it is said to bring good luck. Storks are related to herons, ibises, flamingos, and vultures. Storks live in Africa, Asia, Europe, Americas and Australia.
Storks usually stand about 0.6 to 1.5 meters tall. The largest stork is the marabou, which feed on carrion. Most storks eat insects, frogs, fish, and other small animals.
The stork is a migratory bird, traveling very long distances to relocate seasonally. Storks are monogamous and almost always stay in pairs.
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The leopard is a wild cat of Africa and Asia, known for its spotted coat. Its scientific name is Panthera pardus. Leopards are sometimes called panthers.
An average leopard weighs between 50 to 90 kilograms and is about 2 meters long, not including the long tail, which can reach a length of up to 1 meter. Most leopards have yellow fur on the back and white fur underneath. Dark spots cover much of the body. The leopard called the black panther has a black coat on which the spots barely show.
Leopards can live in forests, deserts, grasslands, mountains, and rocky places. They are great climbers and good swimmers.
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The nightingale is a small, plain-looking bird with a great voice. Many people think its highly varied, musical songs are wonderful. They are also able to imitate other birds and animals. Sometimes people call other birds with musical songs nightingales. But most often the name refers to the Eurasian nightingale. This songbird is in the same family as thrushes, robins, and bluebirds.
Nightingales live in the woodlands of Europe and western Asia. They fly to warmer central Africa for the winter. In the forest areas of the mountains of Switzerland nightingales meet at an altitude of 1000 meters. And in Spain they can be seen already at an altitude of about 2000 meters.
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Hyena – African and Asian carnivore. Hyenas are mammals of Africa and Asia. Hyenas are gray, brown, or yellowish. Some have stripes or spots. There are three species of hyena: spotted, striped, and brown. The spotted hyena is known for its hunting cry, which sounds like human laughter. It is also the largest species. Female spotted hyenas are larger than males and measure about 1.8 meters long and weigh 80 kilograms.
Hyenas have strong jaws and teeth that are strong enough to crush bones. The neck of the hyena is rather elongate, and the hind legs are somewhat smaller and lower than the forelegs.
Hyenas live on dry grasslands with few trees. They find shelter in caves or empty burrows and are active at night. They live alone or in packs. Spotted hyenas may form packs of 80 or more animals.
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Carp is the name of several fish in the carp family. One of the best-known carp is the common carp. The common carp is a fish that lives along the muddy bottoms of ponds, lakes, and rivers. It swallows plants, insects and fish eggs. It was first found in Asia but was later taken into Europe and North America. Sometimes carp can live 100 years and grow to weigh 35 kilograms or more. Goldfish and minnows also belong to the carp family.
The carp has a blunt nose and a small thick-lipped mouth. Most types of carp have feelers, called barbels, at the corners of the mouth. The barbels help the carp find food in dark, muddy water. Their food is mostly obtained by probing in the bottom mud of their aquatic habitat.
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The snow leopard, also known as the ounce, or irbis, is a large cat. The snow leopard habitats are located in the territory of many Central Asian states. These are Afghanistan and India, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the southern Siberian territories of Russia. It would seem that the area is large enough, but their number decreases every year.
Beautiful thick, fluffy and soft fur serves as an excellent protection against cold. The color of the snow leopard is gray with a smoky touch, sometimes almost white. On the whole body there are black large annular and small continuous spots. In summer, the color is lighter than in winter. Thanks to their fur, snow leopards are perfectly adapted to those harsh conditions in which they live.
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Pigs are among the smartest of all domestic animals. The world’s largest population of domestic pigs is in China. The second largest population of domestic pigs is in the United States, and the third largest is found in Brazil.
Wild pigs live in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The pygmy hog is the smallest of the wild pigs. The warty pig and the bearded pig live in parts of Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Both male and female wild pigs have tusks on their snouts.
A pig has a bulky body with short legs. They range in length from about 0.6 to 2.1 meters long. Domestic pigs can weigh as much as 320 kilograms. The skin of pigs is thick and tough, and it may be sparsely or thickly haired, depending on species.
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