Kids Encyclopedia

Koala — The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a thickset arboreal marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae. The Koala is found in coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia, from near Adelaide to the southern part of Cape York Peninsula. Populations also extend for considerable distances inland in regions with enough moisture to …

Kudu — The Kudu are two species of antelope Lesser Kudu and Greater Kudu. Lesser Kudus come from the savannas near acacia and commiphora shrubs. They have to rely on thickets for protection, so they are hardly ever seen in the open. While Weaker Kudus live in the woodlands and bushlands. Like many other animals, male kudus can be found …

Galago — Galagos, also known as bushbabies, bush babies or nagapies (meaning “little night monkeys” in Afrikaans), are small, nocturnal primates native to continental Africa, and make up the family Galagidae. They are sometimes included as a subfamily within the Lorisidae or Loridae. According to some accounts, the name bush baby comes from either from the animals’ cries, or their …

Fox — Fox is a name applied to any one of roughly 27 species of small to medium-sized Canidaes in the tribe Vulpini, with sharp features and a bushy tail or brush. By far the most common and widespread species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), although various species are found on almost every continent. The presence of …

Fossa — The Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) (pronounced “FOO-sa” or Fah-suh) is a mammal endemic to Madagascar. A member of family Eupleridae, it is closely related to the mongoose. It is the largest mammalian carnivore on the island. (The largest carnivore on Madagascar is the Nile crocodile.) Fossa males are 75–80 centimetres (29–31 in) long, plus a tail which is 70–90 …

Flying Squirrel — The flying squirrels, scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini, are a tribe of squirrel (family Sciuridae). There are 43 species in this tribe, the largest of which is the woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus). The 2 species of the genus Glaucomys (Glaucomys sabrinus and Glaucomys volans) are native to North America, and the Siberian flying squirrel is …

Ferret — In general use, a ferret is a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo). Domestic ferrets typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur, have an average length of approximately 20 inches (51 cm) including a 5 inch (13 cm) tail, weigh about 2 pounds (1 kg), and have an ordinary lifespan of 7 to 10 years. Several other small, …

False Paca — The pacarana (Dinomys branickii) is a rare and slow-moving South American rodent found only in tropical forests of the western Amazon River basin and adjacent foothills of the Andes Mountains from northwestern Venezuela and Colombia to western Bolivia. It is a hystricognath rodent, and the sole extant member of the family Dinomyidae in Caviomorpha; initially, it was …

Ermine — The stoat (Mustela erminea) is a small mammal of the family Mustelidae. It is also known as the short-tailed weasel and the ermine. The stoat is a member of the family Mustelidae, which also includes other weasels, mink, otters, ferret, badgers, polecats, the wolverine, martens, the tayra, the fisher and in some taxonomical classifications skunks. This is one …

Elk — The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is the second largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (Cervidae), only the moose, Alces alces (called an “elk” in Europe), is larger. Wapiti are almost identical to red deer found in Europe, of which they …