Double-Wattled Cassowary

The double-wattled cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is a large flightless bird that lives in northeastern Australia and New Guinea. Although it can't fly away from it's predators, it protects itself by slashing out it's long 4 inch long claws. It can run about 30 miles per hour and can jump nearly five feet, making it one of the more dangerous animals in Australia. 

It uses it's big feet to chase small birds and mammals through the jungle it lives in.It also eats fruits, insects, fungi, and carrion. While it's claws help it catch prey and give it sure footing as it runs, it's feathers also help it speed through the forest. They are thick and dense, which protects the cassowary from getting stuck by thorns and bramble as well as keep it waterproof. The large knob on it's head, called a casque, helps it as well by allowing it to smash through twigs and branches. 

The casque grows as it ages. Young cassowary lack a casque, so they must stay with their mother for protection. Cassowaries lay around 3 to 5 bright green or black eggs in a nest made of mostly leaves. Chicks are brown and stripped, which helps them camouflage in the shady jungle.

The cassowary belongs to the taxonomic order known as Casuariiformes, where the emu and the cassowary are the only members. Taxonomy is the science of how animals are categorized. In order to keep track of all the animals out there, scientist list them in very specific order. It starts off very broad, listing whether its an animal, plant, fungus, or perhaps bacteria. It then starts to get more specific, such as whether the animal has a backbone, if it's a mammal, reptile, or bird. As classification gets more specific it get so specific to it's individual name, which is the long name after it's common name. It's scientific name, or bionomenclature, is always in Latin. This way every scientist in the world will be able to know what animal is being talked about. 

Source: The Encyclopedia of Animals, 2006, Per Christiansen

Snowshoe Hare

The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) is a found in Canada and the northern parts of the United States. It eats a variety of plant matter, including leaves, grass, berries, twigs, bark, but is also know to eat carrion (which is something that is already dead).

 Some of you might have worn snowshoes before, but for those who haven't, they are special shoes that help us walk across the snow. The snowshoe hare has this ability too. The spaces in between the hare's toes are lined with thick fur. This allows it to hop across the snow without sinking into it. This is also a handy way for it to escape predators. Another way it escapes predators is by camouflage. During the summer months, the snowshoe hare has a brown coat that helps it blend in. During the winter months, it's fur changes to white which allows it to blend into it's snowy surroundings. 

Like all rabbits, the snowshoe hare is a rodent. Mice, rats, squirrels, hamsters, and guinea pigs are also rodents. All rodents share a common characteristic; their incisor, or buck, teeth continually grow. This means that they must constantly gnaw on things to keep their teeth filed down. If they didn't their teeth would grow so long that they would not be able to eat or drink and they would starve to death. They usually file them down naturally by the food they eat, such as the twigs and bark the snowshoe hare eats. The food and toys that you can give your pet rodents help them keep their teeth filed down. 

Source: The Encyclopedia of Animals, 2006, Per Christiansen

Okapi

The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) was found in 1887, in the jungles of the Democratic of Congo located in Africa. It is a very shy and secretive animal, making it hard to study. Okapis are around 6 to 7 feet tall, with females bigger than males, which is uncommon in the mammal world. Male okapi are generally smaller and have small giraffe like horns on their heads. 

The giraffe and the okapi are the only two species found in the Giraffidae family. Like giraffes, the okapi has a long purple tongue that it can use help it grab leaves and other food from high places. It's tongue is so long that it can wash it's ears with it! The okapi eats many plants, many that, scientist have discovered, are poisonous to humans.

  

It may seem like the okapi would stand out where ever it goes with it's zebra like legs, but the strips actually help it camouflage. In the jungle where it lives there are plenty of trees that cast shadows and sunlight beams through. The stripes on it's legs replicate this and break up the okapi's shape as it move through the jungle. This makes it hard for predators to focus on the okapi.

Of course, here is your own okapi to color!

Source: The Encyclopedia of Animals, 2006, Per Christiansen