Creatures of God

he Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth is approximately the size of a house cat, ranging from 45-60cm. Like all sloths it has long limbs and a small head for the size of its body. Sloths’ fur hangs ‘backwards’ compared to other mammals, lying from the stomach to their back. This enables the water to run off while it is in a tree. Sloths do not have visible toes but instead have long claws. In this species they have three claws on each foot, which enable them to hang from the branches of trees (2). The brown-throated Tree-toed Sloth can also be distinguished from other species by its brown fur and upturned mouth, giving the sloth a constant ‘smile’.

Despite their name the Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth is often tinged with green due to the growth of blue green algae in its fur, especially in the rainy season. Adult males also have a yellow/orange patch of fur with a black stripe between their shoulders.

Sloths have a low nutrient diet which leads to a slow metabolic rate. To manage this low energy diet they have large segmented stomachs that weigh a third of the sloth’s total weight. The lack of energy meanssloths are extremely slow moving and they only move out of the tree once a week to defecate. Maintaining temperature also becomes difficult with a slow metabolism and sloths will move into sunnier parts of a tree to keep warm (2).

The Tarsier is a small type of primate that not many people are familiar with. It spends most of its time in the trees and they have long tails. They are nocturnal so they are mainly out at night, making it hard to see them. In some cultures the Tarsier is considered to be a good luck charm and highly regarded. They only weigh about 5 ounces when they are fully mature.

The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial and the Tasmanian devil is therefore distantly related tokangaroos and wombats. Although the Tasmanian devil's closest relative is a kangaroo, the Tasmanian devil has the appearance of a wild dog The Tasmanian devil is only found on the Australian island state of Tasmania.The Tasmanian devil is characterized by their black fur and the offensive odour the Tasmanian devil secretes when stressed. The Tasmanian devil is also known to making a horrible, loud screeching sound when the Tasmanian devil is distressed or feels threatened.

ince the late 1990s, a nasty facial mutation disease has caused the Tasmanian devil population to decline, meaning that the Tasmanian devil is now an endangered species. The facial mutation disease is thought to be a type of cancer and ends in fatality about a year after it is contracted.
The Tasmanian devil is very fierce, but that does not mean we shouldn't try to save them. If people shoot them because they attack something, that is like killing a friend, there will soon be no more.
The Tasmanian devil known to display odd and slightly psychotic behaviour. When the Tasmanian devil feels threatened by a predator, is competing for mate or even a male, the Tasmanian devil displays a series of behaviours including lunging, teeth-baring and growling. The Tasmanian devil turns to rage so quickly that European settlers first named it the devil.
Tasmanian devils are highly carnivorous and survive on snakes, birds, fish, insects and road kill. When a carcass is found, Tasmanian devils are known to be one of the loudest animals when it comes to fighting for a meal.

Kangaroos have a deep pouch on their front in which to carry their young. A baby kangaroo is called a joey. Kangaroos eat plants, nuts, berries and insects that the kangaroos rummage for in the arid wilderness.

Kangaroos are most well known for their ability to jump a phenomenal distance. The kangaroo is the largest of the marsupials, a group an animals that includes koalasand the common brushtail possum. Marsupials are distinguished by the pouch that these animals have on their bellies, in which they carry their young.

Koala Anatomy and Appearance
The Koala is one of the most charismatic of all marsupials with it's large, wide face and round, white-tufted ears giving it the appearance of a small bear, along with their lack of a visible tail and smooth, black nose. The Koala has dense and soft grey or grey-brown fur which is lighter on their underside and mottled on the rear. Due to the fact that Koalas spend almost all of their lives in the trees, they have evolved a number of adaptations to help them with their arboreal lifestyle including having short, powerful limbs that are tipped with sharp claws. Having two opposable thumbs and three fingers on each hand means that Koalas are able to grip onto even the smoothest of bark when climbing and feeding in the trees. Koalas move about in the trees by jumping, first gripping the trunk with their front paws (helped by their rough paw pads and claws) before then moving both their back legs up the tree together, allowing them to get higher up.

Koala Distribution and Habitat

The octopus often has a sharp beak, and an octopus will always have eight arms (unless any have been lost). Most species of octopus generally have arms with circular sucker pads on.

The lifespan of the octopus depends on the species of octopus, with many species of octopus averaging around 6 months old. Some species of octopus however, particularly the bigger octopus species, can live for a few years.

The octopus is well known for being a master of disguise and is able to blend into pretty much any background using its elaborate camouflage. The octopus not only uses this to its advantage for both hiding from potential prey and predators, but it is also thought to play a role in the male octopuses mating display, in order to attract a female octopus.

The octopus is also thought to have three hearts, two of which are used for pumping blood through the gills, and another for pumping the pale blue blood of the octopus through the rest of the body.

Generally, most species of octopus have no internal or external skeleton which means that the octopus is able to squeeze itself into tight places. The octopusis known to be one of the most intelligent of all the invertebrates and the octopus uses this to its advantage mainly using elaborate disguise.

Origin

The ancestors of Shiba Inu evolved in Japan. They were brought to Japan from China. The Akita Inu is one of the ancestor of the Shiba Inu. This is a Japanese dog and in Japanese language the name means small. This breed was used for hunting. After the second world war the breed just vanished but they were gradually saved by careful and good breeding.

The Shiba Inu is not very big in size and it is about 16 inches high. They have a stout and muscular body. Their head is wide and round and they have a pointed sharp muzzle with a black nose at the tip. They look very much like the Akita Inu. The Shiba Inu’s eyes are hazel and almond shaped. It has a big face and two standing small ears on their head. The Shiba Inu has a broad neck and wide chest. Their limbs and legs are broad and muscular and they have rounded paws. The Shiba Inu has a short tail which is totally curled. They have a thick coat and they are found in many colour combinations like red and black, fawn etc.

Leopards are graceful and powerful big cats closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.

The leopard is so strong and comfortable in trees that it often hauls its kills into the branches. By dragging the bodies of large animals aloft it hopes to keep them safe from scavengers such as hyenas. Leopards can also hunt from trees, where their spotted coats allow them to blend with the leaves until they spring with a deadly pounce. These nocturnal predators also stalk antelope, deer, and pigs by stealthy movements in the tall grass. When human settlements are present, leopards often attack dogs and, occasionally, people.