🐅 Tigers have four fangs: two on top and two on the bottom, two on each side of the mouth.

The fangs are mainly used for holding onto prey. They need to be strong as tigers regularly hunt animals larger than themselves.

Red panda cub learning to climb down a tree 🥰

These adorable creatures are native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Despite their name, red pandas are not closely related to giant pandas. They are actually more closely related to raccoons, skunks, and weasels! 🦝

Red pandas are excellent climbers and spend most of their time in trees. They use their long, bushy tails for balance and their sharp claws to grip branches. 🌿

Baby red pandas, called cubs, are born blind and helpless. They rely on their mothers for warmth and protection until they are old enough to venture out on their own. It's heartwarming to watch a little cub learn to navigate the world around them! 🧡

The black bear (baribal), Ursus americanus, is found in 39 out of 50 US states and all Canadian provinces. Baribals are afraid of humans and prefer to flee or climb trees when threatened. They have no desire to become a fur hat for a Scottish guardsman, as these hats are made from the fur of Canadian baribals.

Adult males measure from 1.4 m to 2 m in length, with a shoulder height of up to 1 m. Their tails are shorter than those of brown bears.

Plant-based food makes up 80% to 95% of a baribal's diet, with their main natural enemy being the grizzly bear, a much larger and more aggressive species.

The yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula), also known as the Ussuri marten, is the largest and most vividly colored of all martens. Its body length (excluding the tail) is 50-70 cm, tail length is 35-40 cm, and it weighs 2.5-6 kg.

Unlike most martens, yellow-throated martens usually live in small groups of two or sometimes three individuals. In winter, they form family groups that can include up to 5-7 members. Yellow-throated martens often hunt together, allowing them to take down larger prey. While hunting, they move parallel to each other at a distance of up to 100 meters.

Their primary prey is the musk deer. They also feed on wild boar piglets, moose calves, roe deer, spotted deer, ibex, hares, squirrels, mice, birds, frogs, mollusks, insects, eggs, beeswax, and honeycomb with larvae and honey.

The chipmunk (Tamias) is a small rodent from the squirrel family. Although closely related to typical ground-dwellers like susliks and marmots, the chipmunk has distinct "arboreal" body features.

Chipmunks have a significant difference in the length of their front and hind legs, relatively large ears, and not-so-long claws. On the other hand, like susliks, they have cheek pouches for carrying small portions of food.

Depending on the species, chipmunks can weigh between 30 and 120 grams and measure from 5 to 15 cm in length, with their tails ranging from 7 to 12 cm. The most noticeable characteristic of all species is the five dark stripes along their backs, separated by white or gray stripes.

Chipmunks are found throughout most of North America, from the Arctic Circle to central Mexico. The Asian or Siberian chipmunk inhabits the forest and taiga zones of Eurasia, from Northern Europe to the Korean Peninsula.

The spiny-tailed skink Egernia stokesii lives in Australia. These lizards inhabit rocky areas with narrow cracks in the ground, which they use as shelters.

The day begins with sunbathing right at the entrance to the shelter. Skinks lead an exclusively diurnal lifestyle - their natural activity depends on the solar cycle. After a long morning warm-up, they go in search of food. Breakfast starts with vegetation available near the shelter.

During the day, spiny-tailed skinks digest food. They spend the strong heat in shelters. In the evening, lizards feed longer than in the morning. Their day ends with the last rays of the sun.

In case of danger, spiny-tailed skinks rush to their shelter. Once inside, the lizard puffs up, flattens its body and blocks the entrance with its spiny tail. This makes the skinks virtually inaccessible to enemies.

The rhinoceros iguana Cyclura cornuta inhabits the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Its body (up to 135 cm long and weighing from 5 to 9 kg) is covered with sharp spiky spines along the back, and the tip of the snout is adorned with a growth resembling a rhinoceros horn. Adult males have a bulge on their head like a helmet: it protects against the sharp claws of rivals and protects against blows to the stones.

Despite their menacing appearance and combat equipment, rhinoceros iguanas prefer to hide in case of danger rather than engage in open combat. Only when cornered do they become aggressive, snapping their teeth and swinging their long flat tail. This tail, also covered in spines, can cause serious injuries.

The Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus) inhabits West and Central Africa from Senegal to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It can be found in both forests and savannas, as well as in swampy areas, but avoids overly dry landscapes.

This species is known for its bright reddish color with a line of white hair running along the entire spine. 🦌

Red River Hogs are nocturnal, spending the day in burrows hidden in dense vegetation. They live in family groups of 2 to 15 individuals, led by a mature male.

These hogs have their own territories, which they mark using special secretions or by leaving tusk scratches on tree trunks. In case of danger, they quickly escape. Sometimes Red River Hogs actively defend themselves by attacking their enemies (usually cats or hyenas). 🐗💪

The binturong (Arctictis binturong), once thought to be raccoon-like due to its appearance, is also known as the "bearcat" because of its body structure and manner of movement. Later, it was determined that this mammal belongs to the civet family and is a separate species.

This awkward, short-legged animal has stiff, dark fur, a body length of 60-95 cm, and a tail of equal length. It weighs an average of up to 14 kg.

This mysterious wonder lives in the dense tropical forests of Southeast Asia, primarily in trees, and is more active at night. Its movements are slow and cautious; it doesn't jump but can climb well using its prehensile tail.

Binturongs are not dangerous to humans; when entering a house, they primarily search for leftover food. They can be kept as pets, but this practice is not widespread due to their tendency for frequent, uncontrolled urination.

The Nemea Pygathrix nemaeus belongs to the Old World monkey family and inhabits the tropical forests of Vietnam and Laos.

These are some of the most colorful monkeys in the world. They are often called "monkeys in costumes" due to their stunning body coloration. From a distance, it may look like the animal is wearing a sweater and pants, with a hat-like tuft on its head.

Nowadays, the Nemea pygathrix is found only in young forests, as their usual habitats were destroyed during the Vietnam War. These monkeys are social animals that used to live in families of up to 60 individuals before the conflict. Today, it's rare to see a troop with more than twelve monkeys.

The Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) is widely found in the tropical mountains of India and Sri Lanka, as well as in Southeast Asia to the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. It inhabits tropical and subtropical deciduous forests, savannas, and bush, on the slopes of hills and in the Himalayas at altitudes of up to 3000 meters.

This small deer has a compact body with small, slender legs and a small head with an elongated snout. The tear glands are well developed - it is with their tears (!) that males mark their territory.

The body length of the muntjac is 90-135 cm, and the height at the withers is 40-65 cm. The long tongue can reach up to the ears. Antlers grow only in males, reaching a length of up to 15 cm. The change of antlers occurs regularly, but there is no specific season for this.

Muntjacs are mainly active at night. When a predator approaches, the deer make a short squealing sound similar to a bark.

The animals' diet is varied: leaves, shoots, berries, mushrooms, bi

The anoa (dwarf buffalo) Bubalus depressicornis is the smallest of all buffalo on our planet, with a body length of just 160 cm and a weight of no more than 300 kg (females are half that). Anoa live in Indonesia, on the island of Sulawesi.

Both species of anoa (both mountain and lowland) are endangered. Due to the progressive deforestation, they remain only in separate small reserves on the island. Another reason for the decline in their numbers is poaching.

Despite the fact that the anoa is protected in Indonesia, it becomes a victim of poachers who sell trophies to tourists. Between 1979 and 1994, the anoa population declined by 90%.

It should be noted that both species of anoa are feared by locals due to their unpredictability and aggressiveness, and often die (but do not give up) in zoos if they are kept together with larger animals. But they confidently fight back against dangerous boxes, as we can see!

Gorillas are the largest primates, living in groups of up to 30 individuals in the tropical forests of Africa. A gorilla "family" consists of a male, several females, and their growing offspring. All members of the group lovingly care for the young, teaching them important skills and protecting them from danger.

For the first 6 months, a baby gorilla is inseparable from its mother. She carries it everywhere, sleeps with it, kisses it, and grooms its fur. Under their mother's watchful eye, young gorillas learn to crawl and walk. Until the age of 3, they continue to drink their mother's milk before transitioning to a plant-based diet.

As they grow, gorillas spend more time with their peers. Teenage gorillas often play and misbehave, but one stern look from their father is enough to restore discipline.

At 10-12 years old, young gorillas leave their family to start their own.

The Cyclocosmia spider, also known as the "trapdoor spider," leaves no chance for its prey. The video shows the same attack, but the speed is slowed down each time.

Cyclocosmia mainly feeds on insects but can go without food for a long time (about six months). During this period, it burrows into a hole and spins a cocoon-like structure around itself.

These spiders prefer to dig their burrows on sandy slopes and, in times of danger, close the entrance with their abdomen - not soft like other spiders, but ending in a chitinous disc reinforced with a system of ribs and grooves.

Cyclocosmia spiders are known for their aggressiveness. They inhabit the southern United States, Thailand, and China and can grow up to 5 cm in body length.

Spiders of the genus Cyclocosmia are considered the oldest arachnids on Earth. Their ancestors appeared on the planet about 100 million years ago, with the oldest paleontological find dating back to this period.

The Scorpion (Grasshopper) Mouse Onychomys leucogaster hunts spiders, scorpions, and even mice, while eerily howling at the Moon...

The scorpion mouse inhabits vast territories, from the south of Canada to the north of Mexico. In theory, it should eat grass seeds and empty local farmers' barns, but our hero is an active predator. It's the real wolf of the rodent world!

It hunts all invertebrates, from grasshoppers to scorpions, and attacks reptiles, mainly various types of lizards. Even other rodents suffer from this fighting hamster!

This hamster is almost insensitive to pain, thanks to a mutation in the protein that controls the pain response, and is evolutionarily resistant to scorpion venom. Therefore, defeating a venomous arthropod is a mere trifle for it.

The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is the largest predator on the island of Madagascar, a place that has given us so many amazing animals.

For a long time, people thought the fossa was one of the large cats because it looks like a young puma. It can retract its claws, has long whiskers, and even grooms itself like a cat. However, it turns out that the fossa is not a cat but a civet. Like all members of the civet family, the fossa has anal glands that secrete a strong-smelling substance. Local people believe that fossas can kill their prey with this disgusting stench alone!

Fossas are not dangerous to large animals and humans. However, when a fossa encounters chickens or piglets, they are in grave danger.

Fossas live in the forest and are expert tree climbers. Even young fossas just two months old can easily jump from branch to branch. Their main prey is therefore birds and lemurs, which they hunt skillfully in the trees.

This is a baby Galapagos (giant) tortoise Chelonoidis niger, the largest of all land tortoises.

The female Galapagos tortoise buries her eggs in the sand and then never shows interest in her offspring again. But that's not a problem, because the babies are born very independent.

Hatching under a layer of sand, they don't emerge for another 2-4 weeks, surviving without food and water. They breathe air that penetrates through the loose sand. And if the rains don't flood the nest, the hatchlings will make their way to the surface.

Then they start feeding on vegetation on their own, after 20 years they will be 1000 times heavier and can live up to 100 years (in captivity, caught individuals lived at least 170 years).

An adult giant tortoise can weigh over 400 kg and reach a length of over 1.8 meters.

The spider monkey Brachyteles arachnoides got its name due to its resemblance to spiders - it has a fragile body, a small head, and very long, grasping limbs and tail.

The length of the animals' body ranges from 40 to 65 centimeters. They have a very long, thin tail. Its size is almost equal to the length of the body, and sometimes even exceeds it. On average, the tail length is 50-90 cm, and the weight is from 2.5 to 9-10 kg.

They inhabit the tropical forest massif on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in South America (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico). They spend most of their lives climbing trees - but only in the upper part of their crowns, where predators cannot reach and only on trees with a fluffy, wide crown, abundantly covered with leaves.

The lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) is no ordinary hedgehog! Its distant relatives include elephants, aardvarks, and even manatees. This fascinating creature lives on the mysterious and animal-rich island of Madagascar and can weigh up to a kilogram!

Soon after birth, the tenrec develops rows of spines on its head and back. When these spines rub against each other, they create a soft vibration that tenrecs use to communicate with their group members about danger or readiness to mate.

Smithsonian Institution's documentary captures a tenrec family feast in great detail. The video shows how weeks-old babies start transitioning from milk to solid food. The tropical rain helps them find prey easily, and the group of tenrecs feasts on earthworms brought up by the rain.

Painted wolves (Lycaon pictus) are agile hunters, with an 80% success rate in their hunts.

They resemble hyenas only with the black mask on their muzzle - they have a light and slender build, long and strong legs, large ears, high-set oval "locators" that give their head a recognizable silhouette. Body length is about 1 meter, tail up to 40 cm, height at the withers up to 78 cm, and they weigh 18-36 kg.

These wild dogs were once widespread in the African steppes and savannas south of the Sahara. Now their range has become fragmented, surviving mainly in national parks and in landscapes untouched by humans.

Painted wolves live and hunt in packs of 7-15 individuals. The pack consists of a dominant pair and the offspring of the alpha female; all males are subordinate to the alpha male, and all females to the alpha female.

The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) is one of the smallest of all cats, and it's a killing machine!

Many small predators have an accelerated metabolism, including black-footed cats, so they need to constantly hunt for food. To have food, they hunt all night continuously and travel up to 10 miles (16 km) in search of prey - an enormous distance considering their tiny size.

On average, a black-footed cat kills 14 small animals in one night. Two out of three attacks are successful, making the black-footed cat one of the most efficient predators. They mainly hunt small rodents, but among their largest prey are rabbits and baby antelopes, whose weight significantly exceeds their own.

To observe these animals, several individuals were fitted with tracking collars at a research site in South Africa. Black-footed cats were also observed 24/7 as part of the documentary film "Super Cats".