Cheetahs (Acinonyx

jubatus) are the fastest

land animal. These longlegged cats can run up
to 65 miles per hour
(100 kph) in short bursts
when they are hunting.
Cheetahs are shy and
are not very sociable
with each other. These
speedy mammals live for
about 8 years in the
wild; in zoos, they have
a life span of about 10
years. Cheetahs are
an endangered species.

Penguins are birds that

cannot fly, but they
swim very well and
spend most of their lives
in the sea. There are 17
species of penguin.

Anatomy: Adult
cheetahs are a rich,
tawny brown with dark
spots. They have long
tear-drop shaped lines on
both sides of the nose,
extending from the
corner of the eyes to the
mouth. Adult male
cheetahs are up to 7 feet
(2.15 m) long, weighing
up to 125 pounds (55
kg). Adult females are
slightly smaller, up to 6
feet (1.8 m) long,
weighing about 100
pounds (45 kg).
Cheetahs have a long tail
that lets them make very
abrupt turns. Cubs have
dark fur and are born
blind.

Diet: Cheetahs are

carnivores (meat-eaters).
They eat animals like
impalas, gazelles, rabbits,
birds, and other small
animals.

Habitat: Cheetahs live

in Africa and
southwestern Asia in
temperate grasslands
and tropical savannas.

Anatomy: The Emperor

Penguin is the largest
penguin. It is up to 3.7
feet (1.1 m) tall and
weighs up to 65 pounds
(30 kg); this is bit less
than half the size of an
adult person. Males and
females look very similar.
All penguins have a big
head, a short, thick neck,
a streamlined shape, a
short, wedge-shaped tail,
and tiny, flipper-like
wings. They have
webbed feet which they
use for swimming.
Penguins are
countershaded; they
have a lighter color on
the belly and a darker
color on their back; this
coloration helps

Diet: Penguins eat in the

ocean. They eat fish,
crustaceans (like krill, etc.),
and squid.

Habitat: All penguins

live in the Southern
Hemisphere (south of
the equator). They live
in climates ranging from
the warm tropics to the
frigid Antarctic. These
defenseless birds
usually live on predatorfree islands or on
remote parts of a
continent. Some
penguins, like the
Emperor Penguin, live
on pack ice
in Antarctica.

camouflage them when

they are in the water,
hiding them from
predators.
Chimpanzees are very
intelligent great apes
that are closely related
to humans. They live in a
variety of environments
in western and central
Africa. Chimps live in
small, stable groups
(called communities or
unit groups) of about 4060 chimps. They are an
endangered species,
since the forests they
live in are cut down and
used for farm land.
Chimpanzees often use
tools in the wild. They
use sticks to get ants
and termites to eat and
to scare away intruders.
They also use chewedup leaves like a sponge
to sop up water to drink.

Anatomy: Chimpanzees
have very long arms
(longer than the legs),
and a short body covered
with black hair (except
on the face, fingers,
palms, armpits, and
bottoms of their feet).
Adults have a short,
white beard. Chimps
range from 2 - 4 ft (0.7 1.2 m) tall.

Diet: Chimpanzees
are omnivores (they eat both
plants and meat). They
forage for food in the forests
during the day, eating leaves,
fruit, seeds, and other plant
material. They also eat
termites, ants, and small
animals (they have even
been known to eat young
monkeys).

Habitat
Chimpanzees live in a
wide variety of habitats,
including tropical rain
forests (in the forest
edges and clearings),
woodlands, swamp
forests, and grasslands
in western Africa.

Owls. There are about

162 different species of
owls alive today,
inhabiting a huge variety
of ecological niches
around the world,
from rain forests to
the tundra.

Anatomy: Owls have a

large head and large
eyes that face forwards
(unlike other birds,
whose eyes are on the
sides of their head). This
eye placement gives
them binocular vision
and very precise depth
perception. Also, there
are circles of radiating
feathers surrounding
each eye, giving them a
wide-eyed, alert look.
Owls cannot move their
eyes within their sockets
like we can. In order to

Diet: Owls
are carnivores (meat-eaters).
Most are nocturnal and hunt
at night. They use a keen
sense of sight to find prey in
the dark (owls see mostly in
black and white). They have
an acute sense of hearing
which also helps in finding
meals. Owls are stealth
hunters; they can easily
sneak up on their prey since
their fluffy feathers give
them almost silent flight.
Owls hunt and
eat rodents, insects, frogs,
and birds. Owls eat smaller

Habitat
Owls are found
worldwide in a huge
range of habitats from
rainforests to grasslands
to wooded areas to
tundra.

look around, they have

to move their entire
head, which has a range
of movement of about
270.

prey whole and larger prey in

chunks. They regurgitate the
inedible parts (including hair,
teeth, bone, feathers, and
insect exoskeletons) in ovalshaped pellets. The owl is at
the top of the food web; it
has no major predators.

Source: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/