SEA LION

  Scientific Name:
Eumetopias jubatus
 
Group: Mammals

   The Steller sea-lion is the largest of all seals and sea-lions. Adult’s males can reach up to 10.5 feet in length and weigh over 2400 lb, and they have large, muscular necks and shoulders. They also have long coarse hair which resembles the mane of African and Asian lions, giving them their name. Females are much smaller than males and can reach up to 9.5 feet and weigh over 750 lb. They have long flippers, and their coats are tan to reddish-brown in color with darker underparts. When underwater, their coats appear darker. Males can live up to 20 years, and females live ten years longer.
     Steller sea-lions are both land and sea creatures and they prefer colder waters. When not in the water, adults can mostly be found on rock shelves, ledges and sand beaches where they gather to breed and give birth.

BLUE WHALE

 Scientific Name:
        Balaenoptera musculus

   Group: Mammals
     
      The blue whale is the largest of all whales and is said to be the largest animal in Earths history. The average length of an adult blue whale is 79 to 88 feet and the average weight is 130 to 150 tons. Blue whales are blue to blue-gray and may sometimes appear to have a faint yellow skin color because of the many microorganisms that accumulate on their bodies as they travel through colder waters. Blue whales prefer cold waters and open seas and prefer not to venture near coastal areas.
    The blue whale eats mostly krill (small shrimp-like crustaceans) by using its baleen plates lining its mouth to sieve krill from the water. It can consume several tons of krill daily.

GIANT PANDA

  Scientific Name:
Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Group: Mammals

The giant panda is an extremely rare animal found mainly in the Western Szechwan province of southwest China. The giant panda can weigh from 165 to 330 lb. The head and body of the panda is mainly white with the exception of its ears, eye patches, nose, shoulders, arms, and legs. The giant pandas eyes are very small and its vision is poor. Enlarged bones in its wrists allow it to grip bamboo stems.
  Giant pandas eat mostly bamboo leaves and shoots. But they can also eat fruit and berries, fungi, grass, and even small mammals, birds and fish. Pandas live alone most of their lives, only coming together when it is time to mate. Females give birth to cubs that are hairless and blind and weigh only 100g. Cubs depend on their mothers for about 18 months, and then it is time to find and establish its own territory. They use their scent glands beneath their tails for marking territory.

TASMANIAN KANGAROO

 Scientific Name:
Macropus giganteus tasmaniensis
Group: Mammals

Tasmanian forester kangaroos prefer to live on grasslands or in open woodlands. They are herbivores and eat mostly shrubs, leaves, grass and herbs. They are social and prefer to live in small groups called “mobs.” The mobs include one dominant male, two to three females, two to three young males, and young kangaroos. Males are aggressive when it comes to establishing dominance. They use many types of aggressive behavior, including a form of “boxing,” to gain dominance over the mobs. The winner is the one most likely to mate with the females in mob. Females give birth to one baby kangaroo or “joey” after a gestation period of 35 days. The joey remains in the mother's pouch for about 300 days. Joey's will usually nurse for about 18 months after they leave the pouch.

BROWN BEAR

      Scientific Name:
Ursus arctos


Group: Mammals
   Brown bears can live in a variety of habitats, such as mountainous forests, desert edges, ice fields, tundra, alpine meadows, and coastlines. They prefer habitat that is densely covered and where there is available shelter in the day in order to hide themselves from sunlight. The brown bear is generally solitary and more active at night. They will eat just about anything, including plants, berries, roots, fish, insects and small mammals such as squirrels. Some subspecies have been known to feed on dead animals, and in Canada, have been known to hunt larger mammals such as sheep, goats, elk, and moose. The brown bear's hibernation period depends on the subspecies and location. Generally, brown bears hibernate from October to December and become active again between March and May. Other brown bears subspecies only hibernate for a short time or do not hibernate at all. Females may mate with one or more males from May to July and give birth to two to three cubs.