Bio 2: Practicum 5

1. Three adaptations birds have for flight: feathers, four-chambered heart, and lightweight but strong skeleton

2. All species of birds have: wings

3. Birds emerged within the Theropod dinosaur/ They showed up: Jurassic period around 150mya

4. Birds are found: most terrestrial habitats on all 7 continents

1. Archaeopteryx bird-like characteristics: wings, feather, lightly built body with hollow bones, furcula (wishbone), reduced fingers.

2. Archaeopteryx reptile like characteristics: teeth, three claws on each wing, flat sternum, belly ribs, long bony tail.

1. Bipedal is the term used for birds.

2. the ankle is the part of a bird's leg that looks like a "backwards" knee.

3. Anisodactylie

4. Zygodactylie

1. birds have an endothermic metablic rate

2. the normal body temperature range is 38-42 degrees C (100-108 degrees F)

3. usually larger in temperate zones to limit surface area to reduce heat loss.

4.Two functions of the respiratory system: delivers oxygen from the air to tissues and removes carbon dioxide.

5. Respiratory structures: small lungs plus 9 air sacs

6. air sacs permit unidirectional flow of air through the lungs.

1. bird egg laying is unique because eggs have a hard covering for protection.

2. the largest egg is an Ostrich egg.

3. the smallest egg is a hummningbird's egg.

1. Socially monogamous means: birds that raise young together.

2. Extra-pair copulations is "cheating"

3. 90% of species of birds are considered socially monogamous.

1. polygyney: when one male has multiple females

2. conditions that favor this condition: colonial groups where there is enough resources for females to feed the young along and the young are independent early in life.

1. Lekking is where males collect in a group to perform courtship displays./ The name of the area used for display: arena or booming ground.

2. the benefit of Lekking: for males-they are found in areas without resources so the arena allows them to show off their genetic qualities. Females are able to choose males quickly and the young females can learn from the more experienced females.

1. polyandry: where the female attracts more than one male.

2. the sexual roles are reversed, the females fight for territories, males, and resources.

3. the evolutionary reason for polyandry: one parent doesn't have to worry about parental care and can concentrate on offspring number. It allows the females to reproduce quicker because the females do not have to care for the young.

1. polygyandry: females will be paired with several males and males will be paired with several females.

2. Acorn woodpeckers primarily live in groups to protect their storage of acorns.

3. the way they nest is special because several females will lay their eggs in a single nest and each will compete to leave the most eggs.

1. brood parasitism: where females lay their eggs in another species nest. The parasitized species then raises the cowbird's young.

2. They parasitize 140 of 220 species.

3. The cost of the host species: reduced production of young and is a major threat to a few very vulnerable species.

1. typical diet: mistletoe berries

2. unique about birds nesting behavior: breeds twice each year, in two different habitats.

3. behavior is desert environments: territoerial, actively defending nesting and foraging sites.

4. behavior in woodland area: colonial, with as many as four nesting pairs sharing one large tree.

-food is collected in the crop at the top of the throat until there is a large enough lump to slide down the neck.

-omnivorous

-nostrils at the tip of their long, slender beak, to help them smell food when they push their beak into the soil.

surface and/ or shallow dives

-stands motionless.

-slowly wades around in about 15 to 25 cm of water until it drives a fish out from a hiding place.

-thin bill perfect for probing in water or mud in its search for food.

- sensitive feelers on the inside of their bill.

- The bird's nostrils are at the base of the bill.

sweeping its long spoon- shaped bill back and forth in the ewater. Prey is detected by touch.

-in shallow water, lower their necks and tilt their heads slightly upside-down, sweeping their head from side to side.

-Filter food with a spiny, piston like tongue that aids in sucking food-filled water past the lamellae inside the curved bill.

bill are fringed to strain

-talons are extremely powerful and help assist with suppressing prey.

-main prey items are tree-dweling mammals such as monkeys, coastis, and sloths.

-strike prey with a clenched foot, stunning or killin git, then turns to catch it in mid-air.

-feed almost exclusively on medium-sized birds.

-speeds of 220mph.

-sense of smell.

-feeds almost exclusively on carrion.

-may travel several hundred miles in search of food.

-medium and large sized dead mammals.

forages in soft mud, probing or picking up food by sight.

-eats small fish and squid.

-fish constitute 80-100% of diet

-very dextrous bill

-diet consists mostly of fruit but also 20% of their diet is invertebrates and small animals.

-long bill is useful for reaching things that otherwise would be out of reach.

-eats fruit using its bill to pluck them from trees.

-strong bill is adapted not only to crush its food, but also as an additional limb for climbing.

-birds of prey, must kill other animals to survive.

-chisel.

- most feed on insects which live under the bark.

-thin slender, pointed beaks for eating insects.

1. resource partitioning: to reduce competition, the different type beaks allow for each species to specialize in a particular food source reducing the energy needed to fight fo food.

2. The American Avocet's bill turns upward to skim the surface of the sand and the Black-necked stilt is straight to dig into the sand.

1.A dabbler: typically skim food from the suface or feed in the shallows by tipping forward to submerge their head and neck./ A diver: ducks that propel themselves underwater.

2. Dabbler legs: smaller feet and their legs are suited farther forward./ Diver legs: large feet attached to short legs situated far back on the body.

1. considered a bird of prey because they are predators of insects, lizards, birds, and small mammals.

2. They kill their food by shearing food on cactus spines and barb wire fences.

3. Nickname: Butcher Bird

1. common diet for a red-tailed hawk: 85-90% of small rodents with rabbits, snakes, and lizards.

2.Peregrine Falcon is known for speeds being clocked at 220mph in a stoop dive/ They eat birds.

3. a Kestrel in a North American falcon/ They eat insects or small mammals/ "unique" about their flight pattern: hover with rapid wing beats keeping head motionless while scanning the ground for prey.

1. owls are thought to be nocturnal due to competition from hawks during th day.

2. Owl's can turn their head: 240 degrees/ they can do this because of their 14 cervical vertebrae/ it is necessary because their eyes are large and fixed in sockets so they must turn head to look at things.

3. the burrowing owl is diurnal/ the young protect themselves by making a sound by clicking their beaks which resembles a rattlesnake.

1. Kill deer lat their eggs on open ground , often on gravel.

2. Adults use the "broken wing act" to distract predators from nest.

1. Starlings were introduced to the U.S. because of the Shakespearean plays./ The problems they are causing: affecting local woodpecker populations.

2. The house sparrow is on of the most common introduced species in our area./ Their original name in the English sparrow.

1. Birds communicate with songs and calls or other noises (tapping and drumming), courtship flights and dances.

2. songs consist of specific patterns or notes repeated with few variations./ The cardinal has over a dozen calls and songs, mockingbirds are able to mimic the songs of other birds.

3. Birds produce sound from vibrations that are sent across the syrinx (voice box) of a bird./ Mourning doves have a singular pair of muscles results in only "coo" sound.

4. A call is when alerting others of danger, when feeding or migrating./ Bushtits use these when a flock of bushtits travel, they keep in touch by calling as they fly through their habitats.

5.To recognize the call of a Wrentit, their call's rhythm is like a dropped ping pong ball.

6. Western Meadowlark species: the young learn the song while still in the egg

1. Four groups: Permanent resident, Winter resident, Summer resident, and Transients.

2. birds migrate because during northern winters there is little food and cold temperatures, making life hard. Farther south, there is more food and less cold.

3. The four "flyways" in North America: Pacific, Central, Atlantic, and Mississppi.

1. Torpor: lowering metabolism overnight/ Roadrunners do this to conserve energy.

2. Adaptation roadrunners have to help use less energy "waking up" from torpor: have black skin underneath feathers. In the mornings they will pull back these feathers and allow the sun to warm their bodies and help raise their body temperature back to normal.

1. Cactus wrens got their name from making their nests in cactus.

2. Cactus wrens make multiple nests to use as rest areas to get out of the heat.

1. Gambel's Quail typical body temperature is 104 degrees F./ To reduce water loss they can raise it 7 to 8 degrees.

2. They can lose up to 50% of their body weight in water.

1. Penguins are found in the south hemisphere/ Murrelets and Auklets are found in the northern hemisphere.

2. Have in common: all cold-loving, fish gulping birds, and usually breed in colonies./ Difference: penguins do not fy while Alcids can.

1. order means "footless"

2. hummingbirds eat nectar.

4. swallows hunt insects in the air.

5. swallows make mud nests attached to cliffs and building structures.

1.Location: Most of U.S. woodlands and grasslands.

2. Food: 40% invertebrates and 60% nuts and berries.

3. Other: often seen as a symbol of spring.

1. location: central and western U.S. open areas and grasslands.

2. Food: mostly seeds and insects.

3. Other: live in large flocks near humans.

1. location: western U.S. near water.

2. Food: flycatcher

3. Other: pump their tails up and down incessantly when perched.

1. location: coastal sage scrub in southern california

2. food: insects.

3. other: endagered

1. location: dense brush of coastal sage scrub in southern california

2. food: insects and small invertebrates.

3.other: largest thrasher

1. location: coastal sage scrub in southern california

2.Food: seeds and insects.

3. Other: spends most of its time on the ground

1. location: most habitats throughout the U.S.

2. Food: omnivorous

3. Other: Bio indicator for West Niles Virus

1. location: western U.S.- introduced in the east- variety of habitat but often near humans.

2. Food: seeds

3. other: frequent visitor to bird feeders

1. Location: western and Eastern U.S.

2. Food: insects, berries, and nectar.

3. Other: Frequent visitor to hummingbird feeders.

1. location: dry slopes of california

2. food: seeds and insects.

3. other: 40 attempts at insects every 15 minutes.

1.location: shrubby undergrowth in western U.S.

2. food: omnivore

3. other: two footed backward scratching called, "double scratching"

1. location: open woodlands of the western U.S.

2. food: insects

3.other: last year, young often help at the nest.

1.location: open areas with perches in the western U.S.

2. food: insects

3.other: spreading in the U.S. due to human activity.

1. location: summer-open forest edges/ Fall and Winter-open woods and shrubby habitats.

2. food: insects and berries

3. other: most versatile feeder among all warblers

Pelicans

Kingfishers

hummingbirds

pigeons, doves

raptors

Ducks

Quail

Coots

shorebirds

parrot, parkeets

Greater roadrunner

Owls

woodpeckers

Cassowaries

ostriches

Rheas

Kiwis

Tinamous

penguins

Trogons

Loons

Grebes

Tubenoses

waders

nighthawks

songbirds

1. general characteristics: hair, three middle ear bones, mammary glands in females, and a neocortex.

2. first mammals appear in early Mesozoic era.

3. modern mammalian order appear: Paleogene and Neogene periods of the Cenozoic era.

4. found: worlwide in almost every habitat

1. hair is composed of keratin.

2. a complete coat of fur is called: Pelage

3. Two main layers of hair and used for: Ground hair (undercoat or down hair)-thermoregulation/ Guard hair-display, camouflage or protection

4. functions of hair: primary source of heat insulation and cooling, protection from U.V. radiation, sense movement of air as well as touch by physical objects, and protection.

1. Three ossicle names: malleus, incus, and stapes

2. the single bone in reptiles is called: columella/ the two extra middle ear bones come from: one lower and one upper jaw bone (the articular and quadrate) lost their purpose in the jaw joint and were put to a new use in the middle ear.

3. the function of theses new bones: amplify sounds and allow for more acute hearing.

1. The two bones that form the jaw is the dentary and squamosal.

2. The two bones that form the jaw joint is the articular and quadrate.

3. It took over 100 million years for the synapsid skull to evolve.

4. vertebrate teeth changed from modified peg-like teeth into specialized structures for certain tasks./ The different types and their function: incisors (shearing), canines (piercing), and premolarsand molars (grinding)

5. the shift in the jaw joint has allowed for more power in the bite.

1. mammary glands are a specific type of apocrine gland specialized for the manufacture of colostrum when giving birth.

2. modified from sweat or sebaceous glands.

1. Neocortex means "New bark"/ loacted: part of the cerebral cortex

2. Neocortex consist of: grey matter surrounding the deeper white matter of the cerebrum./ Differ from rodents to larger mammals: rodents have smooth neocortex, larger mammals have deep grooves and wrinkles.

3. Grooves: sulci/ wrinkles: gyri/ allow for increase in surface area of the neocortex.

4. the functions of region: "higher function"

1. Three major types of mammals and characterisitcs:

Protheria- monotremes (egg layers)

Metatheria- marsupials (pouch animals)

Eutheria- placentals (nourished before birth)

1. Protheria means "first beast"

2. Therapsid ancestor characteristics they contain: complex pectoral girdle, laying eggs, limbs oriented with humerus and femur held lateral to body and a cloaca.

3. the split from other mammals in the Mesozoic during the Cretaceous period.

4. probably found on landmass of Gondwana

1. monotremata means: sewer

2. different from other mammals: lack teeth as adults, sutures are hard to see, rostrum is elongate, beak-like and covered by a leathery sheath, and lacrimal bones are absent.

3. milk delivery different than other mammals: milk is secreted onto the skin within the pouch and sucked or lapped up by the babies.

4. they use electroreception to locate prey.

5. found: Australia and New Guinea

6. spurs deliver the venom in male Duck-billed Platypus/ To take advatage of their electroreceptors they move their head in a side-to-side motion/ found: inhabiting small streams and rivers.

7. echidnas feed on ants and termites/ Platypus has 40,000 electroreceptors, the echidnas has only 2,000.

1. Metatheria means: "sort-of beast"

2. give birth to "larval-like" offspring.

3. diverged from ancestors of placentals in the Jurassic period.

4. found today: Australasia, some inhabit the Americas

1. what makes marsupials different from placentals mammals: young are carried in a pouch.

2. The penis and vagina is bifurcated.

3. evloved in North America approximately 80mya/ Reached Australia in the Oligocene.

5. unique about the red kangaroo: largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial.

6. Koalas eat eucalypt diet provides low nutrition and energy, koalas are laregely sedentary and sleep for up to 20 hours a day.

7. the only marsupial found in this area (sputhern California): The Virgina Oppossum/ Type of tail: hairless, prehensile tails./ Have opposable, clawless thumbs on their back feet which are similar to those in primates.

8. opossumes have 50 teeth/ Eat: omnivores

9. when confronted by predators they: feigning death

10. They are not carriers of rabies because their body temperature is too low to carry rabies.

11. Brush-tailed Possum are different from other opossums because they have a almost fully haired tail./ From South America and introduced to New Zealand

1.Eutheria means: "true beast"

2.Differ from non-eutherian mammals: lack the epipubic bones, which are present in all other fossil and living mammals./ Allows them to be faster on the run than their relatives.

3. evolved: 160mya

4. found: worldwide

1. Aardvarks eat: ants and termites/ Term for this type of feeder: Formicivore

2. Teeth are different than other mammals: no enamel coating and are worn away and regrow continuously.

1. Use their trunk by grabbing food and water. Use their trunk like humans use their hands, with an upper and lower lip to grab food.

2. 12-25% of the skull comprises of an elephant's body weight/ Other changes that have occurred to their skull to accommodate their large size: a network of air-cells and cavities to reduce its weight.

3. Adaptations seen in an elephant's foot: the toes are embedded in a soft cushion of elastic fibers around a fatty matrix.

4. Difference between African and Asian Elephants:

Ears: African (Huge ears shaped like Africa)/ Asian (smaller)

Tusks: African (tusks on maes and females)/ Asian (tusks on males).

Nails on back feet: African (three nails on hind feet)/ Asian (5 toes but only 4 nails on hind feet)

1. hyrax means: shrewhouse

2. closest living relatives: elephants

3. slice off leaves and grass: using molar teeth/ Have multi-chambered stomachs that allow symbiotic bacteria to break down tough plant material.

1. common name: sea cows/ eat: herbivorous

2. modification for their aquatic way of life: the forelimbs have modified into arms used for steering, the tail has modifiedinto a paddle used for propulsion, and the hindlimbs are but two remnant bones floating deep in the muscle.

3. closest relatives: elephants

1. Xenarthra means: "strange joints"/ Animals have this name because their vertebral joints have extra articulations.

2. Different than all eutherians and allows the males to have internal testicles: the lowest metabolic rates among the eutherians.

4. Armadillo's outer shell made of: ossified dermal scutes covered by nonoverlapping, keratinized epidermal scales, which are connected by flexible bands of skin./ Armadillos are quickly spreading in the U.S. because the species has few natural predators within the U.S.

5. Anteaters move their tongue in and out 160 times per minute when feeding./ Because their prey, insects are crushed against the palate./ Instead of stomach acid, the formic acid of its prey is used for digestion.

6. Sloths are classified as folivores/ They use two species of symbiotic cyanobacteria for camouflage./ They are the most vulnerable to predation when they are on the ground to urinate and defecate about once a week.

1. 40% of mammal species are rodents.

2. Characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing.

3. space between incisors and premolars: Diastema

4.First appeared: 65 mya, as early as the Paleocene

1. unique among mammals: Eusocial mammal which makes them similar to social insects like bees and ants.

2. unique characters: only mammalian thermoconformer, lack of pain sensation in its skin.

1. Beavers found: Semi-aquatic/ they have large flat paddle-shaped tail and large, webbed hind feet for this life style.

2. Their homes are called "lodges"/ They are known for building dams across streams.

1. Two defensive behaviors: sand kicking and other forms of harassment, and to super-heat and swish around its tail.

2. The only habitat in California they do not use is the desert.

1. Counter shading is the name of the defensive coloration seen in this squirrel.

2. Dreys is the name of their nests./ Two type of nests: large, round covered shelter nest for winter use, birthing, and rearing young, and a "sleeping platform" a base for seasonal or temporary use.

-Animal remains in cool burrow during daytime.

-respiratory moisture condensed in nasal passages.

-metabolic water derived from dry seeds.

-Feces dehydrated prior to defecation.

-Urine concentrated by countercurrent exchange in extralong loop of Henle.

1. Capybaras are known for being the largest rodent in the world.

2. They are Graminivores which means they eat grasses and aquatic plants.

3. Found: semi-aquatic mammals in densly forested area near bodies of water.

1. Most characteristic feature: their large cheek pouches

2. Term for where they are found: Fossorial, which means they are found underground.

1. Peromyscus means "booted mouse"

2. Notorious for being a carrier of the hantaviruses

1. The only Norway rat-free zones are the Arctic and Antarctica, some isolated islands, because these areas get to cold.

2. Originated in Northern China/ The only other mammal that is more successful is humans.

1. They hold their tail up over their back as a sunshade.

2. Unique about this species of rodent: able to resist hyperthermia and can survive body temperatures over 104 degrees.

1. Four main calls:

-"chuck"

-"chip"

-"trill"

-"chipper"

1. Order includes: Rabbits, hares, and pikas.

2. Different from rodents: they have four incisors in the upper jaw and they are almost strictly herbivores.

3. They eat their own feces to obtain more nutrients from their diet/ This process is called Coprophagy.

4. First appear in the fossil record in Late Paleogene or early Eocene.

6. Black-tailed rabbites are known for breeding prowess.

7. Desert Cottontail's anti-predator behavior: run away in evasive zig zags; it can reach speeds of over 19mph.

8. Pikas food piles are called "haystacks"/ Pikas are a global warming indicator in North America.

1. Gliding membranes are called Patagium.

2. Similar to marsupials in their breeding habits./ She curls her tail up to fold the gliding membrane into a warm, secure quasi-pouch.

1. They have brain anatomy in common with primates.

2. Often used for Primate behavior studies.

1. large brains relative to other mammals, as well as an increased reliance on stereoscopic vision are characteristics shared by all primates./ Most have opposable thumbs and some have prehensile tails.

2. Primates arised in late Paleocene.

1. Included in this group: lemurs, lorises, bushbabies, and tarsiers.

2. They lack color vision because they are nocturnal.

3. All have in common: possess two laterally flattened toilet claws used for grooming.

1. Included in this group: Baboons, mangabeys, mandrills, guenons, patas monkeys, and macaques.

2. All have in common: external nares that are close together, opposable thumbs and colloused ischial tuberosities.

1. Included in this group: marmosets, tamarins, squirrels and cupuchin monkeys, howler and spider monkeys, uakris and sakis.

2. All have in common: a broad flat nasal septum, non-opposable thumbs, and most have a prehensile tail.

3. How they arrived in the new world: migrated to South America either on a raft of vegatation or through a land bridge.

1. Included in this group: Gibbons, gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos.

2. All have in common: sexual dimorphism and quadrepedal

3. Differ from monkeys: monkeys have tails, apes do not.

2. separated from chimpanzees 7 mya

3. Found: forests of central africa.

4. Eat: Folivores.

5. Males: sagittal crest on midline of the skull and their larger canines.

2. Diverged from the rest of the Great Apes 15.7mya to 19.3mya.

3. Found: onlly the rainforests of Boreno and Sumatra.

4. Type of social structure: most solitary of the Great Apes, with social bonds occuring primarily between mothers and their dependent offspring, who stay together for the first two years.

1. Chimpanzees split from the human branch of the family 4-6mya

2. African chimps have long arms, when extended have a span one and a half times as long as the body's height and a chimp's arms are longer than its legs. The bonobo is a little shorter and thinner than the common chimp but has longer limbs.

3. "Knuckle-walking" is the type of locomotion.

4. 98% of DNA humans share with Bonobo's.

5. African Chimp diet: Omnivorous/ Bonobo diet: Frugivorous.

1. Chimpanzees split from the human branch of the family 4-6mya

2. African chimps have long arms, when extended have a span one and a half times as long as the body's height and a chimp's arms are longer than its legs. The bonobo is a little shorter and thinner than the common chimp but has longer limbs.

3. "Knuckle-walking" is the type of locomotion.

4. 98% of DNA humans share with Bonobo's.

5. African Chimp diet: Omnivorous/ Bonobo diet: Frugivorous.

1. Bipedalism is the one characteristic that separates hominids from other primates.

2. Other important characteristic that developed: much larger brain than that of other primates.

1. Austlopithecus means: Southern Ape

2. First appear in the fossil record about 3.9 and 3.2 mya in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene.

3. Basic hominid characteristics that are found in this species: a bipedal hominid with a small brain and primitive face.

4. Fossils from Eastern Africa.

1. First appear in the fossil record: about 3.03 and 2.04mya in later Pliocene and early Pleistocene.

2. Similar to A. afarensis: slender build./ Different: more human like cranium permitting a larger brain and more humanoid facial features./ Primitive feature they have: Ape-like curved fingers for tree climbing are also present.

3. Fossils from Southern Africa.

1. Appeared in the fossil record in the Pleistocene epoch fom about 2.3 until about 1.2mya.

2. Brain size compared to the other Austalothecines: the brain volume is quite small not much larger in comparison.

3. Unique characteristics that are found in this species: had large chewing muscles accompanied by a strong sagittal crest.

4. Fossils from Eastern Africa.

1. Appear in the fossil record: 1.8mya and the most recent to around 300,000 years ago.

2. Name means: upright man./ They looked like: cranial capacity greater than that of earlier hominids. The frontal bone is less loped and the face is less protrusive. They were extraordinarily slender with long arms and legs./ From neck down, they resemble Homo Sapiens.

3. Species found: Africa but the first hominid widely distributed in the old world.

4. Characteristics they have: cranial capacity greater than that of earlier hominids. The frontal bone is less loped and the face is less protrusive. They were extraordinarily slender with long arms and legs.

1. Appear in the fossil record 600,000-350,000 years ago.

2. 1-4% of its genome constituted of Neanderthal genes.

3. Cranial capacity compare to modern humans: as large as that of modern humans, perhaps larger (comparable or larger).

1. Appear in the fossil record: 200,000 years ago and begun to exhibit full behavorial modernity around 50,000 years ago.

2. Characteristics that characterize humans: large brain relative to body size, with will developed neocortex, prefrontal cortex and temproral lobes, making them capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection, problem solving and culture through social learning.

1. One shared characteristic that lump all carnivores together: the last premolar of the upper jaw and first molar of the lower are termed the carnassials or sectorial teeth.

2. Carnivore means to devour meat.

3. They evolved in North America about 42 mya during the Eocene.

4. They are found worldwide.

1. Type of feeders: Obligate carnivores.

2. Appear in the fossil record: 25mya, Oligocene.

3. Male Moutain lions can be up to 6ft and weigh up to 220lbs./ They are a small cat./ You can tell the difference because they purr, small cats cannot roar due to the structure of the hyoid bone.

4. Bobcats are the most common cat in the U.S./ They are 3 1/2 ft long and 20lbs./ Bobcats are ambush hunters./ Bobcats are found in North America.

5. African male lions can exceed 550lbs./ They exhibit an unusually social lifestyle./ African lions normally hunt large ungulates.

6. Tigers are 11ft and 670lbs./ Their niche: large solitary stalk and ambush hunter.

7. Leopard size: smallest of the "big cats"./ They are big cats./How to tell a leopard and Jaguar: leopard fur is marked with rosettes similar to those of the jaguar but the leopard's rosettes are smaller and more densely packed, and do not usuakky have central spots as the jaguars do./ Secret to their success: Its opportunistic hunting behavior and its unequal ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass.

8. Unique characteristics seen in Jaguars: exceptionally powerful bite, it bites directly throug the skull of prey between ears./ Jaguars are found in the Americas.

9. Cheetahs can run up to 60-70mph./ Cheetahs are found most of Africa and parts of the Middle east.

1. Lifestyle they usually possess: social and live together in groups.

2. Showed up in the fossil record Eocene about 40 mya.

3. Baculum helps create a copulatory tie during mating, locking the animals together for up to an hour.

4. Coyotes aare known for being the best runner amoung canines./ 40% of their diet is plant material.

5. Size of Grey Wolves: males averging 95-99lbs and females 79-85lbs./ Claim to fame: once the most widely distributed land mammal in the world behind humans and lions./ They hunt in packs and can take down prey 10x their own body weight.

6. Male foxes are called "Reynards"./ Female foxes are called "Vixens"./ Differ from other canids: not always pack animals, typically live in small family groups./ The Silver Fox is actually a color phase of the Red Fox.

7. Red foxes are found in the Northern hemisphere./ Gray foxes are found in the Southern part of the U.S. and the northern part of South America./ Arctic foxes are found in circumpolar range.

1. Bears showed up in the fossil record: late Eocene to early middle Miocene 38-18mya.

2. Diet determines their size./ Range in eating habits: polar bears are mostly carnivorous and the giant pand feeds almost entirely on bamboo, the remaining 6 species are omnivorous with varied diets.

3. Size of the Polar Bear: A boar weighs aroung 770-1500lbs while a sow is about half that size./ Their scientific name means "Maritime bear"

4. Two recognized brown bears: Coastal brown bear and the inland grizzly bear./ Unique about the brown bear: is themost widely distributed of all bears.

5. How to tell Black bear from a brown bear: Black bears are smaller in size, less concave profile, their shorter claws and lack of shoulder hump./Unique about the American black bear: The american black bear is the world's most common bear species.

6. 99% of the Giant Panda's diet is made up of Bamboo./ Unique about the Giant Panda's paw: has a "thumb" and five fingers-modified sesamoid bone.

1. Common characteristic most of them share: relatively small animals with generally slender bodies and long tails. Except for the Kinkajou, all procyonoids have bonded tails and distinctive facial markings.

2. They showed up in the fossil record Miocene epoch around 20mya./ They are restricted to the New World from Southern Canada to Northern Argentina.

3. Raccoon's two most distinctive features: extremely dexterous front paws and a facial mask.

4. Raccoon's original habitat: decidouos and mixed forests./ They have extended their range because their adaptability.

5. Unique about the Coati's ankles: can rotate their back ankles so they can go head first down a tree.

6. Red Pandas habitat they are found in: moutainous mixed deciduous and conifer forests, especially with old trees and dense understories of baboo./ Diet: mainly bamboo.

7. Unique about the Ringtail compared to others in this family: the claws are short, straight, and sem-retractable./ Their nickname: "Miner's cat"

1. All have in common: small, active predators, long and slender with short legs.

2. Showed up in the fossil record 15mya during the Miocene.

3. Long-tailed Weasels are found in the U.S. except for parts of southeast California and Nevada and most of Arizona./ Eat: Obligate Carnivore./ Prefer their prey to be fresh or alive.

4. Pine Marten's eat: opportunistic predators, influenced by local and seasonal abundance and availabilty of potential prey.

5. Minks found: semiaquatic species of mustelid native to North America.

6. Wolverines capture larger prey by ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size. Is able to pounce on their back and attacking their neck.

7. Badgers have loose skin around their neck that allows them to turn on predators./ known to hunt with coyotes.

8. Skunks are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong odor.

9. Otters have a protective, insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur./ Found: Endemic to North American continent./ How River otters differ from Sea Otters: Sea otters are the heaviest members of the weasel family. Sea otter is protected by the densest fur in the animal kingdom. Sea otter is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean.

1. Meerkats are different: are the only ones who are social.

2. Behavior seen in Meerkats: forage in group with one "sentry" on guard watching for predators while the others search for food. This often called an altruistic behavior.

1. Most hyenas are opportunistic feeders./ Short strong jaw, strong digestive enzymes and ability to regurgitate pellets of indigestible items.

2. They have a bear-like gait due to their well-developed forequarters and sloping backline .

3. Unique about the female sexual structures: pseudopenis due to high levels of testosterone.

1. Name means fin-footed mammals.

2. Found: polar and temperate waters.

3. Limbs look like pinniped limbs, or flippers, proportionally shorter than those of most other mammals.

1. Ocean they are found: Discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctiv ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern hemisphere./ They are found in shallow water above the continental shelves.

2. They are recognized by their prominent tusks, whiskers and bulkiness.

3. Eat: benthic bivalve mollusks.

1. Males are larger than females, and have thicker neck and protruding crest.

2. California sea lions are native to western North America.

1. Differ from eared seals: more specialized for aquatic life than otariids./ They control their body temperatures because they are able to deivert blood flow to blubber.

2. Weddel seals are known for deep diving ability, deepest diving seal.

3. Crabeater seals eat: Antarctiv krill of the southern ocean, for which it has uniquely adapted sieve-like tooth structure.

4. Leopard seals hunt in cold waters surrounding Antarctica./ They switch from krill to more substantial prey including penguinsand other seals./ They are similar to crabeater seals: molar lock together that allow them to sieve krill from water.

5. Harbor seals are known for being the most widely distributed of the pinnipeds.

6. Reproductive strategy do elephants seal exhibit: males keep harems called polygyny./ Sexual dimorphism is the differene in size between the two sexes./ Males may grow over 13ft and weigh 4,500 lbs and females are 10ft and weigh 1,500lbs.