Animals from all corners of the earth are truly remarkable creatures. While you may recognize some, others might be completely fresh experiences.
Are you searching for a fun way to introduce your children or students to the alphabet? Try our letter A animals! Click on each animal to hear its sound and learn its name!
Ants
Ants are social insects that live and work together in large colonies. They belong to the order Hymenoptera, along with bees and wasps.
Ants can be found worldwide, except Antarctica and small islands.
Ant colonies can range in size from a few dozen to millions of ants. They are divided into jobs or castes and treated like family within the colony.
They are hardworking and always put their interests first. Additionally, they possess great architectural talent; this allows them to construct stunning nests.
Bees are vital to the environment as they fertilize plants with droplets of nectar. Furthermore, bees provide food for birds, lizards, and other animals such as birds, lizards, and rodents.
Armadillo
Armadillos are essential elements in South America, where they inhabit a variety of species.
Animals such as beavers have an acute sense of smell and can detect food by digging around in their environment. Furthermore, these creatures possess powerful claws which they use for digging burrows and tearing apart decaying wood.
Many armadillos are adept swimmers. They can hold their breath underwater for up to six minutes and even inflate their intestines to increase buoyancy when swimming across larger bodies of water.
This animal can survive in harsh conditions and easily resist predators such as coyotes and bobcats. Their greatest risk, however, comes from vehicles.
They may carry bacteria responsible for Hansen’s disease, though this is very uncommon. Furthermore, they have the capacity to jump up to three feet in the air when threatened – making them particularly hazardous to drivers.
Alligator
Alligators are amphibious reptiles that use their integumentary sensory organs to detect vibrations in water caused by prey. At night they hunt in densely vegetated swamps and tropical rivers.
Apex predators, sharks feed on fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds as well as invertebrates and insects.
Dreaming of an alligator can be seen as a sign from the universe that they are protecting you from an unpleasant situation. When threatened, an alligator will come to your aid and ease any stress or strain you are feeling.
It is believed that an alligator symbolizes regeneration, which can be beneficial if you feel worn out or stuck in certain aspects of life. It suggests that you can utilize your skills and talents in a new light to reinvent yourself.
Alligators are seasonal breeders, mating in the spring. Females build a nest of sticks, leaves and mud near or in the water where she can protect her eggs for up to one year after hatching.
Aardvark
Aardvarks are medium-sized nocturnal burrowing mammals native to Africa. They prefer grassland and savanna habitats with plenty of ants and termites for food sources.
Aardvarks can dig shelters and tunnels up to 33ft (10m) long for sleeping or raising their young, and can tear apart termite mounds with their sharp front claws. Aardvarks possess an acute sense of smell and hearing which help protect them from predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, and pythons.
The aardvark is the sole member of its order, Tubulidentata, to possess teeth (but no incisors or canines). Its tongue is covered in sticky saliva to trap insects such as ants and termites.
Anteater
Anteaters are a group of mammals that feed on insects. Sizes range from the giant anteater to the silky anteater and they can be found across South America.
Anteaters belong to the order Pilosa (in Latin, Xenarthra), and form part of Vermilingua – meaning “worm tongue”. Although they have poor eyesight and an acute sense of smell, these animals make excellent foragers when searching for food.
They use long, powerful claws to break open ant and termite nests in search of food. Additionally, they use their claws to fight off predators like pumas or jaguars.
The Giant Anteater is an enormous South American mammal found in forests and deserts. It’s one of the heaviest anteaters worldwide, weighing up to 140 pounds. After 190 days of gestation, this mammal produces one offspring.
Alpaca
Alpacas are a type of South American camelid (which also includes llamas, vicunas and guanacos). They descended from the wild vicuna and were domesticated 6,000 years ago.
They live in herds and graze on the flat heights of the Andes in southern Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and Ecuador. Their basic needs include shelter, food, water and vaccinations.
Some animals require additional supplements, particularly during winter and for sick or injured ones. These can be given on a per-needed basis and usually fed grass hay instead of pelleted food.
Alpacas produce an exceptional fiber, which has been used since Inca times to craft hats, clothing, blankets and ponchos. Their fine, strong yet soft fibers rank second only to silk among natural animal fibres.
Angelfish
Angelfish are carnivorous fish that can be found in both freshwater and marine environments. They feed on a variety of different foods, including invertebrates.
Aquarium fish can be a popular choice for aquarium owners, but they require special care and nutrition. To keep them healthy and vibrant, feed your fish a balanced diet and maintain excellent water quality.
Water should have a pH level between 6.5 and 7.5 on the scale and an ambient temperature between 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Furthermore, make sure the water is well oxygenated.
When breeding, you will need to set up a tank with plenty of plants for the female to hide beneath and an expansive area where she can lay her eggs. Separating the male into its own tank will allow him to fertilize the eggs.
The female will begin laying her eggs in organized rows, followed by the male who fertilizes each egg. Within two days, you can expect your fry to be ready for consumption!
Axolotl
The axolotl is an extraordinary salamander that has been the subject of numerous scientific investigations. They can regenerate nearly any part of their body after injury or loss, including limbs, organs and even parts of their brain.
Scientists studying heart defects benefit greatly from using mice because their neural tubes are similar to those in humans. This allows researchers to explore the genetic causes of heart defects without involving human subjects in the process.
Axolotls may appear silly, but they are highly social creatures that need constant care to thrive. Although they can easily be kept in captivity if kept under the right conditions, axolotls require plenty of socialization in order to flourish.
Arctic Fox
Arctic foxes are intelligent, strong and hardy animals that have the capacity to adapt in harsh weather conditions. These small mammals can be found across various Arctic regions such as Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Russia.
They live in large dens on frost-free, slightly raised ground. These complex systems of tunnels can cover an area up to 1,000 sq. miles and often occur along eskers – long sedimentary ridges formed when glaciers once existed.
Their diet consists primarily of prey they hunt such as lemmings, voles, ground squirrels, birds, fish, eggs, berries and carcasses left by larger predators. During winter times when food supplies are scarce they also dig up their own food sources.
The Arctic fox boasts an amazingly thick coat of fur that allows it to survive freezing temperatures. As the only mammal capable of this extreme climate, they play an essential role in maintaining natural ecosystems within their region.
