We explain what wild animals are, some examples and the main characteristics of these animals.
What are the wild animals?
Unlike domestic animals, accustomed to the presence of humans, wild animals are those that they are kept in their original state, inhabiting spaces far from human intervention, and inserted in a natural dynamic to which their instincts respond. In other words, wild animals are those that do not know any relationship with the human being, and therefore perceive it as an element alien to their environment and customs.
The wild animals make up the bulk of our planet’s biodiversity and biological innovation, in such a way that we still do not know a high percentage of the species that inhabit the most dense of the jungles or in the most remote regions of the world. This does not prevent our expansive life model from posing, in general, a threat to wildlife, since pollution, deforestation and indiscriminate hunting, if not the introduction of invasive species into natural habitats, constitute some of the activities. more damaging that the human being incurs directly or indirectly.
For the latter, there are numerous associations and institutions dedicated to ecology and the protection of threatened species, that is, those wild animals whose number is so small that the species runs the risk of becoming extinct. There are wild species that exist only in captivity, where they are tried to reproduce to repopulate their original habitats.
Examples of wild animals
Some examples of wild animals of air, land and sea are the following:
- White shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
- Lion (Panthera leo)
- Wolf (Canis lupus)
- Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
- Panda bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
- Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
- Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
- White rhino (Ceratotherium simum)
- Báquiro or mountain pig (Peccary tajacu)
- Tiger (Panthera tigris)
- Leopard (Panthera pardus)
- Jaguar (Panthera onca)
- Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
- King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)
- Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)
- Coyote (Canis latrans)
- Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
- Armadillo or large mulita (Dasypus novemcinctus)
- Black widow tarantula (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus)
- Orinoco Cayman (Crocodylus intermedius)
- Impala antelope (Aepyceros melampus)
- Reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus)
- Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardis)
- Oceanic dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
- Killer whale (Orcinus orca)
- Common seal (Phoca vitulina)
- Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
- Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
- Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
- Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
- Andean condor (Vultur gryphus)
- Red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)
- Mantis or santateresa (Praying mantis)
- Barracuda fish (Sphyraena barracuda)
- Rhea (American rhea)
- Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
- Platypus (Ornithorynchus anatinus)
- Toucan toco (Ramphastos touched)
- Orangutan (I put pygmaeus)
- Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus)
Difference between wild and domestic animals
Just as wild animals are adapted to live in their natural habitat, subject to natural laws, that is, away from human intervention, some animals have learned to live with us, even within our homes, forming a close bond with us.
There are even cases where they treat us like members of the same pack, and it is probable that our absence suffered greatly. These are domesticated animals. Before being domesticated, the animals were all wild, of course. Most of the world’s animals still live in this way, in their respective original habitats: the jungle, the desert, the sea, etc.
The shark
Sharks are some of the largest predators in the marine habitat. They are generally large, cartilaginous fish, except for their teeth, made up of sharp and triangular teeth, of greater or lesser size.
Despite their menacing appearance, of the 375 known species of sharks in the world, only two or three have carried out unprovoked attacks on human beings, usually by mistaking part of their diet for a marine mammal, such as surfers and seals. . Related to stripes and chimeras, sharks have changed relatively little since their evolutionary origin in the Devonian period, nearly 400 million years ago.
The giraffe
Giraffes are a species of quadruped and very long-necked African mammals, being the tallest animals that exist today. Its height can touch 5.8 meters and its weight ranges between 750 and 1600 kilograms.
Another important feature is its mottled yellow fur, similar to that of the leopard, which is present in the second term of its scientific name: Giraffa camelopardalis, that is, “camel-leopard”, which was how the Romans baptized it when they discovered the animal. The giraffe inhabits from North Africa to the South, from Chad to South Africa and from Niger to Somalia, but in a scattered way.
Elephant
Another of the most fascinating mammals in Africa and Asia, the elephant is a massive and massive creature, whose birth weight ranges from 120 kg and can reach 10,000 kg in adult life. It also has a very characteristic nasal tube with which it can hold objects, feed, bathe and breathe.
With a height of almost four meters, it is the largest land animal that exists, associated in human culture with noble emotions such as altruism or compassion, which has not prevented it from being hunted to the point of extinction of many species, to use the ivory from its tusks in different products (such as piano keys). The worst thing is that this animal has a brain of almost 4 kg in weight, which allows it an intelligence similar to that shown by some primates.
The Tiger
The biggest predator in Asia is this carnivorous feline between 47 and 250 kg in weight and 190 to 330 cm in length (including tail). It has a very characteristic orange fur with black stripes and white areas, as well as sharp claws with which to hold its prey and a powerful bite with which to tear its flesh.
Excellent swimmers and climbers, They have a very characteristic roar, different from that of the Lion, and a very sharp night vision. They are fiercely territorial and in serious danger of extinction, largely due to indiscriminate hunting, now illegal in many Asian countries.
The polar bear
With snow-white fur, this fierce quadruped inhabits the polar regions of the arctic, where it is excellently camouflaged with ice. Its diet consists of seals, fish and other marine animals rich in fat, which it fishes thanks to its sharp claws.
The largest predator in the Arctic and one of the largest on Earth, It weighs between 350 and 680 kg, and it can measure about 2.6 meters of foot. Like so many others, it is in critical danger of extinction due to the destruction of its habitat, the result of global warming and the melting of the poles.
The blue whale
Also known as the blue fin whale, it is the largest animal that inhabits our planet, ranging between 24 and 27 meters in length and 100 to 120 tons in weight. Contrary to what its size might suggest, it is a docile and peaceful animal, which feeds on marine plankton and other tiny animals such as krill, fishing them out of the water with its long filtering beards.
It is also a marine mammal, with an incredible lung capacity of 5000 liters of air, so it can last a long time under water. When it comes out to breathe, however, it produces a characteristic jet of water that can reach 6 to 12 meters in height. Like many animals on this list, it is in danger of extinction due to indiscriminate hunting by humans.