forests
African Bush Elephant
African Bush Elephant
Scientific Name
Loxodonta africana
Weight LB
6,000–13,000 lb
Average Life Span
60-75 years
Fact
An African Bush Elephant's trunk has around 40,000 muscles (more than your whole body!), allowing incredible dexterity to smell, drink, grasp, and trumpet, while their spongy foot pads let them walk quietly and even "hear" vibrations through the ground, making them surprisingly stealthy giants. They're also 'ecosystem engineers' and use mud baths as sunscreen to protect their sensitive skin from the sun and bugs, showing immense intelligence.
Weight KG
2,700–6,000 kg
Country
South Africa
Continent
Africa
Type
Mammals
Diet
Herbivore
Conservation Status
Endangered
Region
Africa
Blue Jay
Blue Jay
Scientific Name
Cyanocitta cristata
Weight LB
0.16–0.22 lb
Average Life Span
7-26 years
Fact
Blue Jays are incredibly smart, mimic hawk calls to scare other birds, and their blue color comes from light, not pigment (their feathers are brown!), but a truly fun fact is their ability to pack their throat pouch with many seeds or acorns (over 100 sunflower seeds at once!) to hide and transport for later, helping to plant oak trees. They are also known for "anting," rubbing ants on themselves, possibly to help with digestion or pest control, and they mate for life.
Weight KG
0.07–0.1 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Type
Birds
Diet
Omnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Region
North America
Red Fox
Red Fox
Scientific Name
Vulpes vulpes
Weight LB
6–31 lb
Average Life Span
3–5 years (up to 14 years in captivity)
Fact
A fun fact about Vulpes vulpes (the red fox) is that they have vertical, slit-like pupils, similar to cats, which help them see incredibly well in low light, and they use their bushy tails for balance, warmth, and communication, often with a white tip. They are also highly vocal, using over 40 different calls, and can leap great distances to pounce on prey, a hunting technique called "mousing".
Weight KG
3–14 kg
Country
United States
Continent
North America
Type
Mammals
Diet
Omnivore
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Region
North America
Western Honey Bee
Western Honey Bee
Scientific Name
Apis mellifera
Weight LB
0.00025 lb
Average Life Span
Worker: 5–7 weeks (summer), Queen: 2–5 years
Fact
They use a "waggle dance" to communicate the direction and distance of food sources to other bees.
Weight KG
0.0001 kg
Continent
Europe
Type
Invertebrates
Diet
Herbivore
Conservation Status
Data Deficient
Region
Asia, Australia, North America, Oceania, South America