Category: Mammals Phylum:    Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family:  Pongidae Species:   Pan troglodytes Chimpanzee - Chimpanzee Videos The Chimpanzee is one of the great apes. Because it is nearest in intelligence to human beings, it is one of the most studied and popular of animals of the Kingdom. It has been proven that human DNA and Chimpanzee DNA are extremely similar, perhaps the closest of relations. Chimpanzees are amazingly smart. They are the best tool makers and tool users, apart from human beings! They can use sticks to extract honey, ants, and termites from nests and so on. In addition, they use stones to crack nuts and also as missiles! They chew up leaves and make them into a sponge, which is then used to extract water from a hollow in a tree. Chimpanzees live in tropical rain forests of Africa, ranging from the Niger basin to Angola. At night, they sleep in nests made of branches and vines in the trees. They often search for food on the ground. They usually walk on all fours, although they sometimes run on three legs, leaving one free to hold food. They can walk upright, with their toes turned outward, standing 3 to 5 ft. (90 to 152 cm) high. Their hair is long, coarse, and black, except for a white patch near the rump. The face, ears, hands, and feet are free of hair. Chimpanzees live in groups of up to 40 but they often wander away from the troop on their own. Within a group, males are arranged in a social order, the inferior ones respecting the superior ones. The members of a group spend much time grooming themselves or others. Seven hours a day may be spent on feeding. Fruit, leaves, and roots are the main foods, although it has been found that some chimpanzees like meat. They have been seen catching young bushbucks, bush pigs, colobus monkeys, and baboons. The gestation period is about 230 days and the young depend entirely on their mothers for two years. Young chimpanzees are playful and friendly, but they may become ill-tempered in old age. Many articles are written about these special animals. The similarities between them and man are simply amazing. Who knows? The chimpanzee might actually be our cousin!   Worldwide Region(s): Africa

Category: Mammals Phylum:    Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family:  Chinchillidae Species:   Chinchilla laniger Chinchilla - Chinchilla Videos The Chinchilla is a beautiful little animal. It looks like a small rabbit with a squirrel's tail and is related to the Viscachas, Agoutis, and Guinea Pigs. Chinchillas once thrived all over the Andes Mountains of South America. Unfortunately, valued for their beautiful, soft fur, they been comepletely over-hunted. Now, wild chinchillas are now found only in the high mountains of northern Chile and are on the decline. Where they do exist, chinchillas live in colonies in burrows among rocks. They come out at night and eat grasses and herbs.   Worldwide Region(s): South America

Category: Mammals Phylum:    Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family:  Cervidae Species:   Hydropotes inermis Chinese Water Deer - Chinese Water Deer Videos The Chinese Water Deer of China and Korea stands 18 to 22 in. (44 to 55 cm) at the shoulder and is about 3 ft. (90 cm) long. It weighs up to 36 Ib. (16kg). This small animal is unique among deer as it can give birth to up to 7 fawns, although 4 or 5 is usual. The coat is a light yellowish-brown to pale reddish-brown in summer, turning dark brown in winter. There is little difference between the sexes. The males have no antlers, but their upper canine teeth are long and tusklike. They are used in fights between males in the breeding season. This deer lives in swampy areas in its natural home, but has become adapted to woodland life where it has escaped from captivity.   Worldwide Region(s): Asia

Category: Mammals Phylum:    Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family:  Sciuridae Species:   Tamias striatus (Eastern) Chipmunk - Chipmunk Videos Chipmunks are common Ground Squirrels. There are about 20 different kinds. The Eastern Chipmunk lives in the eastern United States and Canada. The slightly smaller Western Chipmunk is found throughout North America and northern Asia. The Chipmunk's fur is reddish-brown with dark stripes on the back. The tail is not as bushy as that of tree squirrels. Chipmunks live in burrow systems underground, usually in pasture land or open woodland. Their main foods are berries, fruits, nuts, and seeds, but they also eat slugs, snails, and small insects. Food not immediately needed is carried in cheek pouches and stored away for the winter.   Worldwide Region(s): Asia, North America

Category: Mammals Phylum:    Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family:  Viverridae Species:   Nandinia binotata; and Paradoxurus hermaphroditus (palm) Civet - Civet Videos Civets belong to the same family as do the Mongoose and the Genet. They have sharp muzzles and a long body and tail. In habits and pattern of coat, they resemble the small cats. The African civet lives in Africa, south of the Sahara. The Large Indian Civet and the Small Indian Civet live in south and Southeast Asia. Civets are forest-dwelling animals, eating insects, frogs, birds, and fruit. They climb and swim well, and capture some of their food in water. Some have been seen catching crabs on the seashore. There are usually 2 to 3 young in a litter, born in a hole in the ground or in dense cover. Unfortunately, man's main interest in civets has been to collect the musk from their glands, near the reproductive organs, which is often times used in perfumes and other products. According to a recent article (January 2004) on About.com, researchers in the southern part of China have detected coronaviruses closely related to the SARS virus in several wild animal species, including the civet, which are sold in markets there for food consumption. The coronaviruses were found in the masked palm civet, a tree-dwelling animal with a raccoon or weasel-like face and a catlike body; and the racoon dog. The third species, a Chinese ferret badger, was also found to produce antibodies to the SARS virus. The questions remain: Did these wild animals infect the food handlers, or vice versa? Can the virus be spread animal-to-animal, by eating infected prey? How widespread is the SARS infection in food animals? (The tests involved only the wild animals from one market.) Can the virus be transmitted to humans from the eating of an infected animal? The biggest question is why are these animals being consumed at all? According to an article on the WHO web site, "much more research is needed before any firm conclusions can be reached. At present, no evidence exists to suggest that these wild animal species play a significant role in the epidemiology of SARS outbreaks. However, it cannot be ruled out that these animals might have been a source of human infection." Of particular interest is the fact that the first outbreaks in Guandong province came shortly after the Chinese began importing civets for food from Vietnam. Hong Kong already outlaws the use of these animals as a food source, and it is possible that Chinese officials will also ban their sale for food.   Worldwide Region(s): Africa, Asia

Cats lick their paws to clean their fur. For example, a cat will lick its paw first, and uses the wet paw to clean its ears.