What are the wild animals?

We explain what wild animals are, some examples and the main characteristics of these animals.

1. What are the wild animals?

Unlike domestic animals, used to the presence of human beings , wild animals are those that remain 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 know no relationship with the human being, and therefore perceive it as an element outside their environment and customs.

Wild animals constitute the bulk of the biodiversity and biological innovation of our planet , so that we still do not know a high percentage of the species that inhabit the densest of the jungles or in the most remote regions of the world. This does not prevent our expansive model of life from being, in general, a threat to wildlife, since pollution , deforestation and indiscriminate hunting, when not introducing invasive species into natural habitats, constitute some of the activities more harmful in which the human being incurs directly or indirectly.

Therefore, there are numerous associations and institutions dedicated to the ecology and protection of endangered species, that is, those wild animals whose numbers are 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 .

2. 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 rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum )
• Baquiro or cochino de monte ( Pecari tajacu )
• Tiger ( Panthera tigris )
• Leopard ( Panthera pardus )
• Jaguar ( Panthera onca )
• Green Anaconda ( Eunectes murinus )
• Royal 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 )
• Cayman of the Orinoco ( Crocodylus intermedius )
• Impala antelope ( Aepyceros melampus )
• Reticulated Python ( Malayopython reticulatus )
• Giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardis )
• Ocean Dolphin ( Delphinus delphis )
• Orca ( 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 ( Mantis religiosa )
• Barracuda fish ( Sphyraena barracuda )
• Ñandú ( Rhea americana )
• Spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta )
• Platypus ( Ornithorynchus anatinus )
• Toucan played ( Ramphastos played )
• Orangutan ( Pongo pygmaeus )
• Horseshoe Crab ( Limulus polyphemus )

3. 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 inside our homes, forming with us. a close bond.

There are cases even when they treat us like members of the same pack , and it is likely that they suffered a lot from our absence. These are domesticated animals. Before being domesticated, the animals were all wild, of course. Most of the animals in the world still live in this way, in their respective original habitats: the jungle, the desert , the sea, etc.

4. The shark

Sharks are some of the largest predators the marine habitat has . 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 about two or three have carried out unprovoked attacks on humans, generally by confusing them with some marine mammal part of their diet, such as surfers with seals . Related to rays and chimeras , sharks have changed relatively little since their evolutionary origin in the Devonian period, almost 400 million years ago.

5. The giraffe

Giraffes are a species of four-legged and 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 upon discovering 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.

6. Elephant

Another of the most fascinating mammals in Africa and Asia, the elephant is a huge and massive creature, whose weight at birth 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 hunting until almost extinguishing many species, to use the ivory of his fangs in different products (like piano keys). The worst thing is that this animal has a brain of almost 4 kg in weight, which allows an intelligence similar to that shown by some primates.

7. Tiger

The biggest predator in Asia is this carnivorous cat between 47 and 250 kg in weight and 190 to 330 cm in length (tail included) . It has an orange coat with black stripes and very characteristic 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 the Lion , and a very sharp night vision. They are fiercely territorial and are in serious danger of extinction, largely due to indiscriminate hunting, now illegal in many Asian countries.

8. The polar bear

Snow-white fur, this fierce quadruped inhabits the polar regions of the Arctic , where it is excellently camouflaged with ice. Their diet consists of seals, fish and other marine animals rich in fats, which fish thanks to their sharp claws.

The largest Arctic predator and one of the largest on Earth, has a weight that ranges between 350 and 680 kg , and can measure about 2.6 meters standing. 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.

9. The blue whale

Also known as blue 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, catching them from the water with their long filter beards.

It is also a marine mammal, with an incredible lung capacity of 5000 liters of air , so it can last a long time underwater. When he goes out to breathe, however, he produces a characteristic water jet that can reach 6 to 12 meters high. Like many animals on this list, it is in danger of extinction due to the indiscriminate hunting of the human being.