We explain what wild animals are, some examples and the main characteristics of these animals.
What are wild animals?
Unlike domestic animals, accustomed to the presence of humans, 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 do not know any relationship with humans, and therefore perceive them as an element foreign to their environment and customs.
wild animals constitute the bulk of the biodiversity and biological innovation of our planet in such a way that we still do not know a high percentage of the species that live in the densest jungles or in the most remote regions of the world. This does not prevent our expansive model of life from generally posing 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 most harmful that human beings incur directly or indirectly.
For this reason, there are numerous associations and institutions dedicated to the ecology and protection of threatened species, that is, those wild animals whose number is so small that the species is at risk of becoming extinct. There are wild species that exist only in captivity where attempts are made to reproduce them to repopulate their original habitats.
See also: Desert animals
Examples of wild animals
Some examples of wild animals from the 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)
- Báquiro or wild pig (Tajacu peccary)
- 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 mule (Dasypus novemcinctus)
- black widow tarantula (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus)
- Orinoco caiman (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 played)
- 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, far from human intervention, some animals have learned to live with us even inside our homes, forming a close bond with us.
There are even cases in which treat us like members of the same pack and it is likely that they suffered greatly from our absence. These are domesticated animals. Before being domesticated, animals were all wild, of course. Most of the world's animals still live 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 threatening appearance, of the 375 known species of sharks in the world, only two or three have carried out unprovoked attacks on humans, generally by confusing them with some marine mammal that is part of their diet, like 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.
The giraffe
Giraffes are a species of quadrupedal African mammals with very long necks, being the tallest animals that exist today. Its height can be close to 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 lives from North Africa to the South from Chad to South Africa and from Niger to Somalia, but in a dispersed manner.
The elephant
Another of the most fascinating mammals of 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 adulthood. It also has a very characteristic nasal proboscis with which it can hold objects, feed itself, 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 many species from being hunted almost to extinction, to use the ivory from their tusks in different products (such as piano keys). The worst thing is that this animal has a brain weighing almost 4 kg, which allows it an intelligence similar to that shown by some primates.
The tiger
The largest predator in Asia is this carnivorous feline between 47 and 250 kg in weight and 190 to 330 cm in length (tail included). It has 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 very acute night vision. They are fiercely territorial and are in serious danger of extinction, largely due to indiscriminate hunting, now illegal in many Asian countries.
The polar bear
With snow-white fur, this ferocious quadruped inhabits the polar regions of the arctic where it is excellently camouflaged with the ice. Its diet consists of seals, fish and other marine animals rich in fat, which it catches thanks to its sharp claws.
The largest predator in the Arctic and one of the largest on Earth, It has a weight that ranges between 350 and 680 kg and can measure about 2.6 meters standing. Like many others, it is in critical danger of extinction due to the destruction of its habitat, as a result of global warming and the melting of the poles.
The blue whale
Also known as the 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, 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 underwater. 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.
References
- “Wildlife” on Wikipedia.
- “Domestic and wild animals” in Junta de Andalucía.
- “Wild animals” in Natural Sciences.
