In nature, you can find gigantic animals whose diet consists exclusively of plant foods. These are true vegetarians. The Galapagos turtle differs from its counterparts in its enormous size: the length of the shell can be up to 130 centimeters and the weight up to 300 kilograms.
The habitat of this giant animal is the Galapagos Islands, or as they are also called the Turtle Islands. The history of the name of these lands is closely related to the Galapagos turtles. When sailors landed on the islands in the 15th century, they found that they were inhabited by a large number of huge “Galapagos”, which means a turtle in Spanish.
Galapagos turtles are long-lived and can enjoy life up to 180 years. Although scientists have recorded two cases when this interesting animal lived for more than 300 years: Cairo Zoo 1992, at the age of almost 400 years, a male turtle died and in the same place, in 2006 the “wife” of a giant long-liver at 315 years old died. that the weight and size of the Galapagos turtles may vary by habitat. For example, in drier and smaller islands, animals have long and slender legs, and their weight does not exceed 60 kilograms, while in humid regions they grow up to be giants.
The diet of giant turtles consists of almost 90% of plant foods. They gladly eat grass, shrubs and do not even shun poisonous plants, which are easily digested by their digestive system without harm to health. When hunting for “green treats,” the elephant turtle stretches its neck or, on the contrary, bends low above the ground. Her favorite delicacies are the manzanilla and prickly pear plants from the cactus family. Eats them in huge quantities, and then absorbs several liters of water. With a lack of moisture, the turtle quenches its thirst with the same fleshy prickly pears.
The black rhinoceros is a powerful animal, an inhabitant of the African continent (on the verge of extinction!). Its body length is about three meters, and its weight can exceed two tons. The rhinoceros are very attached to their territory, so even the worst droughts cannot force the animal to migrate. The diet of the black rhinoceros consists of a variety of plants.
These are mainly young shoots of shrubs, aloe, agave-sansevieria, euphorbia, and plants of the Acacia genus. The animal is not afraid of acrid sap and thorny thorns of bushes. Like fingers, the rhinoceros uses its upper lip to grasp the shoots of bushes, trying to satisfy appetite and thirst. In the hot time of the day, the black rhino slumbers in the shade of trees or take mud baths near the waterfall, and in the evening or early morning goes for food.
Despite its huge size, the rhino is an excellent runner, albeit clumsy in appearance, but capable of reaching speeds of up to 50 kilometers in an hour. Black rhinos prefer to live alone, only a mother and cub can be found in pairs. These large animals are distinguished by a calm disposition, they are able to come to the aid of their fellows in difficult times.
Koala or Australian bear
Koala looks like a little bear cub. She has a beautiful coat, a flat nose, and fluffy ears. Lives in the forests of Australia. The koala spends most of the time in eucalyptus trees. She climbs on them quite dexterously, albeit slowly. He rarely descends to the ground, mainly in order to climb another tree, which is too far away to jump onto it.
The koala feeds exclusively on eucalyptus. It serves koalas as both home and food. At different times of the year, the koala chooses different types of eucalyptus for food. This is due to the fact that eucalyptus contains poisonous hydrocyanic acid, and depending on the season, the content of this acid in different rocks varies. The unique microflora of the intestines of koalas neutralizes the effects of these poisons. The koala eats about a kilogram of leaves per day. Sometimes they can eat and earth in order to replenish the body’s supply of minerals.
Koalas are very slow, they can remain motionless for up to 18 hours. They usually sleep during the day, and at night they move from one tree to another in search of food.
The growth of an adult koala is up to 85 cm, and the weight ranges from 4 to 13 kg.
An interesting fact is that koalas, like humans, have a pattern on the pads. This means that the fingerprints of a koala and a person will be difficult to distinguish even when viewed under a microscope.
African elephant
The elephant is the largest mammal on our planet. Its dimensions reach twelve tons. They also have a very large brain that weighs up to 6 kg. It’s no surprise that elephants are considered one of the smartest animals around. They have wonderful memory. They can remember not only the place they have been but also the good or bad attitude of people towards them.
Elephants are fantastic creatures. Their trunk is simply amazingly versatile, with its help the elephant can: eat, drink, breathe, take a shower and even make sounds. It is known that an elephant has a huge amount of muscles in its trunk. Elephant tusks are also very strong. They grow throughout life. Ivory is popular with humans and, unfortunately, many elephants die because of it. Trade is prohibited, but unfortunately, this does not stop poachers. Animal rights activists have come up with an interesting and rather effective way to protect elephants: they temporarily euthanize animals and paint their tusks with pink paint. This paint is not washed off, and this bone is not suitable for making souvenirs.
Elephants eat quite a lot. In adulthood, an elephant eats about 136 kilograms per day. They feed on fruits, grass, and bark, as well as tree roots. They sleep a little, about 4 hours, the rest of the time they spend walking long distances.
Pregnancy in these huge animals lasts much longer than other animals, as much as 22 months. Usually, the female gives birth to one baby elephant every 4 years. The weight of a little elephant is about 90 kg, and its height is about a meter. Despite their large size, elephants not only swim well but are also good runners, reaching speeds of up to 30 km per hour.
Bison – European bison
The European bison is the largest mammal in Europe. This powerful and strong beast is the only species of large bulls that has survived to this day. The weight of an adult animal can reach 1 ton, and the body length is up to 300 cm. This powerful animal reaches its largest size by the age of six. Bison are strong and massive, but this does not prevent them from being mobile and easily overcome obstacles up to two meters high. Bison live for about 25 years, females live several years less than males.
Despite such a powerful species, these at first glance formidable animals do not pose a danger to other inhabitants of the forest, because their food is exclusively vegetarian. Their diet consists of twigs and shoots of shrubs, herbs and mushrooms. Acorns and nuts will be their favorite autumn food. Bison live in herds. It mainly consists of females and babies. Males prefer solitude and return to the herd to mate. Pregnancy in a female bison lasts nine months. And an hour after birth, the little bison can stand on its own feet and run after its mother. After 20 days, he already eats grass on his own. But for five months, the female continues to feed the cub with milk.
Once bison lived in the wild almost throughout Europe, but the constant hunt for them led the species to almost extinction.
Breeding and further acclimatization made it possible to return these beautiful animals to their natural environment.
Bison are on the verge of extinction. They are listed in the Red Book and hunting for them is prohibited.