Kudus also live in hot places. They live together with lots of other kudus. A group of kudus is called a herd. Kudus have very long, curved horns that they use in fighting. Kudus often have to run from danger. These graceful animals leap high into the air while they run, making them a lot harder for lions and other hungry animals to catch!

    The powerful musk ox lives in cold, snowy lands. It's long shaggy fur keeps out the cold air and wind. The musk ox also has horns. With these sharp, heavy horns, the musk ox can fight fiercely.
    Musk oxen are very smart. When a hungry wolf tries to attack a herd of oxen, the herd forms a circle around the calves to keep them safe inside. This creates a circle of sharp horns, all pointing at the wolf. No wolf wants to fight that!

     The black rhinoceros has tough skin and two sharp horns to protect itself. It is one of the strongest and fiercest of all animals.
    Rhinos don't see very well, but that's ok because they never run from danger, they stand and fight. Even a hungry lion will leave a big rhino alone.
    Rhinos live in lands where the sun gets very hot. They like to roll in the mud to cool their bodies and keep the bugs away.

    The mongoose is also a fighting animal. It sometimes fights a huge snake called a cobra. It's a fierce battle that can last for hours.

    The cobra rises up and spreads out its neck (called a hood) and strikes out at the mongoose with its poisonous fangs. If the mongoose is bitten, it will die.
    The quick mongoose dances around - just far enough away so the cobra can't reach it. When the snake finally tires from the battle, the mongoose makes his move. The mongoose lunges for the cobras head, attempting to kill it by biting it behind the head.
    When a cobra and mongoose fight, the clever mongoose almost always wins!

     When faced with danger, the basilisk lizard stands up on its back legs and runs away. This speedy lizard can even run across water! There are three reasons why the lizard doesn't sink.  It has big feet, fringes on its toes to hold it up and it moves very fast.

    The Arabian camel, or dromedary, never goes in the water. It lives in a hot, sandy land called the desert.
    Camels are made for desert life. They don't need food or water for days. They drink gallons of water at a time and store fat for energy in the large hump on their backs.
    Sand is a real problem in the desert, but the camel shuts its nose tight to keep out the blowing sand and has a special third eyelid to help keep the sand out of its eyes. To keep them from sinking into the soft sand, camels have broad, think feet.           

Crocodiles spend lots of time in the water but also like to lie in the sun. They live near rivers and lakes and in hot swamps. A crocodile's eyes, ears, and nose are on top of its head. While the rest of its body is underwater, the creature can still see, hear, and breath. This lets it sneak up on other animals. The crocodile can swim very close to the shore without being seen. Then, with a snap of its huge jaws, the hungry crocodile grabs its prey and takes it underwater to eat.

    Well, we hope you have enjoyed your visit to Poohs' Amazing Animals.
Check back with us every now and then as we will be including new animals.