Animals (A-Z) 2

French Southern Antarctic C3: Albatross
(issued 10-1-1959)

Animals (A-Z) 2

September 26-30, 2021

Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

Madagascar 273: Zebu
(issued 2-10-1946)

Preface: After finishing Animals (A-Z) in seven days (Sept. 26), realized how difficult to select one animal for each letter of alphabet— Chose Aardvark over Albatross, Elephant over Eagle, Fox over Falcon, Hummingbird over Horse, Monkey over Magpie. Composed another web page of A-Z Animals 2. Information source from Wikipedia.
This compilation took five days to complete, using "Animals (A-Z)" as a template.

A
Fr. Antarctic 12: Albatross
(issued 9-14-1959) Albatross: (Phoebastria albatrus)— large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific. Albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds, and species of the genus Diomedea (great albatrosses) have the longest wingspans of any extant birds, reaching up to 12 ft. A Laysan albatross is known to be a long-living bird. The oldest known live bird, a female named Wisdom, was at least 70 years old
as of 2021. In 2014 she hatched a healthy chick which is believed to be her 36th. Baudelaire's poem "The Albatross" is a favorite.

A Animals: alligator, angelfish, ant, anteater, armadillo, avocet

B
China 1183: Butterfly
(issued 3-20-1958) Butterfly: (Papilio machaon)— insects in the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. Butterflies have a four-stage life cycle, undergoing complete metamorphosis. Winged adults lay eggs on food plant on which their larvae, known as caterpillars, will feed. Caterpillars grow, very rapidly, and when fully developed, pupate in a chrysalis. When metamorphosis is complete, pupal skin splits, adult insect climbs out, and after its wings have expanded and dried, it flies off. Queen Alexandra's birdwing is the largest butterfly in the world, with wingspan to
11 inches. Ancient Greek word for "butterfly" is psyche, which primarily means "soul" or "mind". Chuang Tzu's Butterfly Dream.

B Animals: barn owl, bat, bear, beaver, bee, bluejay, buffalo

C
Mongolia 643: Camel
(issued 11-1-1971) Camel: (Camelus dromedarius)— an even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provide food (milk and meat) and textiles (fiber and felt from hair). Camels are working animals especially suited to their desert habitat and are a vital means of transport for passengers & cargo. One-humped dromedary makes up 94% of camel population, & two-humped Bactrian camel makes up 6%. 14 million camels alive as of 2010.

C Animals: canary, carp, centipede, chameleon, cheetah,
chicken, chimpanzee, cicada, coelacanth, cow, coyote, crab

D
Russia 2431: Deer
(issued 1961) Deer: (Cervidae)— hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are Cervinae, including muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer; and Capreolinae, including reindeer (caribou), white-tailed deer, roe deer, and moose. Male deer of all species (except Chinese water deer) as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year. Deer on Coat of arms of Åland and France. Deer Symbolism & Postage Stamps.

D Animals: dog, dolphin, donkey, dragonfly, duck

E
Austria C60: Eagle
(issued 1-7-1952) Eagle: (Aquila chrysaetos)— large, powerfully built birds of prey, with heavy heads and beaks. Larger than any other raptors apart from some vultures. The beak is typically heavier than that of most other birds of prey. Eagles' eyes are extremely powerful. Martial eagle's eye is more than twice as long as a human eye, has a visual acuity up to 8 times that of humans. Coat of Arms shows Eagle for Austria, Finland, and United States. Eagle is shown on back of U.S. quarters (1932-1998) Liberty half-dollars (1916-1947), and $1 bill (1935-present).

E Animals: eel, elephant, elk, emu, ermine, English Setter

F
Ireland 1893: Falcon
(issued 7-29-2010) Falcon: (Falco berigora)— birds of prey in the genus Falco, which includes about 40 species. Adult falcons have thin, tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speed and change direction rapidly. Falcons have exceptional powers of vision; visual acuity of one species measured at 2.6 times that of a normal human. Peregrine falcons can dive at 200 mph, making them fastest-moving creatures on Earth; fastest recorded dive attained a vertical speed of 240 mph. Falconry hunting. San Jose Falcons; J.A. Baker's Peregrine (1967).

F Animals: firefly, flamingo, flounder, fly, fox, fox terrier, frog

G
Belgian Congo 310: Gorilla
(issued 10-15-1959) Gorilla: (Gorilla gorilla)— the largest living primates, reaching heights of 5.9 feet, weights to 595 lbs, and arm spans up to 8.5 ft, depending on species and sex. They tend to live in troops, with the leader being called a silverback. Eastern gorilla is distinguished from the Western by darker fur color & some other minor morphological differences. Gorillas tend to live 35-40 years in the wild. There are 316,000 western gorillas and 5,000 eastern gorillas. Koko, a female western lowland gorilla, lived 46 years(1971-2018). She had an active vocabulary of more than 1,000 signs, and understood approximately 2,000 words. King Kong is an enormous fictional gorilla monster, portrayed in films since 1933. SF Zoo Gorillas 2019 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

G Animals: gazelle, German shepherd, giraffe, goat, goose, gopher,
golden retriever, grasshopper, great blue heron, greyhound.

H
PRC China 1390: Horse
(issued 5-5-1978) Horse: (Equus caballus)— a domesticated one-toed hoofed mammal. The horse has evolved over past 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature, Eohippus, into the large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began domesticating horses around 4000 BC. There are more than 300 breeds of horse in the world. Horses are used as police work, agriculture, entertainment, and therapy. Horses were historically used in warfare. Domestic horse has a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. Horse can gallop at 44 mph. In 2008, there were 59,000,000 horses
in the world, with 33,500,000 in the Americas, 13,800,000 in Asia and 6,300,000 in Europe. Horse racing is an equestrian sport. Horse
is the 7th animal in the 12-years Chinese Zodiac. Horse-Year People.

H Animals: hamster, hare, hedgehog, hermit crab, heron,
hippopotamus, house wren, hummingbird, humpback whale, hyena.

I
Ecuador 341: Iguana
(issued 3-1-1936) Iguana: (Iguana iguana)— a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central & South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti. Two species, green iguana, widespread throughout its range and a popular pet, and Lesser Antillean iguana, native to Lesser Antilles. Iguanas range from 5 to 6 ft in length, including their tails. They possess a dewlap and a row of elongated scales running from midline of their necks down to their tails. Iguanas have developed an herbivorous lifestyle, foraging on vegetation and foliage. The Night of the Iguana is a 1964 film directed by John Huston, based on the 1961 play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. It stars Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and Sue Lyon.

I Animals: ibex, ibis, impala, Indian elephant, Irish doodle

J
France 3314: Jaguar
(issued 4-30-2007) Jaguar: (Panthera onca)— a large felid species and only living member of the genus Panthera native to the Americas. Its marked coat features pale yellow to tan colored fur covered by spots that transition to rosettes on the sides. It's largest cat species in Americas, 6 ft long & third largest in the world. Its powerful bite allows it to pierce carapaces of tortoises. It stands 29.5 inches tall at the shoulders. Weigh
as much as 348 lb. Mayans believed the jaguar facilitated communication between the living and dead and to protect royal household. Jaguar cars made in England since 1935.

J Animals: jackal, jack rabbit, jellyfish

K
Australia 97: Kangaroo
(issued February 1929) Kangaroo: (Macropus giganteus)— a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). It is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo, and western grey kangaroo. They are indigenous to Australia & New Guinea. 2019 estimates 42.8 million kangaroos lived in Australia. Kangaroos have large, powerful hind legs, large feet adapted for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. Female kangaroos have a pouch called a marsupium for their young ones. Kangaroos can hop at 12-16 mph, and up to 43 mph over short distances. Australia Coat of Arms shows a kangaroo and emu. Kangaroo Road Sign; Kipling's story "The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo" (1900).

K Animals: killer whale, king cobra, kingfisher,
king penguin, koala, Komodo dragon, krill, kudu

L
Madagascar 323: Lemur
(issued 12-9-1961) Lemur: (Lemuridae)— wet-nosed primates of the superfamily Lemuroidea, divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are native only to the island of Madagascar. Most existing lemurs are small, have a pointed snout, large eyes, and a long tail. They live in trees (arboreal), and active at night (nocturnal). Lemurs range in weight from 1.1 oz mouse lemur to 20 lb indri. The name lemur is derived from Latin lemures, which refers to specters or ghosts that were exorcised during the Lemuria festival of ancient Rome. Lemurs of many kinds, appear in William S. Burroughs' final novel Ghost of Chance (1991) that takes place in and around Madagascar. 11 photos of Lemurs at San Francisco Zoo (2019).

L Animals: ladybug, leopard, Lhasa Apso,
lion, llama, lobster, locust, lynx

M
Cambodia 132: Magpie
(issued 5-2-1964) Magpie: (Pica hudsonia)— birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. Eurasian magpie is thought to rank among world's smartest creatures, and is one of few non-mammal species able to recognize itself in a mirror test. They are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as cagebirds. In Chinese folklore, all magpies of Qixi Festival every year will fly to Tianhe River and set up on a bridge, where separated Cowherd and Weaver Girl will meet, so that the bridge has come to symbolize a relationship between men & women. In European culture the magpie is reputed to collect shiny objects such as wedding rings and other valuables, a well known example being Rossini's 1817 opera La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) with drumroll overture.

M Animals: macaw, mallard, mandrill, marmot, mayfly, mink, mole,
monkey, moose, moth, mourning dove, mouse, mule, muskrat

N
San Marino 447: Nightingale
(issued 1-28-1960) Nightingale: (Luscinia megarhynchos)— a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It belongs to a group of more terrestrial species, often called chats. "Nightingale" is derived from "night" and the Old English galan, "to sing". The song of the nightingale has been described as one of the most beautiful sounds in nature, inspiring songs, fairy tales, opera, books, and a great deal of poetry. John Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" (1819) pictures the nightingale as an idealized poet. Shelley wrote in his "A Defense of Poetry" (1821): "A poet is a nightingale who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds".

N Animals: narwhal, newt, Norfolk terrier

O
France 1339: Owl
(issued 4-15-1972) Owl: birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and gregarious burrowing owl. The Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. It is one of the largest species of owl, and females can grow to a total length of 30 inches, with a wingspan of 6 ft 2 inches, with males being slightly smaller. The eagle-owl can live for up to 20 years in the wild. Some survived up to 68 years in zoos. In ancient Greece, the goddess of wisdom Athena has the owl as her symbol (coin).

O Animals: ocelot, octopus, opposum, orangutan, ostrich, otter, oyster

P
Cuba 2168: Panther
(issued 11-24-1977) Panther: the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (Panthera pardus) and the jaguar (Panthera onca). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They reside in tropical forests, with black leopards in Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Java, and black jaguars in Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Paraguay. South Adelaide Football Club adopted black panther as logo (1957). NFL's Carolina Panthers is named after black panther, & a logo resembling it. Panther mythology; Rilke's "Panther" poem; "Cat People" 1942 film.

P Animals: pander, parakeet, parrot, peacock, pelican, penguin,
peregrine falcon, pheasant, pig, pigeon, platypus, polar bear,
poodle, porcupine, porpoise, puffin, puma

Q
Guatemala 16: Quetzal
(issued December 1879) Quetzal: (Pharomachrus mocinno)— is a bird in the trogon family. It is found from Chiapas, Mexico to western Panama (unlike other quetzals of genus Pharomachrus, which are found in South America and eastern Panama). It is well known for its colorful plumage. Resplendent quetzal plays an important role in Mesoamerican mythology. It is the national bird of Guatemala, and its image is found on the country's flag & coat of arms. It also lends its name to the country's currency, the Guatemalan quetzal. The resplendent quetzal was considered divine, associated with the "snake god", Quetzalcoatl, by Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations. Its iridescent green tail feathers, symbols for spring plant growth, were venerated by the ancient Aztecs and Maya, who viewed the quetzal as the "god of the air" and as a symbol of goodness and light.

Q Animals: quagga, quail, quokka, Queen Victoria Riflebird

R
Sierra Leone 1854b: Rat
(issued 1-2-1996) Rat: (Rattus norvegicus)— various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Rat genera include Neotoma (pack rats), Bandicota (bandicoot rats) and Dipodomys (kangaroo rats). Rats are distinguished from mice by their size. There are 56 known species of rats. "The Pied Piper of Hamelin"" tells of a rat-catcher leading away an infestation with enchanted music. When refused payment, he in turn leads away the town's children. The rat is first of 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. Rat-Year People. Mouse Tail in Alice in Wonderland.

R Animals: rabbit, raccoon, rattlesnake, red fox, reindeer,
rhinoceros, robin, rockfish, rottweiler, Russell terrier

S
Romania 1677: Snake
(issued 9-28-1964) Snake: Snakes can swallow prey much larger than their heads with their highly mobile jaws. There are about 3,900 species of snakes. A young snake shed its skin four times a year, but an older snake shed once or twice a year. This periodic renewal has led to the snake being a symbol of healing & medicine, as in the Rod of Asclepius. Logo of medicine is the Caduceus with twin snakes around a rod (like DNA double helix) and wings on top. Snake is sixth of 12 animals of Chinese zodiac. Snake-Year People. Snake symbolism: evil in Bible, good in other cultures.

S Animals: saber-toothed tiger, sable, Saint Bernard, salamander, salmon, sawfish, scorpion, seagull, sea lion, seahorse, seal, shark, sheep, Shih Tzu, shrimp, Siberian tiger, skunk, sloth, snail, snowy owl, sparrow, spider, squid, squirrel, starfish, stingray, sturgeon, swan

T
Ecuador 342: Tortoise
(issued 3-1-1936) Tortoise: reptile species of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines. They are distinguished from other turtles (including order Chelonia) by being exclusively land-dwelling, while other turtle species are at least partly aquatic. Tortoises have a shell to protect from predation & other threats. Shell in tortoises is hard, they retract their necks & heads directly backwards into the shell to protect them. Tortoises are longest-living land animals in the world, those in Galapagos live to 150 years. Tortoise shells were used by ancient Chinese as oracle bones to make predictions. Aesop's Fables "Tortoise and the Hare"; Zeno's paradox of Achilles & the Tortoise.

T Animals: tapir, Tasmanian Devil, termite, terrier,
tiger, tiger shark, toucan, tsetse fly, tuna, turkey

U
Peru C412: Uakari
(issued 10-21-1974) Uakari: common name for New World monkeys of the genus Cacajao. Both English & scientific names are believed to have originated from indigenous languages. The uakaris are unusual among New World monkeys in that the tail length (7 inches) is substantially less than their head and body length (17.7 inches). Their bodies are covered with long, loose hair but their heads are bald. The four species of uakari currently recognized are all found in the north-western Amazon basin. Uakaris are typically lethargic and silent in zoo conditions, but in the wild they are agile and active, capable of leaps of over 19.6 feet. They were observed both in small groups and in larger troops of up to 100.
Uakari are in riparian forests of Brazil, Colombia, Peru & Venezuela.

U Animals: uakari, uguisu, utonagan, Ultramarine Flycatcher
Unicoloured Blackbird, Upland Sandpiper, Ursula's Sunbird

V
Paraguay 1484: Vampire Bat
(issued 11-25-1972) Vampire Bat: (Desmodus rotundus)— leaf-nosed bats found in Central & South America. Their food source is blood, a dietary trait called hematophagy. Three extant bat species feed solely on blood: common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata), & white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi). All three species are native to the Americas, from Mexico to Brazil, Chile, Uruguay & Argentina. Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula is the quintessential vampire novel, with Bela Lugosi in the 1931 film. Bats are lucky in China because Chinese word for bat is fu same pronounciation as "good fortune".

V Animals: vaquita, vervet monkey, vizsla, vulture

W
Jugoslavia 578: Wolf
(issued 5-25-1960) Wolf: (Canis lupus)— a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than 30 subspecies of Canis lupus. The wolf is largest member of family Canidae, males weigh 88 lb. Wolves are 63 inches long & 33 inches at shoulder height. The wolf is also distinguished from other Canis species by its less pointed ears and muzzle, as well as a shorter torso and a longer tail. Charles Perrault's "Little Red Riding Hood" (1697) contributed to the wolf's negative reputation in the Western world. Big Bad Wolf haunted "Three Little Pigs" (1890).

W Animals: walrus, warthog, wasp, water buffalo, weasel, Welsh terrier, whale, whooping crane, wildebeest, wolverine, wombat, woodpecker, wooly mammoth

X
Cuba 3915: Xolo
(issued 4-15-1998) Xoloitzcuintli: one of several breeds of hairless dog. The Xolo also comes in a coated variety totally covered in fur and coated and hairless can be born in the same litter as a result of the same combination of genes. The hairless variant is known as the Perro pelón mexicano or Mexican hairless dog. It is characterized by its duality, wrinkles, and dental abnormalities, along with a primitive temper. In Nahuatl, it is xoloitzcuintli The name comes from the god Xolotl that according to ancient narratives is its creator and itzcuintli, meaning dog in Nahuatl language. The breed ranges in size from about 10 to 55 lb. The height is 9 to 26 inches. Diego Rivera's large murals, The History of Mexico, in Palacio Nacional in Mexico City feature numerous Xolos. On the 2007 Mexico 500-peso note, Xolos are shown in the reverse.

X Animals: Xantus' becard, xerus, Xolmis dominicanus, xoloitzcuintli

Y
Guinea Bissau 745: Yorkshire Terrier
(issued 9-29-1988) Yorkshire Terrier: (Yorkie)— one of the smallest dog breeds of the terrier type, and of any dog breed. The breed developed during the 19th century in Yorkshire, England. Its maximum size is 7 lbs. Most have a black & tan coat, but they are also known to have a silverish-grey or a blonde coat. Yorkshire terriers are playful and energetic dogs. Their lifespan is 13-20 years. In 1997, Champion Ozmilion Mystification became first Yorkie to win Best in Show at Crufts, the world's largest annual dog show. In the Wizard of Oz film (1939), Dorothy (Judy Garland) had a Yorkshire Terrier Toto.

Y Animals: yak, yellowfin tuna, Yeticrab, Yorkshire terrier

Z
Madagascar 273: Zebu
(issued 2-10-1946) Zebu: (Bos indicus)— known as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu has a fatty hump on their shoulders, a large dewlap, sometimes drooping ears. They are well adapted to withstanding high temperatures, and are farmed throughout the tropical countries. Zebu are venerated within the Hindu religion of India, symbol of plenty. Deity Krishna was a cowherder. Shiva rides on the back of a bull named Nandi.

Z Animals: zebra, zebra finch, zebra shark, zebu.