Koala

Though often called the koala "bear," this cuddly animal is not a bear at all; it is a marsupial, or pouched mammal. After giving birth, a female koala carries her baby in her pouch for about six months. When the infant emerges, it rides on its mother's back or clings to her belly, accompanying her everywhere until it is about a year old.

Koalas live in eastern Australia, where the eucalyptus trees they love are most plentiful. In fact, they rarely leave these trees, and their sharp claws and opposable digits easily keep them aloft. During the day they doze, tucked into forks or nooks in the trees, sleeping for up to 18 hours.

When not asleep a koala feeds on eucalyptus leaves, especially at night. Koalas do not drink much water and they get most of their moisture from these leaves. Each animal eats a tremendous amount for its size—about two and a half pounds (one kilogram) of leaves a day. Koalas even store snacks of leaves in pouches in their cheeks.

A special digestive system—a long gut—allows koalas to break down the tough eucalyptus leaves and remain unharmed by their poison. Koalas eat so many of these leaves that they take on a distinctive odor from their oil, reminiscent of cough drops.

These plump, fuzzy mammals were widely hunted during the 1920s and 1930s, and their populations plunged. Helped by reintroduction, they have reappeared over much of their former range, but their populations are smaller and scattered. Koalas need a lot of space—about a hundred trees per animal—a pressing problem as Australia's woodlands continue to shrink.

Five Unusual Armored Animals

Armored Animals shows how the bodies of some animals are saved from being a meal for predators best pet insurance by such physical traits as tough skin, shells, spines, or horns and pets for sale.

Indian Rhinoceros

These massive beasts have some noticeable physical differences from their African relatives. Their segmented hide looks like a formidable coat of natural body armor. It functions a bit like one also: Flexible skin between the thicker hide “plates” allows them to shift as the rhinoceros moves.

Thorny Devil

The Thorny Devil is on average about 20 cms long, and they feed on a wide variety of ants. An intimidating array of spikes cover the entire upper side of the body, these thorny scales are a defence against predators. Camouflage and deception may also be used to evade predation. Despite its appearance, it is totally harmless.

Three-banded armadillo

The skin is modified to form a double-layered covering of horn and bone over many of the surfaces. Three-banded armadillos are blackish brown in color. Most animals have three moveable bands, although some possess only two, and others may have four. Members of the genus Tolypeutes are the only armadillos that can completely enclose themselves in their own shell by rolling into a ball.

Pangolin

The pangolin (also called the scaly anteater) is an unusual mammal that is covered with tough, protective scales made of keratin. The pangolin has scales that cover everything except the belly, snout, eyes, ears, and undersides of the limbs. The pangolin has short legs with huge claws; it uses its claws to dig into ant hills and termite mounds. The sticky tongue is up to 27 inches long. The pangolin ranges from 24-62 inches long. The pangolin has no teeth. The long tail is prehensile; the pangolin can even hang from its tail.

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Alligator snapping turtles are the largest freshwater turtles. They weigh between 155 and 175 pounds (70 to 80 kg). They are characterized by three large, pronounced ridges, or keels, that run from the front to the back of the carapace. With powerful jaws and a large head, they are unique among snapping turtles for having eyes on the side of the head. The alligator snapping turtle looks very primitive and has been called the dinosaur of the turtle world.

World's first cloned camel seen in Dubai

The world's first cloned camel Injaz is seen at the Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai, April 15, 2009. The female one-humped camel was born on April 8, created from cells harvested from the ovary of an adult she-camel which were grown in culture before being frozen in liquid nitrogen.