American Aligator

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION


COMMON NAME: American alligator
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Reptilia
ORDER: Crocodylia
FAMILY: Alligatoridae
GENUS SPECIES: Alligator (derived from the Spanish el lagarto - the lizard) mississippiensis (belonging to the Mississippi River)






FAST FACTS


DESCRIPTION:

The American alligator has a large lizard-like body with four short legs and a long muscular tail. A gator's hide is rough and scaled. Young alligators are black with bright yellow blotches and stripes. Adults are a uniform dark color.
Alligators and crocodiles are similar in appearance, but exhibit a number of differences. Alligators are dark colored with a broad, rounded snout and are usually found in fresh water. Crocodiles are grayish-green and prefer coastal, brackish, and salt-water habitats. They have a narrow, tapered, triangular snout. Also, the fourth tooth on either side of the lower jaw of an alligator fits into an internal socket in the upper jaw so that these teeth are hidden when the mouth is closed. In a crocodile, the fourth tooth is always exposed.


SIZE: The largest recorded specimen is attributed to a Louisiana specimen measured at 576 cm (19 ft 2 in) - though some sources cite the measurement as 6 m (19.8 ft). It should be noted, however, that this figure is unsubstantiated and, as such, held in question.
MALE Adult males typically reach lengths of 4-4.5 m (13.1-14.8 ft.)
FEMALE Females are smaller, growing to 3 m (9.8 ft.)


WEIGHT:
MALE Adult males weigh between 180-228 kg (400-500 lb.); the largest males may attain weights in excess of 454 kg (1000 lbs.)


DIET: Feeds on fishes, turtles, mammals, snakes, birds, and even other alligators (under certain conditions); also will eat carrion.


INCUBATION: 60-65 days; The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the young. If the nest is below 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) most hatchlings are female. If the nest is above 34 degrees Celsius (93°F) most hatchlings are male. Nest temperatures between 30-34 degrees Celsius will produce similar numbers of both sexes.
CLUTCH SIZE 20-50 eggs


SEXUAL MATURITY: Reached at about 1.8 m (6 ft.) in both male and female (about 10-12 years)


LIFE SPAN: Averages 30-35 years in the wild; up to 50 years or more in captivity


RANGE: Found within the southeastern United States; from Texas to Florida and north coastal plains of Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma


HABITAT: Found in both natural and man-made freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, and wetland areas


POPULATION: GLOBAL Estimated at over 1,000,000


STATUS: IUCN Low Risk, Least Concern
CITES Appendix II
USFWS Threatened (primarily due to the similarity in appearance to the endangered American crocodile); alligators were previously classified as endangered; they are one of the few animals to be downgraded from endangered to threatened (the improvement in their numbers was due to intensive conservation efforts)






FUN FACTS


1.

The name alligator was derived from the Spanish words el lagarto, meaning "the lizard," which is what Spanish explorers called these creatures. The American alligator is one of just two species of true alligators - the other is the Chinese alligator.

2. Alligators are one animal that has changed very little since the prehistoric days. When dinosaurs became extinct, these modern day contemporaries continued to prosper.

3. The alligator became the official state reptile of Florida in 1987. It is also the mascot of University of Florida at Gainesville.

4. Communicating territory in the water is often difficult, but many crocodilians are quite adept at it. Most species use a headslap or jawclap above or beneath the water. A crocodilian performs a headslap by raising its head and slamming it against the surface of the water. Jawclaps are when the reptile opens its jaw in a biting motion at the surface of the water, then quickly closes it. The result is a loud pop and splash.

5.

Unlike other reptiles, female alligators will protect young for up to two years after hatching. The first two years are the most critical in the life of an alligator. Eighty percent or more may fall victim to wading birds, raccoons, bobcats, otters, snakes, large bass and even larger alligators. Once an alligator exceeds four feet, it is relatively safe from predators, but may still be vulnerable to cannibalism.

6. There are approximately 80 teeth in their mouth at one time. When the teeth wear down they are replaced. Consequently, an alligator can go through 2,000-3,000 teeth in a lifetime.

7. There are two true species of alligators: American and Chinese. The Chinese gator is smaller than its American cousin - only growing to 2 meters (7 ft.) in length. There are also fewer than 1,000 Chinese alligators left in China's lower Yangtze River Valley.

8. Alligators are hunted for their meat and skin. As early as the 1800s, alligator skins were sold in the Miami area for $7 each.








ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION




Alligators construct "gator holes" with their large sweeping tails that retain water during periods of drought. These holes provide water and foraging space for many other species such as wading birds. In turn alligators may forage on the species attracted to the "hole". Other species, like the red-bellied slider, use alligator nests for their own egg deposition. Paths used by alligators in sawgrass widen to form creeks, which in turn help to flood marshes during rainy seasons.

Because of legal protection, alligators are no longer endangered. They have made a remarkable comeback but are still classified as threatened due to similarity of appearance to crocodiles. This helps insure its continued protection and that of the endangered American crocodile.

Humans can learn to live near alligators by taking wise precautions such as: not feeding them, harassing them, or approaching a nest or group of baby gators. Most alligator attacks are results of a gator that has lost its fear of man because it has been hand fed.


The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae. It is larger than the other extant alligator species, the Chinese alligator.
The American alligator inhabits wetlands that frequently overlap with human-populated areas

Description

Forelimb showing the large claws and slight webbing between the toes

Tail which is for aquatic propulsion and as a weapon of defense

A partially submerged alligator displaying a typical ambush position

The American alligator has a large, slightly rounded body, with thick limbs, a broad head, and a very powerful tail. Adult Alligators generally have dark grey or nearly black color. They may at times appear to be lighter based on detritus or algae in the water covering their skin. Juvenile alligators have a striped pattern for camouflage that they lose as they mature. Averaging about 9.5 in (24 cm) in length when newly hatched, alligators reach sexual maturity when they measure about 5–7 ft (1.5–2.1 m). Adult male alligators average 11.2 ft (3.4 m) in length, while adult females average 8.2 to 9.8 ft (2.5 to 3.0 m). Average adult body weights are reported from 270 to 800 lb (120 to 360 kg), with a few exceptionally large and old males exceeding 14 ft (4.3 m) and 1,000 pounds (450 k) The largest alligator on record was captured in Louisiana in the early 1900's and reached a length of 19 feet 2 inches (5.84 m) and 2,200 lb (1,000 kg).  The second largest was 14 feet and 3.5 inches, from Florida. The tail, which accounts for half of the alligator's total length, is primarily used for aquatic propulsion. The tail can also be used as a weapon of defense when an alligator feels threatened. Alligators travel very quickly in water and while they are generally slow-moving on land, alligators can lunge short distances very quickly. They have five claws on each front foot and four on each rear foot. American Alligators have the strongest laboratory measured bite of any living animal, measured at up to 9,452 newtons (2,125 lbf) in laboratory conditions. It should be noted that this experiment has not (at the time of the paper published) been replicated in any other crocodilians.
Some alligators are missing an inhibited gene for melanin, which makes them albino. These alligators are extremely rare and almost impossible to find in the wild. They could survive only in captivity. Like all albino animals, they are very vulnerable to the sun and predators. American Alligators can remain underwater for several hours if not actively swimming or hunting (then it is only about 20 minutes); they do this by rerouting blood to reduce circulation to the lungs, and thus the need for oxygen.

 Habitat

American alligators are mostly found in the Southeastern United States, from Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina, south to Everglades National Park in Florida and west to the southern tip of Texas. They are found in the U.S. states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. Florida and Louisiana currently have the largest population of alligators. Florida has an estimated population of 1 to 1.5 million while Louisiana has an estimated population of 1.5 million
Although primarily freshwater animals, alligators will occasionally venture into brackish water. Alligators live in wetlands and this is the vital habitat that holds the key to their continued long-term survival. Alligators depend on the wetlands, and in some ways the wetlands depend on them. As apex predators, they help control the population of rodents and other animals that might overtax the marshland vegetaton.
American alligators are less prone to cold than American crocodiles. Unlike the American crocodile, which would immediately succumb to the cold and drown in water of 45 °F (7.2 °C), an alligator can survive in such temperatures for some time without any signs of evident discomfort. It is thought that this adaptiveness is the reason why American alligators spread farther north than the American crocodile. In fact, the American alligator is found farther from the equator and is more equipped to deal with cooler conditions than any other crocodilian.
In Florida, alligators face ambient temperature patterns unlike elsewhere in their range. The consistently high temperatures lead to increased metabolic cost. Alligators in the Everglades have reduced length to weight ratio, reduced total length, and delayed onset of sexual maturity compared with other parts of their range. The reason for this poor condition is currently suspected to be a combination of low food availability and sustained high temperatures.

 Diet

Alligators are apex predators capable of killing large terrestrial prey. This large American alligator has caught or scavenged an adult deer.

Alligators eat fish, birds, turtles, snakes, mammals, and amphibians. Hatchlings diet on invertebrates, insects, larvae, snails, spiders, worms, and other small prey. Young alligator regularly eat small fish at any opportunity. As they grow, they gradually move on to larger fish, mollusks, frogs and small mammals like rats, and mice. Some adult alligators take a larger variety of prey ranging from a snake or turtle to a bird and moderate sized mammals like a raccoon or deer, although fish remain central in their diet.
Once an alligator reaches adulthood, any animal living in the water or coming to the water to drink is potential prey. Adult alligators will eat wild boars, deer, dogs of all sizes, livestock including cattle and sheep, and are often known to kill and eat smaller alligators. In rare instances, large male alligators have been known to prey on the Florida panther and American black bear, making the American alligator the apex predator throughout its distribution. The American alligator is known as King of the Everglades, although the American crocodile, which shares parts of the Everglades with the alligator, is capable of growing larger (over 5 meters), mostly in warmer regions like Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Although fish and other prey taken in the water or at the water edge form the major part of alligator's diet, adult alligators also spend considerable time hunting on land, up to 50 m (170 feet) from water, ambushing terrestrial animals on trailsides and road shoulders on warm nights.
The gizzards (stomachs) of alligators often contain gastroliths. The function of these stones is to grind up food in the stomach and help with digestion. This is important because gators swallow their food whole. These gastroliths are also used in buoyancy control. Prey is usually swallowed whole with prey such as hogs and deer that are too large to be swallowed whole often being stashed underwater (such as pinned under a log) so that the hide is soft and rotted enough for the alligator to bite through. The teeth of the alligator are designed to grip prey but can not rip flesh as well as some other predators (including crocodiles).
The biting force of the alligator is enormous, packing enough power to smash a turtle's shell or through a moderately sized mammal bone. In 2005, the bite force of a 12-foot (3.7 m), 450-pound (200 kg) alligator was measured to be 2209 pounds-force (9.826 kN)by Greg Ericson. American alligators cruise through water at just over 1 mph (0.4 m/s); in pursuit of prey they can swim much faster over short distances.

 Reproduction

Young American Alligators basking

The breeding season begins in the spring. Although alligators have no vocal cords, males bellow loudly to attract mates and warn off other males during this time by sucking air into their lungs and blowing it out in intermittent, deep-toned roars. Male alligators are also known to use infrasound during their mating behavior, as one of their routines is to engage in bellowing in infrasound while their head and tail are above the water, with their midsection very slightly submerged, making the surface of the water that is directly over their back literally "sprinkle" from their infrasound bellowing, in a so-called "water dance". Recently it was discovered that on spring nights alligators gather in large numbers for group courtship, the so-called "alligator dances".

Alligator nest and young in Florida

The female builds a nest of vegetation, sticks, leaves, and mud in a sheltered spot in or near the water. After she lays her 20 to 50 white, goose egg-sized eggs, she covers them under more vegetation, which, like mulch, heats as it decays, helping to keep the eggs warm. This differs from Nile crocodiles who lay their eggs in pits.
The temperature at which alligator eggs develop determines their sex. Those eggs which are hatched in temperatures ranging from 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit (32 to 34 °C) become males, while those in temperatures from 82 to 86 °F (23 to 30 °C) become female. Intermediate temperature ranges have proven to yield a mix of both male and females. The female will remain near the nest throughout the 65-day incubation period, protecting the nest from intruders. When the young begin to hatch they emit a high-pitched croaking noise, and the mother quickly digs them out.

Juvenile American alligator swimming, showing the distinctive yellow striping found on juveniles

The young are tiny replicas of adult alligators with a series of yellow bands around their bodies. They find their way to water after hatching. For several days they continue to live on yolk masses within their stomachs. The baby spends about five months with the mother before leaving her. Snapping turtles, large snakes, raccoons, largemouth bass, American black bears, large raptorial birds such as great horned owls and bald eagles and even larger alligators prey upon young alligators. The adult alligator may grow up to prey upon many of the same species.
Alligators reach breeding maturity at about 6 to 10 years of age, at which time they are about 6 to 7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) long. From then on, growth continues at a slower rate. The oldest males may grow to be 16 feet (4.85 m) long and weigh up to 1,200 pounds (510 kg) during a lifespan of 30 or more years. A recent study by scientists from the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in South Carolina reveals that up to 70 percent of A. mississippiensis females chose to remain with their partner, often for many years.

 Relationships with humans

 Human deaths and injuries

Main article: List of fatal alligator attacks in the United States by decade

Alligators are capable of killing humans, but are generally wary enough not to see them as a potential prey. Mistaken identity leading to an attack is always possible, especially in or near murky waters. Alligators are often less aggressive towards humans than large crocodile species, a few of which (mainly the Nile and Saltwater Crocodiles) may prey on humans with some regularity. Alligator bites are serious injuries due to the reptile's sheer bite force and risk of infection. Even with medical treatment, an alligator bite may still result in a fatal infection.The alligator's tail is a formidable weapon that can easily knock a person down and break their bones. Alligators are protective parents who will protect their young by attacking anything that comes too close or poses threats to baby alligators.
Since 1948, there have been more than 275 unprovoked attacks on humans in Florida, of which at least 17 resulted in death. There were only nine fatal attacks in the U.S. throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but alligators killed 12 people from 2001 to 2007. In May 2006, alligators killed three Floridians in less than a week.

 Alligator wrestling

Main article: Alligator wrestling

Several Florida tourist attractions have taken advantage of fears and myths about alligators—as well as the reality of their danger—through a practice known as alligator wrestling. Created in the early 20th century by some members of the Miccosukee and Seminole Tribe of Florida, this tourism tradition continues to the present day.

 Endangered species recovery

An albino alligator could survive only in captivity.

Historically, alligators were depleted from many parts of their range as a result of market hunting and loss of habitat, and 30 years ago many people believed their population would never recover. In 1967, the alligator was listed as an endangered species (under a law that preceded the Endangered Species Act of 1973), meaning it was considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
A combined effort by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, state wildlife agencies in the South, and the creation of large, commercial alligator farms were instrumental in aiding the American alligator's recovery. The Endangered Species Act outlawed alligator hunting, allowing the species to rebound in numbers in many areas where it had been depleted. As the alligator began to make a comeback, states established alligator population monitoring programs and used this information to ensure alligator numbers continued to increase. In 1987, the Fish and Wildlife Service pronounced the American alligator fully recovered and consequently removed the animal from the list of endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service still regulates the legal trade in alligator skins and products made from them.
Recently, a population of non-native Burmese Pythons has become established in Everglades National Park. While there have been observed events of predation by Burmese pythons on alligators and vice versa, there is currently no evidence of a net negative effect on alligator populations.

 Alligator farming

Main article: Alligator farm

Alligator farming is a big and growing industry in Georgia, Florida, Texas and Louisiana. These states produce a combined annual total of some 45,000 alligator hides. Alligator hides bring good prices and hides in the 6 to 7 feet (1.8 to 2.1 m) range have sold for $300 each, though the price can fluctuate considerably from year to year. The market for alligator meat is growing and approximately 300,000 pounds (140,000 kg) of meat is produced annually. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, raw alligator meat contains roughly 200 calories (840 kJ) per 3 ounces (85 g) serving size, of which 27 calories (130 kJ) come from fat.
Alligator meat is sometimes used in jambalayas, soups, and stew.

The American alligator is a rare success story of an endangered animal not only saved from extinction but now thriving. State and federal protections, habitat preservation efforts, and reduced demand for alligator products have improved the species' wild population to more than one million and growing today.
One look at these menacing predators—with their armored, lizard-like bodies, muscular tails, and powerful jaws—and it is obvious they are envoys from the distant past. The species, scientists say, is more than 150 million years old, managing to avoid extinction 65 million years ago when their prehistoric contemporaries, the dinosaurs, died off.
American alligators reside nearly exclusively in the freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps, and marshes of the southeastern United States, primarily Florida and Louisiana.
Heavy and ungainly out of water, these reptiles are supremely well adapted swimmers. Males average 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.6 meters) in length and can weigh 1,000 pounds (453 kg). Females grow to a maximum of about 9.8 feet (3 meters.)
Hatchlings are 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) long with yellow and black stripes. Juveniles, which are on the menu for dozens of predators, including birds, raccoons, bobcats, and even other alligators, usually stay with their mothers for about two years.
Adult alligators are apex predators critical to the biodiversity of their habitat. They feed mainly on fish, turtles, snakes, and small mammals. However, they are opportunists, and a hungry gator will eat just about anything, including carrion, pets and, in rare instances, humans.

 

Aardvark

The aardvark (Orycteropus afer, from Greek ορυκτερόπους (orykterópous) meaning "digging footed" and afer: from Africa) is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known.
It is sometimes colloquially called "antbear","anteater", or the "Cape anteater" after the Cape of Good Hope. The name comes from earlier Afrikaans, and means "earth pig" or "ground pig" (aarde earth/ground, varken pig), because of its burrowing habits (similar origin to the name groundhog). The aardvark is not closely related to the pig; rather, it is the sole recent representative of the obscure mammalian order Tubulidentata, in which it is usually considered to form one variable species of the genus Orycteropus, the sole surviving genus in the family Orycteropodidae.

 The aardvark is not closely related to the South American anteater, despite sharing some characteristics and a superficial resemblance.The closest living relatives of the aardvark are the elephant shrews, along with the sirenians, hyraxes, tenrecs, and elephants. With their extinct relatives, these animals form the superorder Afrotheria.
The aardvark is vaguely pig-like in appearance. Its body is stout with an arched back and is sparsely covered with coarse hairs. The limbs are of moderate length. The front feet have lost the pollex (or 'thumb'), resulting in four toes, while the rear feet have all five toes. Each toe bears a large, robust nail which is somewhat flattened and shovel-like, and appears to be intermediate between a claw and a hoof. The ears are disproportionately long, and the tail is very thick at the base and gradually tapers. The greatly elongated head is set on a short, thick neck, and the end of the snout bears a disc, which houses the nostrils. The mouth is small and tubular, typical of species that feed on termites.

The aardvark has a long, thin, snakelike, protruding tongue and elaborate structures supporting a keen sense of smell.
An aardvark's weight is typically between 40 and 65 kilograms (88 and 140 lb). An aardvark's length is usually between 1 and 1.3 metres (3.3 and 4.3 ft), and can reach lengths of 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) when its tail (which can be up to 70 centimetres (28 in)) is taken into account. It is the largest member of the proposed clade Afroinsectiphilia. The aardvark is pale yellowish-gray in color and often stained reddish-brown by soil. The aardvark's coat is thin, and the animal's primary protection is its tough skin.

The aardvark has been known to sleep in a recently excavated ant nest, which also serves as protection from its predators.
One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Tubulidentata is their teeth. Instead of having a pulp cavity, each tooth has a cluster of thin, upright, parallel tubes of vasodentin (a modified form of dentine), with individual pulp canals, held together by cementum. The teeth have no enamel coating and are worn away and regrow continuously. The aardvark is born with conventional incisors and canines at the front of the jaw, which fall out and are not replaced.

Adult aardvarks only have cheek teeth at the back of the jaw, and have a dental formula of:
Genetically speaking, the aardvark is a living fossil, as its chromosomes are highly conserved, reflecting much of the early eutherian arrangement before the divergence of the major modern taxa.


Aardvarks live in sub-Saharan Africa, where there is suitable habitat for them to live, such as savannas, grasslands, woodlands and bushland, and available food (i.e., ants and termites). The aardvark is nocturnal and is a solitary creature that feeds almost exclusively on ants and termites (formicivore); the only fruit eaten by aardvarks is the aardvark cucumber.

An aardvark emerges from its burrow in the late afternoon or shortly after sunset, and forages over a considerable home range encompassing 10 to 30 km, swinging its long nose from side to side to pick up the scent of food. When a concentration of ants or termites is detected, the aardvark digs into it with its powerful front legs, keeping its long ears upright to listen for predators, and takes up an astonishing number of insects with its long, sticky tongue—as many as 50,000 in one night have been recorded.

It can dig 2 feet in 15 seconds, but otherwise moves fairly slowly. Its claws enable it to dig through the extremely hard crust of a termite or ant mound quickly, avoiding the dust by sealing the nostrils. When successful, the aardvark's long (up to 30 centimetres (12 in)) tongue licks up the insects; the termites' biting, or the ants' stinging attacks are rendered futile by the tough skin. Its keen hearing warns it of predators: lions, leopards, hyenas, and pythons.


Aside from digging out ants and termites, the aardvark also excavates burrows in which to live; temporary sites are scattered around the home range as refuges, and a main burrow is used for breeding. Main burrows can be deep and extensive, have several entrances and can be as long as 13 metres (43 ft). The aardvark changes the layout of its home burrow regularly, and from time to time moves on and makes a new one; the old burrows are then inhabited by smaller animals like the African wild dog. Only mothers and young share burrows. If attacked in the tunnel, it will seal the tunnel off behind itself or turn around and attack with its claws.


Aardvarks only pair during the breeding season; after a gestation period of seven months, one cub weighing around 2 kilograms (4.4 lb) is born, and is able to leave the burrow to accompany its mother after only two weeks, and is eating termites at 14 weeks and is weaned by 16 weeks. At six months of age it is able to dig its own burrows, but it will often remain with the mother until the next mating season, and is sexually capable by the season after that.

Aardvarks live for up to 24 years in captivity.
The aardvark's main predators are lions, leopards, hunting dogs and pythons. Some African tribes also hunt aardvarks for meat. Aardvarks can dig fast or run in zigzag fashion to elude enemies, but if all else fails, they will strike with their claws, tail and shoulders, sometimes flipping onto their backs to lash with all fours. Their thick skin also protects them to some extent.
Wikipeida

Aardvarks live throughout Africa, south of the Sahara. Their name comes from South Africa's Afrikaans language and means "earth pig." A glimpse of the aardvark's body and long snout brings the pig to mind. On closer inspection, the aardvark appears to include other animal features as well. It boasts rabbitlike ears and a kangaroo tail—yet the aardvark is related to none of these animals.
Aardvarks are nocturnal. They spend the hot African afternoon holed up in cool underground burrows dug with their powerful feet and claws that resemble small spades. After sunset, aardvarks put those claws to good use in acquiring their favorite food—termites.
While foraging in grasslands and forests aardvarks, also called "antbears," may travel several miles a night in search of large, earthen termite mounds. A hungry aardvark digs through the hard shell of a promising mound with its front claws and uses its long, sticky, wormlike tongue to feast on the insects within. It can close its nostrils to keep dust and insects from invading its snout, and its thick skin protects it from bites. It uses a similar technique to raid underground ant nests.
Female aardvarks typically give birth to one newborn each year. The young remain with their mother for about six months before moving out and digging their own burrows, which can be extensive dwellings with many different openings.
National Geographic.





 In my opinoion the aardvark is unique. It looks to me lik a anteater. I like it but I wouldnt want to have it as a pet.
opinion



Summary:The aardvark is an animal from africa. It lives in the sub-saharan desert. It looks like a rabbit,a pig and an ant-eater.