Asia Animals
In Asia, animals come from different species than those on other continents. While a few are the same as ones you would find in North America, such as deer or wolves, many more are suited for life only on the Asian continent. In Asia, animals such as baboons are found traveling from tree to tree, and elephants and rhinos are common. There are many different kinds of tigers and leopards, and the Giant Panda, who lives only in the wild in China, is one of the rarest animals alive today.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the animals you can expect to find in various
Asian locations:
Asia is the home of many large cats and they can be found in all types of habitats, from woodlands to swamps. Tigers are the largest in this group, and most are extinct, with roughly 4000 still living in the wild. It is now illegal to kill tigers in almost all Asian countries. Tigers are one of the most impressive of all Asia animals, and a symbol of beauty, power and strength. No two tigers are alike in coloring. They live in dens and are carnivorous, feeding mainly on deer and pigs. The tiger’s range in Asia includes Malaysia, North Korea, Nepal, China, India, Myanmar (Burma), Far Eastern Russia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Bhutan.
Another large cat that lives in Southern Asia is the leopard. This spotted cat is also big and powerful and related to the tiger. They are nocturnal and solitary, and have adapted to both warm and colder environments. They eat fish, reptiles, rodents, and such mammals as antelopes, monkeys, warthogs, hares, baboons and hyraxes. Once thought to be a different species, the black panther is now considered to be one type of leopard, with only a difference in color. Among the most beautiful of the leopards is the snow leopard. They are an endangered species because they have been killed by humans for their coats.
Animals in Asia include all kinds of deer, moose, elk, wolves and bears. Most of these look much the same as those found on other continents. Polar bears are the largest bear, and they can weigh up to 1430 pounds. They are the largest carnivore that lives on land.
Unique to Asia are giant pandas, who live very high up in China’s bamboo forests. They are endangered, with only about one thousand still alive in the wild. They look like a bear with a white body and black fur on their legs, shoulders, ears, eye patches and muzzle. The giant panda’s diet consists of bamboo and little else--occasionally other grasses or rodents. As a gift of friendship, China gave the National Zoo in Washington, DC the first giant panda to enter the United States. His name was Hsing-Hsing and he died in 1999 at the age of 28.