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Animals 6-10 in the '50 incredible animals' series

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 Welcome back!

Today, we have the next five animals that (we hope) you haven't heard of before.
 

6.  Chinese water deer 

The Chinese water deer is a small deer originating from Asia. They are noticeable because the males display what looks a bit like a vampire's fangs! 
Males have no antlers, just fangs! In fact, they are the only deer species where the males don't grow antlers. 
This deer species lives in China and Korea and has been introduced to several countries including the US, France and the UK. They feed on herbs and young grass shoots. 

7. Markhor goat

The markhor is the biggest member of the goat family. They mostly live in the mountain ranges of Asia. They eat grass, shrubs and other low vegetation. During the mating season, males will fight over the females. The fights consist of the two males locking horns and then twisting and pushing until one falls over. One to two baby markhors are born at a time. The young are called kids. A markhor will live for up to 13 years. 
Probably their most significant feature is their long twisted antlers. 

They are classified as endangered. 

8. Tonkin snub-nosed monkey

These strange-looking monkeys inhabit Vietnam and other countries in that area. They live in forests and feed on leaves and fruit. Their unusual appearance makes them easy to recognise. 

They are one of the most endangered primate species in the world, classified as Critically Endangered. Over 80% of the entire population lives in a single forest. They were first identified in 1912 and are the rarest of all the snub-nosed monkey species.

This is just one of the many animal species on the brink of extinction and it's up to us to do something about it!

9. Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle

The Yangtze giant soft-shelled turtle is an extremely rare soft-shelled turtle that lives in the waters around Vietnam and China. Only three or four (information on websites differs) living individuals are known! Not surprisingly, it's classified as critically endangered. According to another website, the species is functionally extinct unless another wild turtle is found. This species may be the largest living freshwater turtle, losing it forever would be devastating. Horribly, the skull of this incredible species is a 'good' trophy - another reason why humans hunted them to the brink of extinction in the first place. 

10. Fossa

Probably the most well-known of this week's animals, the fossa lives on Madagascar island off the coast of Africa. They are known to feed on lemurs and pretty much anything they can get their claws into. Despite being related to the mongoose, the fossa is a bit more like a cat than anything else. 
The fossa is one of the main predators on the island - they keep a close eye on the size of lemur and other animal populations. They have long tails, which help them balance while hunting among the trees.

They are classified as vulnerable which is definitely a lot better than the last two animals!

We hope you enjoyed this week's five animals. See you next week.  


Images:
Markhor IMG_2033, owned by OZinOH (on flickr.com) is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Fossa, owned by Arctic Wolf (on flickr.com) is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.


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