Zoo Species Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Zoo Species Project - Research Paper Example Zoo Species Project Species are the smallest taxonomic division in biological classifications and is the level of classification with which an organism is identified as a distinct living or non- living organism over the earth’s surface. This is usually done by using the most salient and distinctive features that only such category of organisms possess on earth. The other taxonomic groups used in the classification of organisms include phylum, class, order, sub- order, family and genus to the kingdom and species at the extreme ends. This essay will cover the salient characteristics of the three identified species of, the okapi, the Komodo dragon, and the Double wattle cassowary. Okapi The okapi species can be taxonomically grouped to the Kingdom animalia, phylum chordata, class mammalia, order antiodactyla, sub- order ruminantia, family giraffidae, genus Giraffa carmelopardalis, and in the species Okapia johnstoni. The okapi is an herbivorous animal most common in tropical mountain forests of Afri ca. The animals are mainly common in central African tropical forests that have the favourable climatic conditions for the deer- like animals (Trooper and Murphy). They are mainly common in the Congo forest at an altitude of about 500 to 1000 meters above the sea level with most of them occupying areas with an altitude of 800 meters above the sea level mostly predominant in the Ituri forest of the DRC Congo. The animals can also be found in areas with slowly flowing waters. (Wood). Wood further notices in his book, The Guinness Book of Animal Facts that the okapis look similar to the giraffes having the long giraffe- like neck which not only help it reach out for leaves in the tall tropical forests but also useful in defence against the potential predators such as the lion, cheetahs, and other carnivorous predators. They have brown fur with white strips on their hind limbs and on the rear ends as the zebra that enables them to camouflage easily among the tall trees away from the pre dating animals. The animal is one of the only surviving ancestors of the giraffe family. The okapi is a very shy animal that is seldom seen by human beings. They spend most of their times in the forests usually very deep in the tropical forests where people seldom visit (Wood). Nearly a fifth of the tropical rainforest of the central Africa houses the okapi species. However, the number has been greatly threatened by the rapid rates of destruction caused by man on the tropical forests especially by deforestation leading to the ever-diminishing number of the okapi in Africa. As Eric and Laurie note in their book Windows to the Evolution of Diversity, the okapi is most active during the day and are mostly rendered inactive as the darkness approach. The animals like solitary lives during their lifetime and rarely walk, live or feed in colonies like the baboons or monkeys even though they sometimes feed together in groups just for a short period of time (Eric and Laurie). The animal is k nown to be feeding on over a hundred plant species some of which are considered poisonous to human being and other animals. They have long tongues that help them in feeding by increasing their heights enabling them to feed on tall plants. The gestation period for the female okapi is around sixteen months over which the females spend lots of their time in the thick woodlands deep in the forest certainly for the sake of the security of the pregnant female and the lamb after birth. Further, Trooper and Murphy underscore that these animals give birth to