The Hippopotamus

The hippo, also known as the river horse, is found in African swamps and rivers. These animals can grow as large as 13 feet long and weigh as much as three tons. The body is round and the legs are stumpy. Its ears and eyes are on the top of its head. Its feet are webbed but the hippo is still capable of walking on the ground. More
The hippo spends much of its time in the water and can stay submerged for around six minutes. In the water it faces the danger or crocodiles and on land it is threatened by lions.
Baby hippos are born after about 240 days. When they are born they weigh as 55 to 120 pounds. More
Baby hippos eat grass like their parents in addition to their mother's milk.
Although hippos are seen as very dangerous animals, the leading animal in human deaths in Africa, they are in danger of becoming extinct. Poachers hunt hippos for their ivory and for their tusks. More

The fact that hippos can tip over boats and kill humans scare me, but I still can't resist a baby hippo. It is one of the animals that I would want for a pet until it became too dangerous. What is your favorite animal?

The Black Throated Monitor

The black throated monitor, like the lion, is also a native to Africa, however unlike the lion, it has been imported to Europe and the United States for the purpose of domestic pets. A lot of times, the monitors do not survive the trip because they are accustomed to their home in the savannahs and grasslands. More
The lizards sold in pet stores are around eight inches. They are capable of reaching lengths between four and six feet. More
They have tough bodies and strong legs. Their tails are very, very powerful and can be whipped in defense. Their nails are also very sharp and serve as another defense mechanism.
The black throated monitor is a carnivore. It eats birds, rodents, snakes and snails. They need water to survive but are not big swimmers like other monitor lizards are.
Recently there has been debate about keeping these large animals in captivity. I saw on the news that some cities have begun to pass regulations and require owners to have a special license.
My father has owned two black throated monitors recently. His first lizard Chuck, reached six feet eight inches and was close to 90 pounds. It passed away this year from calcification of the lungs. The lizard he has now is named Ramsey. Ramsey is just over four feet.
These are pictures of my dad with his lizard Chuck.

This is a video of his second lizard Ramsey. Ramsey escaped from his cage when my dad was a couple of hours away from the house. I had to watch him with a broom in my hand to make sure he didn't run away or jump into the canal. I was terrified. At around nine seconds, you can see him in the bushes.

What do you think of my lizard?

The Lion

Lions are large carnivorous mammals. Most of their distribution is in Africa and parts of Asia. Male lions differ from female lions in that they are larger and they grow manes. Male lions can weigh more than 400 pounds while females can grow close to 300 pounds. More
In addition to this, the males protect the territory while the females go out to hunt.
All lions have large teeth and retractable claws. They also have whisker spots unique to each lion. This pattern differentiates the lions and helps identify them to researchers. More
Lions are very social animals and roam in a pack. The number of lions in a pack depends on the available food source. More
Baby lions, known as cubs, and born after 110 days and weigh less than five pounds at birth. More
The only listed predator of the lion is humans. To me, this is ridiculous. If we are the only known predators then there should not be any predators at all. It is very important to me to restore the original numbers of lions in the wild.
The video below is a historical clip about the hunting of lions on youtube.com.

The Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs are originally from South America. In fact, in countries like Peru, they are part of the daily cuisine. But in many other parts of the world, guinea pigs are pets. They are friendly animals and are not known for biting.
The three types of guinea pigs are smoot-coated, abyssinian (with longer swirls of hair,) and Peruvian (with long and silky hair.) They have a life span of five to seven years. More
Their diet consists of dry food as well as alfalfa (similar to hay). Their diet should always be supplemented with vegetables such as lettuce, carrots and apples. In addition, guinea pigs require something for knawing their teeth because their teeth grow continuously. More
It is very important to clean a guinea pig's cage often because they poop and pee frequently.
Guinea pigs require trips to the vet when you notice signs of coughing or sneezing. They also can get flees and ticks like dogs and cats do. More
This is a picture of my guinea pig. His name is Kenny and he is about 7 months old. This picture was taken a while ago when he was a little skinnier.

I also have a video of Kenny running in my room. You have to wait until six seconds to see him in action.

The Mustang

The mustang is a feral horse, meaning it was once domesticated but it escaped or was returned to the wild. They were brought over when the Spanish came to explore the Americas. The mustang population only began to grow when the Native Americans began to ride and breed them. More. Then when whites began to colonize the West, the population of these horses changed. The horses chosen for breeding were removed from the wild and those that were inferior were left to roam. As a result of their cross with thoroughbreds, very few characteristics of the mustang can be traced back to their Spanish blood.
Unfortunately, as recently as 1998, mustangs have been killed. Cattle ranchers are angry that the mustang takes up grazing land for cattle. In reality, the mustangs' land provides just 3 % of the country's beef. 

This is my favorite color of all mustangs. If I had enough money and enough land, I would have a mustang of my own.
Film Fact: It stars in the film "Hidalgo."
Here is a clip from the movie available on youtube.com: