COMENIUS MULTILATERAL PROJECT 2010-2012 WHATS OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW?

ROMANIAN CREATURE INFORMATION BOOKLET

TYPICAL ANIMALS

THE STURGEON
Sturgeons are large fish. They feed on shells, small fish and plants and must migrate up-river to breed and spawn. They can live to be more than 100 years old. Their eggs are among the most delicious and expensive of all fish eggs. They are known as CAVIAR. Today, they are found in the Caspian Sea, with important populations also found in the Danube Delta and the Black Sea.

THE PELICAN
This is a pelican. It is about 150-180 cm tall. Pelicans are very beautiful birds. They live in the Danube Delta, where they come in April or May together with other migrating birds. They are aquatic birds, as they feed on fish, frogs, crabs and other small water creatures. Pelicans have a strong and large beak, which they use to deposit large quantities of food. They are white and black in feathers, with wide wings and an orange beak.

COMMON ANIMALS

THE DUCK
Ducks are farm birds and can be found everywhere in the world, near a river, lake or pond. They love swimming! They are smaller than the geese or swans, their feathers are more colourful but they can walk, swim and fly just like any other water bird. They eat worms, frogs, little fish, plants and seeds. They lay the eggs in a nest and sit on them until the ducklings hatch in spring. When they are little, the chicks are covered in golden fluff. They are so cute!

THE SHEEP
It is a farm animal of medium size. Many breeds can differ from region to region in the size and shape of the horns and especially in the type of wool they are covered in. Sheep eat grass, leaves and wild fruit. Sheep can be found in every European country, but also in America and Australia. Sheep farming can be profitable because of the milk, meat and wool that man can use for different purposes. When sheep are little they are called lambs and are very playful, pretty creatures.

BRITISH TYPICAL ANIMALS

Manx Cat

The Manx cat comes from the Isle of Man. It has been around for over 100 years. The Manx Cat is a tail less breed of cat, but there are a few variations. Some have a hollow where the tail should be, they're called "rumpies". Others have the beginnings of a tail, they're called "risers". Those with a slightly longer remainder of a tail are called "stumpies".

Because Manx cats have longer back legs than front legs, they are often said to move like a rabbit.

The English Setter is a breed of dog. It is part of the Setter family, which includes red Irish Setters, Irish Red and White Setters, and blackand-tan Gordon Setters. It is a gun dog, bred for a mix of endurance and athleticism. them. They help hunters find birds to shoot and they go and collect

COMMON ANIMALS

Most male deer have antlers, which they often use for fighting, but both the male and female reindeer have antlers. The Water Deer has no antlers at all. A male deer is called stag or buck, a female deer is called

doe, and a young deer is called fawn. There are about 40

species of deer. They originally lived in Europe, Asia, North America and South America. Humans also brought deer to Australia and New Zealand.

An adult rat can squeeze into your home through a hole as small as the size of a quarter. Rats can live for up to 18 months, but most die before they are one year old. Rats have strong teeth that allow them to chew through glass, cinderblock, wire, aluminium and lead.

Rats are scavengers. They have an excellent sense of taste and a good memory.

Endemic animals in Crete

Bearded vulture (scientific: Gypaetus barbatus)
The Bearded Vulture inhabits exclusively mountainous areas (5004,000 m). 9-10 pairs live in Crete. Its wingspan is around 2.8 m. Its breast and under parts are usually coloured deep orange. It acquires this colour by rubbing against calcareous rocks

containing iron oxides. The Bearded Vulture feeds almost exclusively on bones (70-90% of its diet). It throws the larger bones from a height on to rocky-slopes in order to break them and then eats the bone pieces.

Cretan Ibex (scientific: Capra aegagrus creticus)

The Cretan wild goat, is also known as Agrimi or Kri- kri, They are all living in the National Park of Samaria (Gorge), in the White Mountains. It has dark brown coat, there is a black strip on its back, from head to tail, and the males have a long beard. Moreover, it has two horns swept back from the head that reach 1m in males. The goat eats shoots and leaves of shrubs and low trees, grasses and herbs. It prefers rocky areas with steep slopes, as it can jump over 8 meters. Archaeological excavations have found several wall paintings of the kri-kri. Even today, it is an emblem for the island of Crete.

Commom animals in Crete

The Weasel
The weasel is met all over the island. The color of the Cretan weasel is dark brown to ashyyellow with a light-colored belly. At day it hides in its nest, which can be at the roots of a tree or among stones or in walls. It feeds on mice, hares, rabbits, eggs, small birds, frogs, etc It is considered to be useful because it eats mice that destroy fields, but it attacks domestic birds (hens, etc.). It even enters houses and destroys clothes.

The Hedgehog
Its body length reaches 30cm and, except its belly, is full of black brownish spines. The spines are actually hairs that have become hard. The hedgehog falls into winter hibernation and feeds on smaller animals and fruits. When it feels danger, it has the ability to roll into a tight ball. Thus, the enemies cannot bite them and generally avoid them. The Badger It has short, thick and rough coat, silverwhite at the back, sides and tail. It feeds on hares, rabbits, rats, mice, worms, roots, fruits (poor vineyards!), beetles, seeds, insects and snails. In general it prefers animal food. It spends its life in an underground nest that it builds in the ground.

HUNGARIAN CREATURE INFORMATION BOOKLET

COMMON ANIMALS

HORSES

Horses are mammals. They eat hay or pasture. Horses take part in sports and in working activities as police work, agriculture, entertainment and therapy. They weigh about 300-400 kilograms.

MOLES

Moles are small mammals. They have velvety fur, tiny or invisible ears and eyes. They have large paws for digging. They damage the gardens and make molehills.

HUNGARIAN CREATURE INFORMATION BOOKLET

TYPICAL ANIMALS

GREY CATTLES

They are slender and tall. They can be silvery-white or grey. Their horns are directed upward and are long and curved.

PULI DOGS

They are medium-small guardian dogs known for its long, corded coat. They are usually black. They are intelligent, acrobatic and playful dogs.

COMMON ANIMALS IN ITALY

The ladybird
Coccinellids are generally considered beneficial to gardeners because they typically eat aphids and scale insects. Coccinellids are small insects, ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm and are commonly yellow, orange, or scarlet with small black spots on their wing covers, with black legs, head and antennae. They are found worldwide, with over 5.000 species described.

The stork
The stork is a bird that usually nests on the branches of trees or on the roofs of houses. During the spring, the storks return to the same nest and every time they repair it with new branches and leaves. It takes a pair of storks eight days to build a nest. Storks lay from three to five eggs which are incubated by both parents. They eat frogs, grasshoppers, little fish and mammals.

The grey squirrel

As the name suggests, the grey squirrel has predominantly grey fur but it can have a reddish color. It hoards food in numerous small caches, especially in trees, for later recovery. Grey squirrels eat a range of food such as tree bark, many types of seeds and acorns, walnuts, and other nuts. The head and body length is from 23 to 30 cm, the tail from 19 to 25 cm.

The bee
The bee is an insect whose body is subdivided into segments; it has got antennae and three pairs of legs. It lives mainly in forests, grasslands and savannas. It has a very complicated social structure: in fact in the beehive there are the queen bee, the worker bees and the drones. Each of them has got a different role (for example the worker bees build the beehive with wax). They feed on honey, which is also used by humans as a sweetener.

SPECIAL ANIMALS IN ITALY

The Carmagnola grey rabbit

The grey rabbit is a domestic animal and it is characteristic of our region: Piedmont. These rabbits have long and fluffy fur, which is grey-coloured, the tail is darkgrey and eyes are dark-brown. Gray rabbits diets consist mostly of hay and they are raised for meat purposes.

The Friesian Cow

Holstein-Friesian cattle are a breed of cattle known today as the world's highest production dairy animal. They are large, black and white marked and weigh about 1100 Kilos. Its raised in the Po Valley, where forage is plentiful.

The common spade foot toad

It is an amphibian which is typical of Northern Italys plains. It mainly leads a nocturnal life. It remains covered with earth during the day. Its a very sedentary animal. The female is 8 cm long, while the male is 6,5 cm long. Its skin, which is as smooth as a frogs, is grey with greenish spots. It feeds on little invertebrates such as bugs and earthworms whereas it is eaten by hedgehogs, foxes, birds (crows and hawks).

The Piedmontese hen

This is a farmed animal which is typical of Piedmont. It has got golden feathers and a black tail. It usually eats insects and corn. It lays its eggs especially during spring and summer. The eggs have got a pink shell. The cocks weigh about 3 kilos whereas the hens are about 2.5 kilos.

TYPICAL POLISH ANIMALS

The Wisent
It is also called European bison. It is similar to bison which seems to be bigger but its back part of the body is lower and smaller. Bisons horns are shorter and thinner. The wisent is the biggest wild mammal in Europe. It eats mainly plants. There are 3400 wisents in the world and 640 of them live in Poland. Biaowiea in Poland is the home of wisents.

Polish Primitive Horse

Polish primitive horse is a small horse originating in Poland. The breed is short in height, with a strong and stocky build. The Konik has a deep chest, a thick mane, the hair coat is called

"mouse-gray."

COMMON ANIMALS

HARE
It is not the same as rabbit because hares have longer ears and longer hind feet than rabbits. Their tail is also longer. Hares are very fast animals. They live solitarily or in pairs. You can meet a hare in the forest or in the fields. Hares are usually plant eaters. They also eat some fruit, seeds or mushrooms.

FOX
Foxes are small to mediumsized animals and they have a long narrow snout and a bushy tail. In the wild, foxes can live for up to 10 years, but most foxes only live for 2 to 3 years due to hunting, road accidents and diseases. Red foxes are the most widespread meat-eating mammals in the world. They live in family groups while they are young. Adults live alone or in pairs. They usually live in caves, among rocks, or in hollow logs or trees.

SPANISH ANIMALS

- Iberian Lynxes are wild animals. - They are carnivorous mammals. - They have soft fur and retractile claws.

Iberian lynx - Chameleons are wild animals. - They are insect-eating reptilians. - They are in danger of

Chameleon

extinction.

- Iberian pigs are domesticated animals. - They are omnivorous mammals. - They are kept for their

Iberian pig

meat.

COMMON ANIMALS

- Cats are small domesticated animals. - They are carnivorous mammals - They have soft fur and

Cat

retractile claws.

Dogs are domesticated animals. They are carnivorous mammals. They have soft fur and non-retractile claws.

Dog
Rabbits are domesticated animals. They are plant-eating mammals. They have long ears and a short tail.

Rabbit

COMMON ANIMALS OF TURKEY

GOAT
Its a farm animal. It has got horns and a long beard. It gives milk.

DONKEY
They have got long ears and a short tail. They are relatives with horses and zebras. They are known for their stubbornness. There are many songs, stories and proverbs about donkeys in Turkey.

SPECIAL ANIMALS OF TURKEY

Denizli Rooster
Denizli Rooster whichl ives in Denizli - a city in the south - west of Turkey - is famous for its appearance and colour, along with its prolonged and melodious crows. It can crow about 35-40 seconds. It is said that they can even faint during crowing.

Van Cat
Van is a city in the east of Turkey. Van is famous for its cats. Van Cats most notable genetic characteristic is their almond-shaped eyes that often are mismatched colors. They generally have one green eye and one blue eye. They like water more than most cats, and have been seen swimming in Lake Van.