They may not be the most mentioned animals whose names start with the letter T, but after reading down this list, it is a safe fact that you will agree with me that truly these 10 “T”animals are really fascinating and their names worth remembering.
Tammar Wallaby
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The
Tammar wallaby (
Macropus eugenii), is the smallest wallaby species native to South and Western Australia. Also known as the Dama, Pamma, or Darma Wallaby, it inhabits coastal scrub, woodland, and dense vegetation. A nocturnal, herbivorous animal, a tammar wallaby feeds primarily on grass and leaves.
An adult male measures around 59–68 cm in body length with a 12 inch long tail and weighs 10-22 pounds. Males are bigger than females. It has a small head, sizeable ears and long, tapered tail. Normally, this marsupial has a grayish-brown coat with slightly lighter undersides.
Unlike other macropods, they do not breed all year round. Females get pregnant in about a month and then give birth to a single joey for 8-9 months. Tammar wallabies may live about nine years.
Tarsier
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The Tarsier is a unique, primitive species of primate that generally spends its entire life on trees. Tarsiers, considered one of the smallest known primates, are today found living in lowland & coastal forests on a number of islands in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Currently, there are 18 different sub-species of Tarsier including the
Philippine tarsier (
Tarsius syrichta), Bornean tarsier (Tarsius bancanus), Dian’s tarsier (Tarsius dianae), the spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrum), and the lesser spectral tarsier or pygmy tarsier (Tarsius pumilus). Tarsiers have a life expectancy of between 8-12 years.
A Tarsier has stocky body, soft brownish-gray fur, large eyes, long ears, long fingers, long hind legs and a long tail. It has sharp teeth, allowing them to catch their prey easier. On average, it measures about 10-15 cm long and weighs between 115-130 g. Tarsiers are arboreal, carnivore primates that feed primarily on insects such as ants, beetles, butterflies, cicadas, grasshoppers, lizards, praying mantis, and other small vertebrates.
Turaco
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Turacos are medium-sized arboreal birds native to Central and Southern Africa. Their habitat includes savannas, woodlands and forests. There are 23 extant species of turanos. Known for their piercing alarm calls, these non-migratory birds build large pigeon-like nests in trees, and lay 2 or 3 eggs.
Turacos are brightly colored birds noted for their bright green and red feathers. They have raised head, bold green crests, intelligent-looking eyes and colorful tails. They climb and run along branches easily, using their wings and feet. Turacos eat mostly fruits, leaves, flowers, and occasionally some invertebrates, including small insects, snails and slugs.
Topi
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The
Topi (
Damaliscus lunatus) is a medium-sized antelope found in southern Sudan and in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. It inhabits flat lowlands, flood plains, and occasionally in open savannas and woodlands. They are the swiftest of the ungulates. They have a life span of up to 15 years.
Topis are gregarious ungulates known for their glossy reddish-brown to purplish-red coat mark with bold patterns of black patches. They have elongated heads, black face masks; both sexes have thick, deeply-ringed strong, lyre-shaped horns, and yellowish-tan legs. Adults measure between 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 feet tall and weigh around 200 to 300 pounds. Like other ruminants, they feed primarily on grass, but avoid chewing both mature leaves and very young shoots.
Tuatara
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Tuatara (
Rhynchocephalia), are rare, medium-sized reptiles that once widespread on mainland New Zealand. However, due to threatened habitat loss and death caused by predator and people; their population is now confined to 32 rodent-free offshore islands.
They are greenish brown in color having a characteristic teeth arrangement never seen before in other reptiles. Unlike other reptiles, these unique reptiles have two rows of teeth in the upper jaw and a single row in the upper jaw. They have spiny crests on their back, and possess a “third eye” (parietal eye) — an explicit photo-receptive eyes. On average, tuatara reaches up to 80 cm from head to tail-tip and around 1.3 kilograms in weight.
These nocturnal carnivorous reptiles feed primarily on birds' eggs, beetles, frogs, insects, spiders, and small reptiles and mammals. Tuatara can live up to 100 years old and are known to reproduce until they are 60 years old. They only mate every 4 or 5 years.
Tamarin
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Tamarins are small New World Monkeys found along rivers in Central and South America. They live in the trees of the lowland rainforest and flooded areas. They are diurnal and arboreal, and live in a group comprising up to 40 individuals. There are about 19 species of Tamarin including the Bearded Tamarin, Cotton Top Tamarin, Emperor Tamerin, and the Golden Lion Tamarin.
Depending on the species, tamarin differs in appearances, although mustache-like facial hairs are prominent in most species. Color ranges from nearly all black or combinations of black, white and brown. Adults measure from 35 to 70 cm including the tail and weigh between 220 to 900 grams.
Tamarins are omnivores and their diet includes insects, spiders, lizards, frogs as well fruit, leaves and flower nectar. In the wild, these tiny monkeys live to be about 15 years old; while in captivity, they can live for up to 18 years.
Takin
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The Takin, is a goat-antelope endemic to the Eastern Himalayas. It prefers temperate forests that thrive in bamboo plants. There are four living subspecies: the
Mishmi Takin, the Shanxi or
Golden Takin, the Tibetan or
Sichuan Takin, and the
Bhutan Takin. A very strange-looking animal, it is covered in a thick golden wool, a large nose and a set of small horn around 30 cm that turn upwards in a short point. It measures around 100 to 130 cm at shoulder length and weighs up to 350 kg. A ruminant herbivore, it feeds mainly on bamboo leaves, grasses, as well as pines.
Tui
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Tūī are unique passerine birds widespread in New Zealand; inhabiting forests, offshore islands, rural areas, parks and gardens. This clever bird is known for its distinctive pair of white-shafted feathers that runs on the sides of the throat. It has a black curved bill; the plumage shows a metallic blue-green sheen and light- brown patches on the back and sides. Tui feeds primarily on nectar from flowers and often opt for native fruits and insects. Do you know that too, just like a parrot, can clearly imitate human speeches!
Tayra
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The
Tayra (
Eira barbara) is a solitary mammal found in the dense forests of Central America, South America and the Yukan Peninsula. Both terrestrial and arboreal, it can be seen moving swiftly through the trees or on the ground. It has a life span of up to 18 years in captivity.
Color varies depending on the species, but generally a Tayra has a brown body, long neck, dark muzzles, rounded ears and a long bushy tail. Its long claws aides the animal in its climbing adventures. On average, Tayra measures about 60 cm, long and weighs around 5 to 7.5 kilograms. An omnivore, it feeds on agoutis, guinea pigs, insects, mice, squirrels, other small mammals; as well as fruits.
Toque Macaque
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The
toque macaque (
Macaca sinica) is a stocky, reddish-brown Old World monkey native only to Sri Lanka. Known for its shaped whorl of hair on its head, the toque macaque lives in troops, at times numbering up to 20.There are two subspecies of Toque Macaque namely: the Dryzone toque macaque and the Wetzone toque macaque.
Toque macaques have brown to golden yellow body, cheek pouches, a well-formed caplike whorl of hair radiating outward from the center of the head. They have a dusky brown to golden yellow body, cheek pouches, black ears, short limbs and tails. Adults measure around 43-45 cm long and weigh around 3.4-4.3 kg. Males tend to be larger in size than females.
An arboreal, terrestrial, diurnal, and omnivorous animal, its diet includes: fruits, nuts, seeds, tubers, and small animals like reptiles and birds.
