Langur, Lemmings, Limpkins, Leonberger, What do these animals have in common?
They may not be as popular as lion, leopard, lizards, ladybugs and llama, but these L animals are marvelous in their own right. Read on to know more about these animals whose names start with the letter L.
Langur
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Langurs are funny-looking monkeys widespread in some Southeast Asian countries like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Tibet. These long-tailed monkeys live in forests, bushy terrains and swamps. Langur has a slender body, long arms, and black hairy face with thick eyebrows. Common body color includes golden, dark brown, and gray. Adult males are about 2 ft tall and weigh between 9 to 15 kg. The tail can reach up to a meter long. Langurs are excellent tree climbers, but are poor swimmers. Its diet includes leaves, grain, fruits and seeds. In the wild, Langur can live up to 25 years.
Lemmings
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Another marvelous L animal to know is the
Lemmings, a small rodent that endures the harsh weather of the Arctic Circle. These mouse-like rodents average about 7 to 15 cm in length and weigh between 30 to 112 g. Lemmings have soft brown fur, short legs, short ears, and a short tail. A solitary animal and an herbivore, Lemmings diet include leaves, grasses, bulbs, shoots and roots. It has a lifespan of 1-3 years.
Limpkin
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The
Limpkin (known also as “crying bird”, “carrao”), is a large bird inhabiting wetlands of Florida and Georgia, Puerto Rico and Northern Argentina. This marsh bird sports brown plumage mark with white spot. It has broad wings, long yellow bill, long neck and slender long legs. Adult males, which are slightly larger than females, reach up to 70 cm long and weigh up to 1.1 kg. Limpkin diet includes snails, frogs, insects, and other small marine animals
Lilac-breasted Roller
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Marvel at how these swift flyers do their act. With huge wings and powerful flight,
Lilac-breast roller can zoom 10 meters upward and then with closed wings swooped down at a very fast speed. Lilac-breast rollers inhabit open woodlands, savannahs, and temperate grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa. It has large green head, pinkish-orange face, short neck, whitish chin, and lilac breast. Also, it has brown eyes, black bill, greenish blue belly, short tail and short yellowish legs. Adults average 36 cm long and weigh 100 g. Lilac-breasted roller’s diet includes beetles, grasshoppers, scorpions, lizards and small amphibians.
Loris
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The funny-looking Loris is a small arboreal primate found in dense forests of Southeast Asia. There are three extant species of loris namely:
Slow loris (Nycticebus cougang),
Slender loris (Loris tardigradus) and the
Pygmy loris (N. pygmaeus). Lorises have thick gray fur, a masked face, rounded ears, large eyes, and slender limbs. A nocturnal primate, lorises spend the day sleeping and hunt for food at night. Its diet includes fruits, birds, small amphibians and insects. Depending on the species, lorises average from 17-38 cm. Lorises have a life span of about 25 years or more. However, the pygmy loris is listed as an endangered species due to habitat loss.
Lionfish
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The
lionfish (or the turkeyfish, scorpionfish), is a colorful fish inhabiting coral reefs along the shallow waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Famous for its red-and-white striped body, lionfish has large but laterally compressed body; feathery, fan-like and venomous fins. Lionfish average 30 – 38 cm long and up to 1.2 kg in weight. The lionfish is a wily nocturnal predator that feeds on fish, shrimps and crabs. In the wild, lionfish can live up to 15 years. A word of caution: If you happen to see a lionfish. Don’t touch it! The venom emitted from its dorsal fins is very painful to humans and can result to breathing difficulties.
Leonberger
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The
Leonberger is a large working dog that originated in Leonberg, Germany. It has a muscular body covered with thick, coarse coat. The coat’s color ranges from reddish brown, yellow-gold, cream, to pale yellow. The large rectangular shaped head is covered with black mask. Leonberger has a strong neck, broad chest, brown eyes and a large black nose. Adult males average 65-81 cm tall and weigh around 35-50 kg. By nature, the Leonberger is gentle, highly intelligent, loyal, affectionate, brave and sociable breed of dog.
Lorikeet
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Lorikeets are arboreal parrots widespread throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea. They are small to medium-sized birds known for their brush-tipped tongues. Lorikeets use these specially-tailored tongues to sip nectars from the flowers. These colorful parrots vary in size from 150 to 400 mm. Aside from nectars, Lorikeets also feed on small insects and soft fruits. Lorikeets can live for 7-9 years.
Lynx
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A
lynx is a long-legged, medium-sized wild cat inhabiting forests of Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia. This endangered cat has a short head, long whiskers, tufted ears, large paws, and a short tail. The fur coat color ranges from tawny to cream. Adults can reach 80 to 100 cm long, 60 cm at shoulder height and weigh between 10 to 20 kg. There are four extant species of lynx: the Eurasian Lynx, Canada Lynx, Iberian Lynx and the Bobcat. Lynx are carnivores and its diet includes; deer, squirrels, caribou, birds, mice, and other small animals.
Least Weasel
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The
Least Weasel inhabits meadows, grassy fields, marshes, forests of North Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa. The world’s smallest extant carnivore, Least Weasel is about 16.5 – 24 cm long and weighs between 35 -250 g. The fur is reddish- brown in color with a white belly. It has a slender body, elongated head, short ears, black eyes, and short limbs. An excellent hunter, Least Weasel feeds primarily on rodents, but also hunts for rabbits, moles, chickens, and small birds.
Check out the entire Animal Alphabet list here:
Amazing Animal Alphabet Series 1
Amazing Animal Alphabet Series 2
