"Lowland tapir consumed on average 33% fruit, which is relatively high for a large non-ruminant ungulate. The fruit portion of lowland tapir diets was dominated by the nutritious ' () s, which were selected by tapir more frequently than other fruit types. M. flexuosa palms grow in virtually monotypic stands and occur in larger patches than other fruit trees used by terrestrial herbivores of the Amazon."

"Of the extant lineages of s, tapirs have the poorest and least understood fossil record. Both molecular and morphological data agree that the tapirs and rhinoceroses are more closely related to each other than to horses ..., and the superfamilies and are combined as Ceratomorpha. ... While the fossil record of horses and rhinoceroses is notable for its diversity and illustration of evolutionary trends, tapirs and their fossil relatives are more notable for their conservatism. Both living and fossil tapirs typically inhabit or have inhabited warm, closed canopy forests, not unlike the earliest perissodactyls. However, tapir evolution shows many of the same trends as that of horses and rhinos, including increases in body size and premolars that increasingly resemble molars (i.e. premolar molarisation)."

"There are some few still more extraordinary cases in which the species of one genus are separated in remote continents or islands. The most striking of these is that of the tapirs, forming the genus ', of which there are two or three species in South America, and one very distinct species in and , separated by nearly half the circumference of the globe."

"The head is not unlike that of a horse, but the upper lip much longer, projecting something like the proboscis of an elephant, and is also moveable, but too short to be of much use, as is the trunk of that animal; the ears are short, the tusks strong, and sometimes visible, the mane is bristly and erect, the limbs are low and strong, with a hoof divided into four claws, and the tail is thick and short like that of the elephant. The skin of this creature is excessively thick, of a brown colour, and when young it is marked with white spots, like those of the or , proceeding in longitudinal rows. It feeds on grass, and other herbs that grow in watery places, and is so shy, that when alarmed by the smallest noise it plunges under waster, also like the paca, for security, where it remains for a considerable time. The flesh of the tapira is delicate, being accounted superior to the best ox-beef."

"The short-legged, barrel-bodied tapirs live exclusively in the dense jungles of Central and South America and southeast Asia, where they browse on leaves with their flexible . Tapirs are solitary, ranging over a wide area of jungle, swimming rivers with ease, and even climbing mountainsides. They swim to feed, cool themselves off, and rid themselves of skin parasites, as well as seek refuge in water, where they can stay submerged for several minutes. They follow well-established routes in the jungle and even make tunnel-like trails through the vegetaton, which they mark with urine during their daily routine. They browse leaves or green shoots, as welll as soft twigs, fruites, grasses and aquatic vegetation. They follow a zigzag course while feeding, moving continously and taking only a few leaves from each plant."

"... hedgehogs are low-maintenance pets compared to more traditional animals like dogs or cats. They thrive in small, well-prepared spaces and have relatively simple dietary needs, making them ideal for individuals living in apartments or homes with limited space. Their quiet and independent nature further adds to their appeal, as they require less attention and interaction than some other pets while still forming a bond with their owners. Hedgehogs also boast a fascinating array of natural behaviors that are delightful to observe. Whether they’re exploring their environment, foraging for food, or curling into a tight ball for a nap, their antics never fail to entertain. Their nocturnal habits mean they’re most active in the evening, providing the perfect opportunity for owners to unwind after a long day while watching their pet’s playful adventures."

"The easiest way to make his acquaintance in the wild state is to be in the wood towards the close of twilight, when, any fine summer evening, the sound of his rustling among the herbage, accompanied by a continuous and often loud sniffing in his eager search for prey, soon guides one to the little animal's presence. At such times he is far less addicted than when seen by daylight to the provoking practice of rolling himself up in his prickly coat of armor; and it can be sen that, instead of an erect mass of prickles, the Hedgehog, who unalarmed, wears a smooth coat, the spines lying like ordinary hairs along his back and sides. Trusting, no doubt, to the fact that his refuge can be instantaneously assumed, he shows a boldness towards human observers that would be impossible in the case of any other wild mammal; everything he approaches is examined at close quarters, and if you stand still he is not at all likely to pass you without thrusting his snout under the instep of your book, evidently hoping that some or have made a retreat to so convenient a crevice. With all his boldness, he likes close concealment by day, and retires to rest as a rule, before sunrise—often down rabbit burrows, or under the shelter of a thick -covert."

"... The Hedgehog hibernates in winter; rolling himself up in some grassy hedge bottom, with leaves, grass, and moss, he seems to sleep winter unconsciously away. ... the Hedgehog destroys a very troublesome weed, viz., the , beneath which it burrows, and devours the root upwards to the leaves, than which there could hardly be devised a more certain method of extirpation ..."

"s, s ... , s, and s form a single, natural group of small mammals, the Order . ... Shared morphological characters include a simple without a , typically long narrow snouts, and reduced to absent eyes. However, the lack of unique derived characters has convinced many zoologists that they resemble the basic stock that gave rise to most n lineages."

"If I pass during some nocturnal blackness, mothy and warm, When the hedgehog travels furtively over the lawn, One may say, "He strove that such innocent creatures should come to no harm, But he could do little for them; and now he is gone.""

"analysed the stomachs of 137 dead hedgehogs and found that in 73% were the remains of beetles. Next most popular items were s, s, s and s. Of course, hedgehogs are famous for eating , and they were the next most populous content, at 23%. These were hedgehogs that had been killed by s and reflected the diet of hedgehogs on the land they were found."

"a fox knows many things, but a hedgehog knows one big thing"

"January Thaw Each year, after the midwinter s, there comes a night of thaw when the tinkle of dripping water is heard in the land. It brings strange stirrings, not only to creatures abed for the night, but to some who have been asleep for the winter. The hibernating skunk, curled up in his deep den, uncurls himself and ventures forth to prowl the wet world, dragging his belly in the snow. His track marks one of the earliest datable events in that cycles of beginnings and ceasings which we call a year."

"Like most 'exotics', pet skunks aren't for everyone, and skunk owners are likely the first to say this. Unlike dogs or cats, s bred in captivity are not particularly suited to the constraints and expectations of human family life. Baby skunks are often sold as young as four to six weeks by licensed breeders to individuals and to s in states like Indiana, Ohio and Florida, where it is legal to do so. Pet stores must have federal permits to sell the animals, and peak sale time is in June, shortly after the kits have been born. Many pet skunks live as members of the household, alongside other s, though for obvious reasons they would pose a danger to small rodents. According to some, skunks can be 'corner-trained', meaning that owners can place a box of unscented cat litter in the spot where a skunk chooses to relieve himself. But skunks have minds of their own and are likely to do what they want wherever they see fit. Pet owners who understand their active charges appreciate that skunks are determined and headstrong. Despite 'domestication', pet skunks retain the needs and desires of their wild counterparts, like digging, clawing and biting. Most pet skunks are de-scented as kits, since a fully loaded pet skunk is not for the faint-hearted."

"The skunks are a nuisance in more ways than one. They are stupid, familiar beasts, with a great predilection for visiting camps, and the shacks or huts of the settlers, to pick up any scraps of meat that may be lying round. I have time and again known a skunk to actually spend several hours of the night in perseveringly digging a hole underneath the logs of a hut, so as to get inside among the inmates. The animal then hunts about among them, and of course no one will willingly molest it; and has often been known to deliberately settle down upon and begin to eat one of the sleepers. The strange and terrible thing about these attacks is that in certain districts and at certain times the bite of the skunk is surely fatal, producing ; and many cowmen, soldiers, and hunters have annually died from this cause. There is no wild beast in the West, no matter what its size and ferocity, so dreaded by old plainsmen as this seemingly harmless little beast."

"In February a new track appears upon the snow, slender and delicate, about a third larger than that of the , indicating no haste or speed, but, on the contrary, denoting the most imperturbable ease and leisure, the footprints so close together that the trail appears like a chain of curiously carved links. Sir , or, in plain English, the skunk, has waked up from his six weeks' nap, and come out into society again. He is a nocturnal traveler, very bold and impudent, coming quite up to the barn and outbuildings, and sometimes taking up his quarters for the season under the haymow. There is no such word as hurry in his dictionary, as you may see by his path upon the snow. He has a very sneaking, insinuating way, and goes creeping about the fields and woods, never once in a perceptible degree altering his gait, and, if a fence crosses his course, steers for a break or opening to avoid climbing. He is too indolent even to dig his own hole, but appropriates that of a , or hunts out a crevice in the rocks, from which he extends his rambling in all directions, preferring damp, thawy weather."

"The skunk ... is represented by four species in North America. The skunk has short, stocky legs and proportionately large feet equipped with well-developed claws that enable it to be very adept at digging. The ... is characterized by prominent, lateral white stripes that run down its back. Its fur is otherwise jet black. Striped skunks are the most abundant of the four species. The body of the striped skunk is about the size of an ordinary house cat (up to 29 inches [74 cm] long and weighing about 8 pounds [3.6 kg] ). The ... is smaller (up to 21 inches [54 cm] long and weighing about 2.2 pounds [1 kg]), more weasel- like, and is readily distinguishable by white spots and short, broken white stripes in a dense jet-black coat."

"The average lifespan of a white-tailed deer is about twelve years, but both wild and captive deer have lived to be twenty-three years old."

"Man has had a long history of association with the deer family — economic, religious, aesthetic and social. Deer are widely distributed throughout the north-temperate zones of the world, extending into the tropics in Asia and South and Central America. Throughout this range they were the major food species for man the hunter. As, in Africa, the hunter-gatherer economy relied heavily on exploitation of antelope, so, in other areas, the various deer species provided the main source of meat, hides and other products: sinews for sewing or twine, antlers for picks and other tools, etc. So fundamental were the deer to the subsistence of these people, so deeply interwoven with their whole life style, that they were endowed with mystical, magical properties, and became an integral part not only of man's secular existence but of his spiritual world as well. In extreme cases the relationship became so intimate, and human populations became so dependent on one particular species — as the of the far north of Scandinavia — that the situation developed into of complete social parasitism: one organised population relying entirely upon one other."

"White-tailed deer are adaptable and prolific animals equipped with keen survival instincts (Halls 1984). Major predators such as the and have been extirpated from much of the deer’s range (Cote and others 2004; Rooney and Waller 2003). Because of human intervention, the range of the whitetail has actually expanded to include offshore islands, such as , , where seven deer introduced in 1967 grew to a herd of 700 deer by 1994 (Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife 2007). In addition to the food sources available to them in forests, deer have successfully exploited the human-altered environment, feeding in agricultural fields, orchards, roadsides, lawns, and gardens."

"... Under the boughs and in the thickets the stags can lie perfectly unseen; and the , too, is high enough to hide them if lying down. In June the deer spend the whole of the day in the covers out of the heat. At this time they are more shy than at any other, both stags and hinds retiring out of sight. The stags' antlers are as yet only partially grown, and while these weapons are soft and tender they conceal themselves. The hinds have their calves only recently dropped, or are about to calve, and consequently keep in the thickest woods. One might walk across the entire width of the , and not see a single deer, and yet be in the midst of them ..."

"It was on during the latter part of the 19th century that Henry Evans conducted careful studies on . His were the first researches of a scientific character on these animals."

"... , which were deliberately stocked in the s, boosted the ’s image because they were exotic imports. They also made good decorations—they tended to stick together in large herds, a picturesque scene when observed from afar by the lord and his attendants."

"There also be many Beasts, that be clept Orafles. In Arabia, they be clept Gerfaunts. That is a dappled or spotted Beast, that is but a little more high than is a Steed, but he hath the Neck a twenty Cubits long; and his Croup and his Tail be as of an Hart; and he may look over a great high House."

"Giraffes!—a People Who live between the earth and skies, Each in his lone religious steeple, Keeping a light-house with his eyes."

"Even as hunters follow two wild elephants, we with oblations call you down at morn and eve. To folk who pay you offierings at appointed times, Chiefs, Lords of splendour, ye bring food to strengthen them."

"Keep five yards from a carriage, ten yards from a horse, and a hundred yards from an elephant; but the distance one should keep from a wicked man cannot be measured."

"Mighty, with wondrous power and marvellously bright, selfstrong like mountains, ye glide swiftly on your way. Like the wild elephants ye eat the forests up when ye assume your strength among the bright red flames."

"What time thou settest near the Sun thy body, thy form, Immortal One, is seen expanding: Thou a wild elephant with might invested. like a dread lion as thou wieldest weapons."

"By separating the meaning of the Vedic varana from the classical one, Roth allowed himself to be led to believe that the elephant was still foreign to the songs of the Rigveda. If this statement were correct, the Vedic Indians would not have been Indians at all, for the elephant is inseparable from India. But as shown, it is erroneous."

"As a wild elephant rushes on this way and that way, mad with heat,' None may compel thee, yet come hither to the draught: thou movest mighty in thy power."

"Child of a double birth he grasps at triple food; in the year's course what he hath swallowed grows anew. He, by another's mouth and tongue a noble Bull, with other, as an elephant, consumes the trees."

"The people deck him like a docile king of elephants."

"how the fuck did seals happen? like how did dog and fish get fucked into one."

"Seals are the 'sentinels' of fish health in the twilight zone."

"Hi! How are you?"

"Come over here!"

"Get out of there!"

"Hello, there!"

"The tests used on Geronimo were developed for use on alpacas and are highly specific – the chances of a false positive are significantly less than one percent and we have tested him twice. Not just for the benefit of our farming industry but to avoid more TB cases in humans, our disease control measures must be applied."

"Calves are notorious for their friskiness. We all have seen these boisterous youngsters gamboling across spacious pastures, their tender muscles firming up to support their increasing weight. Not so the calves raised in veal crates. The conditions of their confinement ensure that their muscles will remain limp so their flesh retains the degree of tenderness that, according to the Journal, “fulfill(s) the customers' requirement.”"

"The young calves sorely miss their mothers. They also miss something to suck on. The urge to suck is strong in a baby calf, as it is in a baby human. These calves have no teat to suck on, nor do they have any substitute. From their first day in confinement—which may well be only the third or fourth day of their lives—they drink from a plastic bucket. Attempts have been made to feed calves through artificial teats, but the task of keeping the teats clean and sterile is apparently not worth the producer's trouble. It is common to see calves frantically trying to suck some part of their stalls, although there is usually nothing suitable; and if you offer a veal calf your finger you will find that he immediately begins to suck on it, as human babies suck their thumbs. Later the calf develops a need to ruminate—that is, to take in roughage and chew the cud. But roughage is strictly forbidden because it contains iron and will darken the flesh, so, again, the calf may resort to vain attempts to chew the sides of his stall. Digestive disorders, including stomach ulcers, are common in veal calves. So is chronic diarrhea."

"I noticed this truck full of calves and bonded with one in particular, who kept kissing me. After about an hour the truck driver came out of the restaurant. I asked him what the calf's name was, and he said, "Veal, tomorrow morning by 7 o'clock." That was it: I could no longer disassociate the creature from what was on my plate."

"The very saddest sound in all my memory was burned into my awareness at age five on my uncle's dairy farm in Wisconsin. A cow had given birth to a beautiful male calf. The mother was allowed to nurse her calf but for a single night. On the second day after birth, my uncle took the calf from the mother and placed him in the veal pen in the barn—only ten yards away, in plain view of the mother. The mother cow could see her infant, smell him, hear him, but could not touch him, comfort him, or nurse him. The heartrending bellows that she poured forth—minute after minute, hour after hour, for five long days—were excruciating to listen to. They are the most poignant and painful auditory memories I carry in my brain. Since that age, whenever I hear anyone postulate that animals cannot really feel emotions, I need only to replay that torturous sound in my memory of that mother cow crying her bovine heart out to her infant."

"[About the trauma of the cows when they are separated from their calves] By proceeding in this manner, you empty the world of both the mother and the very young animal; you provoke extremely intense suffering, true despair. These are not nociceptive pathways that are stimulated here, but mental representations that are affected. Both cow and calf have been deprived of what made sense for them."

"The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf [will live] together; and a little child will lead them."

"No cow gives milk unless she gets pregnant and gives birth to a calf. (I remember one dairy farmer I visited insisting that the cow would be in pain unless she was milked; true, but only because she had just given birth to a calf who was no longer present.) The milk is meant for the calf. … But our greed is greater than any reasonable person could expect: we do not allow the calf even the small amount he or she would normally take in a day. We want it all. So the calf is separated from the cow immediately upon birth. The industry says this must happen instantaneously, for otherwise there is a risk—no, it is a certainty—that the two will bond. In fact, they have already bonded, just as much as would a human mother with her baby. The strong bond is inborn in all mammals. The terrible sound one hears on any dairy farm after a cow has given birth is the call of a lost calf, calling her mother, and the mother answering in desperation. If that is not suffering, I don't know the meaning of the word."

"Of two men sharing with a calf the milk of that calf's mother one eyes the calf with the thought that his tender flesh would provide good meat for him and his friends to feast upon at his approaching birthday. The other thinks of the calf as his brother of the teat and is filled with affection for the young beast and his mother. I say to you, the latter is truly nourished by that calf's meat; while the first is poisoned thereby. Aye, many things are put in the belly that should be put in the heart."