犀牛 Rhinoceros

犀牛是犀科（学名：Rhinocerotidae）动物的總稱，属哺乳纲奇蹄目，主要分佈於非洲和東南亞。是最大的奇蹄目动物，也是仅次于大象体型大的陆地动物。所有的犀牛基本上都是腳短和身体粗壮。体肥笨拙，体长2.2～4.5米，肩高1.2～2米；体重2800～3000公斤，皮厚粗糙，并于肩腰等处成褶皱排列；毛被稀少而硬，甚至大部无毛；耳呈卵圆形，头大而长，颈短粗，长唇延长伸出；头部有实心的独角或双角（有的雌性无角），起源于真皮，角脱落仍能复生；无犬齿；尾细短，身体呈黄褐、褐、黑或灰色。^[1]

現存的4属5种的犀牛除白犀牛外，都瀕臨絕種，其中以爪哇犀牛的數目最少，約50頭左右；而黑犀牛也只有约1萬到3萬頭。

Rhinoceros (/raɪˈnɒsərəs/), often abbreviated as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to Southern Asia.

Members of the rhinoceros family are characterized by their large size (they are some of the largest remaining megafauna, with all of the species able to reach one tonneor more in weight); as well as by an herbivorous diet; a thick protective skin, 1.5–5 cm thick, formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure; relatively small brains for mammals this size (400–600 g); and a large horn. They generally eat leafy material, although their ability to ferment food in their hindgut allows them to subsist on more fibrous plant matter, if necessary. Unlike other perissodactyls, the two African species of rhinoceros lack teeth at the front of their mouths, relying instead on their lips to pluck food.^[1]

Rhinoceros are killed by humans for their horns, which are bought and sold on the black market, and which are used by some cultures for ornamental or traditional medicinal purposes. East Asia, specifically Vietnam, is the largest market for rhino horns. By weight, rhino horns cost as much as gold on the black market. People grind up the horns and then consume them believing the dust has therapeutic properties.^[2] The horns are made of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair andfingernails.^[3] Both African species and the Sumatran rhinoceros have two horns, while the Indian and Javan rhinoceros have a single horn.

The IUCN Red List identifies three of the species as critically endangered.

狗 Dog

犬（学名：Canis lupus familiaris），現代俗称为狗或狗子，一种常见的犬科哺乳动物，生物学分类上是狼的一个亚種。狗是最早被驯化的一个物种。被人豢养的称为家犬，返回野外没人养的狗称为“野狗”或“流浪狗”。犬的壽命約十多年，與貓的平均壽命相近。若無發生意外，平均壽命以小型犬為長。

DNA分析显示狗不单单是灰狼（Canis lupus）的近亲，更是各地不同灰狼亚种的混血后代。现代狗的祖先约在1.1万至1.6万年前开始在西欧被人类驯化，更早的古代狗如在比利时所发现距今3.6万年及阿尔泰山所发现约3.3万年前的标本，则显示已经中断的驯化事件，这些更早期的古代狗均未留下现存后代。

狗被用来做各种事情：看家护院、捕猎、拉雪橇、拉车、警用、军用、做宠物、帮助身障人士等。

在西方文化裡，狗被称为“人类最好的朋友”。在另外一些地方，如東亞的韩国，中國个别地区(例如，吉林延边)，歐洲的瑞士，狗也被用来食用。

今天，家犬的种类已达数百个品种，其中多数犬种出现是近几百年的事。人们根据需要培育了许多不同的品种。身高从只有15.2厘米的吉娃娃到76厘米的爱尔兰猎狼犬，颜色也从白色到黑、灰或棕都有。长毛、短毛，直毛、卷毛，不一而足。

The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris or Canis familiaris) is a domesticated canid which has been selectively bred for millennia for various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes.^[2]

Although initially thought to have originated as a manmade variant of an extant canid species (variously supposed as being the dhole,^[3] golden jackal,^[4] or gray wolf^[5]), extensive genetic studies undertaken during the 2010s indicate that dogs diverged from other wolf-like canids in Eurasia 40,000 years ago.^[6] Being the oldest domesticated animals, their long association with people has allowed dogs to be uniquely attuned to human behavior,^[7] as well as thrive on a starch-rich diet which would be inadequate for other canid species.^[8]

Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and military, companionship, and, more recently, aiding handicapped individuals. This impact on human society has given them the nickname "man's best friend" in the Western world. In some cultures, however, dogs are also a source of meat.^[9][10]

老虎 Tiger

老虎（學名：Panthera tigris），書面語叫虎，係體形最大嘅貓科動物，亦係亞洲最具代表性嘅猛獸。喺亞洲多國嘅文化中，老虎係美、勇、力量嘅象徵，人怕虎兇猛，又希望有虎咁強壯，好多時征服佢證明自己嘅力量。老虎同人嘅關係好密切，人類活動打散晒同縮細咗老虎嘅棲息地，咁人同老虎衝突機會多好多，用加上老虎有利用價值，老虎就俾人大肆捕殺，家下呢個物種嘅生存已經極之危。

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to 3.38 m (11.1 ft) over curves and exceptionally weighing up to 388.7 kg (857 lb) in the wild. Its most recognisable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside. The species is classified in the genus Panthera with thelion, leopard, jaguar and snow leopard. Tigers are apex predators, primarily preying on ungulates such as deer and bovids. They are territorial and generally solitary but socialanimals, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey requirements. This, coupled with the fact that they are indigenous to some of the more densely populated places on Earth, has caused significant conflicts with humans.

Tigers once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia. Over the past 100 years, they have lost 93% of their historic range, and have been extirpated from southwest and central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia. Today, they range from the Siberiantaiga to open grasslands and tropical mangrove swamps. The remaining six tiger subspecies have been classified as endangered by IUCN. The global population in the wild is estimated to number between 3,062 and 3,948 individuals, down from around 100,000 at the start of the 20th century, with most remaining populations occurring in small pockets isolated from each other, of which about 2,000 exist on the Indian subcontinent.^[4] Major reasons for population decline include habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching. The extent of area occupied by tigers is estimated at less than 1,184,911 km² (457,497 sq mi), a 41% decline from the area estimated in the mid-1990s.

Tigers are among the most recognisable and popular of the world's charismatic megafauna. They have featured prominently in ancient mythology and folklore, and continue to be depicted in modern films and literature. They appear on many flags, coats of arms, and as mascots for sporting teams. The tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh, India,Vietnam, Malaysia and South Korea.

狮子 Lion

獅子，或稱獅，俗稱獅子（古稱狻猊／狻麑），被人稱為、「草原之王」。獅是一種生存在非洲和亞洲的大型貓科動物，豹屬四種著名的大型貓科動物之中第二大的一種，現存中是繼老虎之後第二大的貓科動物。^[1]其雄性的鬃毛是其特徵之一，過去牠分佈在多個洲，但因為人類的開發，現代的獅群生存環境與分佈已經大大縮小了。 中國地區本來沒有獅子，直到張騫通西域以後，才從伊朗附近的地區知道獅子的存在。

The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the five big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. The commonly used term African lion collectively denotes the several subspecies found in Africa. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight,^[4] it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist insub-Saharan Africa and in Asia (where an endangered remnant population resides in Gir Forest National Park in India) while other types of lions have disappeared fromNorth Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.^[5] The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a major population decline in its African range of 30–50% per two decades during the second half of the 20th century.^[2] Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the West African lion population is particularly endangered.

In the wild, males seldom live longer than 10 to 14 years^{[citation needed]}, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity.^[6] In captivity they can live more than 20 years.^{[citation needed]} They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush and forest. Lions are unusually socialcompared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. Lions are apex and keystone predators, although they are also expert scavengers obtaining over 50 percent of their food by scavenging as opportunity allows. While lions do not typically hunt humans, some have. Sleeping mainly during the day, lions are active primarily at night (nocturnal), although sometimes at twilight (crepuscular).^[7][8]

Highly distinctive, the male lion is easily recognised by its mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture. Depictions have existed from the Upper Paleolithic period, with carvings and paintings from the Lascaux and Chauvet Caves, through virtually all ancient and medieval cultures where they once occurred. It has been extensively depicted in sculptures, in paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature. Lions have been kept in menageriessince the time of the Roman Empire, and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoos over the world since the late eighteenth century. Zoos are cooperating worldwide in breeding programs for the endangered Asiatic subspecies.