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The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a carnivorous bear whose native range lies within the Arctic Circle. Although stereotyped as being voraciously aggressive, polar bears are normally cautious in confrontations, and often choose to escape rather than fight. Female polar bears are noted for both their affection towards their offspring, and their valiance in protecting them. For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural li...fe of Arctic indigenous peoples.

Stalk-eyed flies are insects of the fly family Diopsidae. The family is distinguished from most other flies by the possession of "eyestalks": projections from the sides of the head with the eyes at the end. The size of the stalk-eyed flies span up to a centimetre long, and they feed on both decaying plants and animals.

Females show a strong preference for roosting and mating with males with longer eyestalks, and males compete with each other to control lekking aggregations t...hrough a ritualized contest. This contest involves males facing one another and comparing their relative eye spans.
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Manatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. They measure up to 4 metres long, weigh as much as 590 kg, and have paddle-like flippers. Manatees spend approximately 50% of the day sleeping submerged, surfacing for air regularly at intervals of less than 20 minutes. The remainder of the time is mostly spent grazing in shallow waters at depths of 1–2 metres.

The main causes of death for manatees are human-related. Many manatee... deaths are the result of collisions with boats when they surface for air. The recent increase in coastal development has severely affected manatee habitats, the habitats themselves have been destroyed as residential and commercial development has occurred along seagrass beds, mangroves, and salt marshes where manatees live. Pollution in these areas also has an effect on manatee mortality, as chemicals introduced into their habitats lead to impaired immune systems.
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Gibbons can be found in tropical and subtropical rainforests from eastern Bangladesh and north-east India to southern China and Indonesia. They are masters of their primary mode of locomotion, brachiation, swinging from branch to branch for distances of up to 15 m, at speeds as high as 55 km/h. The gibbons' ball-and-socket joints allow them unmatched speed and accuracy when swinging through trees. They are the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, non-flying mammals.

M...ost gibbon species are endangered, primarily due to degradation or loss of their forest habitats. A gibbon species will most likely be the first ape species we will lose in the coming years.
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The nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes) is a venomous viper species found in southern Europe through to the Balkans and parts of the Middle East. It is reputed to be the most dangerous of the European vipers due to its large size, long fangs (up to 13 mm) and high venom toxicity. Despite its reputation, this species is generally lethargic, not at all aggressive, and tends not to bite without considerable provocation.

Vipera ammodytes' most distinctive characteristic is a sin...gle "horn" on the snout, just above the rostral scale.
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The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is the tallest living terrestrial animal. Each individual giraffe has a unique coat pattern, like human fingerprints. The name "giraffe" has its earliest known origins in the Arabic word zarafa (زرافة), perhaps borrowed from an African language. The Italian form giraffa arose in the 1590s. The modern English form developed around 1600 from the French girafe.

As a ruminant, the giraffe first chews its food, then swallows it for processing a...nd then visibly passes the half-digested cud up the neck and back into the mouth to chew again. Giraffes only need to drink once every several days; they get most of their water from their food. Mothers with calves gather in nursery herds and may sometimes leave their calves with one female while they forage and drink elsewhere. Adult males play almost no role in raising the young, although they appear to have friendly interactions.
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Mantodea is an order of insects that contains over 2,400 species worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. A common name, often applied to any species in the order, is "praying mantis", because of the typical "prayer-like" posture with folded fore-limbs.

Generally, mantises protect themselves by camouflage and concealment. Most species make use of protective colouration to blend in with leaves or substrate, both to avoid predators, and to better snare their prey. Various ...species have evolved to not only blend with the foliage, but to mimic it, appearing as either living or withered leaves, sticks, tree bark, blades of grass, flowers, or even stones. Mantis species are mainly under threat from habitat destruction.
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Sifakas are a genus of lemur. Like all lemurs, they are found only on the island of Madagascar. When distances between trees are too great, sifakas will descend to the ground and cross distances more than 100 m by standing upright and hopping sideways with the arms held to the side and waving up and down from chest to head height. This is sometimes described as a "dance-hop".

Lemurs are threatened by a host of environmental problems, including deforestation, hunting for bushm...eat, live capture for the exotic pet trade, and climate change. The greatest concern facing lemur populations is habitat destruction and degradation. After centuries of unsustainable use, less than 10% of Madagascar's land area remains forested. Several lemur species are yet to be discovered, given the rate of continued habitat destruction, undiscovered species could go extinct before being identified. ‪#‎FridayFeeling‬
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