Well adapted

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giraffe

The mammal with the best view of its world is probably the giraffe, because of its height, its keen eyesight and the fact that it lives in mostly open habitat. It is also the tallest mammal, standing an average of 4.7-5.3m (15ft 5in to 17ft 5in) high, including horns.

In the Earth-Touch clip Giraffe mother leads newborn calf away from herd, you can see how tiny a baby giraffe looks next to its mother. The footage comes from the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

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anteater

The tongue of the giant anteater () can extend 61cm (24in) beyond the snout, up to 150 times a minute. The muscles that control the tongue are attached to the breastbone.

Earth-Touch filmed a giant anteater in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil. In Anteater on the move, you can see this creature running alongside a road.

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howler monkey

The howler monkey is one of the loudest mammals. Calling to defend its territory, the male can be heard at least 3km (2mi) away through jungle and 5km (3mi) away across water.

The Earth-Touch clip Howler monkeys on high records red howler monkeys in Ecuador’s Cuyabeno Nature Reserve. There are black howler monkeys from Brazil’s Pantanal in the clip Howls from on high.

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red-billed quelea

Excluding domestic fowl, the red-billed quelea is the bird that exists in the greatest numbers. There is an estimated adult breeding population of several billion.

These birds gather in enormous flocks, moving with amazing synchrony, as you can see in the Earth-Touch clips Waves of queleas surge and wheel, filmed at the Leroo La Tau waterhole in Botswana, and Queleas set against a vivid dawn sky.

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sociable weavers

Up to 100 individually woven nests can be found in colonies of sociable weavers . Often, other birds also make use of these shelters.

You can watch them building and repairing a nest in the Earth-Touch clip Weavers work on huge nests, filmed in Etosha National Park, Namibia.

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African skimmer

The African skimmer can endure a ground temperature of 60°C (140°F). Earth-Touch filmed a breeding colony of these endangered birds in Botswana, on the banks of the Nxamaseri Channel. The nest is just a scraping in the sand, as you can see in the Earth-Touch clip Skimmer uses beak to rescue egg.

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Chameleons

Chameleons’ tongues are at least the length of their bodies. Each eye covers 180° and operates independently.

You can see a flap-neck chameleon in the Earth-Touch clip Chameleon in the forest, filmed in the Umdloti Conservancy on the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa. A Namaqua chameleon can be seen in Chameleon melts into desert landscape, filmed in Namibia.

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tiger shark

The tiger shark is not fussy about its diet: it will eat any kind of thing it finds, large or small.

The Earth-Touch crew was not intimidated by these creatures, however, when filming Tiger sharks circle at Aliwal Shoal, on the KwaZulu-Natal coast of South Africa.

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Asian elephant

Apart from humans, the Asian elephant probably takes the prize for longevity. The greatest verified age for one of these animals was 86 years. African elephants in the wild can live about 60 years.

The Earth-Touch clip Asian elephant enjoys a dust bath was filmed in Thailand.

Biggest

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African elephant

The average adult African elephant is 3-3.7m (9ft 10in to 12ft) tall at the shoulder. Not surprisingly, it also has the biggest appetite, eating an average of 75-150kg (165-330lb) of vegetable matter daily.

In the Earth-Touch clip Bull elephant browses, filmed in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, you can see a big male delicately pick leaves with its trunk and, in contrast, rip a branch from a tree.

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flying fox

Species in the genus Pteropus are the largest bats, about 45cm (18in) long and with a wingspan of 1.7m (5ft 7in).

Earth-Touch filmed a colony of Lyle’s flying foxes in the grounds of a temple in Thailand. The clip is called Flying foxes festoon temple trees.

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African wild dog

The African wild dog has an average of seven or eight pups, but up to 19 have been recorded in a litter. The female has 12-14 teats.

Earth-Touch was fortunate to film some interesting behaviour in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana, when a pack of young African wild dogs interacted playfully with a herd of African buffalo. Watch the clip, African wild dogs tease buffalo.

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Capybara

The capybara is the largest rodent, standing 50-66cm (20-24in) high at the shoulder and weighing 35-66kg (77-145lb).

You can see them in the Earth-Touch clip Capybara and caiman, filmed in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands. When startled they dash for water, where they take refuge.

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Ostrich

The average height of an ostrich is about 2m (6.5ft) and it has the largest egg among birds, an average 16cm (6in) long by 13cm (5in). This bird can run at 50km/h (30mph) for about 30 minutes.

You can see ostriches drinking at a waterhole and having a dust bath in the dry Nxai Pan area of Botswana, in the Earth-Touch clip Ostriches emerge from desert haze.

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Whale shark

The whale shark reaches 12m (40ft) in length, making it the biggest fish in the sea – or anywhere.

An Earth-Touch dive at Sodwana Bay, on South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast, was rounded off by the appearance of one of these giants, as you can see in the clip Unusual reef is full of surprises.

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golden orb-web spiders

The golden orb-web spiders in the genus Nephila spin webs of up to 1.5m (5ft) in circumference. These spiders also show the greatest difference in size between the sexes – females can weigh hundreds of times more than males.

The Earth-Touch clip Ants and spider work at sunrise was filmed in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve and shows a large female with a larder of trapped insects.