Speaking Practice: 8 Wild Animals — Shadowing British English

Do you know the difference between a leopard and a cheetah? Leopards are heavier and bulkier. They are powerful tree-climbing big cats with shorter legs and bigger heads. A cheetah's physical structure is lightweight and they're very thin. The cheetah is the fastest land animal, with a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour. What about sloths? Sloths are very slow. They travel roughly 38 metres per day on average. Sloths have the ability to swivel their necks up to 270 degrees in either direction. From the moment they're born sloths are able to lift their entire body weight upwards with just one arm. And they are over three times stronger than the average human. Bison are the largest mammals in North America. Some bison can live for up to 20 years. Raccoons are excellent climbers and can climb almost any surface. They have very good eyesight and can see in near-darkness. Raccoon babies are called kits. Rhinoceros, or rhinos, are the second largest mammals on earth, after elephants. Rhinos are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. Today the total population of rhinoceros is estimated to be fewer than 30,000. The giant panda's diet is 99% bamboo. They also eat small animals and eggs. They spend up to 16 hours a day eating. Pandas have an extended wrist bone that they use like a thumb to help them grip food. Reindeer antlers can grow to 1.4 metres long in males. They are the only deer species in which females also have antlers. There are perhaps 1 million wild reindeer in Eurasia, mostly in Russia.