Animal Facts
As the
famous saying goes, dogs are man’s best friend. Whether it’s as reliable
workers, family pets or loyal companions, dogs are wonderful domestic animals
that offer a number of qualities that are put to good use by humans.
Dog have
superior hearing than humans, capable of hearing sounds at four times the
distance.
Dogs have a
remarkable sense of smell, they are capable of differentiating odors in
concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can.
Dogs have
formed such a strong bond as pets, workers and companions to humans that they
have earned the nickname "man's best friend".
Dogs perform
many useful tasks for humans including hunting, farm work and security as well
as assisting those with disabilities such as the blind.
Domestic
dogs are omnivores, they feed on a variety of foods including grains,
vegetables and meats.
Enjoy these
fun dog facts that deliver a variety of information about interesting breeds,
puppies, guide dogs such as Labradors and much more.
Examples of
these breeds include: Bulldog, German Shepherd, Collie, Golden Retriever, St
Bernard, Greyhound, Bloodhound, Chihuahua, Labrador, Great Dane, Rottweiler,
Boxer and Cocker Spaniel.
Humans help
train various dog breeds to enter in competitions such as breed shows, agility
and obedience contests, racing and sled pulling.
In total
there is said to be around 400 million dogs in the world.
The average
life span for a dog is around 10 to 14 years.
The domestic
dog has been one of the most popular working and companion animals throughout
human history.
The most
popular breed of dog in the world by registered ownership is the Labrador. With
their gentle nature, obedience, intelligence and near limitless energy,
Labradors make for excellent family pets and reliable workers. They often
assist police and are a common choice as guide dogs.
There are
hundreds of different breeds of dogs.
Those
involved in dog breeding refer to males as ‘dogs’, females as ‘bitches’, dogs
younger than a year old as ‘puppies’ and a group of offspring as a ‘litter’.
Cats;
Cats are one
of, if not the most, popular pet in the world
There are
over 500 million domestic cats in the world.
Cats and
humans have been associated for nearly 10000 years.
Cats
conserve energy by sleeping for an average of 13 to14 hours a day.
Cats have flexible
bodies and teeth adapted for hunting small animals such as mice and rats.
A group of
cats is called a clowder, a male cat is called a tom, a female cat is called a
molly or queen while young cats are called kittens.
Domestic
cats usually weight around 4 kilograms (8 lb 13 oz) to 5 kilograms (11 lb 0
oz).
The heaviest
domestic cat on record is 21.297 kilograms (46 lb 15.2 oz).
Cats can be
lethal hunters and very sneaky, when they walk their back paws step almost
exactly in the same place as the front paws did beforehand, this keeps noise to
a minimum and limits visible tracks.
Cats have
powerful night vision, allowing them to see at light levels six times lower
than what a human needs in order to see.
Cats also
have excellent hearing and a powerful sense of smell.
Older cats
can at times act aggressively towards kittens.
Domestic
cats love to play, this is especially true with kittens who love to chase toys
and play fight. Play fighting among kittens may be a way for them to practice
and learn skills for hunting and fighting.
On average
cats live for around 12 to 15 years.
Cats spend a
large amount of time licking their coats to keep them clean.
Feral cats
are often seen as pests and threats to native animals.
Tigers:
The tiger is
the biggest species of the cat family.
Tigers can
reach a length of up to 3.3 metres (11 feet) and weigh as much as 300 kilograms
(660 pounds).
Subspecies
of the tiger include the Sumatran Tiger, Siberian Tiger, Bengal Tiger, South
China Tiger, Malayan Tiger and Indochinese Tiger.
Many
subspecies of the tiger are either endangered or already extinct. Humans are
the primary cause of this through hunting and the destruction of habitats.
Around half
of tiger cubs don’t live beyond two years of age.
Tiger cubs
leave their mother when they are around 2 years of age.
A group of
tigers is known as an ‘ambush’ or ‘streak’.
Tigers are
good swimmers and can swim up to 6 kilometres.
Rare white
tigers carry a gene that is only present in around 1 in every 10000 tigers.
Tigers
usually hunt alone at night time.
Tigers have
been known to reach speeds up to 65 kph (40 mph).
Less than
10% of hunts end successfully for tigers
Tigers can
easily jump over 5 metres in length.
Various
tiger subspecies are the national animals of Bangladesh, India, North Korea,
South Korea and Malaysia.
There are
more tigers held privately as pets than there are in the wild.
Tigers that
breed with lions give birth to hybrids known as tigons and ligers.
Sharks:
Although
sharks have a reputation as destructive beasts that attack almost anything that
enters their water habitat, the actual number of shark attacks is probably
lower than you imagine.
There are
many different types of sharks including the great white shark, hammerhead
shark, bull shark, tiger shark and mako, they all offer varied and interesting
information so read on and enjoy our cool shark facts.
Sharks do
not have a single bone in their bodies. Instead they have a skeleton made up of
cartilage; the same type of tough, flexible tissue that makes up human ears and
noses.
Some sharks
remain on the move for their entire lives. This forces water over their gills,
delivering oxygen to the blood stream. If the shark stops moving then it will
suffocate and die.
Sharks have
outstanding hearing. They can hear a fish thrashing in the water from as far as
500 metres away!
If a shark
was put into a large swimming pool, it would be able to smell a single drop of
blood in the water.
Although
most species of shark are less than one metre long, there are some species such
as the whale shark, which can be 14 metres long.
A pup (baby
shark) is born ready to take care of itself. The mother shark leaves the pup to
fend for itself and the pup usually makes a fast get away before the mother
tries to eat it!
Not all
species of shark give birth to live pups. Some species lay the egg case on the
ocean floor and the pup hatches later on its own.
Great whites
are the deadliest shark in the ocean. These powerful predators can race through
the water at 30 km per hour.
Unlike other
species of shark, the great white is warm-blooded. Although the great white
does not keep a constant body temperature, it needs to eat a lot of meat in
order to be able to regulate its temperature.
A shark
always has a row of smaller teeth developing behind its front teeth. Eventually
the smaller teeth move forward, like a conveyor belt, and the front teeth fall
out.
Dolphins
Compared to
other animals, dolphins are believed to be very intelligent.
Dolphins are
carnivores (meat eaters).
The Killer
Whale (also known as Orca) is actually a type of dolphin.
Bottlenose
dolphins are the most common and well known type of dolphin.
Female
dolphins are called cows, males are called bulls and young dolphins are called
calves.
Dolphins
live in schools or pods of up to 12 individuals.
Dolphins
often display a playful attitude which makes them popular in human culture.
They can be seen jumping out of the water, riding waves, play fighting and
occasionally interacting with humans swimming in the water.
Dolphins use
a blowhole on top of their heads to breathe.
Dolphins
have excellent eyesight and hearing as well as the ability to use echolocation
for finding the exact location of objects.
Dolphins
communicate with each other by clicking, whistling and other sounds.
Some dolphin
species face the threat of extinction, often directly as a result of human
behavior. The Yangtze River Dolphin is an example of a dolphin species which
may have recently become extinct.
Some fishing
methods, such as the use of nets, kill a large number of dolphins every year.
Lion:
Lions are
the second largest big cat species in the world (behind tigers).
The average
male lion weighs around 180 kg (400 lb) while the average female lion weighs
around 130 kg (290 lb).
The heaviest
lion on record weighed an amazing 375 kg (826 lb).
Lions can
reach speeds of up to 81 kph (50 mph) but only in short bursts because of a
lack of stamina.
The roar of
a lion can be heard from 8 kilometers (5.0 miles) away.
Most lions
found in the wild live in southern and eastern parts of Africa.
Lions are
very social compared to other cat species, often living in prides that feature
females, offspring and a few adult males.
Male lions
are easy to recognize thanks to their distinctive manes. Males with darker
manes are more likely to attract female lions (lionesses).
Lions are
the national animal of Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, England, Ethiopia,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Singapore.
Lions in the
wild live for around 12 years.
When lions
breed with tigers the resulting hybrids are known as ligers and tigons. There
are also lion and leopard hybrids known as leopons and lion and jaguar hybrids
known as jaglions.
Lionesses
are better hunters than males and do most of the hunting for a pride.
In the wild,
lions rest for around 20 hours a day
Gorillas :
Gorillas are
endangered species that are constantly under threat from disease and commercial
hunting. Their importance is further enhanced by the fact that they are close
relatives to humans, sharing around 98% of the same DNA. Learn more by reading
our list of gorilla facts.
There are
only about 700 mountain gorillas and they live high in the mountains in two
protected parks in Africa. Lowland gorillas live in central Africa.
You may have
seen baby gorillas being carried on the back of their mothers, but for the
first few months after birth the mother holds the baby gorilla to her chest.
An adult
male gorilla is called a silverback because of the distinctive silvery fur
growing on their back and hips. Each gorilla family has a silverback as leader
who scares away other animals by standing on their back legs and beating their
chest!
Young male
gorillas usually leave their family group when they are about 11 years old and
have their own family group by the age of 15 years old. Young female gorillas
join a new group at about 8 years old.
Gorillas are
herbivores. They spend most of their day foraging for food and eating bamboo,
leafy plants and sometimes small insects. Adult gorillas can eat up to 30
kilograms of food each day.
An adult
gorilla is about 1 meter tall to their shoulders when walking on all fours
using their arms and their legs.
A gorilla
can live for 40 – 50 years.
Gorillas are
considered to be very intelligent animals. They are known for their use of
tools and their varied communication. Some gorillas in captivity at a zoo have
been taught to use sign language.
Gorillas are
endangered animals. Their habitat is destroyed when people use the land for
farming and the trees for fuel. Gorillas are also killed by poachers and
sometimes get caught in poacher’s snares meant for other animals.
frog
A frog is an
amphibian. They lay their eggs in water. The eggs hatch into a tadpole which
lives in water until it metamorphoses into an adult frog.
Tadpoles
look more like fish than frogs, they have long finned tails and breathe through
gills.
An amphibian
can live both on land and in water.
Although
frogs live on land their habitat must be near swamps, ponds or in a damp place.
This is because they will die if their skin dries out.
Instead of
drinking water, frogs soak it into their body through their skin.
Frogs
breathe through their nostrils while also absorbing about half the air they
need through their skin.
Frogs use
their sticky, muscular tongue to catch and swallow food. Unlike humans, their
tongue is not attached to the back of its mouth. Instead it is attached to the
front, enabling the frog to stick its tongue out much further.
The common
pond frog is ready to breed when it is only three years old.
Frogs in the
wild face many dangers and are lucky to survive several years. In captivity
however, frogs can live for much longer.
Frogs can
see forwards, sideways and upwards all at the same time. They never close their
eyes, even when they sleep.
Remarkably,
frogs actually use their eyes to help them swallow food. When the frog blinks,
its eyeballs are pushed downwards creating a bulge in the roof of its mouth.
This bulge squeezes the food inside the frog's mouth down the back of its
throat.
cheetah
The cheetah
is the fastest land animal in the world. They can reach a top speed of around
113 km per hour.
A cheetah
can accelerate from 0 to 113 km in just a few seconds.
Cheetahs are
extremely fast however they tire quickly and can only keep up their top speed
for a few minutes before they are too tired to continue.
Cheetahs are
smaller than other members of the big cat family, weighing only 45 – 60
kilograms.
One way to
always recognise a cheetah is by the long, black lines which run from the
inside of each eye to the mouth. These are usually called “tear lines” and
scientists believe they help protect the cheetah’s eyes from the harsh sun and
help them to see long distances.
Cheetahs are
the only big cat that cannot roar. The can purr though and usually purr most
loudly when they are grooming or sitting near other cheetahs.
While lions
and leopards usually do their hunting at night, cheetahs hunt for food during
the day.
A cheetah
has amazing eyesight during the day and can spot prey from 5 km away.
Cheetahs
cannot climb trees and have poor night vision.
With their
light body weight and blunt claws, cheetahs are not well designed to protect
themselves or their prey. When a larger or more aggressive animal approaches a
cheetah in the wild, it will give up its catch to avoid a fight.
Cheetahs
only need to drink once every three to four days.
Giraffes
Giraffes are
the tallest land animals on earth thanks in part to their distinctive necks
which alone can reach almost 2 meters in height.
A male
giraffe can weigh as much as a pick up truck! That’s about 1400 kilograms.
Although a
giraffe’s neck is 1.5 – 1.8 metres, it contains the same number of vertebrae at
a human neck.
A giraffe's
habitat is usually found in African savannas, grasslands or open woodlands.
The hair
that makes up a giraffes tail is about 10 times thicker than the average strand
of human hair.
The
distinctive spots that cover a giraffe’s fur act as a good camouflage to
protect the giraffe from predators. When the giraffe stands in front of trees
and bushes the light and dark colouring of its fur blends in with the shadows
and sunlight.
It is
possible to identify the sex of the giraffe from the horns on its head. Both
males and females have horns but the females are smaller and covered with hair
at the top. Male giraffes may have up to 3 additional horns.
Giraffes are
ruminants. This means that they have more than one stomach. In fact, giraffes
have four stomachs, the extra stomachs assisting with digesting food.
Drinking is
one of the most dangerous times for a giraffe. While it is getting a drink it
cannot keep a look out for predators and is vulnerable to attack.
Male
giraffes sometimes fight with their necks over female giraffes. This is called
“necking”. The two giraffes stand side by side and one giraffe swings his head
and neck, hitting his head against the other giraffe. Sometimes one giraffe is
hit to the ground during a combat.
A female
giraffe gives birth while standing up. The calf drops approximately 6 feet to
the ground, but it is not hurt from the fall.
Giraffes
have bluish-purple tongues which are tough and covered in bristly hair to help
them with eating the thorny Acacia trees.
elephant
There are
two types of elephant, the Asian elephant and the African elephant (although
sometimes the African Elephant is split into two species, the African Forest
Elephant and the African Bush Elephant).
Elephants
are the largest land-living mammal in the world.
Both female
and male African elephants have tusks but only the male Asian elephants have
tusks. They use their tusks for digging and finding food.
Female
elephants are called cows. They start to have calves when they are about 12
years old and they are pregnant for 22 months.
An elephant
can use its tusks to dig for ground water. An adult elephant needs to drink
around 210 litres of water a day.
Elephants
have large, thin ears. Their ears are made up of a complex network of blood
vessels which with regulating an elephants temperature. Blood is circulated
through their ears to cool them down in hot climates.
Elephants
have no natural predators. However, lions will sometimes prey on young or weak
elephants in the wild. The main risk to elephants is from humans through
poaching and changes to their habitat.
The
elephant’s trunk is able to sense the size, shape and temperature of an object.
An elephant uses its trunk to lift food and suck up water then pour it into its
mouth.
An
elephant’s trunk can grow to be about 2 metres long and can weigh up to 140 kg.
Some scientists believe that an elephant’s trunk is made up of 100,000 muscles,
but no bones.
Female
elephants spend their entire lives living in large groups called herds. Male
elephant leave their herds at about 13 years old and live fairly solitary lives
from this point.
Elephants
can swim – they use their trunk to breathe like a snorkel in deep water.
Elephants
are herbivores and can spend up to 16 hours days collecting leaves, twigs,
bamboo and roots.
Leopards
Leopards are
part of the cat family, Felidae. The scientific name for a leopard is Panthera
pardus.
Leopards are
well known for their cream and gold spotted fur, but some leopards have black
fur with dark spots. These black leopards are often mistaken for panthers.
Adult
leopards are solitary animals. Each adult leopard has its own territory where
it lives and, although they often share parts of it, they try to avoid one
another.
A leopard’s
body is built for hunting. They have sleek, powerful bodies and can run at
speeds of up to 57 kilometres per hour. They are also excellent swimmers and
climbers and can leap and jump long distances.
A leopard’s
tail is just about as long as its entire body. This helps it with balance and
enables it to make sharp turns quickly.
Leopards are
mostly nocturnal, hunting prey at night.
Leopards
protect their food from other animals by dragging it high up into the trees. A
leopard will often leave their prey up in the tree for days and return only
when they are hungry!
Female
leopards give birth to a little of two or three cubs at a time. By the time a
cub is two years old it will leave the company of its mother and live on their
own.
When a
female leopard is ready to mate she will give a scent and rub her body on the
trees to leave her smell there. Male leopards either smell the females scent or
hear her call to know that she is ready to mate.
Some people
believe that the bones and whiskers of leopards can heal sick people. Many
leopards are killed each year for their fur and body parts and this is one
reason why the leopard is an endangered animal. While they were previously
found in the wild in a number of areas around the world, their habitat is
largely restricted to sub-Saharan Africa with small numbers also found in
India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and Indochina.
Whales
Whales are
huge, warm-blooded, air breathing mammals
that live in
the sea. There are many different species
including
the blue whale, killer whale, humpback whale, orca and minke.
Many whales
are toothless. They use a plate of comb-like fibre called baleen to filter
small crustaceans and other creatures from the water.
There are 79
to 84 different species of whale. They came in many different shapes and sizes!
A baby whale
is called a calf. Whales form groups to look after calves and feed together.
These groups are often made up of all female or all male whales.
Whales that
are found in both Northern and Southern hemisphere never meet or breed
together. Their migration is timed so that they are never in breeding areas at
the same time.
The arched
lower lip of a whale can often make it look like it is smiling! However, this
isn’t a “real” smile as the blubber in the head of the whale prevents the
muscles of the face from reaching the surface.
You can tell
the age of a whale by looking at the wax plug in its ear. This plug in the ear
has a pattern of layers when cut lengthwise that scientists can count to
estimate the age of the whale.
Whales love
to sing! They use this as a call to mates, a way to communicate and also just
for fun! After a period of time they get bored of the same whale song and begin
to sing a different tune.
Sometimes
whales make navigation mistakes during migrations. Although they may have made
the mistake days before, they don’t realise it until they becoming stranded.
Whales
support many different types of life. Several creatures, such as barnacles and
sea lice, attach themselves to the skin of whales and live there.
wolf
Living and
hunting in packs, wolves are wild dogs that come from the same group as the
dingo and coyote.They can reach speeds of 65 km/h (40 mph) when chasing prey
and include a number of species such as the gray wolf (also known as the grey
wolf or timber wolf), red wolf, arctic wolf, mexican wolf and white wolf
Wolves are
excellent hunters and have been found to be living in more places in the world
than any other mammal except humans.
The wolf is
the ancestor of all breeds of domestic dog. It is part of a group of animals
called the wild dogs which also includes the dingo and the coyote.
Most wolves
weigh about 40 kilograms but the heaviest wolf ever recorded weighed over 80
kilograms!
Adult wolves
have large feet. A fully grown wolf would have a paw print nearly 13
centimetres long and 10 centimetres wide.
Wolves live
and hunt in groups called a pack. A pack can range from two wolves to as many
as 20 wolves depending on such factors as habitat and food supply. Most packs
have one breeding pair of wolves, called the alpha pair, who lead the hunt.
Wolf pups
are born deaf and blind while weighing around 0.5 kg (1 lb). It takes about 8
months before they are old enough to actively join in wolf pack hunts.
Wolves in
the Arctic have to travel much longer distances than wolves in the forest to
find food and will sometimes go for several days without eating.
When hunting
alone, the wolf catches small animals such as squirrels, hares, chipmunks,
raccoons or rabbits. However, a pack of wolves can hunt very large animals like
moose, caribou and yaks.
When the
pack kills an animal, the alpha pair always eats first. As food supply is often
irregular for wolves, they will eat up to 1/5th of their own body weight at a
time to make up for days of missed food.
Wolves have
two layers of fur, an undercoat and a top coat, which allow them to survive in
temperatures as low at minus 40 degrees Celsius! In warmer weather they flatten
their fur to keep cool.
A wolf can
run at a speed of 65 kilometres per hour during a chase. Wolves have long legs
and spend most of their time trotting at a speed of 12-16 kilometres per hour.
They can keep up a reasonable pace for hours and have been known to cover
distances of 90 kilometres in one night.
More fun animal facts:
Rats breed
so quickly that in just 18 months, 2 rats could have created over 1 million
relatives.
The blue
whale can produce the loudest sound of any animal. At 188 decibels, the noise
can be detected over 800 kilometres away.
Horses and
cows sleep while standing up.
Giant Arctic
jellyfish have tentacles that can reach over 36 metres in length.
Locusts have
leg muscles that are about 1000 times more powerful than an equal weight of
human muscle.
Hummingbirds
are so agile and have such good control that they can fly backwards.
Instead of
bones, sharks have a skeleton made from cartilage.
Insects such
as bees, mosquitoes and cicadas make noise by rapidly moving their wings.
The horn of
a rhinoceros is made from compacted hair rather than bone or another substance.
Sharks lay
the biggest eggs in the world.
Even when a
snake has its eyes closed, it can still see through its eyelids.
Unlike humans,
sheep have four stomachs, each one helps them digest the food they eat.
Despite the
white, fluffy appearance of Polar Bears fur, it actually has black skin.
The average
housefly only lives for 2 or 3 weeks.
Mosquitoes
can be annoying insects but did you know that it's only the female mosquito
that actually bites humans.
Cats use
their whiskers to check whether a space is too small for them to fit through or
not.
- Rabbits and parrots can see
behind themselves without even moving their heads!
- Butterflies taste food by standing on top of it! Their
taste receptors are in their feet unlike humans who have most on their
tongue.
- Most of the dust in your home is actually dead skin!
Yuck!
- Although the Stegosaurus dinosaur was over 9 metres
long, its brain was only the size of a walnut.
- Humans get a little taller in space because there is no
gravity pulling down on them.
- Because of the unusual shape of their legs, kangaroos
and emus struggle to walk backwards.
- A hippopotamus may seem huge but it can still run faster
than a man.
- Even if an analog clock is broken, at least it shows
the correct time twice a day.
- Sneezing with your eyes open is impossible.
- The trickiest tongue twister in the English language is
apparently "Sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick". Give it a
try and see for yourself.