These are some really interesting facts about these beautiful creatures. I found them different from the normal ones available on the web.
There are 32 species of marine dolphins, four types of river dolphins, and six types of porpoises. The distinction between dolphin and porpoises is often blurred, but generally porpoises have spade-shaped teeth and blunt rounded faces. Dolphins have teeth shaped like rounded cones set in jaws that extend in a snout or beak.
The term “dolphin” is from the Greek delphis which is related to delphys (such as the Delphic Oracle) meaning “womb.” The term “porpoise” is from the Old French porpais which means “pork fish,” perhaps because the porpoise snout resembles the snout of a pig.
Called “re-entrants,” dolphins once lived on land and looked and behaved something like a small wolf but with five hoof-like toes on each foot instead claws. Some dolphins still have hair on their heads and the Amazon River dolphin has hair on its beak. Dolphins also have remnant finger bones in their flippers, a forearm, wrists, and a few remnant leg bones deep inside their bodies.
Killing a dolphin in ancient Greece was considered sacrilegious and was punishable by death. The Greeks called them hieros ichthys “sacred fish,” and the sun god, Apollo, assumed the form of a dolphin when he founded his oracle at Delphi at Mount Parnassus.
In Rome, dolphins were thought to carry souls to the “Islands of the Blest,” and images of dolphins have been found in the hands of Roman mummies, presumably to ensure their safe passage to the afterlife.
Famous philosophers such as Pliny, Herodotus, Aelian, and Aristotle comment on the compassion, friendly, and almost moral nature of the dolphin.
Images of dolphins have been found carved far within the desert city of Petra, Jordan.
The killer whale is the largest dolphin (true whales don’t have teeth but sift their prey through plates of baleen). The smallest dolphin is the Hector or Maui Dolphin, of which only 150 are left today.
The narwhal dolphin has a large ivory tusk (like a unicorn) which is often poached. The only remaining populations are in the Greenland Sea and Baffin Bay.
Dolphin teeth are used for grasping, not chewing. They have no jaw muscles for chewing.
While the brains of most mammals have a relatively smooth surface, the brains of humans are extremely convoluted. The dolphin brain is even more “folded” than humans and was this way millions of years before the first appearance of humans. Scientists often measure intelligence by the number of brain “folds.”f
Some dolphins can understand as many as 60 words, which can make up 2000 sentences. They also show signs of self-awareness.
Just a tablespoon of water in a dolphin’s lung could drown it. A human could drown if six teaspoons of water were inhaled into the lungs.
A baby dolphin is born tail-first to prevent drowning. After the mother breaks the umbilical cord by swiftly swimming away, she must immediately return to her baby and take it to the surface to breathe.
A baby dolphin must learn to hold its breath while nursing.
A female dolphin will assist in the birth of another's baby dolphin, and if it is a difficult birth, the “midwife” might help pull out the baby. Other dolphins, including bulls, will swim around the mother during birth to protect her.
The blowhole is an evolved nose that has moved upward to the top of the dolphin’s head.
Air can be expelled from a dolphin’s blowhole at speeds topping 100 mph.
A dolphin’s body has adapted to avoid the bends (the formation of air bubbles in blood and tissue as a diver returns to the surface of the water) by completely collapsing its ribcage, forcing the air under pressure out of its lungs and into the windpipe and the complex air chambers that lie below the blowhole.
Dolphins don’t have a sense of smell, but they do have a sense of taste and, like humans, can distinguish between sweet, sour, bitter, and salty tastes.
Unlike a fish, which moves its tale from side to side, a dolphin swims by moving its tale (made up of flukes) up and down. And a dolphin carries more oxygen in its blood than a fish and can swim longer than a fish...hence, dolphins are better adapted to the sea than are any fish.
The eyes of a dolphin produce “dolphin tears,” a slippery secretion which protects the eye against foreign objects and infection and reduces friction between the surface of the eye and surrounding sea water. Marine dolphins see quite well both below and above the water.
Dolphins also “see” with sounds. They emit a series of clicks and pings that travel long distances through water. When the sound hits an object, echoes are bounced back to the dolphin, enabling it to literally hear distance, shape, density, movement, and texture of an object.
With their “echo-location,” dolphins can distinguish between types of fish the same size, between aluminum and brass, and between a steel ball that is two and one-half inches in diameter and one that is two and one-fourth inches in diameter.
A dolphin’s “sonar” or echo-location is rare in nature and is far superior to either the bat’s sonar or human-made sonar.
Blocking off a dolphin’s ears with suction cups hardly affects it hearing, yet if its lower jaw is covered with a rubber jacket, a dolphin will have trouble hearing...leading scientists to believe sound may be carried from the water to its inner ear through a different route than the ear canal, such as the lower jawbone or even its entire body.
A dolphin can produce whistles for communication and clicks for sonar at the same time, which would be like a human speaking in two voices, with two different pitches, holding two different conversations.
A 260 lb. dolphin eats approximately 33 lbs. of fish daily without gaining weight, which is akin to a human eating 15-22 lbs. of steak a day.
Unlike most wild animals, dolphins spend a lot of time enjoying sex and foreplay that is not determined by being “in season” or the urge to procreate.
No one knows exactly why dolphins beach themselves. But because dolphins may use the magnetic field of the earth to navigate their way, some scientists believe that some places where dolphins strand have an abnormal magnetic field.
Dolphins typically do not live alone, but rather in schools or pods. They have a complex social structure and seem to have a wide range of emotions, including humor.
Dolphins may kill sharks by ramming them with their beaks.
Dolphins often practice “fishwacking,” swatting its victim with its broad flukes as the fish tries to evade capture. Some scientists think that dolphins can also use their high-pitched sounds to stun or paralyze fish while hunting.
Unlike most wild animals, wild dolphins have been known to play with humans, especially children
While most wild animals avoid contact with humans, wild dolphins are known to play and associate with humans, especially children.
In 1971, the Navy dispatched a team of dolphins “armed” with large carbon-dioxide filled hypodermic needles strapped to their beaks to guard a US Navy base in Vietnam. The dolphins had been taught to hunt humans swimming in the water and prod them with their beak, delivering a fatal injection in the humans’ lungs or stomachs.
Dolphins do not breathe automatically as humans do and will die if given a general anesthetic. They must sleep at the surface of the water with their blowholes exposed. Dolphins shut down only half of their brain while they sleep to stay alert and breathing.
The dolphin’s most dangerous enemy is humans.
Dolphin sonar seems not to detect the fine threads of fishing nets, and millions of dolphins have drowned as a result of becoming entangled.
Dolphins play around boats, surfing the bow waves and even helping fisherman by signaling when it’s the best time to cast their nets...nd then herding the fish into them.
Public outrage over the death of millions of dolphins in the 1960s prompted the introduction of the Marine Mammals Protection Act (MMPA) by the U.S. in 1972, which was substantially updated in 1994 with the addition of the Zero Mortality Rate Goal (ZMRG). The ZMRG required fisheries to reduce incidental mortality and serious injuries to marine mammals to levels approaching level zero.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com , factsnfacts.com
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Interesting Facts about Horses
Hare are some really interesting facts about horses. These facts are quite useful (not useless) and informative...
Emerging 60 million years ago, the first horse was called Eohippus (The Dawn Horse) and was tiny, weighing only 12 pounds and standing just 14 inches high. In contrast to the modern one-toed horse, the Eohippus had four toes on its front feet and three on its hind feet.
The term “horse” is derived from the Old English hors, which is related to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) kurs, which is the source of the Latin currere, “to run.” This replaced the original PIE root ekwo from which the Greek hippos and Latin equus derived, both meaning “horse.” This dual etymology is perhaps due to the reluctance of ancient cultures to utter the actual root or name of an animal held sacred for the Indo-European religion.
Horses that seem wild today (such as Mustangs) are actually feral horses, usually descendants of horses that were imported to America from Spain in the sixteenth century. The only true wild horse is the Asian Wild Horse.
No horses existed in Australia until settlers brought them during the eighteenth century, and no early horse fossils have ever been found in Australia.
Before being domesticated in the Middle and Far East around 4000 B.., horses were hunted for their skin and meat, usually by being clubbed or driven over a cliff.
After horses became domesticated around 4000 B.., many Indo-European cultures regarded horses as a supreme sacrifice to their gods and often ritually entombed horses. People in the Caucasus practiced horse sacrifice as late as the 1800s.
Famous owner/horse partnerships that helped change world history include Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalus (“ox head”), El Cid and Babieca (“stupid”), and Napoleon and Marengo (named after a battle) who after its death, had its skeleton displayed in London.
A horse’s teeth are a good indicator ofits age. Hence, St. Jerome (A.. 400), who never accepted payment for his writings, penned the famous adage “Never inspect the teeth of a gift horse,”b which became the more familiar “Never look a gift horse in the mouth.”
Though most horses live for 25-30 years, the oldest horse on record is “Old Billy,” who was a barge horse born in England and lived to the age of 62. The first year of a horse’s life is roughly comparable to 12 human years, the second year is comparable to 7 human years, the next 3 years are comparable to 4 human years a piece, and subsequent years are comparable 2.5 human years. That means Old Billy was roughly 173.5 horse years.
Horses have five highly developed senses: taste, touch, hearing, smell, and sight. They also have an enigmatic sixth sense, heightened perception, which is very rare in humans.
The eyes of a horse are larger than most other animals', and they can move independently, giving the horse a shallow panoramic vision. Because its lenses are inflexible, a horse will focus on an image by moving its head to direct light rays to the central part of the retina. Horses can also see in color.
A horse has an acute sense of smell that allows it to detect nervousness in a handler, and old-time horsemen would smear aromatic fluid on their hands when dealing with a difficult horse. Horses also become nervous around the smell of blood.
There are nearly 160 distinctive breeds and types of horses around the world, but the Arabian horse is unique in that it is the purest of all of the breeds.
Persians were excellent horsemen and their dominance in the east was largely due to the Nisean horse, the “superhorse” of antiquity. The horse was a status symbol in the Persian Empire, and only aristocrats could own them. Horses were also used to play early forms of polo.
Islam is said to have been “founded on the hoof prints of the Arabian horse,”b and horse care was even incorporated into the sacred Hadith. The Prophet Mohammed is reportedly to have ascended to heaven in a halo of fire on a horse-like creature.
The goddess Demeter (the goddess of fertility, grain, and the pure) had as her image a black mare’s head, and her priestesses were considered her “foals.”b
White horses were sometimes drowned in honor of Poseidon, the god of the sea and creator of horses.
The Hindus associate the horse with the cosmos, and a white horse was considered the last incarnation of Vishnu.
In literature, art, and dream theory, the horse is often a symbol imbued with various meanings, ranging from power to beauty and even sexual prowess. The coloring of a horse is also often symbolic (black: mystery, danger; white: messenger of birth), and the Bible specifically lists the colors of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (White, Red, Black, and Pale).
Some horses are able to figure out how to undo the doors of other horses and let them out.
Horses can differentiate between emotions in the human voice.
Horses experience two kinds of sleep, SWS (short wave sleep) and REM (rapid eye movement), and they most likely dream. They need about four hours of sleep out of every 24 and can sleep standing up by a special arrangement of locking joints.
Horses like music but are selective in their taste. They prefer calming or cheerful instrumental music, but are agitated by loud music such as rock.
A horse’s hoof is extremely complex and sensitive. When a horse puts pressure on its hoof, the blood is squeezed up the leg into the veins, thus acting as a type of pump.
While the mare primarily cares for her newborn, occasionally a sibling, the sire, or other mares will shelter and protect youngsters.
In a herd, one gender is not always dominant of another; for example, a female may rank higher than a male in some cases, and a male may rank higher than a female in other cases.
Any marking on a horse's head is called a star, even if it is not shaped like a star.
Horses have a strong band of muscles around their esophagus. This band is so strong that a horse’s stomach would typically burst before it would vomit.
The Pony Express (1860-1861) didn’t just use ponies; it also used many horses. The differences between ponies and horses are often blurred, but generally, ponies are smaller than horses and can be smarter and more stubborn.
Though the word “hippopotamus” means “river horse,” a hippo is actually more closely related to the pig than the horse.
There are many crazy horse laws, including one in Bluff, Utah, where an unmarried woman could be jailed for riding a horse on Sunday. And in several cities throughout the United States, newly married men were not allowed to ride alone, unless he had been married longer than 12 months.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com , Interesting Facts
Emerging 60 million years ago, the first horse was called Eohippus (The Dawn Horse) and was tiny, weighing only 12 pounds and standing just 14 inches high. In contrast to the modern one-toed horse, the Eohippus had four toes on its front feet and three on its hind feet.
The term “horse” is derived from the Old English hors, which is related to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) kurs, which is the source of the Latin currere, “to run.” This replaced the original PIE root ekwo from which the Greek hippos and Latin equus derived, both meaning “horse.” This dual etymology is perhaps due to the reluctance of ancient cultures to utter the actual root or name of an animal held sacred for the Indo-European religion.
Horses that seem wild today (such as Mustangs) are actually feral horses, usually descendants of horses that were imported to America from Spain in the sixteenth century. The only true wild horse is the Asian Wild Horse.
No horses existed in Australia until settlers brought them during the eighteenth century, and no early horse fossils have ever been found in Australia.
Before being domesticated in the Middle and Far East around 4000 B.., horses were hunted for their skin and meat, usually by being clubbed or driven over a cliff.
After horses became domesticated around 4000 B.., many Indo-European cultures regarded horses as a supreme sacrifice to their gods and often ritually entombed horses. People in the Caucasus practiced horse sacrifice as late as the 1800s.
Famous owner/horse partnerships that helped change world history include Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalus (“ox head”), El Cid and Babieca (“stupid”), and Napoleon and Marengo (named after a battle) who after its death, had its skeleton displayed in London.
A horse’s teeth are a good indicator ofits age. Hence, St. Jerome (A.. 400), who never accepted payment for his writings, penned the famous adage “Never inspect the teeth of a gift horse,”b which became the more familiar “Never look a gift horse in the mouth.”
Though most horses live for 25-30 years, the oldest horse on record is “Old Billy,” who was a barge horse born in England and lived to the age of 62. The first year of a horse’s life is roughly comparable to 12 human years, the second year is comparable to 7 human years, the next 3 years are comparable to 4 human years a piece, and subsequent years are comparable 2.5 human years. That means Old Billy was roughly 173.5 horse years.
Horses have five highly developed senses: taste, touch, hearing, smell, and sight. They also have an enigmatic sixth sense, heightened perception, which is very rare in humans.
The eyes of a horse are larger than most other animals', and they can move independently, giving the horse a shallow panoramic vision. Because its lenses are inflexible, a horse will focus on an image by moving its head to direct light rays to the central part of the retina. Horses can also see in color.
A horse has an acute sense of smell that allows it to detect nervousness in a handler, and old-time horsemen would smear aromatic fluid on their hands when dealing with a difficult horse. Horses also become nervous around the smell of blood.
There are nearly 160 distinctive breeds and types of horses around the world, but the Arabian horse is unique in that it is the purest of all of the breeds.
Persians were excellent horsemen and their dominance in the east was largely due to the Nisean horse, the “superhorse” of antiquity. The horse was a status symbol in the Persian Empire, and only aristocrats could own them. Horses were also used to play early forms of polo.
Islam is said to have been “founded on the hoof prints of the Arabian horse,”b and horse care was even incorporated into the sacred Hadith. The Prophet Mohammed is reportedly to have ascended to heaven in a halo of fire on a horse-like creature.
The goddess Demeter (the goddess of fertility, grain, and the pure) had as her image a black mare’s head, and her priestesses were considered her “foals.”b
White horses were sometimes drowned in honor of Poseidon, the god of the sea and creator of horses.
The Hindus associate the horse with the cosmos, and a white horse was considered the last incarnation of Vishnu.
In literature, art, and dream theory, the horse is often a symbol imbued with various meanings, ranging from power to beauty and even sexual prowess. The coloring of a horse is also often symbolic (black: mystery, danger; white: messenger of birth), and the Bible specifically lists the colors of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (White, Red, Black, and Pale).
Some horses are able to figure out how to undo the doors of other horses and let them out.
Horses can differentiate between emotions in the human voice.
Horses experience two kinds of sleep, SWS (short wave sleep) and REM (rapid eye movement), and they most likely dream. They need about four hours of sleep out of every 24 and can sleep standing up by a special arrangement of locking joints.
Horses like music but are selective in their taste. They prefer calming or cheerful instrumental music, but are agitated by loud music such as rock.
A horse’s hoof is extremely complex and sensitive. When a horse puts pressure on its hoof, the blood is squeezed up the leg into the veins, thus acting as a type of pump.
While the mare primarily cares for her newborn, occasionally a sibling, the sire, or other mares will shelter and protect youngsters.
In a herd, one gender is not always dominant of another; for example, a female may rank higher than a male in some cases, and a male may rank higher than a female in other cases.
Any marking on a horse's head is called a star, even if it is not shaped like a star.
Horses have a strong band of muscles around their esophagus. This band is so strong that a horse’s stomach would typically burst before it would vomit.
The Pony Express (1860-1861) didn’t just use ponies; it also used many horses. The differences between ponies and horses are often blurred, but generally, ponies are smaller than horses and can be smarter and more stubborn.
Though the word “hippopotamus” means “river horse,” a hippo is actually more closely related to the pig than the horse.
There are many crazy horse laws, including one in Bluff, Utah, where an unmarried woman could be jailed for riding a horse on Sunday. And in several cities throughout the United States, newly married men were not allowed to ride alone, unless he had been married longer than 12 months.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com , Interesting Facts
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Interesting Facts about Frogs
Here are some interesting and little known facts about frogs...
A frog’s eye can see in almost any direction.
A frog’s tongue is attached at the front of the mouth instead of the rear, and is covered with a sticky substance to catch and trap its prey.
When a frog eats food that is too large to swallow, it will leave it sticking out of its mouth and ingest it gradually. The frog may even choke or regurgitate it.
Frogs have something similar to teeth. They have small cone like teeth around the upper edge of the jaw and roof of their mouth.
Frogs do not have any teeth on their lower jaw.
A frog can launch itself over 20 times its own body length.
The common frog (native to mainland Britain) can breathe through its skin.
Frogs legs are a culinary delicacy in France.
The worlds biggest frog, the Goliath can be found in Cameroon in Africa.
The Goliath frog can grow up to one foot long and weigh more than seven pounds.
The poison dart frog secretes from its skin one of the most poisonous substances known to man.
Frog fossils as old as 190 million years have been found.
Frogs shed their skin regularly and then eat the skin carcass.
A group of frogs is called an army of frogs.
The Gastric Brooding Frog, incubates its’ young inside its stomach. When the baby frog develops past the tadpole stage, it hops out of its mother’s mouth.
Frogs absorb water and air through their skin.
If you suffer from Ranidaphobia, you have a fear of frogs.
Frogs are a symbol of good luck in Japan.
Source: Aviva Directory , Interesting Facts , Interesting Facts
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Facts about Dogs
Read these Informative and interesting little known facts about dogs...
It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.
Dogs DO have better low-light vision than humans because of a special light-reflecting layer behind their retinas.
A German Shepherd guide dog led her blind companion the entire 2100-mile Appalachian Trail.
If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their puppies could produce over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!
Dogs' only sweat glands are between their paw pads.
Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull, which closes with age.
The breed Lundehune has 6 toes and can close its ears.
Teddy Roosevelt's dog, Pete, ripped a French ambassador's pants off at the White House.
President Lyndon Johnson had two beagles named Him and Her.
Franklin Roosevelt spent $15,000 for a destroyer to pick up his Scottie in the Aleutian Islands.
In Roman times, Mastiffs donned light armor and were sent after mounted knights.
The Russians trained dogs during WWII to run suicide missions with mines strapped to their backs.
A dog's mouth exerts 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per square inch.
A one-year-old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15-year-old human.
The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world.
France has the 2nd highest.
The average city dog lives 3 years longer than a country dog.
18. 87% of dog owners say their dog curls up beside them or at their feet while they watch T.V.
Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures.
15 people die in the U.S. every year from dog bites.
In 2002 alone, more people in the U.S. were killed by dogs than by sharks in the past 100 years.
Gidget is the name of the Taco Bell dog.
Newfoundlands are great swimmers because of their webbed feet.
Basset Hounds cannot swim.
Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth, with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.
Bingo is the name of the dog on the side of the Cracker Jack box.
The bible mentions dogs 14 times.
Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic - a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese.
The Labrador Retriever is the #1 favorite breed in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs.
An estimated 1,000,000 dogs in the U.S. have been named as the primary beneficiaries in their owner's will.
An American Animal Hospital Assoc. poll found that 33% of dog owners admit to talking to their dogs on the phone and leaving answering machine messages for them while away.
Dog's nose prints are as unique as a human's fingerprints and can be used to accurately identify them.
At the end of the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life", a high-pitched dog whistle was recorded by Paul McCartney for his sheepdog.
70% of people sign their pet's name on greeting and holiday cards.
58% put pets in family and holiday portraits.
There are only 350 Cisky Terriers in the world - perhaps the rarest breed.
The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th century England when it is believed that many cats and dogs drowned during heavy periods of rain.
Dogs have no sense of "time".
Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 12,000 years.
The largest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound.
The world's smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua.
The St. Bernard is the heaviest.
Only dogs and humans have prostates.
But dogs do not have an appendix.
Every dog on earth likely descended from a species knows as the Tomarctus - a creature that roamed the earth over 15 million years ago.
The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki - originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.
In 1957, Laika became the first living being in space via an earth satellite, while JFK's terrier, Charlie, father 4 puppies with Laika's daughter.
An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark.
There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs.
Dachshunds were originally bred for fighting badgers.
The world's smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever, while the dumbest dog is believed to be the Afghan hound.
A dog's smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human's, which they need because their eyesight is not as keen as a human's.
Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape.
Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine), which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill.
George Washington had thirty-six dogs - all foxhounds - with one-named Sweet lips.
All dogs are identical in anatomy - 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth.
Smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds.
Female dogs are only ready to mate - "in heat" - twice a year for a total of roughly 20 days.
Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks.
Rin Tin Tin was the first Hollywood Dog Star and he really signed his movie contracts - all 22 of them - with a paw print.
The Wizard of Oz's Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry.
Up until the late 1800's, Collies were known as Scottish Sheepdogs.
Dogs have two times as many muscles to move their ears as people.
The longer a dog's nose, the more effective it's internal cooling system.
An elderly woman was saved by her 12-pound Yorkshire Terrier who fought off an 80-pound Akita and survived with only 9 stitches.
U.S. Customs dogs "Rocky" and "Barco" were so good at patrolling the border that Mexican drug lords put a $300,000 bounty on their heads.
Dogs are all direct descendants of wolves.
Wolves and dogs can mate to produce fertal offspring.
Female wolves have been known to travel great distances to regurgitate full meals for their hungry pups.
Cerberus was the tri-headed dog that guarded the underworld in Greek mythology.
Female dogs bear their young for 60 days before they're born.
Dogs' sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human's.
Humans can detect sounds at 20,000 times per second, while dogs can sense frequencies of 30,000 times per second.
The earliest dog-fossil dates back to nearly 10,000 B.C.
Bloodhounds are prized their ability to single out and identify a number of scents simultaneously.
Dalmatian puppies are born completely white.
The Ancient Chinese carried Pekingese puppies in the sleeves of their robes.
Boxers are so named because of their manner of playing with their front paws.
All breeds of dog have been found to attack livestock - from 3-month-old puppies, all the way up to thirteen-year-old poodles.
A dog's heart beats up to 120 times per minute, or 50% faster than the average human heartbeat of 80 times per minute.
The oldest dog on record - a Queensland "Heeler" named Bluey - was 29 years, 5 months old.
Davy Crockett had a dog named Sport.
Dogs were first domesticated by cavemen.
Dogs live 15 years on average.
Many foot disorders in dogs are simply an issue of long toenails.
More than 5,000,000 puppies are born in the U.S. every year.
More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog.
Average body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees.
The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts both offer merit badges in dog care.
Dogs are natural pack animals.
They are naturally submissive to any creature with higher pack status - human or canine.
Dogs instinctively require the pack leader's approval.
Dogs with little human contact in the first three months typically don't make good pets.
The Chihuahua was named after the state in Mexico where they were discovered.
After birth, puppies' eyes do not fully open until they're about 12 days old.
Their vision is not fully developed until after the 1st month.
Source: newsblaze.com
It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.
Dogs DO have better low-light vision than humans because of a special light-reflecting layer behind their retinas.
A German Shepherd guide dog led her blind companion the entire 2100-mile Appalachian Trail.
If never spayed or neutered, a female dog, her mate, and their puppies could produce over 66,000 dogs in 6 years!
Dogs' only sweat glands are between their paw pads.
Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull, which closes with age.
The breed Lundehune has 6 toes and can close its ears.
Teddy Roosevelt's dog, Pete, ripped a French ambassador's pants off at the White House.
President Lyndon Johnson had two beagles named Him and Her.
Franklin Roosevelt spent $15,000 for a destroyer to pick up his Scottie in the Aleutian Islands.
In Roman times, Mastiffs donned light armor and were sent after mounted knights.
The Russians trained dogs during WWII to run suicide missions with mines strapped to their backs.
A dog's mouth exerts 150-200 pounds of pressure per square inch with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per square inch.
A one-year-old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15-year-old human.
The U.S. has the highest dog population in the world.
France has the 2nd highest.
The average city dog lives 3 years longer than a country dog.
18. 87% of dog owners say their dog curls up beside them or at their feet while they watch T.V.
Dogs can be trained to detect epileptic seizures.
15 people die in the U.S. every year from dog bites.
In 2002 alone, more people in the U.S. were killed by dogs than by sharks in the past 100 years.
Gidget is the name of the Taco Bell dog.
Newfoundlands are great swimmers because of their webbed feet.
Basset Hounds cannot swim.
Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth, with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.
Bingo is the name of the dog on the side of the Cracker Jack box.
The bible mentions dogs 14 times.
Three dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic - a Newfoundland, a Pomeranian, and a Pekingese.
The Labrador Retriever is the #1 favorite breed in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs.
An estimated 1,000,000 dogs in the U.S. have been named as the primary beneficiaries in their owner's will.
An American Animal Hospital Assoc. poll found that 33% of dog owners admit to talking to their dogs on the phone and leaving answering machine messages for them while away.
Dog's nose prints are as unique as a human's fingerprints and can be used to accurately identify them.
At the end of the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life", a high-pitched dog whistle was recorded by Paul McCartney for his sheepdog.
70% of people sign their pet's name on greeting and holiday cards.
58% put pets in family and holiday portraits.
There are only 350 Cisky Terriers in the world - perhaps the rarest breed.
The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th century England when it is believed that many cats and dogs drowned during heavy periods of rain.
Dogs have no sense of "time".
Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 12,000 years.
The largest breed of dog is the Irish Wolfhound.
The world's smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua.
The St. Bernard is the heaviest.
Only dogs and humans have prostates.
But dogs do not have an appendix.
Every dog on earth likely descended from a species knows as the Tomarctus - a creature that roamed the earth over 15 million years ago.
The oldest known breed is likely the Saluki - originally trained by Egyptians to help them track game.
In 1957, Laika became the first living being in space via an earth satellite, while JFK's terrier, Charlie, father 4 puppies with Laika's daughter.
An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark.
There are 703 breeds of purebred dogs.
Dachshunds were originally bred for fighting badgers.
The world's smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever, while the dumbest dog is believed to be the Afghan hound.
A dog's smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human's, which they need because their eyesight is not as keen as a human's.
Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape.
Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (similar to caffeine), which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill.
George Washington had thirty-six dogs - all foxhounds - with one-named Sweet lips.
All dogs are identical in anatomy - 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth.
Smaller breeds mature faster than larger breeds.
Female dogs are only ready to mate - "in heat" - twice a year for a total of roughly 20 days.
Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks.
Rin Tin Tin was the first Hollywood Dog Star and he really signed his movie contracts - all 22 of them - with a paw print.
The Wizard of Oz's Toto was played by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry.
Up until the late 1800's, Collies were known as Scottish Sheepdogs.
Dogs have two times as many muscles to move their ears as people.
The longer a dog's nose, the more effective it's internal cooling system.
An elderly woman was saved by her 12-pound Yorkshire Terrier who fought off an 80-pound Akita and survived with only 9 stitches.
U.S. Customs dogs "Rocky" and "Barco" were so good at patrolling the border that Mexican drug lords put a $300,000 bounty on their heads.
Dogs are all direct descendants of wolves.
Wolves and dogs can mate to produce fertal offspring.
Female wolves have been known to travel great distances to regurgitate full meals for their hungry pups.
Cerberus was the tri-headed dog that guarded the underworld in Greek mythology.
Female dogs bear their young for 60 days before they're born.
Dogs' sense of hearing is more than ten times more acute than a human's.
Humans can detect sounds at 20,000 times per second, while dogs can sense frequencies of 30,000 times per second.
The earliest dog-fossil dates back to nearly 10,000 B.C.
Bloodhounds are prized their ability to single out and identify a number of scents simultaneously.
Dalmatian puppies are born completely white.
The Ancient Chinese carried Pekingese puppies in the sleeves of their robes.
Boxers are so named because of their manner of playing with their front paws.
All breeds of dog have been found to attack livestock - from 3-month-old puppies, all the way up to thirteen-year-old poodles.
A dog's heart beats up to 120 times per minute, or 50% faster than the average human heartbeat of 80 times per minute.
The oldest dog on record - a Queensland "Heeler" named Bluey - was 29 years, 5 months old.
Davy Crockett had a dog named Sport.
Dogs were first domesticated by cavemen.
Dogs live 15 years on average.
Many foot disorders in dogs are simply an issue of long toenails.
More than 5,000,000 puppies are born in the U.S. every year.
More than 1 in 3 American families own a dog.
Average body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees.
The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts both offer merit badges in dog care.
Dogs are natural pack animals.
They are naturally submissive to any creature with higher pack status - human or canine.
Dogs instinctively require the pack leader's approval.
Dogs with little human contact in the first three months typically don't make good pets.
The Chihuahua was named after the state in Mexico where they were discovered.
After birth, puppies' eyes do not fully open until they're about 12 days old.
Their vision is not fully developed until after the 1st month.
Source: newsblaze.com
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Interesting Facts about Rabbits
Here are some really interesting facts about the rabbits. Read and I am sure you will get to know more about the rabbits.
A girl bunny is called a doe.
A boy bunny is called a buck.
A baby bunny is called a kit.
A bunch of baby bunnies is a litter.
Domestic rabbits are born naked, deaf and blind while jack rabbits are born fully furred ready to run!
Mother only nurse the young once a day for the first two weeks.
A rabbit has 18 toenails: 4 on each of the back feet, and 4 on each of the front plus a dew claw.
There are over 150 different rabbit coat colors, but only 5 eye colors (brown, blue-grey, blue, marbled, and pink).
President Lincoln allowed his sons to keep many pets in the White House, including pet rabbits.
A rabbit can see behind himself, without turning his head, but has a blind spot in front of his face.
Rabbits are not rodents. They belong to a family called "lagomorphs.
Rabbits are nocturnal and therefore are most active between dusk and dawn
The world record for the rabbit high jump is 1 meter.
The world record for the record long jump is 3 meters. That's over 9 feet!
The largest litter of baby rabbits is 24. It has happened twice. Once in 1978 and again in 1999.
The longest ears are 31.125 inches long. They belong to an American rabbit, Nipper's Geronimo.
The longest-lived rabbit was nearly 19 years old when he died.
Biggest bunny: 26 lbs., 7 oz.!
Rabbits cannot vomit.
Rabbits do not like loud noises and sudden movements.
Rabbits eat their own night droppings, known as cecotropes.
Rabbits need to eat hay, in order to assist their digestive system and prevent fur balls in their stomach.
The droppings of a rabbit are high in nitrogen make an excellent garden fertilizer.
Source: examiner.com
A girl bunny is called a doe.
A boy bunny is called a buck.
A baby bunny is called a kit.
A bunch of baby bunnies is a litter.
Domestic rabbits are born naked, deaf and blind while jack rabbits are born fully furred ready to run!
Mother only nurse the young once a day for the first two weeks.
A rabbit has 18 toenails: 4 on each of the back feet, and 4 on each of the front plus a dew claw.
There are over 150 different rabbit coat colors, but only 5 eye colors (brown, blue-grey, blue, marbled, and pink).
President Lincoln allowed his sons to keep many pets in the White House, including pet rabbits.
A rabbit can see behind himself, without turning his head, but has a blind spot in front of his face.
Rabbits are not rodents. They belong to a family called "lagomorphs.
Rabbits are nocturnal and therefore are most active between dusk and dawn
The world record for the rabbit high jump is 1 meter.
The world record for the record long jump is 3 meters. That's over 9 feet!
The largest litter of baby rabbits is 24. It has happened twice. Once in 1978 and again in 1999.
The longest ears are 31.125 inches long. They belong to an American rabbit, Nipper's Geronimo.
The longest-lived rabbit was nearly 19 years old when he died.
Biggest bunny: 26 lbs., 7 oz.!
Rabbits cannot vomit.
Rabbits do not like loud noises and sudden movements.
Rabbits eat their own night droppings, known as cecotropes.
Rabbits need to eat hay, in order to assist their digestive system and prevent fur balls in their stomach.
The droppings of a rabbit are high in nitrogen make an excellent garden fertilizer.
Source: examiner.com
Interesting Facts about Emperor Penguins
Here are some interesting facts about one of the most amazing living beings i.e. the emperor penguins.The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all known penguins. They reach up to 122 cm in height and weigh anywhere from 22 to 45kg. Heavier than that, they are put on a strict diet.
Though it’s considered a bird and has wings - highest feather density of any bird species, it cannot fly. Sneaking up behind one allows it to wish it could fly, however …
The emperor penguin is a great traveler. Every year, adults take exhausting journeys to mate and feed their offspring. Kind of like parents of all species, no?
Must be a great lover, too. They manage to breed in the coldest environment possible with air temperatures reaching -40 °C.
The female emperor lays one single egg and then leaves for the sea to feed.
During the incubation period, the male emperors prove to be great babysitters. Their job is to keep the egg warm.
The Emperor Penguin chick is typically covered with silver-grey down and has a black head and white mask. They don’t get their tuxedos till a bit later on.
To escape wind and conserve warmth, the Emperor Penguins huddle together. Once it has warmed, others will take its place moving to the inside of the group. They learn to share like this in penguin kindergarten.
An Emperor Penguin can hold its breath anywhere up to 20 minutes, and dive over 550 meters (1,800 ft).
Emperor Penguins rely only on vocal calls for individual recognition between parents, offspring, and mates.
Used to the cold, at over 20 °C the emperor penguin becomes agitated and lifts its wings to expose more parts of the body. Well, when I get warm, I want to show my body parts, too…but I refrain.
When they’re not tobogganing - sliding over the ice on its belly, the Emperor Penguin walks with a wobbling gait or proves its swimming talents (its average swimming speed is 6–9 km/h). That’s faster than I can run.
Emperor penguins feed on fish, squid, krill and crustaceans, except when they violate number one above.
They can only be found in the Southern Hemisphere.
The emperor penguin’s enemies are the killer whales, leopard seals, and walrus.
Source: greenpacks
Interesting Facts About Marsupials especially Kangaroos
Here are some interesting facts about kangaroos and other marisupals. Read and get amused by the facts about these interesting creatures.
The name marsupial comes from the marsupium, or pouch, in which these animals carry and nurse their young.
Marsupials have very short gestation periods (the time the young spend in the mother's tummy). The Virginia opossum (the only marsupial in Michigan) has a gestation period of only 13 days, and the young are only the size of a question mark when they are born. The Red Kangaroo, native to Australia, has a 30 day gestation period and the single baby weighs only 1 gram (.035 ounces) when it is born. The baby kangaroo, called a joey, spends about 235 days in the mother's pouch.
Australia has about 120 species of marsupials, New Guinea has 53 species of marsupials, South and Central America have 90 species of marsupials, and North America has only two species of marsupials.
Marsupials range in size from tiny shrew-like creatures (5 grams) to large kangaroos (over 200 pounds). There are marsupials that have occupied every available niche from tiny insect eaters to large plant eaters. There are even marsupial moles!
Marsupials first evolved in South America about 100 million years ago. At that time, South America, Australia and Antarctica were connected together in one big continent. Australia and Antarctica gradually moved away from South America and both continents became isolated. Marsupial mammals were free to evolve in isolation, and evolution produced the characteristics found in present day Australian mammals.
Most marsupials are night creatures so their most important senses are their sense of smell and their hearing. Most marsupials have extra scent glands which tell their neighbors whether they are boys or girls, if they are a stranger to the group, or if they are frightened or angry.
The largest marsupial in the world is the Red Kangaroo, like the one you see in the Card Center. Red Kangaroos can weigh 200 pounds, hop up to 30-40 miles per hour, and leap over obstacles up to 10 feet high. Kangaroos move more efficiently at high speeds than at low speeds because the tendons in their hind legs store energy and their tail acts like a pendulum. They can hop long distances because their body motion pumps air in and out of their lungs like a bellows.
There are over 40 species of kangaroos. The smaller kangaroos are called wallabies.
Kangaroos are grass eaters that live in grasslands that can be very dry with little rainfall. They may be able to go several months without water because they are capable of getting water from the food they eat.
A male kangaroo is called a boomer, a female kangaroo a flyer, and a baby kangaroo a joey. The name kangaroo came from the Aborigines through a mistake. An early European explorer asked an Aborigine what these strange hopping animals were, and the Aborigine replied kangaroo, meaning "I don't understand." The explorer thought he was naming the animal.
Kangaroos usually eat during late afternoon or in the evening when it is cooler.
Kangaroos fight with each other by boxing with their front paws, but defend themselves with powerful kicks from their hind legs. When danger approaches, they warn other kangaroos by stomping the ground with their hind feet or thumping it with their tail.
Source: ferris
The name marsupial comes from the marsupium, or pouch, in which these animals carry and nurse their young.
Marsupials have very short gestation periods (the time the young spend in the mother's tummy). The Virginia opossum (the only marsupial in Michigan) has a gestation period of only 13 days, and the young are only the size of a question mark when they are born. The Red Kangaroo, native to Australia, has a 30 day gestation period and the single baby weighs only 1 gram (.035 ounces) when it is born. The baby kangaroo, called a joey, spends about 235 days in the mother's pouch.
Australia has about 120 species of marsupials, New Guinea has 53 species of marsupials, South and Central America have 90 species of marsupials, and North America has only two species of marsupials.
Marsupials range in size from tiny shrew-like creatures (5 grams) to large kangaroos (over 200 pounds). There are marsupials that have occupied every available niche from tiny insect eaters to large plant eaters. There are even marsupial moles!
Marsupials first evolved in South America about 100 million years ago. At that time, South America, Australia and Antarctica were connected together in one big continent. Australia and Antarctica gradually moved away from South America and both continents became isolated. Marsupial mammals were free to evolve in isolation, and evolution produced the characteristics found in present day Australian mammals.
Most marsupials are night creatures so their most important senses are their sense of smell and their hearing. Most marsupials have extra scent glands which tell their neighbors whether they are boys or girls, if they are a stranger to the group, or if they are frightened or angry.
The largest marsupial in the world is the Red Kangaroo, like the one you see in the Card Center. Red Kangaroos can weigh 200 pounds, hop up to 30-40 miles per hour, and leap over obstacles up to 10 feet high. Kangaroos move more efficiently at high speeds than at low speeds because the tendons in their hind legs store energy and their tail acts like a pendulum. They can hop long distances because their body motion pumps air in and out of their lungs like a bellows.
There are over 40 species of kangaroos. The smaller kangaroos are called wallabies.
Kangaroos are grass eaters that live in grasslands that can be very dry with little rainfall. They may be able to go several months without water because they are capable of getting water from the food they eat.
A male kangaroo is called a boomer, a female kangaroo a flyer, and a baby kangaroo a joey. The name kangaroo came from the Aborigines through a mistake. An early European explorer asked an Aborigine what these strange hopping animals were, and the Aborigine replied kangaroo, meaning "I don't understand." The explorer thought he was naming the animal.
Kangaroos usually eat during late afternoon or in the evening when it is cooler.
Kangaroos fight with each other by boxing with their front paws, but defend themselves with powerful kicks from their hind legs. When danger approaches, they warn other kangaroos by stomping the ground with their hind feet or thumping it with their tail.
Source: ferris
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