Interesting Animal Facts.

[Riverwillows]

I live in California, which has it's deserts, and is adjacent to desert states. One thing everyone here knows, the difference between ordinary King Snakes, which are not poisonous, and Coral Snakes, which are deadly, is their coloring. They share the same areas and habitats.

 

There is a rhyme each kid here is taught: "Red touches yellow, be a dead fellow, Red touches black, you get yourself back" meaning, you are safe.

 

 

 

Also, the King Snake developed it's colors to look similar to the Coral Snake and avoid being eaten by birds. But King Snakes are harmless and are really good pets. In the bright desert sun, the yellow on the Coral snake is faded and can look white, which can cause confusion in the uninformed.

Edited May 2, 2013 by Riverwillows

[Silent_Vampire]

Lobsters and Jellyfish are considered immortal. "Hey! The more you know."

[Banyanpan]

There's a lot mentioning the Daddy Longlegs on here, but the confusing thing is that there are THREE creatures that are called that. There's the cellar spider, the harvestman (which is sometimes mistaken for a spider), and the crane fly.

NONE of these can kill you, and I'm pretty sure the spider is the only one that's venomous in the first place.

[Bdai]

Correct me if I'm wrong:

-Domesticated dogs have brains a third the size of a wolf's

-Guinea pigs are not pigs, but a type of rodent, and they are not originally from Guinea

-Chocolate isn't good for dogs, when consumed it will make them very sick

-It is not good to hold rabbits by the ears

 

>

[Bacon_Strips]

^^ I would think that the last three are common knowledge, especially the last one.

 

Here's one from a website:

You can tell a turtle’s gender by the noise it makes. Males grunt and females hiss.

[5icky]

- Calico cats are always female

I know this has likely been talked about, but i saw it and don't feel like looking at which page i accidentally clicked on...

Calico cats are NOT always female, However male calicos are very rare.

 

In fact, most 'calico' cats that are found, are actually just tricolors.(yes they're called tricolors, this is not due to christmas dragons) Meaning they have patches of two different colors, and the most of the fur is mainly white.

 

And another fact!

Patches of white fur on animals is generally a sign of a nural crest issue. One example could be the blaze ferret, the white on stripe on the head is often paired with white feet and a patchy bib on the neck.

Waardenburgs syndrome is the most common nural crest disorder, and causes deafness in ferrets!

Edited December 27, 2013 by IcarusTheDragon

[Nine]

Doves are one of the few kinds of birds that can drink by sucking up water.

[Black Blaze]

The fun thing is that calico cats can be male... but only in very special circumstances, so they are rare. The cat in question is pretty much guaranteed to be XXY, as the genes required to produce a calico coat color are located on the X chromosome. Without that second X, a cat can only have white + one other color (though it doesn't have to be solid - white + tabby splotches, for example).

I can confirm this. I once had a Calico kitten who was male...sadly he died at 5 weeks...but moving on...

 

-Cats will only ever meow at humans. They don't meow at other cats.

-When your cat leaves a dead animal on your doorstep, don't punish it! In reality, your cat sees you as a fellow cat, and they bring you a dead bird or mouse as a "gift" or a meal if you will, because they think you can't take care of yourselves

-Ravens and Crows can learn how to talk. Ravens are very good at mimicking certain tones.

-A group of Crows is called a Murder.

-Cockroaches are only as clean as the surface they are on, and are actually very finicky. If they come in contact with a human, they will run away and vigorously clean themselves of the scent.

-If you turn a shark over, it will go into a coma.

-Like someone else said on this thread, the horse used to have toes. Years of evolution caused these toes to turn into one single hoof. Where did the toes go? Scientists think it became the horse's chestnut.

-Horses need visits to the dentist. Their teeth continuously grow and must be filed down annually.

-Putting horseshoes on will not hurt a horse. Their hooves are basically like fingernails-only 100 times thicker.

-Horses can have asthma and allergies. They also cough and sneeze. The "snort" noise that we're all familiar with is their sneeze.

-Horses do actually lay down, and they only do so for a few hours at night. They mostly sleep standing up.

-About 25% of Thoroughbred horses (the ones that gallop around the track) in the world are all directly related to one another.

-The heart of a racehorse tends to be larger than that of a normal horse's. One racehorse in particular, Secretariat, was about 3 times larger and probably the largest recorded racehorse heart.

-When a racehorse dies, they are not buried whole. The head, hooves and heart are usually buried while the rest is cremated. Secretariat was an exception because he was such a phenomenal horse.

-Most horse breeds can be traced back to the Arabian horse; one of the oldest breeds in the world.

-Very contrary to the popular belief in the rodeo world, Arabians can barrel race as good as any Quarter Horse. My instructor proved that himself.

-Mustangs aren't purebred in any way. They are simply a mix of Spanish horses that the Conquistadors brought over, and the horses native to America.

-In my personal experience, horses act a lot like dogs, or cats! My own horse stretches like a cat, and it's kind of funny to see

 

Oops, the Equestrian in me came out.

Edited December 27, 2013 by Black Blaze

[DangerDragon]

Cows have 4 stomachs, if i remember right.

[Coryn02]

Ants are arguably the insects most like human beings, as they keep ant-cows (aphids) and 'milk' them for the sweet liquid they secrete, chew up leaves and cultivate the fungus that grows on it, create living storage units by overfeeding some members of a colony so the rest can have a drink in a desert drought, and work together to further the survival of ther colony, instead of simple self-preservation. (Not all these characteristics are displayed by the same ant species) (third one not much like humans)

 

Of all the eggs laid by a female salmon, only two make it to adulthood safely.

 

Lions used to live in the Arctic Circle during the Ice Age, but did not have manes. There was not enough food to allow for complex social prides like in Africa today.

 

The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal alive today, being able to exceed speeds of 200 kilometers per hour when flying downwards with its wings tucked against its body.

 

Right whales get their name from whale hunters. They earn this name because they tended to swim slowly near ports and floated conveniently after they died. They were the 'right' whales to kill.

 

Spiders only have so much silk in their bodies throughout heir entire lives. They can ingest it again for reuse. There are eight types of silk among spiders. Most only have a few, and the most any can have is six.

 

Humans take the longest time to rear their children, usually over fiveteen years. The runner-up, orangutans, only raise their young for six to eight years until they fend for themselves.

 

Ferrets aren't canine or feline at all. They're mustelids, related to minks, stoats, skunks, fishers, martens, and polecats. They can catch influenza and canine distemper when exposed to people without proper vaccination. They're a bit like a dog when at play, but not as needy. In that respect, they're like cats too.

 

The platypus is the only poisonous mammal alive, and also one of the few to lay eggs and suckle its young with milk. The males have spurs with which they can inflict wicked blows. Since there is no gregarious behavior in this species, there is no specific term for a group of platypus.

 

Hope you all like being informed, for now you are.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Coryn02

[HeatherMarie]

-When a racehorse dies, they are not buried whole. The head, hooves and heart are usually buried while the rest is cremated. Secretariat was an exception because he was such a phenomenal horse.

This was the only horse-related fact in that post I didn't know. *pats self on back!* But really, that's... weird.

[Infinis]

Ants are arguably the insects most like human beings, as they keep ant-cows (aphids) and 'milk' them for the sweet liquid they secrete, chew up leaves and cultivate the fungus that grows on it, create living storage units by overfeeding some members of a colony so the rest can have a drink in a desert drought, and work together to further the survival of ther colony, instead of simple self-preservation. (Not all these characteristics are displayed by the same ant species)

Ants are also one of only two animals in the world - the other being humans - that will actively make war on one another.

 

Horse related:

It's believed that horses can only enter REM sleep (and therefore dream) only when laying down on their sides.

 

The only truly wild horse today is the Przewalski's horse, now extinct in the wild (small captive herds exist in captivity). All other "wild" horses are actually feral.

 

While horses originated in North America, the last native North American horses actually died out between 13-11kya. They were reintroduced to North America when the Spaniards and others arrived, and are actually considered a non-native species by some agencies dealing with wildlife management in the US.

 

I know this has likely been talked about, but i saw it and don't feel like looking at which page i accidentally clicked on...

Calico cats are NOT always female, However male calicos are very rare.

And also usually sterile. A true calico male is guaranteed to be at least XXY genetically (the human equivalent is Klinefelter's syndrome) and extra X chromosomes in males can decrease fertility and cause a number of other problems.

[Nine]

The platypus is the only poisonous mammal alive, and also one of the few to lay eggs and suckle its young with milk.

I think you mean 'venomous', since poison is something that requires ingestion or skin absorption to create its harmful effect =P Venom is injected. Though the male platypus isn't the only venomous mammal alive either, as there are a few species of shrews and moles known to have venomous bites.

 

One kind in particular is known as the solenodon, which are awesome little animals that are pretty much remnants from the dinosaur era. They're adorable, super important to biologists, and critically endangered by introduced predators and human activities.

 

Poor little solenodons =(

[sparkle10184]

A snail can grow back a new eye if it loses one.

 

Mosquitos are attracted to the colour blue twice as much as to any other colour.

 

Giraffes have no vocal cords, they communicate by vibrating the air around their neck.

[cutiesonic]

Echinas cannot dream. A male giraffe drinks a female giraffe's urine (pee) to know if she's ready to mate.

 

There's my facts.

[Odeen]

The deep sea anglerfish collects glowy glowy bacteria in its wavy thing to create a tiny little light - because it's dark down there, and someone needs to light up that pretty pretty lady.

 

[Bunnybrine]

Rabbits are related to horses, and neither can breathe through their mouths O_o

[Htt71]

The cuttlefish is actually a mollusk.

[DangerDragon]

Humans are animals too, or that's what i heard.

[TCA]

We are more closely related to sea sponges than we are to squid.

[Bunnybrine]

Dachshund's backs are not longer than normal. Their short legs make it look like it.

[Saltpath]

Ants are also one of only two animals in the world - the other being humans - that will actively make war on one another.

 

Horse related:

It's believed that horses can only enter REM sleep (and therefore dream) only when laying down on their sides.

 

The only truly wild horse today is the Przewalski's horse, now extinct in the wild (small captive herds exist in captivity). All other "wild" horses are actually feral.

 

While horses originated in North America, the last native North American horses actually died out between 13-11kya. They were reintroduced to North America when the Spaniards and others arrived, and are actually considered a non-native species by some agencies dealing with wildlife management in the US.

 

 

And also usually sterile. A true calico male is guaranteed to be at least XXY genetically (the human equivalent is Klinefelter's syndrome) and extra X chromosomes in males can decrease fertility and cause a number of other problems.

*Hi-fives herself*

I KNEW ALL OF THEM!!!!

 

I tried to explain the infertileness of calico cats to my older brother, who began asking the most ridiculous questions! (So, what if the cat is actually brown, white, and white, not a turtle?)

 

OK, rats can last for longer without water than camels! (I had to look it up, I don't know if half my facts are interesting to non-animal crazy people or not!)

[qweee]

A woodpecker's tongue is so long it has a special cavity in the skull.

 

Hippos sweat a blood-like substance

 

Hyenas are related more to cats than dogs.

 

Some breeds of cats love to swim, so do tigers.

 

Tigers can't roar, but they can purr.

 

That's all I could think of

[Shadowdrake]

The Mexican mole lizard has two front legs and no back legs. It's a real life lindwurm!

[Nectaris]

Tigers can't roar, but they can purr.

 

Tigers can roar. They are one of only four cats that can(tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars), and according to some definitions, the ability to roar is what makes them big cats. Perhaps you meant cheetahs? I know that they cannot roar, and I believe they purr.

Edited January 20, 2014 by Nectaris