Interesting Facts About Animals

Otters have a specially adapted lens so that they can focus underwater.
Will and Guy have collected these fascinating facts about a wide variety of
animals.

• Bears - Interesting facts
• Crocodiles - Out of the
  ordinary facts
• Dolphins - Fascinating facts
• Ducks - Interesting snippets
• Elephants - Remarkable facts
• Ferrets - Interesting facts
• Flamingo - Interesting
  details
• Frogs - Unusual facts
• Giraffes - Interesting
  snippets
• Lions - Remarkable facts
• Moles - Fascinating details
• Ostriches - Amazing facts
• Otters - Noteworthy facts
• Pandas - Interesting info
• Peacocks - Fascinating
  facts
• Tigers - Unusual snippets
• Tortoises - Interesting facts

Interesting facts about bears

• Statistically, more people are killed by lightning strikes than by
  grizzly bears.  Taking the USA as an example, although deaths by bears
  attacking people are on the increase, they account for no more than 4 deaths
  per year compared with about 70 for lightning.  In the UK, on
  average 3 people each year are killed by lightning, but none by bears.
• The brown bear eats a lot of fish, this is one of the reasons that it's
  the largest land carnivore.
  If you are ever confronted by one of these animals, you better out-smart it because
  bears run faster than you can.
• The term 'bear' is correctly applied to at least five completely
  different species.  To distinguish between these different
  bears, we need an adjective or epithet.  There is the North American
  grizzly bear, Ursus arctos and its close relative the polar bear, Ursus maritimus.
  Then there is the panda (bear), Ailuropoda melanoleuca and also the Asiatic
  black bear, Selenarctos thibetanus.  If you visit South America you may be
  fortunate and see the
  spectacled bear, Tremarctos ornatus.  Finally in India there is the sloth,
  which is really a bear called, Melursus ursinus.  The Koala bear is of
  course a marsupial. 
  See more interesting facts about bears

Interesting facts about
crocodiles

• Eight times a year a congregation of crocodiles gathers in on the Mary
  river to the east of Darwin Australia.  Instinct tells them that at
  these unusually high tides means masses of fish are going to leap over the
  barrier as the tide comes in.  On one occasion David Attenborough showed up
  and filmed about 60 crocodiles feasting on the fish as they tried to leap
  over the barrier.
• Differences between Crocodiles and Alligators
  Crocodiles have more pointed 'V-shaped noses, whereas alligators have a wide
  U-shaped, snout.  If you see a an olive brown body wriggling in a tropical
  river it's more likely to be a
  crocodile.  By comparison, alligators are darker and may appear almost black.Will and Guy think that the teeth are the biggest clue in the croc -v- gator
  debate.  In crocodiles, the lower 4th tooth
  looks like a peg and juts into the upper jaw.  Alligators have a smaller
  lower jaw, thus when they close their mouth you don't see much of the lower
  teeth in general, and the 4th 'peg' in particular.
• Unusually, the gender of crocodiles is determined by temperature.
  If the eggs are incubated tat over 33c,
  then the egg hatches into a male or 'bull' crocodile.  At lower
  temperatures only female or 'cow' crocodiles develop.
  See more interesting facts
  about crocodiles

Interesting facts about dolphins

• Watching dolphins feeding on shoals of fish is fascinating.  The school
  of dolphins marshal the fish into a ball, then each dolphin in the school takes
  it in turn to swim through the fish and seize a tasty snack.  Such is
  the control of these animals, that it is impossible for the fish to escape
  until all the dolphins have had their fill.
• How dolphins drink water is a conundrum.  In a nutshell, they don't
  drink seawater, because of the salt concentration.  Thus they have to
  obtain water through their food, for example, squid or sea cucumber.
  The rest of their water balance is down to having efficient kidneys.
  Talking of water balance, let us consider, how do we humans 'lose' water?
  The answer is by sweating and through exhaling, both of which are reduced in
  the dolphin.
• Dolphins see and navigate their underwater world by echo location.  By
  generating clicks at about 500 clicks per second, dolphins can echo locate,
  their friends, their foes and their prey.  We are only just
  appreciating their skill in simultaneously detecting objects, both near and
  far, moving and stationary.
  See more interesting
  facts about dolphins

Interesting facts about ducks

• One amusing ritual for introducing friends to an Indian
  restaurant, is to persuade the greenhorn to order a Bombay duck, and then
  watch their incredulity when the waiter brings a dried fish.  The
  Bombay duck really is a fish, or to be completely accurate, a lizardfish,
  which does indeed live in the waters off Bombay.
• 'Lame duck' was originally an 18th century term for investors in the
  stock market who could not, or would not, pay their brokers.  Later in
  1926 a Wisconsin newspaper, wrote the heading:  'Making a lame duck of
  Coolidge'.  Calvin Coolidge would be the first of many American
  presidents to be saddled with the epithet - Lame duck president.
• Will and Guy's favourite
  collective name for a group of flying ducks, is a 'team of ducks'.
  When they are on the water we call them a 'paddling of ducks'.
  However, everyone else seems to refer to them a 'flock of ducks', whether they
  are flying, swimming, or on land.
  See more interesting facts
  about ducks

Interesting facts about
elephants

• Elephants display 'right-handedness', not in their limbs, but in the
  tusks.  Close examination of an elephant's tusks will reveal that one
  tusk has a blunter tip and is thicker than its less favoured counterpart.  The
  reason for this difference is that in their natural habitat elephants use their tusk(s) for
  gathering food, and digging for water.  Consequently the tusk on their favourite becomes more developed, but blunter.
• An elephant detective could track an elephant by following their individual
  footprints.  What would help such stalking is the elephant's habit of
  using the same paths as their ancestors.
• The elephant's memory is legendary, what is not so well known is they
  have a special ceremony for greeting a long lost member of the herd.  In this
  greeting ceremony both elephants flap their ears, trumpet and generally
  express joy.  See more
  interesting facts about elephants

Interesting facts about ferrets

• Ferrets make for an interesting and unusual pet.  Owners love them
  because they are inquisitive while awake, else they just sleep.  They are also
  relatively easy to house train, and can interact ok with other pets such as cats
  or dogs.
• Hearing is their most strongly developed sense, presumably linked to their
  ability to survive underground in nature.
• Ferret racing is making a come-back in England, it's a popular way of raising
  money at fetes and craft shows.
  See more interesting facts
  about animals

Interesting facts about the
flamingo

• Whilst the male flamingo doesn't actually lactate, he can
  produce a milky fish soup in his crop, which he then feeds to his little fledgling flamingos.
  Incidentally, chicks are born with straight bills, they only start to curve
  after about 10 days.
• In Egyptian hieroglyphics, the flamingo was the symbol for red.
• Ancient Romans on the other hand, thought that the flamingo's tongue was a
  tasty delicacy.  See
  more interesting facts about the flamingo

Interesting facts about frogs

• Frogs will only eat something that moves; in nature that would be insects, or maybe spiders.  Frog farmers soon learn that frogs are not
  tempted by dead meat.  Tadpoles on the other hand, are vegetarian.
• Unlike reptiles, amphibians such as frogs, always return to water to breed.  (Think of frogspawn).
  However, there is a midwife frog where the male carries the frogspawn around
  on his body.  When he senses the time is ripe, he swims out into the
  water and the tiny tadpoles emerge from their egg-jelly and swim away.
• Ranidaphobia means fear of frogs; however there is no need to worry that
  touching the animals will give you warts, that's just one of the many myths
  surrounding frogs.  See
  more interesting facts about frogs

Interesting facts about giraffes

• If you ever see live giraffes, then the first surprise is how graceful they
  are; despite their long legs and neck, they glide over the ground.  To
  prevent them tripping over their own legs, when they run, the front legs land
  inside the hind legs.  Still pictures of giraffes don't do justice to their
  athletic movement in nature.
• Just as we humans all have distinct faces, so giraffes all have distinct
  markings or patterns.
• Watch for the neck, giraffes show their emotions by the position of their
  head, submissive - near the horizontal; aggressive, standing tall.  It
  strikes me as one of the wonders of nature how their hearts can pump blood all
  the way up to their heads. 
  See more interesting facts about frogs

Interesting facts about lions

• A lion's tail is different from that of the other members of the cat
  family, it has a tassel end.  The tail can be used for signalling in a
  wide-range of situations; for instance, mother to cub, 'this way', one
  huntress to another, 'I am circling left', or even from lioness to lion,
  come hither'.
• Crepuscular means becoming active at dawn or dusk, and it describes the
  lionesses hunting strategy perfectly.  In the twilight they take
  advantage of their good eyesight, stalking prowess, teamwork and raw power
  to overcome the weakest zebra or wildebeest in the herd.
• While the lionesses do most of the hunting, and pretty much all of the
  cub rearing, the lion dominates the pride and fights off other males.
  When the old lion is deposed by the new younger fitter lion, the new king
  kills off all the cubs.  This seems cruel, nature in the raw, but as he
  is king of the castle, killing the cubs makes sure that the lionesses come
  into season, and look to him to father some more cubs.
  See more interesting facts
  about lions

Interesting facts about moles

• Going back in history to 1702, moles were responsible for
  the death of King William III (William of Orange).  What happened was
  the king was out riding, and his horse stumbled over a molehill.  Three
  weeks later the king was dead as a result of injuries sustained during his
  fall.A fanciful story? Maybe; but how do you explain William of Orange's enemies,
  the Jacobites raising their glasses and toasting, 'The little gentleman in a
  black velvet suit'.
• In the mole kingdom, the males are called boars and the females are
  called sows.  Both genders are solitary outside of the mating season.
  Consequently, it's only in quizzes that you ever see the collective noun, a
  'labour of moles', or a 'company of moles'.
• One of the funniest made-up names that I have heard
  was Dame Celia Molestrangler, played by Betty Marsden in the 1960s radio
  programme 'Round the Horne'.
  See more interesting facts
  about moles

Interesting facts about
ostriches

• Ostriches are the fastest two-legged animal on the planet, capable of
  over 40 mph.  Also stamina is not a problem, they could probably cover
  25 miles in one hour.  Unfortunately, or fortunately - it depends on
  how you look at it - ostriches are a flightless bird.
• Do ostrich feathers make good dusters?  True, you bet; ostrich feathers are highly prized
  for removing cobwebs.
• Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand when danger approaches?   It's a myth.  Firstly it would have no value as a survival strategy.  Secondly, ostriches have vicious
  beaks, and they can also deliver a nasty kick with those long powerful legs.
  See more interesting facts
  about ostriches

Interesting facts about otters

• Otter have specially adapted lens, which enables them to focus underwater.
  Have you tried opening your eyes underwater?  What a difference a pair
  of goggles makes.  They also have skin flaps to help them keep out the
  water when they dive to depths of around 30ft.
• As with humans, old otters have white whiskers.
• Those that study otters say that they carry around the same stone.
  Moreover, they are one of only a few tool-using mammals.
  See more interesting facts about
  otters

Interesting facts about pandas

• The giant panda has a special place in Chinese folklore; for example the fur or
  pelt was thought to ward off plagues.  Each region of China seems to have a
  different name for the panda for instance, cat bear, eater of bamboo or great
  bearcat.
• Pandas have one of the biggest contrasts between tiny baby and adult.  They gain their full size at about 4yrs old and become
  reproductively mature at age 6, and may live for about 25 years.
• Rumour: The collective name for a group pandas is a pandamonium.
  See more interesting facts about
  pandas

Interesting facts about peacocks

• Some people believe that to see a white peacock will bring eternal happiness.
• Several Asian countries have the peacock as their national bird, notably India.
  In the case of Burma it's a different species, the grey peacock-pheasant.
• Peacocks get most of their colour from light reflection rather
  than a dye.  The feathers have barbs, which in turn have rods.  It
  is these rods that controls how light reflects and produces the green,
  golden yellow, brown and bright blue.  White peacocks have a slightly
  different arrangement of the rods thus don't develop the usual colours.
  See more interesting facts
  about peacocks

Interesting facts about tigers

• How many stripes do you thing a tiger has?  Guy guessed 20,
  Will guessed 50, we were both a long way out, tigers have over 100 stripes.
• At the mouth of the river Ganges in Bangladesh is the Sundarbans
  mangrove forest.  This area house one of the largest groups of tigers
  in the world.  Moreover, unlike other tigers, this Bengal sub-species
  will kill humans who wander into its territory.  While old or injured
  tigers of other sub-species will kill humans when they are hungry, the
  Bengal tigers are the only group where fit an healthy tigers and tigresses
  become man-eaters.Relatively recently locals realize that tigers attack only from behind, thus
  if they have to go into the mangrove swamp, then a mask on the BACK of their
  head really does offer protection from tiger attacks.
• Cartoons featuring tigers often show them opening their claws like
  flick-knives.  There is a grain of truth in this caricature in that
  tigers do have sharp 4in retractable claws.  Incidentally, they have
  five toes on their front legs, but only four on the back legs.
  See more interesting facts
  about tigers

Interesting facts about
tortoises

• Giant tortoises can weigh over 500 lbs. This makes some tortoises strong
  enough for humans to ride on their backs.
• Tortoises evolved over 200 million years ago and are relatively
  unchanged over time.  Their success in adapting to the environment is probably
  due to the protective ability of their shell or carapace.  This shell
  is made up of 60 bone-like plates.
  
• You may recall the famous Aesop's fable featuring the Tortoise and the
  Hare.  Ever the boaster, the hare taunts the tortoise that he can race
  him.  The hare rushes off into a lead, but then fools around and falls
  asleep.  When the hare wakes he is just in time to see the plodding
  tortoise crossing the finishing line and winning their race.
  See more interesting facts
  about tortoises

Footnote:
Please write to Will and Guy if you have any interesting animal facts