Do you love whales? A blue whale’s heart is the size of a small car. It is also the largest animal to have ever lived on earth. Their tongue can weigh as much as an elephant! This giant of the ocean feeds on some of the smallest marine life – tiny shrimp-like animals called krill. A single adult blue whale can consume 36,000 kg of krill a day, which they find by diving.
HERE ARE SOME MORE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ANIMALS YOU MAY NOT KNOW:
- Female horses have fewer teeth than male horses.
- The lifespan of a housefly is 14 days. Good riddance!
- Cows cannot walk down stairs.
- Not all black bears are black.
- Squirrels accidentally plant millions of trees by forgetting where they’ve buried nuts.
- The bottom of a horse’s hoof is called a frog. Whaaaat?!
- A baby duck is called a duckling, and an adult male is a drake. An adult female duck is called a hen or a duck, and a group can be called a raft, team or paddling.
- A giraffe uses its 20-inch long black tongue to clean its ears.
- Giraffes have no vocal chords and can’t cough.
- Polar bears are left-handed. They also performed as battle animals in Ancient Rome, have see-through hair and black skin, and can swim for more than a week STRAIGHT. And, they are invisible to infrared cameras.
- The cat is the only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible.
- Starfish do not have brains.
- Bats cannot walk.
- Frogs have teeth, but toads do not.
- Sharks and stingrays are immune to all known diseases, including cancer.
- Crocodile dung was used by Egyptians as a contraceptive in 2,000 B.C.
- Fish can get seasick.
- Guinea pigs and rabbits can’t sweat.
- A crocodile’s tongue is attached to the roof of its mouth, and it cannot move it.
- Turtles can recognize faces.
- The elephant is the only animal that cannot jump. Also, they actually don’t like peanuts.
- Cat urine glows under black lights.
- The flesh above a turkey’s bill is called a snood.
- A cat’s jaw cannot move sideways.
- Unlike cats and dogs, a rabbit’s eyes do not reflect light.
Some of these facts may seem silly and useless, but you know a lot more about these silly animals now! Use these facts to impress people next time you’re at the zoo or the pet store! Imagine the conversations you will strike up!
Dog Facts
- Dalmatians are born without spots! They are born with plain white coats with their first spots appearing after they are 1week old.
- Dogs sweat through their foot pads to help keep them cool. They also keep cool by panting.
- Greyhounds are the world’s fastest dogs with the ability to reach up to 45 mph.
- Every dog has a unique nose print with no two alike.
- The Basenji, an African wolf dog, does not bark in a normal way but may yodel or scream when excited!
- Snoopy, from Charles M. Schultz’s “Peanuts” comic strip, is a beagle.
- A dog’s sense of smell is 1000 times greater than a human!
- Nine percent of dog owners will have a birthday party for their pet.
- Dogs have 28 baby teeth and 42 permanent teeth.
Pet Facts
- 94% of pet owners say their animal pal makes them smile more than once a day.
- The American Veterinary Dental Society states that 80% of Dogs and 70% of cats show signs of oral disease by age 3.
Cat Facts
- Cats have 32 muscles in each ear.
- Cats have 4 rows of whiskers.
- Cats have no collarbone, which is one reason they are so flexible.
- Cats spend approximately 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves.
- “American Shorthair” is the designation reserved for pedigreed cats, while similar-looking cats of mixed or unknown origin are called “domestic shorthairs.”
- Feline’s jaws cannot move sideways.
- Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs have about ten!
- Cat whiskers are so sensitive they can detect the slightest change in air current.
- Cats have 26 baby teeth and 30 permanent teeth.
Dog Facts
- Dalmatians are born without spots! They are born with plain white coats with their first spots appearing after they are 1week old.
- Dogs sweat through their foot pads to help keep them cool. They also keep cool by panting.
- Greyhounds are the world’s fastest dogs with the ability to reach up to 45 mph.
- Every dog has a unique nose print with no two alike.
- The Basenji, an African wolf dog, does not bark in a normal way but may yodel or scream when excited!
- Snoopy, from Charles M. Schultz’s “Peanuts” comic strip, is a beagle.
- A dog’s sense of smell is 1000 times greater than a human!
- Nine percent of dog owners will have a birthday party for their pet.
- Dogs have 28 baby teeth and 42 permanent teeth.
Animal Facts
- Fleas can jump 350 times its body length.
- Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards.
- Crocodiles cannot stick their tongue out.
- Starfish do not have a brain.
- Slugs have 4 noses.
- Only female mosquitoes bite.
- Polar bear skin is black!
- The only mammal capable of flight is the bat.
- A newborn kangaroo is the size of a lima bean.