Animal fun facts
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The course of various evolutionary processes has allowed animals to adapt to various environments. These adaptations are required due to the changes in such environments. Changes in temperature is one of the most impactful on an animal's chances of survival. As the ambient, ground and even water temperatures...
Cats are known to sleep an average of 18 hours a day. The reason cats sleep so much is related to the fact that cats are naturally predators and need to rest between hunts. Even after domestication, they retain the habit of sleeping several hours a day, combining their naps with meals, just as they do...
Flamingos are very beautiful birds, generally distinguished by the pink coloration of their plumage, their long legs and their peculiarly curved neck, which they can move in different directions. Depending on the species, they are found in Africa, America, Asia, or Europe. It is believed that the ancestors...
Lagomorphs are a group of mammals distributed throughout the world known for their large ears and amazing speed. Although they resemble rodents in some details, they also differ in many ways. Lagomorphs belong to a different family with their own characteristics. Their evolutionary history is not yet fully...
Spiders are a very extensive and diverse group of arthropods belonging to the class Arachnidae. There are more than 45,000 known species of spiders that occur in habitats around the world. Although all spiders are more or less venomous, only a few of them are dangerous to humans. They are known to be...
It is common for cat guardians to see their feline staring at the corner of a room, seemingly at nothing. We may try to look at their field of vision only to see nothing of note. There are even times when our cat is seemingly staring at us for a prolonged period, but their line of sight remains steadfast...
Spiders are a very extensive and diverse group of arthropods belonging to the class of arachnids. Spiders are related to scorpions, ticks, and mites, and only very distantly to insects, with which they should not be confused. They have four pairs of segmented legs and can regenerate a leg if they lose...
The flamingo (Phoenicopterus) is one of the most beautiful and spectacular exotic birds in existence. Among its main features are the pink color of its plumage, its long legs and slender neck. They get their distinctive pink coloration from metabolizing carotenoids in small crustaceans that they eat. The...
You may be aware that a dog's main form of communication is through body language. This does not mean that vocalizations are not an important way for canines to express themselves. There are many types of vocalizations such as whining, growling and even howling, but barking is probably the sound we most...
As you know, the teeth of animals are specially adapted to the type of food they eat. Dogs, being carnivores, have incisors and canines with which they can grasp, tear and rip meat, and premolars and molars with which they can cut and grind food. Our dog's teeth can tell us a lot about our dog's health,...
When you think of sharks, you probably imagine a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Thanks to the many scary shark horror movies in pop culture, most people are terrified of these creatures. But shark teeth are much more interesting than that. In fact, their teeth play an essential role in their hunting...
Insects are the most diverse class of arthropods on our planet, exhibiting a wide variety of characteristics and adaptations. Depending on the species, they can walk, fly or swim and have conquered an infinite number of habitats. Insects differ from one another in their anatomical, biological, and ecological...
The sense of smell in cats is one of the most developed senses in this species, along with hearing and sight. A cat's sense of smell is the primary means by which it can identify people and objects. In fact, their sense of smell is 14 times better than that of humans. It is rare for cats to lose their...
Spiders are arthropod animals that belong to the order Araneae. Within this order is a great diversity of species, being the most varied group identified as arachnids. There are many people who believe spiders are insects, but they are a different type of arthropod. Spiders have eight legs and no antennae...
It is no secret to anyone that cats are unique and extraordinary animals. We who live with them are always amazed at all the things they can do. Cats have always aroused our curiosity and have even given rise to some myths and legends around the world.
The following AnimalWised article lists some of...
When discussing eagles, the first animal that may spring to mind is the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). While it is certainly one of the most visible, there are many more different species to be found. Eagles are birds from the family Accipitridae. Many other birds of prey such as ospreys and...
The term birds of prey refers to all birds that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates. They are characterized by certain physical features such as hook-tipped beaks and sharp, curved talons, as well as a keen eye for spotting prey. There are many species of birds in this group, but eagles are one of...
Dogs and cats are much more like us than we think, to the point that they are also ticklish. This is a sensation they feel when we stroke certain areas of their body where a large number of nerve endings are concentrated. However, unlike humans and primates, our pets are not able to feel all types of tickling.
Read...
Penguins (Spheniscidae) are a family of birds, the only one of the order Sphenisciformes. There are at least eighteen living species, belonging to six genera, distributed from the poles to the tropics of the Southern Hemisphere. Penguins are known among birds for their feathered tuxedos and graceful gait....
Axolotls are animals whose name literally means strange water monster in Nahuatl, an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Mexico. There is no doubt that this animal is strange in more ways than one, and not just because of its almost mythical appearance. Axolotls are unusual among amphibians in that they reach...
Seahorses are tiny fish that get their name from the shape of their head, which resembles the head of a small horse. Although they look like something out of a fairy tale, seahorses are found in oceans all over the world. Seahorses are unique not only because of their shape, anatomy, colors and facial...
Canids are a very diverse family of carnivorous mammals, with about 34 species. Most of them have a very similar body structure as well as specific characteristics such as a highly developed sense of smell and hearing, which are crucial for their survival. Because coyotes and wolves are closely related and...
We group animals together taxonomically for many reasons. The research which is undertaken to investigate the animal kingdom is vast and incredibly complicated, so classifying animal species helps us to better understand them. Another reason is that the common names we give animals can be very confusing. A...
You may be aware that a dog can sense a woman's pregnancy. This is mainly thanks to their incredible sense of smell which allows them to observe cellular changes in a woman's body that we are ill equipped to perceive. It is also because our dog pays attention to us. When we build a strong bond with our canine,...
Deer belong to a diverse group of animals within the family Cervidae, which includes more than 50 different species. Common characteristics of the group include the presence of antlers in all but one male species, which are renewed each year. Their size and weight can vary greatly depending on the species....
Thanatosis is a behavior by which some animals pretend to be dead. This form of animal deception is an adaptive behavior used as a defense mechanism or a form of mimicry and occurs in a wide variety of animals. Most often, they pretend to be dead in order to survive, hoping that their predator will no longer...
Birds have many characteristics in common, including feathers, beaks, lightweight bones and other features. Despite these similarities, the physical and behavioral characteristics of these animals are incredibly diverse. With around 10,000 extant bird species, we need to find ways to group them together...
Ecosystems exhibit complex dynamics. They are made up of different components that constantly interact with each other. It is a process in which all living things participate, some as predators, others as prey. Snakes are undoubtedly dangerous species known for their hunting abilities, but snakes are also...
When we think of feeding birds, we might associated it with seeds in bird feeders or perhaps slurping up worms from the dirt. The diet of birds is as varied as birds themselves, with around 10,000 different species in various ecosystems finding their sustenance from a variety of food sources. There are...
We have all often looked into our dog's eyes and wondered what they were thinking. Sometimes this is practical in terms of the education and guidance we provide as tutors. Sometimes we simply want to know their perspective on the world. We know that our own memory is such an important part of daily experience,...
Dolphins belong to the toothed whales, so they are mammals and have pulmonary respiration. Within this group there are a number of different species, but they all share these characteristics. One of the best known species is the common dolphin (Delphinus capensis), which belongs perhaps to the most representative...
The term "big cat" is usually used to refer to all members of the genus Panthera. Small and medium-sized cats, including domestic cats, belong to the genus Felis. Big cats are found throughout the world in habitats as diverse as mangrove swamps, deserts, mountains and wooded forests. All cats are carnivores,...
There is an appeal to looking at orcas in captivity. Killer whales are beautiful creatures with a grace and intelligence that is a wonder to behold. To be up close to them can create a sense of awe unlike any other. As playful animals, they can also create great joy, especially for young spectators who...
Whales belong to a group of marine mammals known as Cetacea. As mammals, whales also have lungs, just like us, and breathe air, just like us. Most people believe that whales are a type of fish because they are perfectly adapted to life underwater. However, this is not true at all. Whales are warm-blooded,...
Also known as orcas, killer whales (Orcinus orca) are marine mammals in the group known as cetaceans. Although they have the word ‘whale’ in their common name, orcas are actually considered a type of dolphin. However, the word ‘killer’ is fairly accurate. While they are highly appreciated for their beautiful...
We associate the Mediterranean Sea with some of the most beautiful, accessible and safe beaches in the world. We don't always associate it with sharks. While it is true many shark species live in tropical regions and coral reefs, they can also live in environments as far reaching as the Arctic. With such...
The pain suffered by a bull in the bullfighting arena is a controversial topic between bullfighting enthusiasts and those who claim that it is a tradition that should be ended because it involves animal suffering. For pain to occur, first, there must be an unpleasant stimulus. Second, a signal that...
You may have heard that cats' behavior changes when a woman living in the same household becomes pregnant. Some even claim that cats are able to tell if a woman is pregnant even before she knows it herself. But how can this be? There are few scientific studies on the subject, but everything we know so...
The animal kingdom is one of life's greatest success stories, a collection of millions of species that swim, burrow, run and fly all over the planet. All this diversity, from bees to dolphins, evolved from a common ancestor that probably lived more than 650 million years ago. Recent studies suggest that...
Any animal lover who walks out on the street and sees a stray cat in a bedraggled state will feel a certain amount of pity. When they come to our property, we may even feel compelled to feed them since we have the resources. AnimalWised asks should you feed stray cats? In asking the question, we are not...
Leopards are mammals that belong to the family Felidae and the species Panthera pardus. Eight subspecies of leopard have been identified and are distributed over a large geographic area. Once common throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, the leopard inhabited parts of northern and northeastern Africa...
The word "armadillo" comes from Spanish and means "the little one with the armor," alluding to the plates of bone that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of these peculiar creatures. Armadillos are the only living mammals that wear this type of protection. These animals, closely related to anteaters...
Felids or commonly felids (Felidae), colloquially called cats, are a family of placental mammals of the order Carnivora. They have slender bodies, keen hearing, short snouts, and excellent eyesight. They are the most secretive of all hunting mammals. Most consume only meat, ignoring any other food as live...
Is there anyone who has not imagined being attacked by a shark on the beach? This widespread thought may have its origin in the ferocious appearance of these animals and in the numerous movies in which they star. Although they are among the deadliest predators in the marine world, there are very few attacks...
Birds are warm-blooded vertebrates that walk, hop, or stand only on their hind legs, while their front legs have evolved into wings, which enable them to fly in most cases, although not all of them do. Birds are descended from bipedal, carnivorous Jurassic dinosaurs that lived 150 to 200 million years ago....
As their name implies, whale sharks are a type of large fish. In fact, they are the largest extant fish species currently known to us. Being carnivorous animals with a heft larger than a great white shark, it is understandable some of us will be worried this animal is a maneater. They live in tropical...
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus), also called the white bear, is the common name for the species of bear that inhabits the Arctic ice and Hudson and James Bays in Canada, as well as the east coast of Greenland. Because of their extremely cold environment, polar bears have had to adapt in order to survive....
Ants are common insects, but they have some unique characteristics. More than 10,000 ant species are known worldwide. They are especially prevalent in tropical forests, where in some places they can account for up to half of the insect population. Ants are hypersocial insects that usually live in organized...
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as testudines. There are 360 living and recently extinct species of turtles, including land-dwelling turtles and freshwater turtles. Turtles are distinguished primarily by their solid shell, which protects their vital organs and from which their head, legs, and...
While we share knowledge on all kinds of companion animals, there is a reason the dog features in so many of our AnimalWised articles. The dog is not considered ‘man's best friend’ simply because they are adorable, loving and incredibly beneficial animals with which we can share our lives. It also has...
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