Animal fun facts

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...

Without horses, our world would not exist as we know it today. Horses and humans have an ancient relationship that dates back thousands of years. They were domesticated by Asian nomads about 4,000 years ago, and they were essential to many societies until the advent of motors. Horses are mammals in the order...

Sharks are among the most efficient hunters on the planet. It is no coincidence that they have successfully roamed the oceans for millions of years. They owe this in part to an impressive combination of sensory systems, including well-developed eyes and a large area of the brain dedicated to vision. However,...

Crocodiles or Crocodylia (order Crocodylia) are the largest reptiles living today. They include alligators, gharials, and true crocodiles. They are all semi-terrestrial animals and have a characteristic body morphology. Crocodiles are also aggressive predators that attack from ambush, waiting until their...

Annelids are a very diverse group of invertebrates which some people think of simply as worms. While all annelids are types of segmented worm, not all worms are annelids. There are more than 1,300 annelid species that we have discovered so far. Within this very large group we can find terrestrial, marine...

Along with barbets, toucans make up the birds found in the Ramphastidae family, itself belonging to the order Piciformes. Toucans are arboreal and inhabit the forests of the Americas with a habitat ranging from Mexico to Argentina. Toucans are very intelligent birds, but they are particularly noted for...

The Earth is full of life. Living things populate every corner of our planet, from the most populated areas of major cities to the most remote and unknown corners. This enormous diversity explains why we can find all kinds of animals with surprising behaviors and characteristics on Earth. That's why,...

We often refer to nature's ecosystems as being in a delicate balance, but this estimation can be misleading. While science does its best to understand how these ecosystems might change under the influence of certain new developments, nature itself often finds ways to adapt which are extraordinary and...

Being the most diverse class of animals on the planet, insects have incredible differences in appearance when we compare one species with another. These variations apply to almost every physical aspect such as coloring, appendages and size. While we correctly think of insects as being small in size, this is...

Turtles are an order of reptiles known as testudines, characterized by a shell developed primarily from their ribs. There are 360 living and recently extinct species of turtles found on most continents, some islands, and, in the case of sea turtles, in much of the oceans. For a long time, people thought...

It's a familiar sight, especially in summer: moths, fireflies, flies, mosquitoes, and other flying insects flocking around lights like bulbs and lamps. The creatures attracted to this light are often eaten by predators, overheat, or die from exhaustion while circling the bulbs. Although commonplace,...

Guinea pigs are very active rodents that are fun, non-aggressive and ideal as pets for children. If you have a guinea pig or are thinking of adopting one, you may be wondering how old they are. When guinea pigs are young, it's easy to estimate their age based on height and weight. However, once they...

The relationships different animals with each other in a given ecosystem can be incredibly complicated. It is difficult for us to know exactly how their interactions function to create a stable ecosystem, but the endeavor to study it is worthwhile. It is for this reason, we have categorized different types...

We mostly associated flying animals with birds and we do so for good reason. The list of flightless birds is small compared to those that can fly. The opposite is true when we look at mammal species. Although there is great morphological variety in mammals, we think of them as being mostly terrestrial...

Starfish belong to the phylum Echinodermata and the class Asteroidea. Echinoderms are all marine-based organisms and there are about 7,000 known species with around 1,900 being different species of starfish, also known as sea stars. No species of echinoderms are known to live in fresh water, as they need...

The interactions between plants and animals are very complex. Any disruptions to these relationships can be very disruptive to a given ecosystem. While the relationship between fruit-eating animals and the fruit they eat can seem straightforward, it is usually part of a very complex reciprocal relationship....

So much of biology is spent categorizing animals into different groups. This is based on various physical characteristics and behaviors. One of the most important areas of study in nature is the relationships animals have with other animals. Mutualism is one such example of the fascinating interspecies...

Birds have been inspiring human beings since before we had words, so it is no surprise many of our most common idioms are related to birds. Whether used to inspire, reflect on nature or even highlight deep truths through metaphor or poetry, there are many bird sayings which can help us make better sense...

The opossum is an animal that lives exclusively in the Americas. The opossum belongs to a very diverse group, so there are several species, some of which are more widespread than others. They are the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere and include over 120 species in 19 genera. Opossums...

Owl is the common name for birds of the family Strigidae of the order Strigiformes, nocturnal birds of prey. Have you ever wondered how these creatures sleep? The sleeping habits of owls vary greatly depending on the species. We know that most owls are nocturnal and usually sleep standing up and on branches....

The guinea pig or pet guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), also known as the cavy, is a small rodent native to South America. It was originally domesticated as a livestock animal for meat production and is still consumed in some parts of the world. In Western society, the guinea pig has enjoyed great popularity as a...

Sight is not their most distinctive sense, but guinea pigs can recognize certain colors even better than dogs and cats. In addition, they have a wide field of vision (peripheral vision) because their eyes are arranged very laterally. In this way, they can detect the presence of predators. However, their...

The animals with know as owls belong to the order Strigiformes, which is subdivided into two families. The first is the Strigidae, which are more commonly known as true owls. The second is Tytonidae, which includes the birds we know as barn owls. Colloquially, when we refer to owls we can use the same...

Reptiles are a very diverse group of animals which inhabit various habitats across the world. Although these habitats can have extremely different conditions, they are animals which have adapted to thrive in them all. Many reptiles can survive on land, in water or even between both. Some reptiles live permanently...

The Panthera genus of mammals is one we humans find most fascinating. Found within the Felidae family of animals, they include lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars. It was only recently that genetic analysis found that snow leopards (Panthera unica) also belonged to this genus, but they are perhaps the...

Felines are fascinating animals with often impressive abilities. We find species ranging from very powerful animals like lions and tigers to domestic cats. They are all grouped in the family Felidae, which in turn is divided into two subfamilies: Pantherinae and Felinae. The first includes the species...

Canids are part of the family Canidae, animals which are part of the order Carnivora. These animals include the most diverse type of land mammal, the domestic dog. They also include wolves, jackals, coyotes and several genera known to us as foxes. Only the genera Vulpes contains the animals we know as true...

All jellyfish sting and produce toxic substances, but not all of these substances are equally harmful. Jellyfish, like all cnidarians, have stinging cells called cnidocytes. These cells contain a venom that is usually inoculated into the prey by a spiny thread. Upon contact with the prey, the cells...

It is not uncommon for rabbit owners to not know the actual age of their rabbits. The truth is that this is not easy to determine. While there is no truly accurate method, there are a number of parameters that can be helpful in estimating how old your rabbit is. In addition to taking better care of your...

Jellyfish are invertebrates that, along with corals, gorgonians, and anemones, belong to a group called cnidarians. Jellyfish are marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and tentacles that contain stinging cells to capture prey and repel predators. The graceful glide of a jellyfish through the water, the...

Elephants are known for being the largest land mammals on earth and having a distinctly massive body, large ears and long trunks. Elephants are impressive not only for their size, but also for their intelligence and complex social structure. There are many interesting facts to learn about these amazing...

Raising the leg to urinate is a typical behavior male dogs, although not an exclusive one. Some females will also urinate in this way. Other males may rarely lift their leg or not at all, but they are in the minority of male canines. It is not a behavior which begins immediately. In fact, newborn puppies...

If you live in a quiet neighborhood, it possible a dog will hear a siren very infrequently and bark as the ambulance, police car, fire truck or other kind of emergency service vehicle drives past. If you live in a busy neighborhood in a city, it is possible this is frequent occurrence. A dog howling...