Facts
Here are some facts about animals.
12 Facts about cats
- On average, cats spend 2/3 of every day sleeping. That means a nine-year-old
cat has been awake for only three years of its life. - Unlike dogs, cats do not have a sweet tooth. Scientists believe this is due
to a mutation in a key taste receptor. - The technical term for a cat’s hairball is a “bezoar.”
- A group of cats is called a “clowder.”
- Female cats tend to be right pawed, while male cats are more often left
pawed. Interestingly, while 90% of humans are right handed, the remaining 10% of
lefties also tend to be male. - A cat cannot climb head first down a tree because its claws are curved the wrong way. A cat can’t climb head first down a tree because every claw on a cat’s paw points the same way. To get down from a tree, a cat must back down.
- Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.
- A cat’s brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a
dog’s. Both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are
responsible for emotions. - There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with
approximately 40 recognized breeds. - Approximately 24 cat skins can make a coat.
- While it is commonly thought that the ancient Egyptians were the first to
domesticate cats, the oldest known pet cat was recently found in a 9,500-year-old grave on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This grave predates early Egyptian art depicting cats by 4,000 years or more.
A Few facts About the Chihuahua
The Chihuahua (chi-wow-wa) is named after the state Chihuahua, Mexico, where it was discovered. It is the world's smallest dog breed. Chihuahuas are so small that some people carry them in their pockets or purses. Despite their size, they can be very good watchdogs. Height: 6-9 inches tall. Weight: no more then 6 pounds.
Facts about fish
- Fish are vertebrate animals that live in the water. Vertebrate means they have a spinal cord surrounded by bone or cartilage.
- Fish have gills that extract oxygen from the water around them.
- There are over 30000 known species of fish.
- Some flatfish use camouflage to hide themselves on the ocean floor.
- Tuna can swim at speeds of up to 70 kph (43 mph).
- Relative to their body size, fish have small brains compared to most other animals.
- Fish are covered in scales which are often covered in a layer of slime to help their movement through water.
- Cleaner fish help out other fish by removing parasites and dead skin from their scales.
- Although jellyfish and crayfish have the word ‘fish’ in their name, they aren’t actually fish.
- Over 1000 fish species are threatened by extinction.
- Mermaids are mythological creatures with the tail of a fish and the upper half of a woman.
Facts about Turtles
*Turtles are reptiles.
- Turtles have a hard shell that protects them like a shield, this upper shell is called a ‘carapace’.
- Turtles also have a lower shell called a ‘plastron’.
- Turtles can hide their heads inside their shells when attacked by predators.
- Turtles have existed for around 215 million years.
- Like other reptiles, turtles are cold blooded.
- The largest turtle is the leatherback sea turtle, it can weigh over 900 kg! (2000 lb)
Turtles lay eggs. - In some species of turtle the temperature determines if the egg will develop into a male or female, lower temperatures lead to a male while higher temperatures lead to a female.
- Some turtles lay eggs in the sand and leave them to hatch on their own. The young turtles make their way to the top of the sand and scramble to the water while trying to avoid predators.
- Sea turtles have special glands which help remove salt from the water they drink.
- Turtles are notoriously slow movers (having a giant shell doesn’t help!).
- Many turtle species are endangered.