• Interesting Facts about Amphibians (3)
• Interesting Facts about Birds (22)
• Interesting Facts about Fishes (9)
• Interesting Facts about Mammals (48)
• Interesting Facts about Reptiles (16)

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• Z

Beluga

DESCRIPTION: In general, adult belugas are almostcompletely white, while young belugas are gray. The head region is rounded witha prominent melon and a short broad beak. One highly noticeable trait is thelack of a dorsal fin; instead belugas have a narrow dorsal ridge. The pectoralflippers of belugas are broad and the flukes become strongly convex on thetrailing edge in mature whales.In general, male belugas tend to be larger thanfemales SIZE: Newborn beluga calves are up to 1.6 m in length.Male 3.4-4.6 m, Female 3-4 m WEIGHT: At birth, calves are approximately 54-80 kg. Male - Up to 1500 kg, Female - Up to 1360 kg FUN FACTS: The English name "beluga"comes from the Russian word belukha, which translates into "white."Belugas are also known as white whales. At birth, beluga calves are generallydark gray. They gradually lighten with age, and upon reaching maturity, attainthe white coloration characteristic of adult belugas. This white colorationprotects belugas from predators by camouflaging them among the icebergs and icefloes of northern seas. A highly social species, beluga whalesare extremely vocal. Long ago, scientists and sailors gave beluga whales thenickname "sea canaries," due to the birdlike sounds these whalesmake. Beluga whales lack dorsal fins, buthave a low dorsal ridge. The lack of a dorsal fin means less surface area forlosing heat to the environment. And without a dorsal fin, a beluga can moreeasily swim beneath extensive ice sheets and locate breathing holes. Belugas are among the few whales thathave un-fused neck vertebrae. This feature makes their necks quite flexible andgives their heads a wide range of motion. Belugascan swim both forward and, unlike most other whales, backward.

Black Swan

DESCRIPTION: As indicated by its name, this speciesof swan has dark body plumage with white feather tips on its wings. The bill isorange-red with a white band near the tip and the eyes are bright red. SIZE: 0.2-1.3 m long WEIGHT: Up to 9 kg FUN FACTS: The term 'swan song' comes from theancient Greek belief that a swan sang a song of death when its life was aboutto end. Male swans are called cobs, females arepens, and young are cygnets. Swans have far more neck vertebrae thanmammals, with 24 or 25 vertebrae; most mammals only have seven. Swans in general have the largest eggsof any flighted bird. Swan parents will carry cygnets ontheir back while swimming, enabling the parents to regain weight lost to therigors of mating, egg laying, incubation, simultaneous feeding, and brooding.This practice also provides protection for the downy cygnets. Swansare known to have a triumph ceremony. Such ceremonies are when a male attacks arival suitor, then returns to his potential mate to perform an elaborateceremony while posturing and calling.

Blue Whale

DESCRIPTION: Blue whales, named for theirbluish-gray coloration, are known for their immense size. Their colorationoften includes grayish or whitish areas. When viewed from above, the rostrumappears broad and U-shaped and a large splashguard surrounds two blowholes. Ablue whale's slender, vertical blow can reach a height of 9 m. Blue whales have55-68 vertical grooves extending back almost to the navel. The dorsal fin isvery small and set of the way back and the trailing edge of the flukes aresmooth except for a small notch in the center.Females tend to be slightly larger thanmales SIZE: For adults, a maximum of 33.5 m, but lengths of 21 m are more common. Bluewhale calves measure about 7 min length.Male: For Antarctic adults at physical maturity,lengths of 25 m are common; specimens from the Northern hemisphere are typically smaller.Female: For Antarctic adults at physicalmaturity, lengths of 27 mare common; specimens from the Northern hemisphere are typically smaller WEIGHT: Long ago, Antarctic blue whales weighed 145,280 kg. Newborncalves weigh 2,700-3,600 kg. FUN FACTS: Blue whales belong to the cetaceansuborder Mysticeti - the baleen whales. Whales in this suborder lack teeth.Instead, they have stiff, hair-like baleen plates that hang from their upperjaws. With the baleen plates, blue whales filter vast quantities of krill (tinyshrimp-like crustaceans), consuming as much as four tons per day. Blue whales typically travel eithersingly or in pairs, although sometimes more whales may be found within closerange in areas high in krill concentrations. Blue whales are capable of producinglow-frequency sounds, which can travel hundreds of miles in deep water. Thefunction of these long-ranging vocalizations is not quite known although it istheorized that some of the vocalizations aid in navigation by imagingseamounts, islands and other underwater masses. Theblue whale is the largest animal in the world - probably the largest that everlived. Long ago, Antarctic blue whales measured 30.5 m (100 ft.) and weighed 145,280 kg (320,000 lb.). Whalehunters took the most massive whales - the biggest blue whales today measureabout 26 m(85 ft.),but lengths of 21 m(70 ft.)are more common. A blue whale's heart alone may weigh 908 kg (2,000 lb.), as much as asmall car.

Bottlenose Dolphins

DESCRIPTION:Bottlenosedolphins are light to dark gray over their dorsal surface, fading into a whiteor cream along their ventral region. They have a streamlined fusiform bodyshape. The source of their common name, bottlenose dolphins exhibit apronounced anterior rostrum (often referred to as a beak), typically 7-8cm (3 in.) in length. Said rostrumgenerally contains 76-98 conically-shaped, homogenous teeth - with tooth countsvarying among individuals. Their dorsal fin is falcate.It shouldbe noted that two distinct ecotypes are recognized. The coastal ecotypetypically exhibits smaller average body size with relatively larger flippersize. Comparatively, the offshore ecotype typically exhibit larger average bodysize and darker coloration - among other morphological distinctions. SIZE:Coastalecotype = average 2.5-2.7 m Offshoreecotype = 3.7 m Atlanticbottlenose dolphins as a whole are typically smaller than Pacific bottlenosedolphins; however, bottlenose dolphins frequenting cooler, temperate waters ineither ocean tend to exhibit sizes indicative of the relatively larger offshoreecotype. Calves areapproximately 106-132 cmat birth. FUN FACTS: Dolphins frequently ride the bow wakeor the stern wake of boats. They have been seen jumping as high as 4.9 m (16 ft.) out of the water andlanding on their backs or sides, in a behavior called a breach. Both young and old dolphins chase oneanother, carry objects around, toss seaweed to one another, and use objects toinvite each other to interact. Such activity may be practice for catching food. Bottlenose dolphins often cooperatewhen hunting and catching fish. In open waters, a dolphin pod sometimesencircles a large school of fish and herds them into a tight ball for easyfeeding. Then the dolphins take turns charging through the school to feed.Occasionally dolphins will herd fish to shallow water where they are easy prey. Bottlenosedolphins generally do not need to dive very deeply to catch food. Depending onhabitat, most bottlenose dolphins regularly dive to depths of 3-46 m (10-150 ft.). They are, however,capable of diving to some depth. Under experimental conditions, a traineddolphin dove 547 m(1,795 ft.). Bottlenosedolphins live in fluid social groups called pods. The size of a pod roughlyvaries from 2-15 individuals. Several pods may join temporarily to form largergroups called herds or aggregations. Up to several hundred animals have beenobserved traveling in a single herd. The dolphin's sleek, fusiform body,together with its flippers, flukes, and dorsal fin, adapt this animal for oceanlife. A dolphin's forelimbs are pectoral flippers. As it swims, a dolphin usesits pectoral flippers to steer and, with the help of the flukes, to stop. Bottlenose dolphins routinely swim atspeeds of about 5-11 kph (3-7mph). On average, a dive may last 8-10minutes. Group composition and structure oftenare based on age and sex. Adult males tend to group together in pairs or inthrees. Females with calves associate with one another. Individuals may leaveone group and join another. Adultseat about 4-5% of their body weight per day. Bottlenose dolphins oftencooperate when hunting and catching fish. In open waters, a dolphin groupsometimes encircles a large school of fish and herds them into a tight, densemass for easy feeding. The dolphins take turns charging through the school tofeed while the others keep the fish from scattering. Occasionally dolphins herdfish to shallow water and trap them against a shore or sandbar.

Brown Pelicans

DESCRIPTION: The brown pelican is a large,grayish-brown bird with a blackish belly and a white head and neck. It has along beak with a thin, membranous pouch. SIZE: Approximately 120 cm tall; 210 cm wide WEIGHT: Approximately 2.7-3.18 kg FUN FACTS: Brown pelicans are the only species todive into the water from 30feet above to capture prey. After catching the prey anda lot of water, they tip their bill downward to drain the water beforeswallowing the fish. While brown pelicans are known fordiving, they will never be deep divers due to the extensive system ofsubcutaneous air-sacs that give them theirbuoyancy in the water. The pelican's pouch (gular pouch) isused as a dip net to catch fish, which are soon swallowed into the stomach (thecenter of gravity) so that they can maintain their balance while flying. They have an extendable sac of skin atthe base of their throat, which is capable of holding up to 3 gallons of water,several times more than their belly. Most fossil species of pelican areplaced in the same genus as the modern pelican due to extreme anatomicalsimilarities. This suggests that the present form of pelican has changed verylittle over the past 30-40 million years. The brown pelican, the smallest of thePelecanidae family, can fly up to 30 mph. Its gular pouch may be used to disperseheat as well as to collect fish and rainwater. Brownpelicans are best adapted to living alongside humans. They are frequently seenat fishing ports up and down the coast, opportunistically feeding on fishscraps discarded by fisherman.

Buffalo

Capebuffalo (Nare) are notoriously bad tempered and are often referred to as the"Okavango Tax men." Buffaloare mostly seen in small groups of 5 - 10 that consist only of males. Largerherds numbering 200 - 300 have been seen during boat trips up the Borochannel.A large Cape buffalo can weigh as much as 800kg and stands 1.4m to theshoulder. Mating usually takes place from March to May followed by +/- 330 daysgestation period.

Bullfrogs

DESCRIPTION: Green to greenish brown; bullfrogs ofthe southern US are often spotted; irises of gold or brown; both head and bodyare flattened and broad FUN FACTS: North American bullfrogs are capable ofleaping 1 to 2 m. North American bullfrogs areterritorial and protect their territories by calls, displays, chases, jumpattacks, and even wrestling. Females are attracted to males with territoriesthat provide the most food. A female North American bullfrog canlay up to 25,000 small eggs that are held together at the surface of the water. Hearing is one of the most importantsenses to a frog. Male North American bullfrogs chorus at breeding ponds;females also give aggressive and reciprocation calls. North American bullfrogs have teeth inthe roof of their mouth and a muscular tongue capable of flipping prey intotheir mouth. North American bullfrogs may remain atthe tadpole stage for up to 2 years. A longer tadpole stage means a larger frogafter metamorphosis, which usually means a better chance of survival. North American bullfrogs close theirnostrils and continue to absorb oxygen through their skin while under water. Ingeneral, frogs have smooth skin while toads have textured skin.

Bushbuck

Bushbuck(Ngurungu) are beautiful medium sized antelopes that resemble the animatedcharacter "Bambi". Usually solitary, these antelope stick close tothick vegetation as described by the animal's name. It has the ability to jumpinto this cover to evade predators such as leopard. Grouped within theTragelaphus family (Kudu and Sitatunga), the bushbuck has characteristic spiralhorns, only found with males.

Camels

DESCRIPTION: Woolly coat, caramel in color thatoften looks shaggy from seasonal shedding. Both sexes have a single hump on theback. FUN FACTS: Thedromedary camel is capable of drinking 100 L (30 gal.) of water in just 10 minutes. Camels store fat in the hump, notwater! In fact baby camels are born without a hump because the layer of fatdoes not develop until they eat solid food. Unlike most mammals, a healthy camel'sbody temperature fluctuates throughout the day from 34C-41.7C (93F-107F.) This fluctuation isimportant because it allows the camel to conserve water by not sweating as theenvironmental temperature rises. Thedromedary camel is no longer considered a wild animal. In Africa and Arabia it is a semi-domesticated animal that free rangesbut is under the control of herders.

Canebrake Rattlesnake

DESCRIPTION: The canebrake rattlesnake is aheavy-bodied snake. Color is pale grayish-brown to pink, with a pattern ofdark-brown to black V-shaped cross bands and a russet stripe down thecenterline of the back. (The rusty stripe distinguishes a canebrake from acommon timber rattler). A broad, dark stripe angles back from the eye, and thetail is velvety black. SIZE: Adults average 1.2 m in length, but someindividuals reach lengths of 180cm WEIGHT: Average weight is 2.3 kg; maximum is 4.5 kg FUN FACTS: Rattlesnakes are classified as pit vipersbecause of facial pits found below and between the eye and nostril on bothsides of the head. The pit is highly sensitive to infrared radiation (heat) andserves as a direction finder in locating warm-blooded prey or predators. Rattlesnakes have a special feedingsystem based on venom, injected into prey through teeth called fangs. Whenapproached, rattlesnakes normally remain motionless and quiet, relying onexcellent camouflage. If cornered however, they will stand their ground. The rattlesnake uses its rattle to warnother animals of its presence, so it doesn't have to waste venom on defense. The rattle is a series of hard segmentsmade of keratin. A new segment is added each time a snake sheds its skin. Whenshaken, the segments vibrate against each other, producing a familiar buzz. Don't be fooled by the rattling motion- there are several snake species (black racer, milk snake, hognose) thatvibrate their tails when cornered. Theage of a rattlesnake is not evident by the size or number of segments in itsrattle. The rattle is often broken off after a couple of years. An adultrattlesnake that has the original button at the tip of its tail is rare.

<< [Первая] < Предыдущая 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Следующая > [Последняя] >>

List of Animals English Globe