• 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
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• K
• M
• O
• P
• V
• W

African Black Duck

DESCRIPTION: Overall, this duck is black in colorwith white markings on the back region. SIZE: Approximately 35 cm WEIGHT: 316-502 g FUN FACTS: Males are called drakes, females arehens, and young are ducklings. Africanblack ducks commonly feed in swift-running streams. They forage by eitherstanding on top of partially submerged rocks and jabbing under the rocks withtheir bills or by diving in rapids or at the base of waterfalls.

Barn Owl

DESCRIPTION: The barn owl is primarily white withyellow and tawny shade and it is freckles of dark specks. The eyes and beak arecompletely encircled by a heart-shaped facial ruff of white feathers rimmedwith tan feathers. SIZE: Approximately 37.5-50 cm. Females usually are larger than males WEIGHT: Approximately 450-560 g FUN FACTS: In the wild, many young barn owls donot survive their first year of life. Some scientists think this may be aresult of breeding and raising large clutches more than once a year, which usesa lot of energy. Barn owl pairs typically stay togetheras long as both members of the pair are alive. They do not create a nest;rather they deposit the eggs in manmade structures such as towers, barns, etc.- often using the site year after year. Farmers and ranchers are increasinglyattracted to the barn owl's ability to control rodents better than traps,poison, or cats. In some Pacific islands they have been introduced for ratcontrol and have been provided with nest boxes in palm groves by locals for thesame purpose. Barn owls are able to consume twice asmuch food as other owls in comparison to their weight. They are able to cover 100 acres each night insearch of food. A single barn owl offspring is able to consume 25,000 mice ayear. They are often seen in barns andagricultural fields which provide them with ample hunting sites. During the daythey find an enclosed area in an old building, hollow tree, or hole in a rockycliff and sleep away the afternoon. Barn owls hunt at night, and althoughthey have very good vision, they rely mostly on their sense of hearing. Owlears are located one higher than the other, increasing sound reception. Duringflight, the left ear captures sounds below while the right ear focuses onsounds from above. In addition, their face feathers createa disc, which works to trap and focus sound. Researchers found that in totalblackness the barn owl is still able to find the smallest of prey because oftheir excellent hearing. Owls' eyes look forward in a fixedposition and cannot move from side to side, as the human eye can. In order tosee peripherally, the owl must turn its entire head. It is a myth that owls can turn theirhead all the way around. Owls have 14 neck vertebrae, allowing them to movetheir head 270 degrees. Barn owls have a serrated comb on themiddle toes claw. So far, scientists believe this to be a grooming adaptation.         Most owls have unique, comb like feathers thatallow for silent flight. The leading edge is "fringed" so that thefeathers, when moving, do not make noise when rubbing together.

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.

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.

Citron-Crested Cockatoo

This is a large, white parrot with anorange crest and light orange ear spots. The feathers under the wing and tailare yellow, and the beak is hooked. FUN FACTS These birds are often regarded as pestsbecause of their diets (sometimes feeding on crops); licensed culling ispermitted in certain states. Both parents take part in incubatingthe eggs.        Cockatoos can mimic the sounds of otheranimals, including people.          Cockatoos can hold their food in onefoot and break pieces off of it with the other foot.            Cockatoos live in small loose flocks.            They are very gregarious and quicklylearn to mimic. These birds also have a very shrill cry.           Thesebirds are thought to be one of the rarest parrots on Sumba Island.In 1993, studies estimated citron populations to be 1,150-1,850 individuals.

Crane

DESCRIPTION: Large, long-legged birds, straightbills, long necks and elevated hind toe, bare pink or red and white cheekpatch, golden feathery 'crown' protruding from back of head. FUN FACTS: Unlike most cranes, crowned cranes lackfolds in their windpipes making their voices very different from other cranes. Crowned cranes occasionally roost intrees, a trait not seen in other cranes. Thesecranes are often considered the living fossils of the crane family. They wereable to survive the Ice Age in the savannas of Africa.

Eagle

SIZE:   Most eagles are large in size, 60-90 cm in length with a 1.8 m wingspan. The Americanharpy eagle is the largest of all the eagles, with length of 110 cm and a 2.4 m wingspan. FUN FACTS: Eagles areoften further divided into four categories depending on diet and physicalfeatures. Some examples include: true or booted eagles -"booted" is a reference to the leg feathers, which extend all the waydown to the toes. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)are a type of true or booted eagle. harpy eagles - the six types of harpyeagles can be identified by the crests on their heads. fish eagles - diet is mainly fish.Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are a type of fish eagle, but their dietalso consists of birds and small mammals. In addition, bald eagles arescavengers that harass other birds and steal their fish. snake eagles - diet includes avariety of snakes. Bateleur eagles (Terathopius ecuadatus) are snake eagles

Flamingo

DESCRIPTION: The Chilean flamingo is a tall, largebodied bird with a long neck and small head. Most flamingos, including thisspecies, have pale pink plumage and bills. This subspecies of flamingo isslightly smaller than the Caribbean flamingoand has gray legs with pink bands at the joints. FUN FACTS: In many languages, the word flamingo(originally derived from the Portuguese language meaning 'red goose') is areference to their flying style formation and the noise they make. All flamingos feed with their billsupside-down. They tip their head into the water and filter feed, using specialhair like adaptations in the top half oftheir bill, to gather themicroorganisms that make up their diet. Flamingos are an ancient group ofbirds. Their fossil records dates back to the Miocene epoch, which is about 10million years ago. Flamingos are not born with theirbeautiful pink plumage. Their color comes from the carotenoid pigments theyconsume as part of their diet. Some scientists believe that a flamingo'ssuccess in breeding relies on its bright color. Both the male and female make the nestsby scooping mud together with their feet and bill. Both male and female adults, providetheir young with a type of milk called crop milk. Likeother South American flamingos, these birds are able to endure coldtemperatures.

Great Horned Owl

DESCRIPTION: The great horned owl is a large owlwith ear tufts and barred feathers on the underside of its body. It has abright white patch at the throat, which expands during vocalization. SIZE:   Approximately 45-63 cm; wingspan up to 1.5 m. Females usually are larger than males WEIGHT: Approximately 0.9-1.8 kg FUN FACTS: Greathorned owls may be active during the day or night, but are mostly nocturnal.During the day they only cover about 1 square mile, so it is rare to spot themin daylight.          Less than 3% of all bird species areactive at night, half of those are owls. Most owls have unique, comb likefeathers that allow for silent flight. The leading edge is "fringed"so that the feathers, when moving, do not make noise when rubbing together. Itis rare for the prey to hear an owl swooping in. Great horned owls have the mostidentifiable call, which sounds like: 'who-who-who-who'! If discovered during the day by smallbirds, it is not uncommon for the smaller birds to mob and chase away the owl. It is a myth that owls can turn theirhead all the way around. Owls have 14 neck vertebrae, allowing them to movetheir head 270 degrees. Although these birds have excellenteyesight, they are also capable of catching prey using only their sense ofhearing. They have binocular vision and a hooked beak so as not to interferewith their vision. Owls' eyes look forward in a fixed position and cannot movefrom side to side, as the human eye can. In order to see peripherally, the owlmust turn its entire head. Researchers learn about the diet ofowls by looking at castings, or pellets of indigestible material such as bonesand fur that are regurgitated. Owls are considered good luck in somecultures, but in others, they are feared as a sign of approaching death. Great horned owls are one of theprimary predators for skunks in North America.They have an opposable outer toe, which increases their ability to catch prey. Theseowls do not build their own nest; rather they utilize an old nest of a hawk,eagle, or any other large bird species.

Grey Turaco

DESCRIPTION: Medium-sized gray bird with a long tailand tall crest feathers. This species has a short, dark bill and dark eyes. Thebody is slightly counter-shaded and the legs are gray. The tail is long andmeasures about the same length as the body. SIZE: From beak to tip of tail 47.5-50 cm WEIGHT: Less than .45 kg FUN FACTS These gray birds are characterized by avery distinct "G'way" call, giving them their nickname, grey go-awaybird. They use this call to warn the other birds in their flock of impendingdanger. Turacos are the only birds to possesstrue green and red pigmentation. When you look at most birds, the color thatyou perceive is a function of the feather structure and refracted light. Thegreen pigments are produced by substances that are rare to other birds. The redcolors are produced by pigments (porphyrin) that are unique to the animalkingdom. (In fact, if you stirred a glass of water with a turaco feather, thewater would turn color.) Turacos possess semi-zygodactyl feet (3toes in front and one toe to the side). The toe that points outward can berotated to the front or back. These birds have a beautiful set ofcrest feathers that can reach a height of about 5 cm during periods ofexcitement. Turacos live in large flocks of up to30 individuals. They are monogamous in breeding. During courtship, the maleturaco will feed the female. Together, they build their nest, with female andmale taking turns incubating the eggs. Once the eggs have hatched, other flockmembers help the female care for the chicks. Chicks can fly at 4 weeks of age.They may leave the nest at 6 weeks of age (or decide to stay with the flock). Theyuse their long tails to maintain balance and their feet are well adapted forgripping branches. These birds seem to enjoy running along horizontal branches,rather than hopping or flying.

<< [Первая] < Предыдущая 1 2 3 Следующая > [Последняя] >>

List of Animals English Globe