• 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)

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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.

Aldabra Tortoise

DESCRIPTION: They are dark gray to black in colorwith a highly domed thick carapace, a very long neck to aid in food gathering,and short, thick legs.Males have longer, thicker tails than females. SIZE:Mature males have an average carapace (shell)length of 122 cm.Adult female carapace length averages 91 cm. WEIGHT: Adult males up to 250 kg or more.Mature females average 159 kg. FUN FACTS: The Aldabra tortoise is the largestanimal on the atoll. The tortoises fill a niche very similar to the oneoccupied by elephants in Africa and Asia. Aswith elephants, they are the main consumers of vegetation and noticeably alterthe habitat during their search for food. Tortoises have been known to knockover small trees and shrubs to obtain nutritious leaves. This makes pathwaysand clearings within the forestlands for other animals. Seeds pass through thetortoise's digestive tract and eventually become food for many other species. TheAldabra tortoise is one of the longest-lived animals on earth, if not thelongest. No one knows exactly how long these animals are capable of living, butthey are believed to easily surpass 100 years. So far, the tortoises studiedhave outlived the scientists studying them, and proper records have not beenmaintained.

Alligator

FUN FACTS: The namealligator was derived from the Spanish words el lagarto, meaning "thelizard," which is what Spanish explorers called these creatures. TheAmerican alligator is one of just two species of true alligators - the other isthe Chinese alligator. Alligators are one animal that haschanged very little since the prehistoric days. When dinosaurs became extinct,these modern day contemporaries continued to prosper. The alligator became the official statereptile of Floridain 1987. It is also the mascot of Universityof Florida at Gainesville. Communicating territory in the water isoften difficult, but many crocodilians are quite adept at it. Most species usea headslap or jawclap above or beneath the water. A crocodilian performs aheadslap by raising its head and slamming it against the surface of the water.Jawclaps are when the reptile opens its jaw in a biting motion at the surfaceof the water, then quickly closes it. The result is a loud pop and splash. Unlikeother reptiles, female alligators will protect young for up to two years afterhatching. The first two years are the most critical in the life of analligator. Eighty percent or more may fall victim to wading birds, raccoons,bobcats, otters, snakes, large bass and even larger alligators. Once analligator exceeds four feet, it is relatively safe from predators, but maystill be vulnerable to cannibalism. There are approximately 80 teeth intheir mouth at one time. When the teeth wear down they are replaced.Consequently, an alligator can go through 2,000-3,000 teeth in a lifetime. There are two true species ofalligators: American and Chinese. The Chinese gator is smaller than itsAmerican cousin - only growing to 2 meters in length. There are also fewer than1,000 Chinese alligators left in China'slower Yangtze RiverValley. Alligatorsare hunted for their meat and skin. As early as the 1800s, alligator skins weresold in the Miamiarea for $7 each.

Anaconda

SIZE: Averages 6 m in length; averagediameter is 30 cm;reportedly can grow in excess of 10m in length, though individuals at this length arerare and/or poorly documented; the largest credibly documented specimen wasreported to be 11.4 min length, though this 1944 figure is not innately accepted throughout theentire zoologic community; newborn anacondas are 30-60 cm in length FUN FACTS: The name "anaconda" isderived from the Tamil word "anaikolra", which means "elephantkiller." Early Spanish settlers referred to the anaconda as"matatoro" or "bull killer." Though anacondas are excellentswimmers, they will also hang from branches to dry off. The only area on the anaconda's bodywithout scales is the cloaca. Glands in this area emit a foul smelling musk,which is poisonous for small organisms. Scientists believe the musk may preventticks and leeches from attaching themselves to the cloaca

Arctic Fox (White Fox)

DESCRIPTION: The arctic fox has a dense, bushy coatand a long, fluffy tail. There are two color phases. For the white phase, thefox has a thick, white coat during the colder, winter months and a shorterbrownish to gray coat in the summer. The blue phase fox, has a long blue-graycoat in the winter and a shorter darker gray coat in the summer. SIZE:   109 cm (43 in) WEIGHT:        2.7-4.5 kg (6-10 lb) FUN FACTS:        Communaland nomadic; the foxes form small bands and scavenge for food together. A family group consists of one male,two females (called vixens), and their young - if any. One of the vixens is anonbreeding juvenile born the previous year, who stays to help care for thenext litter. Arctic foxes are monogamous, usuallymating for life. The father helps care for the young. The fur ofthe arctic fox has two phases: in the winter, it is entirely white, and in thesummer the coat ranges from gray to brown on the back, and somewhat lighter onthe belly. The foxes' paws are sheathed in dense fur during the winter (unlikeother canids), which is why they are named lagopus ("rabbit-footed"). Althoughthey have been hunted for their fur and driven away for their predation ondomestic sheep, arctic fox numbers remain relatively stable.

List of Animals English Globe