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Sponsored By : Anthony Kimbrough - Realtor, American Homes and Realty Inc in East Tennessee.

Little Known Animal Facts. 

Did Ya Know???
Antarctic Inhabitants Fish and animals living there live by having a low Hemoglobin.
There are more that 40 kinds of flying birds that spend their summer in Antarctica. Antarctica scientists have found what they believe are the fossilized remains of two species of dinosaurs previously unknown to science
Krill  is the most common animal of the ocean The blue whale, fin whale, humpback whale, minke whale and right whale live there.
Thousands of species living on the Antarctic seabed will become extinct if warming continues. Seven from the seventeen penguin species live in the Antarctic.
Animals & Fish there have White Blood. Organs normally Red are White there.
Birds There are nearly 900 species today    
Kiwi's mate for life, some have been together for 30 years. More than a one  thousand species extinct have been identified  
Owls can't be heard when they fly. The Kiwi is the smallest member of the family of birds called Ratities.
There are over 9,200 species of birds known. The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards
The galah, or rose-breasted, cockatoo is one of the most plentiful in aviculture, The Green-winged Teal is the only species of duck known to scratch in flight.
Chickens Although some disagreement, all poultry stems from Jungle Fowl.  
Over 344 breeds/varieties of chickens are recognized in the USA.  Scientists who have discovered a mutant chicken with a complete set of teeth. First discovered 50 years ago.
Other countries recognize breeds differently.   The chicken can travel up to 9 miles per hour.
Alektorophobia is the name given to “The Fear of Chickens”. China not only has the most people in the world, but also has the most Horses with 10,000,000 and chickens with over 3,000,000,000.
You do not need a rooster to get a hen to lay eggs. Chickens are omnivores. They will each primarily vegetation but like meat too.   
Amount of light is what stimulates a hen to lay eggs. The tallest breed of chicken is the Langshan. 
  To give poultry CPR you need to pump the legs up and down.  
Cows Cows were domesticated about 5,000 years ago
Cows can see color Cows can detect odors up to 5 miles away
Cows spends 6 hours eating and 8 hours chewing cud each day. Cows can hear lower and higher frequencies better than humans
Pilgrims first brought cows to America. Cows can hear a low noise up to 2 miles away.
A cow has four stomachs. 1611 Cows arrive to America brought by pilgrims but there were 1624 Cows that reach Jamestown.
Dogs basenji ( African wolf dog) is the only dog that cannot bark.
Pregnancy is 60 Days. Most modern dog breeds were developed about 100 years ago
Laika was 1st dog in space, Russia 1957 Dogs were first domesticated about 20,000 years ago
 Dogs can see color. Dogs are members of the order Carnivora family.
The only dog in the world that cannot bark is the Basenji, an African wolf dog. Dogs have about 100 different facial expressions, most of them made with the ears.
The Dalmatian is the only dog that gets gout. Dogs and humans are the only animals with prostates.
.World's oldest dog was 29years, 5 months. Largest dog recorded, Zorba a 343 lb , 8 feet 3 inches long Old English Mastiff
Dogs are responsible for most drug busts. A dog's smell is estimated at 1 million times better than humans.
Heartbeat is 70-120 times per minute. Eight million pets lose their lives in animal shelters each year.
About one family in three owns a dog. Normal body temperature for a dog is 101.2 degrees F.
Average dog has 42 permanent teeth. A Dachshund has 125,000,000, a Fox Terrier 147,000,000 and an Alsation has 220,000,000. Humans have 5,000,000.
Female dogs are more likely to bite. Longest jump was by a Greyhound, 30 feet in 1849. 
50,000 year old cave painting in Europe seems to show a doglike animal hunting with men. When Pompeii destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, was finally excavated, searchers found evidence of a dog lying across a child.
Dachshunds were bred to fight badgers in their dens Chihuahua is the oldest breed of dog native to North America.
Dogs can sense Cancer in people. Dogs can predict Epileptic Seizures in people.
  Bones from 14,000 years ago proves that people kept dogs as pets.
USA's first dog show Detroit, MI. 1857 World's first dog show took place in Great Britain in 1859.
Domestic Cats  Pilgrims were the first to introduce cats to North America.
Sweat from the pads of their paws. Maine Coon cat is America's only "natural" breed of domestic feline.
Cats have 244 bones in their bodies. Domestic cat can sprint at about 31 miles per hour.
32 muscles in each ear. Heaviest recorded cat was called Himmy and weighed  21.3kg.
Cats are believed to see colors. Must have fat in their diet, because they can't produce it on their own.
Meow is only reserved for humans. Cat pregnancy is about 58-65 days;
100 different vocalization sounds. There are 100 breeds of Cats.
Both humans and cats have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion. A purring cat doesn't always mean its happy. Cats also purr if they're in pain.
Cats prefer even numbers to play. A cat can jump 5 times as high as they are tall.
Elephants One year an elephant can drink 15,000 gallons of water.
Elephants have only FOUR teeth Male elephants usually weigh about 16,500 lbs and are about 20 feet long.
They can lose and replace teeth 6 times.  Most elephant communication is infrasonic. We can't hear it.
Elephants can live up to 70 years.  Tummy growling can be heard 600 feet away.
Gestation 22 months; birth weight about 265 pounds. Suckles for 3-4 years. Elephants can heard each other 5 miles away.
Ferret Ancient Egyptians over 3000 years ago and were brought to Britain almost 2000 years ago by the Romans.
Ferret males are called Hobs. First Ferrets brought to England 2,000 years ago.
Ferrets are members of the Mustelidae family. Ferrets can catch our colds and flu from humans.
Ferret Females are called Jills. Ancient Egyptians first kept Ferrets 3,000 years ago 
Baby Ferrets are called Kitts. Cousins to the Ferret are weasels, stoats, polecats, martens, mink, badgers and a few more.
Ferrets eyesight is not good. 16 hours of sunlight makes Ferrets go into heat.
life span: 5-8 years Ferrets should be played with every day. 
Fish Most of the 50 species or Piranha in South American eat seeds & fruit that fall into the water.  
   Florida produces and supplies 95 percent of the tropical fish sold in North America. Fish aquariums lower blood pressure in both hypertensive and normal people.
Arowana babies live in their fathers' mouth until they are big enough to be on their own. Well cared for Goldfish can live to be as much as 70 years old.
Climbing Perch can walk on dry land and even climb trees. Discus feed their babies on mucus they excrete from their bodies
Fish age is determined by the growth rings in the ear. First fish keepers were Sumerians, more than 4,500 years ago.
Aquarium fish are the most popular pet in
America. 12 million households owning more than 158,600,000 fish.		 Students who own fish score the highest on Math and                 verbal SAT, than non-pet owners.
Fish rest by blanking their minds.  There are more than 20,000 species of fish discovered and probably that many not yet discovered. 
A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. Goldfish are the most popular aquarium fish.
Frog There are about 6 to 14 species of tongueless, aquatic African frogs
Most frogs do in fact have teeth. Frogs can jump up to 20 times their length.
Toads, do not have any teeth. Largest enemy is pollution. 
Frogs are one of the 1st signs that the ecosystem is off. Goliath frog of West Africa is the largest frog and can weigh almost as much as a housecat.
Guinea Pig Kept as pets and used for food by the Incas prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century.
Cavia procellus Variety of vocalizations are used by guinea pigs to communicate fear, danger, separation from cage mates.
Originated in South America Most common response to danger appears to be immobility.
Female guinea pigs are called sows and males are called boars. Guinea pigs develop rigid habit patterns. Changes in feed, water, feeder or waterer may cause them to stop eating or drinking.
Life span is between 5-12 years. The American guinea pig has a short coat, while the Peruvian and the Silky have long silky fur.
Need an ample amount of Vitamin C to prevent scurvy. Average gestation period for a new litter of 1 to 6 babies is 63 days.
Baby guinea pigs start to eat dry food at 4-5 days of age and should be weaned at about 10 days. Rabbit and hamster food should NOT be fed to guinea pigs since antibiotics commonly found in them will destroy the unique balance of helpful bacteria in their intestines.
The Aperea, the guinea pig's nearest extant wild relative, is found at altitudes of up to 13,000 feet. Guinea Pigs should be bathed every three to four months with a normal anti-dandruff shampoo.
Gestation is nine weeks. A litter is usually 2 and sexual maturity is reached at about 60 or 70 days.
Horse "Old Billy" an English barge horse, who lived to be 62 years old
There are over 350 different breeds of horses and ponies. A horse's height is measured in hands. One hand =4"
Average life span for a horse is around 20-25 years "OLDEST" pony reliably recorded was named Teddy E. Bear, and lived to be 55 and still going.
longest mane was 18 ft long Horses can communicate how they are feeling by their facial expressions. They use their ears, nostrils, and eyes to show their moods.
Most foals are born at night The Mare decides when & where the herd will go.
Horses cannot vomit Horses were the last primary  animal to be domesticated. 
Horses cannot breathe through their mouths China has the most horses...over 10,000,000!!!
  A tiny horse ancestor lived in America during the Ice Age.
Llama Llamas are members of the camel (camelid) family
Originated in Central Plains in North America about 10 million years ago.  Domesticated from the guanacos of the Andean highlands of Peru 5,000 to 6,000 years ago
Closest cousin is the camel. Weight: 200 to 450 pounds
One of the world's oldest domesticated animal. Average Pregnancy  350 days  or 11.5 months.
Estimated 7 million llamas & alpacas in South American today. Usually gives birth during daylight hours.
Estimated 65,000 Llamas in the USA now. Cria (baby Llama) usually stands and nurses within 90 minutes.
Life span: about 15 to 29 years Can carry about 25% of body weight packing. (about 80 lbs)
Llamas have a 3 compartment stomach. Llamas are extremely sociable and need another Llama.
Llamas communicate by humming and body gestures.  Llamas usually only spit at other Llamas to establish order.
Average height 5' to 5' 6" ( top of the head) Piercing alarm scream call to signal danger
Pigs  Most sows have two litters per year with 7 to 12 piglets in each.. 
farowing- giving birth to piglets Pigs' ears are notched so that farmers can  identify what month they were born and which sow was their mother.
gilt -  a young female that has not yet had piglets It takes 114 days (3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days) from conception until a sow gives birth to the piglets. 
barrow- a male pig castrated at a young age The largest pig on record was a Poland-China hog named "Big Bill." He weighed a portly 2,552 lbs and was so large that he dragged his belly on the ground. He had a shoulder height of 5 feet and a length of 9 feet.
The largest piglet ever farrowed was a stillborn 5 lb 4 0z male. Average weight for a piglet is 3 lbs. The smallest breed of pig is the Mini Maialino. Pigs of this breed average only 20 lbs at maturity.
Some pigs have straight tails. Others have curly tails. Pigs have four toes on each hoof. Pigs walk on only two of their toes on each foot. They look like they are walking on tiptoe.
Fatty acids and glycerine are used for insecticides, floor waxes, weed killers, water-proofing agents, cement, rubber, crayons, cosmetics, chalk, antifreeze, plastics, putty, cellophane. Pigs are a source of nearly 40 drugs and pharmaceuticals such as insulin.
A whole group of pigs is called a herd. A mother pig is called a sow, a father pig is called a boar and a baby pig is called a piglet.
Rabbit There are twelve species of rabbits in the United States with the eastern cottontail being the most widely distributed.
A group of rabbits is called a herd. Gestation is about 28 days
A group of rabbits lives in a warren Young trees and saplings are most vulnerable to damage by rabbits
The gestation period of a rabbit is about 31 days A Rabbit's teeth grow during their entire life
There is only one breed of domestic rabbit that changes color. It is the Champagne D'Argent. They are born black and change to a dull silver The maximum speed of a domestic rabbit is about 35 mph
There are over 55 different breeds of rabbits  
Reptile Chinese Salamander can live up to 50 years old
Reptiles are cold-blooded. 25 species of crocodilians
Most reptiles are carnivores. Dinosaurs were not Reptiles.
A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. The only continent without reptiles or snakes is Antarctica.
130 species of amphibians. The king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world.
Shark Some species of sharks can shed as many as 30,000 teeth in their lifetime with some 300 rows.
Great White Sharks grow about 10 inches per year to total 12-14 foot long. New teeth are constantly being formed in rows in a shark's jaw. Shark's teeth are normally replaced every eight days.
The average life span of a shark is 25 years, but some sharks can live to be 100. Great White Sharks can go as long as three months without eating.
Sharks have no bones. A shark's skeleton is made up of cartilage. There are more than 340 known species of sharks.
Species is about 400 million years old. More people are killed each year by dogs, pigs and deer than by sharks.
The Pygmy Shark has a maximum length of 11 inches. Bull Sharks can tolerate a wide range of salinity and are often found in freshwater rivers and lakes in Africa and South America.
Sharks can generate about six and a half tons per square inch of biting force. A shark's skin is embedded with dermal denticles, which resemble teeth.
Of the 350 or so shark species, about 80% grow to less than 5 feet (1.6 meters) and are unable to hurt people or rarely encounter people. The Shortfin Mako shark is probably the fastest fish in the ocean, clocked at about 60 mph.
Only 32 species have been documented in attacks on humans, 36 more are considered. Sharks attack some 50-75 people each year worldwide, with perhaps 8-12 fatalities. We kill 20-100 million each year by accident in fishing.
The great white, tiger, and bull sharks are the most dangerous to humans. Unprovoked shark attacks can be categorized as hit and run, bump and bite, or sneak attacks. 
The biggest shark is the whale shark at 50 feet long but not a carnivore. The largest shark known was the Megalodon at 40 feet long.
The oceanic white-tipped sharks are the most fearless predators. The smallest sharks are: Dwarf Lanternfish at 7 1/2-8 inches.
Most common is the Piked Dogfish shark. The Portuguese shark dives down over 9,000 feet.
Some shark have to swim all the time in order to breathe, but some can lie motionless on the bottom and breathe by pumping water over their gills. Nurse sharks, bull sharks and lemon sharks can all do this. They have a large, complex brain that is relative in size to that of birds.
The white shark is at the top of the food chain. Sharks can detect one part of blood per ten billion parts of water – that means they could detect one drop of blood in an area the size of an Olympic swimming pool!
Sharks do not have any special organs for making sounds. Most sharks have good eyesight and can even see in color. They can detect a light that is ten times dimmer than the dimmest light a human can see.
A shark eats about 2 percent of its body weight per day. We kill over 30 million sharks every year but in 2001 sharks killed only 4 people worldwide.
Oceans are 70 percent shark free. Sharks are found throughout the world's oceans
Deepest confirmed report of a shark is at 3,700m Sharks have failed to colonize at depths greater than 3,000 meters.
The White Shark is now endangered. If they were to disappear, the whole balance of the sea would be upset.
Sheep People started raising sheep over ten thousand years ago
1 lb of wool can make 10 miles of yarn. Spinning wool into thread began about 5,000 years ago
Sheep prefer running water. Sheep grow two teeth a year until they have eight
Ewes typically give birth to twins. Less than 70,000 Big Horn sheep in the wild today.
Sheep originated from Mouflon.  There are 2 groups of sheep. Hair Sheep & Merino Varieties.
80% of Australia's sheep flock is Merino There are more than 300 breeds of sheep.
Domesticated around 9000 BC wild sheep  Rarest Sheep Breed Dwarf Blue Sheep. China.
Britain's rarest sheep Castlemilk Moorit  
Snake Snakes have been found from below sea level to 10,000 +/- feet above sea level.
Some snakes have lived 30+ years in captivity. Approximately 5500 different species of snakes are known.
Snakes can travel 3 - 5 miles an hour. When a snake is growing, it sheds its skin as often as every 4 or 5 weeks.
Female snakes are larger than male snakes. Snakes are nearsighted.
Snakes do not have eyelids. Sea snakes have no gills and must rise to the surface for air.
20 % of the total number of the snake species are poisonous. Snakes have a strong sense of smell.
Fastest snake is 8 mph. Snakes are deaf to airborne sounds.
Turtle Loggerhead sea turtles are non-vocal.
250 species of turtles. The Galapagos tortoise is the largest living species, weighing in some cases, over 570 pounds.
Sea turtles nest on sandy beaches. The carapace or upper shell of the tortoise or turtle is composed of about 50 bones.
The snapping turtle (Macroclemys sp.) has a worm-like, fleshy structure on its tongue, which it wiggles to attract fish. Some species have hinges on either the carapace or the plastron, which allow closure of the shell.
Over 85% of the earth has fewer than 10 species and 44% has none. Turtles cannot protrude their tongues from their mouths.
Snappers can live up to 60 years. The highest diversity of turtles is in the South Eastern United States and in South East Asia.
Whales There are up to 10,000 gallons of water, equal to 256,000 glasses of water, in each feeding mouthful of an adult blue whale.
whales and dolphins do not mate for life. The northern right whale is one of the most endangered of cetaceans, numbering just over an estimated 300 animals
A blue whale calf can swim 22 mph Over 50% of Northern right whales and New England humpback whales have scars from prior fishing gear entanglements
Fin whales are one of the fastest whales, and can hit top speeds of over 35 miles per hour A blue whale calf drinks about 130 gallons of milk per day, and gains up to 200 pounds per day
Humpback whales have the longest migration of any known mammal new species of beaked whale has recently been discovered.
Southern right whales have been seen to raise their flukes in the wind and use them as sails. A 160 ton blue whale is equal in weight to 30 bull elephants, or 1830 adult humans weighing 175 pounds each
Wolves Wolves use body language and facial expressions to communicate.
Wolves live in a family pack. A subordinate wolf will cringe towards the leader with tail low and bent legs, ears back and down, in a submissive nature.
Wolves travel and hunt in a group. Wolves communicate and mark their territories by scent.
Within each pack is an elaborate hierarchy. Pups are fed by the adults who disgorge fresh meat from their stomachs, or carry back fresh pieces of meat to the den.
The parent wolves are the leaders of the pack. Alpha male and Alpha female. Wolves were completely wiped out in England by the early 1500s..
Wolves are also very territorial animals. Scotland killed its last wolf in the mid-1700s
At first wolves were hunted for their thick winter fur. By 1900, there were not many wolves left in the western United States.
Today the wolf is classified as an endangered species The wolf is the largest in the wild canine family
The gestation period for the wolf is 63 days Two species of the wolf in North America, the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus ) and the Red Wolf (Canis rufus )
North America there are 10 recognized sub-species of the wolf A wolf can achieve estimated speeds of between 28 and 40 miles per hour for up to 20 minutes
2 types of hair, "Guards and "Undercoat" Canine teeth "interlock" so the wolf can grip and hang on to struggling prey
Wolves breed only once a year; most dogs breed twice . Wolves howl to greet one another
A wolf can consume almost twenty pounds of prey at a feeding All members of a wolf pack take part in caring for the young .
24 subspecies of wolves are recognized in North America. Wolves have no natural predators, except for humans.
In the United States there has never been a documented case where a healthy wild wolf attacked a human, in fact it is very rare when a wolf even comes near a human. Wolves are normally afraid of people, and try to avoid them when ever possible
More on Wolves Click Here
At full speed wolves can run at close to 30 mph. In captivity wolves can live to be about 16 years of age, in the wild most don't make it to be 8 years old.
Save the Wolf Petition Click Here The Ethiopian wolf is one of the rarest and most endangered