Interesting Fun Facts

Cockroaches have 13-chambered hearts (humans have four-chambered hearts)

Naked mole rats can move their two bottom teeth (lower incisors) independently, like a tiny pair of chopsticks

Oak trees are more likely to be struck by lightning than other types of trees as they are often the tallest objects in a landscape. They are also more conductive to electricity because of their high moisture content and water-filled cells in their trunks.

In 1920, baseball player Babe Ruth became the first sportsperson to make over US$100,000 in sports career earnings.

The first female sportsperson to make over US$100,000 in sports career earnings was Babe Didrikson Zaharias. She was a multi-sport athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, and track and field. In 1971, tennis player Billie Jean King became the first female sportsperson to make over US$100,000 in a year in sports earnings.

In 1967, golfer Arnold Palmer became the first sportsperson to make over one million US dollars in sports career earnings.

Chris Evert became the first female sportsperson to win over one million US dollars in career earnings in 1976. In 1984, tennis player Martina Navratilova became the first female sportsperson to make over one million US dollars in a year in sports earnings.

In 2009, golfer Tiger Woods became the first sportsperson to make over one billion US dollars in sports career earnings.

When the ancient Egyptians mummified a body, they removed most of the internal organs but left the heart inside. They believed the heart was the center of intelligence and emotion and would be needed in the afterlife for the "Weighing of the Heart" ceremony, where it was weighed against the feather of Ma'at (Egyptian goddess of truth and justice) to determine the person's worthiness to enter the afterlife.

The ancient Romans thought the giraffe was a cross between a camel and a leopard. They called it "camelopardalis," a combination of the Latin words for camel ("camelus") and leopard ("pardalis")

Sometimes, a comet can break into two fragments due to gravitational forces or other stresses. These fragments can then orbit each other and might eventually come back together due to their mutual gravitational attraction, re-forming into a single body and this process is known as "contact binary."

Smartwatch glass is often made from sapphire. Sapphire glass is highly durable and scratch-resistant, making it an excellent choice for protecting the screens of smartwatches and other high-end devices.

Air bubbles or impurities trapped inside emeralds give them garden-like appearances and hence are called "Jardin" (French word for "garden") and these inclusions are sometimes seen as adding character and authenticity to the emerald.

The average golf ball has 336 dimples, they help the ball fly farther by minimizing drag and creating lift.

The tip of the Washington Monument is made of aluminum. When the monument was completed in 1884, aluminum was a relatively rare and valuable metal, chosen because it is lightweight, corrosion-resistant, malleable and can withstand lightning strikes.

The temperature of a lightning strike is about 53,540 degrees Fahrenheit (29,726 degrees Celsius). if a lightning bolt hits a tree, extreme heat can cause the sap and water inside a tree to vaporize almost instantly. The rapid expansion of steam can create a powerful pressure that can make the tree explode or cause significant damage.

The first ever chemical element to form in the universe was hydrogen. Hydrogen atoms began forming shortly after the Big Bang, around 13.8 billion years ago.

The world's smallest seeds are produced by orchids, specifically those in the genus Vanilla. Orchid seeds are incredibly tiny, with some species producing seeds that are almost dust-like.

The smallest known reptile is the nano-chameleon (Brookesia nana), a species of chameleon discovered in Madagascar. Adult males of this species measure about the size of a sunflower seed, just around 22 millimeters (0.87 inches) in total length, including the tail. Females are slightly larger, reaching about 29 millimeters (1.14 inches).

Eastern gray squirrel's brain does get bigger in the fall (autumn) season. As fall approaches, these squirrels experience an increase in the size of their hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial memory. This growth helps them remember the locations of the numerous food caches they create in preparation for winter.

The kangaroo rat, native to North American deserts, holds the record for the longest time a mammal can go without water. These small rodents can survive their entire lives, which can be several years, without ever drinking water directly. They obtain all the moisture they need from the seeds they eat and through metabolic water, which is produced internally from the digestion of their food.

A star's color is dependent on its temperature and can be of Blue, White, yellow, orange or red. Blue stars are hottest while red stars or the least hot among stars

Seeds pods of sandbox tree (Hura crepitans) can explode to shoot seeds at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour (250 km/h) and distances of up to 330 feet (100 m)

The common ostrich has largest eye of any land animal. Measuring nearly 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter, its eye is bigger than its brain.

The deep-sea octopus Graneledone boreopacifica holds the record for the longest known egg-brooding period of any animal, at 53 months.

Green most common color seen in auroras, caused by oxygen particles at altitudes of 60 to 190 miles (100 to 300 kilometers). Humans are most sensitive to green light, so this color is more visible than others. Red is caused by oxygen collisions at altitudes of 300 to 400 kilometers and pink is caused by nitrogen interactions at low altitudes while blue and purple are caused by hydrogen and helium molecules, but these colors can be difficult to see against the night sky.

About half of the oxygen production on Earth comes from the ocean - phytoplankton and macroalgae, like seaweed, produce oxygen through photosynthesis.

Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards, thanks to the unique structure of their wing joints that allows them to rotate their wings in a figure-eight pattern. They can also hover, fly forward, up, down, sideways, and even upside-down.
Hummingbird Facts

Cookiecutter sharks replaces the whole row of worn out teeth with a new set of teeth and swallows the worn out teeth, to recycle calcium and other minerals, which are then used to help form new teeth

With 160 calories per 100 gram (4 oz) serving, Avacado is the most calorie-dense fruit in the world

Sloths only defecate once a week and do so in a communal area.

A veiled chameleon shoots its tongue out faster than a fighter jet taking off.

The world's fastest bird is the peregrine falcon, which can reach speeds of over 240 miles per hour during a dive.

The world's largest sea turtle is the leatherback sea turtle, which can weigh over 2,000 pounds.

The world's largest fish is the whale shark, which can grow up to 60 feet in length.

The world's largest mammal is the blue whale, which can reach lengths of over 100 feet and weigh over 200 tons.

Common ostrich, which can reach heights of over 9 feet, is the tallest living bird in the world. It is also the heaviest and largest living bird. Adult males weigh about 320 lbs (145 kg)

Common ostrich lays the largest eggs of any living land animal. A, average Common ostrich eggs weighs 3 lb (1.4 kg) The largest egg on record weighed 2.589 kg (5 lb 11.36 oz). Interestingly, Common ostrich lays the smallest egg, both in weight and volume, relative to its body size. An ostrich egg is only about 2% of the adult female's body weight. Most birds lay eggs that are 5 to 10% of the adult female's body weight. Kiwi eggs are about 20% of the adult female's body weight.

The world's largest lizard is the Komodo dragon, which can grow up to 10 feet in length.

The world's largest spider is the goliath birdeater, which has a leg span of over a foot.

The world's largest insect is the giant weta, which can weigh over 2.5 ounces.

The world's largest amphibian is the Chinese giant salamander, which can grow up to 6 feet in length.

The musk ox has the longest fur in the world.

A catfish can taste with their whiskers, or barbels, which are covered in taste buds. Catfish also have taste buds on their skin and near their mouths. A 6-inch catfish can have more than 250,000 taste buds on its body (The average person has about 10,000 taste buds and they're replaced every 2 weeks or so. But as a person ages, some of those taste cells don't get replaced. An older person may only have 5,000 working taste buds.)

California sea lions have 38 whiskers on each side of their face. Each whisker on the sea lion's nose has a specific, corresponding area in the brainstem devoted to it, so each whisker can send nerve signal to the brain.

Honeybees have almost three million hairs on their tiny bodies. Each hair is strategically placed to carry pollen and also to brush it off.

Male seahorses can give birth to up to 2,000 babies at a time, though the average is between 100 and 1,000. The number of babies can vary depending on the species, with smaller species giving birth to as few as five.

All clownfish are born male, but they can change sex to become the dominant female in their group.

The Reef Stonefish is the most venomous fish in the world. It has thirteen stout spines in the dorsal fin which can inject a highly toxic venom.

Seahorses don't have true stomachs, just a digestive tube, so they need to eat all day to get their nutrients. They use their tube-shaped snouts like powerful vacuums to scoop up hundreds of tiny meals in a single day.

Parrotfish eat coral and poops out beautiful white sand. In a year, one large parrotfish can produce 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of sand. Many of world's beautiful white sand beaches are made with Parrotfish poop

The dwarf seahorse is the slowest-moving fish, with a top speed of about 5 feet (1.5 m) per hour.

Rhino horn is made up of keratin - the same protein which forms the basis of our hair and nails.

Both black and white rhinos are grey. The white rhino gotten its name from the Afrikaans word for wide (‘wyd’), referring to its wide, square lip (in contrast, black rhinos have a pointy upper lip). Early English explorers mistook this word for ‘white’ and consequently named this species ‘white’ rhino, and the other ‘black’ rhino to differentiate.

There are five living species of Rhinos, two African rhino species - black rhino and white rhinos - and three Asian rhino species - greater one–horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos. Javan and greater one-horned rhinos only have one horn, whereas the other rhino species have two horns. White rhino is the largest while Sumatran rhino is the smallest.

Ujung Kulon National Park – a World Heritage Site – is home to the last remaining wild Javan rhinos on Earth.

White rhino is the largest living land animal after elephant.

Of all the super-heavy land animals, weighing over a ton, black rhino is the fastest. It can run reach 40 mph (64 kmph) in short bursts

Rhino horns grow continuously during their lifetime – the white rhino's horn can grow 7cm every year – and the largest rhino horn ever recorded was 59 inches (150 cm) long and belonged to a white rhino.

Box jellyfish have 24 eyes,

Most hamsters blink one eye at a time to stay alert for predators. Hamsters are also able to blink their eyes independently of each other, unlike humans.

Owls' eyes are not eyeballs, but elongated tubes. They are held in place by bony structures in the skull called Sclerotic rings. For this reason, an Owl cannot "roll" or move its eyes - it can only look straight ahead!

Most owl species can turn their necks 135 degrees in either direction, which gives them 270 degrees of total movement.

Scorpions have six to twelve eyes! Some scorpion species have 12 eyes, which are located in various parts of their bodies. Scorpions typically have a pair of eyes in the middle of their carapace, and two to five smaller eyes on each side. The number of lateral eyes can vary between different scorpion species and even within some species.

Mantis shrimp have 12 to 16 types of color-sensitive cone cells in their retinas (humans have just three types - red cones, green cones, and blue cones). This gives them one of the most complex visual systems in the animal kingdom and allows them to see up to ten times more colors than humans, possibly more than any other animal.

Colossal squid has the largest eyes of any living creature, measuring around 27 centimeters (11 inches) in diameter, which is about the size of a basketball. Researchers believe these eyes may also be the largest that have ever existed in the animal kingdom, and are even larger than those of whales.

An ostrich's eye is larger than its brain

All dogs are born red-green color blind, meaning they can't see red and green colors.

Tarsiers have the largest eyes relative to their body size of any mammal.

Starfish have one eye at the end of each arm, and while most species of starfish have five arms, some can have as many as 50.

All bees have five eyes: two large compound eyes and three smaller ocelli eyes.

Goats have rectangular pupils to give them a wider field of vision, which helps them see danger approaching from their peripheral vision

Beneath all that thick fur, polar bears have jet black skin. The polar bear's fur is also translucent, and only appears white because it reflects visible light.

Polar bears can smell a seal up to 20 miles (32 kilometers) away on the ice, and up to half a mile underwater.

Pregnant polar bears can go up to eight months without eating, drinking or pooping while they are in their maternity dens during the winter.

Polar bears diverged from brown bears around 500,000 years ago.

Most polar bear cubs are born as twins.

In addition to Koalas, only two other species of marsupials are known to eat eucalyptus leaves as their main diet: Greater Glider and Common Brushtail Possum.

The blind cave salamander, also known as the olm, can survive without food for up to 10 years. Adult crocodiles can go more than a year without eating. Pygmy shrews have some of the highest metabolic rates in the animal kingdom and must eat more than their body weight in food every day, which means they need to catch prey every 15 to 30 minutes, day and night. If they go more than an hour without food, they will die.

The caterpillar of the silkworm moth can eat up to 27,000 times their weight in mulberry leaves during their larval stage.

A woodpecker's tongue can wrap around the back of its brain to protect it from injury while pecking at high speeds. Woodpecker tongues can be up to a third of their body length and are anchored to the hyoid bone in their nostrils. When muscles contract the hyoid bone, the tongue splits in two, wraps around the skull, and joins back together at the base of the beak.

Unlike that of other birds, the upper jaw of a flamingo is not rigidly fixed to the skull. So, flamingos eat with their heads upside down.

The longest recorded non-stop migration by an animal is the 13,560 km (8,425 miles) journey across the Pacific Ocean from Alaska, USA, to Tasmania, Australia by a bar-tailed godwit. Airborne both day and night, they may burn through more than half of their body weight during the epic flight.

Monarch caterpillars eat exclusively milkweed leaves.

There are six living subspecies of tiger: Siberian tiger (largest of the six subspecies), Bengal Tiger, Indochinese Tiger, Malayan Tiger, South China Tiger, and Sumatran Tiger (smaleest of the six subspecies)

Tigers' closest living relatives are snow leopards. Tigers and snow leopards are "sister species" that split from a common ancestor around 3.9 million years ago.

A baby turkey that is less than 4 weeks old is called a poult. Juvenile male turkeys (beard is shorter than 6 inches in length) are called Jakes and Juvenile female turkeys are called Jennies. Adult male turkeys are called Toms and Adult female turkeys are called Hens. A group of turkeys is called a rafter or a flock.

Wandering Albatross chicks take up to 280 days to learn how to fly. Australian brush-turkey chicks can fly within a few hours of hatching. They are considered to be the most precocial chicks in the bird world, and are fully feathered and able to run and fend for themselves when they emerge from the egg.

Blue whale calves must consume 50 gallons (190 liters) of milk, and gain 200 pounds (90 kg) every day during their first few months. Blue whales nurse for five to seven months, during which time they put on 38,000 pounds (17,000 kg).

A newborn giraffe is about 6 feet (1.9 meters) tall at birth and weighs about 150 pounds (68 kg).

Giraffes give birth standing up. The baby giraffe's head and hooves come out first, followed by the rest of the body, which then falls about five feet to the ground without breaking its long neck.

Norway lemmings female babies can can pregnant when they are just 2 to 3 weeks old and give birth to 14 to 16 babies when they are 5 to 6 weeks old.

Blue eyes in cats are generally caused by a lack of pigment, and all kittens are born with blue eyes because cats don't develop eye pigmentation until they're around six weeks old, when the production of melanin kicks in.

A baby seahorse is called a "fry". When the time is right for the babies to be born, the males will bend their bodies back and forth until a tiny seahorse pops out of the pouch.

Along with the platypus, the echidna is the only other living egg-laying mammal species. Almost a month after mating, the female deposits a single, soft-shelled, leathery egg into her pouch. The gestation period is quite quick – after only ten days the baby echidna hatches. Baby echidnas are called ‘puggles’. They stay within the den their mother creates for up to a year before going it alone.

Most Female octopuses stop eating while their eggs hatch, which can take 150–230 days for many subspecies. During this time, the octopus's sole focus is protecting her eggs and slowly starves to death. Most mother octopuses die of starvation by the time their young hatch. One octopus was observed tending to her eggs for more than 50 months while starving.

Most crabs have 10 legs

The classic frog sound often heard in Hollywood movies is usually the sound of a Pacific tree frog as it is native to California.

Horseshoe crabs are called "living fossils" because they have remained relatively unchanged for at least 445 million years, which is before dinosaurs existed.

Giraffes have the longest tails of any land mammal, averaging about eight feet (2.4 meters) long.

Female black widow spiders sometimes eat male black widows after mating, but it's not common in the wild. When it does happen, it's usually when nutrient-rich food is hard to get (in the spring or early summer), and the nutrients from the male help the female fertilize her eggs.

Cockroaches can live for up to two weeks without their heads. They breathe through small holes called spiracles on each body segment, which aren't controlled by the brain. They use fat in their bodies to go long periods without eating. However, they need head to eat food or drink water, so they eventually die of hunger or thirst without their heads.

Sea otters have the densest fur of any mammal, with up to 1,000,000 hair follicles per square inch.

The vaquita is considered the rarest mammal in the world. This critically endangered porpoise lives in the Gulf of California in Mexico, and only about 10 to 18 individuals are still alive.

Baby dolphins are usually born tail first during underwater births to reduce the risk of drowning before they can breathe.

Some seals, including elephant seals, take naps underwater while holding their breath. They can do this because they've adapted to store oxygen in their muscles, allowing them to hold their breath for about 2 hours.

The Cuvier's beaked whale can dive about 3km below the ocean's surface. It holds the record for the deepest dive by a mammal, reaching 2,992 meters (9,816 ft).

Whale earwax can reveal a whale's life history, including its age, exposure to pollutants, and hormonal responses. each layer of the earwax represent about six months of a whale's life. Alternating light and dark layers can indicate a whale's age. For example, in blue whales, one light layer (summer binge-eating) and one dark layer (winter migration) represents one year of life.

Newborn bottlenose dolphins and their mothers can go a month without sleeping. The calves are active 24 hours a day in their first month of life, and their mothers stay awake to watch over them.

Sea otters are the only marine mammal known to use tools, primarily small rocks, to obtain food. They use these tools to pry shellfish from underwater rocks and to break open their shells. Some have a favorite rock that they carry with them wherever they go.

The beluga whale can swim backwards for short distances because of its flexible neck and versatile pectoral fins. This adaptation is helpful in navigating through ice-filled waters.

When wolf pups are about ten days of age, their eyes first open. Their eyes are blue until around six to eight weeks of age. Then the pups eyes will reach their adult color which can be anything from pale yellow, to amber or even orange or brown. Adult wolves, however, never have blue eyes.

A panda's diet is 99% vegetarian, which mostly includes bamboo roots, stems, shoots and leaves. However their digestive system is typical of a carnivore, so the remaining 1% of their diet can include eggs, small animals and carrion.

Giant pandas can poop about 40 times a day because they eat a lot of bamboo, which is low in nutritional value and difficult to digest.

In 1972, China gifted two giant pandas, named Ling Ling and Hsing-Hsing, to the United States in exchange for a pair of Alaskan musk oxen, named Milton and Matilda, given by the United States.

Due to the breeding season and gestation period, most panda cubs are born in August.

A black panther is any leopard or jaguar with an unusually dark coat. They often still have their typical spots and markings, but they are harder to see because of their dark fur.

The kori bustard is the world's heaviest flying bird. Standing about 5 feet tall, an adult kori bustard weighs about 42 pounds (19 kilograms).

Elephant tusks, which are actually elongated incisor teeth, can weigh between 110 and 175 pounds (50–79 kg) for adult male elephants and 40–44 pounds (18–20 kg) for adult female elephants. The heaviest tusks ever measured weighed over 220 pounds (100 kg).

The royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus) is the world's smallest antelope, standing at 10 inches tall and weighing 5.5–7 pounds. The royal antelope has many physical similarities to hares, including its size.

African elephants have the longest pregnancy of any living mammal, about 22 months.

There are three living species: Grévy's zebra, the plains zebra, and the mountain zebra. All three are native to African continent.

Some giraffe cows return to the place where they were born to give birth to their own calves. Giraffe herds can use the same calving grounds for generations, taking into account vegetation and predator protection when choosing a location.

Platypuses don't have stomachs. Platypuses eat worms, insect larvae and shrimp and the food goes directly to their intestines.

An adult blue whale's tongue can weigh around 2,700 kilograms, about the weight of a female African elephant.

A sloth may take up to 30 days to digest a single meal and more than one-third of their body weight can be digesting leaves at any given time. This is the slowest digestive rate of any mammal, and is a key factor in why sloths are so slow. Hummingbirds takes just 10 minutes to digest a meal

Cats are one of the few mammals that cannot taste sweet as they lack functional genes for sweet taste receptors.

Wombats, marsupials native to Australia, are the only animals known to produce cube-shaped feces (poop)

Koala fingerprints are almost identical to human fingerprints.

Female bats give birth upside down and catch their babies with their wings.

Scorpions glow under ultraviolet (UV) light because of the hyaline layer in its exoskeleton. This glow is often blue-green in color.

Deathstalker Scorpion is the most venomous scorpion in the world. Its venom is a potent cocktail of neurotoxins including chlorotoxin, agitoxin and scyllatoxin. While extremely dangerous, the unique chemical composition and scarcity of its venom also makes it the most valuable liquid (by volume) in the world with an estimated cost of $39 million per gallon. It is prized by the medical community because its properties have been found to be effective in the treatment of cancer, malaria and against bacteria such as tuberculosis.

Scorpions gives birth to as many as 100 in a single brood. Unlike most nonmammalian animals, scorpions give birth to live young instead of laying eggs, which is very energy-consuming process. Because of this, males that remain near females after mating are sometimes killed and eaten, which provides sustenance to the female. As a last resort, scorpion mothers may even eat their offspring to survive.

A dead Jellyfish can still sting. Most jellyfish have tentacles covered in thousands of tiny nematocyst cells, each of which houses a bladder of toxins and a coiled ‘harpoon’ ready to fire when the surface comes under pressure.

Jellyfish are 95% water and most jellyfish have no ears, eyes, brains, hearts, or blood.

An adult peacock has an average of 200 tail feathers and these are shed and re-grown periodically. Of the 200 or so feathers, about 170 are ‘eye’ feathers and 30 are ‘T’ feathers. The ‘eyes’ are sometimes referred to as ocellations.

Jaguars have complex rosettes with central spots and live mainly in Central and South America. Leopards are found in Africa and Asia and have simpler rosettes with no central spots. Both jaguars and leopards can have a recessive gene that causes them to have excess dark pigment, making them black. When this happens, they are called black panthers.

Nemo in "Finding Nemo" is a clownfish.

Rodents are the largest group of mammals, with over 2,000 species. Bats are the second largest group, with around 1,400 species. Together, rodents and bats make up the majority of living mammal species.

The largest living rodent is the capybara. It is native to South America. On average, adult males weigh about 110 pounds (50 kg), while adult females weigh about 135 pounds (61 kg).

A small group (typically less than a dozen) of prairie dogs is called a coterie. A coterie typically consists of one adult male, several adult females, and their offspring. A large group of prairie dogs is called a town. When multiple coteries live together in a larger colony, the entire group is often referred to as a "town".

Walt Disney initially named his cartoon mouse character "Mortimer Mouse." Disney's wife, Lillian, suggested changing the name to 'Mickey Mouse' because she felt that Mortimer sounded too pompous. Walt Disney agreed, and Mickey Mouse made his first public appearance in the short film "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.

"Musse Pigg" is the Swedish name for Mickey Mouse. Many countries have their own versions of Mickey's name - in Italy, he's "Topolino" (meaning 'little mouse') and in China, he's Mi Laoshu (meaning "rice old mouse")

Most birds shed their old feathers and replace them with new feathers gradually in a process called molting. Very few birds lose all their feathers at once and that process is called "catastrophic molt." This type of molt can leave the birds that are capable of flight temporarily flightless because they lose all their primary and secondary feathers. Penguins and some species of ducks, geese, grebes and swans experience this kind of molt.

Giant manta ray has the largest brain relative to its body size of any fish. They use that brain power to learn, exercise their memory, distinguish between objects and even recognize themselves in the mirror.

Giant pandas is related to bears while red pandas belong to their own unique family called Ailuridae. Only thing common to Giant Pandas and Red Pandas, other than the name, is their diet. Bamboo makes up about 99% of Giant Pandas' diet in the wild while bamboo makes up about 90% of Red Pandas' diet in the wild.

The red panda is known as xiǎo xióng māo in Chinese, which translates to "small bear cat." Its also called Huǒ húli, which translates to "fire fox", referring to its fiery red coat.

Only three major countries have no native land snake population in the wild: Ireland, Iceland and New Zealand.

Snakes continue to grow their entire life, so they need to shed their skin periodically. This process is known as ecdysis and is essential for growth, healing, and the removal of parasites.

The Basenji is the only dog breed taht does not bark. Instead of barking, Basenjis produce a unique yodel-like sound often referred to as a "barroo."

All modern dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are descended from the gray wolf (Canis lupus). Domestic dogs were domesticated from wolves and the domestication began sometime between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago.

The first animal to be domesticated by humans is widely believed to be the dog. Sheep, goats, cows and pigs were domesticated thousands of years after the dogs were domesticated and probably in that order.

There are about 360 distinct recognized dog breeds in the world today. Great Dane is the tallest dog breed in the world while English Mastiff is the heaviest dog breed. Chihuahua, named after the state of Chihuahua in Mexico, is the smallest dog breed.

President Washington's favorite animal was his beloved horse, Nelson. President Washington was riding Nelson when he accepted General Charles Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown, the battle that ended the Revolutionary War.

Washington had more than 20 dogs at his home, Mount Vernon, and 'Sweet Lips' was one of his favorites, deeming her "the perfect Foxhound" and it was bred by Washington himself.

Dogs have three eyelids for each eye. They have an upper eyelid, a lower eyelid, and a third eyelid known as the nictitating membrane. This third eyelid is located in the inner corner of the eye and helps protect the eye and keep it moist.

The oldest dog ever recorded, according to Guinness World Records, was an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey. Bluey lived from 1910 to 1939, reaching the remarkable age of 29 years and 5 months.

The official mascot of the United States Marine Corps is the English Bulldog. The first official Marine Corps Bulldog mascot was Jiggs, who joined the Corps in 1922. In 1957, Chesty I, named for Lt. Gen. Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, Jr., became the first in a long line of Chestys to represent the Marines. The current mascot, Chesty XV, is stationed at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C.

Two world capitals - Havana and Brussels - have dog breeds named after them. Havanese is a breed of dog originated in Cuba and is named after the capital city, Havana. Brussels Griffon is named after Brussels, Belgium.

Spot Fetcher, also known as "Spotty", was an English Springer Spaniel and the dog of President George W. Bush. She was born in the White House in 1989 to Millie, the dog of President George H. W. Bush, and died there in 2004, making Spotty the only pet to live in the White House under two different administrations.

The most common dog breed in the world is the Labrador Retriever. Norwegian Lundehund is rarest pet dog breed in the world

Puppies typically have 28 deciduous (milk) teeth, which start to come in at about 3 to 4 weeks of age. These baby teeth begin to fall out and are replaced by adult teeth when the puppy is around 3 to 4 months old. Adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth. The full set of adult teeth usually emerges by the time the dog is 6 to 7 months old.

The brightest star in the night sky as seen from Earth is Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. It's part of the constellation Canis Major (the Great Dog).

The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, ranging from 11.5 to 12 feet (3.5 to 3.65 meters) wingtip to wingtip.

The smallest living primate on Earth is the Madame Berthe's mouse lemur. It weighs about 30 grams (1.1 ounces), about the weight of a golf ball.

The smallest horse breed in the world is the Falabella. The breed was developed in Argentina by the Falabella family in the mid-1800s.

The milk of the hooded seal is the most calorie-rich milk produced by any mammal. The milk provides about 550 calories per 100 grams. It contains about 60% fat, making it extremely rich in calories. The milk of the Black rhinoceros is the least calorie-rich milk produced by any mammal. Black rhinoceros mom produces milk that is watery and has only about 0.2 percent fat.

The smallest shark species in the world is the dwarf lanternshark. An adult dwarf lanternshark can fit on the palm of a adult human hand.

The naked mole rat is the longest-lived rodent, with an average lifespan of 30 years and a maximum recorded life of 32 years. They are also resistant to many age-related diseases, such as cancer, and are often used as models in aging research.

Sperm whales are the largest living animals with teeth, reaching up to 20 meters in length and being the largest toothed predators. They are also known for their use of spermaceti fluid to create echolocation clicks that can be over 230 decibels, the loudest sound produced by any living thing.

The tube-lipped nectar bat has the longest tongue in relation to its body size of any mammal. The bat's tongue is longer than its body length. The bat's tongue is so long that it must be kept inside its rib cage.

Hippopotamus has the largest mouth of all land animals. It can open its jaws to almost 180° and in a fully grown male hippo, this equates to an average gape of 1.2 m (4 ft).

The largest canine ever recorded for a hippo is 122 cm (48 in).

The bowhead whale has the record for the largest mouth of all animals.

Lungfish are the only fish that have both gills and lungs, which gives them a unique respiratory system that allows them to breathe underwater and above water.

The Rüppell's griffon vulture is the world's highest-flying bird. One Rüppell's Vulture found flying at an altitude of 11,300 meters (37,100 ft).

The tallest and heaviest horse ever documented was a Shire gelding named Sampson, who was later renamed Mammoth. In 1850, he was 21.25 hands, or 7 ft 2.5 in (219.7 cm) tall and weighed an estimated 3,360 lb (1,524 kg).

The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake. In 1937, a 5.54-metre-long king cobra was kept at London Zoo. It eventually grew to 5.71 metres before it was killed due to war.

The Australian pelican has the longest beak of any living bird, measuring about 18 inches long. The longest beak in relation to overall body length is that of the sword-billed hummingbird. Its beak is almost as long as the bird's body.

Kangaroo moms and many other marsupial moms produce two different milks. Milk rich in sugars from one nipple for younger joey and milk higher in proteins and fat from the other nipple for the older joey.

Kangaroos cannot walk backward or forward. They must jump or hop to move around. They are very efficient in hopping forward. A female red kangaroo in New South Wales, Australia, jumped 42 ft (12.8 m) in a single hop. Kangaroos can hop backwards when needed, generally during fighting or self-defense.

The mother Tasmanian devil gives birth to about 50 babies in one litter. The tiny, undeveloped babies, called imps, must race a distance of about 3 inches from the birth canal to the mother’s rear-facing pouch, to attach themselves to one of only four available teats. Only those four will then have a chance to grow and survive. The imps cannot relax their hold on a teat until they are about 100 days old. At around four months old, an "imp" is big enough to leave the pouch. From then until it becomes an adult at about one year old, it is called a "joey."

The water opossum, also known as the yapok, is the only semi-aquatic marsupial in the world. Female water opossum's pouch (marsupium) has a waterproof seal to protect the young while swimming.

Only male marsupial to have a functioning pouches is male water opossum (yapok), but the pouch is not used for carrying young. Instead, it's used to protect its genitals while swimming.

The word "kangaroo" comes from the Guugu Yimithirr (an Indigenous Australian tribe) word "gangurru," which refers to the eastern grey kangaroo. The word was first recorded by English explorer Captain James Cook and naturalist Sir Joseph Banks during their 1770 expedition.

Just before the birth of a new joey, expecting kangaroo mothers clean their pouches by licking the pouch to remove dirt and debris, ensuring that it stays clean and ready for the arrival of the newborn.

The largest burrowing animal in the world is the wombat. Although polar bears create maternity dens in snow or earth, only females dig these burrows, so polar bears are not considered to be the largest burrowing animal.

Unlike most marsupials, which have forward-facing pouches, a wombat's pouch opens towards the back. This adaptation helps prevent dirt from entering the pouch while the wombat is digging.

The inland taipan is the most venomous snake. A single bite from this snake has enough venom to kill more than 100 adult humans, and it's also the most toxic reptile venom when tested on human heart cell cultures.

Rhabdophis keelback snakes and Blue-ringed octopuses are both venomous and poisonous.

Hippos can sleep underwater, using a reflex that allows them to bob up, take a breath, and sink back down without waking up.

Despite being semi-aquatic and spending a lot of time in water, Hippos are unable to swim or float because their dense bone structure and heavy bodies. However, they can move around in water by walking or running underwater. Hippos can also hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes, which helps them move along the bottom.

Ostriches are the only living birds that have two toes on each foot, while most other birds have three or four. The ostrich's larger, inner toe has a hoof-like nail and carries most of its body weight, while the smaller outer toe has no nail and helps with balance. The ostrich's thick inner toe is also adapted for running, and it has a 10-centimeter claw that can be used for defense.

Ostriches are the fastest animals on two legs. They are the fastest living bipedal (two-legged) animals. They reach speeds of 70 km/h (43 mph) over short distances.

The longest stride of an ostrich can reach 16 feet (about 5 meters) when running at full speed.

Butterflies don't have tongues, they taste with their feet. Most of the taste buds are on their feet.

Gorilla has the largest eardrum of any living creature.

Pangolins are only mammals covered in true scales. Their scales are made of keratin, the same protein found in human fingernails and hair. Armadillos have bony plates covered by leathery skin, not true scales.

Nine-banded armadillos almost always give birth to genetically identical quadruplets. A single fertilized egg splits into four separate embryos, each developing into a full individual. All four offspring are always the same sex, either all male or all female.

Pangolins are most heavily trafficked wild animals in the world.

An adult North American porcupine has about 30,000 quills, each quills containing about 700 barbs.

Porcupines have spines, or quills, that are modified hairs made of keratin. The quills are hollow and barbed, and they attach loosely to the porcupine's skin. When threatened, porcupines can erect their quills, which then detach easily and can penetrate the skin of an attacker.

The Sperm Whale's has the thickest skin of any animal. The skin on its back is up to 14 inches (35 cm) thick. T

A chicken hen typically lays between 250-300 eggs per year. The world record for the most chicken eggs laid in 364 days is held by a White Leghorn hen. The record was set in 1979 at the College of Agriculture, University of Missouri, USA.

The heaviest chicken egg ever laid weighed 454 g (16 oz). The egg has a double yolk and double shell and laid by a White Leghorn at Vineland, New Jersey, USA, on 25 February 1956.

The most number of yolks found in a chicken egg is nine. That egg was laid by a hen at Hainsworth Poultry Farms, Mount Morris, New York in July 1971.

Red-billed Quelea is the most numerous wild living bird in the world today. An estimated 1.5 billion Red-billed Quelea live in Africa today, making them the most abundant of all wild birds.

Worker honey bees live for about 5 weeks in summer and about 5 months in winter.

Male honey bees are called drones and their primary role is to mate with a queen. Drones live for about 2 to 4 months. However, if they do manage to mate, they die shortly afterward. Drones that could not mate with the queen will be ejected from the hive before winter, and will die from starvation or the cold.

Queen bees can live up to five years, but on average live two to three years. Queens are the largest members of the hive and develop the fastest, taking about 16 days.

It takes a queen bee about 16 days to develop from an egg to an adult. A worker bee takes about 21 days to develop from an egg to an adult. A drone bee takes about 24 days to develop from an egg to an adult.

A full-sized colony in peak season (spring and summer) contains an average of 60,000 individual bees (one queen, about 1,000 drones and the rest worker bees) The bee population of a colony during the winter will drop to about 20,000.

Honey is one of the few foods that can last indefinitely if stored properly. Archaeologists have found honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that is still edible.

Twelve worker bees have to makes about 30,000 visits to flowers in their lifetime to make a teaspoon of honey.

In a single collecting trip, a worker honey bee will visit between 50 and 100 flowers. She will return to the hive carrying over half her weight in pollen and nectar. To make one pound (about 454 grams) of honey, workers in a hive have to fly 55,000 miles and visit about two million flowers.

When asked if her husband had a hobby, Mary Todd Lincoln had a one-word reply: "Cats."

Ernest Hemingway was given a white six-toed cat named Snow White by a ship’s captain. The Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida, still houses about 50-60 cats, many of which are believed to be descendants of Snow White.

Félicette, a stray Parisian cat, was the first and only cat launched into space. It was sent to space on 18 October 1963 as part of the French space program.

Creme Puff, a mixed tabby domestic cat from Austin, Texas, holds the record as the oldest cat ever documented. She lived to be 38 years and 3 days old, passing away on August 6, 2005.

Ragdoll and Persian are in the top ten most popular pedigreed cat breeds in the world today.

Dusty, a tabby cat born in Bonham, Texas, holds the record for giving birth to the most kittens in its lifetime. She gave birth to 420 kittens during her lifetime.

Snuppy, an Afghan hound puppy, is the first cloned dog to survive birth. It was created by a team of scientists at Seoul National University (SNU) in South Korea,

Tia, a Neapolitan Mastiff, gave birth to the most puppies in a litter. It gave birth to a total of 24 puppies in a single litter in 2004. In that litter of nine females, 15 males, one was still born, three died in the first week.

Sphynx is the most popular pedigreed hairless cat breed in the world today.

The Ashera cat is considered the most expensive cat breed in the world, with prices ranging from $75,000 to over $125,000

Rome, Italy has more feral cats per square mile than any other city in the world.

The first cloned cat, CC (short for Copy Cat or Carbon Copy), was born on December 22, 2001 at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. She was the world's first cloned pet.

The technical term for a hairball is trichobezoar.

A female cat is commonly referred to as a queen.

Most kittens born in a single litter is 19 kittens. In 1970, a Burmese/Siamese cat in UK gave birth to 19 kittens, four of which were stillborn.

Singapura is the smallest natural domestic cat breed. Aduly Singapura cats weigh between 4 to 8 pounds (1.8 to 3.6 kg)

Most cats have 24 whiskers on their face, with 12 on each side.

Walt Disney's first animated animal character was Julius the Cat, created in 1922 with Ub Iwerks for the Alice Comedies, Disney's first animated series.

The fastest penguin species is the Gentoo penguin. Gentoo penguins can reach swimming speeds of up to 22 miles per hour (35 kilometers per hour), making them the fastest swimmers among all penguins.

Crocodiles are generally better adapted to saltwater environments than alligators. Though alligators primarily live in freshwater habitats, they can tolerate brackish water (a mix of fresh and salt water) for short periods.

As a general rule, when adult crocodiles close their mouths, teeth are visible, but when adult alligators close their mouths, teeth are not visible.

An adult Giraffe's 20-inch-long dark blue-black tongue protects it from sunburn.

Giraffes have seven cervical vertebrae, which is the same number as humans and most other mammals. While the number is the same, giraffe neck vertebrae are much longer than human vertebrae.

Greenland sharks are the longest-lived vertebrates in the world. They reach sexual maturity at around 150 years of age and have a lifespan of about 400 years.

Bowhead whale is the longest-living mammal. They are known to live over 200 years.

In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a fire-breathing, three-headed monster - a lion's head in the front, a goat's head in the middle and a serpent's head in the back.

In Babylonian mythology, aqrabuamelu is a scorpion man with a human torso, arms, and head and scorpion body and tail.

All centipedes are venomous. The name centipede literally means "100 legs", but no centipede has exactly 100 pairs of legs; the number of legs ranges from 15 pairs to 191 pairs. Centipedes and millipedes develop more pairs of legs each time they molt, so older centipedes have more legs.

Eumillipes persephone is a millipede species with up to 1,306 legs that was discovered in 2020 in Western Australia. The female specimen with 1,306 legs is the first true millipede ever discovered with more than 1,000 legs, living up to the generic name Eumillipes, which means "true millipede" or "true thousand feet". The specific name persephone is a reference to the Greek goddess of the underworld, alluding to the millipede's subterranean lifestyle.

Centipedes always have an odd number of leg pairs, with one pair per body segment. Millipedes always have an even number of leg pairs.

Among the mammals whose DNA sequencing is done, elephants have the largest number of genes dedicated to smell - about 2,000 genes. Hance, elephants have an extraordinary sense of smell and are known to detect the scent of water from a mile away under ideal conditions.

Kiwi is the only bird in the world with nostrils at the very tip of its beak.

Turkey vultures have the best sense of smell among all living birds. They have the largest olfactory bulb relative to brain size of any bird, and they can detect carrion from over a mile away.

Axolotls, a type of aquatic salamander, can regenerate their heart, liver, and other internal organs if necessary. They can also regrow entire limbs, including bones, muscles, and nerves.

The baby of a female horse (mare) with a male donkey (jack) is calles a mule. The baby of a male horse (stallion) with a female donkey (jenny) is called a hinny.

A New Zealand White rabbit gave birth to 24 kits (baby rabbits), the biggest litter size recorded for any rabbit in the world.

Rabbits can, and often do, sleep with their eyes open. They can sleep with their eyes closed too, but usually rabbits will only close their eyes when they are sleeping if they feel very safe.

Rabbits blink only once every 5 to 6 minutes. This low blinking rate is partly due to their third eyelid, or nictitating membrane, which helps keep their eyes moist and protected without needing to blink as often.

Present at the Ancient Olympic Games from 680BC, four-horse chariot race covered about 14,000 meters (12 times around the track) All the glory went to the winning owner, including the fabled olive wreath, while the drivers and horses received just a woollen band tied around their heads in return for risking life and limb. This made female ‘Olympic champions’ possible, though they were prohibited from participating in any event.

Pinocchio, Donald Duck, Asterix, and Obélix have asteroids named after them

In the deer family, the species where both males and females have antlers is the reindeer, also known as the caribou in North America

Dragonflies are the most skilled flyers in the insect world due to their ability to control each of their four wings independently. They can fly in all directions: forward, backward, up, down, sideways and are capable of hovering and even flying upside down

The word orangutan comes from the Malay words orang (person) and hutan (forest), which literally translates to "person of the forest"

Steller's Sea Eagle is the largest eagle in the world by by weight and wingspan. An adult female weighs about 9 kg (20 lb) and has a wing-span of about 2.45 m (8 ft)

The okapi is the giraffe's only living relative.

Green anaconda is the largest, heaviest, and second longest snake in the world (Reticulated python is the world's longest snake, and the third heaviest after the green anaconda and Burmese python.)

Pygmy Marmoset is the world's smallest monkey. A full-grown Pygmy Marmoset adult weighs about 100 g (3.5 oz).

Two giant stone lions at the entrance of the New York Public Library's main branch are named Patience and Fortitude. They were named by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia during the Great Depression to reflect qualities he felt New Yorkers needed.

Common Swifts can fly non-stop for 10 months without landing. They eat, sleep, and mate while flying.

Mexican free-tailed bat is the fastest mammal in the world, reaching top speeds of about 100 mph (160 km/h) Cheetah is the second fastest mammal and fastest mammal on land, reaching top speeds of about 74 mph (120 km/h)

The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in the world. During its characteristic gravity-assisted high-speed dive, it can reach a speed of 389 km/h (242 mph)

White-throated Needle tail is the fastest bird in level or horizontal flight. It can reach speeds of up to 170 km/h (105 mph) in level flight.

Marine iguanas can reduce their size, both in weight and total body length, when food is scarce by absorbing bone. They shrink by as much as 20% to survive longer periods without sufficient food. Once the food supply returns to normal, marine iguanas can regrow to their original size.

Galapagos Islands are named for their giant tortoises. The name comes from the Spanish word "galápago", a popular type of horse saddle. Early explorers used the term to describe the giant tortoises that lived on the islands because the shape of their shells reminded them of that saddle.

Magnificent frigatebird takes care of its chicks longer than any other bird in the world. Females provide parental care and rear their chick until they are one year old and become self-sufficient.

An octopus has a total of nine brains - one central brain located in their head and eight 'arm brains', one in each of its eight arms. The main central brain is responsible for overall control and processing complex behaviors. The eight peripheral 'arm brains' allow the arms to perform tasks autonomously without needing direct input from the central brain.

Guanaco babies, called chulengos, can stand within 5 minutes of its birth and starts running within 30 minutes of its birth.

The temperature of the sand where turtle eggs incubate can determine the sex of the hatchlings. Eggs incubated below 81.8° Fahrenheit (27.7° Celsius) will be male, while eggs incubated above 88.8° Fahrenheit (31° Celsius) will be female. Temperatures in between will produce a mix of male and female hatchlings.

Elephants have the largest ears of all animals. The ears of adult African elephants can grow to be up to six feet long and four feet wide.

Long-eared jerboas have the longest ears of any living animal relative to their body size. Long-eared jerboas have ears that are 1/3 longer than their heads.

Albatrosses live much longer in the wild than other birds. Most Albatrosses survive upwards of 50 years, the oldest recorded being a Laysan albatross named Wisdom that was ringed in 1956 as a mature adult and hatched another chick in February 2021, making her at least 70 years old. She is the oldest confirmed wild bird and the oldest banded bird in the world.

A wandering albatross can travel up to 500 miles (800 kilometers) in a single day without flapping its wings by taking advantage of wind gradients over the ocean to gain altitude and then gliding downward.

The smallest species of penguin is the Little Penguin, also known as the Fairy Penguin or Blue Penguin. Adults usually weigh about 1.4 kg (3lbs). These penguins are found along the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand.

Cheetah is the fastest mammal on land over short distances with a recorded top speed of 64.8 miles per hour (104.2 km per hour). Cheetahs can reach these speeds in short bursts, accelerating from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under three seconds. However, they can only sustain their top speed for about 0.25 miles (0.4 kilometers) before needing to rest. The North American pronghorn is the fastest land animal over long distances. It can maintain an average of 56 km/h (35 mph) for as far as 6.6 kilometres (4.1 miles).

Sailfish is the fastest fish in the world. It can reach speeds of up to 68 mph (110 km/h) in short bursts.

The word "jaguar" is derived from the Tupi-Guarani word 'yaguara' meaning 'wild beast that overcomes its prey in a single bound'.

The largest big cat in the Western Hemisphere is the jaguar.

The fastest dog breed is the Greyhound. It can reach speeds of up to 45 mph (72 km/h) in short bursts.

A baby bat is called a "pup." Most bat species give birth to only one pup at a time, though some can have twins.

Bracken Cave, on the northern outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, is home to the world's largest bat colony, with more than 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats. It is a key maternity site for this species, and females congregate there each year to give birth and rear their young.

Etruscan shrew is the world's smallest mammal by mass. Adult Etruscan shrews weigh only about 1.8 grams (0.063 oz) on average. The Kitti's hog-nosed bat (bumblebee bat) is regarded as the smallest mammal by body length. It measures about 1.3 inches in body length

The Etruscan shrew has the fastest heartbeat of any mammal. Its heart beats about 835 times per minute when resting and can go over 1500 beats per minute when active.

The first college in the USA to have a live mascot was Yale University. Their mascot, a bulldog named "Handsome Dan," was introduced in 1889.

The Arctic tern migrates the greatest distance of any animal. It travels from its breeding grounds in the Arctic to its wintering grounds in the Antarctic and back each year. This journey covers about 80,467 km (50,000 miles) round-trip, with the bird spending around 9 months of the year migrating.

Wood frogs can survive sub-zero temperatures during Arctic winters by remaining frozen solid for months. During this time, 65-70% of their body water turns to ice, and their hearts stop beating completely.

Grant's caribou is the farthest migrating land animal. It travels about 4,800 km (2,980 miles) per year.

Other than humans, blue-eyed black lemurs and spider monkeys are the only two primates to have blue eyes.

The dodo is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius. The last living dodo was believed to be killed in 1681. The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon.

Emus are the only birds in the world to have calf muscles.

Cassowary is the second-heaviest living bird in the world (Ostrich is the heaviest bird in the world) Emu is the second-tallest living bird in the world (Ostrich is the tallest bird in the world)

Male cassowaries build large, thick, oval-shaped nests on the forest floor using sticks and grasses. After mating, the female will lay a clutch of three to five green eggs in the nest. Once the eggs are laid, the male becomes aggressive and chases the female away from the nest and incubates the eggs for about 50 days without drinking, eating, or leaving the nest. The new-born chicks stay with the male parent for about four months.

The brown kiwi of New Zealand lays the largest eggs relative to its body size. Its egg weigh about 500 g (1 lb), which is almost one quarter of her total body weight.

Hooded pitohui is one of the two known poisonous birds in the world. Blue-capped ifrit is the other known poisonous bird.

The Common Poorwill is the only bird in the world known to hibernate.

American bison is the national mammal of USA. It is the heaviest land animal in North America. It is the heaviest land animal in the Western Hemisphere.

The flap of skin hanging below the throat of a moose is called a "bell" or "dewlap."

After the Darwin's frog female lays eggs, the male guards them until they hatch. Then, he picks up the tadpoles in his mouth and carries them in his vocal sac for several weeks until the young frogs are big enough to be released into the environment.

The deepest part of Earth's oceans is the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, located in the western Pacific Ocean. It's approximately 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) deep. Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard were the first people to reach the Challenger Deep in 1960.

Asian water buffalo has the longest horns of any living animal. One bull had horns measuring 4.24 m (13 ft 10 in) from tip to tip along the outside curve across the forehead.

The Jacob sheep and Manx Loaghtan are the only living mammals to have four or more horns. Some Jacob sheep and and Manx Loaghtans have six horns.

Lurch, an African watusi steer, had the largest horn circumference on a steer. It measured 37.5 inches.

Cowboy Tuff Chex, a Texas Longhorn bull, has the longest horn spread on a bull living with horns measuring at a length of 8.6 feet

The markhor (Capra falconeri) /ˈmɑːrkɔːr/ is a large wild Capra (goat) species native to South Asia and Central Asia, mainly within Pakistan, India, the Karakoram range, parts of Afghanistan, and the Himalayas. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened since 2015.[2] The markhor is the national animal of Pakistan, where it is also known (in English) as the "screw-horn" or screw-horned goat.[3] The word mārkhor (مارخور), meaning "snake-eater", comes from both Pashto and classical Persian languages, referencing the ancient belief that the markhor would actively kill and consume snakes.[4] This regional myth is believed to stem from the "snake-like" form of the male markhor's horns, twisting and curling like a snake, possibly leading ancient peoples to associate them with snakes.

With over 400,000 described species, beetles are the largest group of insects. One out of every four animal species in the world is a beetle.

The ancient Egyptians worshipped scarab beetles, specifically the dung beetle. They associated the scarab with the god Khepri, who represented the morning sun, rebirth and renewal. Khepri was often depicted as a man with a scarab beetle for a head.

The musical group 'The Beatles' got their name as a play on words, combining "beat" (referring to the beat of the music) with "beetles" (inspired by Buddy Holly's backing band, 'The Crickets', named after a group of insects). They originally called themselves "The Silver Beatles" before shortening it to "The Beatles."

Houseflies can taste with their feet. They have taste receptors on their legs and feet, which allow them to taste food simply by landing on it. They find sugar with their feet, which are 10 million times more sensitive than human tongues.

Most caterpillars have 12 simple eyes called stemmata. These eyes are arranged in six pairs on both sides of their heads.

Flies, specifically tiny midges from the family Ceratopogonidae, are the primary pollinators of cacao trees. These midges are essential for the production of cacao beans, which are used to make chocolate.

The Termite queen is a non-stop egg-laying machine. She can lay anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 eggs per day (laying an egg every 3 to 6 seconds), depending on the species and age. She can lay up to a 100 million eggs in their lifetime of 15 to 25 years.

The highest living animals in the world are the Himalayan jumping spiders. These spiders have been found at altitudes of up to 22,000 feet (6,700 meters) on Mount Everest.

They can lift and carry objects that are more than fifty times their own body weight. This is like a person being able to lift a car.

About 2,000 silkworm cocoons are needed to produce one pound of silk.

A female ferret is called a jill, while a male ferret is called a hob. Baby ferrets (less than 1 year) are kits. A group of ferrets is called a business.

A female otter is called a jill, and a male otter is called a dog or boar. A group of otters out of water is called a romp. A group of otters in the water is called a raft.

The name "ferret" comes from the Latin word "furittus," which means "little thief." This name likely refers to the ferret's reputation for stealing small objects and food.

Ferrets belong to the weasel family, which includes polecats, stoats, and ermines. Domesticated ferrets most likely descend from the European polecat.

Domesticated ferrets most likely descend from the European polecat.

Ferrets were domesticated about 2,500 years ago. Historically, ferrets were used to hunt rabbits and rodents. Their lean bodies and curious nature make ferrets naturals at getting down holes to chase rodents and rabbits out of burrows. This is the origin of the expression “ferret out.”

A ferret’s normal heart rate is 200 to 250 beats per minute.

The average lifespan of a domestic ferret is eight years.

The bird with the most rapid recorded pecking rate is the Downy Woodpecker. It can peck up to 20 times per second when drumming on trees.

The word raccoon was adopted into English from the native Powhatan word 'aroughcun', which means 'he scratches with his hands'.

Small beetles of Coccinellidae family are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in the United Kingdom. The name "ladybug" was coined by European farmers who prayed to the Virgin Mary when pests began eating their crops. After ladybugs came and wiped out the invading insects, the farmers named them "beetle of Our Lady." This eventually was shortened to "lady beetle" and "ladybug."

Farmers love ladybugs because they eat aphids and other plant-eating pests. One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime!

Octopuses have three hearts - two branchial hearts that pump blood through each of the two gills and one systemic heart that pumps blood through the rest of the body.

Octopuses have blue blood. The blue color comes from a copper-based protein called hemocyanin, which octopuses use to transport oxygen in their blood.

Octopuses have arms, not tentacles in the strict scientific sense. An octopus has 8 arms, while squid and cuttlefish have 8 arms and 2 tentacles.

The Lion's Mane jellyfish can have up to 1,200 tentacles, arranged in 8 clusters of 150 tentacles each. The tentacles of large specimens can reach extraordinary lengths, sometimes extending up to 30 meters (98 feet) or more.

An octopus can regrow a lost arm.

A large 600 pound (272 kg) octopus can squeeze through a one-inch hole as its soft, flexible body allows it to contort and compress itself to fit through tight spaces, provided the opening is large enough for its beak, the only hard part of its body, to pass through.

A cut-off arm of an octopus can still move for a while after being severed. This is because each arm of an octopus has its own "mini-brain" that can operate somewhat independently from the central brain.

Cuttlefish have W-shaped pupils.

Octopuses can briefly come out onto land and hunt. This behavior is often seen in intertidal zones where they may venture out of the water to capture prey such as crabs, small fish, or other marine animals that are temporarily stranded or hiding in tide pools.

Despite being colorblind, cuttlefish can change their color and patterns to blend into their surroundings

Small male cuttlefish can change color to disguise themselves as females to avoid detection by larger, dominant males and to increase their chances of mating. By changing their color and patterns to resemble females, smaller males can approach a female without being challenged or attacked by the dominant males.

The giant Pacific octopus can lay around 100,000 eggs. The female octopus carefully lays the eggs in long strings attached to the roof of her den.

On average, a sperm whale can hold its breath for about 90 minutes. This ability allows them to dive deep into the ocean, sometimes reaching depths of up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) in search of food, such as squid.

Female Greenland sharks are known to reach sexual maturity very late compared to other animals. They do not get pregnant until they are around 150 years old. The pups are born alive after an exceptionally long gestation period of 8 to 18 years.

Greenland sharks are slow swimmers. They typically move at a speed of about 0.75 miles per hour (1.2 kilometers per hour).

Moby Dick, the famous whale from Herman Melville's novel "Moby-Dick," is a sperm whale.

The Andean condor is the largest living bird of prey in the world.

The world's largest shark is the whale shark. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft). A fully-grown whale shark can weigh about 20 tons.

The largest bird's nest was built by a pair of bald eagles in St Petersburg, Florida, USA and measured 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) wide and 6 m (20 ft) deep. It was estimated to weigh about two tons (4,409 lb).

The Golden Eagle is the most common national bird in the world. It's the national bird of Afghanistan, Albania, Germany, Mexico, and Romania.

Sea otters are the hairiest animals in the world. An average adult sea otter has about 1 billion hairs on its entire body.

Tarsiers cannot move their eyeballs within their eye sockets. To compensate for their fixed eyes, tarsiers can rotate their heads up to 180 degrees in either direction, allowing them to look behind them without moving their bodies.

Statistically, it's highly likely that at least some of the water molecules in any given glass of water were once consumed by a dinosaur.

Most dolphins develop their signature whistle by their first birthday. These whistles are unique to each dolphin and serve as a way for individuals to identify themselves to others.

The most populous country without an airport is Andorra. Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airport in Spain is the closest airport to Andorra.

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The smallest mammal in the world is the bumblebee bat, which weighs less than a penny.

The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body relative to its size.

The world's largest coral reef system is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, which stretches over 1,400 miles.

The world's fastest ant is the Saharan silver ant, which can travel up to one meter per second.

The world's largest waterfall by volume is the Angel Falls in Venezuela, which drops over 3,212 feet.

The world's largest flower is the Rafflesia arnoldii, which can grow up to three feet in diameter.

The world's largest jellyfish is the Lion's Mane jellyfish, which has tentacles that can reach over 120 feet in length.

The world's largest snake is the reticulated python, which can grow up to 33 feet in length.

The world's largest snowflake on record was 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick.

The oldest living organism on Earth is a Great Basin bristlecone pine tree, estimated to be over 5,000 years old.

A housefly hums in the key of F.

The largest pyramid in the world is not in Egypt, but in Mexico.

The total weight of all ants on Earth is greater than the total weight of all humans.

The world's largest hailstone on record weighed over 2 pounds and was nearly the size of a basketball.

The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn.

The world's largest living organism is a fungus named Armillaria ostoyae, which covers 2,200 acres in Oregon.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from space.

A rhinoceros's horn is made of compacted hair.

The world's largest pearl was found inside a giant clam and weighed over 14 pounds.

The world's largest volcano is Mauna Loa in Hawaii, which covers an area of 2,035 square miles.

The Eiffel Tower grows about 6 inches in the summer due to the heat expanding the metal.

A newborn kangaroo is about one inch long, about the size of a large grape.

The longest recorded flight of a chicken was 13 seconds.

A shrimp's heart is located in its head.

A cat has a specialized collar bone that allows it to always land on its feet.

The lifespan of a single taste bud is 10 days.

The shortest war in recorded history lasted only 38 minutes, between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896.

Jupiter is bigger than all the other planets in the solar system put together.

Beavers have a set of transparent eyelids that cover and protect their eyes underwater.

Weighing less than 2 grams (approximately one-twentieth of an ounce), the male bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is the smallest bird in the world. It is also the smallest warm-blooded vertebrate on Earth. Female bee hummingbirds are slightly larger than their male counterparts

Among all birds, Hummingbirds have the largest brains relative to their body size, making up 4.2% of their total body weight. They remember every flower they have visited and how long it will take a flower to refill.

A Hummingbird's heart can beat as fast as 1260 beats per minute during flight and as slow as 50 beats per minute at rest to conserve energy.

Hummingbirds are known for their vibrant iridescent feathers, which result from microscopic platelets in the feathers that refract light.

Hummingbirds are the best fliers in the world, but that ability came with a cost: they can barely walk.

Hummingbirds are the only birds in the world that are capable of hovering for more than 30 seconds at a time

The sword-billed hummingbird's beak is longer than its body. its long, specialized bill is adapted for extracting nectar from deep within long, tubular flowers.

Hummingbirds got their name from the humming sound produced by their rapid wing beats during flight, beating at an incredible 50 to 90 times per second during normal flight. Ruby-throated hummingbirds have the fastest wingbeats of all birds, beating 200 times per second during courtship flights

When food is scarce or temperatures drop, hummingbirds enter a state of torpor, where their body temperature and heart rate slow down significantly to conserve energy.

Hummingbirds can see more colors than humans, including ultraviolet light, which helps them find nectar-rich flowers.

Hummingbirds have a very high metabolism and must eat frequently during non-rest periods. Some species of hummingbirds consume about twice their body weight in bugs and nectar in a typical day, feeding every 10-15 minutes and visiting 1,000-2,000 flowers throughout the day.

The Aztec god of the sun, war, and the patron of Tenochtitlan (the Aztec capital near the present day Mexico City) was Huitzilopochtli. His name translates to "Hummingbird of the South". Aztecs referred to those slain in battle or sacrificed to Huitzilopochtli as "quauhteca" (meaning 'eagle people') Aztecs believed that quauhteca joined the sun's glorious retinue for four years before finding everlasting life as hummingbirds.

A hummingbird's tongue can flick in and out 20 times per second as it sips nectar from flowers.

Rufous hummingbird has one of the longest migrations among birds, traveling twice per year between Alaska and Mexico, a distance of about 3,900 miles (6,300 km).

The ruby-throated hummingbird has the fewest feathers of any bird, with about 940. Hummingbirds have a relatively small number of feathers, around 1,000–1,500, in general.

The lesser violetear has been recorded as attaining the greatest flying speed ever recorded for a hummingbird, with a pair of birds having attained 90 mph (140 km/h) during a chase

The vervain hummingbird (Mellisuga minima) lays two eggs that are smallest of all birds. The eggs are about 1 cm (0.39 in) long and weigh about 0.38 g (0.013 oz). The female incubates the eggs for 16 to 19 days, and the chicks fledge about 21 to 25 days after hatching. One egg laid by a Vervain hummingbird in October 1998 was the smallest bird egg ever recorded. It measured less than 10mm in length and weighed about 0.365grams

Despite their small size, hummingbirds are fearless and have been known to attack larger birds, such as crows or jays, that venture too close to their territory.

There are more than 300 species of hummingbirds, primarily found in tropical areas. Ecuador has the highest diversity of hummingbird species. This small South American country, is home to over 130 species of hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds are crucial pollinators, transferring pollen between flowers as they feed on nectar.

Hummingbirds sometimes build their nests using spider silk, allowing the nest to expand as the chicks grow.