Animal kingdom is full of amazing creatures who will surely amaze and amuse. From koala fingerprints that resemble human ones to how polar bear hair is transparent, discover more about these remarkable animals and their world.
Did you know a group of cats is known as a “clowder”, while fleas can jump 40 to 100 times their body length?
Grizzly Bears Can Crush a Bowling Ball
Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos), the largest subspecies of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), are powerful predators that roam American wilderness. Famed for their predatory skills, these legendary beasts can exert force 2.5-5 times greater than that of human beings and have strength 2.5-5 times stronger than human strength. Only one big cat comes close to competing against these formidable predators: Siberian Tiger. But even then it would need to ambush it first before coming close enough for it bite or run over.
Grizzlies have an identifiable hump on their backs that acts as a large muscle used to power their forelimbs when digging and toppling over logs in search of plant bulbs, roots balls, ground squirrels and other small animals. They play an integral part in forest ecosystems by spreading seeds while stirring up nutrients when foraging – including salmon carcasses! Grizzlies have an average lifespan of 25 years.
Koalas Sleep 18 to 22 Hours a Day
Koalas spend most of their day sleeping peacefully in eucalyptus trees, as their gumleaf diet contains high concentrations of toxins but few nutrients; therefore conserving energy by sleeping as much as possible.
Koala digestive systems must work hard to break down toxins and extract valuable nutrients from leaves, taking up much energy in doing so and necessitating frequent sleeping periods for survival. This may explain why koalas tend to doze off so often!
There is a popular belief that koalas become “drugged out” from eating eucalyptus leaves, but this is untrue. Though their awareness may change during certain stages of REM sleep, koalas never fully wake up from it.
Koalas spend their days feeding or exploring their environment, while being exposed to threats such as predators, wildfires, drought and chlamydia infection which affects some populations and may result in blindness and infertility.
Earthworms Have Both Male and Female Parts
Earthworms are simultaneous hermaphrodites, meaning they possess both male and female reproductive organs; however, in order to reproduce and lay eggs they need a partner. Earthworms mate by sensing around until they find another worm before inverting themselves and exchanging sperm through their male openings into each other’s sperm receptacles – then exuding slime to seal their pairing.
An earthworm’s first segment houses its mouth, while its last one contains its anus. Blood vessels run along each segment to deliver oxygen directly into all its organs.
Earthworms possess circular muscles that encase their segments and long muscles that run the length of their bodies, which allow them to expand or contract as needed – giving them their signature “squiggly” motion. Furthermore, earthworms extend sets of setae to hold onto surfaces.
Jaguars Have Six Times Better Night Vision
Jaguar eyes feature a reflective tissue layer in their retinas that gives them “eyeshine”, enabling them to see six times better at night compared with most cats – hence why this cat has earned its reputation as one of the world’s greatest night hunters.
Jaguars, famed for their strength, agility and camouflage are often targeted by poachers for their skins, meat and teeth. Furthermore, these cats suffer the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation caused by cattle ranches and wildfires; forests being cleared away to build cattle farms or burn in fires leaving wildlife isolated from each other.
Jaguars once roamed from the southwestern United States and Mexico through Mexico to northern Brazil and Argentina; today, however, these big cats can only be found in small pockets of forested habitat. Protecting anti-poaching legislation is key in saving these majestic animals.
Hummingbirds Beat Their Wings 200 Times a Second
Hummingbirds get their name from the sound they make when beating their wings, creating an audible buzz as they travel around your backyard or migrate far across oceans and continents. Their feathers are light yet sturdy enough for multiple beatings every second as hummingbirds flit between gardens or travel long distances on migration, producing vibrations in the air that cause a “hum” that depends on which species it belongs to.
Even the largest of hummingbirds can flutter their wings up to 50 times per second during direct flight, while male ruby-throats display courtship dives by beating their wings up to 200 times per second! Their small feet also help reduce drag by decreasing feather contact points with the ground, decreasing drag by decreasing feather area exposed during flight.
Hummingbirds may appear fast, but their high speed flight saps most of their energy. Therefore, they frequently stop to sip flower nectar or rest on trees or bushes during their travels to replenish their reserves and replenish energy reserves.
Ostriches Have Bigger Eyes Than Their Brains
Ostriches are among the largest and heaviest birds on earth, yet also among the fastest runners. Their large eyes help them keep tabs on potential threats when running across savanna grasslands.
Although ostriches appear large in size, their brains are actually smaller than one of their eyeballs – an unusual trait shared among all ratites (flightless birds such as common and Somali ostrich).
Ostrich eyes boast more than aesthetic value; their large lenses enable the animal to see far more clearly than usual, giving them the capability of spotting moving objects up to 3 km away during daylight and 50 meters at night. Other creatures with eyes larger than their brains include giant and colossal squid, tarsier, and trilobites which lived 521-252 million years ago.
Bats Are the Only Mammals That Can Fly
Although certain mammal species, like flying squirrels, are capable of gliding on air currents, bats are true flyers – their wings comprise an air cushion stretched between four long fingers and their thumb.
Bats may have an unfortunate reputation as bloodsucking disease carriers, but bats play an essential role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. They disperse seeds, devour many harmful insects and pollinate many important plants such as bananas, mangoes and the iconic agave cacti.
Over 1400 species of bats can be found worldwide and they’re divided into two suborders, Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera. Fruit- and nectar-feeding bats fall under Megachiroptera while those feeding on vertebrates and invertebrates fall into Microchiroptera. Bats have amazing flying capabilities using echolocation to navigate their environments at night.
Hummingbirds Weigh Less Than a Penny
Many of us encounter hummingbirds at flowers or bird feeders, yet how much do we really know about these magnificent feathered creatures? Hummingbirds can be quite lively birds that once served as reminders that Aztec warriors still lived among them.
Hummingbirds possess extremely fast metabolisms and can burn up to 10 times their body weight in one flight! Due to not storing fat, nectar consumption must also remain at high levels for them.
The ruby-throated hummingbird makes nonstop flights across the Gulf of Mexico on its nonstop migration between its winter overwintering grounds in Central America and breeding grounds in eastern United States, covering up to 500 miles each day with wings beating 200 times per second during courtship flights; its brain comprises 4.2% of its bodyweight – more than any other animal!
Dragonflies Can See in All Directions
Dragonflies devote almost 80 percent of their brains to vision. Each compound eye, composed of over 30,000 facets, gathers visual data for collection into mosaic images by the insect.
Odonate superpowers allow them to spot prey from long distances and even fly backwards – an ability which comes in handy when hunting flies and mosquitoes. Scientists have also discovered that dragonflies have the ability to predict target movement before quickly adapting their wings and heads in order to capture it quickly.
Some people take great pleasure in “oding,” or watching dragonflies (members of the order Odonata). These highly aerodynamic insects have the capacity to turn at nine times the force of gravity while flying both forwards and backwards in flight paths.
Gorillas Burp When They’re Happy
Gorillas are one of the largest great apes and share 98% of our DNA, making them one of our closest relatives. While physically intimidating, gorillas are highly intelligent and sensitive creatures who share our love of laughter as well as our sorrow.
Gorillas communicate in various ways, using facial expressions, sounds and body postures. Grunting vocalizations help pinpoint where group members are; in addition, belches convey feelings of satisfaction and happiness.
Children playing the popular gorilla game typically feed healthy food cards to an ape who then burps noisily! After each burp noise they must say “excuse me”, encouraging good manners while helping children understand the difference between healthier and junk foods – giving them an advantage when making diet decisions later in life.