Animal Facts

Facts on Various Animals

Dog

1. Dog's hearing is far superior than that of humans. They are able to pick up sounds at four times the distance, or have four times human's hearing power.
2. Hundreds of years of association as pets, workers and companions to humans have earned dogs the nickname "man's best friend".
3. Dogs are not totally color blind. They can actually see in color, though the sensitivity is less. It is akin to our color vision at dusk.
4. A one year old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15 year old human.
5. Dogs have a remarkable sense of smell, they are capable of differentiating odors in concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can.
6. In total there is said to be around 400 million dogs in the world.
7. Dogs' eyes contain a special membrane, called the tapetum lucidum, which allows them to see in the dark.
8. Unlike humans who sweat everywhere, dogs only sweat through the pads of their feet.
9. Dog's nose prints are as unique as a human's finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them.
10. The average life span for a dog is around 10 to 14 years, depending on the species.

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Cat

1. The most amazing fact, cats can produce about 100 different and distinct sounds.
2. There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, making them the most popular pet.
3. Cats have no taste buds to identify sweet. So they cannot taste sweet.
4. Cats can see in the dark. Cats can see at one-sixth the light level required for human vision.
5. On average cats live for around 12 to 15 years.
6. A cat's back is extremely flexible because it has up to 53 loosely fitting vertebrae. This helps them to squeeze in anywhere. Compare that to only 54 vertebrae of humans in a much larger body.
7. Cats have thirty two muscles that control the outer ear while humans have only Six. No wonder they are so good at hearing.
8. Cats sleep for 70% of their lives.
9. Cats have flexible bodies and teeth adapted for hunting small animals such as mice and rats.
10. A cat's brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dog's.

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Tiger

1. Tigers have been known to reach speeds up to 65 kph (40 mph).
2. Tigers (the Siberian version) are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their power and strength.
3. Tigers are completely blind for the first week of their life.
4. The roar of a Royal Bengal tiger can carry for over 2km at night.
5. Tigers usually hunt at night. By nature they are nocturnal.
6. Tigers are good swimmers and can swim up to 6 kilometres.
7. The stripes on each tiger are unique, like stripes of Zebra. Each pugmark is also unique.
8. Tigers are solitary animals, and it actually fairly rare to see them group together in the wild. The exception to this, of course, is a mother and her cubs.
9. Tigers have a brain that weighs over 264 grams (approx). It is the 2nd largest brain of all carnivores, the largest being the brain of a polar bear. This also makes them one of the most intelligent hunters.
10. Tigers can leap distances of over 6 meters, with high precision, and jump up to 5 meters vertically. Their muscular legs are so powerful that they can remain standing even when dead. They also have generous doses of muscles all over their body. They are very very powerful, comparable to sloth bears.

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Lion

1. Lions in the wild live for around 12 years.
2. A lion's roar can be heard from as far as 5 miles away. Lions roar to communicate their position to other prides.
3. Lions have terrific night vision. They are 6 times more sensitive to light than humans.
4. A lion can run for short distances at 50 mph and leap as far as 36 feet.
5. Male lions defend the pride's territory while females do most of the hunting. Despite this, the males eat first.
6. Most lions found in the wild live in southern and eastern parts of Africa.
7. In the wild, lions rest for around 20 hours a day.
8. Lion's heels don't touch the ground when it walks.
9. Lions are symbols of strength and courage and have been celebrated throughout history for these characteristics.
10. The Asiatic lion, a smaller cousin of the African lion, is found only in Gir forest of India.

More Facts about Lion

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Elephant

1. Elephants are the largest land-living mammal in the world.
2. Elephants can hear one another's trumpeting calls up to 5 miles.
3. Elephants can live to be over 70 years old.
4. Elephants love water. They like to swim, dive into the water and find great fun in fighting the waves.
5. Elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump.
6. The largest elephant on record weighed about 24,000 pounds
7. There are two types of elephant, the Asian and the African. The asian version is smaller but can be tamed.
8. Elephants are herbivores and can spend up to 16 hours days collecting leaves, twigs, bamboo and roots.
9. Elephants can get sunburned so they protect themselves with sand and mud.
10. Elephants have poor eyesight but an amazing sense of smell.
11. Tusks are an elephant's incisor teeth. They are used for defence, digging for water, and lifting things. Only males have large tusks.
12. They are fearless animals and fear no other animals in the wild. All animals, including prides of Lion, keep safe distance from Elephants.
13. They have remarkable memory, and can remember pathways traversed even 20 years back.

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Gorilla

1. A gorilla can live for 40 – 50 years.
2. Gorillas are arguably considered (the other contender being the chimpanzees) to be one of the most intelligent animals in the world.
3. Gorillas aren't carnivorous in the true sense. They are mainly herbivorous with the majority of their diet consisting of leaves, shoots and stems, some fruit and some small animal prey such as grubs, caterpillars, snails, termites and ants.
4. An adult gorilla is about 1 meter tall to their shoulders when walking on all fours using their arms and their legs.
5. Gorillas spend a good deal of their time on the ground rather than in the trees, and will make new nests on the ground each night.
6. A group of gorillas that live together are called a troop.
7. Every gorilla has a unique fingerprint just like humans.
8. Gorillas have been observed displaying emotions such as grief.
9. They will never sleep in the same nest twice. They make a new one when they nap in the afternoon and before they sleep for the night.
10. They have four fingers and a thumb just like humans.

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