This post is inspired by a conversation my mom and I had on the phone yesterday. A snippet of the conversation is as follows: I say, “Did you know that a baby porcupine is called a porcupette?”
Mom replies, “No, did you know a group of crows is called a murder?” We went on to discuss the symbolism/meaning behind a Counting Crows song named Murder of One.
I love animal facts. I don’t know what other parents watched on TV, but often I remember my dad in particular, watching PBS shows about reptiles or manatees or the dangers of the black bear. I was engrossed. Ever since, I’ve been taken by fascinating aspects of animal life. I even attempt to find ways to incorporate some of the unusual things into my novels.
Today for your reading pleasure I’m going to spill a list of unusual animal facts on the page:
- One in every five thousand North Atlantic lobsters is born in a bright blue color.
- Approximately 200 trees can be cut down by an average beaver.
- When a dolphin is sick or injured, its cries of distress summon immediate aid from other dolphins, who try to support it to the surface so that it can breathe.
- Certain Chinese and American alligators can survive the winter by freezing their heads in ice, leaving their nose out to breath for months on end.
- Honeybees have hair on their eyes.
- An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
- Wild dogs don't bark or wag their tails.
- Elephants are the only animals with 4 knees.
- An armadillo crosses a river by holding its breath and walking across the bottom.
- A grouping of kangaroos is called a mob.
- All polar bears are left-handed.
- A chameleon's tongue is twice the length of its body.
- A rat can last longer without water than a camel can.
- An electric eel can produce a shock of up to 650 volts.
- Dragonflies are one of the fastest insects, flying 50 to 60 mph.
- Infant beavers are called kittens.
- Snakes are immune to their own poison.
- The only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible is the cat (yet another reason why I like dogs better.)
Don’t those just get the brain juices flowing? Do you know any interesting animal facts?
*I used over a dozen sources for these facts. If you’re interested, I can provide the names of each.
**photos by flickr
Fascinating! I love animals!
ReplyDeleteSome of the ones that jumped out at me were the elephant (never thought about the 4 knees, but it makes perfect sense) and that honeybees have hair on their eyes. That one gave me chills!
Oh wow! That's cool!
ReplyDeleteAs a huge animal-lover, I love the facts! Some of them really surprised me. I especially liked the polar bear one - how do they know that?? I mean, who sets out to do that research?? :)
ReplyDeleteWendy, that's awesome! That's cool about the lobsters. I've never seen a blue one before. I am planning on going to the zoo with the family tomorrow. Hopefully I'll remember some of these cool things to wow the group with :D
ReplyDeleteWe have a DVD called Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution. It's fantastic and has just tons of amazing animal facts that point to an intelligent designer! Thanks for sharing even more!
ReplyDeleteFun fact. I love animals. You have a nice blog. If you get a chance you can visit me at http://writemoms.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteCheers,
DeAnna
I remember one beach vacation when the dragonflies invaded. There were so many of them just hovering on the beach, but they didn't bother the people. They were there for a mosquito feast, it was a summer of their invasion too. And when the mosquitoes were gone, so were the dragonflies, just like that.
ReplyDeleteSome really interesting facts-so how do they really know all polar bears are left-handed???Hmmm
ReplyDeleteWow! There's so much wonder in the world. One of my favorite things (when we had TV reception) was to watch animal shows on PBS. My favorite was a special on bower birds. Evidently, they are much like humans. They bring sparklies to the girls they court, lay things out obsessively, and aren't above filching sparklies from the competition. :D
ReplyDeleteMeganRebekah, I liked the elephant one too. My favorites might have been the armadillo and dolphin ones.
ReplyDeleteB.J., I thought so. I never want to be at a place in life where I'm done learning.
Katie, I *know* why that one meant so much to you, my left-handed friend!
Cindy, you'll be the star...like a guide or something. Cool timing.
Jody, I wonder what God was thinking about when he created some of those creatures, us included.
WriteMoms, I love animals, too. Hope you get the chance to stop by again soon.
Joanne, see...something like that would fit into a key scene of a book.
Terri, they go to shake their hands...sorry for the lame joke. I'm tired. :D
Danyelle, it's stuff exactly like what you described that get me. Courting birds...I tell you.
Nice to visit with you all today! Have fun at the zoo, Cindy. Think of us. :D :D
Sleep well!
~ Wendy
I LOVE animal facts. Or any kind of cool facts. :)
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