10 AMAZING THINGS ABOUT 10 DIFFERENT ANIMALS :
1. Why is it difficult for the wandering albatross to take off?
Wandering albatross are quite heavy, and have to do a warm-up before lifting themselves into the air - just like an aircraft that increases its speed on the runway. They often have difficulty if the wind speed is below 12 km/hr. They usually glide when they are in the air because a lot of energy is consumed in flapping their wings. Albatrosses, which have the largest wingspan of 3.5m in the animal kingdom, cover thousands of kilometers in the air and are capable of remaining in the air without flapping their wings for several hours. They mate for life and return to the small islands to the north of the Antarctic for breeding.
2. What do the walruses use their tusks for?
Male walruses show their age and social rank in the herd through the length of their tusks. They use them to form and maintain holes in the ice and in climbing out of the water onto the ice. They do not need the tusks for hunting because they feed mainly on shells and small animals. Like the tusks of the elephant, walrus tusks have been used for tools as well as materials for handicrafts. The Eskimos, who have been feeding on walruses for centuries, make artistic carvings from their tusks.
3. What do the antelopes living in the desert drink?
Many antelopes, such as the White Oryx found in the Arabian peninsula, have adapted themselves to a life in the desert. They do not drink water but eat when it is cooler and when the plants are wet with dewdrops. They pass very little moisture out of their bodies because their bodies have a system of cooling the blood before it reaches the brain. Their fur is generally paler on their underside to reflect ground heat away from the stomach.
4. What is Krill?
Krill is a Norwegian word that means 'whale food'. These are small shrimps about 6 cm long, which feed mainly on algae and are found in huge swarms in the cold waters. Krill is the main food of whales, octopuses, seals, penguins, albatrosses, and other sea birds. Krill is also known as the light shrimp because it has luminous organs as the eyestalk and on various parts of the body, which emit a yellow-green light.
5. Why do flamingos stand on one leg?
The flamingo stands on one leg to conserve body heat and energy. Its long featherless legs cause considerable heat loss through the exposed skin. The flamingo tucks one leg into its body feathers to warm it, alternating each leg as needed. They may also stamp their feet in the mud to stir up food from the bottom. Another amazing fact about flamingo is that the pink color on the feathers of the flamingo is due to the eating of colored crabs by them. It was found that if flamingos do not eat crabs - such as in zoos - their plumage slowly turns white.
6. Do Bison still exist in the prairie?
Today there are about 400,000 bison in the North American steppes, but they had almost become extinct about 120 years before. At that time the few remaining animals were transferred to the Yellowstone National Park in North America to protect them. Bison are nomadic grazers and are usually peaceful, unconcerned, and even lazy. However, they may attack, often without warning and for no apparent reason. The Native Americans lived on the meat of the animal and used the skin, fur, bones, and tendons to make a variety of things like tents, clothes, tools, weapons, etc.
7. Which frogs are poisonous?
The colorful poison-arrow frogs of Central and South America secrete a poisonous toxin through their skin, which paralyzes the muscles and can lead to death within 20 minutes in humans. The frogs are called poison-arrow frogs because their toxins have been used by Native Americans in the poisoning of their arrows to kill animals quickly. Poison-arrow frogs frequently spawn in the water-filled leaf funnels of plants, which are located high up in the trees.
8. How do orcas hunt?
Killer whales (Orcinus orca), known as Ocra, are among the most intelligent marine predators. They hunt mostly in groups of more than five animals. They hunt fishes, sea birds, seals, dolphins, and also other whales, and employ different hunting techniques. They hit their powerful tail-fins in a swarm of herrings to stun them. They also use the wave-hunting technique: they create strong waves to wash seals off floating ice. They even attack grey whales after isolating an individual animal from the group.
9. Why do animals live in herds?
Herds offer protection. This is important mainly for herbivores, who live in open areas with no cover from predators. Many animals like antelopes, zebras, wild horses, and bison live together in herds. Some animals guard the herd and keep a watch for the predators like lions or wolves while the others can graze peacefully. The predators do not dare to attack the whole group so they try to separate a weak or sick animal from the herd and attack it individually.
10. Why do vultures not have feathers on their heads and necks?
Vultures are scavengers. They need to rip off pieces of meat from dead animals with their powerful beaks, and often need to stick their heads deep inside the dead body. Feathers on the head and at the neck would become dirty or get caught in something. Dead animals often pose a risk of spreading infectious diseases. Vultures eat them and so are often known as the 'health police' of nature.
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