Ten Unusual Animal Facts

Inside: You learn a number of facts in school about animals in general.  Many of these you carry with you into adulthood.  If you have an unusually creative teacher, some of these facts you might be familiar with.  Many I believe you won’t have come across.  How well do you know the animal kingdom you share the earth with?

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[cow_johnson general_clear=”none” general_width=”500″ general_color=”#ff964a” general_font=”Monaco” general_fontsize=”24″]Both giraffes and humans have 7 bones in their necks.  Seven neck vertebra are a shared characteristic of all mammals and giraffes are no exception.  Each giraffe vertebrae measures about 11 inches.  The total weight of their vertebrae and skull is about 600 pounds which is supported by extremely strong neck muscles.[/cow_johnson]

[cow_johnson general_float=”right” general_clear=”none” general_width=”500″ general_color=”#6e563e” general_font=”Monaco” general_fontsize=”24″]Reindeer eat the lichen, Evernia prunastri, to keep their bodies from freezing.  Both the algae and fungal parts of this lichen contain chemicals that act like an antifreeze in reindeer blood preventing them from freezing to death in their harsh winter habitat.[/cow_johnson]

[cow_johnson general_clear=”none” general_width=”500″ general_color=”#ff964a” general_font=”Monaco” general_fontsize=”24″]Twenty percent more people every year in the United States are killed by cows, most of them deliberate attacks, than by sharks which most often mistake us for food.[/cow_johnson]

[cow_johnson general_float=”right” general_clear=”none” general_width=”500″ general_color=”#6e563e” general_font=”Monaco” general_fontsize=”24″]If you lift a kangaroo’s tail off of the ground it can’t hop.  Kangaroos use their tail as a fifth limb, using it for balance and propulsion.[/cow_johnson]

[cow_johnson general_clear=”none” general_width=”500″ general_color=”#ff964a” general_font=”Monaco” general_fontsize=”24″]Dolphins sleep with one eye open.  They rest one side of the brain at a time so the other side of the brain remains alert enough to register predators.  One side of the brain rests and the opposite eye closes.  After about 2 hours the process reverses.[/cow_johnson]

[cow_johnson general_float=”right” general_clear=”none” general_width=”500″ general_color=”#6e563e” general_font=”Monaco” general_fontsize=”24″]Flamingos can only eat if their head is upside down in the water.  They are filter feeders with an unusual jaw arrangement which only works efficiently when the bird’s head is upside down.[/cow_johnson]

[cow_johnson general_clear=”none” general_width=”500″ general_color=”#ff964a” general_font=”Monaco” general_fontsize=”24″]An octopus has three hearts.  Two of them pump blood to the gills while a third heart pumps blood through the body.[/cow_johnson]

[cow_johnson general_float=”right” general_clear=”none” general_width=”500″ general_color=”#6e563e” general_font=”Monaco” general_fontsize=”24″]There is a species of jellyfish that is immortal.  Turritopsis dohrnii have the ability to revert to larval stages and begin again growth to an adult in effect achieving immortality.[/cow_johnson]

[cow_johnson general_clear=”none” general_color=”#ff964a” general_font=”Monaco” general_fontsize=”24″]Mystery snails can regenerate a damaged or lost eye.[/cow_johnson]

[cow_johnson general_float=”right” general_color=”#6e563e” general_fontsize=”24″]The blue whale has a tongue that can weigh as much as an elephant and a heart that can weigh as much as an automobile.[/cow_johnson]

 

Sources

Bever, M.M. and R.B. Borgens.  Eye regeneration in the mystery snail.  January 1988.  Journal of Experimental Zoology, vol.245.  July 28, 2014.

Cheney, Robert.  Octopus Facts∼Octopus FAQ.  June 21, 2012.  Orma – Oceanic Facts, News and FAQ.  July 28, 2014.

Dagg, Anna Innis, The American Society of Mammologists.  Giraffe camelopardalis.  January 19, 1971.  Mammalian Species, No. 5.  July 28, 2014.

Ehrlich, Paul, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye.  Flamingo Feeding.  1988.  Stanford University.   July 28, 2014.

Fontaniella, Blanca, María-Estrella Legaze and Carlos Vincente.  The cryoprotective role of polyols in lichens: Effects on the redistribution of RNase in Evernia prunastri thallus during freezing.  July 8, 2000.  Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Vol.38, Issues 7-8.  July 28, 2014.

Helm, R. R.  Are Jellyfish Immortal?  July 2, 2013.  Deep Sea News.  July 28, 2014.

National Geographic.  Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus.  National Geographic.com.   July 28, 2014.

Scientific American.  How do whales and dolphins sleep without drowning? February 2, 1998.  Scientific American.  July 28, 2014.

UC Santa Barbara.  Forget Sharks – Cows are more likely to kill you.  April 25,, 2013.  UC Santa Barbara Department of Geography Department News.  July 28, 2014.

Watson, Tracy.  Unique Among Animals, Kangaroos Use Tail as a Fifth Leg, Scientists Find.  July 1, 2014.  National Geographic Daily News.  July 28, 2014.

 

[cow_johnson general_float=”center” general_width=”550″ general_bg_type=”bgcolor” general_bgcolor=”#ffffff” general_bgcolor_to=”#ffffff” general_background_repeat=”repeat” general_color=”#ff964a” general_font=”Cherry Cream Soda” border_style=”groove” border_width=”14″ border_color=”#985b3f” border_radius=”6″]So, how many of these unusual animal facts were you aware of? Be honest! I admit as a biology major, I was familiar with a few. Do you have any weird animal facts to add to the list? Feel free to share them in the comments below.[/cow_johnson]