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Thursday 28 July 2011

Animal Facts (part 1)

In total there is said to be around 400 million dogs in the world.

The domestic dog has been one of the most popular working and companion animals throughout human history.

Dogs perform many useful tasks for humans including hunting, farm work and security as well as assisting those with disabilities such as the blind.

Although experts often disagree, there is scientific evidence which shows that the domestication of dogs could have occurred more than 15,000 years ago.

There are hundreds of different breeds of dogs.
Examples of these breeds include: Bulldog, German Shepherd, Collie, Golden Retriever, St Bernard, Greyhound, Bloodhound, Chihuahua, Labrador, Great Dane, Rottweiler, Boxer and Cocker Spaniel.


The most popular breed of dog in the world by registered ownership is the Labrador. With their gentle nature, obedience, intelligence and near limitless energy, Labradors make for excellent family pets and reliable workers. They often assist police and are a common choice as guide dogs.

Dogs have formed such a strong bond as pets, workers and companions to humans that they have earned the nickname "man's best friend".

Humans help train various dog breeds to enter in competitions such as breed shows, agility and obedience contests, racing and sled pulling.

Dog have superior hearing than humans, capable of hearing sounds at four times the distance.

Dogs have a remarkable sense of smell, they are capable of differentiating odors in concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can.

The average life span for a dog is around 10 to 14 years.

Those involved in dog breeding refer to males as ‘dogs’, females as ‘bitches’, dogs younger than a year old as ‘puppies’ and a group of offspring as a ‘litter’.

Domestic dogs are omnivores, they feed on a variety of foods including grains, vegetables and meats.


Rats breed so quickly that in just 18 months, 2 rats could have created over 1 million relatives.

The blue whale can produce the loudest sound of any animal. At 188 decibels, the noise can be detected over 800 kilometres away.

Horses and cows sleep while standing up.

Giant Arctic jellyfish have tentacles that can reach over 36 metres in length.

Locusts have leg muscles that are about 1000 times more powerful than an equal weight of human muscle.

Hummingbirds are so agile and have such good control that they can fly backwards.

Instead of bones, sharks have a skeleton made from cartilage.

Insects such as bees, mosquitoes and cicadas make noise by rapidly moving their wings.

The horn of a rhinoceros is made from compacted hair rather than bone or another substance.

Sharks lay the biggest eggs in the world.

Even when a snake has its eyes closed, it can still see through its eyelids.

Unlike humans, sheep have four stomachs, each one helps them digest the food they eat.

Despite the white, fluffy appearance of Polar Bears fur, it actually has black skin.

The average housefly only lives for 2 or 3 weeks.

Mosquitoes can be annoying insects but did you know that it's only the female mosquito that actually bites humans.

Cats use their whiskers to check whether a space is too small for them to fit through or not.

The tiger is the biggest species of the cat family.

Tigers can reach a length of up to 3.3 metres (11 feet) and weigh as much as 300 kilograms (660 pounds).

Subspecies of the tiger include the Sumatran Tiger, Siberian Tiger, Bengal Tiger, South China Tiger, Malayan Tiger and Indochinese Tiger.

Many subspecies of the tiger are either endangered or already extinct. Humans are the primary cause of this through hunting and the destruction of habitats.

Around half of tiger cubs don’t live beyond two years of age.

Tiger cubs leave their mother when they are around 2 years of age.

A group of tigers is known as an ‘ambush’ or ‘streak’.

Tigers are good swimmers and can swim up to 6 kilometres.

Rare white tigers carry a gene that is only present in around 1 in every 10000 tigers.

Tigers usually hunt alone at night time.

Tigers have been known to reach speeds up to 65 kph (40 mph).

Less than 10% of hunts end successfully for tigers

Tigers can easily jump over 5 metres in length.

Various tiger subspecies are the national animals of Bangladesh, India, North Korea, South Korea and Malaysia.

There are more tigers held privately as pets than there are in the wild.

Tigers that breed with lions give birth to hybrids known as tigons and ligers.

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