Karen Hill

The peacock’s feathers it displays to impress potential mates are not its tail feathers. The long colorful feathers that stand up are actually part of his wing feather system. Tiny muscles at the base of the quills pull each feather up and make them shake. The feathers bang against one another and create the vibrating … Read more

Technically, there is no such thing as female peacocks. The birds are known collectively as peafowl, the males are called peacocks, and the females are peahens. The peahen cannot raise her feathers. As a matter of fact, she doesn’t have much to raise in the first place. Although both sexes of peafowl share a crest … Read more

Although Peacocks are not migratory, peafowl of both sexes can indeed fly. They fly pretty high, actually, and will usually roost in the tops of trees at night for protection in the wild. It would be difficult for them to fly far, though, as their tails would produce too much of a drag for longer … Read more

A Lock of Peacocks and Peahens is often called a muster, although we like the less used phrase, an ostentation of peafowl. Today most peafowl are raised in captivity, and their numbers in the wild are dwindling. The two types that we see most often in zoos are the Indian and the Javanese peafowl. Indian … Read more

Mozart kept a starling in his home, and it helped him with his compositions. While he wrote and played, the starling would sometimes come up with variations of what Mozart was playing. Giving his bird full credit, Mozart would find the bird’s contributions appealing and add them to his composition. When the bird died, Mozart … Read more

Drinking birds, also known as dipping birds, are toy heat engines that mimic the motions of a bird drinking water. The drinking bird was invented by Miles V. Sullivan in 1945 and patented in 1946, and is not a perpetual motion device. Sullivan was a Ph.D. inventor-scientist at Bell labs in Murray Hill, NJ, USA, … Read more

Under the icy waters of Antarctica are huge numbers of whales, but up on the surface, few things are hardy enough to spend much time on the frozen land. Even regional plants would likely prefer to live somewhere else, vegetation on Antarctica is limited to about 350 species of mosses, algae, and lichens. Oh, yeah, … Read more

For plants to exist in cold regions, they have to be able to survive the cold and then take advantage of the summer sun as soon as it’s possible to do so. For example, many of the shrubs are evergreens, because not having to grow leaves every year is a virtue in a place where … Read more

Dogs were bred for specific functions, making intelligence a difficult thing to measure. For example, if you see herding ability as a sign of intelligence, a collie will beat a beagle any day. But if tracking is your sign of smarts, then the collie will lose to the beagle. That said, however, some neuropsychologists insist … Read more

One human year is not exactly seven dog years. The seven-to-one ratio used to measure dog years was just an average figured by comparing human life expectancy with dog life expectancy. Here’s how it more accurately breaks down. The first year of a dog’s life is equal to about nineteen or twenty human years, give … Read more

Dogs, like all mammals, have belly buttons. After giving birth, the mother breaks the umbilical cord by chewing it, and then eats the placenta. The placenta is believed to give her nutrients and helps stimulate milk production. The umbilical cord dries up and falls off over a couple of days, but sometime it is eaten … Read more

Dogs scratch with their hind legs when they’re rubbed on their side because they’re being tickled. Your arms flail around and you might even jerk away if you are poked or tickled in the ribs, or your leg kicks out when the doctor knocks your knee. The reflex from a dog isn’t much different. A … Read more

Believe it or not, there is a kinder gentler word for the poop that domesticated dogs leave behind. The proper, fancier word for dog poop is scumber, which we think sounds much, much better than poop. The word scumber probably came from the German word schummeln, meaning to cheat at cards. If you’re speaking of … Read more

We’re not sure if you really want to know why female dogs keep cleaning her puppies all the time. Puppies are completely helpless at birth, even more so than human babies. They’re not able to hear for two to three weeks because their ear canals remain sealed. They don’t even open their eyes for at … Read more

It’s true that chocolate is toxic or poisonous to dogs. However, how bad depends on the quality and quantity of the chocolate, and the size of your dog. First, some chocolate basics. The active ingredient in chocolate is a caffeine-related chemical called theobromine. The darker the chocolate, or the higher the quality, the more theobromine … Read more

Dogs bury bones because it’s their version of a doggy bag, or a way to store food for later consumption. The act of burying bones and meat is an instinctual nature that has continued even though the dog has been domesticated. In the wild, canines like the fox, jackal, and wild dog are often left … Read more

Dogs are not color-blind like previously assumed, they can see colors, just not all colors. Color comes in red, blue, and green spectrums. Canines have a type of color-blindness called deuteranopia, meaning they lack the ability to discern the green spectrum. While dogs do recognize some red, it’s really the blue spectrum they’re best at … Read more

As far as we know, the first person to come up with the idea of dogs leading the blind was an unidentified German in the years after World War I, responding to the needs of blind veterans who’d lost their sight during the war. A school to train German shepherds as guide dogs opened in … Read more

The South American black-headed duck, the African honeyguides, and the whydas are some examples of parasitic breeder birds. The best known bird to North Americans that lays eggs in other nests is the brown-headed cowbird. These birds have actually evolved the capability to mimic the size and color of other birds’ eggs. Aiding their survival … Read more

Hornbills, also known by its scientific name “Bucerotidae” are a family of bird found in tropical and sub-tropical Africa and Asia. When it’s time for the female hornbill to lay her eggs, she finds a hollow in a tree trunk and builds her nest. While she’s busy setting up her nest, the male begins sealing … Read more

Andalgalornis Steulleti was a species of giant flightless predatory birds, also known as “terror birds”. It lived in Argentina and the South Americas until about 2 million years ago, and was the fiercest bird in the world. Depending on the species, it ranged in height from between three to nine feet tall. Sporting a three-foot-long … Read more

The ostrich is the fastest animal in the world on two legs. The Ostrich, also known by its scientific name “Struthio camelus”, is a large flightless bird native to Africa, and is the only living species in its family. It has a long neck and legs and has the fastest land speed of any bird. … Read more

Guide dogs, also known as seeing eye dogs, are dogs trained to lead blind and vision impaired people around obstacles. Although guide dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not able to interpreting street signs. The human does the directing in these instances, based on skills learned … Read more

The word “Mush” does not mean “Mush that snow down, boys!” when giving orders to sled dogs. Although it is one of the more interesting theories we’ve heard regarding the origins of the term. Usually people assume that mush is an Americanized version of an Inuit word, but it’s not. It actually comes from French-speaking … Read more

Chiengora is dog-hair wool spun from dog hair, and is is up to 80% warmer than wool. Chiengora looks similar to angora and is furry and very soft, and tends to “fluff” with use, creating a halo effect. It is warm, even in very low temperatures, and it sheds water well. Chiengora has become all … Read more

The original Lassie that starred in the 1943 movie Lassie Come Home was a Rough Collie named Pal and was owned by a dog trainer named Rudd Weatherwax. The Rough Collie, also known as a Long haired Collie, is a breed of dog developed originally for herding in Scotland. Weatherwax had been training Pal for … Read more

The Great Dane, also known as German Mastiff or Danish Hound, is a breed of domestic dog known for its giant size. The Great Dane is one of the world’s tallest dog breeds, and is commonly referred to as the “Apollo of all breeds”. It is believed that the Great Dane was developed from mastiff-like … Read more

The German Shepherd Dog, also known as an Alsatian, is a breed of medium-sized dog that originated in Germany. The breed is also called “Deutscher Schäferhund” in German, which means “German Shepherd hound”, and is how it got its common name. German shepherds were bred from other shepherding breeds late in the 19th century. They … Read more

The domestic dog and the hyena are about as closely related as a dog is to a mongoose. Although many believe that the hyena is in the canine family, it’s not. Members of the dog family include various wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, the dingo, the dhole, and the African hunting dog, as well as many … Read more

A dhole, pronounced “dole,” like the pineapple company, also known as Asiatic Wild Dog, Indian Wild Dog or Red Dog, is an endangered species of wild dog from Asia. Although its origins are unclear, many believe that the name dhole means “red dog” in Sanskrit. The dhole is almost extinct and remains relatively unheard of. … Read more

There are several different species of cuckoo birds, and they got their names from the call of the Common Cuckoo, which is also familiar from cuckoo clocks. The American cuckoo is about a foot long and, unlike other birds, has two toes that point forward and two that point backward, most birds have three forward, … Read more

The Jack Russell Terrier is a small terrier that originated from dogs bred for hunting in the 1800s using traditional fox terriers. It is commonly confused with the Parson Russell Terrier and the Russell Terrier with the term “Jack Russell” commonly mistakenly used for other small white terriers. Most historians say the pre-1900 fox terrier … Read more

Bulldogs, also known as British Bulldog or English Bulldog, is a breed of dog whose ancestry can be traced to the British Isles. The Bulldog should not be confused with other breeds such as the American Bulldog or the French Bulldog, which are similar in appearance. Despite their famous expression, bulldogs are generally docile and … Read more

The American Staffordshire Terrier is often mistaken for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the two breeds are related. The American Staffordshire terrier is a breed of medium-sized, short-coated dog whose early ancestors came from England. In the early part of the twentieth century, the breed gained respectability, and it was accepted by the American Kennel … Read more

The St. Bernard Dog is a very large breed, and a working dog from the Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous because it has helped save lives in the Swiss Alps, as well as for its large size. The ancestors of the St. Bernard share a history with the Sennenhunds, … Read more

Intelligence is not easy to measure even within a single animal species like ours, which is able to communicate and willing to sit through IQ tests. It’s even harder when judging between species. What tests would you put each species through? For example, when comparing cats and dogs, it’s true that a dog is easier … Read more

Lions have two types of social organization. The first lion organizational structure are the residents, when lions live in groups, called prides, consisting of about five or six related females, their cubs, and one or two males who mate with the adult females. Extremely large prides, of up to 30 individuals, have been also observed. … Read more

Lion cubs belong to the pride, and they’re well taken care of and protected. Cubs can go to any nursing lioness within the pride and be assured of milk. The bad news is that adult males outside the pride are not so kind. When a new male or coalition takes over a pride, their first … Read more

Lions reproduce very well in captivity and do not mate at any specific time of year. A lioness may mate with more than one male when she is in heat. Female lions are polyestrous, and in the wild a female will normally breed every two years. A mating bout could last several days, and during … Read more

The mane of the adult male lion is unique among cats, and is one of the most unique characteristics of the species. It makes the lion appear larger, and provides a good display of intimidation when the males confront other males and competing species. The mane makes the lion look bigger, and some say it … Read more

Panthers and Leopards are basically the same animal. Black panthers are completely black or very dark colour variants of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are known as black jaguars in Asia, and called black leopards in Africa. In North America they may be called black jaguars or possibly black … Read more

The tiger is a member of the Felidae family and the largest and possibly most dangerous of the four “big cats”. Tigers can be found in eastern and southern Asia, and is a predator and carnivore, reaching up to 11 feet in length, and weighing up to 660 pounds. One of the most recognizable features … Read more

The Tigers is the most common nickname for College Football teams in the United States. Felines do very well in the NCAA. Cat nicknames like the Tigers, Cougars, Lions, and Pumas outnumber dog nicknames like Bulldogs, Terriers, Wolves, and Huskies by more than two to one. Other common names for college football teams include Eagles, … Read more

Cats are a rapidly evolving family of mammals that share a common ancestor from only 10-15 million years ago, and include the domestic cat, lions, tigers, cougars, and many others. Many biologists believe that the modern house cat came from two different cat species. The shorthaired breeds were descended from a species of African wildcat … Read more

The average life expectancy for male indoor cats in captivity is about 12 to 14 years, with females usually living a year or two longer. There have been some reports of cats reaching into their 20s and even 30s, however, with the oldest known cat, Creme Puff, living to a ripe old age of 38. … Read more

The Siamese cat is one of the most recognized breeds of Oriental cat. Siamese cats originated in Siam, now known as Thailand, and is also how they got their name. It is believed that the Siamese cat descended from the sacred temple cats of Siam. The Siamese cat has become one of the most popular … Read more

Many cats have a habit of settling or perching in high places such as ledges, and this fondness is based on instinct. In the wild, a higher place may serve as a perfect concealed spot from which to hunt. Domestic cats may pounce on prey from a tree branch, like a leopard does in the … Read more

The lynx is a medium-sized wild cat with long ear tufts and a short tail with a black tip. It has large paws that help it walk in deep snow and has thick fur that make it appear larger than it really is. Lynx are usually solitary, but small groups of lynx may occasionally hunt … Read more

Some of us know cats are natural swimmers, and in the wild, a cat will swim to cross a stream or lake. The tolerance for water varies from cat to cat and may depend on how the cat was raised. Some house cats will play with a dripping faucet or even step into the shower … Read more

Not all cats play with prey, most felines are fairly quick about killing so they can get proceed with eating it. A cat’s typical method of catching a big animal is to hold on with its claws while clamping its jaws around the prey’s neck to quickly break its spinal cord or suffocate it, smaller … Read more

The cheetah was previously believed to be the primitive species among the big cats and evolved approximately 18 million years ago. Recent studies have suggests that the last common ancestor of all species of felines lived only about 11 million years ago. The same research shows that the cheetah, does not have ancient lineage, and … Read more

Cheetahs are currently on the US Endangered Species Act, and listed as a threatened species. Cheetah cubs have a high mortality rate because of genetic factors and predation by carnivores in such as the lion and hyena. Recent inbreeding of cheetahs that cause birth defects have led a few biologists to believe it is unlikely … Read more

Almost all cats have retractable claws. The cheetah has semi-retractable claws like the Iriomote Cat and Flat-headed Cat, offering extra grip in its high-speed chases. The ligament structure of the cheetah’s claws is the same as other cats, but it lacks the sheath of skin and fur present in other cat species, and the claws … Read more

Unlike true big cats, the cheetah can purr as it inhales, but cannot roar. By contrast, the big cats can roar but cannot purr, except while exhaling. There’s no such thing as a cheetah’s roar, since cheetahs don’t roar. They do, however, purr like a kitten, hiss, whine, and growl. And when they want to … Read more

Cheetahs love to eat gazelles, which are also known for their speed. Cheetahs usually watch for gazelles that has strayed from the herd. The cheetah then tries to sneak within 50 yards of its prey before attacking, since a cheetah can go its top speed for only about 300 yards. If the gazelle manages to … Read more

The AKC recognizes 150 breeds of dog in seven main categories. Sporting dogs (setters and the like) are used to hunt animals. Hounds (bassets, dachshunds, greyhounds, and beagles) are used to aid hunters with their keen eyesight and sense of smell. Working dogs (St. Bernards, boxers, and Great Danes) are bred to rescue, guard, and … Read more

Toto in the movie The Wizard of Oz was a Cairn terrier. Snoopy was beagle which often battled the Red Baron. There’s no denying the strong bond between human and canine. Mark Twain once said, “Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” What … Read more

The American Foxhound a mix of English hounds that were brought to the United States in 1650, and a French hound that was given as a present to President George Washington. The American Foxhound is also known as cousin to the English Foxhound, which is also a scent hound, bred to hunt foxes by scent. … Read more

Dog shows are also known as conformation shows, or breed shows. The first modern conformation dog show was held in England in June 1859, and the only breeds scheduled were pointers and setters. Dog show judges try to pick dogs that epitomize the published standards for each breed, but this can be challenging, as the … Read more

Domestication of dogs by humans can be traced back to at least 10,000 years ago. Evidence of the oldest known breed of dog, the saluki, a Middle Eastern dog, appeared on artifacts as long ago as 7000 B.C. Ancient Egyptians were breeding hunting dogs that resembled large mastiffs before 1500 B.C. The irresistible, fluffy Maltese … Read more

The way most of us pamper cats, you could say that many modern Americans worship the feline. You’ll also find cat-based religions in past or present Thailand, China, India, and among the Incas in South America. It may be hard to believe, but the Bible doesn’t mention cats of any sort, not even once. However, … Read more

Animals of all kinds were respected and revered in ancient Egypt, as they were in close contact with deities and gods. Egyptians discovered very early that cats, though not particularly loyal, at least had the virtue of being useful. By catching rodents, cats protected the food supply. Egyptians also used cats as retrievers in bird … Read more

Hippos do not sweat blood, but it’s an understandable misconception based on a glandular condition of the Nile hippo. This aquatic beast has a mucous gland that, when its owner is startled, nervous, or excited, produces an oozing, reddish-tinted liquid that’s easily mistaken for blood. The oily liquid normally helps keep the hippo’s skin from … Read more

Hippos spend the day in the water to keep their body temperature down, and to keep their skin from drying out. Each night, under the cover of darkness, hippos wade out of their pools and march as far as six miles in search of food. Hippos spend four to five hours grazing and can consume … Read more

Mali means “hippopotamus” in the African Bambara language. The Republic of Mali, also known as République du Mali in French, is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali is next to Algeria, has Niger on its east border, and is Guinea on the south-west. The country’s economy is based on agriculture and fishing, and some … Read more

To mark their territory, hippos spin their tails while defecating to distribute their excrement over the greatest possible area. Most of the hippos defecation occurs in the water, creating deposits of organic matter along the river beds. It is not clear what the ecological function of these deposits are. They also pee backwards, and are … Read more

The Rhinoceros, also known as rhino for short, is a name used to group five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family rhinocerotidae. The word rhinoceros comes from the Greek words ῥῑνο-, (rhino-), meaning nose, and κέρας (keras), meaning horn. The plural for rhinoceros in English is rhinoceroses, and a group of rhinoceros is … Read more

The hippopotamus, or hippo for short, got its name from the ancient Greek words ἵππος (hippos), which means “horse”, and ποταμός, (potamos), for “river”, and put together meaning “horse of the river”. The plural for hippopotamus in English is hippopotamuses, but hippopotami is also acceptable. A male hippopotamus is known as a bull, a female … Read more

Hippopotamuses do indeed communicate with each other, and they do so rather loudly. Hippos appear to communicate verbally, through grunts and bellows, and it is believed that they may practice echolocation, but the purpose of these vocalizations is currently unknown. Hippos are able to hold their head partially above the water and send out a … Read more

It’s sad but true, but the poor Hippopotamus is bearing the brunt of the effort to save the elephant. Currently, hippos are still threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth. Since the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species officially imposed a ban on ivory trading in … Read more

There are two types of hippopotamus, the common hippopotamus and the pygmy hippopotamus. The common hippopotamus is about five feet high and fourteen feet long, and the pygmy hippo is about a yard tall and four and a half feet long. The pygmy hippo weighs only about 400 or 500 pounds, as opposed to the … Read more

The mammoth and mastodon were animals from the ice age, and were closely related to one another. Both the mammoth and mastodon were similar to each other in overall structure, and both looked similar to our modern-day elephant. However, there were a few differences. Mastodons were browsers while mammoths were grazers. The mastodon also had … Read more

Mastodons were large tusked mammal species which inhabited much of the earth from the Oligocene through the Pleistocene era about 11,000 years ago. Mastodons first appeared on earth almost 40 million years ago, and the oldest fossil was found in the Republic of the Congo. While mastodons looked similar to elephants and mammoths, they were … Read more

Elasmotherium was a member of the rhinoceros family back in the days of the Ice Age. The name Elasmotherium means “plate monster.” It was huge, and much larger than even an elephant. Fossils have been found that measure between sixteen and twenty-six feet tall. It’s been estimated that its horn measured up to six and … Read more

Ice Age marsupials from Australia were pretty freaky-looking for sure. But America had some interesting creatures too during the Ice Age. For example, the giant sloth, which resembled the modern-day tree sloth but was much bigger, about the size of a bull ox, and lived exclusively on the ground. There was also an interesting armadillo … Read more

Lions and Tigers never mate in the wild. But they sometimes do in in big cat refuges in the United States, resulting in hybrid cross-breed babies. The offspring are called ligers and tigons, or sometimes, illogically, tiglons. A liger is the result of a male lion mating with a tigress, while the tigon, or tiglon, … Read more

Tigers are pretty easy going about breeding in captivity and in the wild for that matter. Mating of tigers can occur all year round, but it is usually more common between the months of November and April. Enough tiger kittens are born in captivity that live captures are no longer necessary to keep zoos and … Read more

There is no name for a group of tigers, because groups of tigers don’t really exist in the wild or in captivity. The relationships between tiger individuals can be quite complex, and there aren’t any set rules that tigers follow with regards to territorial rights. Although tigers avoid each other for the most part, both … Read more

Tigers mark their territory by peeing on trees because they are solitary and very territorial animals. Male tigers are more intolerant of other males inside their territory than females are of other females, and territorial disputes are usually resolved by displays of intimidation, rather than actual fighting. Once dominance has been established, a male may … Read more

If you’re concerned about being attacked or eaten by tigers, staying in America and away from zoos and circuses is a safe bet. On their own turf, tigers can be a real menace, more so, even, than the other big cats. For example, one female tiger in Champawat, India, was blamed for killing at least … Read more

White tigers have white or almost white fur, and their unique coloration is caused by a recessive gene. There aren’t many white tigers left in the wild due to over-hunting of their pelts, and they are considered an endangered species. White tigers are a rare sight, and their eye-catching whiteness puts them at a disadvantage … Read more

There’s a good reason why different kinds of cats have different kinds of patterns. In forests, with the sun shining through leaves, irregular spots work best to disguise something. Not surprisingly, all of the forest cats, like cheetahs, jaguars, leopards, and ocelots, are spotted. Tigers can live in a variety of surroundings, from forests to … Read more

Humans actually have better vision than cats, except in dim light. But we digress. Domestic cats have rather poor color vision and can only see two colors: blue and green, and are less able to distinguish between red and green, although they can do so in some conditions. Animals and humans have rods and cones … Read more

Cats have excellent night vision and can see at only a fraction of the light level required for human vision. But even with their powerful night vision, cats cannot see in complete darkness. No animal can see in the dark without at least a little light, however, cats have a distinct advantage on us in … Read more

Cats can sometimes seem very psychotic, sensing things that are not there. Their psychotic behavior is more likely because cats have excellent hearing and can detect an extremely broad range of frequencies. The highest frequency people can hear is in the low 20,000 vibrations per second. Cats can hear frequencies as high as 70,000. Cats … Read more

Are you a cat owner? Do you really want to know if cats would eat their owners if they died? If not, skip to the next question, and we’ll meet you down there in a second. Okay, then. As you know, there have been dozens of stories of loyal dogs standing guard over their owners’ … Read more

Lions can climb trees, but they don’t do it very often. They are usually found resting under the shade of trees instead. Unlike some other cats, lions don’t lie in trees waiting for unsuspecting prey to come waltzing along below. Lions seem to climb trees when they want to escape from the heat of the … Read more

Lions spend about twenty hours a day resting, just like the average house cat. Lions use the rest of the time looking for food, either by hunting, by scavenging things that have died from disease or other natural causes, or by stealing food from hyenas and vultures. Since they spend so little time hunting, they … Read more

Although lions are not exactly the most cooperative animals, people have been training them since nearly the beginning of recorded history. The annals say that the Egyptian pharoah Ramses II (1290-1224 B.C.) had a tame lion that he took into battle as a mascot, and the Roman emperor Elagabalus (A.D. 218-222) paraded in a chariot … Read more

The White Rhinoceros, also known as the Square-lipped rhinoceros, is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist and is one of the few megafaunal species left on earth. Found on the African continent, it is the most social of all rhino species, and has a wide mouth that is used for grazing. … Read more