Animals

Domestic sheep, also known by its scientific name Ovis aries, are relatively small ruminant mammals, and were one the first animals to be domesticated by humans. The word sheep had its first use in Middle English and originated from the Old English word “scēap”. Sheep were domesticated by humans between nine and eleven thousand years … Read more

The word zoo is short for zoological garden, and is a facility in which animals are displayed to the public in enclosures, and often bred. Since ancient history, it was common for rulers to have collections of exotic animals in their castles, but that wasn’t exactly a zoo. Same thing for the gladiator fights of … Read more

The Aardvark, also known by its scientific name Orycteropus afer, is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of all Tubulidentata, and is sometimes called “antbear”, “anteater”, “Cape anteater”, or “earth hog”. The name aardvark comes from the Dutch words “aarde”, meaning “earth”, and “varken”, which means “pig”, … Read more

Catgut is a type of cord that is made from the walls of animal intestines. Sheep or goat intestines are usually used to make catgut, but the intestines of a hog, horse, mule, pig or donkey are sometimes used. Catgut is never made from cat intestines, even though it is possible. To make catgut, the … Read more

Sheep are born with very long tails, long enough to reach the ground. When a lamb is born, the owner puts a rubber band tightly around the base of the lamb’s tail so that the circulation to the rest of the tail is stopped. In about a week or two, the tail, made mostly of … Read more

Domestic chickens can indeed fly, but are not capable of long distance flight. Most chickens are able to fly for short distances, such as over fences or into trees where they roost in the wild. Chickens will also sometimes fly to explore their surroundings, but usually only fly when threatened and to escape predators. The … Read more

Walruses usually live to a ripe old age of about 20–30 years old in the wild. Male Walruses do not usually mate until fully developed around 15 years of age, about 8 years after they reach sexual maturity. The females begin ovulating when they are about 4–6 years old, and are polyestrous. Breeding occurs from … Read more

Polar bears will eat about anything that moves, as well as a lot of things that don’t. They probably would eat penguins if given a chance, but because the two are on opposite ends of the earth, it just won’t happen. Polar bears and penguins are literally poles apart. Polar bears live in the Arctic … Read more

Ones of the most prominent features of the walrus is its long tusks, which are elongated canine teeth. The tusks of a walrus are present in both males and females and can reach a length of over 3 feet and weigh up to 12 pounds. Male walruses have slightly longer and thicker tusks, and use … Read more

Penguins don’t live in the Arctic because they don’t like having to swim across warm water. They are perfectly happy where they are, however, you’d be surprised how far north they can go. There are colonies in Australia and New Zealand, as well as at the southern tips of South America and Africa. But the … Read more

It’s true that mother Penguins jump ship after laying her eggs, but to be fair to penguin mothers everywhere, it’s not the whole story. Penguins don’t normally spend much time on land, because all of their food is in the water. However, nesting changes the rules. The penguins take to the same land where they were … Read more

Penguins love to feed on krill, squid, fish, and other types of ocean life caught while swimming underwater. The emperor penguin is the biggest penguin species, towering over all the other sixteen species at four feet and weighing about a hundred pounds. The smallest penguin species, the fairy penguin, also known as the little penguin, … Read more

Millions of years ago penguins did in fact fly around like regular birds but they have evolved to swim instead of fly. Eventually, flying was no longer necessary. Penguins spent most of their time in the water, and did not have any predators on land that would require airborne escape. Wings for flight became flipper-like … Read more

Penguins are aquatic, flightless birds that live only in Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere. The word “penguin” is neither French, Breton nor Spanish in origin. Many etymologists believe that the name is from the Welsh word “pen”, meaning “head”, and “gwyn”, which means “white”. An alternative etymology suggests the name originates from the Latin word … Read more

Auks are birds that are superficially similar to penguins because of their black-and-white colors and their upright posture. However, auks are not closely related to penguins, appear to have evolved similar traits separately. Modern auks are able to fly, unlike penguins, and are good swimmers and divers, but clumsy when walking on land. Auks love … Read more

Polar Bears have a rather good sense of smell. They can sniff out a dead seal from twelve miles away, and even detect a seal buried under 3 feet of snow. The polar bear’s most common hunting method is called still-hunting, where it uses its excellent sense of smell to locate a seal breathing hole, … Read more

Good question, it gets stupid cold in the Arctic. The average temperature goes down to about 90 degrees below zero, with a windchill factor that will freeze the nuts of a squirrel. Animals survive the cold with thick warm fur, a lot of body fat, small heads, ears, and tails to reduce heat loss, and … Read more

There is no difference between a Caribou and a Reindeer because they’re the same thing. Caribou and Reindeer are the same species, but they’re called reindeer in northern Europe because they’ve been tamed, serving as beasts of burden as well as providing meat and milk The name caribou comes from the French Canadians, it’s a … Read more

Cows naturally produce a gas called methane that can be burned by humans. Cows release methane as they chew, burp, and fart, but mostly when they burp. A herd of cows can produce up to 450 gallons of the stuff every day. Cow dung releases methane as it deteriorates, as well. What is left can … Read more

A cow can drink about a bathtub of water each day, which includes the moisture it receives from the wet grasses it eats. Cows are ruminants, which means that they have a digestive system that reuses partially digested food by regurgitating and re-chewing them as “cud”. Onions could definitely cause a cow’s milk to taste … Read more

Dairy farming has been part of agriculture for thousands of years. Dairy cows are adult female cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, and are usually of the species Bos taurus. There was little distinction between dairy cattle and beef cattle when cattle were first domesticated, with the same stock … Read more

Cows are the most common type of domesticated cattle, and are raised as livestock for meat, as dairy products, leather, and even dung. The word cow came from the Anglo-Saxon word “cū”, plural cȳ, which means “bovine animal”, and several derivatives include the Latin “bos”, the Greek word “bous” (βους), and in Sanskrit, “go”. The … Read more

Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, nearly tasteless protein derived from the collagen extracted from the boiled bones, connective tissues, and organs of animals such as domesticated cattle, pigs, and horses. The word gelatin is spelled “gelatine” in some countries and comes from the French word “gélatine”, which means “clear jelly-like substance”, and Latin word “gelare”, … Read more

Crayons are sticks of colored wax, charcoal, chalk, or other materials used for writing, coloring, and drawing. A crayon made of oiled chalk is called an oil pastel. A grease pencil or china marker is made of colored hardened grease and is used for marking hard, glossy surfaces like glass. Water-soluble crayons are made by … Read more

If you can ignore the potentially lethal kicking legs, milking a cow is easy once you know how. Use a neck harness and a leg harness to keep the cow from kicking, to protect both yourself and your pail of milk. Distract the cow with some fresh hay. Wash the teats with antibacterial soap and … Read more

Goats don’t eat anything and everything, but they are certainly not picky. Goats are browsing animals, not grazers like cattle and sheep, and love to sample things, even tin cans and cardboard boxes. They prefer to eat shrubbery and weeds, more than grasses, unlike sheep. Alfalfa is their favorite hay, but mold in a goat’s … Read more

Both male and female goats can have beards, just like humans. Got more questions? Is goat hair used for anything? Mohair and cashmere are both fancied-up names for material made from goat hair. Neutered horses are geldings, but what’s a neutered goat called? A neutered goat is called a wether. How rude is it to … Read more

Some goats are bred for milk, which is drunk fresh or raw, although many recommend pasteurization to prevent growth of bacteria. Goat’s milk can replace sheep’s milk or cow’s milk in diets for those who are allergic. Goat’s milk, however, has lactose like cow’s milk, and may cause gastrointestinal problems for people with lactose intolerance. … Read more

Goats produce about 2% of the world’s total annual milk supply, and Goat’s milk has higher digestibility than milk from cows, and is nutritious and therapeutic. Goat’s milk also has a different alkalinity, and higher buffering capacity than milk from cows. Some goats are bred specifically for milk, and Goat’s milk is usually processed into … Read more

The Arctic is a lush paradise compared to Antarctica. The temperature is higher, there are more snow-free areas during the summer, the soil is richer, and the precipitation is heavier. Antarctica is, by virtue of its dryness, a desert; the Arctic is not. The Arctic has more than 400 species of flowering plants as well … Read more

The skua is a seabird that nests on the ground in temperate and Arctic regions and are long-distance migrants, and have even been sighted at the South Pole. The name skua comes from the Faroese word “skúgvur”, and refers to the species Stercorarius skua which is from the island of Skúvoy in central Faroe Islands, … Read more

Hummingbirds use spiderwebs and dandelion down to build their nests. As fast and small as the hummingbirds are, you’d think they’d be hard for scientists to keep track of, but we actually know quite a bit about them. A nesting hummingbird attaches dandelion thistles to the top of a tree branch under overhanging leaves, using … Read more

An ostrich egg is about four inches tall and four to five inches wide, and weigh over three pounds. Ostriches are oviparous, and females will lay their fertilized eggs in a single communal nest, in a pit. The eggs are glossy cream-colored, with thick shells marked by small pits. There’s about as much yolk and … Read more

Brown eggs being healthier than white eggs is a stupid myth that started because people assumed that brown foods like breads, sugar, flours are healthier than white ones. In fact, the fictional James Bond would only eat one type of egg, the one from the Helsumer chicken. Its egg is a dark, chocolaty brown, sometimes … Read more

Many weird religions would say the chicken came first without hesitation, claiming that their god created the animals and birds complete and without evolution or change. However, evolutionary evidence more strongly supports the egg-first theory. Genetically, chickens can be traced back to an earlier bird found in Indochina called the red jungle fowl. Over time, … Read more

The Bald Eagle selects old-growth coniferous or hardwood trees for its nest, and these trees must have good visibility, an open structure, and be close to prey. It is also important that the area has large trees surrounding a body of water. Bald Eagles build the largest nests of any North American bird, and they … Read more

High up in the air above the treetops, the two Bald Eagle lovers look deep into each others eyes. They then suddenly twist around, locking their talons together and holding onto each other for dear life as they plummet to Earth, spinning, turning, and diving with wild abandon. At the last minute, right before the … Read more

The bald eagle is like a thug when it comes to feeding, and loves to eat fish such as trout and salmon. Although bald eagles are capable hunters, they would rather scavenge for food. Bald eagles are kleptoparasites, or opportunistic feeders. They hang around and steal the catches of other animals, like coyotes and younger, … Read more

The Bald Eagle, also known by its scientific name Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is a bird of prey native to North America. Bald eagles have white head feathers that contrast with their brown-and-gray body feathers. The word bald actually comes from the Old English root bhel, meaning “gleaming,” or “white,” and this is where they got their … Read more

The bald eagle was chosen by the Second Continental Congress in 1782 to be the national emblem of the U.S. because the species was unique to North America. Other species were considered, however, Ben Franklin wanted the turkey as the national bird. It, too, was a native American species, but it wasn’t just the turkey’s … Read more

The name of the Turkey came from Europe before America was colonized and was originally applied to the guinea fowl. When European explorers saw an American bird that reminded them of the guinea fowl back home, they called it a turkey as well, and the name stuck. Incidentally, there’s a widespread myth that the country … Read more

Double eagle is a term used to denote three under par. This was once called an “albatross,” and in some circles it still is. An eagle is two under par; a birdie is one under. A Double Eagle is a also gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. The first double … Read more

Some very rude individual probably invented the middle finger gesture many years ago. By all accounts, the gesture was used in ancient Rome. Caesar Augustus, according to the historian Suetonius, “expelled Pylades the actor because when a spectator started to hiss, he called the attention of the whole audience to him with an obscene movement … Read more

Woodpeckers caused the delay of the Space Shuttle Discovery launch in 1995. Over Memorial Day weekend in June 1995, northern flicker woodpeckers began nesting in Discovery’s external tank, unbeknownst to NASA engineers and crew. When the woodpeckers want nests, they drill holes. When the holes, 200 of them, some as big as four inches in … Read more

There have been many presidential birds in the White House, and we’re not even counting Lyndon Johnson’s wife and daughter, Lady Bird and Lynda Bird. Martha Washington, although never technically in the White House, owned a parrot that George loathed. Apparently, the feeling was mutual. When George and the parrot found themselves in the same … Read more

Where owls make their nests depends on the owl. Some like trees, others like rafters in barns and attics, and still others make their nests in the ground. Burrowing owls, which live throughout the U.S., from Canada to Florida, usually recycle old, empty animal burrows instead of making their own. They’ve been known to inhabit … Read more

Hoot Gibson was born on August 6, 1892 in Tekamah, Nebraska, and was an American rodeo champion and a pioneer cowboy film actor, director and producer. Cowboy movie star Hoot Gibson takes us way back. Born Edmund Richard Gibson, the silent movie star was also known as the Smiling Whirlwind because of his boyish smile … Read more

Strigiphilus garylarsoni is a species of biting louse found only on owls. It is a member of the Mallophaga family, meaning the “chewing lice”. Biologist Dale H. Clayton, named the louse that has no common name after Gary Larson, creator of the cartoon The Far Side. In a letter to Larson, Clayton said that Larson’s … Read more

Unlike many other birds, an owl has eyes at the front of its head instead of on the sides. While this gives the owl excellent depth perception for hunting, it makes it hard for it to see to the back and sides of its body the way other birds can. To compensate for this, evolution … Read more

Most birds of prey have eyes on the sides of their heads, but owls have large forward-facing stereoscopic eyes that enable depth perception necessary for low-light hunting. The large eyes of an owl are for acute night vision, and they are also like pair of sunglasses. Being nocturnal, much of their hunting is done at … Read more

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