Unsurprisingly for an animal weighing an average of 3.5 tonnes, hippos can hit a top speed of approximately 19 miles per hour (30km/h), well above the roughly 10 miles per hour (16km/h) typical of an average human. Living in sub-Saharan Africa, this “water horse,” or “hippopotamus” from ancient Greek, submerges itself in water for 16-18 hours a day for cooling and to support their colossal weight. Although they spend much time in the water, hippos actually cannot swim and instead use their feet to walk the river bed, surfacing only for breath.
Puffins lose parts of their beaks
Puffin The funny-faced puffin, recognisable by its rainbow beak and what look like clown-esque eye make-up, has rightly earned the nickname ‘the clowns of the sea’. What many may not realise is that the colourful appearance is only their summer plumage. In winter, they discard the tips of their beaks, wash off their liner, and moult their flight feathers, rendering them such dull birds that many an expert wouldn’t be able to tell a puffin from another bird.
Pandas do handstands to pee
Giant pandas are one of the most recognized and beloved under-threat species globally. The good news is that back in 2017, they improved their status from 'endangered' to 'vulnerable', but their strange toileting habits are lesser known. Not only do they defecate a mammoth 40 times each day, male pandas sometimes hang from trees upside down with their rear legs to defecate in a handstand, to leave their scent mark more widely while on a tight breeding window.
Japanese macaques play with snowballs
Referred to as ‘snow monkeys’, Japan's northern forest dwelling Japanese macaques tend to bath in steaming thermal pools in winter time when it is below freezing. Photos of the monkeys bathing in the hot springs are widely circulated on the internet, and after their hot bath the young monkeys play in the snow by rolling balls of snow into larger snowballs along the ground. The monkeys are not clearly benefiting in any evolutionary way with their game; entire monkey troop do so just for the fun of it.
Snow leopards can jump nearly 30 feet
Referred to as ‘snow monkeys’, Japan's northern forest dwelling Japanese macaques tend to bath in steaming thermal pools in winter time when it is below freezing. Photos of the monkeys bathing in the hot springs are widely circulated on the internet, and after their hot bath the young monkeys play in the snow by rolling balls of snow into larger snowballs along the ground. The monkeys are not clearly benefiting in any evolutionary way with their game; entire monkey troop do so just for the fun of it.
Pygmy goats speak with an accent
Tiny Pygmy Goats 'Develop Accent' in Baby Bat Studies In the quest to conform, pygmy goats are surprisingly human. The UK researchers revealed that the sounds – known as ‘accents’ – of pygmy goats grouped together in ‘creches’ from the age of just five weeks closely matched. Not only this, their accents continued to align as the tiny creatures aged. Apart from whales, they’re the only other mammal that modifies the sound of their vocalisations in response to their social environment.
Bison vote on where to go
More than six billion people will have taken part in elections across the world by the end of 2024 than any other time in history – and it’s not just us who will have taken our democratic vote. European bison vote to move by majority by heading in a certain direction and once one animal chooses to be in the direction desired, the whole herd then follows. If the group heads in an unpopular direction few will join them and the group may diverge and then come back together again.
Immortal jellyfish may live forever
Could this Immortal jellyfish live up to its name? - Science Most jellyfish do not live a very long life but this species Turritopsis dohrnii can essentially turn back time when injured or hungry, through a process known as trans differentiation. This process is a complex procedure that theoretically can render the jellyfish eternal, although not yet achieved. Expert data is only available for a few years.
Kingfisher feathers are actually brown
The world's most eye-catching birds owe their electric-blue plumage to the visual illusion of a few carefully-coloured feathers at the kingfisher's back, while their down is actually a neutral brown. Structural colouration, as the illusion is called, plays such a spectacular role in the bird's colouring that Japanese bullet-train engineers are using the kingfisher's beak as inspiration.
FAQ's
1. Which animal has cube-shaped poop?
The wombat is the only known animal in the world that produces cube-shaped feces. This unique shape prevents the droppings from rolling away, allowing the wombats to pile them up to mark their territory. The cubes are formed due to the horizontal ridges and varying elasticity in the final section of the wombat's intestine.
2. Can any animal survive the vacuum of outer space?
Yes, tardigrades (also known as water bears) can survive the vacuum, extreme cold, and intense radiation of outer space. When facing deadly environments, they enter a state called cryptobiosis, expelling almost all the water from their bodies and shutting down their metabolism until conditions improve.
3. How do sea otters keep from drifting apart while sleeping?
Sea otters frequently hold hands while resting in groups, called rafts, to prevent ocean currents from separating them. They also wrap themselves in giant kelp fronds to anchor themselves to the sea floor before dozing off.
4. Is it true that octopuses have more than one heart?
Yes, an octopus has three hearts. Two of the hearts are responsible for pumping blood exclusively to the gills, while the third, larger heart circulates blood to the rest of the body. Interestingly, the central heart stops beating entirely when the octopus swims, which is why they prefer crawling.
5. Which bird can fly backward?
The hummingbird is the only bird capable of flying backward and upside down. Their unique shoulder anatomy allows their wings to rotate in a full figure-eight motion, generating lift on both the forward and backward strokes.
