Reasons

[GFR]

In regions of India where the soil is red - elephants take on a permanent pink tinge because they regularly spray dust over their bodies to protect themselves against insects.

 

[GFR]

The most venomous of all snakes, known as the Inland Taipan has enough venom in one bite to kill over 200,000 mice.

 

[GFR]

Finches love thistle seeds. But only goldfinches can eat upside-down. Goldfinch feeders have openings underneath perches so other birds can't elbow their way into that particular chow line.

 

[GFR]

It takes seven years for a lobster to grow 1 pound.

 

[GFR]

A crocodile really does produce tears, but they're not due to sadness. The tears are glandular secretions that work to expel excess salt from the eyes. Hence, "crocodile tears" are false tears.

 

[GFR]

Ergonomic waterbeds are the latest must-have on the bovine circuit. The beds, listing at $175, are said to enhance cattle health by reducing joint damage.

 

[GFR]

A dog's mucus membrane is the size of fifty postage stamps.

 

[GFR]

The longest recorded life span of a camel was 35 years, 5 months.

 

[GFR]

78% of cats never travel with their owner.

 

[GFR]

To a human, one giant octopus looks virtually the same as any other of the same size and species. This explains why divers claim to have seen the same octopus occupy a den for ten or more years. But an octopus seldom lives longer than four years.

 

[GFR]

September 16-21 is Farm Animal Awareness Week.

 

[GFR]

The world camel population is 19,627,000.

 

[GFR]

Giraffes are the only animals born with horns. Both males and females are born with bony knobs on the forehead.

 

[GFR]

The giant crab of Japan can be as large as 12 feet across.

 

[GFR]

The snapping turtle eats carrion and is used by police to find dead bodies in lakes, ponds and swamps.

 

[GFR]

The Alaskan blackfish is found in Arctic region. When the cold Arctic winter comes, the waters the blackfish calls home freeze. And so does the blackfish! It's not dead, but only in a state of suspended animation. Months later when spring arrives, and ice melts, the blackfish comes back to "life" and goes off swimming on its merry way as if nothing ever happened.

 

[GFR]

Sharks never stop moving, even when they sleep or rest.

 

[GFR]

The woolly mammoth, extinct since the Ice Age, had tusks almost 16 feet high.

 

[GFR]

The king crab walks diagonally.

 

[GFR]

The East Alligator River in Australia's Northern Territory, was misnamed. It contains crocodiles not alligators.

 

[GFR]

The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C.

 

[GFR]

The kinkajou's tail is twice as long as its body. Every night, it wraps itself up in its tail and uses it as a pillow.

 

[GFR]

The average minimal speed of birds in order to remain aloft in flight is reported to be about 16½ feet per second, or about 11 miles per hour.

 

[GFR]

Young birds such as ducks, geese, and shore birds are born with their eyes open.

 

[GFR]

A few species of monkeys and apes see the full spectrum of color, as well as some birds and possibly fish. Most animals, however, perceive the world in shades of gray, including the bull. A bull who charges a bright red cape is charging because of the movement of the cape, not the color.

 

[GFR]

A large kangaroo would make a great long-distance jumper, covering more than thirty feet with a single jump.

 

[GFR]

In Budapest, they control the pigeon population by mixing birth control chemicals with the birdseed.

 

[GFR]

Lobsters are scared of octopuses. The sight of one makes a lobster freeze.

 

[GFR]

A cat's jaw cannot move sideways.

 

[GFR]

Dogs have about 100 different facial expressions, most of them made with the ears.