Interesting Facts
Elephant trunks can get very heavy. It is not uncommon to see elephants resting them over a tusk!
Elephants cry, play, have incredible memories, and laugh!
Elephants are sensitive fellow animals where if a baby complains, the entire family will rumble and go over to touch and caress it.
Elephants have greeting ceremonies when a friend that has been away for some time returns to the group.
Elephants grieve at a loss of a stillborn baby, a family member, and in many cases other elephants.
Elephants don't drink with their trunks, but use them as "tools" to drink with. This is accomplished by filling the trunk with water and then using it as a hose to pour it into the elephant's mouth.
Interestingly, the Asian elephant is more closely related to the extinct mammoth than to the African elephant
Sunday 17 July 2011
Kangaroos
Kangaroos are marsupials. This means that they aren't pregnant for long, and they give birth when their baby is only about 2 centimetres long. The mother kangaroo then carries her joey (baby kangaroo) in her pouch whilst the baby develops and grows.
Kangaroos move by hopping, using their powerful hind legs and their large tails to balance. But they can't move backwards.
Because they eat only plant matter, kangaroos are vegetarians.
According to a popular story, kangaroos got their name from a misunderstanding. When European people first moved to Australia, they asked the local people what these hopping animals were called. They answered, "Kangaroo", an Aboriginal word meaning "I don't understand".
Each year, Australia exports 3 million kangaroo skins to Europe and the US. Their skins are used to make products such as footballs and golf gloves. Footballer David Beckham stopped using kangaroo-leather boots in 2006 after seeing a video showing the horrific slaughter of the animals.
Kangaroos can't move their back legs separately on land and must hop everywhere, but when they go for a swim, they kick one foot at a time.
Unfortunately for kangaroos, their meat is becoming more popular. Kangaroo meat is eaten in at least 55 different countries around the world.
Kangaroos live in groups called "mobs" so that they can spot predators such as eagles and humans.
Kangaroos can hop very fast and jump very high. They have been seen moving at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour and jumping 6 feet into the air.
Kangaroos like to roam, and they travel with their mob across large areas of land in Australia. They don't often find places to drink, so they have learnt to survive
on very little water.
Kangaroos move by hopping, using their powerful hind legs and their large tails to balance. But they can't move backwards.
Because they eat only plant matter, kangaroos are vegetarians.
According to a popular story, kangaroos got their name from a misunderstanding. When European people first moved to Australia, they asked the local people what these hopping animals were called. They answered, "Kangaroo", an Aboriginal word meaning "I don't understand".
Each year, Australia exports 3 million kangaroo skins to Europe and the US. Their skins are used to make products such as footballs and golf gloves. Footballer David Beckham stopped using kangaroo-leather boots in 2006 after seeing a video showing the horrific slaughter of the animals.
Kangaroos can't move their back legs separately on land and must hop everywhere, but when they go for a swim, they kick one foot at a time.
Unfortunately for kangaroos, their meat is becoming more popular. Kangaroo meat is eaten in at least 55 different countries around the world.
Kangaroos live in groups called "mobs" so that they can spot predators such as eagles and humans.
Kangaroos can hop very fast and jump very high. They have been seen moving at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour and jumping 6 feet into the air.
Kangaroos like to roam, and they travel with their mob across large areas of land in Australia. They don't often find places to drink, so they have learnt to survive
on very little water.
Fish
Fish are wonderful animals. And they are smarter and have better memories than you might expect! Fish can recognise each other in their shoal, and they keep an eye out to see which fish are friends with each other. They also use tools, build large nests and talk to one another, just like we talk to our friends. We use words, but they express themselves by using sounds like grunts, clicks and roars and by changing colour. Wouldn't it be great if we could do that?!
Like birds, fish need their freedom. In nature, they swim around in oceans, rivers and lakes. To them, a fishbowl must feel like a prison. Fish are not happy or healthy living in fishbowls. If you have fish, it is very important to give them a large tank with lots of interesting things to do and real plants, rocks and toys. The tank or aquarium should have clean gravel on the bottom, a filter to keep the water clean and an air pump to make sure the water stays healthy. Fish should be fed once a day with food that is right for them. When you clean the tank out, be very careful not to change the water temperature.
If you keep fish in an outdoor pond, make sure that it's a large pond with plants. The water should be kept clean, so take out any leaves that fall in. The pond should be cleaned out once a year, and if the water freezes, the ice should be gently melted.
You can hurt fish just by touching them, so if you need to move them, use a net and be as gentle as possible.
Finally, fish need friends, so experts think that it's best not to keep a fish alone. And remember that goldfish can live to be 25 years old - that's a big
commitment!
Like birds, fish need their freedom. In nature, they swim around in oceans, rivers and lakes. To them, a fishbowl must feel like a prison. Fish are not happy or healthy living in fishbowls. If you have fish, it is very important to give them a large tank with lots of interesting things to do and real plants, rocks and toys. The tank or aquarium should have clean gravel on the bottom, a filter to keep the water clean and an air pump to make sure the water stays healthy. Fish should be fed once a day with food that is right for them. When you clean the tank out, be very careful not to change the water temperature.
If you keep fish in an outdoor pond, make sure that it's a large pond with plants. The water should be kept clean, so take out any leaves that fall in. The pond should be cleaned out once a year, and if the water freezes, the ice should be gently melted.
You can hurt fish just by touching them, so if you need to move them, use a net and be as gentle as possible.
Finally, fish need friends, so experts think that it's best not to keep a fish alone. And remember that goldfish can live to be 25 years old - that's a big
commitment!
Birds
A lot of people keep birds as companions, but considering that birds are meant to fly, is it fair to keep them in small cages? In the woods, jungles and forests - and even in our towns - birds fly about freely, journeying hundreds or even thousands of kilometres and soaring to great heights. They are free to go wherever they choose, whenever they choose.
Birds are very intelligent. Take a look at the following amazing facts about birds:
Crows have about 300 different calls, but not all crows understand each other. Just like us, they have different accents. Crows in the United States don't understand some calls that their British cousins make and vice versa.
Birds make sounds that we don't usually hear, like the hushed chatter and whispering between two nesting crows. They take turns "talking," having the bird equivalent of a conversation.
Birds remember exactly where they've hidden thousands of seeds each autumn and can find their way back to their stashes using the sun, stars, landmarks and sometimes the magnetic pull of the Earth to guide them. Isn't that incredible?
We know that crows use tools like twigs to pick up food, but one crow amazed birdwatchers by going one step further and making her own tool! She cleverly bent a wire in order to hook a piece of food that she couldn't reach with her feet. What a smart bird!
Birds dance, play "hide-and-seek" and have even been seen sliding down snowy slopes and climbing back up over and over for the sheer joy of it, just as we do!
Thousands of birds are still taken from their families and flocks every year, packed up as if they were plastic dolls and sent to countries like Britain to be kept as "pets". Many become very ill and don't survive the journey. Partly because of this, some types of birds might become extinct.
If you want to keep a bird, think about two things:
1) How would I feel if I were taken from my home and stuck in a cage?
2) How would I feel if I helped a species of bird become extinct?
If you have an aviary (a special large area where birds can fly safely), why not go to a rescue centre and adopt birds from there? That way, you'll give a bird a second chance at a happy life and get the pleasure of seeing them live and fly!
Birds are very intelligent. Take a look at the following amazing facts about birds:
Crows have about 300 different calls, but not all crows understand each other. Just like us, they have different accents. Crows in the United States don't understand some calls that their British cousins make and vice versa.
Birds make sounds that we don't usually hear, like the hushed chatter and whispering between two nesting crows. They take turns "talking," having the bird equivalent of a conversation.
Birds remember exactly where they've hidden thousands of seeds each autumn and can find their way back to their stashes using the sun, stars, landmarks and sometimes the magnetic pull of the Earth to guide them. Isn't that incredible?
We know that crows use tools like twigs to pick up food, but one crow amazed birdwatchers by going one step further and making her own tool! She cleverly bent a wire in order to hook a piece of food that she couldn't reach with her feet. What a smart bird!
Birds dance, play "hide-and-seek" and have even been seen sliding down snowy slopes and climbing back up over and over for the sheer joy of it, just as we do!
Thousands of birds are still taken from their families and flocks every year, packed up as if they were plastic dolls and sent to countries like Britain to be kept as "pets". Many become very ill and don't survive the journey. Partly because of this, some types of birds might become extinct.
If you want to keep a bird, think about two things:
1) How would I feel if I were taken from my home and stuck in a cage?
2) How would I feel if I helped a species of bird become extinct?
If you have an aviary (a special large area where birds can fly safely), why not go to a rescue centre and adopt birds from there? That way, you'll give a bird a second chance at a happy life and get the pleasure of seeing them live and fly!
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