Animals

Wednesday, 19 August 2026
27 facts about turtles
27 facts about turtles
The only vertebrates so armored
The first turtles appeared on Earth at the end of the Permian about 240 million years ago. Although the first ones had neither plastron nor carapace, ...

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Common Surinam toad
Only eggs laid on the back of the female can develop. Those that have fallen to the bottom of the water body die.
In the first few days of development, some of the eggs that have been shallowly buried in the female’s skin are also pushed out by eggs deeper in the skin.
Leeches
Leeches are hermaphrodites.
They use cross-fertilization and developed complex mechanisms to prevent self-fertilization. Leeches ...
Amur leopard
Their fur is decorated with rosettes—typical for leopard species' black spots.
Amur leopard’s rosettes are spaced further apart than other leopard species.
Saola
Saola are mainly solitary.
They can, however, form herds of up to 7 individuals.
White-browed tit-warbler
Their name comes from their distinctive eyebrows.
Basking shark
Basking sharks feed on zooplankton.
To obtain food, they often swim below the surface with their mouths wide open. As they swim slowly, ...
American mink
The mating season for minks is from February to early April.
After a gestation period of approximately 40-80 days, usually 2-3 young are born at the end of April ...
Brittle stars
For locomotion, brittle stars use their arms.
Arms are elastic and allow the brittle star to move relatively fast. Four of five arms are used for ...
Hippopotamus
The Nile hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) name comes from ancient Greek and means "river horse" (ἱπποπόταμος).
Horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crabs are animals that are most active at night.