Animals

Monday, 1 December 2025
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, ...

Did you know?

Dodo bird
The dodo bird is an extinct flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.
It was endemic there, as was its cousin the solitary drontium (Pezophaps solitaria) from the neighbo ...
Octopus
There are round suction cups on the inner surfaces of octopus arms.
They use the phenomenon of adhesion to grip or manipulate objects.
Kiwi bird
Kiwis are nocturnal.
It is a common trait among the endemic fauna of New Zealand.
Stingrays
They date back 150 million years to the Jurassic period.
European pine marten
They live a solitary life unless they raise offspring.
They are not monogamous and bond in pairs for only one mating season. If a male's territory overlaps ...
Blue tang
Royal blue tang cannot be bred in captivity. Yet.
A group of scientists managed to breed a royal blue tang in 2016, so hopefully captive-bred may be available in some time.
Red panda
They are mostly solitary and use two techniques to mark their territory and alert females to their presence.
They primarily use scent glands located at the base of their tails and on their feet, but can also leave piles of excrement that attract females during mating season.
Sea otter
When swimming, they can reach speeds of up to 9 km/h. They are very good swimmers but do not venture into open water.
 They are typically found up to 1 km (0.62 mi) from shore, where they can find cover among barrier reefs, rocks, and kelp forests.
Narwhal
Narwhal was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Karol Linnaeus in his work "Systema Naturae".
Otters
Giant otters can swim at a top speed of 14 kph.