Animals

Tuesday, 18 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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Yellow spotted lizard
Terrain is their primary habitat.
They can also be found on tree trunks or beneath bark, rock crevices and caves.
Shoebill
The plumage is blue-gray with a greenish tinge.
The back and neck are covered with blue-gray feathers with a greenish tinge, while the underside of ...
Platypus
Until the early 20th century, platypuses were eagerly hunted for their fur.
Today they are protected throughout their territories.
Sand lizard
The body length can be up to 24 cm (9,44 in). Individuals from Eastern Europe can reach up to 28 cm (11 in). They have a compact, stocky body.
Both the legs and the snout are short. The paws end with long, clawed toes. The tail, in turn, is almost half its length, about 11 cm (4,3 in).
Otters
Otters have a loose patch of skin under their armpits that they use as storage for rocks and food.
Hammerhead sharks
Their length ranges from 0.9 to 6.1 meters, and their weight ranges from 3 up to 580 kilograms.
The biggest of the genus is the great hammerhead. The record holder is a female caught in 2006 who weighed almost 581 kilograms. The reason for her unusual weight, however, was pregnancy.
Great spotted woodpecker
The nesting season begins in April and lasts until June.
Courtship begins as early as December. They breed one brood per year, the eggs being laid in the first weeks of May. A female can lay 5 to 7 white eggs, 26x19 mm in size.
Tiger sharks
The average lifespan of a tiger shark is 27 years in the wild.
Hawksbill sea turtle
They are commonly found in tropical coral reefs in three of five oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian.
The larger population lives in Australia and Solomon Islands–part of the Commonwealth with King Charles III as a Head of State, represented by a Governor-General.
Great spotted woodpecker
They are medium-sized birds. Adult body length is 20 to 24 centimeters.
The wingspan is 34 to 39 centimeters and the weight varies from 70 to 98 grams.