Animals

Thursday, 22 January 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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Gila monster
It primarily feeds on eggs of birds, reptiles, and small mammals.
The egg does not need to be crushed, it can be eaten whole. The Gila monster is capable of climbing trees, cacti, and walls, in order to get to the nest.
Quokkas
Their breeding capability begins at 18 months of age.
Gila monster
Gila monsters reach sexual maturity at 4 to 5 years old.
Kiwi bird
Kiwis hold cultural importance to Māori.
They form a strong spiritual association with kiwi. It has been formally recognized in the Treaty of ...
Wolf spider
Most active at night or during cloudy days they can travel long distance in search for food.
Hummingbirds
They are the only birds that can fly backwards.
They owe this to the special design of their wings, which also allows hummingbirds to stop their flight at any time and hover in place.
Spiders
Spiders are unable to bite their prey.
Most have a mouthpart equipped with a straw-like device that allows them to drink the dissolved tissues of their prey.
Snails
Most predatory snails are species that live in seas and oceans.
They hunt for snails and other snails. Scavengers feed on dead crustaceans, mollusks, or fish.
American flamingo
At least one parent constantly watches the eggs.
An incubation period lasts 27 to 31 days. The hatching process takes 24 to 36 hours—the young break through the eggshell with a unique “tooth” that falls off soon after hatching.
Brittle stars
There are species with no larval stage at all.
Amphipholis squamata, common in all parts of the British Isles is one of them.