Animals trivia

» Despite its great strength, the octopus tires easily. The oxygen-carrying component of its blood, hemocyanin, is copper-based and is less efficient than the iron-based hemoglobin of humans. Therefore, a struggling octopus will quickly go into oxygen deprivation, and becomes lethargic.

» Americans consume more than 353 million pounds of turkey during National Turkey Lovers' Month in June. By comparison, more than 675 million pounds of turkey will be consumed at Thanksgiving.

» Despite its hump, a camel has a straight spine.

» Among other well-known names, a group of fish can also be called a draught.

» Amphibians see no color; they perceive only black and white.

» Amphibians’ eyes come in a variety shapes and sizes. Some even have square- or heart-shaped pupils.

» Insectivores are animals that eat insects. They include shrews, moles and hedgehogs.

» Invertebrates are animals that don’t have a backbone. Most animals are invertebrates, 98 of every 100 animal species falls into this category.

» It can take a deep-sea clam up to 100 years to reach 0.3 inches (8 millimeters) in length. The clam is among the slowest growing, yet longest living species on the planet.

» Despite its reputation for being finicky, the average cat consumes about 127,750 calories a year, nearly 28 times its own weight in food and the same amount again in liquids. In case you were wondering, cats cannot survive on a vegetarian diet.

» It is estimated that a single toad may catch and eat as many as 10,000 insects in the course of a summer.

» Despite man's fear and hatred of the wolf, it has not ever been proved that a non-rabid wolf ever attacked a human.

» It is estimated that manatees live a maximum of 50 to 60 years.

» Developed in Egypt about 5,000 years ago, the greyhound breed was known before the ninth century in England, where it was bred by aristocrats to hunt such small game as hares. Today, the dog is widely used in racing.

» It is the female lion who does more than 90 percent of the hunting, while the male is afraid to risk his life, or simply prefers to rest.

» Dinosaurs lived on Earth for around 165 million years before they became extinct.