Dein Suchergebnis zum Thema: aller

Reaching up to 13 feet (4 meters) long and weighing as many as 1,300 pounds (600 kilograms), West Indian manatees look more like small cars than people. Despite their large size, manatees are graceful swimmers. Although they usually move along in slow motion, they can also cruise, or swim at a steady pace, at five miles (eight kilometers) an hour. In short bursts they can even top 15 miles (24 kilometers) an hour! While cruising, manatees push themselves forward by moving their strong tails up and down. They steer with the help of their flexible flippers. When in shallow water, manatees use their flippers to walk, slowly placing one in front of the other. Like whales and dolphins, manatees are mammals. Although they live in water, they have to surface frequently to breathe air. While swimming, manatees take in air every three or four minutes. When they are resting, they can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes. Manatees are gentle animals. They rarely fight, and they have no natural enemies. Subsisting on water plants and plants that grow at the water’s edge, a manatee takes in up to 1 pound (0.5 kilogram) of food for every 10 pounds (5 kilograms) it weighs.
Amazing Animals Watch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over

Bull sharks are among the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to many experts. This is because they’re an aggressive species of shark, and they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim: along tropical shorelines. Bull sharks live throughout the world, in shallow, warm ocean waters. They’ve been known to swim up into freshwater rivers. Humans are not part of a bull shark’s normal prey. Bull sharks will eat almost anything, but their diet consists mainly of fish. They also sometimes eat dolphins and sea turtles. Bull sharks even eat other sharks. They hunt during the day and at night. Sharks must keep salt in their bodies to survive, and most can live only in salt water. But bull sharks have developed special adaptations—the way their kidneys function and special glands near their tails—that help them keep salt in their bodies even when they’re in freshwater. Scientists are still studying these sharks to figure out why they developed this unusual ability.
Amazing Animals Watch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over

Long, white tusks break the surface of the icy Arctic water. It’s not a waterlogged herd of unicorns—it’s a pod of narwhals! This species of whale is best known for its tusk—a long, spiraled tooth that usually only the males develop. (Females occasionally do.) The tusk can grow to 9 feet (3 meters) long and weigh more than 22 pounds (10 kilograms). MYSTERY TOOTH Scientists don’t know exactly why narwhals have tusks—though they might be used to impress females or fight other males. But tusks are more than battle swords—they’re packed with nerves and covered in tiny holes that allow seawater to enter. This gives tusks a sensitivity that could help narwhals detect changes in their environment such as temperature or even the water’s saltiness. Clues like these might help narwhals find prey or survive in other ways. REAL-LIFE UNICORN Narwhals‘ Arctic habitat makes them difficult to study, and scientists still have plenty to learn about them. These unicorns of the sea might be mysterious, but they’re certainly no myth. Text by Allyson Shaw /NGS Staff
Amazing Animals Watch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over

Northern Mockingbird
Amazing Animals Watch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over

In its native range—from the southern United States to northern South America—the cane toad is, well, just a big, ordinary toad. It hatches from an egg laid in water, begins its life as a tadpole, and eats pesky insects. Cane toads have poison that can kill animals that try eating them. Predators in the toad’s original range—including caimans, certain snakes, eels, and fishes—find cane toads tasty. Some are immune to their venom; others avoid the most venomous parts and can tolerate the venom they do eat. Cane toads are active at night. In late March, the males begin calling their mates. Once a male attracts a female, they mate as the female lays her eggs. She lays from 4,000 to 36,000 eggs at a time in the water of a stream or pond. Tadpoles hatch from the eggs within about three days. As tadpoles, cane toads eat algae and other plants that grow in water. Cane toad tadpoles metamorphose, or change, into fully formed frogs in 12 to 60 days.
Amazing Animals Watch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over

Make your own composting bin at home.
You’ll want everyone on board to make it all run smoothly.

A caracal crouches in the tall grass, eyeing a bird perched on a nearby shrub. Suddenly the wild cat bursts from her hiding spot and bolts toward the fowl. As the bird takes off, so does the caracal. She leaps up six feet and swats her prey with her paw, causing it to fall to the ground. Then the cat scoops up the bird in her mouth. It’s dinnertime. SOLO CAT Caracals live on rocky hills or grasslands in the Middle East, Africa, and south Asia. The animal is one of more than 30 species of small wild cats. Most caracals grow about three feet long and can weigh over 40 pounds. The feline is usually most active after sunset. And this cat likes its me-time—adults spend much of their days alone, hunting for birds, rodents, rabbits, and gazelles. HUNTING AND HUGGING The body of a caracal is built for sneak attacks. Caracals are superfast, and with footpads cushioned by stiff fur they make practically no noise as they sprint toward targets. The animals’ strong hind legs allow them to jump six feet in the air—the height of a tall adult human. Tufts of hair on the tips of a caracal’s ears may enhance their hearing, making it easier for the cat to listen for prey. These hunters have a softer side too. Mom caracals (which usually have three babies in each litter) cuddle with their young. And the babies cuddle each other too. See, even ninjas need to snuggle sometimes. Text by April Capochino Myers
Amazing Animals Watch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over

If you live in the contiguous United States, you’ve almost certainly seen (or heard!) an American crow. Crows range from southern Canada throughout the United States. As an adult, this bird is entirely black from bill to tail, except for its brown eyes. Adult crow feathers have a glossy sheen. These noisy birds are often recognizable by their distinctive, loud cry, called a caw. They are often mistaken for the common raven, but ravens are larger, have differently shaped bills, pointed wings and tails, and hoarser cries. American crows often live in family groups. Both members of a breeding pair help build the nests, and the female crow usually lays four or five eggs in the spring or summer. After about five weeks in the nest, the young birds begin learning how to fly and catch prey. Crows sometimes stay near the place where they were born to help raise other young crows. Crows gather in large groups during the winter. They congregate late in the day in areas with large trees. This behavior is known as winter roosting. Crows will eat almost anything, from insects and small animals such as frogs to fruit and nuts. They prefer open areas with access to trees and can sometimes be found around vegetable gardens. Crows also frequently live in suburban neighborhoods and in parks. Crows are considered to be very intelligent birds. Text by Sara Zeglin / NGS Staff
Amazing Animals Watch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over

In the animal kingdom, these mothers rule! Check out five marvelous moms of the wild.
Best of all, elephant moms give loving pats with their long noses.

Snowy white tundra swans breed in the Arctic. Young swans have fluffy gray feathers in their first winter. The tundra swan call is higher and more like that of a Canada goose. Tundra swans mate for life and pair up for nearly a year before breeding. They breed in solitary pairs spread out across the Arctic tundra. They can be nasty protectors and are able to fend off predators like foxes. They prefer to nest near wetlands containing pondweed. They line their large, stick nests with moss and grasses. Females lay about four eggs and incubate them for 32 days. These large birds feed by dipping their heads underwater to pluck aquatic plants, roots, and tubers. Their diet consists of mainly submerged plants and roots, but they will also eat some cereal grains, corn, and mollusks, which are a kind of shellfish. The majestic tundra swan is a strong swimmer and can take off from the water with a running start and beat their wings until airborne. Their flapping wings produce a sound that earned them the name „whistling swan.“ They migrate thousands of miles to enjoy a milder winter in North America’s Atlantic and Pacific coastlines, bays, and lakes. Twice a year, they fly 3,725 miles (6,000 kilometers) round-trip between the breeding and wintering locations.
Amazing Animals Watch to discover interesting facts about animals from all over