facts

1. WHALE SHARKS ARE NOT WHALES, THEY ARE SHARKS Although these huge sea creatures are called ‘whale sharks’, they are not actually whales, but filter-feeding sharks, often referred to as "gentle giants". They are also the world’s largest fish, growing up to 12 metres long. 2. EATING IS...

1. TIGERS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR QUITE A WHILE Tigers were around about 2 million years ago. 2. HOWEVER, THANKS TO HUMANS, TIGERS ARE NOW ENDANGERED Over the last 150 years, the tigers' range has shrunk by nearly 95%. There are estimated to be around 3,900 tigers left in the wild. 3. CAPTIVE...

1. PANDAS HAVE EXCELLENT CAMOUFLAGE FOR THEIR HABITAT The giant panda's distinct black-and-white markings have two functions: camouflage and communication. Most of the panda - its face, neck, belly, rump - is white to help it hide in snowy habitats. The arms and legs are black, helping it to...

1. AROUND 1,063 EXIST IN THE WILD There are two gorilla species in the world: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla. The mountain gorilla is a subspecies of the eastern gorilla. Mountain gorillas are endangered - there are an estimated 1,063 in the wild according to the latest census...

1. BUSY POLLINATING BEES Almost 90% of wild plants and 75% of leading global crops depend on animal pollination. One out of every three mouthfuls of our food depends on pollinators such as bees. Crops that depend on pollination are five times more valuable than those that do not. 2. HONEY I’M...

1. THERE ARE 5 RECOGNISED SUBSPECIES OF THE CHEETAH The wild Cheetah population is believed to be around 6,600 mature individuals and decreasing. They are currently classified under the genus Acinonyx, whose closest living relatives are cougars and jaguarundis—both wild cats are native to the...

1. KOALA MEANS ‘NO DRINK’ The word "koala" is thought to originate from one of the Australian Aboriginal languages, Dharug, which roughly translates to ‘no drink’ or ‘no water’. And this might explain why. In the Australian bush, koalas rarely drink water as the majority of their water intake...

1. THERE ARE 3 LIVING MEMBERS OF THE BLACK RHINOCEROS FAMILY Black rhinos are currently listed as critically endangered species, and only 3 subspecies now exist: Eastern black rhino Diceros bicornis michaeli Southern Central black rhino Diceros bicornis minor South Western black rhino Diceros...

1. KILLER WHALES? MORE LIKE KILLER DOLPHINS! Even though orcas are also known as killer whales, they are the largest member of the dolphin family. 2. ORCAS ARE PRETTY BIG! Orcas measure 5.5 - 9.8 metres in length (females are usually smaller than males) and they weigh up to 5,500 kg. The male...

1. BEAVERS ARE LARGE SEMI-AQUATIC RODENTS Beavers are around 70-100cm long with a tail of 30-40cm. They have stocky bodies, short legs with webbed toes and flat hairless tails. Their coat is thick and brown with a short, waterproof under coat. Eurasian beavers weigh between 18-30kg. 2. OVER 85%...

1. CAN YOU SPOT THE REAL PANDA? Despite sharing a common name, red pandas are not closely related to giant pandas—often considered the real panda. Phylogenetically, the red panda falls under a unique taxonomic group called Ailuridae, sharing common traits with mustelids, which includes racoons...

10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ANIMALS A cat can’t climb head first down a tree because every claw on a cat’s paw points the same way. To get down from a tree, a cat must back down. The Amur Leopard is a subspecies of leopard that has adapted to a cold and snowy environment. The wild population has...

1.) The world’s oldest wooden wheel has been around for more than 5,000 years It was found in 2002, approximately 12 miles south of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and is now housed in the city’s museum. Radiocarbon dating was used to determine the wheel’s age, which is somewhere between...

DID YOU KNOW? 💭 Your eyes blink around 20 times a minute. The average person blinks between 15 to 20 times per minute. This means that our eyes are closed for roughly 10% of the time that we are awake. Scientists say that we actually blink far more often than is necessary to only clear debris...

Cats have 32 muscles in each ear, which allows them to rotate their ears 180 degrees. Cats can jump up to six times their own height. Cats can see in the dark six times better than humans. Cats have a special organ in their nose called the vomeronasal organ, which allows them to smell...