Rabbits: interesting rabbit facts and trivia

• Rabbits are not rodents, they are lagomorphs.
• A male rabbit is a buck, female rabbit is a doe and baby rabbit is a kit.
• A group of rabbits is called a herd.
• Rabbits groom themselves
• A rabbits teeth never stop growing.
• Rabbits have 28 teeth
• Rabbits have a tiny "peg" tooth behind each incisor.
• Rabbits can be litter trained
• A pet rabbit can live as long as 10 years
• Rabbits can purr similar to a cat
• Rabbits cannot vomit
• Rabbits can jump 36" and higher
• The world record for the rabbit high jump is 1 meter.
• The longest ears are 31.125 inches long.
• Rabbits can suffer heat stroke
• Rabbits do not hibernate
• A 4 pound rabbit will drink as much water as a 20 pound dog
• The only place a rabbit sweats is through the pads on its feet
• Rabbits eat their own night droppings called cecotropes
• Predators can literally scare a rabbit to death
• When rabbits are happy, they will jump and twist, this is called a binky
• Rabbits can see behind them without turning their heads, but have blind spot in front of their face.
• The longest-lived rabbit was nearly 19 years old when he died.
• Rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genera in the family classified as rabbits, including the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), Cottontail rabbit (genus Sylvilagus; 13 species), and the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi, endangered species on Amami Ōshima, Japan). There are many other species of rabbit, and these, along with pikas and hares, make up the order Lagomorpha.


Rabbits are ground dwellers that live in environments ranging from desert to tropical forest and wetland. Their natural geographic range encompasses the middle latitudes of the Western Hemisphere. In the Eastern Hemisphere rabbits are found in Europe, portions of Central and Southern Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Sumatra, and Japan. The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been introduced to many locations around the world, and all breeds of domestic rabbit originate from the European.

Monitor Lizards: the tropical predators

• All monitor lizards are tropical reptiles.
• The claws of monitors are long and sharp.
• Monitor lizard jaws are very strong and once they bite something it is very difficult to get them to let go.
• Monitors are carnivorous and will devour anything they are capable of dismembering and gulping down.
• Monitors do not divest themselves of their tails, like some other lizards. Once lost, the tail of a monitor does not grow back.
• Many species of monitor lizards hold their heads erect on their long necks, which gives them the appearance of being alert.
• Monitors tend to swallow their prey whole, like snakes.
• Monitor lizards lay 7 to 35 soft-shelled eggs, usually deposited in holes in riverbanks or in trees along water courses.
• The Nile monitor often lays its eggs in termite nests.
• Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world and belong to the family of monitor lizards.
• Some are small reptiles of less than a foot in length, while the Komodo dragon, the largest living lizard, grows to 364 lb.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Scleroglossa
Infraorder: Anguimorpha
Family: Varanidae
Genus: Varanus

Monitor lizards or biawak are members of the family Varanidae, a group of carnivorous lizards which includes the heaviest living lizard, the Komodo dragon, with the crocodile monitor being the longest in the world. Varanidae is monotypic, containing only the genus Varanus. Their closest living relatives are the anguid and helodermatid lizards.

Monitor lizards are generally large reptiles, although some can be as small as 12 centimetres in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semi-aquatic monitors are also known. Almost all monitor lizards are carnivorous, although Varanus prasinus and Varanus olivaceus are also known to eat fruit. They are oviparous, laying from 7 to 37 eggs, which they often cover with soil or protect in a hollow tree stump.

Armadillos: super armored animal

• The armadillo is so heavy it will sink in water unless it inflates its stomach with air. Even then only its nose shows above the water.
• All four young, always of the same sex, are identical quadruplets and developed from the same egg. Armadillos are the only mammals in which multiple young form from a single egg with any regularity.
• Despite its short legs, the armadillo moves relatively quickly. With its strong feet and thick claws it can burrow with considerable speed.
• A full grown armadillo is about the size of a large lunchbox, and weighs around 17 pounds.
• Because of its naturally low body temperature, armadillos have been used in leprosy research that includes the development of a vaccine.
• Many towns in Texas hold beauty pageants for armadillos. Contestants groom, show and race their pet armadillos.
• The armadillo is covered with platelets on its midsection, has hornlike skin, stiff hoods on its shoulders and hips, and additional protection on its face, tail and feet. Only its abdomen is unprotected.
• The armadillo eats ants, worms and other ground insects and is classified as a meat eater.
• Fossil remains of extinct giant armadillos have been found in the Pleistocene strata of South America.
• Armadillo flesh is palatable and is used for food.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Superorder: Xenarthra
Order: Cingulata

Armadillos are small placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. The Dasypodidae are the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one".

Armadillos are prolific diggers. Many species use their sharp claws to dig for food, such as grubs, and to dig dens. The Nine-banded Armadillo prefers to build burrows in moist soil near the creeks, streams, and arroyos around which it lives and feeds. The diet of different armadillo species varies, but consists mainly of insects, grubs, and other invertebrates. Some species, however, are almost entirely formicivorous (feeding mainly on ants).

Armadillos are often used in the study of leprosy, since they, along with mangabey monkeys, rabbits and mice (on their footpads), are among the few known non-human animal species that can contract the disease systemically. They are particularly susceptible due to their unusually low body temperature, which is hospitable to the leprosy bacterium.

Butterflies: fascinating butterfly facts and trivia

• The original name for the butterfly was 'flutterby'!
• Butterflies range in size from a tiny 1/8 inch to a huge almost 12 inches.
• Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees.
• The Brimstone butterfly (Gonepterix rhamni) has the longest lifetime of the adult butterflies: 9-10 months.
• The caterpillars of some Snout Moths (Pyralididae) live in or on water-plants.
• Many butterflies can taste with their feet to find out whether the leaf they sit on is good to lay eggs on to be their caterpillars' food or not.
• People eat insects – called "Entomophagy"(people eating bugs), many bugs are both protein-rich and good sources of vitamins, minerals and fats.
• Butterflies and insects have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies, called the exoskeleton (related to crabs and lobsters), keeping water inside their body to keep them from drying out.
• Female butterflies usually are bigger and live longer than male butterflies.
• A butterfly has compound eyes: each eye is made up of about 6,000 tiny parts called lenses, which let in light.
• The female moth produces a scent that a male moth can smell a mile away.
• Butterflies can’t hear, but they can feel vibrations.
• Butterflies don't have mouths that allow them to bite or chew.
• A caterpillar grows to about 27,000 times the size it was when it first emerged from its egg
• The wings of butterflies and moths are actually transparent.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Rhopalocera

A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form.

Butterflies are characterized by their scale-covered wings. The coloration of butterfly wings is created by minute scales. These scales are pigmented with melanins that give them blacks and browns, but blues, greens, reds and iridescence are usually created not by pigments but the microstructure of the scales. This structural coloration is the result of coherent scattering of light by the photonic crystal nature of the scales.

Both butterflies and moths belong to the order lepidoptera, a Greek which means scale wing.The iridescent scales, which overlap like shingles on a roof, give the wings the colors that we see. Contrary to popular belief, many butterflies can be held gently by the wings without harming the butterfly. Of course, some are more fragile than others, and are easily damaged if not handled very gently. Butterflies along with most moths have a long straw like structure called a proboscis which they use to drink nectar and juices. When not in use, the proboscis remains coiled like a garden hose.

Studies on the reflection and scattering of light by the scales on wings of swallowtail butterflies led to the innovation of more efficient light-emitting diodes. Researches on the wing structure of Birdwing (of Palawan, Philippines) butterflies led to new wide wingspan kite and aircraft designs. The structural coloration of butterflies is inspiring nanotechnology research to produce paints that do not use toxic pigments and in the development of new display technologies. Furthermore, the discoloration and health of butterflies in butterfly farms, is now being studied for use as indicators of air quality in several cities.

Hercules Beetle: strongest of all

• Hercules beetles, also called rhinoceros and unicorn beetles, are among the largest beetles in the world.
• Pound for pound, Hercules beetles are the strongest animal in the world. Some can lift as much as 850 times their own weight.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Dynastinae
Genus: Dynastes
Species: D. hercules

The male, about five inches (13 cm) long, is one of the largest insects known. Females often have a greater body length but are not as long overall. Males have black heads and a set of forewings that can be shades of green, brown or black, while females are entirely brownish black. A large horn projecting from its upper thorax (chest) and a smaller one from its head resemble pincers. They are mainly found in tropical rainforests in Central and South America, but live as far north as Mexico as well as on some Caribbean islands.

Hercules beetles have a total life cycle of about a year and a half. They live underground as larvae for ten to 16 months, but only live for three to four months as adults.
Adult Hercules Beetles feed on sweet fruits, tree sap, and decaying plant matter. Larvae develop in or around rotten logs and eat decaying wood. Hercules beetles are vulnerable in the wild due to destruction of forests and collection for the pet trade. They are also vulnerable as their natural range is very limited.

Mouse: adaptable intelligent animal

• The typical laboratory mouse runs 2.5 miles per night on its treadmill.
• A rat can walk longer on desert than a camel without drinking water.
• Mice have tails that are as long as their bodies.
• Mice see best in dim light. Their eyesight is weak, but their other senses are acute.
• Mice have teeth that never stop growing. Mice teeth can grow up to 5 inches a year.
• Mice squeak at very high frequencies, often above the range of human hearing.
• Mice can jump down 12 feet without injury; they also have a 12-inch vertical jump.
• Mice explore their territory daily, showing no aversion to new objects (neophobia).
• The female mouse ovulates every other day.
• A baby mouse is called a pinky, or a kitten. A female is called a doe. A male is called a buck

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Muroidea
Family: Muridae
Subfamily: Murinae
Genus: Mus

The word "mouse" and the word muscle are related. Muscle stems from musculus meaning small mouse - possibly because of a similarity in shape The word "mouse" is a cognate of Sanskrit mus meaning 'to steal,' which is also cognate with mys in Old Greek and mus in Latin. Mice range in size from 11 to 21 cm (4 to 8 inches) long (including a long tail). They weigh from .25 to 2 oz (7.1 to 57 g). The coat color ranges from white to brown to gray. Most mice have a pointed snout with long whiskers, round ears, and thin tails. Many mice scurry along the ground, but some can hop or jump.

Mice are common experimental animals in biology and psychology primarily because they are mammals, mice also share a high degree of homology with humans. They are the most commonly used mammalian model organism, more common than rats. The mouse genome has been sequenced, and virtually all mouse genes have human homologs. There are other reasons for why mice are used in laboratory research. Mice are small, inexpensive, easily maintained, and can reproduce quickly. Several generations of mice can be observed in a relatively short period of time. Mice are generally very docile if raised from birth and given sufficient human contact. However, certain strains have been known to be quite temperamental. Mice (and rats) have the same organs in the same places, just different proportions.

Mice live for one to two years. They can start having babies at 6-8 weeks old and have 5-10 in each litter (pregnancy lasts 3 weeks). Babies are born hairless with their eyes closed. One mother mouse can produce over 100 babies a year.

Goose: Amazing migratory birds

• The first bird domesticated by man was the goose.
• The original and classic foie gras is made from goose liver.
• Geese are entirely herbivorous, consuming plant material exclusively.
• Migratory geese flight range 2 – 3 thousand miles.
• Resident geese flight range: 100 –200 miles to find food, water, and safety.
• Geese will find a new mate if mate dies or is killed.
• The Geese eggs in a nest are called a "clutch", avegaring 5 per nest.
• In the event the clutch is lost to a predator, the goose will lay a new clutch.
• Baby geese are called "goslings".
• Natural predators of geese are foxes, raccoons, owls and snapping turtles

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Superorder: Galloanserae
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Subfamily: Anserinae
Tribe: Anserini

The most familiar and widespread goose in North America, the Canada Goose, can be found all across the continent, from the tundra in Canada to the Gulf Coast. Many populations are resident in urban and suburban areas, and often come into conflict with people. In appearance, a “resident” Canada goose is identical to a migrant. The only differences between a resident and migrant are that the resident breeds in the United States and does not migrate. The “acid test” to determine residency is the presence of nests and goslings in the contiguous United States during the spring breeding season. In the wild, the birds can eat nearly all plant species and parts, including aquatic, but especially enjoy grasses, clovers, sedges, grain, and berries.
Generally the term foie gras is used for goose liver, although it is also used to refer to duck liver. Goose liver is considered superior by most people.

Mother goose lays 1 egg approximately 1_ days apart until full clutch is obtained. Mother goose waits until all eggs are laid before she begins to sit on nest to incubate eggs. Incubation time: 28 – 30 days. Undeveloped eggs (still fluid) will sink or float vertically with the wider portion of the egg pointing down. All geese eggs in a single clutch hatch on approximately the same day.