70 facts about crocodiles - animals that can't chew (Don't miss the spare teeth)

Amazing creatures, sea urchins, have long tormented the minds of zoologists. These underwater animals are very interesting from a biological point of view, and the conditions in which some of their species live seem to be truly extreme. But people are willing to collect them, especially in shallow water, as sea urchins in some countries are enviable food. However, most tourists who have tried them do not share this opinion.

 

Facts about sea urchins

 

 

1. Animal sea urchins are echinoderm mollusks.

 

2. These amazing creatures have long been under the close attention of zoologists, as sea urchins are very interesting from a biological point of view.

 

3. These underwater animals attract with their unusual appearance and physiology.

 

4. In total, there are about 940 species of sea urchins in nature, and in our time, zoologists continue to discover more and more of their species.

 

5. Sea urchins are one of the longest living animals on Earth. They are older than dinosaurs. Their first species appeared on our planet about 450 million years ago.

 

6. These animals are able to easily withstand the monstrous pressure of the water column. Research probes have detected them at depths of up to 7 kilometers.

 

7. These animals live only in very salty waters, therefore, where large rivers partially desalinate the seas and oceans into which they flow, sea urchins are not found.

 

8. The size of the largest sea urchins reaches 30 centimeters in diameter, while in the smallest it does not exceed 2 centimeters.

 

9. The conditions in which some of the species of sea urchins live seem truly extreme. 

 

10. They are also found not only in warm waters. Some sea urchins even live in the Antarctic climate.

 

11. Sea urchins can drill holes for themselves even in strong granite rocks.

 

SEA URCHIN-DIADEMA

 

12. The record holder for the length of the spines among all sea urchins are diadem hedgehogs (the length of their spines is up to 70 cm with a shell diameter 10 times smaller), and in flat hedgehogs their length does not exceed 2 millimeters.

 

13. Also diadem sea urchins glow in the dark.

 

14. Most sea urchins lay eggs, but some give birth to live offspring, like mammals.

 

15. Sea urchins got their name for a reason. Their entire body is covered with movable sharp needles, although there are a small number of species lacking this feature. Basically, the needles serve to protect against predators. Their long needles are a formidable and effective weapon. But needles serve them not only for protection, but also for movement, as well as for obtaining food.

 

16. On the body of sea urchins there are over 1000 tiny legs with suction cups on them. Thin legs pass through the shell. On their feet are suction cups, with the help of which these animals move.

 

17. In addition, their legs are adapted for burrowing. The legs of sea urchins are also located on the back, they serve to sense the environment. And some species have adapted their unusual limbs to obtain food and cleanse their shells of pollution.

 

18. Sea urchins do not have bones. Their body is covered with strong calcium plates that cover the body like an orange peel. These plates are symmetrical to each other, they are strong enough and protect the internal organs from mechanical damage.

 

19. By the annual rings on the shell of these animals, one can determine their age in the same way as by the growth rings of trees.

 

 

20. Sea urchins have five jaws at once, each of which has one tooth. These teeth can move independently of each other. Their teeth grow throughout their lives. Thanks to friction against each other, they grind off and always remain sharp enough. The mouth of these animals is somewhat reminiscent of a beak.

 

21. The eyes of sea urchins are located in the upper part of the body, and the mouth is in the lower.

 

22. Puberty in sea urchins occurs only 2-3 years after birth.

 

23. And in some of their species - even after 5 years. That's why they reproduce so slowly.

 

24. Sea urchins reproduce by external fertilization - they release sperm and eggs directly into the water.

 

25. First, the animal passes through the larval stage. Until its final transformation, it moves along the bottom along with other plankton.

 

26. In food, sea urchins are completely illegible. They feed mainly on algae, but are also not averse to eating small invertebrates, the remains of dead fish and other small living creatures.

 

 

27. A large brood needs a lot of food. Hedgehogs literally eat all the coral reefs. Some of them even eat each other.

 

28. They continue to grow throughout life.

 

29. Most species of sea urchins are nocturnal.

 

30. One of the species of sea urchins cannot roll back if they are knocked over. In this case, these animals die.

 

31. Amazing sea urchins are always a close object of attention for lovers of snorkeling or scuba diving.

 

32. These strange creatures look very unusual, and many people want to touch them, but this should absolutely not be done.

 

 

33. You can easily prick yourself on the spines of a sea urchin, and such injections are very painful.

 

34. If you step on a sea urchin, its needles, like fragile glass, break into many fragments, sticking into the body. Their extraction is a very complicated and painful operation, which only experienced doctors can do.

 

35. And some types of sea urchins are poisonous, and therefore very dangerous.

 

36. Poison is contained in the mucus on their spines.

 

37. During low tide, sea urchins do not risk staying on the shore, where they can become easy prey. Usually they either hide in burrows or burrow into the sand.

 

SEA CUCUMBER

 

38. Close relatives of sea urchins, according to scientists, are sea cucumbers.

 

39. Some small fish have learned to have a mutually beneficial coexistence with sea urchins.

 

40. They hide between its needles in case of danger, and in response they eat the parasites that have stuck around it, from which the hedgehog cannot get rid of on its own.

 

41. On average, sea urchins live for about 30 years. But some types of sea urchins are real centenarians. In the wild, they live up to 200 years.

 

42. Despite their own pricklyness, they often become victims of predators. A large number of different animals prey on these echinoderms. They are readily eaten by fur seals, birds, fish, lobsters and starfish.

 

43. One of the most formidable enemies of sea urchins is the sea otter. He breaks the needles of his prey with a stone, and then eats her insides. Sea otters eat so many sea urchins every day that their entire insides turn purple due to the pigment contained in these echinoderms.

 

 

44. Humans also pose a considerable danger to the diversity of species of this class. Sea urchins in many countries are part of the national cuisine. Their caviar is mainly used for food.

 

45. Many people are willing to collect sea urchins, especially in shallow water, as sea urchins are a delicacy in some countries. But most tourists who have tried them do not share this opinion.

 

46. ​​There is a whole fishery for their breeding and catching. Due to human activities and active fishing, many species are endangered.

 

47. Although sea urchins are distributed throughout the world. They are found in all oceans and in almost all seas, including the coldest ones.

 

48. There are only three seas in which not a single species of sea urchins lives - the Caspian, the Black, and, of course, the Dead Sea.

 

49. These animals are very useful creatures. They absorb carbon dioxide like plants. And sea urchins reduce the level of radiation in the oceans.

 

50.Sea urchins are an essential part of the ocean ecosystem.

 

There are one trillion species of living beings on the planet today. This is slightly inferior to the number of trees, which are about three trillion on Earth. Each type of animal is unique and has its habits and characteristics. For example, did you know that chinchillas have the thickest fur of any land mammal and that turtles were the first animals to fly around the moon? We still know little about the natural world, and intelligent people still have much to learn. But we already know a lot.

 

Animal Facts You Won't Find in Textbooks

 

At Bemorepanda collected facts about animals and discovered that our smaller brothers hide a lot from us.

 

 

1. The average length of a giraffe's tongue is 45-50 cm. And they can grab branches with it, sticking it out 35-45 cm.

 

By the way, their tongue is dark in color (some scientists believe that the color of the language protects it from burning in the sun).

 

2. Sea lion cubs communicate with their mother using a unique set of vocal sounds so they can recognize each other.

 

Moreover, such vocalization is unique and does not resemble the sounds of other females and cubs. So the mother and her children do not confuse the sounds of other relatives. Also, each puppy and female has a unique smell that helps to recognize each other. For example, a female can find her cub by unique sounds even among hundreds of others, and when she sees it, she sniffs it as the last check.

 

3. "Puppy eyes" - the result of the joint evolution of dogs and people.

 

“Puppy eyes” or “puppy eyes” are round eyes, raised brow ridges, and a piercing, mimic look directed into a person’s eyes.

 

Domestic dogs have evolved two muscles that exaggerate the size of their eyes, making them appear larger and more expressive—in other words, cuter and cuter.

 

4. Newborn baby elephants can't see well, so they recognize their mother by touch, smell, and sound.

 

5. Male giraffes use their very long tongues to catch the female's urine to find out if she's ovulating.

 

6. The fins of the octopus Dumbo (Grimpoteutis) are like the ears of an elephant. 

 

That's why Disney named his iconic baby elephant after the cute octopus. By the way, it is one of the world's cutest octopuses.

 

 

7. Hippos have pink sweat.

 

When hippos are hot, they produce unusual sweat (an oily secretion), a reddish substance that acts like sunscreen.

 

8. Wolves are afraid of strangers and hide. Because of this, they make poor guard dogs.

 

9. Ostriches swallow pebbles to grind food in their stomachs.

 

With no teeth, ostriches swallow pebbles, so their food is digested normally. An adult ostrich can eat about 1 kg of stones at a time.

 

10. Giraffes can run at speeds up to 55-60 km / h, which is quite fast for an animal that practically walks on high stilts.

 

Usually, their average walking speed is 15-17 km/h. Compared to a person, their relaxed walking for us is the sprint speed of a runner at maximum speed.

 

11. Goats and cows have their regional accent.

 

Cows, as a rule, moo differently depending on the country, region, and area where they live. The same applies to goats, but unlike cows, goats, once in a new place where their foreign relatives live, quickly adopt their unique “accent.”

 

12. Penguins settled in an abandoned minefield protected from poachers. 

 

Penguins are too small to detonate mines, but poachers can't get through.

 

The mines were planted in the Falkland Islands when Argentine commandos occupied the territory in 1982 during a conflict with British forces. Magellanic penguins have lived in the area ever since. And since the rooms are well marked and fenced off, no civilian was harmed by mines.

 

13. Cats can feed hedgehogs.

 

In 2017, at the Sadgorod zoo in the suburbs of Vladivostok, a cat “adopted” them and began to feed them. Thanks to the care of the mother cat, the little orphaned hedgehogs were brought up.

 

14. Giraffes can live longer without water than camels.

 

15. Giraffes have twice the blood pressure of humans.

 

In just a second or two, a giraffe can raise its head from ground level up to a height of about 4.5 meters and not faint due to a lack of blood in the head. If a person could do something like that, he would immediately faint. A hard-working heart and high blood pressure keep the giraffe from fainting.

 

By the way, their blood pressure regulation system became a hint to aviation engineers to create a plan for maintaining astronauts' life support systems.

 

16. No two giraffes have the same spotting pattern, but those living in the same area tend to have the same coat.

 

 

17. Seagulls often stomp on the ground - called their "rain dance" - to attract earthworms and other insects.

 

Their stomp imitates vibrations from real rain, which lures insects to the surface, who think it has begun to rain, and, to protect themselves from moisture, crawl to the surface, where cunning birds are waiting for them.

 

18. Cats are responsible for the complete extinction of 33 animal species.

 

Let's be clear: we are talking about the street (feral cats) and not about your pets ...

 

Every year, billions of living creatures become the prey of street cats, and as a result of their hunting, 33 species of animals and birds have disappeared from our planet forever.

 

19. Dogs prefer to go to the toilet facing the North Pole.

 

One study showed that dogs use the Earth's magnetic field when they pee. While observing the dogs, the scientists found that the dogs preferred to "defecate with their bodies aligned along the north-south axis" and wholly avoided the east-west direction.

 

20. Your dog is probably dreaming about its owner.

 

According to Deirdre Barrett, a clinical and evolutionary psychologist at Harvard, there is reason to believe that animals dream the same way humans do. It is likely that dogs also have dreams where they dream of ordinary "dog joys," such as walks or the joy of the owner.

 

 

21. Zebra mothers keep their cubs in the center of the herd to keep them safe from predators.

 

22. The oldest living creature was a mollusk that lived 507 years.

 

The mollusk specimen was named Ming. It washed ashore in Iceland. Age was determined by the rings on the shell, counting their number. One call - one year of life.

 

23. Millions of years ago, penguins lived about 2 meters tall and weighed 115 kg.

 

Scientists named the giant penguin Palaeeudyptes klekowskii.

 

24. Ants can survive falling from any height. 

 

Even from an airplane! The fact is that because they weigh almost nothing, they fall very slowly. In addition, they have an exoskeleton.

 

25. Some fish can recognize the face of their master.

 

Not all fish can do this. But some can learn to recognize familiar faces even though they don't have the area of ​​the brain that humans use to recognize faces. In the study that found this fact, scientists used only archer fish. But, as biologists believe, other small fish in the world may be capable of this.

 

26. Giant pandas are no longer an endangered species. The tiger population is also growing.

 

Bamboo bear populations have increased by 17% over the past ten years, changing their status from endangered to vulnerable. Not everything is terrible with the tiger population, either. For example, in India, home to 60% of the world's wild tiger population, their number in the wild has increased by 33%.

 

 

27. When a baby elephant is born in a herd of elephants, other females trumpet to announce to the entire social group of animals about the appearance of the baby elephant.

 

Elephants tend to stay in close "family" groups their entire lives. Elephant herds usually consist of females (males often leave the group to mate with females from other packs but sometimes team up with other solitary males to search for elephants together).

 

28. Pregnant dolphin mothers sing to their babies.

 

According to a study by the University of Southern Mississippi, USA, mother dolphins emit an "unusual whistle" for their baby until it is born. This whistling sound is believed to be a kind of "name" that the future dolphin remembers. Thanks to this sound, they can easily find each other after birth. After the calf's birth, other nearby adult dolphins will make less of their sounds, probably helping the calf learn to correctly identify its mother's whistle and use it to call for its mother.

 

29. The first animals to circle the moon were turtles.

 

We know from school that our country was the first in the world to send animals into space. We are talking about launching dogs into Earth's orbit. Did you know we were the first to send animals around the moon?

 

In 1968, turtles were sent on a space flight around the moon (not in lunar orbit) aboard the Zond-5 spacecraft.

 

30. Giraffe in Latin is "Camelopardalis," a reference to the era of the Romans, who believed that these animals looked like a mixture of a camel and a leopard.

 

31. Your dog loves you, not just because you give and walk his food.

 

Studies that measured dogs' levels of oxytocin (a hormone that helps build social bonds - also called the hormone of affection and love), heart rate, and other biometric indicators showed that hormone levels increased. Heart rate decreased as in dogs: humans and their dogs after interacting. When you pet your dog, you and your pet release more of the same hormone in the brain that makes you fall in love with each other, making you less nervous and more relaxed.

 

 

32. Filmmakers often add tails to actor dogs.

 

This is done when the dogs in the frame often wag their tails. For example, computer graphics experts give some husky dogs virtual seats in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This was necessary so the dogs did not look too friendly because they actively moved their tail during filming.

 

33. Dogs can approximately determine what time their owner can return home.

 

Have you ever wondered how your dog can tell when you will come home? It turns out that they do this by the remnant of the smell of a person who is not at home. If you or someone you live with come home at about the same time every day, you have probably noticed how your dog, shortly before the arrival of a family member, sits at the door or window and waits. According to research, a dog correctly determines the arrival time of its owner or family member by how much the smell of a person in the house has decreased in his absence.

 

34. The fur of chinchillas is so dense that it is impossible to get wet. So instead of bathing in water, they bathe in the sand.

 

These funny furries have ultra-plush fur. They have an average of 60-70 hairs per follicle, which makes their fur the thickest among all land mammals. For comparison: in most mammals, including humans, there is only one hair per follicle!

 

Because their fur is very thick and dense, if it gets into the water, it will dry for a very long time, which is not safe for funny rodents. This is because moisture can get close to the skin, leading to several skin conditions, including pyoderma (skin infection) and dermatitis (skin inflammation). Instead of soap and water, chinchillas are "bathed" in fine dust, which helps evenly distribute skin oils, cleans dirt and debris from fur, and leaves it silky soft.

 

35. Giraffes give birth standing up, which means that the first thing a baby giraffe will experience is a fall from a height of almost two meters onto cold, hard ground.

 

 

36. Hundreds of trees - if not more - grow yearly due to squirrels forgetting where they buried their food.

 

According to Rob Swihart, a wildlife professor at Purdue University, gray squirrels bury their food (nuts, acorns, etc.) everywhere but often forget where they set up their hiding place. These buried squirrel "treasures" have a good chance of eventually becoming mature trees.

 

37. Scorpions glow in the ultraviolet.

 

Scientists don't know why this happens, but they have many theories about it.

 

38. It turns out that the wasps taught us how to make inexpensive paper.

 

They scrape wood from trees and stumps and recycle it into the paper to build a nest. The French scientist René Réaumur noticed this, and this idea became revolutionary to reduce the cost of paper, which in the 1700s was made from cotton and linen rags, ropes, old sails, etc., which made the piece too expensive.

 

The idea of making paper from wood was not realized immediately. Still, after a while, the German priest Jacob Schaffer wrote a treatise on producing paper from alternative fibers in 1765-1771. In his work, he talked about paper samples from wasp nests, comparing them in more detail from different types of wood.

 

39. Sharks "taste" everything.

 

Like your three-year-old nephew or small child, sharks also put everything in their mouths. And most often because they are curious. So most shark attacks are actually because predatory fish are very interested.

 

40. Lions love to cuddle.

 

This is how they build and maintain a friendship with each other.

 

41. Eels swim for a long time only to mate and die.

 

Eels migrate from freshwater to salt water to mate; this journey will be the first and last of their lives. For example, European eels, living in fresh and brackish waters of Europe and North Africa, go to spawn at the end of their lives. To do this, they swim more than 6 thousand kilometers across the Atlantic to the Sargasso Sea, mate, lay eggs and then die.

 

42. Pregnancy lasts 15 months for giraffes.

 

 

43. Wolves mourn when one of the pack dies.

 

Wolf packs are a big family; when one dies, they begin to “sing” (howl) mournfully.

 

44. Alligators pretend to be trees to attract birds.

 

American alligators have been observed using baits for hunting birds. They carry sticks and branches on their heads, thus attracting birds that are looking for nest materials.

 

45. Giraffes sleep a maximum of two hours a day, usually no more than 10 minutes at a time.

 

46. ​​Dead ends make a couple for life.

 

After the birth of offspring, they equally share their parental responsibilities. Before mating, the birds do an unusual ritual: rub their beaks against each other.

 

47. Sheep are born with long tails.

 

48. Alex the parrot is the only animal in the world that asks a question about itself.

 

When a mirror was placed in front of him, seeing his reflection, he asked an existential question: "What color am I?"

 

49. Among cows, there are optimists from birth or pessimists - everything is like in people.

 

In the study, the scientists found that the fearfulness of cows is closely related to pessimism and is not a temporary mood of the animals.

 

50. Ginger cats are predominantly male, and tricolor cats are primarily female.

 

Sometimes it seems that so much has already been written and known about dogs that there is nothing to write about except for fantasy on the Internet. But it turns out that our pets will delight us with scientific facts for a long time, since science does not stand still. For example, you could hardly imagine that there are dogs that cannot bark, or that there is only one breed of dog with six toes. But if you continue to read this article, you will quickly see that these are far from the only entertaining facts about a person's faithful companions.

 

Facts that prove that nature did a good job on the “Dog” project

 

Even if you are a big dog lover, you probably have not heard about the facts that we at Bemorepanda have collected and that we want to share with you. And don't miss the bonus at the end about the Beatles song, with sounds that only barking little brothers can hear.

 

1. Charming Pembroke Welsh Corgi dogs are in Welsh fairy tales and myths

In Welsh folklore, these dogs pull fairy carriages, help herd fairy cattle, and are the steeds of fairy warriors.

 

2. Studies have shown that Border Collies are the smartest dogs.

This was found by scientists from the University of British Columbia. These dogs learn a new command in less than five seconds and obey their owner 95% of the time. In second place according to this criterion are poodles, in third place are shepherd dogs.

 

3. Labrador Retrievers have been the most popular dogs in the US since 2013.

4. Basenjis do not bark, but make different sounds.

They purr, snort, make other strange sounds that sometimes resemble laughter. Sometimes it looks like they're grumbling.

 

5. The first Olympic mascot was a dachshund named Waldi.

At the Olympic Games in 1972, which were held in Munich, this dog became the first mascot in the history of the Games, which was named Waldi. This is a male dachshund, which is valued in Bavaria for endurance, perseverance and dexterity.

 

6. Huskies helped save children In Alaska In 1925

In early 1925, a diphtheria epidemic broke out in Nome, Alaska. To combat it, hospitals needed anti-diphtheria serum. Due to a snow storm, it was impossible to deliver it by plane. As a result, the serum was delivered by train to the station, which was located a thousand kilometers from the village. The rest of the way, the medicine was carried by dog ​​sleds.

 

7. Greyhounds are the World's Fastest Dogs

They are capable of speeds up to 70 km/h.

 

8. The Catahoula Leopard Dog is the only breed that can climb trees

These dogs are used for hunting fur-bearing animals. But it can also be used for hunting elk, bear and wild boar. In pursuit of their prey, these dogs are able to climb trees.

 

9. Basset Hounds use their long ears to pick up scents.

Their ears drag along the ground and pick up scents.

 

10. On average, the intelligence of dogs corresponds to the intelligence of a 2-year-old child.

According to the American Psychological Association, dogs can learn up to 250 words and gestures, which is something a two-year-old can also do.

 

11. Dogs have three eyelids

Two of their eyelids are visible, and one is hidden. The third is in the inner corner of the dog's eyes. It contains the lacrimal glands.

 

12. The world's first dog lived 31,700 years ago and looked like a Siberian Husky

The prehistoric dog was about the size of a sheepdog, with a broad but short muzzle and a broader braincase than that of a wolf.

 

13. Male small dogs hold their legs high when they go to the bathroom to make other dogs look bigger.

According to a study conducted by scientists from Cornell University (USA), small dogs lift their legs high when they walk in a small way to deceive larger dogs into thinking they are bigger than they really are.

 

14. Dogs drink with the back of their tongue.

Dogs don't have cheeks, so they can't drink water like we can. Dogs move their tongue very quickly, twisting it back to create an impulse that causes water to collect in a column and rise into the mouth.

 

15. When dogs sleep, they instinctively curl up to protect their vitals and keep warm.

If the puppy sleeps without curling up, it means that he is just hot or feels safe.

 

16. Dog ears control 18 muscles

For reference: people have only six of them. Dogs can rotate and tilt their ears to pick up sound waves effectively. Their ears can also move independently of each other, allowing them to hear sounds from different directions.

 

17. Dogs can now watch TV thanks to the invention of high-definition (HD) television technology with higher frame rates. Before that, to our smaller brothers, the TV seemed to be something like a strobe light.

Now that modern televisions are generating more frames per second, dogs can perceive images like film in the same way that we do.

 

18. A dog's sense of smell is 10,000-100,000 times sharper than a human's.

Dogs are able to detect substances in concentrations of one part per trillion - it's like a dog finding one dirty sock among two million clean ones.

 

19. Dogs have sweat glands on their paw pads.

They have a type of sweat glands called merocrine glands that are located in the pads of their paws. Despite this, dogs with sweaty paws are relatively rare.

 

20. Dogs can be trained to detect cancer and other diseases.

In the human body, cancer cells, in comparison with healthy ones, secrete special metabolic products. The difference is actually so significant that dogs are quite capable of detecting cancer. Dogs can also sniff out cancer cells with a single human breath.

 

21. Dogs can get jealous

While our pets may be jealous and envious, their emotions are not as complex as those of humans. According to the American Kennel Club, our little brothers have a sense of justice (for example, everyone is rewarded for their efforts), but not when justice is more detailed (for example, when a meal or other reward is equal in volume).

 

22. A Greyhound can beat a Cheetah in the long run.

Despite the fact that the maximum speed of the Greyhound is not as high as that of cheetahs (a wild cat can run 80-130 km / h), they are more enduring in long-distance running. Cheetahs are champions only in the sprint. Thus, in a long-distance race, the Greyhound will eventually overtake the predator.

 

23. Dogs' wet nose helps absorb aromatic chemicals.

Various chemicals settle on a wet nose. Dogs lick their noses to taste them.

 

Wet noses also help dogs regulate their body temperature and keep them cool. Unlike humans, our pets do not have normal sweat glands on their bodies.

 

24. The normal body temperature of dogs ranges from 37.4-39.0 ⁰С

A temperature above 39.5-40 ⁰С is considered elevated, and the pet should be shown to the veterinarian.

 

25. Dogs can dream, just like humans...

During sleep, the brain of a human and a dog works in the same way. We both have the same type of non-REM sleep and rapid eye movement (REM). During the REM stage, dogs can dream in the same way as humans. If you see your pet sleeping and his paws moving or twitching, it means that he is most likely dreaming.

 

26. They see in the dark much better than we do.

They have more light-sensitive cells or rods located closer to the center of the retina. In addition, their large pupils let in more light.

 

27. A dog's nose print is as unique as a human fingerprint.

It is believed that no two dogs have the same nose print. That is why the Canadian Kennel Club has been accepting nose prints as identification for pets since 1938.

 

28. Why do dogs like to wallow in dirty and smelly places?

The thing is that what seems smelly and foul-smelling to us is perceived differently by dogs. Their perception of smell is arranged differently.

 

29. Saluki is one of the most ancient dog breeds.

Lives with people since 329 BC. e.

 

Some historians claim that there is evidence that this dog breed was popular in ancient Egypt. This is around the time Alexander the Great invaded India.

 

30. Dogs hear about four times as far as humans.

Dogs hear sounds at a distance of up to 40-50 m, on average, a person picks up sounds from a distance of 6-10 m. At night, in complete silence, our pets can hear a sound from a distance of up to 150 m.

 

31. Some dogs, such as the Newfoundland breed, have webbing between their toes.

For example, Newfoundlands have webbed feet, which were originally used as fishermen's assistants - they pulled nets from the sea.

 

There are webbed fingers and the Portuguese Water Dog. These legs help them swim better.

 

32. They can detect emotions by listening to your voice.

There is a special section in the human brain that helps distinguish voices from other sounds, which helps distinguish between intonation and other speech sounds in speech. This allows you to capture different emotions in your voice. The study showed that dogs also have such a brain area in their heads, located approximately in the same place.

 

33. There is a legend that the Pekingese was bred in ancient China to protect the emperor and royalty.

The dog was hidden in the sleeve of the emperor in case of protection, if the enemy made his way into the chambers of the royal person. Such dogs were called "sleeve". The emperor and courtiers carried these little dogs with them literally everywhere. By the way, despite the cute appearance of these dogs, they, in fact, can be quite aggressive and able to fight back.

 

34. Despite those puppy-like innocent eyes, dogs don't feel remorse, as many people think.

According to experts, it is quite clear that dogs do not show guilt. They have only learned to mimic a guilty cute look to calm their owners when they are angry.

 

So don't believe those puppy mime eyes after your pet has been mischievous yet again.

 

35. There is a place on Earth that is literally a "dog's paradise"

In Costa Rica there is a shelter "Country of Stray Dogs" ("Territorio de Zaguates"). Thousands of dogs of various breeds live here, cared for by volunteers and veterinarians. Pets feel at home (if not better) running freely throughout the territory. Each dog in the shelter can be given to good hands.

 

36. Dalmatians are born without spots.

 

37. The name “pug” most likely comes from the Latin word “pugnus”, which means “fist”, “handful”, because the shadow from a clenched fist resembles the profile of a pug

 

38. Once a dog ran and walked 4,500 km across plains, deserts, mountains and rivers. And in winter, and all in order to return to his family

 

39. Most French Bulldogs have a too narrow pelvis for delivery, and therefore their puppies are almost always born by caesarean section.

The puppies' heads are too large, and their mother's narrow pelvis prevents the litter from passing through the dog's natural birth canal.

 

40. A study showed that dogs like the smell of their owner and other family members more.

Scientists have found that dogs not only distinguish the smell of the owner from others, but this also has a positive effect on the pet. This speaks to the power of dogs' sense of smell and provides important clues about the importance of humans in a dog's life.

 

41. Pug Doug is the most famous dog on the Internet

This pet in one of the social networks (******ram) has more than 3.5 million subscribers, who every day leave thousands of likes under the posts of his owner.

 

42. Three dogs of the Border Collie breed were trained to run through the forest with backpacks and scatter seeds.

So the Chileans wanted to restore plants after large forest fires.

 

43. Dogs have learned to recognize and respond to human laughter

They are also able to detect crying.

 

44. Dogs sometimes sneeze to show other dogs that they are not threatening but are ready to interact.

 

45. Roselle, a guide dog, saved her blind owner during the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York by bringing him

 

45. Roselle, a guide dog, saved her blind owner during the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York by leading him out of the North Tower of the World Trade Center and leading the disabled man through 78 flights of stairs.

 

Immediately after the explosion, the owner of the dog removed the harness in the hope that his pet would be saved. At first Roselle ran away, but it turns out to find a way out. The dog then returned and led his friend out of the building.

 

46. ​​There used to be a spit breed of dog whose task was to help cooks swivel meat.

They were also called kitchen or cook dogs. Their task was to run in a special wheel that rotated a skewer with meat strung on it. The dog helped the cook cook the meat evenly.

 

47. Archaeologists have found 26,000-year-old dog paw prints next to the prints of an ancient child, which proves that the dog has been a true friend of man for many years.

The conventional wisdom is that agrarian man tamed scavenging dogs about 15,000 years ago. However, recent archaeological discoveries and DNA analyzes show that our friendship with our smaller brothers was formed 30,000 years ago (and possibly 40,000).

 

48. Corgi in a non-adapted translation from Welsh means "dwarf dog"

The word "corgi" is derived from the Welsh cor gi ([kɔrɡi]) cor, "dwarf" and ci ([kiː]), "dog".

 

49. If you leave your dog alone at home, put an item of clothing that smells like you next to your pet - this will calm your friend and help reduce his separation anxiety

Dogs, like us, are very social animals.

 

They live in family groups with us for a long time and have evolved along with humans over the millennia to be our true friends. Most dogs prefer to spend most of their time with their owner and family members. Loneliness is simply not a natural state for them. But, alas, we have to leave our pets alone at home. So your dog is always stressed when he is alone. To reduce it, experts advise leaving your clothes and things that smell like you near your pet.

 

50. The Norwegian Lundehund is the only dog ​​with six toes on each paw.

Of the six fingers, five rest on the ground. Other dogs have five toes on each paw and only four touch the ground.

 

51. Dogs don't ONLY see in black and white - they can also see in blue and yellow.

The idea that dogs can't see in color has been around for decades, but new research and findings about the anatomy and behavior of dogs have shown that even though our faithful friends can't see the same colors, and we, they can still distinguish some color spectrums.

 

Research shows that dogs' eyes are capable of perceiving shades of color. So, most likely, our pets do not see the world in gray.

 

52. Bloodhounds are able to pick up scents that were left over 300 hours ago.

They are one of the champions in flair - they are able to follow the trail for a long time, as they have an excellent memory for smells.

 

53. USA is the country with the highest population of pet dogs

In this country, there are about 75 million barking pets.

 

These amazing animals, seals, just seem clumsy. Yes, on land they appear to be such lumps, but in the water, they are swift, strong, and graceful. However, much still depends on the specific species to which the seal belongs - many of them differ vary significantly from each other. But it was thanks to these animals that such a colloquial word as "seal" appeared, that is, to wallow, relax and do nothing. But what, after all, these marine animals really often allow themselves to relax and unwind, although, of course, their life does not consist of continuous rest.

 

Fun facts about seals

 

 

1. Seals belong to the family of true seals.

 

2. Depending on the species, they can live in both salt and fresh water of the arctic, subarctic or temperate zones.

 

3. Currently, three types of seals are known: two of them are marine, and one is freshwater.

 

4. All seals, especially freshwater ones, are living relics that have been preserved on Earth since the end of the Tertiary period.

 

5. Seals are similar to seals, they have a spindle-shaped body, a small head and limbs that have evolved into flippers, thanks to which the seals are excellent swimmers and divers.

 

6. The neck of the seal is weakly expressed, sometimes it may even seem that it does not exist at all, and the body simply passes into a small, head with a flattened skull, smoothly turning into a slightly elongated muzzle.

 

7. In general, the seal's head is a bit similar in shape to a cat's, except for the fact that its muzzle is more elongated. The seals have no ears, they are replaced by auditory canals, which are invisible from the outside.

 

8. The eyes of this animal are large, dark and very expressive. The eyes of seal cubs seem especially large: huge and dark, they seem even more contrasting against the background of light wool and give the little seal a resemblance either to an owlet or some kind of alien creature.

 

 

9. Thanks to the third eyelid that seals have, they can swim and dive without fear of damaging their eyes. However, in the open air, the seal's eyes tend to water, which gives the impression that the animal is crying.

 

10. In the body of the seal there is a large fat layer that helps this animal survive in the harsh conditions of a cold climate and not freeze in icy water.

 

11. The same reserves of fat can help the seal survive a temporary hunger strike during a period of starvation, and thanks to them, the animal can lie for hours and even sleep on the surface of the water.

 

12. The skin of the seal is very strong and strong. It is covered with short, dense and harsh hair, which also protects the animal from hypothermia both in cold water and on ice or on the shore.

 

13. Between the fingers of these animals there are membranes, and on the front flippers, in addition, there are also powerful claws, thanks to which the seal makes holes in the ice in order to get to land or in order to rise to the surface of the water for a sip of fresh air.

 

14. The coat color of the seal, depending on the species, can be dark silver or brownish, while it is often covered with darker spots.

 

 

15. There are three types of seals. The ringed seal inhabits the temperate waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Arctic Ocean.

 

16. In Russia, ringed seals are found in all northern seas, as well as in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea.

 

17. The Caspian seal is endemic to the Caspian Sea.

 

18. The Baikal seal is not found anywhere else in the world, except for Lake Baikal.

 

19. Some scientists suggest that all types of seals are related to each other by a common origin, moreover, the ancestor of the Caspian and Baikal species is called the ringed seal, which migrated to Baikal and the Caspian about two million years ago and there evolved into two new species.

 

20. However, there is another version, according to which the ringed and Baikal seals simply had a common ancestor that appeared later than even the Caspian seal.

 

21. All three species differ from each other in color and, in part, in size.

 

CASPIAN SEALS

 

22. The Caspian seal is the smallest of them, its dimensions are approximately 1.3 meters in length and weighs about 86 kilograms.

 

23. The Caspian seal is found along the coastline and on the rocky islands of the Caspian Sea, in winter it can also often be seen on drifting ice floes. In the warm season, it can even swim into the mouths of the Volga and the Urals.

 

24. Caspian seals eat fish and crustaceans that live in the Caspian Sea. They are especially willing to eat small herring and sprat - these are the types of fish that make up the bulk of their diet. The proportion of crustaceans is small - it is approximately 1% of the total amount of food.

 

25. One of the species of these animals, the ringed seal, was named so because of its unusual color, in which the dark rings on its skin have a light border.

 

26. The ringed seal, or akiba, is the most common species of true seals in the Arctic: according to conservative estimates, there are about 4 million ringed seals in the world.

 

27. Akiba is distributed in the seas of the Arctic Ocean from the Barents and White in the west to the Bering Sea in the east, it lives in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Baltic Sea, the Tatar Strait, the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, and sometimes rises along the Neva to St. Petersburg.

 

28. This seal lives both in the coastal zone and in the open ocean, but more often it keeps in bays, straits and estuaries. This species does not make large regular migrations. In winter, the seal lives on the ice.

 

29. Subspecies of ringed seal: Baltic ringed seal, White Sea ringed seal, Ladoga ringed seal, Okhotsk, or Far Eastern ringed seal, Saimaa ringed seal.

 

30. Subspecies of the ringed seal live mainly in the polar or subpolar regions.

 

HISPIDA SEAL

 

31. The White Sea seal lives in the Arctic and is the most common seal in the Arctic Ocean.

 

32. The Baltic seal lives in the cold waters of the northern regions of the Baltic, in particular, it can be seen off the coast of Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Russia. Sometimes this animal even swims to the coast of Germany.

 

33. Two other subspecies of the ringed seal - Ladoga and Saimaa, are freshwater and live in Lake Ladoga and Lake Saimaa.

 

34. The body length of adult ringed seals reaches 1.5 meters, weight 40-80 kilograms. Baltic specimens are even larger - 140 centimeters and 100 kilograms. Males are usually somewhat larger than females.

 

35. Akiba has excellent eyesight, hearing and sense of smell, which help the animal find food for itself and hide from predators in time. These seals feed on crustaceans, molluscs and fish (spiny goby, Greenland goby, pike, navaga, salmon, salmon).

 

36. Ringed seals never form colonies. Most often they stay alone, although sometimes they gather in small groups, which, however, are not very stable. All year round they spend at sea, for which their body is very well adapted.

 

37. The Baikal seal is not only an endemic of Lake Baikal, that is, it is found only here, but the Baikal seal is the only mammal of Lake Baikal. According to morphological and biological features, the Baikal seal is close to the ringed seal that lives in the seas of the Far North and the Far East. There are some signs of similarity between this seal and the Caspian species.

 

 

38. The origin of the seal in Baikal remains an unresolved issue to this day. Most researchers adhere to the point of view of I. D. Chersky that the seal entered Baikal from the Arctic Ocean through the Yenisei-Angara river system during the Ice Age simultaneously with the Baikal omul.

 

39. But there is another point of view - that the entire family of true seals, to which the Baikal seal belongs, originated in large freshwater reservoirs of Eurasia. And only then did the resettlement of three sister species begin: the Caspian seal mastered the Caspian Sea, the ringed one - the Arctic Ocean, and the Baikal one - the deepest freshwater lake.

 

40. However, there is no doubt that the seal owes its prosperity and high numbers in Baikal to its deep water and food web features.

 

BAIKAL SEALS ON THE USHKAN ISLANDS

 

41. The Baikal seal is widespread throughout the lake, but it is especially abundant in its northern and middle parts. The most favorite habitat for seals is the Ushkany Islands, located on the territory of the Zabaikalsky National Park.

 

42. The basis of nutrition of the Baikal seal is golomyanka and gobies. She eats about a ton of fish a year. In search of food, the seal dives to a depth of 200 meters and remains under water for 20-25 minutes.

 

43. Previously, it was believed that Baikal seals cause great damage to the whitefish population, but, as it turned out later, they come across them only by chance and the total number of sturgeons in the seal's diet is no more than 1-2%.

 

44. The seal is called the symbol of Baikal, the same as the famous Baikal omul, its images are used on the emblems. This is an interesting object of ecological tourism.

 

45. Every year, many wildlife lovers come to Baikal to see and, if possible, photograph it. The main flow of ecotourists goes to the Ushkany Islands, where the conditions for shooting are prepared.

 

46. ​​It is believed that the Baikal seal has no natural enemies in nature: only humans are a danger to it. However, not often, but it happens that these animals are hunted by a brown bear.

 

BAIKAL SEALS

 

47. Baikal seal cubs are usually safely hidden inside the den, because in the absence of a mother who has retired in search of food, they can become prey for foxes, sables or white-tailed eagles.

 

48. The ringed seal living in the ice of the Arctic has much more enemies. It is seals that are the main part of the diet of polar bears, and arctic foxes and large polar gulls prey on their cubs. In the water, killer whales and Greenland polar sharks pose a danger to ringed seals. Sometimes they can be hunted by walruses.

 

49. All seals are animals leading a mostly solitary lifestyle. Only during the breeding season do they gather in flocks. But even so, each seal tries to keep apart and drives away its relatives with an indignant snort.

 

LADOGA SEAL

50. The smallest among the subspecies of seals is the Ladoga seal, which lives in Lake Ladoga itself, has a body length of no more than 135 centimeters and a weight of 40 kilograms.

 

51. The seal spends most of its life in the water. She dives superbly and can spend up to 70 minutes underwater depending on the species. While diving, the animal's ear canals and nostrils are closed, so that under water it can breathe only thanks to the large volume of its lungs and the supply of air that fits in them.

 

52. Often these animals even sleep on the surface of the water, and their sleep is surprisingly strong: it happened that people, having swum up to sleeping seals, turned them over on purpose, and they did not even think of waking up.

 

53. The seal spends winter under water, only occasionally rising to the surface of the water in order to take a new breath of fresh air. On ice or on land, these animals begin to get out closer to the beginning of spring, when the breeding season begins.

 

54. Moreover, as a rule, seals have favorite places for rookeries, where they gather in order to continue their race.

 

55. Seals only on the ground can seem clumsy and clumsy creatures. In water, they are active, energetic and almost tireless. Under water, the speed of movement of the seal can be 25 km / h, although in a calm environment these animals swim much more slowly.

 

 

56. On the shore, seals move with the help of their front flippers and tail, sorting through them. In the event of danger, they begin to jump, while loudly slapping on the ice or ground with their front flippers and pushing off a hard surface with their tail.

 

57. Sea seals of cold latitudes, unlike freshwater ones, regardless of the time of year, prefer to spend most of their time on the ice or on the shore, and not in the water, where they dive only in case of danger or in order to get food.

 

58. Sexual dimorphism is externally expressed in the fact that individuals of different sexes differ from each other in size. Moreover, if the females of the Baikal seal are larger than the males, then the Caspian seal, on the contrary, the males are larger.

 

59. Depending on the species and gender, seals reach sexual maturity at 3-7 years of age, and males mature later than females. These animals bring cubs either annually or 2-3 years after the previous birth. Female seals usually give birth to one cub, but sometimes 2-3 cubs at a time.

 

60. It happens that a certain percentage of females after mating do not bring offspring. As a rule, 10-20% of the Baikal seals have such "vacations" every year.

 

 

61. The reasons for this still remain unclear: either this is due to the natural regulation of the level of livestock numbers, or simply not all females that have temporarily suspended the development of embryos resume it after a while. It is also not excluded that this phenomenon may be associated with some diseases transferred by the female or unfavorable living conditions.

 

62. Seals usually mate in the spring, and then the gestation period continues for 9-11 months. Females give birth on ice, at this time they and their newborn cubs are very vulnerable to predators and hunters.

 

63. The color of babies differs from the color of adults: for example, the cubs of the Baikal seal are born white, from which their name comes - pups.

 

64. At first, the mother feeds the baby with milk, after which the cub is gradually transferred to an adult diet consisting of fish and invertebrates. By the time this happens, he manages to completely shed and change the color of the fur to the one that is inherent in adults.

 

RINGED SEAL WITH A BABY

 

65. Even before giving birth, Baikal seals build special dens from snow, where they feed their cubs exclusively with milk for a month or a half. Depending on weather and temperature conditions, lactation can last from 2 to 3.5 months.

 

66. The seal is the only animal that can deliberately suspend and resume the intrauterine development of its future cubs. Most often this happens during long and very cold winters, when babies born at term simply cannot survive.

 

67. Males do not take any part in the upbringing of offspring, while females continue to take care of the babies until they learn to live independently. After the cubs are weaned, the female seal can mate again, but sometimes the breeding season for her comes earlier: when the previous cub is still feeding on milk.

 

68. In summer, ringed seals keep mainly in coastal waters and in some places form small haulouts on stones or pebble spits. In autumn, as the sea freezes, most of the animals leave the coastal zone deep into the sea and stay on drifting ice.

 

 

69. A minority of animals stay for the winter near the coast and keep in bays and bays. In this case, even at the beginning of the freezing of the sea, the seal makes holes in the young ice - loopholes through which it emerges from the water.

 

70. There are also smaller holes, used only to breathe through them. Often the hole in the hole is covered with a thick layer of snow, in which the seal makes a hole without an outlet to the outside. In such a convenient place, she rests, being invisible to enemies, mainly polar bears.

 

71. The seal is a valuable object of fishing. She gives fur skins, fat and meat. The meat of the seals is fed to Arctic foxes, hats are made from fur, and it is used to pad hunting skis.

 

72. Seal meat is eaten, especially tender meat in young seals, and seal flippers boiled in water are considered a delicacy. In the old days, seal fat was used in leather production and in soap making.

 

73. Fishing seals and eventually led to a reduction in the number of these animals. And, although every effort is currently being made to prevent the seals from disappearing, one of their species is threatened with complete extinction.

 

74. At present, two types of seals - Baikal and ringed, belong to quite safe species and they have been assigned the status of "Cueing Least Concern".

 

CASPIAN SEAL

 

75. But the Caspian seal is not so lucky: due to human activities leading to pollution of the Caspian Sea, this species is endangered. And, although all efforts are currently being made to restore the former number of Caspian seals, their number is steadily decreasing year by year.

 

76. Seals can live on average 40-55 years. Sexual maturity occurs at 4-6 years of age. Females are able to bear fruit up to 35-40 years.

 

77. The age of seals can be easily recognized by the annual rings on their fangs and claws. And this is their unique feature, not characteristic of any other animal in the world.

 

78. The largest concentrations of seals are observed in the spring on drifting ice during puppies, molting and mating. This is especially true for the seas of the Far East, where in one day of swimming in the ice you can observe many hundreds, and sometimes thousands of animals. More often, seals lie in groups of 10-20 heads, but there are clusters of a hundred or more animals.

 

79. Seals are amazing animals. They have a lively and curious nature and are easy to train.

 

80. In natural conditions, they like to swim up to drifting ships and follow them.