SomeFacts | Animals

Animals

How can owls hunt at night?
Owls have excellent sight, even in low light, and extremely sharp ...

How many kinds of owl are there?
There are about 142 different species of owl in two different ...

Do eagles really catch snakes?
Yes, serpent eagles feed mostly on snakes and lizards. The rough ...

How do eagles kill their prey?
An eagle kills with the four long curved claws on each of its feet. ...

Which is the biggest bird of prey?
The Andean condor is the the biggest bird of prey in the world. It ...

Do eagles build nests?
Yes, and the nest made by the bald eagle is the biggest made by any ...

What does an osprey eat?
The osprey feeds mostly on fish. When it sees something near the ...

Which is the fastest flying bird?
As it dives to catch other birds in the air, the peregrine falcon may ...

How fast do penguins swim?
Penguins have been timed swimming at speeds of 6 mph (10 kph), but ...

Can all cormorants fly?
There are about 30 different kinds of cormorant and all but one can ...

Can all seabirds swim?
Not all seabirds can swim. Frigatebirds cannot swim and avoid going ...

Is a puffin a kind of penguin?
No, puffins belong to a different family of birds, called auks. They ...

How does a gannet catch its food?
The gannet catches fish and squid in spectacular dives into the sea. ...

How many kinds of gull are there?
There are about 45 species of gull. They live in all parts of the ...

Why does a pelican have a pouch?
The pelican has a pouch to help it catch fish to eat. When the bird ...

Which bird makes the longest migration?
The Arctic ten makes the longest migration journey of any bird. Each ...

What is a tropicbird?
A tropicbird is a seabird with two very long central tail feathers. ...

Which is the smallest penguin?
The little, or fairy, penguin is the smallest penguin – it is only ...

Do all penguins live in Antarctica?
Most of the 18 species of penguin live in or near Antarctica, but ...

Where do chameleons live?
There are about 85 different sorts of chameleon and most of these ...

How many kinds of lizard are there?
There are about 3,000 different species of lizard. These belong to ...

Are there any poisonous lizards?
There are only two poisonous lizards in the world-the gila monster ...

Why do snakes shed their skin?
Snakes shed their skin, or molt, to allow for growth and because ...

Are all snakes poisonous?
Only about a third of all snakes are poisonous and fewer still have ...

How many kinds of snake are there?
There are about 2,700 species of snake in the world. They live on all ...

Why does a rattlesnake rattle?
Rattlesnakes make their rattling noise to warn their enemies to stay ...

Which is the largest lizard?
The komodo dragon, which lives on some Southeast Asian islands. It ...

Are there any snakes in the sea?
Yes, there are about 47 different species of snake that spend their ...

How fast do snakes move?
The fastest-moving snake on land is thought to be the black mamba, ...

Which is the most dangerous snake?
The saw-scaled carpet viper is probably the world's most dangerous ...

How many types of crocodile are there?
There are 14 species of crocodile, seven species of alligator, and ...

What do sea turtles eat?
Most sea turtles eat a range of underwater creatures, such as clams, ...

Which is the biggest turtle?
The leatherback is the largest of all the turtles. It grows up to 64 ...

How big is a giant tortoise?
Giant tortoises grow up to 4.5 ft (1.4 meters) long and weigh as much ...

What do crocodiles eat?
Baby crocodiles start by catching insects and spiders to eat. As they ...

Do crocodiles lay eggs?
Crocodiles do lay eggs and they look after them very carefully. The ...

Which is the biggest crocodile?
The Nile crocodile grows up to 19.5 ft (6 meters) long, but the ...

What is a salamander?
A salamander looks like a lizard with its long body and tail, but it ...

How big is a giant toad?
The giant toad, which lives in parts of the southern United States, ...

How many types of frog and toad are there?
There are about 2,500 species of frog and toad. They live on all ...

How did the spadefoot toad get its name?
The spadefoot toad got its name from the hard spadelike projection on ...

How can treefrogs climb trees?
Treefrogs are excellent climbers. On each of their long toes is a ...

Which is the smallest frog?
The smallest frog, and the smallest of all amphibians, is the Cuban ...

Why do frogs croak?
Male frogs make their croaking calls to attract females. The frog has ...

What is a tadpole?
A tadpole is the young, or larva, of an amphibian such as a frog or ...

What is an amphibian?
An amphibian is a creature that lives in water and on land. ...

What do frogs eat?
Adult frogs catch insects and spiders and other small creatures such ...

Do all frogs lay their eggs in water?
No, some frogs have very unusual breeding habits. The male marsupial ...

Are all sharks killers?
No, two of the largest sharks, the whale shark and the basking shark, ...

How many kinds of shark are there?
There are about 370 different species of shark living all over the ...

Which is the fiercest freshwater fish?
The piranha, which lives in rivers in tropical Central and South ...

Are flatfishes born flat?
No, they are not. Young flatfishes have normal bodies with an eye on ...

Does a stingray sting?
A stingray gets its name from the sharp spine near the base of its ...

Why does a flying fish “fly”?
A flying fish usually lifts itself above the water to escape from ...

Are electric eels really electric?
Yes, they are. The electric eel's body contains special muscles that ...

How fast do fish swim?
The sailfish is one of the fastest swimming fish. It has been timed ...

How does a blue whale feed?
A blue whale filters small shrimplike creatures called krill from the ...

How fast do whales swim?
Blue whales normally swim at about 5 mph (8 kph) but can move at ...

Why do some whales migrate?
Whales such as humpbacks migrate-travel from place to place to find ...

Do humpback whales really sing?
Yes, they do. They make a series of sounds, including high whistles ...

What is a narwhal?
A narwhal is a whale with a single long tusk at the front of its ...

Do whales give birth in the water?
Yes, they do. The baby whale comes out of the mother's body tail ...

Do whales ever come to land?
No, whales spend their whole lives in the sea. But they do breathe ...

Which whale dives deepest?
The sperm whale dives to at least 3,300 ft (1,000 meters) below the ...

What is a porpoise?
A porpoise is a small whale with a rounded head, not a beaked snout ...

How big is a baby blue whale?
A baby blue whale is about 23 ft (7 meters) long at birth and is the ...

Do seals and sea lions breathe air?
Seals and sea lions are mammals so they have to come to the surface ...

How many kinds of seal and sea lion are there?
There are about 14 species of sea lion, 18 species of seal, and one ...

Which is the biggest seal?
The male elephant seal is the biggest of all the seals. It is 5 ...

Are any seals very rare?
Yes, monk seals, which live in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and ...

How long are a walrus’s tusks?
The tusks of an adult male walrus can be up to 22 in (55 cm) long. ...

Do seals live in fresh water?
Yes, there is a species of freshwater seal in Lake Baikal in Russia. ...

How big is a walrus?
The largest male walruses are more than 10 ft (3 meters) long and ...

Which is the smallest seal?
The ringed seal is one of the smallest seals. The male grows to about ...

Are baby seals and sea lions born in water?
No, they are born on land. Seals and sea lions spend most of their ...

How big are sea lions?
The biggest, the steller sea lion, is about 90 in (230 cm) long and ...

How deep do seals dive?
The Weddell seal, which lives in Antarctic waters, is one of the ...

How fast do seals and sea lions swim?
A Californian sea lion has been timed swimming at 25 mph (40 kph). On ...

How do seals keep warm in cold sea?
A layer of fatty blubber under the skin helps to keep seals and sea ...

Where do chimpanzees live?
Chimpanzees live in forest and grasslands in West and Central Africa. ...

Do any monkeys live in cold places?
Most monkeys are found in warm areas near the equator, but some ...

Do chimpanzees live in family groups?
Yes, in very large families that may include between 25 and 100 ...

Which monkey makes the loudest noise?
Howler monkeys not only shout louder than other monkeys-they are ...

How many kinds of monkey are there?
About 133 species in three main groups. One group lives in Africa and ...

Do chimpanzees use tools?
Yes. The chimpanzee can get food by poking a stick into an ants' ...

Do chimpanzees hunt prey?
Yes they do. Although fruit is the main food of chimpanzees, they ...

Where do orangutans live?
Orangutans live in Southeast Asia in the rain forests of Sumatra and ...

What is an ape?
Apes are the most advanced animals in the primate group, which also ...

Which is the smallest monkey?
The smallest monkey is the pygmy marmoset, which lives in South ...

What do gorillas eat?
Gorillas eat plant food, such as leaves, buds, stems, and fruit. ...

What is a wombat?
A wombat is a small bearlike marsupial with a heavy body and short ...

How fast do kangaroos move?
A kangaroo bounds along on its strong back legs at up to 40 mph (65 ...

What are bandicoots?
Bandicoots are a group of small marsupials that live in Australia and ...

Is a platypus a marsupial?
No, the platypus is not a marsupial, but it is an unusual animal and ...

How much does a koala eat every day?
A koala eats about I lb (500 g) of eucalyptus leaves every day, which ...

What is a Tasmanian devil?
The Tasmanian devil is the largest of the carnivores, or flesh-eating ...

What do kangaroos eat?
Kangaroos eat grass and the leaves of low-growing plants, just like ...

How many kinds of kangaroo and wallaby are there?
There are about 60 different species of kangaroo and wallaby. All ...

Do any marsupials swim?
The water opossum, which lives in South America, is an excellent ...

Do all marsupials have a pouch?
Most female marsupials have a pouch, but not all. Some very small ...

Which is the smallest marsupial?
The smallest marsupials are the mouselike ningauis, which live in ...

Do all marsupials live in Australia?
Most of the 260 or so species of marsupial live in Australia and New ...

How big is a baby elephant?
A newborn baby elephant weighs up to 264 lb (120 kg) and stands up to ...

Can hippos swim?
The hippo spends most of its day in or near water and comes out on to ...

Are rhinoceroses fierce animals?
Despite their ferocious appearance and huge horns, rhinos are ...

What is an okapi?
An okapi is a relative of the giraffe that lives in the African rain ...

How many bones are there in a giraffe’s neck?
A giraffe has seven bones in its neck, just like other mammals, ...

How tall is a giraffe?
A male giraffe stands up to 18 ft (5.5 meters) tall to the tips of ...

How much do elephants eat?
A fully grown elephant eats 220 to 440 lb (100 to 200 kg) of plant ...

How long are an elephant’s tusks?
An elephant's tusks grow throughout its life, so the oldest elephants ...

Why do tigers have stripes?
A tiger's stripes help it hide among grasses and leaves so it can ...

Is a civet a kind of cat?
No, civets belong to a separate family, which also includes ...

How different are our pet cats from wild cats?
Pet cats and wild cats have exactly the same body structure and ...

What is a snow leopard?
The snow leopard is a big cat that lives in the Himalaya Mountains. ...

Where do jaguars live?
Jaguars live in the forests of Central and South America. They are ...

What do lions do all day?
Like domestic cats, lions are actually asleep for a surprisingly ...

How many kinds of cat are there?
There are about 35 species of wild cat, ranging from the tiger to the ...

What does a mongoose eat?
The mongoose is a fast-moving little hunter. It will kill small ...

What is a panther?
A panther is simply a leopard with a black coat instead of spots. It ...

What is a meerkat?
A meerkat is a type of mongoose, which lives in Africa. Meerkats form ...

Which cat runs the fastest?
The cheetah is the fastest running cat and one of the speediest of ...

What is a dingo?
Dingoes are wild dogs that live in Australia. They are descended from ...

How big is a baby bear?
Although adult bears are so big, they have tiny babies. A huge polar ...

Are there bears in the jungle?
Yes, there are two kinds of bear that live in jungle, or rain forest. ...

Can polar bears swim?
Polar bears can swim well and spend long periods in the freezing ...

How do wolf cubs learn how to hunt?
Wolf cubs learn how to hunt by watching their parents and other pack ...

How big is a wolf pack?
In areas where there are plenty of large animals to catch, a pack may ...

Is the giant panda a bear?
For many years experts argued about whether this animal should be ...

Which is the biggest bear?
The polar bear, which lives in the Arctic. Fully grown males are up ...

How many kinds of wild dog are there?
There are about 35 species in the dog family, including foxes, ...

What do foxes eat?
Foxes, such as the red fox, are hunting animals. They kill and eat ...

Where do giant pandas live?
Giant pandas live in bamboo forests in the mountains of central ...

What do giant pandas eat?
The main food of the giant panda is bamboo. An adult panda eats up to ...

Is a guinea pig a rodent?
A guinea pig is a rodent. Wild guinea pigs, also known as cavies, ...

Can flying squirrels really fly?
No, but they can glide some distance from tree to tree. When the ...

How big is a beaver?
A fully grown beaver measures up to 67 in (1.7 metres) long, ...

Which is the biggest rodent?
The largest rodent in the world is the capybara, which lives in South ...

Why do rodents get long in the tooth?
The two sharp teeth at the front of the rodent's jaw-called ...

How many kinds of rodent are there?
There are more than 1,600 different species of rodent, including ...

What do beavers eat?
Beavers eat plant food. In spring and summer they feed on fresh green ...

Which is the smallest rodent?
One of the smallest rodents is the pygmy mouse of North America. This ...

Where do porcupines live?
There are two groups of porcupines. New World porcupines live in ...

Do dormice really sleep a lot?
Dormice do sleep through the winter. This hibernation may start in ...