On Friday, please take a few minutes away from celebrating Flag Day to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the death of explorer, conservationist and world-famous zoo director, Marlin Perkins. A pioneer in the filming of wild animals, Perkins hosted Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom from 1963 to 1972. The show was a worldwide sensation that at its height was broadcast in forty countries.
In memory of loveable old Marlin, we present these (hopefully) interesting animal facts:
Giant anteaters consume up to 35,000 ants and termites in a single day.. Anteaters purposefully never destroy an ant nest, preferring to leave some ants alive to rebuild. This insures that the anteater will be provided with a future feast.
Corvids (crows, rooks, ravens) are highly intelligent. Crows are expert at solving puzzles and tests show that rooks have the same level of understanding of physics as a 6-month-old baby, (higher than the score of your average ape or this blogger). Crows have the uncanny ability to recognize faces and will actively avoid people who have been aggressive toward them in the past.
Rabbits run differently than other animals because they are the only land mammals that do not have paw pads. Instead the thick fur on their paws provides cushioning from all that hopping.
Speaking of yard critters, would you believe the average squirrel is able to avoid dogs, hawks and cars to attain a lifespan of sixteen years.
Otters hold hands while sleeping, so they don’t float away from each other.
Penguins have a gland above their eye that converts saltwater into freshwater.
Only the males are called peacocks. Females are peahens.
The Giant Pacific Octopus has three hearts and nine brains. Apparently, the extra brains come in handy. Octopuses have shown remarkable problem-solving abilities, escape artistry, and adaptability. They can navigate mazes and open jars to get food.
Beware the seemingly friendly ostrich. Their legs are so powerful that their kicks have been known to kill lions. Because both two-toed feet have a long, sharp claw, predators generally run away from the strange flightless bird.
Noteworthy Statistics
Scientific models estimate there are 8.7 million species on earth and more than 80% of them are undiscovered. It will likely take another 500 years to find them all.
Less time separates the existence of humans and the Tyrannosaurus rex than the T-rex and the Stegosaurus.
It was just in 2014, that fourteen new species of dancing frogs were discovered, bringing the global number of known dancing frog species to 24.
Sex and the Single Sloth
Sloths are too lazy to go looking for a mate, so a female sloth will often sit in a tree and scream until a male hears her and decides to mate with her.
Female dragonflies will fake being dead in order to stop unwanted male advances.
Dolphins have “bromances” in which two males pair up for as long as fifteen years and help each other hook up with females.
All halibut are male until they reach 45 inches in length. They then all become female.
Seahorses are the only animals where the male carries the baby rather than the female. The male seahorse has a pouch on its stomach in which to carry babies—as many as 2,000 at a time.
Icky
There are more than 1.4 billion insects for every human on the planet.
It is estimated that bats save the U.S. agriculture industry up to 50 billion dollars annually by eating insects.
Gross but (hopefully) Interesting
Turtles can breathe through their butts.
To make up for their extreme myopia, beavers mark their territory with castoreum, a secretion from their anal glands. For many years the sweet smelling substance was used as a substitute for vanilla in food products. Today, Castoreum, is not often found as a flavor agent but can be found in some perfumes and in Baverhojt, a style of Swedish schnapps also known as beaver shout.
Have a great weekend and go easy on the Baverhoit.
If you enjoyed this blog you will love my new book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. Please visit Books (tedcurtinstories.com) for direct links to Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
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