• Hippos do not have sweat glands. Their pores secrete a reddish-pink fluid that acts as a natural conditioner, preventing their skin from cracking in the hot tropical heat.
• The stomach of a hippo can be up to 10 feet long and hold up to 400 pounds of food.
• A hippo can open it’s mouth wide enough to fit a four foot child inside.
• To conserve oxygen on deep dives penguins slow their heart rate. The heart rate of a diving emperor penguin is about 15% lower than its resting heart rate.
• Emperor penguins have evolved to hunt fast mid-water prey such as squids. Because of their prey they tend to dive deeper and remain submerged for longer periods than other penguins. The deepest dive recorded for an emperor penguin was 535 m (1,755 ft.); the longest recorded dive was 21 minutes. However, both of these measurements are considered extreme; most dives are within 21 m (70 ft.) of the surface and last only 2-8 minutes.
• A crocodile can’t stick its tongue out.
• Crocodiles are very long lived, with both saltwater and American crocodiles living to an average of 70 years in the wild. The oldest recorded crocodile was 115 when it died, and lived in a Russian zoo. A male freshwater crocodile living in an Australian zoo is estimated to be over 130 years old.
• A crocodile always grows new teeth to replace the old teeth!
• A female saltwater crocodile can lay up to 90 eggs at a time (average clutch size is between 40-60 eggs).
• Sea otters are the only marine mammals that do not have an insulating layer of blubber.
• Sea otters use rocks to break open the shells of their prey while they float on their backs.
• A sea otter’s underfur is the densest of any mammal: 1 sq. cm can contains more than 125,000 individual hairs.
• Infant beavers are called kittens.
• Platypus swim with their eyes, ears and nostrils shut, propelling itself with their forefeet, and using their hind feet for brakes and steering.
• Australian fur seals are the largest species of all fur seals, and are capable of reaching weights as great as 360kg (790lbs).
• The Walrus’s scientific name is Odobenus rosmarus. Odobenus comes from the Greek “tooth walker”, referring the way they use their tusks to pull themselves onto ice.
• A turtle can breath through its butt.
• Sea turtles absorb a lot of salt from the sea water in which they live. They excrete excess salt from their eyes, so it often looks as though they’re crying.
• A snapping turtle can only swallow when its head is under water.
• Because of it’s fixed tongue, it is easier for a snapping turtle to swallow under water.
• Dolphins have teeth, a four chambered heart (like humans) and even have a light covering of hair.
• Coconuts kill more people than sharks.
• Most other fish have skeletons made of bone. A shark’s skeleton is made of cartilage, a type of strong but flexible tissue.
• Sharks apparently are the only animals that never get sick. As far as is known, they are immune to every known disease including cancer.
• The blood vessels of a blue whale are wide enough for an adult trout to swim through.
• A snail can slide over a sharp knife without getting hurt.
• A slug has 4 noses.
• Frogs and mosquitos have teeth.
• There are 6 to 14 frogs species in the world that have no tongues. One of these is the African dwarf frog.
• A frog’s front legs act as shock absorbers to make safe landings when jumping. They always land on their front feet.
• One giant frog set a world’s record when it jumped over 6 feet.
• The bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps.
• The heaviest crustacean ever found was a lobster weighing 42 lb (19 kg), caught in 1934.
• The horseshoe crab has sky-blue blood.
• It takes a lobster approximately seven years to grow to be one pound.
• All clams start out as males; some decide to become females at some point in their lives.
• Lobsters and jellyfish never stop growing.
• A jellyfish is 95% water.
• A group of jellyfish is known as a “smack”.
• A squid has 10 tentacles, two of which are longer than the other eight. The eyes of a Giant Squid are the size of basketballs.
• Biologists estimate that there are as many as 500 different species of squid.
• A squid can move through the water at up to 25 miles per hour.
• Starfish have no brains.
• When a starfish is broken apart it can regrow its body. They also eat animals like clams and scallops. They use their tube feet to pry the shells open.
• Most lipstick contains fish scales!
• A goldfish has a memory span of 3 seconds.
• Catfish have 100,000 taste buds.
• About 22% of the world’s catch of tuna goes into cat food in the United States.
• Flying fish generally do not actually fly, but glide on their outstretched fins for distances of up to 0.4 km.
• The stickleback is one of the few fishes that builds a nest. The male, in his red breeding colors, makes a nest of weeds where the female lays her eggs. Then the male stays by the nest to guard the eggs until they hatch.
• With its pointed nose and streamlined shape, the Sailfish is the fastest fish in the sea. It can swim at speeds of 62 miles an hour.
• The leafy sea dragon has only been recorded from the southern coastline of Australia, from Kangaroo Island, South Australia to Rottnest Island, Western Australia.
• The male sea horse carries the fertilized eggs in a brood pouch until they are ready to emerge as miniature adults.
• The seahorse is the only fish that swims upright.
• A shrimp’s heart is in its head.
• Krill plays an important role in the food chain of the sea. They are eaten by multiple different types of species: like herring, squid, and the great whales.
• The stomach of a hippo can be up to 10 feet long and hold up to 400 pounds of food.
• A hippo can open it’s mouth wide enough to fit a four foot child inside.
• To conserve oxygen on deep dives penguins slow their heart rate. The heart rate of a diving emperor penguin is about 15% lower than its resting heart rate.
• Emperor penguins have evolved to hunt fast mid-water prey such as squids. Because of their prey they tend to dive deeper and remain submerged for longer periods than other penguins. The deepest dive recorded for an emperor penguin was 535 m (1,755 ft.); the longest recorded dive was 21 minutes. However, both of these measurements are considered extreme; most dives are within 21 m (70 ft.) of the surface and last only 2-8 minutes.
• A crocodile can’t stick its tongue out.
• Crocodiles are very long lived, with both saltwater and American crocodiles living to an average of 70 years in the wild. The oldest recorded crocodile was 115 when it died, and lived in a Russian zoo. A male freshwater crocodile living in an Australian zoo is estimated to be over 130 years old.
• A crocodile always grows new teeth to replace the old teeth!
• A female saltwater crocodile can lay up to 90 eggs at a time (average clutch size is between 40-60 eggs).
• Sea otters are the only marine mammals that do not have an insulating layer of blubber.
• Sea otters use rocks to break open the shells of their prey while they float on their backs.
• A sea otter’s underfur is the densest of any mammal: 1 sq. cm can contains more than 125,000 individual hairs.
• Infant beavers are called kittens.
• Platypus swim with their eyes, ears and nostrils shut, propelling itself with their forefeet, and using their hind feet for brakes and steering.
• Australian fur seals are the largest species of all fur seals, and are capable of reaching weights as great as 360kg (790lbs).
• The Walrus’s scientific name is Odobenus rosmarus. Odobenus comes from the Greek “tooth walker”, referring the way they use their tusks to pull themselves onto ice.
• A turtle can breath through its butt.
• Sea turtles absorb a lot of salt from the sea water in which they live. They excrete excess salt from their eyes, so it often looks as though they’re crying.
• A snapping turtle can only swallow when its head is under water.
• Because of it’s fixed tongue, it is easier for a snapping turtle to swallow under water.
• Dolphins have teeth, a four chambered heart (like humans) and even have a light covering of hair.
• Coconuts kill more people than sharks.
• Most other fish have skeletons made of bone. A shark’s skeleton is made of cartilage, a type of strong but flexible tissue.
• Sharks apparently are the only animals that never get sick. As far as is known, they are immune to every known disease including cancer.
• The blood vessels of a blue whale are wide enough for an adult trout to swim through.
• A snail can slide over a sharp knife without getting hurt.
• A slug has 4 noses.
• Frogs and mosquitos have teeth.
• There are 6 to 14 frogs species in the world that have no tongues. One of these is the African dwarf frog.
• A frog’s front legs act as shock absorbers to make safe landings when jumping. They always land on their front feet.
• One giant frog set a world’s record when it jumped over 6 feet.
• The bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps.
• The heaviest crustacean ever found was a lobster weighing 42 lb (19 kg), caught in 1934.
• The horseshoe crab has sky-blue blood.
• It takes a lobster approximately seven years to grow to be one pound.
• All clams start out as males; some decide to become females at some point in their lives.
• Lobsters and jellyfish never stop growing.
• A jellyfish is 95% water.
• A group of jellyfish is known as a “smack”.
• A squid has 10 tentacles, two of which are longer than the other eight. The eyes of a Giant Squid are the size of basketballs.
• Biologists estimate that there are as many as 500 different species of squid.
• A squid can move through the water at up to 25 miles per hour.
• Starfish have no brains.
• When a starfish is broken apart it can regrow its body. They also eat animals like clams and scallops. They use their tube feet to pry the shells open.
• Most lipstick contains fish scales!
• A goldfish has a memory span of 3 seconds.
• Catfish have 100,000 taste buds.
• About 22% of the world’s catch of tuna goes into cat food in the United States.
• Flying fish generally do not actually fly, but glide on their outstretched fins for distances of up to 0.4 km.
• The stickleback is one of the few fishes that builds a nest. The male, in his red breeding colors, makes a nest of weeds where the female lays her eggs. Then the male stays by the nest to guard the eggs until they hatch.
• With its pointed nose and streamlined shape, the Sailfish is the fastest fish in the sea. It can swim at speeds of 62 miles an hour.
• The leafy sea dragon has only been recorded from the southern coastline of Australia, from Kangaroo Island, South Australia to Rottnest Island, Western Australia.
• The male sea horse carries the fertilized eggs in a brood pouch until they are ready to emerge as miniature adults.
• The seahorse is the only fish that swims upright.
• A shrimp’s heart is in its head.
• Krill plays an important role in the food chain of the sea. They are eaten by multiple different types of species: like herring, squid, and the great whales.