• Reindeer eat moss because it contains a chemical that stops their body from freezing.
• In the winter, Reindeer use their hooves to dig feeding crates in snow up to three feet deep.
• The largest single litter of piglets was born to a sow on an Australian farm. She gave birth to 37 piglets, 36 of which were alive. 33 of the piglets survived to maturity.
• A single pig gave birth to 34 piglets in Denmark in 1961.
• When running at top speed, pigs can run a mile in 7.5 minutes.
• In animal intelligence tests pigs often outscore dogs, and are considered by some people to be the most intelligent domestic animal.
• Berkshire pigs are considered the oldest pig breed in Britain. Berkshires are considered Vulnerable by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust of Britain.
• Pigs only have apocrine glands (sweat glands) which are responsible for creating pheromones in non-human mammals. They do not have eccrine glands like humans do. Because it cannot sweat, a pig will wallow in mud or water to cool down, and may even enjoy playing in a sprinkler if you provide one.
• Pigs are generally extremely intelligent, even more apt at picking up tricks than dogs. Scientists have found their grunts have specific meanings, allowing them to communicate to each other.
• Although individual populations are at risk, only one species of wild boar is deemed to be in need of protection. The native pig of the Ryukyu Islands (S. s. riukiuanus), a subspecies of wild boar, is considered vulnerable due to excessive hunting.
• The free-roaming wild boar population in the UK is estimated at 1,000 animals (as of early 2008).
• All significant breeding populations of wild boar in the UK are currently found in England.
• There are four commonly accepted subspecies of wild boar; Sus scrofa scrofa (Western Africa, Europe), Sus scrofa ussuricus (northern Asia and Japan), Sus scrofa cristatus (Asia Minor, India), and Sus scrofa vittatus (Indonesia).
• Wild boars were introduced to America sometime in the 1500’s.
• A giraffe can run faster than a horse and go longer without water than a camel.
• Giraffe Tails – A giraffe’s tail can be up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) long, making it the longest tail of any land mammal.
• Some baby giraffes are more than six feet tall at birth.
• A giraffe heart is about 2 feet (0.6 meters) long and weighs about 25 pounds (11 kilograms). Giraffes need these massive hearts to pump blood throughout their large bodies and long necks.
• Giraffes have no vocal cords, the communicate with their tails.
• Giraffe tongues are blue-black in color and up to 18 to 20 inches (46 to 50 centimeters) long.
• Giraffes have very large lungs that can hold about 12 gallons (55 liters) of air at a time.
• The Maasai Giraffe, also known as the Kilimanjaro Giraffe, is the largest species of giraffe and can reach heights exceeding 17 feet (5.18 meters).
• When camels eat they chew each bite 40 to 50 times. Now that is well chewed!
• There is a large population of feral Dromedary camels in central Australia. This population, estimated at around 700,000 animals, is descended from animals imported for transportation purposes.
• There was a small population of feral dromedary camels in the southwestern United States until about 1905.
• Camel calves grow extremely fast for the first year of their lives, around 0.19-0.31 kg (0.4-0.7 pounds) a day.
• Camels have a double row of eyelashes to protect their eyes from blowing sand.
• Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand.
• Dromedary camels are no longer wild animals, they are considered semi-domesticated because they are normally free-ranging but under herdsman control. There have been no wild populations of dromedary camels for 2,000 years (feral populations do exist).
• Dromedary camels need 6 to 8 times as much salt as other animals, to help them absorb and store water.
• One-humped camels run faster than two-humped camels.
• Camel milk does not curdle.
• Sheep snore…
• Sheep can survive up to two weeks buried in snow drifts.
• The Lincoln sheep breed is widely considered the largest domestic sheep breed with mature rams weighing between 113-160 kg (250- 350 pounds). While individuals of other breeds occasionally weigh more, the Lincoln has the highest breed average.
• The Suffolk sheep breed, a white-bodied sheep with black wool free legs and face, is the most popular pure breed of sheep in the US. Suffolks account for more than 50% of purebred sheep registrations in the United States.
• Sheep have an average body temperature of 38.2-39.8 C (100.9-103.8 F), a heart rate of 70-80 beats per minute, and take an average of 12-20 breaths per minute.
• Both male and female goats grow horns.
• Mountain goats can turn around on a platform that is only inches wide and have been known to leap 10 feet from one ledge to another.
• Miniature goats may live up to 20 years provided they are well cared for.
• African Pygmy goats stand about 15 to 20 inches tall and can be just as wide across as they are tall.
• A horse expends more energy lying down than it does standing up.
• A 1,200-pound horse eats about seven times its own weight each year.
• A racehorse can run at speeds of up to 43 miles per hour.
• The African Barb horse breed is believed to have had more influence on world horse breeds than any other breed aside from the Arabian horse.
• The African Barb horse breed originated in Northern Africa during the 8th century, the exact date is unknown.
• Abaco Barbs (a strain of Barbs found on the island of Abaco in the Bahamas) once numbered over 200 animals. This struggling breed now consists of only 8 animals (as of early 2008). DNA testing of Abaco Barbs has proven that the breed has not changed in over 250 years.
• Zebras can’t see the color orange.
• A donkey will sink in quicksand but a mule won’t.
• The placement of a donkey’s eyes in its’ heads enables it to see all four feet at all times!
• In times of drought a female impala can withhold giving birth for several weeks, waiting for rain.
• Cows have 4 different chambers in their stomach to aid in digesting their food.
• A cow’s only sweat glands are in its nose.
• A group of twelve or more cows is called a flink.
• A cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.
• An average dairy cow produces four times its body weight in manure each year.
• The Inuit name for Musk Oxen, “Oomingmak” is usually translated as “the bearded one”.
• At birth, a Musk Ox calf weighs between 18 and 25 pounds (8-115 kg) on average.
• The colour of a yak’s milk is pink.
• Yaks generally live 20-25 years.
• Llamas have the ability to spit, but usually only do so at one another or if highly irritated, not at people every chance they get, as many people believe!
• In the winter, Reindeer use their hooves to dig feeding crates in snow up to three feet deep.
• The largest single litter of piglets was born to a sow on an Australian farm. She gave birth to 37 piglets, 36 of which were alive. 33 of the piglets survived to maturity.
• A single pig gave birth to 34 piglets in Denmark in 1961.
• When running at top speed, pigs can run a mile in 7.5 minutes.
• In animal intelligence tests pigs often outscore dogs, and are considered by some people to be the most intelligent domestic animal.
• Berkshire pigs are considered the oldest pig breed in Britain. Berkshires are considered Vulnerable by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust of Britain.
• Pigs only have apocrine glands (sweat glands) which are responsible for creating pheromones in non-human mammals. They do not have eccrine glands like humans do. Because it cannot sweat, a pig will wallow in mud or water to cool down, and may even enjoy playing in a sprinkler if you provide one.
• Pigs are generally extremely intelligent, even more apt at picking up tricks than dogs. Scientists have found their grunts have specific meanings, allowing them to communicate to each other.
• Although individual populations are at risk, only one species of wild boar is deemed to be in need of protection. The native pig of the Ryukyu Islands (S. s. riukiuanus), a subspecies of wild boar, is considered vulnerable due to excessive hunting.
• The free-roaming wild boar population in the UK is estimated at 1,000 animals (as of early 2008).
• All significant breeding populations of wild boar in the UK are currently found in England.
• There are four commonly accepted subspecies of wild boar; Sus scrofa scrofa (Western Africa, Europe), Sus scrofa ussuricus (northern Asia and Japan), Sus scrofa cristatus (Asia Minor, India), and Sus scrofa vittatus (Indonesia).
• Wild boars were introduced to America sometime in the 1500’s.
• A giraffe can run faster than a horse and go longer without water than a camel.
• Giraffe Tails – A giraffe’s tail can be up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) long, making it the longest tail of any land mammal.
• Some baby giraffes are more than six feet tall at birth.
• A giraffe heart is about 2 feet (0.6 meters) long and weighs about 25 pounds (11 kilograms). Giraffes need these massive hearts to pump blood throughout their large bodies and long necks.
• Giraffes have no vocal cords, the communicate with their tails.
• Giraffe tongues are blue-black in color and up to 18 to 20 inches (46 to 50 centimeters) long.
• Giraffes have very large lungs that can hold about 12 gallons (55 liters) of air at a time.
• The Maasai Giraffe, also known as the Kilimanjaro Giraffe, is the largest species of giraffe and can reach heights exceeding 17 feet (5.18 meters).
• When camels eat they chew each bite 40 to 50 times. Now that is well chewed!
• There is a large population of feral Dromedary camels in central Australia. This population, estimated at around 700,000 animals, is descended from animals imported for transportation purposes.
• There was a small population of feral dromedary camels in the southwestern United States until about 1905.
• Camel calves grow extremely fast for the first year of their lives, around 0.19-0.31 kg (0.4-0.7 pounds) a day.
• Camels have a double row of eyelashes to protect their eyes from blowing sand.
• Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand.
• Dromedary camels are no longer wild animals, they are considered semi-domesticated because they are normally free-ranging but under herdsman control. There have been no wild populations of dromedary camels for 2,000 years (feral populations do exist).
• Dromedary camels need 6 to 8 times as much salt as other animals, to help them absorb and store water.
• One-humped camels run faster than two-humped camels.
• Camel milk does not curdle.
• Sheep snore…
• Sheep can survive up to two weeks buried in snow drifts.
• The Lincoln sheep breed is widely considered the largest domestic sheep breed with mature rams weighing between 113-160 kg (250- 350 pounds). While individuals of other breeds occasionally weigh more, the Lincoln has the highest breed average.
• The Suffolk sheep breed, a white-bodied sheep with black wool free legs and face, is the most popular pure breed of sheep in the US. Suffolks account for more than 50% of purebred sheep registrations in the United States.
• Sheep have an average body temperature of 38.2-39.8 C (100.9-103.8 F), a heart rate of 70-80 beats per minute, and take an average of 12-20 breaths per minute.
• Both male and female goats grow horns.
• Mountain goats can turn around on a platform that is only inches wide and have been known to leap 10 feet from one ledge to another.
• Miniature goats may live up to 20 years provided they are well cared for.
• African Pygmy goats stand about 15 to 20 inches tall and can be just as wide across as they are tall.
• A horse expends more energy lying down than it does standing up.
• A 1,200-pound horse eats about seven times its own weight each year.
• A racehorse can run at speeds of up to 43 miles per hour.
• The African Barb horse breed is believed to have had more influence on world horse breeds than any other breed aside from the Arabian horse.
• The African Barb horse breed originated in Northern Africa during the 8th century, the exact date is unknown.
• Abaco Barbs (a strain of Barbs found on the island of Abaco in the Bahamas) once numbered over 200 animals. This struggling breed now consists of only 8 animals (as of early 2008). DNA testing of Abaco Barbs has proven that the breed has not changed in over 250 years.
• Zebras can’t see the color orange.
• A donkey will sink in quicksand but a mule won’t.
• The placement of a donkey’s eyes in its’ heads enables it to see all four feet at all times!
• In times of drought a female impala can withhold giving birth for several weeks, waiting for rain.
• Cows have 4 different chambers in their stomach to aid in digesting their food.
• A cow’s only sweat glands are in its nose.
• A group of twelve or more cows is called a flink.
• A cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.
• An average dairy cow produces four times its body weight in manure each year.
• The Inuit name for Musk Oxen, “Oomingmak” is usually translated as “the bearded one”.
• At birth, a Musk Ox calf weighs between 18 and 25 pounds (8-115 kg) on average.
• The colour of a yak’s milk is pink.
• Yaks generally live 20-25 years.
• Llamas have the ability to spit, but usually only do so at one another or if highly irritated, not at people every chance they get, as many people believe!