Category Archives: Animal Trivia

What is the Fastest Animal on Earth?

Posted on by
Reply

What is the fastest animal on the planet? If you are talking about a land animal the answer would be the cheetah. These amazing cats have been known to reach speeds of over 70 mph. However, they can only maintain this speed for an extremely short distance.

Cheetahs are members of the cat family. They can live for up to twenty years and can weigh up to 140 pounds. Another interesting fact about the cheetah is that it is the only cat which cannot retract its claws.

If you wanted to see a cheetah in its natural habitat, you would have to travel to Africa. The cheetah prefers to live on the open plains and savannahs. Here the cheetah can hunt down its favourite food, the antelope. Cheetahs prefer to do their hunting during the daylight. Although, they are a large cat, they do have natural predators. These include hyenas, lions and, of course, man.

Unfortunately, these wonderful animals are listed as being vulnerable. Sadly much of their range is being destroyed and if they are going to survive, man will have to take special care to protect them.

How Can You Avoid Crocodile and Alligator Attacks?

Posted on by
Reply

Do not leave food in your campsite.

If you are in croc or alligator territory, stay out of the water. If there are no posted signs do not go into the water. You never know if there is a crocodile in the area. Talk to the locals, consult local authorities but do not go swimming without checking first!

If there is a warning sign, it is there for a reason. Do not think that just because you don’t see anything, that the crocodiles are not in the area. Crocodiles and alligators don’t like to be seen before they attack.

If you are fishing, do not clean your fish anywhere near the edge of the water. Get well away from the shore before you start. Make sure you do not leave any scraps in the area.

Fishermen should never throw unwanted fish or scraps into the water. Continue reading →

Snowy Owl Trivia

Posted on by
Reply

One of the most recognizable birds in the world is the snowy owl. Their white plumage and yellow eyes are very unique and distinctive. Snowy owls are among the few birds that make the north their year round home. These majestic birds have been used on currency and stamps throughout the world. They have also made their way into fiction and into popular culture.

They are probably the most powerful of all the owls.

The snowy owl is also known as the great white owl or the arctic owl.

A fully grown snowy owl can have a wing span of 125 to 150 cm. They stand about 50 to 63 cm in height, and weigh between 40 60 oz (1100g to 1600g). Wild owls will live an average of 9 years whereas captive owls have been known to live for 35 years.

The snowy owl is the official provincial bird of Quebec. These birds are protected in Canada. Continue reading →

Shark Attack Trivia

Posted on by
Reply

What was the worst shark attack in history?

According to a number of sources including the Discovery Channel, the worst shark attack in history occurred in July of 1945. After being hit by Japanese torpedoes, the U.S.S. Indianapolis Portland-class Cruiser sank in 12 minutes. The ship had just left Guam and was enroute to Leyte with 1196 crew on board. It is estimated that at least 300 men were killed when the ship went down, and the rest of the crew were forced to wait in the ocean for someone to rescue them.

It is estimated that 800 men went into the water on July 30th,  with very few lifeboats or life jackets. The men floated in the open sea hoping for a rescue, but unfortunately, the Navy was unaware that the ship had not reached its destination.  Although the ship, according to some sources, had sent out distress signals, they were not acted upon. Three stations later reported that they heard the call. Sadly none of these stations, for a number of reasons, (including one station that thought it was a Japanese trick) did anything about the message. Continue reading →

Arctic Wolf Trivia

Posted on by
Reply

acrtic wolf on a rockThe Arctic is no place for the weak. In this harsh and often cruel environment only the strongest will survive. One of the few animals that calls this forbidden land home is the arctic wolf. Often called the white wolf or the tundra wolf this magnificent animal is well suited to living in the north.

Arctic wolves can go for weeks without food.

Predators in the north cannot afford to be choosey. Prey is often scarce and meals are often infrequent and small. Arctic wolves will hunt almost anything in the north. They will hunt and eat, arctic hare, lemmings, birds, and caribou. Musk ox and seals have also been to known to become a meal for a hungry wolf pack.

Wolves will often following the migrating caribou herds.

Wolves eat all of the kill including the bones. The alpha male always eats first and then stands guard while the alpha female has her meal.

The arctic wolf can survive in sub zero temperatures for months on end. They are also accustomed to the long dark winter months. Continue reading →

Alligator and Crocodile Attacks Trivia

Posted on by
Reply

alligatorGolfer
Gator attacks golfer. In 2009, a man was attacked by an alligator while playing golf at the Ocean Creek Golf Course on Fripp Island, South Carolina. Friends were able to pull the man away from the gator but he lost his arm in the struggle. The alligator was caught by a team from the Tracks Wildlife Control who then removed the arm from the animal’s stomach. The arm was shipped to the hospital with the hope that doctors would be able to reattach it.

Raymundo Velasco
Forty-nine year old Raymundo Velasco was hired to clean up the beaches around Lake Osborne, Florida. He said he was dragged into the water but somehow escaped. He then simply went back to work after putting on a makeshift bandage. It was a neighbor in the area, Anneli Kuebler, who noticed the injury and called a sheriff’s deputy for help. Raymundo was taken to hospital to have his injuries treated. Continue reading →

Walrus Trivia

Posted on by
Reply

A walrus on the iceThe North is home to some of the most unique and fascinating animals in the world. One these creatures is the walrus.  The walrus is subject to many legends and myths among the native communities of the north and has played an important role in their culture and daily lives.

A group of walruses is called a herd. The largest walrus herd lives in Foxe Basin, Canada. The herd is made up of more than 5 000 individuals. Animals move from one herd to another. If startled walrus herds will stampede.

Walrus babies are called calves. Calves weigh between 45 and 75 kg at birth and are able to swim. Most calves are born between April and June. Calves will stay with their mothers for up to five years.

The average weight for a male walrus is 1 400 kg. The average weight for a female walrus is 900 kg. They grow to be between 8 and 12 feet in length.

In the wild walruses can live for 40 years. Continue reading →

Oyster Trivia

Posted on by
Reply

Oysters on the half shellOysters which used to be considered a poor man’s food are now one of the world’s delicacies. There are hundreds of ways that an oyster can be prepared and eaten. They are also the subject of many myths and old wives tales. What are the facts about oysters?

Casanova ate oysters every day.

Oysters are able to change their sex. Most oysters are male for the first year of their lives and then become female by the age of two or three.

An oyster eats by taking nutrients out of the water. It does this by filtering the water. An oyster is capable of filtering 60 gallons of water every day.

Oysters may contain viruses. Special care is needed to handle and eat oysters.

One common virus carried by the oyster is norovirus. The norovirus can cause gastroenteritis, or stomach flu. The most common symptoms of this are diarrhea, vomiting and cramps. This condition can be fatal.

Oysters can be eaten year round. There is an old wives tale that says you should only eat oysters in months that have a “r”. in them. This a myth. Continue reading →

Shark Trivia

Posted on by
Reply

An unthinking, savage killing machine, a predator who has roamed the seas unchanged and unchallenged for hundreds of years, that is how Hollywood would have us think of the shark. Films have portrayed this creature as something to be feared and hunted. Certainly, as the top of the food chain, a shark is deserving of respect but it is also deserving of understanding. The more we learn about these fish, the better we will be able to move and function in their world.

Jacques Cousteau once said that the most dangerous kind of shark was the white tipped shark. Jacques claimed that the white tipped shark was “the only species of shark that is never frightened by the approach of a diver, and they are the most dangerous of all sharks.”

You are more likely to be hit by lightening than get bitten by a shark.

Other experts have argued that the tiger shark is the most dangerous kind of shark on the planet. They are responsible for more unprovoked attacks than any other type of shark.

Sharks are found in all the oceans of the world. They have been found at depths of over 9 000 feet.
Continue reading →