Facts of Animals, Birds and Insects-21 421. The ground cuckoo can run as fast as a racehorse. 422. ‘Arboreal’ is the term used to describe animals that live on trees. 423. The cheetah is the fastest animal. It can run up to 65 miles per hour. 424. The caterpillar has more than 2,000 muscles. 425. A single bee eye has more than 6,000 lens in it. 426. 99% of the panda’s...

Facts of Animals, Birds and Insects-19 411. The teeth of the mouse, rat and rabbit, keep on growing. If thy ear prevented from gnawing, the teeth will become so long that eventually, the rodent dies of starvation. 412. In the good old days, cock fighting was popular not only as a means of gambling but also because rivals fought a proxy battle through their cocks. Hence, cock fights often led to...

Facts of Animals, Birds and Insects-19 401. A cat has slit- shaped pupils. These can open very wide in the dark and let in more light, thus enabling it to see in the dark. 402. A snake has large eyes. But in detecting its prey, it is the tongue that aids it best. 403. Birds have the keenest vision. An eagle can spot its prey from great heights. 404. One queen...

Facts of Animals, Birds and Insects-18 391. In the early days in China, the dragon was considered the symbol of power. In India, it was Garuda, the white- necked eagle. And in Assyria, it was the winged bull. 392. A snake’s heart continues to beat for many hours even after its head has been cut off. 393. In the 19th century in America, migrating flocks of more than 2000 million passenger...

Facts of Animals, Birds and Insects-17 371. It takes 24 hours for a tiny newborn swan to peck its way out of its shell. 372. Cattle are the only mammals that are retro-mingent (i.e., they pee backwards). 373. Insects have yellow blood , while octopuses have blue. 374. A cat’s jaw cannot move sideways. 375. Frogs do not need to drink water as they absorb it though their skin. 376. The...

Facts of Animals, Birds and Insects-16 361. The sloth is a lazy bear. It sleeps 18 hours a day and hangs upside down while it sleeps. 362. The peacock was declared the National Bird of India on January 31, 1963. 363. The polar bear cover its nose with its feet so that it cannot be seen easily while hunting. 364. A kitten is born blind as a protective measure. Nature thus...

Facts of Animals, Birds and Insects-15 351. A rodent’s highly developed sense of smell helps it to communicate with other rodents through odors released from scent glands on its body. 352. It is normal and good if your dog eats grass like a cow. Grass adds fiber to a dog’s diet and helps in the digestion process. Sometimes dogs eat grass to vomit out food when they have over- eaten, or...

Facts of Animals, Birds and Insects-14 341. The Siberian tiger is the largest cat in the world. It weighs about 330 kg and can eat up to 27.2 kg meat in a day. 342. The hippopotamus can run faster than a human being. 343. The elephant, the rhinoceros and the hippopotamus have mud baths to keep themselves clean. When the mud dries, it falls off, and along with it, the irritating...