Winged Animals
Which bird can fly backwards?
Hummingbirds
They are the only known birds that can also fly backwards. They often do this when retreating away from flowers.
Which animal has the male fall pregnant and give birth rather than the female?
Seahorse.
The male seahorse has a pouch on its stomach in which to carry babies—as many as 2,000 at a time.
What is a rhinoceros‘s horns made of?
Keratin
The same type of protein that makes up hair and fingernails.
What is the largest living lizard?
The Komodo dragon
Most Komodo dragons can grow to the length of a small car. The largest verified specimen was 3.13 meters long and weighed about 166 kg. For comparison, the next largest species of lizard is the Asian water monitor, which grow up to 2.4 meters in length.
Which animal has the shortest lifespan?
The Mayfly.
Its entire adult lifespan is just 24hrs. Some species of Mayfly only live for 8-10 hours. Although they have the shortest adult lifespan, they actually exist as a nymph in water from 3-7 years, depending on species.
What colour are Flamingos?
They are grey.
Their diet of brine shrimp and blue green algae contains a natural pink dye called canthaxanthin that makes their feathers pink.
Which animal can give each other names?
Dolphins.
Scientists have found evidence that dolphins call each other by ‘name’, with a unique whistle for each member of a pod.
What colour is a Polar Bears skin?
Black.
It helps them absorb heat to keep warm, while the white fur helps provides camouflage in the snowy and icy environment they live.
What snake is the most venomous of all snakes?
The Inland Taipan
Tests using human cell cultures show that they are the most venomous of all tested snakes. While they are the most venomous, they are not the deadliest snake. This is because they live in areas where there aren’t many people.
How many eyes do Bees have?
5 eyes.
2 at the front like a fly, and 3 smaller eyes like a spider. The three ‘ocelli’ eyes on the top of its head detect light, so the bee can sense if it’s being approached by a predator.
What is the largest bird on the planet?
The Common Ostrich.
The Common Ostrich can tower up to 3 meters tall and weigh up to an astonishing 157 kilograms. Ostrich possess long, powerful legs that enable them to sprint at incredible speeds, reaching up to 70 kilometres per hour.
What is the most venomous fish in the world?
Stonefish
Stonefish have 13 sharp fin spines on their back, each with two venom glands.
What animal has fingerprints almost identical to humans?
Koala's
It is so hard to distinguish between the fingerprints of koalas and humans that even under a microscope it is hard to tell. There are even reported cases of a koala’s fingerprints confusing forensics at crime scenes.
Which crocodilian has the most teeth?
Gharials
While most crocodilians have roughly 66 teeth on average, gharials have a mouth full of 110 interlocking teeth in their long, narrow snout.
How many stomachs do Bees have?
Two
One is for digesting food, and the other is for honey storage.
Which bat cannot use echolocation?
The Flying Fox
Unlike most bats, flying foxes have lost the ability to use sound to find their way around. This skill is mostly used in bats who hunt moving objects such as insects and frogs but since flying foxes eat things that don’t run away, and since evolution functions on a “use it or lose it” basis, these bats lost it.
What is the longest living vertebrate on earth?
The Greenland Shark.
Greenland sharks are giant, reaching up to 5m in length, and live in the cold deep waters of the North Atlantic. They are rarely seen, and little is known about them. One individual is thought to be over 400 years old.
Which animal is the loudest land animal?
The howler monkey.
At its peak, the howler monkey can produce sounds that reach 140 decibels. That’s as noisy as a jet engine, on take off!
What is the only known mammal in the world to have hard, overlapping scales on their entire body?
The Pangolin
20% of a pangolins weight is made up of hard scales. Their scales are very different to those of a reptile, and are more like a pine cone in appearance.
Which insect is the only one capable of turning it's head?
Praying mantis
They are the only insect capable of turning their heads. They can also see in 3-D, which makes them ideal hunters. Bonus fact: They are also the only animal on earth that has one ear.
What animal can glide up to 50 meters?
Sugar Gliders
Sugar gliders can glide between trees, thanks to their special membrane that stretches from their wrists to their ankles.
Which animal is the loudest animal in the world?
The Pistol Shrimp.
It is capable of snapping its claw shut so rapidly, that it creates a bubble which collapses to produce a sonic blast, louder than a Concorde’s sonic boom.
What is the name of the only flightless parrot in the world?
Kakapo
Kakapo have short wings for its size and are lacking the keel on the sternum (breastbone), where the flight muscles of other birds attach to allow them to fly.
Reptiles inhabit every continent except which one?
Antarctica
The absence of reptiles in Antarctica can be attributed to the extremely cold temperatures of the continent. Being cold-blooded, reptiles rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature.
What do Ladybugs eat?
Other Insects
Almost all of them feed on soft-bodied insects and serve as beneficial predators of plant pests. An adult ladybug can devour 50 aphids per day. Scientists estimate that they can consume as many as 5,000 aphids over its lifetime.