Adult of child, when it comes to anything to do with animals, there seems to be the same amount of curiosity and amazement when reading about the strange things about all type of animals. In face, animal facts is a part of the educative years of every child, and depending on the child’s quest for knowledge, one can explore varied areas of finding more and more information. 
Given here are some amazing animal facts for one and all :

• Penguins can jump as high as 6 feet into the air.
• The only two animals that cannot walk backwards are emus and kangaroos.
• Beavers are bale to hold their breath underwater for a record of 45 minutes at a stretch.
• The Humming Bird is the smallest bird in the world and weighs about 1 gram.
• A bear can run at the speed of up to 48 kilometers per hour (30 miles per hour).
• The only animal that cannot jump is the elephant.
• All polar bears are left handed animals.
• A crocodile is unable to stick out its tongue.
• Each ear of a cat contains 32 muscles.
• Both, the skin and fur of the tigers is striped.
• The snakes can also see through their eyelids.
• A Woodpecker is capable of pecking up to 20 times per second.
• The butterflies taste their food with their feet, which is where their taste sensors exist.
• The flap of the skin between the toes is used by the flying frog to glide in the air.
• The length of the chameleon’s tongue equals the length of its body.
• The Chameleon can look at two objects in the opposite directions at a time. This is because each eye focuses separately.
• The ancestors of the kangaroos lived in trees.
• There are eight varying species of tree kangaroos.
• In order to strain the water out of their food, the flamingoes prefer eating with their heads upside down.
• A hippopotamus is capable of remaining under water for a maximum of 30 minutes.
• All earthworms have five pairs of hearts.
• A cat’s tail points straight upwards when subjected to an electric current of a minimum of 50 volts.
• The maximum lifespan of a frog used to be 40 years.
• In order to protect their eyes from the blowing sands, all camels have three eyelids.
• Baby hippopotamuses are born under-water.
• The tongue of a giraffe is blue and can extend to more than 40cm.
• At birth the weight of a blue baby whale is up to 7 tons.
• Elephants spend up to 23 hours in a day eating. 

Facts can be real, fictitious or strange. Nobody knows what to believe and not what not to unless an individual experiences the reality of any particular fact. There are many strange facts that can be true or untrue.
Believe it or not, following are some strange but true facts :

• In Cleveland, Ohio, it’s illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.
• It takes 3,000 cows to supply the leather for a year’s supply of footballs.
• There is an average of 178 sesame seeds on a McDonald’s Big Mac bun.
• The ratio of termites and human in the world is 10:1.
• The Bible has been translated into Klingon.
• The summer of 2003 in Europe killed 35,000 people.
• Staphylococcus aureus lives harmlessly on human skin.
• Average human produces 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime.
• Earth is not round but an ellipse.
• Pregnant women tend to eat more if they carry a baby boy.
• Sirius, a dwarf star, is the brightest star in the night sky.
• Babies are born with 300 bones but in adulthood we have 206 bones.
• Each square inch of human skin comprises of 19 million cells, 60 hairs, 90 oil glands, 19 feet of blood vessels, 625 sweat glands, 19,000 sensory cells and thousand and millions of bacteria.
• Tomatoes are the most popular food world wide with a production of 60 million tons per year.
• Mt. Everest, at 8848 meters and 29,028 feet, is the tallest mountain in the world.
• Less than 2% of the water is fresh.
• A person at rest generates as heat equal to 100 watt light bulb.
• Depleted uranium has been used by western military powers as an anti-tank weapon.
• About 70% of living organisms are bacteria.
• An estimate of 300 million cells dies in human body every minute.
• The real name of Albert Brook is Albert Einstein.
• Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
• One pound fat equals to 4000 calories.
• There are about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs on an average person’s head.
• The largest organ of a human body is skin, weighing about 4 kg in a normal adult.
• The weight of bacteria is one trillionth of a gram.

Tigers are amongst the most ferocious animals that inhabit planet earth. They are dreaded by human beings as well as other animals of the jungle. Essentially, tigers belong to the cat family and are the wild species of the smaller domesticated pets people keep at home. There are varied species of tigers that are found in various places of the world, amongst them is the most endangered species: The white tigers.

The white tigers are also known as the Bengal Tigers, as well as the Indian tiger. The scientific name for this animal is Panthera tigris, and are found in Asia, more specifically in the India subcontinent. In its natural habitat the white tiger is found in the dense forest and fertile grasslands. This species of the tiger normally reaches its full adult size at the age of two to three years. The male generally 200 to 230 kilograms and grows up to three meters in length. On the other hand the females weigh between 130 to 170 kilograms. They grow up to the length of to 2.5 meters.

The tigers of this species have stripes that look like fingerprints all over their body. Another distinguishing characteristic feature of the Bengal tigers is that they have a distinct white spot, which is on the back of their ears. This look likes an eye. They can run up to a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour. However, in spite of this they do not possess optimum stamina and need to sleep for an average of 16 to 18 hours, per day.

The Bengal tigers are very patient when trying to catch their prey, patiently waiting to make the perfect move. They generally hide in the tall grass areas so that they can catch their prey unawares, without having to make much of an effort. This tiger species can swim swiftly in water. Another unique characteristic of this species is that it can shed, as well as grow its body hair according to the temperature.

 Through the years zoologists have devised various methods of categorizing animals in to their varied species types. While the prominent zoologists have contributed their own theory and methods of classification of animals, yet they all follow the basic theory of two broad based categories, under which there are then the sub-categories.

All animals are broadly classified as :
- Vertebrates :
- Invertebrates :

The invertebrates, broadly speaking, are all those animals that do not have a backbone or spinal column. This is further classified into the following types :

Protozoa - (phyla: protozoa) :

These are the single-celled simple animals that are largely extremely tiny or microscopic, implying that they can be seen only through the lens of a microscope. Amongst the varied types of protozoa are amoeba and flagellates.

Echinoderms - (phyla: Echindermata) :

Theses are basically the marine animals existing in the depths of the ocean. Characteristically they have spines or arms that spread out from the center of their body. Their organs and mouth for feeding exist in the central body. Echinoderms include the starfish and sea urchins.

Annelids - (phyla: Annelida) :

The bodies of these animals are divided into varied. These creatures have properly internal organs. There are presently as many as 9,000 known species of Annelids, which includes worms and leeches.

Mollusks: (phyla: Mollusca) :

these are known to be amongst the first inhabitants of planet Earth. These creatures are normally characterized by the hard shells that protect them. Mollusks include those that live on land such as snails and slugs; as well as those that inhabit the water such as oysters, mussels, clams, squids and octopuses.

Arthropods - (phyla: Arthropoda):

This class of animals constitutes over 75 per cent of the animal species of the world. These include insects (The largest group of arthropods with over 800,000 varied types), crustaceans (crab, lobster and barnacle) and arachnids (spider, scorpions, ticks and mites).

The vertebrates are animals that have a skeleton within, which is made of bones. These include the varied sub-classes of vertebrate animals :

Fish :

There are more than 20,000 varied species of fish; and the earliest fish fossils found dates back to over 400 million years.

Amphibians :

These animals lay their eggs in water. For instance, the frogs lay their eggs in water that then take the form of fish-like tadpoles.

Reptiles :

These animals are normally referred to as cold-blooded as they are able to control their own body temperature. They can live on land as well as in water and use their lungs and skin accordingly. Reptiles include animals such as lizards, snakes, crocodiles and alligators, amongst others.

Birds :

It is said that the first bird appeared over 150 million years ago and now inhabit ever part of the world. There are over 8,000 known species of birds.

Mammals :

These animals have varied unique characteristics that distinguish them from other animals. Most of them have hair or fur that covers their body. These animals give birth to fully formed babies and the females have mammary glands to feed their young ones. Mammals include the primates (humans, monkeys, baboons, orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas); marsupials (kangaroos, koala bears and wombat); rodents (squirrels, mice, porcupines); whales; dolphins; and seals (seals, seal lions and walrus). 

 Which is the largest mammal living on land, with a rather long nose and heavy teeth? It is an elephant. This animal arouses the curiosity of children, as much as adults. So to speak there are two types of elephants: The African elephants and the Asian elephants. The difference between the two is that the Asian ones have smaller ears and shorter tusks in comparison to those of Africa, which are also bigger and taller than the Asian elephants. 
Given here are some interesting facts about elephants :

• Elephants preferring living in families.
• Several elephant families live together as a herd.
• The oldest female elephant is usually the leader of the herd.
• A young male baby elephant normally lives with its herd till it is fourteen or fifteen years old, after which it branches off into its own path of life in order to create its own herd. The leader of the herd is usually the oldest female elephant.
• All elephants eat plants.
• They spend almost 23 hours of the day eating.
• An adult African elephant can weigh more than 10,000 pounds.
• Elephants have four teeth.
• Every four years the old teeth fall off, making way for growth of new teeth.
• They have two horn-like tusks that grow out of the sides of their of their mouths.
• The tusks generally grow on an average seven inches a year
• The tusks can grow to a maximum length of twenty feet long.
• An adult African elephant’s ears are five to six feet long and in width they are about four feet.
• The animals use their ears as fans and to ward of the flies and other insects.
• The elephants use their trunks to pick up food and put it into their mouth to eat.
• They use their trunks to sprinkle water on themselves as though bathing, as well to cool themselves in times of sweltering heat.
• The elephants communicate with each other by making sounds. These are to two types: ‘tummy rumbling’ and ‘trumpeting’.
• The maximum lifespan of an elephant is 88 years.

 There are various animal species that are heading for extinction, and are on the list of endangered animals on planet earth. Amongst them is the cute looking panda bears, cute and adorable, are on the endangered species list. The beginning of their existence on planet earth is dated back to about two to three million years. The Chinese regarded them as noble animals and were tamed by the emperors of China. The hides of these bears were amongst the precious assets owned by Chinese people.

The cause for their numbers being dangerously low is attributed to three combining factors :

- The depleting and climatically changing natural habitat.
- The limited diet on which the existence is dependant is not available in the quantity in which it is required
- Weak reproductive system
- Extremely low infant survival rate

A number of zoologists have attempted to reverse the situation by experimenting on the panda bears in captivity, but by far they have not been successful in getting the bears to reproduce. It is for this reason that the bears are left out in the wild and protected by the Chinese Government. However, there is a hope and prayer amongst animal lovers that a miracle happens and the panda bears do not go into distinction.

There are three types of this bear species : - The giant white panda
- The black Panda
- The red panda; this is also known as the lesser panda.

Theses bears are mainly found in a small region of Asian, and mainly inhabit the mountainous areas. They do not hibernate in the winter season, unlike the other bears.

 Amongst the few animals a young child learns to identify easily is the monkey. In fact, there has been much curiosity about monkeys amongst scientists and others. This is because according to the theory of human evolution, man’s beginning is from monkeyhood to humankind.

While researchers are working on understanding and proving this theory, here are some monkey facts that are astounding and interesting and factual, all at the same time.

• There is a colorful species of the monkey called the mandrill baboon. This animal has blue cheeks, a red nose and an orange beard.
• Chimpanzees use more tools in comparison to any other existing animal except for man.
• A chimpanzee is capable of recognizing its reflection, which is not possible for any other species of monkeys.
• The most common monkey species of South America is the squirrel monkey
• The squirrel monkeys leap from tree to tree and rarely walk on the ground
• The colobus monkeys have bushy tails that are generally longer than their body.
• The only place where one will spot the Kirk’s Red Colobus monkey is Zanzibar.
• The loudest animal on land is the male howler monkey, which inhabits parts of Central and South America. Its noise can be heard up to a distance of ten miles away.
• The female spider monkey gives birth every three to four years and the young ones are dependant on their mother’s for the first 2 to 3 years.
• The spider monkeys use both of their arms, legs and tail to climb up and down trees.
• The spider monkeys have fingers that are hook-like fingers and no thumb.
• The tip of the tail of a spider monkey supports the entire weight of their body.
• Gorillas suffer from colds and other common ailments like human beings.
• The snow monkeys live in regions that go to temperatures as low as -10ºC.

 One of the most beautiful creatures that inhabit earth is the various sea creatures. The fish whether in a fish tank, in the ponds and lakes, rivers and seas or the oceans have been a subject of study and wonderment since ages. Scientists and researchers are studying marine life.

Here are some interesting fish facts that have been contributed by various marine scientists and researcher.

• According to various findings, scientists believe that fish have inhabited earth for over 450 million years.
• According to experts fish are the oldest creatures having belonged to the age before the dinosaurs roamed on earth.
• Experts have recorded and identified over 25,000 species of fish.
• According to marine biologists there are more than 15,000 species of fish that have not been identified as yet.
• The number of fish species far outnumber than all those of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals put together.
• 40 per cent of the fish species swim in water. The fact remains that less than .01 per cent of the planet’s water is fresh water.
• There is a species of fish called the spotted climbing perch, which can absorb oxygen from the air and crawl on land, breathing with the use of its pectoral fins that are rather strong.
• Some species of fish make sounds by the grating of their teeth. There on the other hand others that makes sounds with the help of their swim bladder, which is filled with air.
• There are some fish that can glide, while others skip along the surface. There are some that can also climb rocks.
• The biggest fish is the great whale shark that can grow up to the length of fifty feet.
• The tiniest fish is the Philippine goby, which when fully grown is less than one-third of an inch.
• Fish experience pain and stress like mammals and birds.

 One of the oldest animals of China and mainly tamed by the royal family of this region has been the panda bears. Amongst the species of these bears is the Giant Panda.

This panda’s scientific name is Ailuropoda Melanoleuca, and is only found in China. However, at one point of time they were found in regions such as:

- Southern China
- Eastern China
- Myanmar
- North Vietnam.

However, they are presently only found to the temperate forests of the mountain ranges in south west China. These 5 mountain ranges include :

- Minshan
- Qinling
- Qionglai
- Liangshan
- Daxiangling
- Xiaoxiangling

The average Panda bear is about five feet in length. It’s shoulder averages between 27 and 32 inches and weighs between 100 to 150 kilograms. The males are approximately 10 per cent bigger than the female giant pandas. Their average lifespan is between 18 to 20 years in the wild. However, in captivity pandas are known to survive up to the age of 30 years.

Pandas are mainly known to be silent animals, but the fact is that they can bleat, roar, growl and honk. These animals sped approximately 12 hours a-day eating; and can consume up to 38 kilograms of bamboo, daily.

 An interesting hobby and past time for people of all ages is to find new and amazing facts from around the world. In the interesting animal facts tend to entertain and provide further knowledge to people of all age groups and from varied educational backgrounds.

There are various publications that publish amazing facts about animals, some of which are listed here :

- A horse weighing 1,200- pounds eats almost seven times it’s actually weight every year.

- A bird eats more food in proportion to its body size in comparison to the food consumed by a baby or a cat.

- A chameleon can move its eyes in two directions, simultaneously.

- The length of chameleon’s body is half the length of its tongue.

- A chameleon’s tongue is twice the length of its body.

- Chimpanzees are capable of recognizing their image in the mirror or on any other reflective object; which is not possible amongst any other monkey species.

- A healthy cow can give up to 200,000 glasses of milk in her entire lifespan.

- The father emperor penguin can withstand the extreme cold of the Antarctic for over sixty days in order to protect the eggs. These he keeps on his feet and are covered by a feathered flap. During this period the penguin does not eat a morsel. Most of the fathering penguins loose up to 25 pounds wait for their little ones to hatch out of the eggs.

- After the young penguins are hatched out of their eggs their father feeds them a special liquid that pours out of their throats.

- The father sea catfish keep the eggs of the young ones in their mouths till they are ready to hatch. The father does not eat till the eggs are not hatched, which can take up to several weeks.

- A female mackerel can lay approximately 500,000 eggs at a time.

- No two cows have identical pattern of spots.

- The newborn kangaroo is just about the length of 1 inch.

- A rat can survive without water longer than a camel.

- A zebra has a white base with black stripes.

- An iguana can survive water for up to 28 minutes.

- The size of an ostrich’s eye is larger than its brain.

- Goldfish lose their hue when are kept where there is dim light or in a running water stream.

- Human tapeworms can grow up to a length of 22.9 meters.

- During its entire lifespan a worker bee produces one-twelfth teaspoon of honey.