Page 15 - Animal Facts

The rough-skinned newt is in an arms race that has turned it into the most poisonous animal in North America!

Most people would guess some sort of snake or spider is the most poisonous animal in North America, but it is actually the rough-skinned newt, and there is a very specific reason why!

While humans have known about newts for thousands of years, it was not until the 1960’s that their poisonous aspects were given serious consideration after three hunters were found dead with a newt in their coffee pot.

The newt is native to the West Coast of the United States, where garter snakes are plentiful. Garter snakes are the natural predator of rough-skinned newts, and while their poison seems to kill just about everything else, there is for some reason a strange resistance among garter snakes.

The reason? Evolution. Think about it as a sort of animal evolutionary arms race. The newt’s eggs are threatened by predators so they inject massive amounts of TTX, or tetrodotoxin, which is the poison newts posses, into their larvae so any predator dies immediately after eating them.

However, garter snakes have commonly fed on newt eggs, so while the newts continue to inject more and more poison, the garter snake has developed more and more immunities against it!

In a way, the newt is pushing the snake to become more immune to TTX and the snake is pushing the newt to become more and more poisonous!

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Greyhounds have 270-degree vision! They can see objects behind them and half a mile in front of them!

Greyhounds are one of the most interesting species of dog for many reasons. While it is commonly known that they are the fastest, reaching speeds around 70 km, not much else is known to most people. Traditionally used for hunting and racing, the greyhound is a machine of an animal.

They have significantly more red blood cells than other dogs and larger hearts and lungs to be able to run faster and longer. Their vision is amazing and they can see almost entirely around them without moving their bodies!

They were traditionally owned by the nobility in Europe because of their physical superiority compared to other dogs and were once strictly limited to the ruling classes!While they are physically amazing, they are also known to be among the most gentle dogs.

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Over 86,000 people visit the ER each year from tripping or falling over their cat or dog

Pets are wonderful companions. They're furry and cuddly, and they (usually) love you unconditionally. They have their downsides though. You know this if you've ever tried to house train a puppy or had to clean out a litter box. And dogs love to chew your most expensive pair of shoes.

Sometimes cats don't even like to hang out with you and prefer to sleep in some hidden location. The worst downside of a cat or dog, though, may be that they can actually cause you physical harm. It turns out that dogs and cats are responsible for 86,000 fall-related emergency room visits every year.

That's about 240 pet-related ER visits each day. They somehow get underfoot, they wrap the leash around you on a walk, they pull you down in their haste to chase a squirrel. Dogs rather than cats are usually the ones responsible for these falls.

The falls were more prevalent among children and middle-age people, but elderly people that fall are more likely to break a bone and take longer to recover.

It's worth weighing the pros and cons when deciding whether to purchase a dog or cat.

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Fruit bat mothers cry when you take their baby away

Fruit bat mothers cry when you take their baby away .

Bats sometimes get a bad rap. They’re associated with vampires, they only come out at night and there’s an urban legend that they tend to fly into people’s hair. But really they’re not that bad. Only certain types even suck blood and many, like the fruit bat, are plant eaters.

In fact, if you could hear the pitiful cries of a mother fruit bat for her young, you would probably melt. That’s right—mother fruit bats actually cry when their babies are taken away from them. .

Fruit bats are only able to have one baby a year so perhaps this accounts for their emotional reaction to separation. Or maybe they’re just like humans—the little kids just want their mom and vice versa. .

Picture: Http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3LJrTEWlmc/T-ps7wiCOfI/AAAAAAAAE6A/-vaC06CtliA/s1600/Watermelon-Ambushed-By-A-Bat.jpg.

Source: Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8_GGgT5rA#t=43s.

Steve Irwin fans went on a stingray murder rampage after his death!

Steve Irwin fans have learned nothing from him. Irwin was tragically killed in 2006 while filming a documentary at Batt Reef near Queensland, Australia. A stingray stung him right in the heart. His fans started retaliating or mourning in a weird way by killing stingrays and cutting off their tails.

Irwin’s spokesman had to make a statement urging fans to stop murdering the generally friendly sea creature. At least ten of them were found dead washed up on shore. Irwin stood for properly caring and learning about animals.

Killing the stingray is exactly the opposite of what he would have done. Plus, stingrays only attack when they are seriously threatened. Besides, word wasn’t going to get around to the other stingrays that there was a bounty on their heads for their cousin accidently killing a beloved animal expert.

In any case, the massacre of stingrays subsided and fans found better ways to honor him.

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