Fun Facts

Our planet has been graced with many great, unique creatures though a few have disappeared because of their inability to adapt or because of human activities. Here are a few of them that have been completely extinct but sometimes rediscovered later.

1. The Cahow, the small headed sea birds that once lived all along the coasts of Bermuda, were thought to be extinct for 330 years. But in 1951, January 8, the bird was rediscovered by an British scientist, David Wingate. Under his surveillance the Cahow population grew slowly but effectively till this day.

2.Dibbler, the marsupial mouse who was thought to be extincted since 1884 till 1967. When an Australian naturalist caught one in a trap. By luck, it was a female who then gave birth to 8 little ones. Since then they have been kept in captivity.

3.The Dwarf Lemur, the small tree dwelling primate with big watery eyes. In 1875, they were reported to be extincted. But then in 1966 they were found in Mananara, Madagascar.

4. The Ivory billed woodpecker, described by naturalists as the greatest of all the woodpeckers. It had a wingspan of 30 inches, the largest for an American woodpecker.  They were very few left for many years but in 1944 this woodpecker was official considered extinct. Until in 2004, Gene Sparkling, a kayaker, saw one in Arkansas, it was later confirmed by many other naturalists.

5. Mountain Pygmy Possum, the small marsupial was considered to be extinct for 30,000 years until a doctor caught one in his kitchen, in Australia, 1966. Three more were then discovered in 1970. Talk about a comeback from the death.

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A male rabbit is called a “buck.” A female is called a “doe.” A baby rabbit is a “kit. The babies are referred to as a litter. Rabbit’s teeth never stop growing. Rabbits can be litter trained! Rabbits are lagomorphs and not rodents. Bunnies will be weaned at 8 weeks. Adults can weigh between 2 to 20lbs depending on the breed. Rabbits will purr like a cat. Domesticated rabbits are born without any fur and their eyes don’t open until they are 2 weeks old. Rabbits are one animal that can’t vomit. Rabbits need hay to assist in the digestive system and prevent fur balls in their stomachs. A group is called a herd. Babies get fed 5 minutes a day.

Rabbit meat is actually lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than chicken, pork and beef. Rabbit meat is all white meat! If you have rabbit droppings they are great for your garden as fertilizer. Rabbits have around 28 teeth. A four pound rabbit can drink as much water as a 20 pound dog. Bunnies love to chew. Rabbits don’t hibernate. They can jump 36” and higher. Rabbits can suffer heat stroke if left in the sun too long. Rabbits can see behind them but have a blind spot right in front of their faces. If rabbits are very happy they will jump and twist. This is called a “binky.”
Rabbits will start breeding at 3-4 months of age. If predators are around rabbits they can literally scare them to death! The females will pull fur to help build their nest. The females can actually have false pregnancies. Rabbits like to stay clean and like cats they will groom themselves. Domesticated rabbits can’t be bred with wild rabbits. Rabbits only sweat through the pads on their feet. Rabbits will eat their own night droppings called cecotropes. The largest litter recorded was in 1978 and 1999 where the litter was 24 babies.

The longest living rabbit was 19 years old. Rabbits have 18 toenails: 4 on each back foot and 5 on each of the front. Rabbits have tiny “peg” tooth behind each incisor. The smallest rabbit bred in North America is the Pygmy or Little Idaho rabbit. It weighs less than one pound. There are actually over 150 different rabbit coat colors and five are eye colors. President Lincoln allowed his sons to keep pets in the White House and some were rabbits. Rabbits tend to be most active at dawn and dusk.

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The giraffe is the tallest living creature and can reach vegetation that other animals cannot. Giraffes eat foliage like leaves and evergreens, grass and shrubs, fruit and lots of water. One of their favorites is the Acacia tree. A giraffe will eat 15 to 65 pounds of food. At night they will lie down to rest. There are 9 subspecies of giraffe. They live in Africa in arid and dry areas where trees are growing. They live in loose herds with no specific leaders. They can spot predators easily and signal to run if there is danger coming. The adult males weigh 2420 to 4250 pounds and the females weigh 1540 to 2600 pounds. Males are from 9-11 feet at the shoulder and 18-19 at the top of their horns. Females are usually around 2 feet shorter than males.

When giraffes walk they move both right legs forward and then both left. When running they use the back legs first and they move on the outside of the front legs. Baby giraffes are born while the mother is standing. The fall to the ground is long. In about 20 minutes the calf will stand and they are around 6 feet tall. Calves can grow as much as an inch a day and double their height in a year. 50-75% of calves are killed by lions and spotted hyena during the first few months of life. Giraffes were actually once thought to be a cross between a camel and leopard! That is how they got their scientific name of Giraffa Camelopardalis. In order to establish dominance males swing their heads at one another in tests of strength. It is called, “necking.”

As giraffes age their fur darkens. Giraffes only have 7 vertebrae in their neck that can be 5 feet long. The North Kenyan Giraffe has a latticework of thin lines that separate the dark patches. A giraffes tongue can be as long as 18 inches! Giraffes can’t cough. A giraffe has the same number of bones in their necks as a man which is seven. They are just a lot bigger! Giraffe’s horns are different from other animals because they are covered in skin and hair. Only three animals hunt giraffes. They are the lion, crocodile and man. A giraffe’s front hoof is as big as a dinner plate. You won’t hear a giraffe any time soon, they have no vocal cords!

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