Fun Facts

Our dogs that are known as (Canis lupis familiaris) are basically a form of domesticated wolves that have not only have become a basic companion for humans throughout the generations and by some cultures viewed as gods, but are sometimes used as a working dog for people, especially in the colder elements.

Used as a guide and trail leader for sleds for rescue, for the sight impaired, drug enforcement agency’s, bomb squads and even for some sporting events this animal has a history of being mans best friend!

This animal was instrumental in the advancement across the Bering Straight acting as sled dogs and without them many of early human settlements would have never happened as the weather would not have made it possible for them to reach their new destinations and create the new settlements by walking alone.

Currently there are over 400 million dogs worldwide that are used not only as companions but also as hunters, herding protectors, guard and police duty and also for the assistance of the handicapped.

The dog has been domesticated over 15,000 years and has evolved into an animal that is grouped into a small part of landraces whose morphology and behavior has been shaped solely by environmental factors and its functional roles. With the genetic advances and understandings, soon new breeds of dogs were bred and raised for specific traits and ultimately there are hundreds of new breeds that showed morphological and behavior variations that exceeded any other land mammal.

For example look at the size of the Chihuahua which stands a few inches high compared to the Irish Wolfhound, that stands a few feet in stature. The colors in their coats can vary from white to black, brown to gold with multiple variations in patterns, and also their coats range in length from short to long, and coarse to very soft.

The intelligence level in many of these breeds is exceptionally high with a perception and ability to learn and comprehend that is normally uncommon in the animal world. Dogs are capable of learning in several ways such as by observations as well as simple reinforcement techniques (classical or operant conditioning).

A dogs early stage is when they are going through their most cognitive developments called object permanence and this usually starts occurring at approximately 8 weeks of age. Puppies that interact with other older and experienced dogs have been proven to learn many times faster than other dogs by following the traits and tasks of the more mature dog. In one study Dachshund puppies that saw an older dog receive treats by pulling on a red ribbon on a cart were 15 times faster learning the same task than a dog just left to solve the task on its own.

Many other studies have been done that show dogs have an intelligence that many times is untapped by its owners. With the right training many breeds achieve things that are truly amazing. The evolution of the canine is an interesting topic for one to study more. However, there are more amazing animals like this, so check our animal fun facts.

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A natural disaster affects human beings, as consequences of the hazards of nature. Some are volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides and many others, leading to the loss of millions, in the number of lives taken. Because of the lack of recording from the distant past, there are not as many facts about them, but we will do our best to show the worst five in history.

Earthquakes

1. Between 1811 and 1812, there were three earthquakes, called New Madrid, taking place in Missouri and some of the worst ever recorded in the United States history. The after effects were felt as far north as Boston, with the magnitudes estimated at 7.8. The population was not as dense as it is today, very sparse, so the damage was considered to be fairly light. Now that the area is far more populated, there is always the residing fear of what could happen again, anytime in the future.

2. Approximately 830,000 people died in 1556 in Shaanxi, China, because of an earthquake. 97 counties were affected, sixty percent of the people were killed in some counties, with 520 miles of land being completely destroyed. Many of the people of that time, lived in caves on the side of the cliffs, so they collapsed during the earthquake. Aftershocks continued to be felt up to six months later. Estimates done now estimated the magnitude to be about 8 on the scale. Disaster struck suddenly.

Floods

3. The Yellow River Flood of China took place in 1931, also known as Huang He flood, and is considered to be the worst natural disaster recorded in history, because of the number of lives taken, especially of the twentieth century. There were estimates to be between 1-4 million people killed. This number was due to many causes, some to drowning, others to disease, drought and famine which would come later.

Between July and November of that year, great quantities of land were flooded, possibly 88 thousand square kilometers, with another 21 thousand square kilometers partially flooded areas. This particular river has had a nickname, Chinas’ Sorrow, due to the great numbers of people who have been killed because of the flooding of it over and over again.

Cyclones

4. The tropical cyclone called Bhola of East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh, took place on November 12, in the year 1970. The day before, the cyclone intensified into a huge storm and then started to turn on its way to the bay. Winds reached up to 115 miles per hour later on and then touched down on the coastline about the same time as high tide.

In these modern times, it is known to be one of the deadliest natural disasters. The storm surge flooded the whole lower lying islands of the Delta Ganges, killing up to 500,000 people.

5. In India, in the year1839, a tidal wave which reached 40 feet, caused a cyclone which totally wiped out the town of Coringa and to this say, that town has not been totally rebuilt. Nearly 300,000 people lost their lives, and 20,000 ships were totally destroyed that day.

If you want to read about some intriguing facts about what nature has to offer then check our science fun facts.

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Many people around the world enjoy the sport of fishing. It can be very exciting and serene at the same time, depending on how and where you decide to fish. Sitting by a pond on a sunny day can be very relaxing, and if you are lucky enough to hook into a fish that’s just icing on the cake. On the flip side perhaps you want to try deep sea fishing and depending on what you hook into, it could take you hours to bring in just one fish. Needless to say there are many stories associated with fishing, like the one that got away, and fisherman are known to sometimes exaggerate about the size of their fishing conquests. Here a couple of humorous stories about fishing that any angler will enjoy.

A Fishermans Tale

One day a man went fishing, and after sitting under the hot sun all day long, he didn’t catch a single fish. Before leaving the house earlier he had bragged to his wife that he would catch some fish for dinner that evening, and not wanting to look like a fool, he decided to stop by the local fish store on the way home.

Now he didn’t really want to lie to his wife, so he picked out four large salmon and told the clerk to throw them at him. The clerk looked at him funny and asked the man “why on earth do you want these fish thrown at you sir” The man grinned and replied “this way I can tell my wife I caught them without lying.”

The clerk then smiled and said “well I suggest you take one of the trout as well because your wife called earlier and said when you came by she wanted trout for dinner”

Food For Thought

In a small town a local fish merchant had a reputation as being very smart and quick witted, and one day a regular customer asked him what made him so smart. The merchant looked around and whispered quietly “ I usually never give away my secret, but being as your are such a good customer I will tell you, it’s the eating of fish heads, and the more you eat, the smarter you will become”

The man wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not but asked the merchant if he sold this wonder food. “Of course” he replied “and they are only $4 each” The customer decides to give it a try and buys five of them. He comes back a few days later and tells the merchant that not only were the fish heads disgusting to eat, but he didn’t feel any smarter. “You must not be eating enough of them” says the merchant, prompting the man to buy ten more.

Another week goes by, and this time when the man returns to the shop he is a little upset because he had learned that even though he was paying $4 for each fish head he could have bought the whole fish for only $2! The merchant looks at him, smiles and says “SEE YOU ARE GETTING SMARTER ALREADY”

So you have to admit these were pretty funny, but getting more serious about the sports world go here to find some really interesting facts about the NBA.

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