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The Madagascar Turtle Crisis
These tortoises and turtles are critically endangered due to the illegal pet and food trade. They are also threatened by habitat loss.
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Bio Terror Lab - Coming Soon To Your Neighborhood?
The associated press reported the Bush administration is likely to move its research on one of the most contagious animal diseases from an isolated island to the US mainland. Would you want this in your neighborhood? The associated press reported the Bush administration is likely to move its research on one of the most contagious animal diseases fro... more
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Bald Eagle Facts
The bald eagles scientific name, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, means white-headed sea eagle.
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America that is most recognizable as the national bird and symbol of the United States.
No they are not bald their heads are covered with short white feathers. The term "bald" may be from the Old English word balde that meant white
When a bald eagle loses a feather on one wing, it will lose a matching one on the other. This way it doesn?t lose its balance!

The largest known eagle nest was found in Florida. It was 9 feet (2.7 meters) across, 20 feet (6 meters) deep, and weighed over two tons (2 tonnes)!
Adult eagles are about three feet from head to tail and weigh ten to 12 pounds.
As in most birds of prey, female eagles are larger than males.
At least 19 bald eagles died after gorging themselves on a truck full of fish waste outside a processing plant.
Fifty or more of the eagles swarmed into the back of a truck, after the truck was moved outside the plant on Friday, said Brandon Saito, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who coordinated the recovery operation.
Eagles can live up to 28 years in the wild.
A bald eagle can reach a speed of up to 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour) when diving through the air to grab a meal.

The primary food source for bald eagles is fish. They also feed on carrion, birds, small mammals, and reptiles.
The bald eagle is a short-distance migrant, meaning that the majority of individuals in the population remain in North America during the winter?as opposed to long-distance or Neotropical migratory birds that winter in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico
Benjamin Franklin thought the bald eagle was a poor choice for a national symbol because it sometimes steals food from other birds. He recommended the wild turkey.
 The bald eagles scientific name, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, means white-headed sea eagle. ... more -
Iguana Facts
It was so cold in South Florida recently that iguanas fell from the trees.
The cold-blooded reptiles go into a deep sleep when the temperature falls into the 40s Fahrenheit (5 to 10 degrees Celsius). Their bodies turn gray, and they lose their grip, experts say.
Iguana Facts:
The word "Iguana" is derived from a Spanish form of the original Taino name for the species "Iwana".
Iguanas are able to hold their breath for up to 30 minutes.
They will often jump from tree to water using their powerful tail for swimming to escape. They are also able to leap down 40-50 feet without injury.
To attract a mate, mature males may turn orange during breeding season.
Iguanas store large amounts of fat in their lower jaw and neck area in order to survive times of famine. The pouch at the base of their neck is called a dewlap, and is used in display.
Their tail has weakened vertebrae so the iguana can break free and escape if caught by the tail. Iguanas are also able to whip their tail in defense, leaving behind a stinging welt or worse.
Many of us think lizards live only in deserts, yet the marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands (off the coast of Ecuador) are excellent swimmers.

Some iguanas enjoy living in trees, such as the green iguanas of Central and South America. Because they are farmed for food there, these iguanas are called gallina de palo, or ?chicken of the tree.?

A male iguana's long, erect spines and extended dewlap, which make his head appear larger, are features that attract females. Battered and chewed spines indicate a male with a low position in the mating hierarchy. 

Iguana is a genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central and South America and the Caribbean first described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena in 1768. The genus iguana includes two species: the Green Iguana and the Lesser Antillean Iguana.
Marine iguanas sneeze frequently to expel salt from glands near their nose. The salt often lands on their heads, giving them a distinctive white wig.
Green, or common, iguanas are among the largest lizards in the Americas, averaging around 6.5 feet (2 meters) in length and weighing about 11 pounds (5 kilograms).


They are also among the most popular reptile pets in the United States, despite being quite difficult to care for properly. In fact, most captive iguanas die within the first year, and many are either turned loose by their owners or given to reptile rescue groups.


Their appearance, behavior, and endangered status vary from species to species.
In Central America, where iguana meat is frequently consumed, iguanas are referred to as "bamboo chicken" or "chicken of the trees." It was so cold in South Florida recently that iguanas fell from the trees. ... more -
Caterpillar Facts
The chemical con trick used by Alcon blue butterfly larvae to get ants to take care of them has been detailed by scientists working in Denmark.
Caterpillars grow through a series of moults; each intermediate stage is called an instar.
Caterpillars have 4,000 muscles (compare humans, with 629).
In some places, the number of caterpillars feeding on plants is so large that you can actually hear them munching
Some Arctic moths may spend 14 years as caterpillars, only active a few weeks each summer.
Some caterpillars eat as much as 27,000 times their body weight to support their lives as flying insects.
Most caterpillars may have 12 eyes, but they are primitive and can do little more than sense light and dark.
The caterpillar fungus is a traditional medicine that has been widely used as a tonic and/or medicine by the Chinese for hundreds of years
The use of this fungus was relatively unknown in this country until it was credited for the success of Chinese women athletes at the National Games in Beijing, in 1993. Three Chinese track runners set new world records during the Games. Their coach, Ma Zunren, attributed the runner?s success to due to a stress-relieving tonic prepared from the caterpillar fungus
Butterflies and moths start out as eggs. These hatch into caterpillars, which go through a pupa or metamorphosis stage and then evolve into the winged version. The cycle can take as little as 3 weeks in the tropics and many months in colder climes. Cold climate species can hibernate for as long as 9 months.
A caterpillar has a head and 13 body segments. There are only three pairs of real legs and five pairs of sucker-like prolegs or false legs at the back, with hooks for grabbing. It breathes through small holes on the segments.
Many caterpillars can produce silk, which they can use to avoid predators (by hanging from branches) and which they use for protection (a cocoon).
The Zebra caterpillar becomes poisonous by eating poisonous foods and has sharp spines, while the butterfly smells very bad. The Puss moth caterpillar spits acid on predators.
Caterpillars have been called "eating machines", and eat leaves voraciously
Most species shed their skins four or five times as their bodies grow larger, and they eventually pupate into an adult form.
Most caterpillars are solely herbivorous. Some are cannibals, and others prey on caterpillars of other species The chemical con trick used by Alcon blue butterfly larvae to get ants to take care of them has been detailed by scientists working in... more -
Manatee Fun Facts
At least two manatees died an agonizing death from red tide in Brevard County and another five also are suspected victims of the toxic algae.
Manatees are large, fully aquatic marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows.
The name comes from the Spanish manatí, which itself comes from a Carib word meaning "breast."
They are thought to have evolved from four legged land mammals over 60 million years ago.
They are mainly herbivores, spending most of their time grazing in shallow waters and at depths of 1-2 m (3-7 ft).
Generally, manatees have a mean mass of 410-545 kg (900-1200 lb), and mean length of 2.7-3 m (9-10 ft), with maximums of 3.6 m and 1775 kg seen (the females tend to be larger and heavier).
On average, most manatees swim about 3 to 5 miles per hour. However, they have been known to swim up to 20 miles per hour in short bursts.
Manatees inhabit the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (T. manatus, West Indian Manatee), the Amazon basin (T. inunguis, Amazonian Manatee), and West Africa (T. senegalensis,
Florida manatees (T. m. latirostris) have been known to live up to 60 years.
They have a large flexible prehensile upper lip that acts in many ways like a shortened trunk, somewhat similar to an elephant's. They use the lip to gather food and eat, as well as using it for social interactions and communications.
Manatees are also believed to have the ability to see in color. They may use taste and smell, in addition to sight, sound, and touch, to communicate.
Manatees are capable of understanding discrimination tasks, and show signs of complex associated learning and advanced long term memory.[3] They demonstrate complex discrimination and task-learning similar to dolphins
A manatee can move each side of its lip pads independently. This flexibility allows the manatee to "grab" aquatic plants and draw them into its mouth.
Manatees do not have eyelashes, their eye muscles close in a circular motion, much like an aperture on a camera.
Manatees have no "biting" teeth, only "grinding" teeth. A manatee's teeth (all molars) are constantly being replaced. New teeth come in at the back of the jaw and move forward about a centimeter a month. The front molars eventually fall out and are replaced by the teeth behind them. This tooth replacement is an adaptation to the manatee's diet, as it consumes plants that may hold a lot of sand.
Other remnant bones found in the manatee are the hyoid bones located near the neck region. These bones are similar to the Adam's apple in humans. Today, there is no known use of these bones in the manatee.
The bones in a manatee's flipper are similar to a human hand. The jointed "finger bones" of the flipper help the manatee move through the water, bring food to its mouth, and hold objects. Three or four nails are found at the end of each flipper.
All manatees are threatened or endangered. vulnerable to hunters seeking their hides, oil, and bones. accidentally hit by motorboats , and sometimes become entangled in fishing nets
Manatees are sometimes called sea cows At least two manatees died an agonizing death from red tide in Brevard County and another five also are suspected victims of the toxic... more -
Reindeer Facts
The reindeer, known as caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer (Rangifer tarandus).
Domesticated reindeer are mostly found in northern Scandinavia and Russia, and wild reindeer are mostly found in Norway, North America, Greenland and Iceland (where they were introduced by humans in the 18th century).
Reindeer have a four-chambered stomach. They mainly eat lichens in winter, especially reindeer moss. On occasion they will also feed on lemmings, arctic char, and bird eggs.
Reindeer have specialized noses featuring nasal turbinate bones that dramatically increase the surface area within the nostrils. Incoming cold air is warmed by the animal's body heat before entering the lungs,
Reindeer hooves adapt to the season: in the summer, the footpads become spongy and provide extra traction. In the winter, the pads shrink and tighten, exposing the rim of the hoof which cuts into the ice and crusted snow
The reindeer coat has two layers of fur, a dense woolly undercoat and longer-haired overcoat consisting of hollow, air-filled hairs.
Santa Claus' reindeer were first named in the 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, where they are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem. Dunder was later changed to Donder and ? in other works ? Donner, and Blixem was later changed to Blitzen.
Rudolph was not part of the original poem
The name of a male is referred to as a buck
The name of a female is referred to as a doe
The name or offspring, or a baby Reindeer, is a fawn

The collective name for a group of Reindeer is a herd

The sound made by a Reindeer is referred to as a bellow
Both male and female reindeer grow antlers
Antlers are shed during the winter The reindeer, known as caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer (Rangifer tarandus). ... more -
Penguin Facts
The Emperor penguin is the largest type of penguin
Penguins are found in the Antarctic, not Arctic.
The smallest penguin species is the Little Blue Penguin (also known as th Fairy Penguin), which stands around 40 cm tall (16 in) and weighs 1 kg (2.2 lb).
Back during the ice age, there were 'mammoth penguins' which stood up to 6' tall.
Penguins can jump as high as 6 feet in the air.
Female Adelie penguins prostitute themselves as a means of collecting valuable stones that they use to help protect their nests.
Chinstrap penguins may be the most numerous penguin, with a population estimated at 12 to 13 million.
When an emperor penguin lays an egg she immediately and carefully passes it to her mate who tucks it under a fold of skin between his belly and his feet. The female then goes off to find food, leaving the male with the eggs for 63 days. Emperor penguins live in the Antarctic so the poor male has to withstand freezing cold blizzards, standing in one spot.
Emperor Penguins can dive as deep as 1,750 feet in the frigid waters of the ocean.
Emperor Penguins live in colonies that can be very far away from the ocean waters, such as 50 miles away.
When Emperor Penguins travel for food they can travel up to 870 miles in one single trip.
Penguins seem to have no special fear of humans and have approached groups of explorers without hesitation. This is probably because there are no land predators in Antarctica or the nearby offshore islands that prey on or attack penguins. Instead, penguins are at risk at sea from predators such as the leopard seal.
Among extant penguins larger penguins inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins are generally found in temperate or even tropical climates (see also Bergmann's Rule) The Emperor penguin is the largest type of penguin Penguins are found in the Antarctic, not Arctic. ... more -
Turkey Facts
Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.
In Mexico, the turkey was considered a sacrificial bird.
Wild turkeys are the largest game birds located in this part of the world.
Male wild turkeys act much the same as peacocks when it comes to finding a mate; they puff up and spread their tail feathers to attract females.
Domestic turkeys (turkeys raised for eating) weigh twice the amount of a wild turkey; most are even too heavy to fly.
The turkey acquired its name by mistake; the English thought it was another bird that came from Africa through Turkey. The birds were not the same but the name stuck with the bird anyway.
The skin that hangs over the turkey?s beak is called a snood.
The skin that hangs from the turkey?s throat is called a caruncle.
Turkeys can run up to 20 miles an hour with short flight bursts up to 55 miles per hour.
Male turkeys gobble while female turkeys make a clicking sound.
Adult turkeys have about 5,000 feathers.
Most domestic turkeys love to have their feathers stroked.
A turkey?s gobble can be heard up to a mile away.
The turkey is a type of pheasant. Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop d... more -
Robin Facts
The European Robin is now considered to belong to the Old World flycatchers
It occurs all over Europe to Western Siberia, south to Algeria and on the Atlantic Ocean as far as the Azores and Madeira.
They Normally grows to 5 inches in height
Have a wingspan of 8 inches or so
Often seen in winter and is associated with Christmas time, but they are actually present all year round in the British Isles
They are feisty individuals who are very territorial. They will defend their territory to the death.
Robins attack others, standing on their foe and pecking their heads, often until they are dead.
The distinctive red patch on the chest of both sexes led to its original name of redbreast.
In the fifteenth century, when it became popular to give human names to familiar species, the bird came to be known as Robin redbreast, which was eventually shortened to robin
Nocturnal singing in urban robins occurs in places that are noisy during the day, suggesting that they sing at night because it is quieter, and their message can propagate through the environment more clearly.
Robins also approach large wild animals, such as wild boar and other animals which disturb the ground, to look for any food that might be brought to the surface.
Because of high mortality in the first year of life, a Robin has an average life expectancy of 1.1 years; however, once past its first year it can expect to live longer and one Robin has been recorded as reaching the age of 12 years. The European Robin is now considered to belong to the Old World flycatchers ... more -
Platypus Facts
Some facts about Platypus
The Platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania.
Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young.
The animal is best described as a hodgepodge of more familiar species: the duck (bill and webbed feet), beaver (tail), and otter (body and fur).
It is one of the few venomous mammals; the male Platypus has a spur on the hind foot which delivers a poison capable of causing severe pain to humans.
Until the early 20th century it was hunted for its fur, but it is now protected
Males are also poisonous. They have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet and can use them to deliver a strong toxic blow to any foe.

They live aside freshwater rivers or lakes, and create burrows for shelter and protection.
These creatures weight on average between 1 to 2.4 kilograms. They have an average lifespan of 12 years
The flat furry tail stores fat for the long cold winter in freezing waters. The platypus has developed to use its tail as a rudder, steering it while it swims.
These Australian mammals are bottom feeders. They scoop up insects and larvae, shellfish, and worms in their bill along with bits of gravel and mud from the bottom. All this material is stored in cheek pouches and, at the surface, mashed for consumption. Platypuses do not have teeth, so the bits of gravel help them to "chew" their meal.


When the Platypus was first discovered by Europeans in 1798, a pelt and sketch were sent back to the United Kingdom The British scientists were at first convinced that the odd collection of physical attributes must have been a hoax. It was thought that somebody had sewn a duck's beak onto the body of a beaver-like animal. Shaw even took a pair of scissors to the dried skin to check for stitches. Some facts about Platypus The Platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. ... more -
Kangaroo Farts!
According to scientists, Kangaroo farts are fighting global warming.
Thanks to a special bacteria in their stomachs, kangaroos do not emit harmful methane gas when they let off a stinker.
Here are the facts:
A kangaroo is a marsupial
Tehre are some 63 living species of Kangaroo. Including the Red Kangaroo, the Antilopine Kangaroo, and the Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroo wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons and the Quokka
Kangaroos are endemic to the continent of Australia, are found in Australia and New Guinea.
The kangaroo is an Australian icon: it is featured on the Australian coat of arms on some of its currency and is used by many Australian organisations,
Kangaroos live in groups called mobs.
Young kangaroos sometimes box playfully to pass the time. Adult males box to determine dominance, with the strongest male becoming the head of the mob.
They are not farmed to any extent, but wild kangaroos are shot for meat and fur,
While running at speeds of about 12 mph, these kangaroos are able to reach 35 mph in short bursts.
Kangaroos can be the size of a rat or as tall as a man.
Bucks (male kangaroos) "kickbox" in order to win mates. Two male rivals clasp arms and attempt to kick each other in the belly. They are able to stand on their tail while using both hind legs to kick
A female is called a doe, flyer, jill, or roo;
A male kangaroo is called a buck, boomer, jack, or old man

The western gray kangaroo Macropus fuliginosus buck has been nicknamed "the stinker" because it smells like curry! 

Kangaroos cannot walk backwards!
A mother kangaroo can produce milk of two different types to feed two different babies (joeys) at the same time: a joey that has emerged from the pouch but is still nursing and a newborn!
Females have one baby at a time, which at birth is smaller than a cherry. According to scientists, Kangaroo farts are fighting global warming. ... more -
Dolphin Facts
A bottlenose dolphin has been found with an extra set of fins, providing further evidence that ocean-dwelling mammals once had four legs and lived on land, scientists have claimed.
Here are some Dolphin Facts:
There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera.

In the wild, these sleek swimmers can reach speeds of over 18 miles (30 kilometers) an hour.
They surface often to breathe, doing so two or three times a minute.
The name is originally from Ancient Greek The animal's name can therefore be interpreted as meaning "a 'fish' with a womb"
A dolphin's dorsal fin is as distinctive as a person's face.
Dolphin's ancestors once lived on land and looked similar to wolves, although they were more closely related to cows.
Dolphins are said to spend about one-third of their day sleeping or resting, one-third eating and one-third playing or making love.
Bottlenose dolphins track their prey through the expert use of echolocation. They can make up to 1,000 clicking noises per second.
They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid.
Dolphins, like cows, have two stomachs one for storing food and one for digesting it.
A dolphin's brain, in relation to the size of its body, is larger than the brains of chimpanzees and great apes.
Dolphins swallow fish whole, despite the 100 teeth in their mouths. The teeth are used to grasp prey.
Dolphins can jump as high as 20 feet out of the water. A bottlenose dolphin has been found with an extra set of fins, providing further evidence that ocean-dwelling mammals once had four le... more -
Wombat Facts
Wombats Rock!
This mammal is a marsupial,
When wombats fight each other, they generally try to bite each other on the bum.
Female wombats are bigger than male wombats
Wombats generally renovate old burrows, some of these burrows may have been dug 50, 100 or even 1,000 years ago.
Wombats fall asleep on their sides, but end up rolling over onto their back, with their four feet sticking up in the air.
A wombat may spend two-thirds of its life underground
When a wombat is born it is the size of a pea, and weighs only 1 gram.
A wombat can run at 40 kph, but only for up to 90 seconds
Wombats teeth have no roots and grow through its lifetime.
A wombat baby remains in its mother's pouch for about five months before emerging.
Some species (the northern hairy-nosed wombats) are now critically endangered, while others (the common or coarse-haired wombat) are still hunted as vermin.
The name wombat comes from the Eora Aboriginal community
Wombats are herbivores, their diet consisting mostly of grasses, sedges, herbs, bark and roots.
One defense of a wombat against a predator (such as a Dingo) underground is to crush it against the roof of the tunnel suffocating the predator.
Its primary defense is its toughened rear hide with most of the posterior made of cartilage.
Wombats are native only to Australia.
Wombats can live from about 5 years to over 30 years.
A wombat burrow can be as long as 20 metres. Wombats Rock! This mammal is a marsupial, When wombats fight each other, they generally try to bite each other on the bum. ... more -
Get Munked!!
Chipmunk movie out 21st Dec! You can become a chipmunk at this site!!
Here are some facts:
Chipmunks are small members of the squirrel family.
Of the 25 species of chipmunks, all but one, Asias Tamias sibiricus, is found in North America. Ranging from Canada to Mexico
They are generally seen of environments from alpine forests to shrubby deserts.
Some dig burrows to live in, complete with tunnels and chambers, while others make their homes in nests, bushes, or logs.
They range in size from the least chipmunk, which, at 7.2 to 8.5 inches (18.5 to 21.6 centimeters) and 1.1 to 1.8 ounces (32 to 50 grams), Eastern chipmunk, which grows up to 11 inches (28 centimeters) and weighs as much as 4.4 ounces (125 grams).


They feed on insects, nuts, berries, seeds, fruit, and grain which they stuff into their generous cheek pouches and carry to their burrow or nest to store.
Chipmunks hibernate, but instead of storing fat, they periodically dip into their cache of nuts and seeds throughout the winter.


Originally the name was "chit-monk." That's what the Al-gon-quin Indians of Eastern North America called them, but the white folks miss-pronounced it.
Chipmunks are members of the order rodentia or rodents, which is the largest order with 1,500 living species.. They are related to squirrels and ground squirrels.
Males live about five years; females about nine. Chipmunk movie out 21st Dec! You can become a chipmunk at this site!! Here are some facts: ... more -
Skinny Pigs Are, Umm... Here.
A bizarre breed of hairless guinea pig that was created for laboratory testing more than 30 years ago has become the latest designer pet. A bizarre breed of hairless guinea pig that was created for laboratory testing more than 30 years ago has become the latest designer p... more
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Horse Facts
The horse is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the family Equidae.
There are about 75 million horses in the world.
Horses' hooves grow approximately 0.25 in a month
A horse typically sleeps two and half to three hours a day
Horses younger than 4 years can concentrate for a maximum of 10-15 minutes
Horses lie down only about 43.5 minutes a day
A horses heart weighs nine pounds
The left side of a horse is called the near side and the right side is the off side
A horse has approximately 205 bones
A horse is described as a foal for its first year of life
Horses dislike the smell of pigs
A female horse is called a filly

The "SMALLEST" pony in history was a stallion named "Little Pumpkin." He stood 14 inches and weighed only 20 lbs! 


The "TALLEST" ever horse recorded was a Shire called Samson. He stood 21.2 and a half hands ( 7 ft 2 inches)
The "OLDEST" recorded horse 
was "Old Billy" an English barge horse, who lived to be 62 years old.
China not only has the most people in the world, but also has the most Horses with 10,000,000
Horses are traditionally measured in hands, this was originally the width of a mans hand and has been set at 4 inches The horse is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the family Equidae. ... more -
Swans
The seven-year-old bird was rushed to an RSPCA animal centre after being found with a crossbow bolt through its neck at a park in Liverpool.
While treating him, vets also found pellets from different guns under his skin and evidence of other attacks
Swan Facts:
Swans are large water birds of the same family which also includes geese and ducks.
Swans usually mate for life, though "divorce" does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure.
Young swans are known as cygnets.
An adult male is a cob
An adult female is a pen (origin unknown).
The term 'swan song' comes from the ancient Greek belief that a swan sang a song of death when its life was about to end.
Swans have far more neck vertebrae than mammals, with 24 or 25 vertebrae; most mammals only have seven.
Swans in general have the largest eggs of any flighted bird.
Swans are known to have a triumph ceremony. Such ceremonies are when a male attacks a rival suitor, then returns to his potential mate to perform an elaborate ceremony while posturing and calling
1- Males are larger than females;
2- The knob at the base of the male's upper bill is larger than the female's knob. By the way, its this knob that distinguishes the mute swan from all others;
3- The neck of a male is thicker than the neck of a female.
A swan has some 25,000 feathers
A group of cygnets or eggs is called a "clutch"
A group of swans in the wild is called a herd while those in captivity are called a fleet
The Mute Swan is recognized as a symbol of grace in myth and legend and was the species Tchaikovsky chose to immortalize in the ballet Swan Lake. The seven-year-old bird was rushed to an RSPCA animal centre after being found with a crossbow bolt through its neck at a park in Live... more
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Animal Facts
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Animal Facts
