| TRIVIA |
| Birds: |
| - The bird's heart is a relatively large organ with a heartbeat that's much faster than that of a human. - Birds have unique digestive system in which the food goes to the gizzard after being swallowed whole. - Birds have remarkable vision. In some species, each eye on this side of the head can see 180 degrees, giving the bird a 360 degrees visual field. - Birds have taste buds, but much fewer than mammals. - Birds are capable of distinguishing colors, altough their hearing, with the exception of owls, is not as good as mammals. -To find out whether birds are capable of comprehending the meanig of words, an American universty conducted studies whose findings suggest that the African Grey Parrot is capable of logical reasoning. - Scientists are puzzling over how birds are able to speak clearly because birds do not possess a larnyx. |
| -Cats have AB blood groups just like people. -A form of AIDS exists in cats. -The gene in cats that causes the orange coat color is sexed linked, and is on the X sex chromosome. This gene may display orange or black. Thus, as female cat with two X chromosomes may have orange and black colors in its coat. A male, with only one X chromosome, can have only orange or black, not both. -A cat is pregnant for about 58-65 days. -Newborn kittens have closed ear canals that don't begin to open for nine days.When the eyes open, they are always blue at first. They change color over a period of months to the final eye color. -Most cats have no eyelashes. -Cats have true fur, in that they have both an undercoat and an outer coat. -A cats field of vision is about 185 degrees. -Each ear of cat has 32 muscles. -The cats cannot distinguish the taste of sugar -The word "cat" in various languages: French: chat; German: katze; Italian: gatto; Spanish/Portugese: gato; Yiddish: kats; Maltese: qattus; Swedish/Norwegian: katt; Dutch: kat; Icelandic: kottur; Greek: catta; Hindu: katas; Japanese:neko; Polish: kot; Ukranian: kotuk; Hawiian: popoki; Russian: koshka; Latin: cattus; Egyptian: mau; Turkish: kedi; Armenian: Gatz; Chinese: mio; Arabic: biss; Indonesian: qitta; Bulgarian: kotka; Malay: kucing; Thai/Vietnamese: meo; Romanian: pisica; Lithuanian: katinas; Czech: kocka; Slovak: macka; Armenian: gatz; Basque: catua; Estonian: kass; Finnish: kissa; Swahili: paka. -A cats field of vision is about 185 degrees. -Cats can hear voises up to 100.000 hertz. |
| Cats: |
| -How did the hamster get it's name? Hamster is derived from the german hamstern - meaning "to hoard." -A single pair of hamsters can give rise to a population of several thousand within a single year! This is because hamsters have the shortest gestation period (out of all mammals), and reach sexual maturity at a young age (At 5 or 6 weeks old). - Hamsters cheeks are like loose skin "pockets". They are used to transport food that cannot be stored right away. Their cheek pouches can hold up to 18 grams! They are also used to defend themselves from enemies. When trying to scare away their opponent, a hamster puffs up it's cheeks with air to make itself look larger. -Like other rodents, hamsters have a double-chambered stomach. The food is predigested in the first stomach chamber, then broken down further in the main stomach. -A hamster's vision isn't their best feature since they are nocturnal creatures. They are farsighted, but don't see things with great sharpness. A hamster can see 110 degrees around them. |
| Hamsters: |
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| Fish: |
| -Fish have a keen sense of smell, which they use to locate food and other fish. -The lateral lines, running on each side of the body from head to tail, are an acute sense of organ that detects vibrations, soundwaves and currents in the water.. -Most fish have seven fins two pairs and three single fins. These include the dorsal on top, the pecteral behind the gills, the ventral at the bottom and cauda (tail fin).. -A fish obtains oxygen and necessary minerals from the water through its gills. -Surface feeders usually have upturned mouths that allow them to grap food easily from the water surface, while bottom feeders have down-turned mouths. The middle feeders mouths are usually straight. |
| Dogs: |
| -The heaviest breed is St.Bernard. |