Some Interesting Facts About Pets

Interesting animal facts

Pets are truly amazing. Not just for the reasons they make us feel as we adopt them and make us part of our families, but for so many reasons we aren’t really even aware of. These loveable animals we think we know, just how well do we really know them?

Take for example the cat. This household pet is one of the most common pets which everyone thinks they understand. Ask anyone what they consider a strange or exotic pet and I don’t’ think anyone would say the cat. Yet there is so much unknown about this very ‘common’ pet.

In fact there are also some things which people think they know which just isn’t true. For example; catgut. Catgut used to be used for strings on a tennis racket and in musical instruments. But these actually did not come from a cat at all. Catgut originated from pigs, horses, and sheep. I bet your cat will sleep better tonight knowing that piece of information!

The cat also for some reason has gotten the reputation for being independent and quite finicky. And with that reputation would you be surprised to find out that the average cat actually consumes around 128,000 calories a year. That is over 28 times its own body weight! Not only that, they drink the same amount in liquids as well. Doesn’t sound too finicky, does it?

By the way, here is another interesting fact about a cat’s diet. A cat can not survive on vegetables alone. So if your cat looks like they want to become a vegan or something because they want to make a point, don’t believe them. They really would prefer a nice fish. Maybe you can just close your eyes and let them think we don’t know.

The diet of our pets stack up some pretty staggering figures. The next time someone looks at you strange for buying that expensive pet food you just revel in the knowledge that you are not alone. You and your fellow pet lovers spend over 1.5 billion (That’s billion with a B) dollars on pet food. That is four times the amount of money spent on baby food in the US!

Speaking of pet food, if you are a parrot owner you should know that your beloved bird can actually eat almost anything you eat except for avocados and chocolate. (Why you would be eating chocolate covered avocados is beyond me!) If your parrot gets a hold of either of those it might be its last supper as both are very toxic to parrots and can prove to be fatal.

So the next time you look at your pet, just think about all you don’t know about that beloved creature. Your pet is a world of mystery and one I’m sure you will enjoy discovering!

This article was contributed by http://www.hotfact.com/ you can read more about animal facts here. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hak_Ty

interesting animal facts

Interesting And Funny Animal Pictures

Interesting Facts And Stories About The Wolf

interesting animal facts

It is estimated that North American and Eurasian wolves have only been known about for about 150,000 years.

A wolf is a predator, which hunts and eats other animals and belongs to the same genus as the dog, Some considering it to be actually the parent species of the dog, It is a fact, that wild dogs often look more like wolves, than they do their domestic brothers. Actually, Wolves will sometimes breed with dogs, or coyotes, when the wolf family is reduced, for one reason, or another.

The greatest number of wolves are found in northern Europe, North America and northern Asia and are part of the Canidae family - canis lupus.

The wolf found in Europe, also northern Asia is more of a grayish yellow colour, It has fairly long, coarse hair and a bushy tail. It moves very swiftly, often in packs when hunting bison and other animals. Rarely attacks man unless driven to it by extreme hunger.

In the north-western states of America the dusky wolf is the most noticeable species. The black, white and rufous wolves are more often seen in the south.

The black wolf is the more often seen, found in the Pyrenees, Spain areas. Was quite common in Russia. Canada is home to the grey wolf, and is occasionally seen in the forests of the New England area.

The coyote, sometimes spoken about as 'the prairie wolf', is not really a proper wolf at all, but a creature similar to the jackal.

To survive, the wolf has to be very nimble minded and thankfully, are not easily trapped. They have even been known to bite off the trigger, close to a set-gun and then eat the bait. They have even been known to actually drag up a set fishing line from out of ice holes and eat the fish.

Wolves survive anywhere that has sufficient food, plus human tolerance. Humans should learn to share this planet with all creatures. After all, wolves are simply animals fighting to survive here, as we are.

Wolves have very social instincts. They have a complex facial and body language. It helps them to intercommunicate with each other. Their howl, is used to communicate with other wolves.

Packs of wolves are great travelers, often covering more than 30 more miles in a day, while seeking food, during winter.

But at any time they are territorial creatures and need extensive areas in which to hunt for their food. What is not well known, is in truth, the fact that wolves are are not an efficient killing machine, when it comes to pulling down big and healthy prey, which have a capable defence. In fact, the kill rate, under those conditions can be as low as only one in five.

The wolf is a very mobile animal. Years ago when the wolf population had dropped a pack left Yellowstone Park each winter and travelled 300 miles, in a two way journey up to the Crazy Mountains, Yellowstone National Park has long been the epicenter, of debates over the wolf.

There have been documented cases of wolves killing cougars and vice versa in and around Yellowstone National Park. When camping at parks, such as Yellowstone, remember that Wolves are wild animals and should be treated as such. In other words, treat them with respect and do not feed them. Wolves are an endangered species Happily though they seem to be making a comeback in some several National Parks and the northern Rockies.

Sadly, outside the parks protection, there are some places in which wolves are cruelly trapped. This occurs in areas mostly where it is legal, using cruel snares, or inhumane and despicable leg traps. This causes unimaginable suffering to these noble animals and should be outlawed, as it has been, for many years, in more civilized areas of the world.

In Alaska, the so called, cowardly 'sportsmen', have once again taken up hunting and killing wolves from aircraft. Often, they only injure the poor creatures and just fly away, abandoning them to die a slow, lonely and painful death. This abomination, which they call 'sport', has the blessing of the governor of Alaska, a particularly odious and cruel person. The citizens of Alaska have what they deserve - a despot, but certainly not a man of honor - or even one worthy of the name, 'man', in charge.

Hopefully, mankind will learn to share his world with wolves and all other sea and land creatures, thus allowing our future generations to be able to experience wild creatures living in their natural habitats. Not only through television wildlife shows, or at zoos.

Ray Cunningham, enjoys all animals and birds.Has built a new web site at http://www.raygc.com/Wildlife/ Where these and other beautiful and exclusive, wildlife prints, may be obtained. He is also adding to his Squidoo sites, where he hopes to show you some videos of these and other animals. Go here: http://www.squidoo.com/Wolves

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interesting animal facts