Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

  A hippo or hippopotamus is a big semi-aquatic mammal, present in sub-Saharan Africa. Hippos are among the largest land animals , behind only elephants and white rhinos. Adult male hippos are bigger than other rhino species.  There are two hippo species : common hippos and pygmy hippos. Common hippos live throughout sub-Saharan Africa, while pygmy hippos are limited to areas of West Africa. Pygmy hippos are smaller than common hippos and both have slightly different food choices. However, both species have many similar features.  Hippos spend their lives on land and in shallow waters. However, they are the closest living relatives of whales , the marine mammals. Hippos are the only extant animals that share the DNA sequence of whales. ( Source ) Hippos protect their skin during intense sunlight using an extraordinary skin secretion , known as blood-sweat. The name is due to the red and orange colors of this unique natural sunscreen. This oily substance provides four adva...

The lion ( Panthera leo ) is a large big cat, second only to tigers in size. They survive in various types of habitats including savannas, grasslands, open woodlands, etc.  Lions were once present in vast areas of Asia , Africa, and Europe . Currently, their range is limited to sub-Saharan Africa (African lions), and Gir National Park in India (Asiatic lions).  Lions can sleep up to 20 hours a day, one of the longest durations among big cats. Lions hunt during dusk and dawn, the time when their prey is less active. Therefore, long sleeping hours during the day enable them to conserve energy for hunting at the right time.  A lion can produce the loudest roar of any big cat , up to 114 dB. This roar can reach  as far as 8 kilometers (5 miles) away. Lions are the most social big cats . They live in groups, known as pride, containing 5 to 30 members. Comparatively, other big cats are primarily solitary. ( Source )  These social mammals form groups, known as pride...

A rock is a natural solid mass of one or more minerals. It is the primary unit of the Earth’s outer layers: crust and mantle. The core, on the other hand, consists of iron (85%) and nickel (15%). There are three major classes of rocks , categorized by their formation: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. They are further divided into various groups and types based on their chemical, mineralogical, and textural differences. Igneous rocks are formed either within the Earth (magma that solidifies underground) or with lava spewed from volcanoes and solidifying on the surface. Common examples are granite, basalt, and pumice. Sedimentary rocks are formed from layers of sand, silt, animal skeletons, and dead plants. Some common types are shale, chalk, sandstone, and banded iron. Metamorphic rocks are the result of changes in existing underground rocks. These changes occur due to the impact of temperature, pressure, or chemicals. Widely known rocks include marble (a metamorphosed lime...

The snow leopard is one of the five species of big cats . The other name of this mammal is ounce . The snow leopard remained on the IUCN “endangered” list from 1986 to 2017. However, the organization changed its status to “vulnerable” in 2017 after finding errors in the 2008 Population assessment. The current estimated population of snow leopards is up to 10,000 adults in the wild. China , with an estimated population of over 2,000 individuals, has the largest population of snow leopards. Several factors have declined the population of snow leopards. The biggest threats are hunting for illegal animal trade of their hides and bones, killing by herders to protect their livestock, and habitat destruction due to the expansion of herding and ranching. Snow leopards are present in the mountains of Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. They inhabit an elevation of around 18,000 feet in the summer and 6,000 feet in the winter. The name suggests snow leopards are closely related to le...

Latvia is a country in northeastern Europe . It is one of the three Baltic States, located in the middle of the other two (Estonia and Lithuania). Alongside the two Baltic States, Latvia shares land borders with Russia and Belarus and a maritime border with Sweden. Latvian is the sole official language of Latvia. It is one of the two surviving Baltic languages (a group of Indo-European languages) alongside the Lithuanian language. Russian is the most learned foreign language in Latvia due to its Soviet past. It is the mother tongue of nearly 38% of Latvians. However, the country banned teaching Russian in schools in 2023 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. From 2026, children can adopt one of the languages of the EU (European Union) or EEA (European Economic Area) as a foreign language in place of the Russian language. ( Source ) Humans started to inhabit Latvia in 9,000 B.C. Finns settled here around 3,000 B.C., and the pre-Baltic tribes arrived nearly a thousand years ...

Gazelles are hoofed mammals related to antelopes . They inhabit arid (desert, semi-desert, and waterless steppe) regions of Asia and Africa. Gazelles are now present only in Asia and Africa, but were  once also present in Europe . Gazella borbonica was the last gazelle species in Europe , which became extinct nearly 1.8 million years ago. The maximum speed of gazelles is 50 mph (80 km/h), but can escape from the world’s fastest animal cheetah, with a top speed of 68 mph (110 km/h). Cheetahs can maintain their full speed for only 400 yards, while gazelles have this ability for 5 km (5,468 yards). Additionally, gazelles cheat their predators by changing directions quickly. ( Source ) Gazelles are highly social animals . They live in large herds in areas with abundant food and relatively smaller ones in dry regions. They establish bachelor, female, and mixed herds according to their habitat and species. These groups are usually without any leader. Gazelles generally mark their territ...