Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

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 territorie

Grenada is an island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is the southernmost island of the Lesser Antilles. Its nearest countries are Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Grenada consists of the main island of Grenada and some smaller islands. Carriacou and Petite Martinique are the other notable islands. It is the  second-smallest country in the Caribbean  after Saint Kitts and Nevis. The initial settlers of Grenada were Arawaks who arrived here from South America. Later, Caribs from South America captured these islands and drove away the peaceful Arawaks. The people present here at the time of the arrival of Europeans were Caribs. Christopher Columbus was the first European to land on this island in 1498, and he named it Concepcion. Later, it became Grenada when other Spanish sailors named it after the Spanish city Granada. English merchants were the first Europeans who tried to settle in Grenada. However, the Caribs forced th

Porcupines are large herbivorous rodents present in many parts of the world. Their most prominent feature is quills (spines) on most parts of their body. The meaning of its name is “quill pig” due to its spines and resemblance to a pig . Porcupines have two families according to their location: Old World and New World porcupines. Old World Porcupines are present in Asia , Africa, and southern Europe , while the locality of New World Porcupines is the Americas. Old World porcupines are further divided into 11 species in three genera, while there are 16 species in five genera of New World porcupines. These include hairy dwarf porcupines (9 species), prehensile-tailed porcupines (four species), stump-tailed porcupines (one species), bristle-spined porcupines (one species), and North American porcupines (one species). The three Old World porcupines are short-tailed porcupines (8 species), long-tailed porcupines (one species), and brush-tailed porcupines (two species). Both porcupine fami

Oman is a country on the southeastern Arabian Peninsula at the junction of the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen and maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. Paleontologists have discovered several Arabian Nubian Complex sites in Oman since 2011. The oldest, discovered in 2011 in southern Oman, shows that humans initially arrived here 106,000 years ago. Since the 1960s, scientists have identified the Nubian complex in North Africa, East Africa , and southern Arabia. ( Source ) There are three main physical features of Oman. A central desert plane ( Rub al-Khali  or Empty Quarter) bisects two rugged mountains in the north and south of the country. Mount Shams (2,980 meters) in the northern Hajar Mountains is the  highest point  in the country. The climate is primarily hot and dry, while the south receives summer monsoon rainfall. Apart from Oman proper, the country includes  two exclaves , Musadam peninsula and Madha. Musadam is a

Horseshoe crabs are marine arthropods currently present in Asia and North America. Their name is a misnomer because they are not related to crabs . The closest relatives of horseshoe crabs are scorpions , spiders , and mites. Horseshoe crabs are at least 450 million years old. They survived three extinction events during this period, particularly the Great Dying that exterminated nearly 96% of all marine species 250 million years ago. Reasons behind their survival include their tolerance of various habitats, feeding any available organic matter, unique blood that fights bacteria and heals wounds, and their ability to live in areas with low oxygen levels. Trilobites, their close relatives, had 20,000 species, but all vanished during the Great Dying. ( Source ) Scientists found the oldest fossil of horseshoe crab in 2008 from Canada . It is 445 million years old, nearly 100 million years older than any previous fossil. This discovery proves the status of horseshoe crabs as “living foss

Dominica is an island country in the Lesser Antilles , an arc of tiny islands on the Caribbean Sea. Its nearest islands are two French overseas departments (Guadeloupe and Martinique). Dominica is known as the  “Nature Island of the Caribbean”  due to its variety of  plants ,  animals , and other natural features. Nearly 60% of Dominica’s land is forested, making it the most heavily forested country in Lesser Antilles. Dominica contains some less-known endemic and endangered  birds  and other animals. Some  unique animals  on this island are two parrot species (sisserou and red-necked parrots), blue-headed  hummingbirds , Lesser Antillean iguanas, and a frog (mountain chicken). The mountain chicken, one of the largest frogs in the world, tastes like a  chicken  and was once considered the  national dish of Dominica . It is present only in Dominica and Montserrat (a British overseas territory to its north). Due to an infectious disease, the wild population is now limited to Dominica. Pr

Dugongs are large marine herbivorous mammals with thick and smooth skin. They are the only living members of their family (Dugongidae) and one of the four species of the mammalian order Sirenia, alongside three species of manatees. Paleontologists discovered a skull of a marine mammal from Panama in 2019. This skull, which belongs to a species of dugongs, is 20 million years old, making it the oldest known marine mammal in Central America. Scientists have so far recovered nearly 30 extinct species of dugongs. The last of these species, Steller’s Sea Cow, became extinct in the 18 th Century. ( Source ) Dugongs are also called sea cows because their primary food is sea grasses and other aquatic plants. However, these herbivorous mammals may sometimes eat algae and small invertebrates. Their preferred habitats are shallow bays and other coastal regions with plenty of seagrasses. Dugongs eat nitrogen-rich plants low in fiber. Their eating behavior regenerates sea grass and  prevents al