Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

Termites have various similarities with ants and are commonly known as “white ants.” However, they have no relation to ants. The closest relatives of termites are cockroaches . ( Source ) There are more than 2,500 termite species  on earth . More than 1,000 of these species are present in Africa. They build mounds up to 5 m (17 ft.) high. A termite colony consists of a queen, a king, workers, and soldiers. 10% of all biomass in the tropics is composed of termites. ( Source ) Apart from the king and queen, there are (primary and supplementary) reproductives, workers, and soldiers in a termite colony . Workers and soldiers can be male or female and are sterile. Reproductive termites can replace king and queen in case of their death. All nymphs in a colony are genetically similar. Queen can assign any role to them according to the requirement of the colony. King, queen, and reproductives have weak eyes, while workers and soldiers are blind . All members in a colony communicate through

The giraffe is the tallest animal on land. Male giraffes usually reach between 4.6 and 5.5 m (15-18 ft.) in height. Their height at birth is usually 1.8 m (6 ft.). The giraffe that holds the record of the tallest land animal is a 12-year-old male in Australia Zoo, Queensland. The height of this tallest giraffe is 5.7 m (18 ft. 8 in.). ( Source ) There are four species and  nine subspecies of giraffes. These species do not interbreed in the wild. All the subspecies are limited to various parts of Africa . ( Source ) Okapi is the closest relative of the giraffe. Okapi shares several features with giraffes, like body shape, fur, ossicones, teeth, tongue, and stomach. However, it has a very short height and neck compared to a giraffe. They are known as forest giraffes or rainforest zebra (due to the black and white stripes on their legs). Giraffes attain their full height by four years of age. They continue to gain weight up to 8 years. The average weight of giraffes is between 1,750 to

Bull sharks belong to the family of requiem sharks .  They got their name due to their short, rounded snout and the tendency to  hit the prey  from behind like a bull. Bull sharks usually live near tropical seashores . They can also survive brackish and freshwaters and are visible in rivers and tributaries. The bull shark is one of few species of cartilaginous fish that can live in freshwater habitats . Only 5% of sharks and its relatives can live in freshwater. ( Source ) There is a common belief that bull sharks have the highest  testosterone levels  among animals , which makes them extremely aggressive. Few wild male bull sharks have high testosterone levels in their bodies, but it is not true for most wild male sharks, females, and captive bull sharks. ( Source ) Female bull sharks are larger than males. Females usually grow up to 3.3 m (11 ft.) while male bull sharks grow up to 2.1 m (7 ft.) in length. The adults weigh between 200 and 500 lbs (91 to 227 kg). Bull sharks are br

Dragonflies belong to the Odonata group of insects. The other member of this insect family is damselflies .  Fossils indicate that dragonflies are more than  300 million years  old. Dragonflies and damselflies look similar, but they have several  visible differences . Dragonflies have large eyes and bulkier bodies as compared to damselflies. The shape and resting position of wings is also different in both these insects . ( Source ) There are around 3,000 extant species of dragonflies. They are commonly found near freshwater habitats in all continents except Antarctica . A species of dragonflies holds the record for the  world’s longest insect migration . This 4 cm long dragonfly covers a distance of 14,000 to 18,000 km during its annual migration while flying at an altitude of 1,000 m.  Monarch butterflies  cover 8,000 km during their annual journeys, the second-longest insect migration. ( Source ) Dragonflies can fly in forward, backward, vertical, and zigzag directions. Their fly

The Tiger shark is a species of requiem shark . The other members of this family are blacktip sharks, blacktip reef sharks , spinner sharks, etc. Tiger sharks  protect seagrasses . Dugongs and other marine animals eat seagrass. But in the presence of tiger sharks, they keep a distance from their favorite food due to fear of these sharks. ( Source ) In 1935, a newly captured tiger shark vomited a human arm in an aquarium in Sydney. This arm assisted in solving an Australian murder mystery . ( Source ) The tiger shark is the 4 th largest shark species and the largest non-filter-feeding fish in the world. It can reach a length of up to 24.6 ft. (7.5 m). Female tiger sharks are larger than males. The maximum length is nearly 18 feet in females and 12 feet in male sharks. These sharks are present in tropical and temperate waters around the globe. They can swim up to the depth of 350 m (1,150 ft.) undersea. Tiger sharks are named so due to their  visible stripes . These stripes are

There are 2 species (the western gorilla and the eastern gorilla) and 4 subspecies of gorillas. The subspecies are Mountain gorillas, Eastern Lowland gorillas, Western Lowland gorillas, and Cross River gorillas. The eastern lowland gorilla is the largest subspecies. Mountain gorillas have longer and thicker fur as compared to other subspecies. All these subspecies are either endangered or critically endangered. ( Source ) Gorillas are native to Africa and present in the forests of central parts of Africa.  The Congo River separates the two species. The western lowland gorilla is the most widely distributed species. Gorillas are the largest living primates . The largest gorillas are eastern gorillas. Males of these gorillas can reach a height of 6.2 ft and attain a weight of around 450 lbs. Gorillas share 98.3% of genetic codes with humans. They are the closest relatives of humans after chimpanzees and bonobos. Several  individual human genes are closer to gorillas than to chimpanze

Llama belongs to the camel family, Camelidae. It is a native animal in Central and South America  and is also present in a few areas of North America. Llama initially appeared in South America around 12,000 years ago.  Modern llamas arrived in North America at the end of the 19 th Century. There are around 200,000 llamas in the USA today. Alpacas, vicuna and guanaco are closest relatives of llama. Vicuna and guanaco are wild animals . Llama and alpacas differ in size, face, and hair. Llamas are bigger, having elongated faces with banana-sized ears compared to the small faces and short ears of alpacas. The hairs in llamas and alpacas are coarse and bushy, respectively. ( Source ) There are two coats of llama fiber. Guard hair is excellent for rope-making, while down is for the preparation of finer garments. Llama wool is lightweight, warm, water-repellent, lanolin-free, and available in several natural colors. ( Source ) Llamas can cover up to 20 miles a day while carrying loads

Mussels are invertebrate animals that belong to mollusks. They live in freshwater as well as in marine water. These animals are common in cold seas around the world. There are around 1,000 known species of freshwater mussels in the world, present in  rivers , lakes, streams, etc. Nearly 750 of these species belong to the Unionidae family. Edible farm mussels are inexpensive and nutritious . They contain beneficial fats necessary for brain health. They are also a good source of protein, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B12, zinc, iron, and other micronutrients. ( Source ) Mussels can be  used as fertilizer in organic farming thanks to the presence of nutrients like phytoplankton. They also assist in liming and reduction in eutrophication. ( Source ) Mussel meal can  replace a fish meal  for egg-laying hens. The mussel meal improves the egg-laying frequency and egg yolk pigmentation compared to a fish meal. All the other parameters remained almost identical. ( Source ) Animals living in the interti

The bald eagle is the only sea eagle endemic to North America . These birds  are present in the contiguous USA , northern Mexico , and most of Canada and Alaska. Bald eagles have  8 times better eyesight and 5 times more nerves in the retina of their eyes than that of humans. These eagles can also see UV light and spot a fish swimming beneath the water. ( Source ) Bald eagles became the  national symbol of the USA in 1782. There were more than 100,000 nesting birds in the USA at that time. But their numbers reduced to just 417 nesting pairs by the mid-1960s thanks to hunting and pesticide DDT. More than 120,000 eagles lost their lives only in Alaska between 1917 and 1953. Ban on hunting and DDT by 1972 improved this situation and resulted in the removal of bald eagles from the list of endangered species in 2007. ( Source ) There are two subspecies of bald eagles. The northern bald eagle is the larger subspecies, present in Canada , Alaska, and the northern USA. The southern subspeci