Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

Groundhog is one of the 14 species of marmot, a giant ground squirrel . It is also called the woodchuck. Groundhogs are present only in North America, from Canada to the continental USA. Groundhogs are one of the few  true hibernating   animals . During the hibernation period in winter, their heart rate decreases from 75 beats to 4 bps. Their breathing rate and body temperature also reduce considerably. Groundhogs eat a large amount of food in the summer and autumn seasons. It assists them in developing fat reserves before hibernation in winter. The  Woodchuck hepatitis virus  (WHV) in groundhogs was the first such virus discovered after hepatitis B (HBV). Due to its similarity with HBV in humans, laboratory testing of groundhogs played a vital role in finding treatment for HBV in humans. ( Source ) Groundhogs usually inhabit meadows, open fields, and forest edges. Sometimes, they are present in forests . Groundhogs produce a  whistling sound  when scared or as a warning to other gro

Jackals belong to canines. These medium-sized mammals are closely related to wolves, dogs, foxes , and coyotes. There are three species of jackals. Golden jackals are native to Eurasia, while black-backed and side-striped jackals are present in parts of sub-Saharan Africa . The African golden wolf was previously considered a jackal. However, a study in 2015 established they are wolves and separate from the golden jackals of Eurasia. ( Source ) Jackals usually live alone or in pairs. However, they sometimes form small packs. These packs can hunt relatively large animals like sheep or antelopes. Jackals are opportunistic animals that eat small animals and carrion. They usually follow lions and other big cats to eat the carrion of their hunt. All three jackal species are  nocturnal . Apart from side-striped jackals, the other two species are also active at dusk and dawn.  Side-striped jackals are the only true nocturnal species These mammals have a gland on the base of their tails.

The horse is a one-toed, hoofed mammal. Its closest relatives are donkeys and zebras. Most of the horses are domesticated. However, there are feral and wild horses as well. The only truly wild horse breed that survived today is Przewalski’s horse. Approximately 2,000 of these horses now exist. The highest number is in Mongolia (where it is called takhi), while smaller populations are present in Kazakhstan, Russia , and China . ( Source ) Apart from wild horses, there is a large population of feral horses in various parts of the world. These horses were domesticated earlier but later left in the wild. Their highest population is in Australia . ( Source ) The initial horse-like mammal appeared on earth around 50 million years ago. The era of the ancestor of modern equines (horses, asses, and zebras ) was nearly 4 million years ago. The domestication of horses started around 6,000 years ago in the steppe area between modern-day Ukraine and Kazakhstan . In 2019, archaeologists uneart

Equatorial Guinea is a small country on the western coast of central Africa. It shares land borders with Cameroon on the north and Gabon on the east and south. Equatorial Guinea consists of the continental mainland area (Rio Muni) and five islands. Malabo on Bioko, one of the five islands, is the capital city. The literacy rate in Equatorial Guinea is 95%, the highest in Africa alongside Seychelles and  South Africa . It has Africa’s  highest literacy rate  (98%) for the population between 15 and 24 years. ( Source ) The goliath frog is the  largest living frog  species. It is present only in Equatorial Guinea and its neighboring country Cameroon. The first European to view Equatorial Guinea was a  Portuguese explorer . He saw the island of Bioko in 1472. Equatorial Guinea remained under the control of  Portugal , Spain, Britain, and  France  in later centuries. It  gained independence  from Spain in 1968. French and Spanish are the two  official language s in Equatorial Guinea. It i