Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

The Arctic Ocean is the northernmost of the five oceans , while the North Pole lies in the middle of this ocean. Six countries (Russia, Norway, Iceland, Greenland (Denmark), Canada, and the USA) of three continents ( Asia , Europe, and North America) surround the Arctic Ocean. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean grows and shrinks during winter and summer. The ice reaches its maximum extent in March and shrinks to its minimum level in September annually. Warmer temperatures are responsible for the rapid shrinking of the Arctic ice. Satellite observations have measured Arctic ice each year since 1979. The summer Arctic ice is now shrinking at 12.2% per decade compared to its average shrinking from 1980 to 2010. Scientists measured the lowest summer Arctic extent (3.39 million square km) in September 2012. ( Source ) Storms in the Arctic Ocean usually occur in the winter. However, an extraordinary storm during the summer (August) of 2012 detached a large amount of ice from the ocean. The 2012 Ar...

The numbat is a small Australian carnivorous marsupial mammal. It is the only living member of its family, Myrmecobiidae . Its other names are “noombat” and “banded anteater .” The closest relatives of numbats are other carnivorous marsupials, such as Tasmanian devils , quolls, dunnarts, dibblers, etc. Numbats are insectivorous animals and depend almost entirely on termites for food. It is the only marsupial with this selected diet. An adult numbat can eat up to 20,000 termites daily to fulfill its dietary requirements. They may accidently eat ants present near termites. Numbats were once widespread in southern Australia . However, their locality started to decrease after the arrival of Europeans and are now limited to two small parts of southwest Western Australia. Major reasons behind their disappearance are the introduction of invasive mammals (red foxes and domestic cats ) and the clearing of their natural habitat by Europeans. Numbats are now naturally present only in the Uppe...

The Kalahari is an arid to semi-arid flat area in southern Africa. It covers most of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa . A vast area of the Kalahari Desert is composed of reddish sand due to a thin layer of iron oxide. The soil is alkaline, very dry, and low in organic material. There are various pans in the desert where the soils are extremely saline, making them toxic to most plant life. Okavango River flows from Angola and drains into the Kalahari Desert, where it forms the Okavango Swamp , an inland delta. It is one of a few inland delta systems without an outlet to the sea, making it the largest endorheic delta in Africa . This delta is responsible for the diversity of wildlife in the Kalahari Desert. Different areas in the Kalahari support  diverse  plant  life  according to their precipitation level. The southwestern part is the driest region and generally contains short grasses and drought-tolerant shrubs. There are shrubs, grasses, and scattere...

The Namib is a cold coastal desert along the Atlantic Ocean in southwestern Africa. Its major portion is in Namibia, while small parts are in Angola and South Africa . The Namib is the only true desert in southern Africa and one of the two major coastal deserts (along the Atacama Desert in South America ) in the world. It has no surface water and receives less than 8 inches of precipitation annually. The Namib is the oldest desert in the world. According to scientific estimates, it formed at least 55 million years ago. The temperature of the Namib Desert remains mild near the coast throughout the year, ranging between 10 and 16 C. In inland areas, the temperature usually remains higher than 30 C during summer. It can also exceed 38 C for some days under the influence of winds blowing from the east. The Namib Sand Sea, the sandy part of the Namib Desert, became a  UNESCO World Heritage site  in 2013. It is famous for having two dune systems and numerous wild  animals ....

Storks are wading birds with long legs, necks, and beaks. Their closest relatives are similar-looking wading birds, such as flamingos , ibises, and herons. Storks have around 20 species , present in all continents except Antarctica . However, most species are in Asia , Africa, and Europe. Their habitat includes rivers , lakes, marshes, wetlands, and tropical forests. Storks are usually large, but their size differs according to the species. Hammerkop is the smallest stork, two feet in height. Marabou stork is the tallest, reaching up to 5 feet. Storks are diurnal and carnivore birds. Most species eat small aquatic and land animals such as fish , frogs , rats, mice, insects, etc. Some species also feed on carrion. Storks are almost completely voiceless due to undeveloped syrinx (a vocal organ in birds ). The only sound they produce is clattering their bills loudly under excitement. The flight of storks inspired the invention of aviation in the late 19 th Century. Two German brother...