Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

Sugar gliders are small, nocturnal marsupials of the possum family. They are named so because of their gliding ability and fondness for sweet foods. Sugar gliders are one of the three living gliding mammals besides flying squirrels and colugos (flying lemurs). These marsupials can catch flying insects while gliding. A soft membrane between the front and back legs acts like a parachute in sugar gliders. It assists the animal in gliding up to half the length of a soccer pitch (around 165 feet) in a single leap. The sugar glider controls the direction of this long glide through its bushy tail, which performs the function of a rudder. Sugar gliders are present in New Guinea ( Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) and Australia, where they are the most common and widely spread Australian gliders . Their habitat includes woodlands, open forests , and wet forests. Sugar gliders are native to mainland Australia but were introduced to Tasmania from Victoria during the early 1800s. However, these...

Mauritius is an island country in the Indian Ocean, nearly 500 miles east of Madagascar. It also shares maritime borders with France (Reunion) and Seychelles. Mauritius consists of the island of Mauritius and three outlying territories: Rodrigues Island, Agalega Islands (two islands located 600 miles north of Mauritius), and Saint Brandon (also called Cargados Carajos Shoals). Two islands of Mauritius (Mauritius and Rodrigues) and Reunion (a French overseas department) are collectively known as the Mascarene Islands. The land area of Mauritius is 2040 sq. km, and more than 90% of this area consists of the island of Mauritius. The disputed EEZ (exclusive economic zone) of the country is 2.3 million sq. km due to its claim on the Chagos Archipelago ( UK ) and Tromelin Island (France). Arabs were the first to discover the uninhabited islands of Mauritius during or before the 10 th Century. Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit the country during the 16 th Century, but they did...

Kuwait is a small country in the Arabian Peninsula . The Persian Gulf is on its east, which forms a maritime border with Iran. This Middle Eastern country shares land borders with Iraq (north and northwest) and Saudi Arabia (south and southwest). Kuwait is an emirate ruled by the Al Sabah family . This dynasty initially established a Sheikhdom in Kuwait in 1756. Kuwaiti ruler Abdullah II (1866-92) formed close relations with the Ottoman Empire. After his assassination, the new ruler (Mubarak the Great) turned Kuwait into a British protectorate in 1899 due to the danger of an Ottoman invasion. This British protection continued until the country’s independence in 1961. Britain managed to establish the Kuwaiti-Saudi border in 1922 . However, efforts to resolve disputes with Iraq remained unsuccessful. Iraq claimed Kuwait to be its territory in 1938, the year of the discovery of oil in the emirate. Iraq later recognized the independence and borders of Kuwait in 1963. Kuwait  introduce...

Echidna is one of the only two members of monotremes (egg-laying mammals) . The other animal in this mammalian order is the platypus. There are two genera and four species of echidnas. Long-beaked echidnas have three species, while there is a single species in short-beaked echidnas. Long-beaked echidnas are limited to New Guinea. Short-beaked echidnas are widely spread, having a presence on the islands of New Guinea, Australia , and Tasmania. There are several visible differences between long-beaked and short-beaked echidnas, together with the size of their beak. Long-beaked echidnas are bigger but have shorter spines and tongues than short-beaked echidnas. Ants and termites are the primary food of echidnas, due to which they are also called “spiny anteaters .” They also eat other small invertebrates in the soil, such as beetles , earthworms, and moths. Echidnas use their strong sense of smell and the electroreception feature on the beak to locate their prey. These monotremes use th...

Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia . Two major rivers , Syr Darya and Amu Darya, establish borders on its northeast and southwest. Uzbekistan is the third largest and the most populous country in Central Asia. Its population density is the highest in the region. Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein, a small European country, are the only two  doubly landlocked  countries. All five neighboring countries of Uzbekistan ( Afghanistan , Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan) are also landlocked (surrounded by land). Uzbekistan is the only Central Asian country that borders all the other four countries of the region. Three Uzbek cities (Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva) are among the most famous  cities on the Silk Road . Bukhara and Samarkand are also UNESCO World Heritage sites. Uzbekistan is the world’s 5 th  largest  producer of uranium  and the 2 nd  largest in  Asia  after Kazakhstan. ( Source ) The Muruntau Gold Mine in ...

Mount Everest is a mountain in the Great Himalayas. This tall mountain in southern Asia is on the border between Nepal and Tibet , an autonomous region of China. Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level , having an altitude of 8,848 m (29,029 ft.). However, the tallest mountain on Earth is Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Its summit is 10,210 m (33,500 ft.) high, but its large portion is beneath the Pacific Ocean. The highest point above Earth’s center is the peak of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador . It is due to this mountain’s location where the Earth’s bulge is the greatest. ( Source ) Mount Everest was recognized as the highest point on the surface of Earth in 1852. Its initial name was Peak XV, but was later renamed in 1865 to honor Sir George Everest, who remained the surveyor general of India from 1930-43. There are other names for this mountain in local languages: Nepalese and Tibetan. There are a total of 17 routes to climb Mount Everest. However, the main routes are Southea...

Mandrills are large and colorful Old World monkeys. Their range is limited to the rainforests of Equatorial Africa in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea , Cameroon, and the Republic of Congo. Mandrills are the largest among monkeys . Male mandrills can attain a weight and body length of up to 54 kg (119 lb.) and 20 in. (50.8 cm). They are also one of the most colorful mammals due to their red face, blue rump, and yellow beard. ( Source ) The closest relatives of mandrills are drills. These two species are the only members of the genus Mandrillus . Mandrills are among the few mammals with blue skin, particularly on their rump. The arrangement of protein fibers makes their blue skin more vibrant on the rump, compared to the pale blue color on their face. ( Source ) A study proves the intelligent  use of tools  in mandrills. Scientists have found that these monkeys can make a bark narrow and use it to remove dirt underneath their toenails. ( Source ) Mandrills are among the few monkey ...