Facts About Animals

We all see animals around us. Cow, cats, dogs and goats are some examples of domestic animals. Lion, tiger, elephant and deer are some examples of wild animals. Animal cells are different from plant cells.  Animals belong to the kingdom Animalia. But, is a lizard an animal? Is crow an animal? Is fish an animal? Let’s see what animals are in biology and some interesting facts about them.

What is an Animal?

Animals are simply defined as multicellular, eukaryotic, aerobic organisms which feed on plants and other animals as their source of food. All these animals reproduce sexually and live freely in habitat. Altogether, there are two to three millions of animal species and are grouped into the Animal kingdom, which is the largest and most diverse group among the five kingdoms of biological classifications. Based on their similarities, characteristic features, and genetic analysis, animals are grouped into Kingdom Animalia.

In order to study the different types of animals along with their features, taxonomists grouped all animals into Kingdom Animalia, which is further divided into divisions and subdivisions. Based on their body structure and the presence of the backbone, animals are divided into vertebrates and invertebrates. More than millions of invertebrate species are discovered, whereas only fifty to sixty thousand of different vertebrates are identified.

Invertebrates include Flatworms (e.g.: Tapeworms), Annelids (e.g.: Earthworms), Echinoderms (e.g: starfish), Coelentrates (e.g.: jellyfish), Molluscs (e.g.: snails), Arachnids (e.g.: spiders),  Crustaceans (e.g.: Crabs), Insects (e.g.: Ants) and Myriapods (e.g.: centipede). Vertebrates include reptiles (e.g.: Lizard), Aves (e.g.: crow), Fish (e.g.: Tuna), Amphibians (e.g.: Frogs) and Mammals (e.g.: Cow).

There are different types of animal species available in Animal kingdom or kingdom Animalia, which are further classified based on the type of cell, body symmetry, types of reproduction, mode of nutrition, their locomotion and habitat but not classified by their size.

There are many unfamiliar animal facts. Here are some of the interesting facts about animals.

Interesting Facts about the Animals

Fact –NO – 1

There are various species of insects existing on this planet earth. On an estimation, the number ranges between 20 to 30 million.

Fact –NO – 2

An interesting fact about the cockroaches is that it is the only insect, which can live without their head for more than a week.

Fact –NO – 3

The blue whale is the heaviest and largest mammal in the Animalia kingdom. They are warm-blooded marine mammals which weigh between 130 to 150 tons and can be up to 30 to 35 meters long.

Fact –NO – 4

Believe it or not. Like humans, many other species have red coloured blood, there are few animal species which have varying blood colours.

Fact –NO -5

Kodiak bear is the largest, endangered, terrestrial omnivorous mammal in the world. They are the unique subspecies of brown bears which can grow up to 10 feet tall and weigh up to 1,500 lbs.

Fact –NO -6

According to animal behaviourists, cats don’t meow to communicate with each other. It is a technique they use for getting human attention and are the most popular pet in the world.

Fact –NO -7

Elephants are the largest, terrestrial herbivorous mammals in the world. They can grow up to 9 feet tall and their weight ranges between 4,000 -7,500kg. An average lifespan of an elephant is around 50 to 70 years.

Fact –NO -8

Lions, tigers, jaguars, cheetahs, and leopards, are among the five big cats of the animal kingdom and are members of the genus Panthera. They are the most ferocious, endangered, carnivores, terrestrial and largest wild cats in the world of animals.

Fact –NO -9

Tigers are solitary hunters and generally search for food alone at night. Lion and tigers at the top of the food chain. These carnivores plays key role in maintaining the population of other animals in an ecological community.

Fact –NO -10

All members of the cat family have excellent vision, good sense of hearing that facilitates detection of prey at night and are good swimmers and excellent fishermen.

Fact –NO -11

Cheetah are the fastest land animal in the world, which can run at up to 112 kilometres per hour. They have a long tail measuring 65cm to 80cm.

Fact –NO -12

Leopards are animals who like to live alone and are incredibly powerful and can run at up to 58 kilometres per hour. They are skilled climbers, who like to rest on the branches of trees during the day and are active at night in search of food.

Fact –NO -13

Pigeons are believed to be the first bird to deliver messages and parrots can learn and say around 200 words. Goose, pigeons, doves and parrots were the first domesticated birds by humans.

Fact –NO -14

There are over 9,500 species of birds in the world. The world’s only wingless bird is the kiwi. Ostriches and dodos are all birds that do not fly. Penguins are the only bird that can swim, and walks upright but cannot fly.

Fact –NO -15

There are over 20,000 to 25,000 species of fish identified on the earth. According to the evolutionist and other research, fish are an ancient species which were found long before dinosaurs more than 450 million years ago.

These were a few interesting facts about Animals. For more facts and other additional information about the Animals, check the links given below.