These ‘fun facts’ help you learn even more about the animals in this book. Which animals are similar, which are different in their height, weight, what they eat and where they live? Do you know some of these unique facts? Can you find them on a world map? What do you know about these animals that you can add to this list? Where have you seen some of these animals?
Giraffe
Unique Facts:
- Have a 21 inch tongue
- Can run as fast as 35 mph
- Each Giraffe has a spot pattern that is unique
- Giraffes need very little sleep, usually between 10 minutes
and two hours sleep each day - Of all the mammals, they have one of the shortest sleep requirements
Height: 16-20 feet tall
Weight: 1,500-3,000 lbs
Life Span: up to 25 years in the wild
What they eat: Herbivore
Native country: Africa
Group: a herd
Baby: a calf
Koala
Unique Facts:
- Fingerprints are very similar to humans
- At birth a joey measures about one inch
- Koalas will even store leaves in pouches in their cheeks, for a snack later.
- Even though the koala spends most of their time in trees they are excellent swimmers
- When a baby joey is born, it is about an inch long
Height: up to 3 feet
Weight: 9-30 lbs
Life Span: up to 20 years in the wild
What they eat: Herbivore
Native country: Australia
Group: live alone
Baby: a joey
Giant Panda
Unique Facts:
- Pandas do not hibernate
- A panda’s diet is 99% bamboo
- Eat 20-40 pounds of bamboo each day
- Pandas are born white, and develop their widely adored coloring later
- The Panda is one of the shyest and rarest animals in the world
Height: 2-3 feet
Weight: 170-250 lbs
Life Span: up to 20 years in the wild
What they eat: Omnivore
Native Country: China
Group: live alone
Baby: a cub
Hippo
Unique Facts:
- Skin secretes red fluid that acts as skin moisturizer and sunscreen
- Can walk along the bottom of rivers and lakes
- Eat about 90 lbs of grass a night
- The hippopotamus has a clear membrane that protects their eyes while allowing them to see underwater
- Staying underwater keeps them cool and helps the hippopotamus not feel the weight of its very heavy body
Height: almost 5 feet tall and 15 feet long
Weight: 3,000-9,500 lbs
Life Span: up to 40 years in the wild
What they eat: Herbivore
Native Country: Africa
Group: a herd
Baby: a calf
Spider Monkey
Unique Facts:
- They can pick things up and hold them with their tail
- They live in groups of about 35
- They are the primary spreader of seeds from plants, flowers and fruits.
- Without them it would be extremely hard for new vegetation to grow in the rainforest
- Spider monkeys do not have thumbs like most monkeys
- They have long arms and tails that can grip, this allows them to move easily from branch to branch in the trees
Height: 14-24 inches
Weight: up to 20 lbs
Life Span: up to 25 years in the wild
What they eat: Omnivore
Native Country: Central and South America
Group: a troop
Baby: an infant
Emperor Penguin
Unique Facts
- Average speed in water is 4-7 mph
- Can stay under water for 18-20 minutes
- After laying the egg the mother goes to the sea to feed for 2 months
- Penguins waddle on their feet
- They huddle together in a pack to escape the severe cold and harsh winds
- They take turns moving towards the inside of the pack, where it is warmer
Height: up to 4 feet tall
Weight: 50-100 lbs
Life Span: up to 20 years in the wild
What they eat: Carnivore
Native Country: Antarctica
Group: a colony
Baby: a chick
Rhinoceros
Unique Facts:
- Both white and black rhinos are actually gray
- Poached for their horns
- Horns are 3 feet on the white rhino
- White rhinos can run up to 30 mph
- The rhino stays within 5km of water, since it has to drink once a day
- They have very good hearing as well as a keen sense of smell
Height: up to 6 feet tall and 14 feet long
Weight: 750-8,000 lbs
Life Span: up to 40 years in the wild
What they eat: Herbivore
Native Country: Africa, Asia and Indonesia
Group: a crash
Baby: a calf
Sloth
Unique Facts:
- Using their claws they will hang from tree branches to eat and sleep
- Only leave their tree home to go to the bathroom or to swim
- Takes up to one month to digest a meal
- Sloths move so little that algae actually grow on their furry coat
- Although they are quite slow in trees and a bit clumsy on land, three-toed sloths are agile swimmers
Height: up to 2 feet tall
Weight: 12-18 lbs
Life Span: up to 20 years in the wild
What they eat: Herbivore
Native Country: Central and South America
Group: live alone
Baby: an infant
Tiger
Unique Facts:
- Largest member of cat family
- 3 cubs is the average litter size
- Tigers can run 30-40 mph
- The roar of a Bengal tiger can be heard over a mile away at night
- A litter consists of two to six cubs
- The mother tiger will raises the cubs by herself
- She will leave the babies alone while she hunts
Height: 2.5-4 feet tall and 10 feet long
Weight: 145-675 lbs
Life span: up to 15 years in the wild
What they eat: Carnivore
Native Country: Asia and Indonesia
Group: a streak or ambush
Baby: a cub
Elephant
Unique Facts:
- Largest land living animal in the world
- An elephant’s trunk can pick up almost 750 pounds or as little as a piece of straw. They also lift food and suck water to pour in mouth
- African elephants have large ears, Asian elephants have small ears
- Elephants have remarkable memories
- The female matriarch is the leader and the herd follows her everywhere
- Elephants communicate with each other through touch, sound and scent
Height: 7-13 feet tall
Weight: 6,000-15,000 lbs
Life Span: up to 70 years in the wild
What they eat: Herbivore
Native Country: Africa, Asia and Indonesia
Group: a herd
Baby: a calf
Gorilla
Unique Facts:
- A adult male gorilla is called a silverback
- Females have 3 to 4 offspring in their lifetime
- Largest living primate
- Gorillas have been seen showing emotions such as grief
- The troop is led by the alpha male, an older silverback
- The silverback leader maintains order and decides all activities for the troop
- They decide when everyone goes to feed, rest, and travel
Height: 5-6 feet
Weight: 200-400 lbs
Life Span: up to 35 years in the wild
What they eat: Herbivore
Native Country: Central Africa
Group: a band or a troop
Baby: an infant
Meerkat
Unique Facts:
- Meerkats live in a tunnel system called a burrow
- Can run as fast as 20 mph
- At the end of each of a meerkat’s “fingers” is a claw used for digging burrows and digging for prey
- Meerkats are very social mammals, and often groom or play with each other
- They are fantastic diggers and can dig up their own body weight in dirt in only a couple of seconds
- Meerkats like to sun-bathe! When they come out of the burrow they just stand there and warm themselves with the sun
Height: 9 to 12 inches when standing
Weight: about 2 lbs
Life Span: up to 10 years in the wild
What they eat: Omnivore
Native Country: Africa
Group: a mob or gang
Baby: a pup