Dogs don’t feel guilt. Your pet pooch may get jealous, but researchers found those puppy dog eyes are not a sign of guilt. In fact they are just the way we interpret a dog’s reaction to being scolded.
Dog urine can corrode metal. Apparently allowing your dog to wee on a lamp-post could be more dangerous than you think - because the acids in the urine can corrode the metal.
Dogs can smell disease. Research at the Schillerhohe Hospital in Germany found dogs have an incredible ability to recognise the smell of a range of organic compounds that show the human body isn’t working as it should.
A wagging tail doesn’t always mean they are happy. Tail wagging has its own language. Apparently dogs wag their tail to the right when they’re happy and to the left when they are frightened. Wagging low means they are insecure and rapid movements accompanied by tense muscles or dilated pupils can signal agression.
Dogs have their own fingerprint. A dog’s paw print may look pretty generic but their nose print is actually as unique as a human fingerprint. Their combination of ridges and creases is so distinct it can actually be used to identify them.
Dogs can fall in love. It may sound far fetched but Paul Zak, a professor at Claremont Graduate University in California, found that a dog’s brain releases oxytocin - the love hormone - when it interacts with humans and dogs, just the same as a human brain does when we hug or kiss.
When dogs kick after going to the bathroom. Why do they do that? they are using the scent glands on their paws to further mark their territory.
No night vision goggles needed! Dogs’ eyes contain a special membrane, called the tapetum lucidum, which allows them to see in the dark.
The Lybia crab is a species of small crab in the family Xanthidae. It is also referred to as Hawaiian boxer crab, pom-pom crab, cheerleader crab, mosaic boxer crab among many other nicknames. The crabs are known for their signature move of always carrying a small living sea anemone around in each of its claws.
By waving sea anemone into different routines its dances its way to a free meal, gathering debris and food particles from the ground around the crab’s hiding place.
If provoked or attacked by a predator, the pom-pom crab (boxing crab) will threaten the aggressor and try to deter it by waving it’s anemones around, the tentacles of which are well armed with cnidocytes (stinging cells). Video
There are approximately 50 different species of Flying Squirrels found throughout the world. One interesting fact is that despite their name, they don’t actually fly at all. The reason why they were named Flying Tree Squirrels may simply be because they appear to be flying when in fact they are really gliding from tree to tree.
There is a furry membrane, called a patagium, between the front and back legs that the Flying Squirrel uses as a parachute when it glides. It is able to steer by using this membrane as a wing and adjusting it accordingly.The flat tail is used for balance on branches and stabilization when flying. If need be, it can also safely break-away from its body without any fatal consequences.
Base jumpers and skydivers have developed a special suit that mimics the flying squirrel. The suit works to slow their descent and allows them to maneuver through the air.
The Eurasian lynx can be considered quite a secretive creature. The sounds it makes are very low and often not heard, and their presence in an area can go unnoticed for years! They are of the widest ranging cats in the world and can be found in the forests of western Europe, Russia and central Asia.
This extremely efficient hunter uses fine-tuned stealth and pounce techniques to bring down animals four times its size, delivering a fatal bite to the neck or snout of an unsuspecting deer. During winter, its variably patterned coat is long and dense and large fur-covered paws help it move through deep snow.
