DOG FACTS

Dogs are pack animals by nature and enjoy companionship.

A dog can hear sounds from 250 yards away.

Dogs are direct descendants of wolves.

The Basenji is the only barkless dog in the world.

There are 701 dog breeds.

HORSE FACTS

a stallion is a male horse
a mare is a female horse
a foal is a baby horse
a filly is a young female horse
a colt is a young male horse
a yearling is a foal after its first birthday
a sire is the word used for the father of a horse
a dam is the word used for the mother of a horse
a pony is not a baby horse. It is a fully grown small horse
a horse’s height is measured in hands. One hand = 4″

DOLPHIN FACTS

Unlike any other mammal, dolphin babies are born tail first.

A dolphin’s dorsal fin is as distinctive as a person’s face.

Some dolphin species can swim up to 25 miles an hour for long periods, more than three times faster than the best human swimmers.

Some dolphins can hold their breath for as long as 30 minutes, while others have to breathe every 20 seconds.

The largest member of the dolphin family is the Orca, which can grow to 30 feet long.

SEA TURTLE FACTS

There are 7 species of sea turtles:
Green
Loggerhead
Kemp’s Ridley
Olive Ridley
Hawksvill
Flatback
Leatherback

A sea turtle cannot retract its limbs, head or neck under its shell like a land turtle. The shell adaptations necessary for retractile limbs would impede rapid swimming.

Sea turtles can live up to 80 years.

During the first year after hatching, many species of sea turtles are rarely seen. This first year is known as the “lost year”.

Green sea turtles can stay under water for as long as five hours.

WHALE FACTS

There are 2 types of whales: baleen and toothed. “Toothed” whales include dolphins and porpoises.

There are 11 species of baleen whales:
Blue Whale
Gray Whale
Bowhead Whale
Fin Whale
Humpback Whale
Minke Whale
Narwhal Whale
Pilot Whale
Right Whale
Sperm Whale
Beluga Whale

Some whales have a lifespan similar to humans. The blue and the fin whales can reach up to 85 years old.

Blue whales are the largest creatures on earth and can be as long a 2 buses. They can produce sounds louder than a jet engine and communicate with other whales up to 1000 miles away.

GIRAFFE FACTS

For a long time people called the giraffe a “camel-leopard,” because they believed that it was a combination of a camel and a leopard.

Giraffes only sleep for a few minutes at a time, usually no more than 20 minutes.

A giraffe is able to clean its ears with its own tongue.

Giraffes can go without water longer than camels can.

Newborn giraffe calves begin their lives by falling 6 feet to the ground

TIGER FACTS

Most tigers have more than 100 stripes, and no two tigers have identical stripes.

A tiger’s roar can be heard up to a mile away.

Tigers walk on their toes.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

Tigers are largely solitary cats and are most active between dusk and dawn.

PENGUIN FACTS

There are no penguins at the North Pole.

All 17 varieties of the bird are found in nature only below the equator, primarily in the Antarctic.

Penguins in the Antarctic move quickly on the ice by tobogganing on their bellies.

I bet you didn’t know…..

Turtles can recognize faces. They are one of the few reptiles that can be trained to do “tricks”.

The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight.

Ferrets sleep for about 20 hours a day.

All elephants walk on tip-toe, because the back portion of their foot is made up of all fat and no bone.

Dogs and humans are the only animals with prostates.

Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

Armadillos can walk underwater.

Starfish don’t have brains.

When a giraffe’s baby is born it falls from a height of six feet, normally without being hurt.

The cheetah is the only cat in the world that can’t retract it’s claws.

The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.

The placement of a donkey’s eyes in its’ heads enables it to see all four feet at all times.

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs, because a cows’ knees can’t bend properly to walk back down.

Americans spend more annually on cat food than on baby food.

Ants stretch when they wake up. They also appear to yawn in a very human manner before taking up the tasks of the day.

A zebra is white with black stripes.

A shark can detect one part of blood in 100 million parts of water.

A kangaroo can’t jump unless its tail is touching the ground.

A hummingbird weighs less than a penny.

A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue.

A cat uses his whiskers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through.

Giraffes have no vocal cords.

On a large sea otter, there are approximately 650,000 hairs per square inch.

Certain frogs can be frozen solid then thawed, and continue living.

To escape the grip of a crocodile’s jaws, push your thumbs into its eyeballs– it will let you go instantly… (ya think?)

Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always all the same sex.

Well……Let me start off by saying that out of the three horses I own, two of them are the nosiest beasts in the world!! I have a 23 year old Off the track Thoroughbred named ‘Hogan’ that is the best TB there is! Anyone who meets him would verify that I also have the two “dummies” as we like to call them in this family. Now, they are certainly NOT dumb horses…but because they are SO smart and SO inquisitive, they get themselves into trouble on a daily basis….again, anyone who has met them would agree….hence the name the ‘dummies’.  The ‘dummies’ consist of a just turned 5 year old Quarter horse named ‘Seven’ and a just turned 2 year old Quarter horse named ‘Dually’. Now I have to let everyone know that these two are related..same daddy…so this could be the reason they seem to share a brain on certain days

Seven and Dually are both ‘thinkers’. You can SEE the gears moving in their small brains when you look at them…..you know they are thinking and calculating the next move they are going to make. They are both over curious by nature and have to check everything out…even if they have seen if over and over everyday. They are super quick to catch on to new things and I even taught Seven some tricks….she learned them in only about 10 minutes, and remembers her cues and performs on almost a daily basis!

This brings me to my story about the ‘Dummies’ and the Snapping turtle.

It has rained for the past decade here in CT, or so it seems lately! I try to get my horses outside everyday for the whole day unless it is nasty out or if it is thundering and lightening out…if it is nasty, they stay in their nice comfy stalls with all the hay, fresh bedding to roll in,  and water they want…not a bad deal if you ask me! Well, the other day was NASTY outside..and they ended up staying inside for part of the day. I got home from work and wanted to clean their stalls so I turned them out with a break in the pouring rain. They were happily out munching on grass when I ran home for about an hour. I was on my way back to feed them dinner when I saw them all up in the top paddock circled around something that definately had their undivided attention! As I got up to the paddock, I noticed a big ol’ snapping turtle right in the middle of the ‘two dummies’. Hogan, being the good boy he is, was standing off a ways as the innocent bystander. I am SURE he told them they were going to get into trouble, but being the nosies that they are, the two dummies found a ‘new toy’ in the turtle.

I thought it was kind of funny at first….they were snorting, and at full attention, and kept sneaking up behind the turtle to sniff at it. I grabbed my camera phone to get some shots because, while those who know them would believe it, I had to show my co-workers. The turtle seemed pretty aggitated  and I wasn’t sure how long they had ‘played’ with it, so I herded them up and put them in their stalls so I could return the turtle back to it’s pond next door. As I was getting the horses in, I noticed blood on Miss Seven’s nose….OH GREAT…..! Now, because I have two ‘dummies’, I see blood several times a month, so it was old hat to me. I put them in and figured I would assess the damage and clean Seven up after I released the turtle.

After I herded this 10-15 lb turtle into a rubbermaid tote with a broom….yes, you should have seen me….I carried it back and released it to it’s pond. The whole time I was trying to get it in the tote and carrying it back, it was hissing, biting at me and just all around mad! I can only imagine what ‘the dummies’ had done to really make it mad! But soon I would know….

I went back and got my boo-boo cleaning supplies and went to see what had been done and if a vet needed to come out. Turns out, Miss Seven had about 4-5 bites/scrapes all on and in her nose…AND Mr. Dually had one on his nose as well! Nosy beasts! So not only did the turtle warn them once with a bite…but they went back for more and got bit more than once!! I know exactly what you are thinking….”what dummies”….SEE why they have their name?!

So after a really good cleaning to get all the germs out, now my only worries are 1) snapping turtle returning, and 2)salmonilla !! Great. So I did call the vet just to give him a heads up and to see if I should worry. I should be ok, just have to keep them clean and watch for any fevers or ‘bathroom issues’.  Now the chore is to clean the cuts! They let me do it that first day, but by the next morning their poor nosies were probably very sore from being snapped between the fangs of the turtle and they didn’t want me to touch them AT ALL……so my adventure continues in the quest to keep them clean and healthy……oye ve!

Will I ever get a rest with these two????

Thought you would like to see some of the pictures I nabbed that day….not the greatest due to them being taken with my camera phone…but enjoy! I am sure there will be more adventures for the ‘dummies’ to come…..I will share as they do

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u12/kal775/turtlefightJune2009/tf5.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u12/kal775/turtlefightJune2009/tf3.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u12/kal775/turtlefightJune2009/tf6.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u12/kal775/turtlefightJune2009/tf7.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u12/kal775/turtlefightJune2009/tf8.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u12/kal775/turtlefightJune2009/tf19.jpg

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u12/kal775/turtlefightJune2009/tf14.jpg

Dolphin Back Pack

Product Reviewed: Dolphin Back Pack - Item # RM156

Retail $34.95

Content: Vinyl bag, Metal Telescopic handle with Hard Plastic Handle and Wheels.

Meausures: 21″ x 16″ x 8″. Length with Handle extended is 38 1/2″.

This dolphin design bag is very durable.  It takes a beating with my kids. The bag works out great when we are gone for the day. We spend most of our weekends traveling to different sports fields for the kids games. I try to pack towels for wet bleachers changes of uniforms sweatshirts food etc. Of course this bag gets pulled every where, the double wheels make pulling it easy. The convenient straps can be tucked in so they do not drag while pulling the bag. However, if you want to carry it on your shoulders the straps can be easily taken out. The various pockets fit all sorts of goodies. The zippers work smoothly. For the size of the bag it fits quite a bit. The design of the bag turns a plain black bag into a ocean of dancing dolphins. 5 stars

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Whales & Friends offers this same back pack in  Cat Face and Turtle Print designs as well. Check them out!