Facts about animals

Weird facts about animals:
• Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards.

• Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump.

• Polar bears are left handed.

• A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

• A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

• Tigers have striped skin not just striped fur.

• Reindeer eat moss because it contains a chemical that stops their body from freezing.

• The Chameleon's tongue is as long as its body.

• The Chameleon can focus its eyes separately to watch two objects at once.

Facts about endangered animals

Man is wiping out species so fast that children today will never have the opportunity of seeing many of those that are still living now. By the time they are grown up, many more species will be extinct. The destruction of the Amazon Rainforests, for instance, which is taking place now, will wipe out thousands of species of animal life that we haven’t yet even identified.

There are currently at least 38 known species of mammals that are extinct.


How many animals are there?

Scientists who study animal life are called zoologists. They have recorded 20,000 species of fish, 6,000 species of reptiles, 9,000 birds, 1,000 amphibians, and 15,000 species of mammals. And, although there are a million named species of insects, scientists estimate that there could be another million waiting to be discovered and named!

By Amber