Amazing facts about animals

It’s mind-blowing to think about the multitude of animals that exist in this world. From the tiny snail to the great blue whale, each animal possesses a unique quality that makes it stand out from the rest. Even if you’re a zoology expert, you might be surprised by some of these amazing facts about animals. Prepare to be astounded by the resilience, physical abilities, and sheer brilliance of these magnificent creatures.

Kangaroos use their tails for balance, so if you lift a kangaroo’s tail off the ground, it can’t hop.

Cows have best friends.

A snail can sleep for 3 years.

Sea otters hold each other’s paws when they sleep so they don’t drift apart.

Millions of trees grow every year thanks to squirrel’s forgetting where they put their nuts.

Gentoo penguins propose to their lifemates with a pebble.

Male pups will intentionally let female pups “win” when they play-fight so they can get to know them better.

 Elephants show remarkable empathy, even to other species.

Dolphins have names for one other.

Beware of an ant uprising! There are one million ants for every human in the world. These resilient creatures also never sleep and do not have lungs.

Oysters can change gender depending on which is best for mating. Talk about successful adaptation.

Bats always turn left when leaving a cave.

A bee must visit 4,000 flowers in order to make one tablespoon of honey.

Most elephants weigh less than the tongue of a blue whale.

Rats laugh.

There’s an animal called the quokka and it’s the happiest animal in the world.

Do you know why English has different names for animals and their meat?

I'm sure everybody knows the famous beef steak? But why is it called beef if the animal it comes from is the cow?

The story goes back to old times. When in 1066, following the battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror began to rule England along with Normandy, most of the aristocracy became Norman (French).

The Norman Flag

The Battle of Hastings 1066 on the Bayeux Tapestry

William the Conqueror

The peasants on the fields spoke old English but the landlords and their chefs in the castles spoke French.

Therefore in the field an animal had an English name but once it got to the kitchen the French name was used.

Norman castle in Portchester, England

Over time, these words passed on to regular people as ingredients used by the royal chefs.

The words have changed a little but you can still see their French origin:

beef – Old French: boef (ox)
pork – Old French: porc, from latin: porcus (pig)
venison – Old French: venaison (meat of large game, boar or deer, in French it means "to hunt")
mutton – Old French: mouton (sheep)
veal - French: veau (calf)

The word "bacon" also comes from French: cured pig's meat.

 Apart from the original farm animals, the ones coming later have still the same animal and meat names, such as turkey etc.

Match the meat names with the pictures. 

venison (2), beef, hen, duck, pork, veal, mutton, turkey, lamb, goose