35 Interesting Facts about Animals

Coyotes use their howls and yipping to create a kind of census of coyote populations. If their howls are not answered by other packs, it triggers an autogenic response that produces large litters.

27. Giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period.

28. Baby otters can't swim at first, but their buoyancy makes it possible for the mother to wrap the pup in (sea)weeds to prevent it from drifting away when she needs to hunt.

29. A Chinchilla's fur is so thick and soft that fleas will suffocate if they try to live there.

30. A leopard seal once tried to teach a National Geographic photographer how to hunt.

Female wallabies have been known to "throw" their Joeys from the pouch if they are being pursued or feel threatened. This is a defense mechanism designed to ensure their own survival by sacrificing a Joey.

32. An animal named kinkajou which is related to raccoons, can turn its feet backward to run easily up or down trunks.

33. Okapis have 14 inch long prehensile tongues and are capable of reaching and cleaning their own eyes and ears with it.

34. African buffalo herds display "voting behavior" to indicate their travel preferences by standing up, staring in one direction and then lying back down. Only adult females vote.

35. A camel can drink 53 gallons of water in 3 minutes.