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How long do honey bees live?

Each beehive has only one queen but can have up to 80,000 workers. The queen's sole task is to lay eggs. Workers perform all the other functions of the hive, including gathering food; constructing the honeycomb; tending the queen, eggs and larvae; guarding the hive; and removing dead bees and debris. Drones have no function other than fertilizing new queens.

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How many platypuses are left in the world?

The platypus is considered one of the strangest looking animals in nature. The first scientists to study a specimen thought someone had pulled a hoax on them. Platypuses have a bill and webbed feet like a duck, a tail like a beaver and the fur and body of an otter.\n\nThese animals may appear harmless, but the males are venomous. They have stingers on their rear feet, which they use to deliver a strong toxin to a foe. Platypuses cannot bite, however, because they have no teeth.\n\nNot only is the appearance of a platypus unique, so is its reproduction. It is one of only two mammals in the worl..

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What do small frogs eat?

Frogs in general are not overly picky about their diet. There are two main types of eaters, divided by their hunting style. Tree frogs and other primarily amphibious frogs are active hunters that stalk their prey as predators. These frogs much prefer to catch their food and should have live prey whenever possible. Frogs that live primarily on land are fond of using camouflage to hide themselves where prey is likely to come by. They wait for their unsuspecting dinner, then shoot out a sticky tongue to pull in their food.\nBoth live and dead insects are available from local pet supply stores. Th..

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What is some information about the Mexican gray wolf?

The Mexican gray wolf became endangered in 1976 after humans almost eliminated the species. Humans were trying to protect their livestock from the wolves, and used things like traps and poison to kill the wolves. Since then, there has been a lot of work done to preserve and grow the Mexican gray wolf population. The wolves travel in small packs of about five or six. Most Mexican wolves keep their same mating partner for life, although the whole pack helps with raising offspring.\nMating season is between January and early March, with pups being born in April or May. Four to six pups are born e..

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Are skinks poisonous?

Most skinks dig burrows where they can hide from predators such as birds of prey, other types of lizards, rodents, snakes, raccoons and possums. Other skinks live in decaying logs and under leaf litter.\nSkinks eat small invertebrates such as insects and spiders. As is the case with some other lizards, if a skink is caught by the tail, the tail detaches itself. However, it grows back in time.

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What happens in a megalodon versus blue whale fight?

Findings suggest that megalodons weighed up to 50 tons, which is still smaller than blue whales; they top out at more than 200 tons. These giant sharks had teeth up to seven inches long, compared to just 2 to 3 inches on the largest great white sharks. Scientists theorize that the largest megalodon specimens may have grown up to 60 feet long. Although smaller than the 100-foot blue whale, megalodons fed on large fish and aquatic mammals. This means they would probably have had strategies for killing the less dangerous blue whale, which feeds primarily on small krill. Blue whales are baleen wha..

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What is a narwhal?

The narwhal travels in pods of two to 10 but has been sighted in groups of 15 to 20, with some reports describing hundreds or thousands of narwhals congregating. It communicates through a system of squeaks, trills and clicks.\nWhile the tusk's purpose is not known, National Geographic theorizes that it is used for mating rituals, either to impress females or attack rival males. Observers have also witnessed males crossing tusks in a friendly or affectionate manner, either as a form of play or a way to clean their tusks.\nThe narwhal is one of the rarest whale species; its population is es..

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What are some characteristics of Treeing Walkers?

Treeing Walkers look like oversized beagles due to their build and classic tricolor coat of black, brown and white. They are also from the hound family, though the Treeing Walkers are descendants of English and American Foxhounds, while beagles are developed from several breeds, such as Talbot Hound and Southern Hound. Treeing Walkers have powerful shoulders, larger ears than their heads and long, straight and lean forelegs.\nAs a hound, a Treeing Walker loves to explore and requires ample physical exercise to tone down its energy. It learns fast with consistent training and thrives on ample a..

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What does a giant stingray eat?

Giant stingrays can grow to a length of 16.5 feet and a weight of 1,200 pounds. One of the largest freshwater fish in the world, giant stingrays thrive in the river systems of Thailand, Borneo, northern Australia and New Guinea.\nGiant stingrays do not actively threaten humans, but they can pose a danger to people. The barb on the base of its tail can be up to 15 inches long and can pierce human skin and bone, introducing toxins to the body.

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What are some tips for locating local dog breeders?

Buyers should always thoroughly interview and research any potential breeder before committing to buying a puppy. Some unethical breeders and puppy mills try to pass themselves off as reputable breeders or rescues. Puppies for sale in pet stores usually come from puppy mills, so buyers should avoid them.\nBuyers should visit the premises of any local breeders and see how they care for their dogs. Too many puppies or breeding animals of many different breeds may be signs of a bad breeder, since most good breeders specialize in just one or two breeds.\nResponsible breeders health test their dogs..

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