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What are some facts about manatees?

Manatees are believed to have evolved from land-dwelling creatures more than 50 million years ago. They have a fingernail at the end of their flippers which is thought to be a leftover from their terrestrial days. Manatees range from about 8 to 13 feet long and can weigh up to 1,300 pounds. \n\nManatees are the only aquatic mammal herbivores. Their diet consists mainly of sea grass, marine plants and algae. They are huge eaters, consuming one-tenth or more of their body weight in plants each day. Since manatees require water temperatures of at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit, they inhabit shallow ..

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How do whitetail deer typically behave?

Adult whitetail deer are extremely suspicious and wary, especially during hunting season. Their highly developed senses allow them to sense danger. Most deer would stay quiet and try to sneak away unnoticed, but when seriously threatened or frightened, they may stomp their hooves, produce snorting or blowing sounds and quickly run away with their tails raised upwards. The exposed white color underneath the raised tail serves as a warning to other deer.\nMost whitetail deer are solitary animals, with the male and female associating only during the mating season. They do have a social unit compr..

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What are the different types of bird feathers?

The wing feathers, also called remiges, are comprised of primary, secondary and tertiary feathers. The primary remiges are closest to the wing tip, the tertiary are closest to the body and the secondary are between them. The covert feathers fill the border between the wing and tail feathers.\nDown feathers, semiplumes and powder down feathers provide insulation. Semiplumes also maintain an aerodynamic form and are used in courtship displays. Powder down continuously grows and disintegrates at the tip, forming another layer of insulation.\nFiloplumes and bristles are stiff feathers with few bar..

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What is a Hachiko breed of dog?

The original Hachiko lived in Japan from 1923 to 1935 and remained loyal to his owner, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, throughout his life. The highlight of Hachiko's life was his unyielding loyalty to his owner. Accustomed to Professor Ueno's daily schedule, he would wait for his owner's return at the train station, and he would continually do so for the next nine years following Professor Ueno's death. In 1934, the town of Shibuya erected Hachiko's statue in front of the train station with Hachiko himself as a special guest.\nAkita dogs are remarkably loyal, and they are ..

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How do blue whales mate?

Blue whales reach sexual maturity between the ages of 5 and 10. As with other mammals, blue whales reproduce through sexual meiosis. The male and the female each produce haploid gametes, or reproduction cells. The female gamete is the egg, and the male gamete is sperm. The male deposits his sperm inside the female with his penis, which is the largest of its kind found on Earth. If fertilization is successful, a fetus begins to develop inside the mother's uterus, and after an 11- to 12-month pregnancy, the baby blue whale calf is born near the surface of the water. It emerges tail-first an..

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What kind of fish are compatible with cichlids?

African cichlids consist of literally thousands of different species, making tank compatibility a matter of trial and error and research. According to Cichlid-Forum.com, carnivorous, omnivorous and herbivorous cichlids can be kept together provided their diet meets all their nutritional needs adequately. Cichlids should all roughly be the same size as each other in order to prevent predators from eating their smaller brethren. Depending on the lake they come from, cichlids can have varying preferences for their pH levels. Keeping cichlids of separate species together may also result in hybrids..

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What do killer bees eat?

African honey bees were imported to Brazil in the 1950s for crossbreeding with European honey bees in hopes of producing a strain suitable for beekeepers in tropical countries. Some of the African queens were accidentally released and established wild colonies. The hybridized bees have since spread northward. They have been reported as far north as Tennessee but do not tolerate cold winters. These hybridized bees are more aggressive than European honey bees and swarm more readily but are superior honey producers in tropical climates.

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What is the fastest animal in the sea?

Scientific calculations suggest that swordfish can swim up to 60 miles per hour, and some have claimed that they can reach 80 miles per hour, although neither speed has been directly observed. Claims have also been made that black marlins are capable of swimming up to 80 miles per hour, though this is also not based on direct observation. If unverified claims and leaping speeds are excluded, the fastest swimming fish in the sea is the shortfin mako, which has a top speed of 31 miles per hour. The fastest swimming mammal in the sea is the killer whale, with a top speed of 34.5 miles per hour.

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What methods are used for humane euthanasia of dogs?

In a veterinary setting, an alternate IV anesthetic such as propofol or the combination of ketamine and xylazine may be used when the IV injection of pentobarbital is unavailable, states the AVMA. If a dog is extremely ill and a vein is not easily found for an IV injection, some euthanasia solutions may be administered in the heart, bone marrow, spleen, liver or kidneys. Alternative routes may only be utilized if the dog is anesthetized previous to the administration of the euthanasia solution.\nFor dogs who weigh less than 7 kilograms, an overdose of inhaled anesthetic administered via gas ..

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How can you tell if your Black Molly fish is pregnant?

Black molly fish are short-tailed molly fish that give birth every 60 to 70 days. They usually give birth to between 10 and 60 baby fish, and the baby fish are usually about 1/2 inch long at birth.\nMolly fish naturally eat their young, and if a fish breeder wants to discourage this phenomenon, he needs to move the pregnant molly fish to its own aquarium. Once the molly fish has given birth, it should be removed from the birthing aquarium and placed back into its old aquarium; this prevents the fish from eating its young. Alternatively, fish owners can densely plant their existing aquariums to..

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