Pets and Animals

Refine Search

How do manatees nurse their young?

Manatee calves are able to swim independently and make vocalizations very shortly after birth. Once they start eating plants, they are mostly responsible for finding their own solid food, though most do continue to nurse in addition to foraging during this adolescent period. Manatees drink water in addition to eating plants, and their kidneys can process excess salt if they end up drinking brackish water. It can take both male and female manatees as many as 9 years to reach sexual maturity, and females have a gestation period of 13 months. Mature manatees can weigh multiple thousands of pounds..

Continue Reading

How do penguins survive in Antarctica?

Penguins' feathers are ineffective insulators in water and strong winds. However, they help penguins shed water and dry quickly. When penguins need extra insulation, they ripple the muscles beneath their skin, puffing the feathers out and trapping additional air between them. Once warmed by the penguins' body heat, the air provides additional insulation.\nThe Australian Antarctic Division of the Australian Government Department of the Environment reveals that Emperor penguins practice huddling, an important behavior that distributes body heat throughout a large group of penguins. Thi..

Continue Reading

What type of symmetry do sponges have?

Sponges grow in a unique way: as individual cells surrounded by a matrix of materials they exude. They have the simplest sort of organization among existing animals and have neither organs nor tissues. Asconoid sponges often grow in tube shapes with porous outer walls for taking in water and a large central canal for releasing it. Syconoid sponges are often larger than asconoid sponges, are vase-shaped and have more complex structures to increase their surface area, but otherwise, they have similar body plans to asconoid sponges.\nLeuconoid sponges can often grow quite large and have very larg..

Continue Reading

Can cats sense pregnancy in humans?

According to The Nest, cats pick up on human pheromones, changes in body language and a woman's growing belly. Some cats curl up next to the mother to feel the vibrations in her belly. According to BabyCenter, some cats sense a change because of changes in daily routine during pregnancy. However, cats are less likely than dogs to undergo behavioral changes, such as becoming more protective. Cats' responses to pregnancy are variable; while some cat owners have reported disinterested responses from their cats, others report that their cats become more loving and protective.

Continue Reading

How do you tell the difference between a male and a female yellow-bellied slider?

The gender of turtles is determined by the environmental conditions surrounding the egg, rather than the genetic information present in the animal, as it is in birds and mammals. Called temperature-determined sex, males are produced at temperatures in the low 80s Fahrenheit, while females are produced at temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit. If the eggs are kept at intermediate temperatures, a mix of genders is produced.\nWhile the males of many reptile species fight if housed together, male yellow-bellied sliders usually cohabitate peacefully. Because females grow so much larger than mal..

Continue Reading

Are narwhals real?

Estimates of the narwhal population size range from 45,000 to 80,000 individuals, which gives them Near Threatened conservation status. They live in the Arctic, mostly around Russia, Canada, Norway and Greenland. Typically, only male narwhals have the large tusk for which the species is famous. Biologists are not certain what the tusk is for, but they believe it may have sensory abilities and help males establish dominance.

Continue Reading

What are some different species of eagles?

Bald eagles are named for the white feathers on their heads. The rest of their bodies are covered in brown feathers. Found throughout North America from Alaska to Mexico, bald eagles are between 30 and 37 inches long with wingspans up to 84 inches. Sanford's sea eagle also has a brown body with a white head but is much smaller. This species of eagle lives primarily on forested coasts of islands. It is known to hunt small fruit bats and scavenge meat from dead animals.\nThe white-tailed eagle has a light-brown head, darker brown to black wings and a white tail. It is a large species of eag..

Continue Reading

How are sharks adapted to their habitat?

Like most other fish, sharks are cold-blooded. This gives them a low metabolism and allows them to fast for weeks. However, when it's time to eat, sharks benefit from having short but wide esophagi and jaws that aren't firmly attached to their skulls. This allows sharks to gulp down their prey whole or in large chunks. Sharks' teeth are also replaced constantly.\nSharks' livers, fins and constant movement keep them from sinking. The liver is enormous and filled with a substance called squalene, which helps to keep the shark buoyant.\nSharks also have an astonishing sense of..

Continue Reading

What causes skin problems for a Shih Tzu?

All Shih Tzu recommends that owners regularly groom and bathe their Shih Tzus to maintain coat health, and that they frequently check for signs of skin infections or other problems. To keep the immune system strong and prevent other illnesses from taking hold, owners should feed Shih Tzus vitamins A, C and E in supplement form and give them omega-3 fatty acids. Shih Tzus should never take omega-6 fatty acids, especially if they already have skin problems, as these acids can aggravate or worsen inflammation.\nAdditionally, All Shih Tzu states that food allergies are a common and overlooked reas..

Continue Reading

What are some tips for buying Savannah kittens?

Owners should consider whether they want an early cross or a later generation. A direct cross between a serval and a domestic cat is referred to as an F1 litter. Two F1 cats produce an F2 litter, and each subsequent generation is denoted by a higher number. F1 Savannah cats tend to be larger and have more wild behaviors, while later generations tend to be smaller and more similar to typical domestic cats. Even later generations are generally more active and energetic than domestic cats, however.\nBuyers should look for reputable breeders. Good breeders thoroughly interview buyers before agreei..

Continue Reading
Showing 9581 to 9590 of 10000 (1000 Pages)