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Wolves will often begin hunting in early evening, and the chase can
often last until the early hours of morning.
The black
bear is the smallest North American Bear.
Jaguarundi only
have 36 chromosome pairs, unlike the other big cats who have 38. Because
of this, they are thought to have emigrated from Asia across the Bering
Land Bridge and descended from the puma.
The largest
prairie dog town ever recorded was home to approximately 400 million of
the small animals, and it measured about 190 miles (400 km) long and 90
miles (160 km) wide!
Bottlenose Dolphins
that live in deeper, open waters have been seen herding schools of fish
by swimming around the school in a tightening circle. They will slap the
fish with their tailfins, which stuns them, and then, once the school of
fish is gathered in a tight ball, they will take turns swimming through
the ball and feeding.
No one knows what
the toucan’s large bill is used for. It is speculated that it is used to
reach fruit on branches that are too small to support the entire bird,
and it may be used in courtship. Toucans will also fight amongst
themselves, using their beaks as a weapon.
Brown Pelicans have
air sacs under their skin and in their bones that helps them fly and
gives them extra buoyancy and grace in the air.
Collared Lizards
are able to run on their back legs, using their tails for balance.
Because of this and their fierce temperament and speed, these lizards
have often been compared to dinosaurs when running.
Garter snakes are
not venomous, but the Mexican Garter Snake has glands that produce a
foul-smelling musk that is released when they feel threatened.
Vine snakes have
grooved fangs in the back of the mouth that are used to inject venom,
unlike most venomous snakes with the typical hollow or retractable fangs
in the front.
Mexican Vine Snakes
will coil up and open their mouths wide when they are afraid or feel
threatened, exposing their rear fangs. They don’t often strike out and
bite in defense, though, only using their bite to subdue their prey.
The venom of the
rattlesnake is made up of two different types of poison. One type makes
the heart and lungs slow down and not function correctly, and the other
swiftly breaks down skin tissue. There are, however, only about 12
listed human deaths from rattlesnake bites per year.
These lizards are
called torito de la Virgen by the native people of Mexico. This
translates to “the Virgin’s little bull”, which is given to them because
of their spines and because they have the ability to shoot blood from
their eyes, or cry tears of blood.
An interesting
feature of all mud turtles is their hinged shell. The underside has a
hinge on the front and rear end with an area in the middle that is
immobile. These hinges allow the turtle to protect itself by pulling the
soft parts of its body into the shell and help to close it completely.
The jaw of the
crocodile is made up of very specialized muscles. When the jaw is
closing, the muscles contract with enough force to easily crush and
break the bones of the animals that the crocodile is eating. When it is
opening, however, the muscles have much less force and can easily be
held closed by human hands.
The tail of the
iguana is very strong and can be whipped at high speed to smack a
predator. If caught by the tail, it will break off, allowing the iguana
to escape. The tail will then grow back with no evidence that it was
ever removed.
Giant Toads are
able to shoot the venom far distances, and it comes out as a thick,
white substance that can cause paralysis, blindness, and even death.
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