Interesting Animal Facts

Interesting Animal Facts

Need something to laugh about? Delve into the animal kingdom to learn about some strange, quirky and interesting animal facts. Animals and birds around the world have some very funny habits and unique lifestyles; brushing up on a few interesting animal facts is a fun activity when you have some time to spare over summer vacation, on a road trip or even before bedtime. Here are seven interesting animal facts you and the kids will likely be surprised to learn:

1. The hippopotamus is one of the world's heaviest and largest animals. Yet even with all that extra weight, the hippopotamus can run faster than the average man.

2. The wood frog can freeze solid at the beginning of winter, and stays frozen all winter long. It's a survival skill that helps it live through even the coldest winter seasons. Come spring, the frog thaws out of its icy cubicle and returns to normal.

3. The female lion does more than 90 percent of the hunting, while the male sits back and relaxes for most of the time.

4. Some animals have the power to use "eyes in the backs of their heads" -- sort of. Rabbits and parrots are the only animals that can see behind themselves without moving their heads. This is because their eyes can turn all the way backward, giving them much better peripheral vision than most animals and humans.

5. Ferrets do a "happy dance" when they're excited. Watch a ferret closely when they're excited about something, and they will perform a special dance that consists of a series of hops sideways, a frizzy tail, and hissing noises. They usually do this type of dance after they've managed to capture a stolen object and want to celebrate the occasion.

6. Fire ants are capable of surviving a flood by clinging together in a rectangular pattern to form a large raft-like vessel. This vessel can float on water, allowing them to survive for weeks at a time.