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Animal facts

Discover the remarkable lives of animals, one fact at a time.

Aardvark

  • The aardvark’s long snout resembles a pig’s, but the two belong to different mammal orders.
  • A female normally produces one young after a pregnancy of about seven months.
  • Large ears help an aardvark detect sounds, while its nose guides the search for insect food.

Albatross

  • The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird.
  • A special tendon lets albatrosses lock their wings open while gliding.
  • Albatrosses can smell food from far away thanks to tube-shaped nostrils.

Alligator

  • The word "alligator" comes from the Spanish "el lagarto", which means "the lizard".
  • Alligators have about 80 teeth at a time; new teeth replace worn ones throughout life, and an alligator may use 2,000-3,000 teeth in total.
  • Alligators have powerful bites, but a numerical comparison requires a defined species, individual and measurement method.

Alpaca

  • The alpaca was domesticated from the wild vicuña about 6,000-7,000 years ago.
  • There are two types of alpacas: the fluffy Huacaya and the long-haired Suri.
  • Alpaca fibre comes in about 22 natural colours.

Anaconda

  • The green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world.
  • Female anacondas are much larger than males.
  • Anacondas are not venomous; they kill by constriction.

Ant

  • More than 14,000 ant species have been described, and new species continue to be found.
  • Ants can carry loads many times their own weight, but carrying ability differs between species and tasks.
  • Ants have no lungs. Air enters through small openings called spiracles and passes through a branching system of tubes.

Anteater

  • Anteaters have no teeth; their muscular stomach grinds up the insects they swallow.
  • The giant anteater's tongue can stick out about 60 cm.
  • A giant anteater can flick its tongue in and out up to about 150 times a minute.

Antelope

  • Antelopes are not a single scientific group but many different members of the cattle family, Bovidae.
  • The American pronghorn is not a true antelope; it belongs to its own family.
  • The royal antelope of West Africa weighs only about 2-3 kg.

Arctic fox

  • The Arctic fox's thick winter fur lets it rest at about −40 °C without having to work harder to stay warm.
  • The white form of the Arctic fox turns white in winter, while the blue form stays dark all year.
  • Arctic foxes hear lemmings under the snow and dive in head-first to catch them.

Arctic hare

  • The Arctic hare is one of the largest hares in the world.
  • In the far north, Arctic hares stay white all year.
  • Arctic hares sometimes run upright on their hind legs, like kangaroos.