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Animal facts

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

Frog

  • There are more than 7,000 species of frogs, living on every continent except Antarctica.
  • The bright skin of many tropical frogs warns predators that these frogs are poisonous.
  • Most frogs shed their skin about once a week, and some every day! Once the old skin comes off, the frog usually eats it.

Giant panda

  • A giant panda eats bamboo for up to about 14 hours a day.
  • Giant pandas belong to the bear family, while red pandas are not bears.
  • Pandas have a "false thumb", an enlarged wrist bone that helps them hold bamboo.

Giraffe

  • Giraffes are the tallest animals on Earth, thanks to a neck that can be about 2 metres long.
  • The tallest giraffes ever measured were males close to 6 metres tall.
  • Although their neck is so long, it has the same number of vertebrae as a human neck: seven.

Goat

  • Goats are bovids, in the same family as cattle and antelopes, but they are not cattle. Related profile: Cow.
  • Goats dislike getting wet and look for shelter when it rains.
  • Goats are agile animals, but their jumping ability varies.

Goose

  • Geese are closely related to ducks and swans and belong to the same family. Related profile: Duck.
  • There are about 20 species of true geese in the world.
  • In the wild, geese live in marshes, river valleys, estuaries and wet pastures, and on islands, depending on the season.

Gorilla

  • Gorillas are the largest living primates.
  • There are two species of gorillas, the western gorilla and the eastern gorilla, each with two subspecies.
  • Adult male gorillas are called silverbacks because of the silver hair on their backs.

Grasshopper

  • There are about 11,000 known species of grasshoppers.
  • Grasshoppers have their "ears" on the sides of the abdomen.
  • Grasshoppers sing by rubbing their hind legs against their wings.

Great tit

  • The great tit has a black head, white cheeks and a black stripe down its yellow belly.
  • It is present in Romania throughout the year.
  • It can join mixed-species feeding flocks in winter.

Great white shark

  • Female great whites are larger than males.
  • A great white shark has about 300 teeth arranged in rows.
  • Great whites keep parts of their bodies warmer than the surrounding water.

Grey heron

  • The grey heron flies with its neck folded back in an S shape, unlike storks and cranes.
  • Grey herons nest in colonies called heronries.
  • A grey heron nest can be about 1 metre wide and is often reused for years.