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Animal facts

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

Python

  • The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world.
  • Pythons are not venomous; they kill by constriction.
  • Most pythons have heat-sensing pits along their lips.

Quail

  • Quails are covered with brown, buff, black and white feathers that form streaks and bars, giving them excellent camouflage.
  • Quails can fly, but spend most of their time on the ground.
  • Quails are omnivores: they eat mainly seeds and green plants, as well as insects such as grasshoppers and beetles.

Quetzal

  • Only male resplendent quetzals have the long green train.
  • The quetzal's train is made of upper tail-covert feathers, not true tail feathers.
  • Quetzals swallow small wild avocados whole and spit out the seeds.

Quokka

  • The quokka is a small member of the kangaroo family.
  • Most quokkas live on Rottnest Island, off Perth.
  • Rottnest Island was named "rat's nest" because Dutch explorers mistook quokkas for giant rats.

Rabbit

  • Domestic rabbits and wild European rabbits belong to the same species. Hares are different species, not simply wild versions of domestic rabbits.
  • In the wild, a rabbit's day revolves around feeding, breeding and staying safe from predators.
  • Rabbits have a very good sense of smell and hearing, and good eyesight.

Raccoon

  • Raccoons have a very wide range of calls; scientists have described dozens of different sounds, including purring, whistling, growling, hissing, screaming and crying.
  • Some raccoons have been kept as pets; President Calvin Coolidge and his wife kept a raccoon called Rebecca at the White House.
  • Young raccoons can seem friendly towards people, but adults, especially in the breeding season, can become destructive and aggressive.

Rats

  • A black rat can have brown or grey fur.
  • Incisors grow continuously; whiskers help rats explore.
  • Familiar rat species are social and can learn routes.

Rattlesnake

  • There are about 50 species of rattlesnakes.
  • Rattlesnakes live only in the Americas.
  • A rattlesnake can shake its rattle up to about 90 times a second.

Raven

  • The raven is the largest bird in the crow family, about twice as heavy as a carrion crow, weighing up to about 1.5 kg or more.
  • Ravens are about the size of a red-tailed hawk.
  • Ravens usually live 10-15 years in the wild, and in captivity they can reach 40 years or more.

Red fox

  • Several other fox species are described in the fox species category; they are separate species, not breeds of red fox.
  • Their hearing is so good that they can hear prey moving underground.
  • Red foxes are omnivores: they eat rabbits, rodents, birds, insects, fruit, worms and even carrion. Related profile: Rabbit. Related profile: Rodents. Related profile: Birds. Related profile: Insects.