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Animal facts

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

Arctic wolf

  • Arctic wolves live farther north than any other wolves.
  • Arctic wolves survive months of winter darkness and temperatures down to about -50 °C.
  • A wolf can eat about 9 kg of meat at a single meal.

Armadillo

  • There are about 20 living species of armadillos.
  • Armadillos are the only living mammals with a shell made of bone.
  • The nine-banded armadillo usually gives birth to four identical quadruplets.

Axolotl

  • Axolotls keep their feathery external gills all their lives.
  • Axolotls can regrow lost legs and tails and repair parts of the heart and spinal cord.
  • Axolotls breathe through their gills, through their skin and with simple lungs.

Aye-aye

  • Aye-ayes tap on wood and listen for clues to food inside it. This is called percussive foraging, rather than bat-like echolocation.
  • The exact origin of the name aye-aye is uncertain; several explanations have been proposed.
  • Aye-ayes often forage alone, but their social lives are more complex than meeting only to mate.

Baboon

  • Guinea baboons are very social and use many calls and gestures to communicate within their large groups.
  • Baboons appear in ancient Egyptian art and religious traditions; this does not mean all baboon species were kept as royal pets.
  • Some baboons were mummified in ancient Egypt, as surviving museum specimens show.

Badger

  • Badgers belong to the weasel family, together with otters, martens and wolverines.
  • A European badger sett can have dozens of entrances and has sometimes been used by badgers for centuries.
  • Badgers regularly change their bedding, dragging out old material and bringing in fresh grass and leaves.

Bat

  • The bones of a bat's wing are similar to those of a human hand.
  • There are more than 1,400 species of bat.
  • Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight.

Bear

  • The eight living bear species are the brown bear, polar bear, American black bear, Asiatic black bear, sun bear, sloth bear, spectacled bear and giant panda.
  • Bears are among the largest and strongest land animals.
  • Bears have large bodies with short legs, long snouts, thick fur, five non-retractable claws on each paw and short tails.

Bearded dragon

  • The beard is made of elongated scales rather than hair.
  • The back and throat can change colour for different purposes.
  • It climbs branches and rocks to bask and watch its surroundings.

Beaver

  • Beavers are the largest rodents in Europe and North America; only the capybara of South America is bigger.
  • A beaver's front teeth are orange because their enamel contains iron, which makes them extra hard.
  • Beavers can hold their breath for up to 15 minutes.