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Animal facts

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

Bee

  • Besides honey bees, stingless bees also make honey that people eat.
  • Bees must visit about two million flowers to make about half a kilogram of honey.
  • A honey bee visits about 50-100 flowers on each foraging trip.

Bengal fox

  • The Bengal fox lives in open grasslands and scrub, not in dense jungle.
  • Its long, bushy tail has a black tip.
  • It eats fruit as well as insects and small animals.

Bengal tiger

  • It can live in forests flooded by the tides: Sundarbans tigers use a landscape of mangroves, channels and islands.
  • Stripes help researchers recognise individual tigers in camera-trap images.
  • It swims well and often crosses rivers and channels.

Bison

  • The American bison is the heaviest land animal in North America.
  • Bison can run at about 55-65 km/h.
  • American bison calves are reddish-orange and nicknamed "red dogs".

Black panther

  • A black panther is not a separate species but a black leopard or jaguar.
  • The spots of a black panther can still be seen in bright light.
  • In leopards, black colour is caused by a recessive gene; in jaguars, by a dominant gene.

Blackbird

  • Only male blackbirds are black; females are dark brown.
  • Blackbirds in cities sing at a higher pitch than those in forests.
  • Blackbirds began moving into European towns in the 19th century.

Blanford’s fox

  • Blanford's fox can climb steep cliffs, using curved, cat-like claws and hairless foot pads.
  • Fruit and insects make up most of its diet.
  • It weighs only about one kilogram, much less than a red fox.

Blue whale

  • The blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever lived.
  • A blue whale's heart can weigh about 180 kg.
  • During deep dives, a blue whale's heart may beat only about twice a minute.

Boa

  • Boa constrictors are not venomous.
  • Boas kill by squeezing their prey until its blood circulation stops.
  • Female boas are usually larger than males.

Bowhead whale

  • Some bowhead whales may live for more than 200 years.
  • Bowheads have the longest baleen of any whale, up to about 4 m.
  • A bowhead's blubber can be about 40-50 cm thick.