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Animal facts

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

Cormorant

  • There are about 40 species of cormorants and shags.
  • Cormorants swim underwater using their webbed feet.
  • Cormorant feathers are only partly waterproof.

Corsac fox

  • Its thick winter fur protects it from the cold, but deep snow makes it hard for it to move and hunt.
  • The corsac often lives in burrows dug by marmots, ground squirrels and other animals.
  • It lives in open steppe and semi-desert, not in forests.

Cougar

  • The cougar has more names than any other animal, including puma, mountain lion, panther and catamount.
  • Cougars cannot roar, but they purr like house cats.
  • A cougar can leap about 5 metres up into a tree.

Cow

  • Strictly speaking, cows are female; males are called bulls, or oxen if they are castrated.
  • There are more than 800 recognised cattle breeds worldwide. Beef breeds are raised for meat and dairy breeds for milk.
  • Cows can see almost 360 degrees, which helps them watch for predators. However, they see poorly straight in front, so they usually turn their heads to look at you.

Coyote

  • Coyotes are about the size of a medium dog, but smaller than wolves. Related profile: Dog. Related profile: Wolf.
  • Coyotes live in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America, in prairies, forests, mountains, deserts and cities; some even live in the tropics.
  • Coyotes are most active at dusk, at night and at dawn, which is why people usually hear them howling at night.

Coypu

  • A coypu's front teeth are bright orange because they contain iron.
  • Coypus have webbed hind feet.
  • Female coypus have teats on their sides, so the young can feed in the water.

Crab

  • There are about 7,000 species of true crabs.
  • Crabs have ten legs; the front pair usually ends in claws.
  • Most crabs walk sideways because of the way their leg joints bend.

Crane

  • The common crane's long windpipe is coiled inside its breastbone, which makes its calls very loud.
  • Adult cranes have a patch of bare red skin on the top of the head.
  • Crane pairs perform duets, calling together with their heads raised.

Crayfish

  • There are more than 600 species of crayfish around the world.
  • Crayfish are close relatives of lobsters, but they live in fresh water.
  • When frightened, a crayfish flicks its tail and shoots backwards through the water.

Crickets

  • Males of many species chirp by rubbing their wings together.
  • Hearing organs are located on the front legs.
  • Nymphs grow by moulting, without a pupal stage.