DID YOU KNOW??
Toy Facts:
The oldest still-running carousel in America is in Watch Hill, RI. The Flying Horse Carousel, built in 1867, has horses that swing out from the center.
Mr. Potato Head was born in Pawtucket, RI, at Hasbro toy company 50 years ago, in 1952. He was the first toy to be advertised on TV.
Animal Facts:
In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
According to one study, plant and animal species are becoming extinct at the rate of 17 per hour.
It takes 3000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of American Footballs.
As a general rule in the animal kingdom, the more complex or relatively big the eye in relation to the body, then the smaller the rest of the brain.
Dog facts:
Americans spend more money on dog food each year then they do on baby food.
An Animal Hospital Association survey revealed that 62 percent of dog owners sign letter or cards from themselves and their dogs.
A 7-year study, which concluded in the summer of 2000, found that 33 U.S. deaths were caused by rottweilers, pit bulls were responsible for 27 deaths
The bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in an American court.
Each day in the US, animal shelters are forced to destroy 30,000 dogs and cats.
Lassie was played by several male dogs, despite the female name, because male collies were thought to look better on camera. The main "actor" was named Pal.
There are 701 types of pure breed dogs.
Despite man's fear and hatred of the wolf, it has not ever been proved that a non-rabid wolf ever attacked a human.
There are more than 100 million dogs and cats in the United States. Americans spend more than 5.4 billion dollars on their pets each year.
Dogs that do not tolerate small children well are the St. Bernard, the Old English sheep dog, the Alaskan malamute, the bull terrier, and the toy poodle.
Dachshunds are the smallest breed of dog used for hunting. They are low to the ground, which allows them to enter and maneuver through tunnels easily.
Cats have better memories than dogs. Tests conducted by the University of Michigan concluded that while a dogs memory lasts no more than 5 minutes, a cat's can last as long as 16 hours - exceeding even that of monkeys and orangutans.
Ancient Chinese royalty carried Pekingese dogs in the sleeves of their royal robes.
Almost every known dog except the Chow and the Shar Pei has a pink tongue.
Though human noses have an impressive 5 million olfactory cells with which to smell, sheepdogs have 220 million, enabling them to smell 44 times better than man.
The theobromine in chocolate that stimulates the cardiac and nervous systems is too much for dogs, especially smaller pups. A chocolate bar is poisonous to dogs and can even be lethal.
Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not sweat by salivating. They sweat through the pads of their feet.
French poodles did not originate in France. Poodles were originally used as hunting dogs in Europe. The dogs thick coats were a hindrance in water and thick brush, so hunters sheared the hindquarters, with cuffs left around the ankles and hips to protect against rheumatism. Each hunter marked his dogs' heads with a ribbon of his own color, allowing groups of hunters to tell their dogs apart.
The greatest number of dogs ever owned by one person were 5000 mastiffs owned by Kubla Khan.
A dolphin's hearing is so acute that it can pick up an underwater sound from fifteen miles away.
The heart of a blue whale is the size of a small car.
Catfish have 100,000 taste buds
A female mackerel lays about 500,000 eggs at one time.
Sharks apparently are the only animals that never get sick. As far as is known, they are immune to every known disease including cancer.
Blue Whales weigh as much as 30 elephants and are as long as three Greyhound buses
Lobsters can live up to 50 years.
A female oyster over her lifetime may produce over 100 million young.
Killer Whales (Orcas) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.
A 42-foot sperm whale has about 7 tons of oil in it.
It can take a deep-sea clam up to 100 years to reach 0.3 inches (8 millimeters) in length. The clam is among the slowest growing, yet longest living species on the planet.
Oysters can change from one gender to another and back again depending on which is best for mating.
By swallowing water, the Pufferfish becomes too big for other fish to swallow.
Great White Sharks can go as long as three months without eating.
Shrimps' hearts are in their heads.
The biggest shark species has the smallest teeth. The 12 metre long whale shark has more than 4,000 teeth, each only 3mm long.
The Australian Sea Wasp or Box Jellyfish which is found off the coast of Queensland causes death within 3 minutes if medical aid is not administered.
The remains of diatoms, algae with hard shells, are used in making pet litter, cosmetics, pool filters and tooth polish
Many fish can change sex during the course of their lives. Others, especially rare deep-sea fish, have both male and female sex organs.
The oarfish, Regalecus glesne, is the longest bony fish in the world. With its snakelike body_sporting a magnificent red fin along its 50-foot length_horselike face and blue gills, it accounts for many sea-serpent sightings.
A father sea catfish keeps the eggs of his young in his mouth until they are ready to hatch. He will not eat until his young are born, which may take several weeks.
The Pacific Giant Octopus, the largest octopus in the world, grows from the size of pea to a 150 pound behemoth potentially 30 feet across in only two years, its entire life-span.
Horseshoe crabs have existed in essentially the same form for the past 135 million years. Their blood provides a valuable test for the toxins that cause septic shock, which previously led to half of all hospital-acquired infections and one-fifth of all hospital deaths.
The male penguin incubates the single egg laid by his mate. During the two month period he does not eat, and will lose up to 40% of his body weight.
A group of herring is called a seige. A group of jelly fish is called a smack.
The oceans contain 99 percent of the living space on the planet.
According to experts, whale songs rhyme.
The turbot fish lays approximately 14 million eggs during its lifetime.
The blood of mammals is red, the blood of insects is yellow, and the blood of lobsters is blue.
