These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tuesday Trivia

I haven't done critter trivia for a while, so here goes:


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"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great
language."

Martin Buber, (1878-1965), Austrian-born Jewish philosopher best
known for his philosophy of dialogue.
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TOP DOGS
In 1998, Russian wolfhound Olive Oyl of Grayslake, Illinois, made the Guinness Book of World Records when she skipped rope 63 times in one minute.

Chihuahua and shih tzu mix Tiny Tim of London holds the record (as of 2004) for being the tiniest dog ever. The little guy measures three inches tall at the shoulder and four inches long from nose to tail, and weighs just over a pound.

The oldest dog reliably documented was an Australian cattle dog named Bluey. After 29 years and 5 months of faithful service, Bluey was put to rest in 1939.

Border collies are widely regarded as the smartest of dogs, since they have been bred to work closely with humans for centuries. However, without enough stimulation, they can appear hyper and not quite as brilliant!

The favorite dog of ancient Egyptians, the basenji is incapable of barking, instead uttering a sound called a yodel.

Zorba, an Old English mastiff, was the world's heaviest and longest dog ever recorded. Zorba weighed 343 pounds and, from nose to tail, was eight feet three inches long.


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"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our
lives whole."

Roger Caras (1928-2001), American wildlife photographer, writer,
wildlife preservationist and television personality.
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CATS
More than 37 years old at the time of her death, Cream Puff is recognized as the oldest cat to have ever lived. In human years, she was about 165 years old when she died.

In 1952, Texan kitty Dusty set the record for birthing more kittens than any other cat in history. Dusty had more than 420 kittens before her last litter at age 18.

In Scotland, a tortoiseshell tabby named Towser was reported to have slain 28,899 mice throughout her 21 years -- an average of about four mice per day.

Though this Blue Point Himalayan died in 1997, this cat still holds the record for being the smallest cat ever. Tinker Toy was just 2.75 inches tall and 7.5 inches long and weighed about one pound eight ounces.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest cat in recorded history was an Australian kitty named Himmy that reportedly weighed more than 46 pounds in 1986.
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"Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does
any harm to ask for what you want."

Joseph Wood Krutch, (1893-1970), American writer, critic, and naturalist
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HORSES
Emerging 60 million years ago, the first horse was called Eohippus (The Dawn Horse) and was tiny, weighing only 12 pounds and standing just 14 inches high. In contrast to the modern one-toed horse, the Eohippus had four toes on its front feet and three on its hind feet.

Horses that seem wild today (such as Mustangs) are actually feral horses, usually descendants of horses that were imported to America from Spain in the sixteenth century. The only true wild horse is the Asian Wild Horse.

After horses became domesticated around 4000 B.C., many Indo-European cultures regarded horses as a supreme sacrifice to their gods and often ritually entombed horses. People in the Caucasus practiced horse sacrifice as late as the 1800s.

Though most horses live for 25-30 years, the oldest horse on record is “Old Billy,” who was a barge horse born in England and lived to the age of 62. The first year of a horse’s life is roughly comparable to 12 human years.

Horses have five highly developed senses: taste, touch, hearing, smell, and sight. They also have an enigmatic sixth sense, heightened perception, which is very rare in humans.

The eyes of a horse are larger than most other animals', and they can move independently, giving the horse a shallow panoramic vision. Because its lenses are inflexible, a horse will focus on an image by moving its head to direct light rays to the central part of the retina. Horses can also see in color.


BUTTERFLIES
Monarch butterflies journey from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of about 2,000 miles, and return to the north again in the spring.

Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees.

Many butterflies can taste with their feet to find out whether the leaf they sit on is good to lay eggs on to be their caterpillars' food or not.

Some moths never eat anything as adults because they don't have mouths. They must live on the energy they stored as caterpillars.

Butterflies and insects have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies, called the exoskeleton. This protects the insect and keeps water inside their bodies so they don’t dry out.

Some Case Moth caterpillars (Psychidae) build a case around themselves that they always carry with them. It is made of silk and pieces of plants or soil.


MONKEYS/APES
Monkeys make up two of the three groups of simian primates, Old World monkeys and New World monkeys. The other group is the apes.

Grinning or pulling the lip is a sign of aggression in monkeys, along with yawning, head bobbing, and jerking the head and shoulders forward.

The Pygmy Marmoset is the world's smallest monkey. It measures four and a half to six inches in length and weighs three to five ounces.

Most Old World monkeys have small, curved nostrils set close together. Most New World monkeys have round nostrils set far apart on flat noses.

Apes and spider monkeys swing arm-to-arm in trees, but most monkeys don’t. Instead, they run across branches.

Capuchin monkeys use different vocal sounds to identify different types of predators. They have also been seen banging stones together to warn each other of approaching predators.

6 comments:

  1. What fun facts.

    Oh, and Bonk is working her way to try to beat the record for the oldest living cat. Just 15 more years.

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  2. I thought you might take note of that factoid! Gooooooo, Bonk!!!

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  3. my kitty tiggs is going for the heaviest cat just a mere 15 pounds to go. Very interesting facts. I bet pepper could outbark any dog shes had a lot of practice

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  4. Wow, Tiggs is one big cat!!

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!