I have been a lover of wildlife, environment and generally Mother Nature right from when I was little. I remembered staying glue to our T.V set to watch “Wild America” on NTA 2 Channel 5 and “Animals in Action” on Lagos Television (LTV) in those good old days. The mission of this thread is to expose many of us (myself inclusive) to the mysteries that make up these creatures we share this water Planet with. Any hidden, mysterious, facts you know about animals (plants and insects are included please) that can be educative will be fully appreciated, this is supposed to be an interactive thread as well, you are free to ask questions and post pictures too! I believe many brilliant minds will be here to educate us all. Let me kick start this thread while quoting from my book, ‘Some Raw Facts of Our World’

• Rhino horn is a tightly packed hair, a form of keratin like human hair and toenails.

• Sea ice is critical to Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) survival, a platform from which they hunt their prey, mainly seals.

• A full-grown elephant needs about 140 kilograms of food and up to 200 litres of water every day.

• Elephants help their sick and injured ones. Cows often watch over dead calves, sometimes covering them with leaves and branches before moving on.

• Tiger parts are used in Traditional Chinese medicines for treatment of rheumatism and devil possession.

• Old and sick tigers and lions may become man-eaters as humans are considered easier prey.

• The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) has the sharpest hoof and most powerful kick of all the animals.

• The Sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) is a match for a lion in combats.

• A full-grown dog is no match for a ratel (honey-badger).

• Snakes have powerful digestive enzymes (specialized proteins) to break down the hair, feathers, bones and other parts of their prey.

• Among the giant snakes (boids) and birds of prey, females are credited with their superiority and huge stature over their male counterparts.

• Elephant’s trunks are said to contain an estimated 40,000 number of muscles.

• The Ocean sunfish (Mola mola) produces up to 30,000,000 eggs in a clutch.

• Of all the whales, the one with the longest arms (front fins or flippers) is the Humpback (Megaptera novaengliae), which can grow to a length of 16 feet (5 metres).

• The illegal trade in wild fauna and flora has an international value of US $8 billion annually

channels television has been vindicated.

Who cares :-