daily-animal-facts

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Have you ever heard of a mountain chicken? You might have thanks to a popular audio going around!

The mountain chicken actually have several names, like the Dominican white-lipped frog, the giant ditch frog, and crapaud! They are found in the Caribbean, and are considered culturally appropriate.

While they used to be abundant, due to habit loss and over hunting, they are unfortunately endangered now.

Picture by discovermni.com

Picture by National Geographic

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/mountain-chicken-how-we-almost-lost-the-caribbeans-largest-frog.html

ETA: my sister demanded that I add the audio that made most people aware of a mountain chicken. Warning, there is swears

[daily-animal-facts]

Pangolins have the nickname scaly anteaters, which is because of the scales that they are covered in. The scales that give them such good defense are actually made out of keratin, which is the same thing our fingernails are made of!

There are 8 species, with 4 living in Asia, and the other 4 living in Africa.

Unfortunately, they are also one of, if not the most, trafficked animal. Their scales are the main reason, though they are also trafficked for their meat.

Picture from savepangolins.org

Picture from christneelder.com

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So sorry for missing yesterday's fact! To compensate, you'll get two facts today!

[daily-animal-facts]

Elephants are currently the largest land mammal in the world, and are highly intelligent to boot!

Despite posts circulating around, the do not think we are cute, like how we think of puppies. Sorry for those whose day is ruined because of this.

That isn't to say, however, humans and elephants can't have close bonds! Lawrence Anthony is an example of this, as he had close bonds with a herd of elephants he had saved. Upon his death, the herd walked two days to get to his home, where they then appeared to mourn his passing, though it is unclear how they knew he died. They proceeded to return every year to his home to mourn.

Picture from Wikipedia on African elephants

And as a bonus, here is a donation link for Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. They were unfortunately hit by a devastating flood a few months ago, and as the best elephant rehab and sanctuary in Thailand, they could really use any support they can get.

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When most people think about raccoons, one of the first things that may come to mind is calling them trash pandas or tricksters. What not many realize, though, is that they are actually very intelligent!

Through several studies and tests, researchers have concluded that raccoons place just below monkeys in terms of intelligence, and far above dogs and cats. They are able to solve puzzles, and even sometimes display a use of tools!

Pictures by me! (There was a mama and three babies living in my barn at one point)

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/11/raccoon

[daily-animal-facts]

One of my favorite primates are gibbons! They have the longest arms relative to their size out of any other primate, and they use them to throw themselves up to 30 ft (9m) between branches.

An interesting breed of gibbon is the northern white-cheeked gibbon, as they start off as white, turn black, and then just the females turn back to white.

Gibbons aren't great apes like us, and instead fall into the lesser ape category. Personally, I believe they should be with us in the great apes category, but that's my opinion.

Picture from the organ zoo!

https://neprimateconservancy.org/northern-white-cheeked-gibbon/

[daily-animal-facts]

Although there is a high bias against coyotes, one thing that might endear them to you is that they are highly monogamous! In a study by Ohio State University, they found that 100% of urban coyotes tested stayed loyal to their partners.

Male and female coyotes both raise the cubs, and will go out hunting together, with the male scouting the area first in case of danger.

Photo from Safaris Africana

https://news.osu.edu/urban-coyotes-never-stray-new-study-finds-100-percent-monogamy/

https://safarisafricana.com/animals-that-mate-for-life/

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Did you know that flamingos might have inspired the myth of the Phoenix? There are three types of volcano flamingos that nest near volcanos in South America; the Andean, the Chilean, and the James's flamingo.

They build their nests in hot, usually uninhabitable areas, where the chicks hatch with their gray feathers. Later, through their diet, the flamingos turn a familiar pink due to their diet of shrimp.

It isn't hard to see how someone in the past could consider them birds of fire who are reborn from ash!

Pictures by me!

[daily-animal-facts]

Reblogging this to show that yes, crocodillians can move very fast! It is for the best that you don't harass them in the wild, and give a wide berth. But also, if you do have to clear an area of them (like a boat launch), remote control is the best way to go.

And yes, it is primate nature to mess with other animals. I'll have a post on that in the future!

just fucking with some dinosaurs. some raw forces of nature

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It's hard to choose the first fact to go on here, but I will have to go with one about my favorite animal, the turtle!

Box turtles get their name from their specialized shell, which allows them to close up completely. Unlike most turtles, their plastron (the bottom of the shell) has a special hinge, letting them close to the point it makes it hard for anything to reach their insides.

Pictured below are eastern box turtles, which are endangered in some states. Pictures taken by me!

[daily-animal-facts]

Howdy! Welcome to Daily Animal Facts, where I give you, well, daily animal facts! Hope you all enjoy, and feel free to submit any facts you think should be shared!

And if y'all ever notice I get something wrong, feel free to correct me! I am totally up for correcting my mistakes.