When most people say "animals," they mean living things that can move, but not humans. Science tells a different story. In biology, animals means every member of Kingdom Animalia, and that includes us!

Animals are different from plants and fungi in a few key ways. They are made of many complex cells (eukaryotic and multicellular), and they need to eat other living things for energy (heterotrophic). Most animals can move around, but a few can't, like a butterfly in its pupa stage.

Fossil records show that animal life first appeared in the oceans about 600 million years ago. So far, scientists have discovered and named about 1½ million species. They think there could be anywhere from 2 to 50 million more still out there waiting to be found. Now let's dive into some facts you'll definitely want to share with your friends!

Facts About Animals

  • Ants are social insects, and they are seriously strong! They can carry things fifty times heavier than their own weight. The giant squid has the biggest eyes in the animal kingdom, each one measures about 15 inches across. And here's a creepy one: cockroaches can survive without their heads for more than one week.
  • Some studies show they can even live for ten days, they only die because they get hungry. Tarantulas, which are large hairy spiders, can go without food for more than two years. Snails have four noses and can sleep for three years in a row!
  • Owls are the only birds that can see the color blue. They hunt at night and have eyes that are fixed in their sockets, they can't move them at all! To look to the side or behind, an owl has to turn its whole head. Chameleons are a type of lizard ranging from just 3.5 centimeters to 68.5 centimeters long. Their tongues are as long as their bodies, or even longer!
  • A chameleon with its extended tongue, showing how it reaches as long as its whole body
    A chameleon's tongue can be as long as its entire body, and it shoots out faster than a fighter jet!
    A chameleon's tongue shoots out faster than a fighter jet. Ostriches lay the biggest eggs in the world, and their eyes are actually larger than their brains! One ostrich egg can weigh up to 5 pounds. The world's biggest snakes are the pythons and anacondas.
    Ostriches in a field, the world's largest birds
    Ostriches lay the largest eggs of any living bird, a single egg can weigh up to 5 pounds.
  • A python kills its prey by coiling around it until the animal stops breathing. The bigger the meal, the longer digestion takes. Because of this, a python might only need to eat 4-5 times a year. Like bats, dolphins use echolocation, they send out sounds and listen to the echoes to find food in the water.
  • Two bottlenose dolphins leaping out of the ocean
    Dolphins use echolocation to hunt, and sleep with one eye open and half their brain still awake.
    When a dolphin sleeps, it closes one eye and keeps half its brain active. The estuarine crocodile is the world's largest living reptile. Crocodiles go completely blind underwater.
  • They also can't tell colors apart, crocodiles are colorblind. Whale sharks have more teeth than any other animal in the world.
    A whale shark gliding through deep blue ocean water
    The whale shark's mouth holds over 4,000 tiny teeth, each one about the size of a match head.
  • Believe it or not, a whale shark has more than 4,000 teeth, each one only about 3-4 millimeters long. Elephants have the longest pregnancy of any land animal: 22 months.
    An African elephant mother with her newborn calf on the savanna at sunset
    Elephant calves are born after a 22-month pregnancy, nearly blind, they stay close to their mothers for years.
  • Elephant calves are born nearly blind. They stay close to their mothers for many years while they learn and grow.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can an ant carry compared to its body weight?

Ants can carry things up to 50 times heavier than their own weight.

How long is an elephant's pregnancy?

The gestation period of elephants is 22 months, the longest of any land animal.

How do dolphins sleep?

When asleep, dolphins close one eye, and only one half of their brain is active.

What bird can see blue color?

Owls are the only bird which can visualize blue color.

What are the world's largest snakes?

The world's largest snakes are the pythons and anacondas.

Take the Animal Kingdom Quiz!

5 quick questions about the wild and amazing facts in this article.

These are just a few of the amazing things animals can do. Scientists are still discovering new species every year, so there are plenty more surprises waiting out there!

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