Animal Trivia

[nickicat]

Post anything you want that is interesting and fun about any animal.

[nickicat]

From Petfinder.org

How Rottweilers got their Markings

A long time ago, when men were alone and afraid on this new earth, the Great Being looked over
all the dogs that had been created. He wanted that one special one, the one who would forever
be the perfect companion for mankind.

There were fast dogs, long and sleek, there were massive dogs, slow but sure, dogs with keen noses,
dogs with keen hearing and dogs who could hunt down lions. Dogs who could retrieve and dogs
who could herd sheep. All of these were good dogs, but not what the creator had in mind.

Finally there was one dog. He looked rather plain. Medium to large sized, and all black, with a
head like a bear and no tail. The dog was to be tested, to see if he was the one to be at mans side
forever. And so the plain, black "bear like" dog was sent to mans fire. At first the men feared him.
But the dog looked down....

" I am sent to be at your side, to be part of all the man does". "You are black and strong like a bear! What if you eat our children?" they spoke. "I would not do that, "said the dog,"for I love man."

For three days and two nights the dog went with man while he hunted, and helped track down
game, he protected their flocks, and chased away the wild animals who sought to harm them. He
pulled their loads and supplies, and guarded their valuables. On the third night, a small girl came
to him. She was frightened by dreams she had. So the plain black dog laid with her, and his head
rested gently upon her. As she dreamed of scary creatures, the dog entered her dreams and fought
them off. If she dreamed she was lost in the darkest quicksand, the dog would run to pull her out
. All night long the dog nevered from the little girls side. All night long he battled the demons in
her sleep. When she awoke she hugged tightly her new friend, and kissed him once on each cheek,
and above each eye. Her hands stroked his feet where he had waded in the quicksand, her arms
hugged tightly his chest, and stroked his powerful muzzle and throat. Giggling and playing with
her new friend and protector she even patted his behind. The child and dog became inseparable,
and the dog felt only undying love for the child.

The Geat Being whispered in the dogs ear, then. "You have passed your test, for many dogs can hunt
and guard and herd, but you were not only willing to give your life, you went into the world of
man and entered his darkest dreams and fears. You did not run, but stayed by his side.
You have earned the love of even the youngest child, as it should be". When the Great Beings
voice faded like a gentle breeze, the plain black tailless dog shivered with happiness, and all the
places the little girl had touched and hugged him became a wonderful mahogany color. And the
Rottweiler was sent to be at the side of man, where is his place. But always in his noble heart is a
special place of love, for the little ones, The children.

[nickicat]

Hamster Trivia and History
Hamster Trivia

The hamsters native habitat is the deserts of Asia.

Golden (Syrian) Hamsters Originated from the Middle Eastern Country Of Syria.

In the wild hamsters burrows can be up to 2 metres deep.

Hamsters are colour blind.

A human year is equal to 25 hamster years.

Hamsters got their name from the word 'Hamstern' which means to 'hoard' in German.

Hamsters are very good at escaping from anywhere.

A male hamster is called a 'buck' and a female called a 'doe'.

Hamsters are allergic to Cedar.

Hamsters can only see up to six inches in front of them.

Hamsters can drink milk as long as it doesn't go sour.

Because hamsters are desert animals, they like to conserve water and so it is quite normal for them to eat their own droppings so they can save as much water as possible.

The gestation period for the female hamster is 16 days.

Hamsters can have up to 7 babies at a time.

Baby hamsters are called 'puppies'.

Hamsters cannot swim and therefore do not need baths - they clean themselves without any difficulty anyway.

Hamsters can remember their relatives.

Hamsters can be taught their name and to come to you when you call it.

When dwarf hamsters are pregnant, you can determine the sex of the babies! By controlling the temperature in the room the mother is kept, you can manipulate whether she will have more boys or girls. If you keep her in warmer temperatures, she will have more boys. If you keep her in cooler temperatures, she will have more girls.


Hamster History
The Syrian Hamster or also known as the golden hamster was first described by G.R Waterhouse in 1839. However, the first time a group of hamsters were caught was in 1930. They were caught by Professor I Aharoni who was a zoologist in Jerusalum at that time who spotted them near Alleppo in the Syria desert (hence the name Syrian Hamster).The hamsters were found in a deep burrow which had a mother and 12 babies (puppies).

Unfortuantly, when the hamsters were brought into captivity only 3 of the 12 young had survived.

From Jerusalem, scientists took them to laboratories in France, England and, in 1938, to the United States. After that hamsters multiplyed and over the years they became one of the most popular domestic pets in the world. We now have all different types of hamsters like Albinos, Dwarfs, Russian and Chinese.

All present-day Golden Hamsters in captivity with the exception of a few brought back by travellers and military men are the descendants of that first tiny family found in Syria.

In Syria and other Middle Eastern countries where hamsters are common, the farmers do not only harvest their own fields, they dig into the hamsters' granaries as well. In each burrow they find a storage bin which may hold anywhere between 30 and 60 pounds of grain which the hamsters have stored away for the winter.

One of the characteristics of the hamster, like many rodents, is to stuff their cheeks full of food, this is a common hamster activity.


http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/pets/hamsters/hamsters_trivhistory.html

[Sara Gillespie]

http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/marine/manatees/manatee_about.html

[Sara Gillespie]

Your hamster info is very interesting.

[thalia]

a dog mouth is cleaner than a human

[Tyler]

a dog is 4 times less likely to get an infection then humans and cows are 8 times less likely. I learned that the other day at the vet office i work at.

[PetBrags Pet Lovers Paradise]

Great stuff everyone! Very interesting on the Hamster info! And Tyler, awesome that u work at a vet's office.

[ROSIENTUCKER]

The Shih Tzu is often called "the chrysanthemum-faced dog" because of the way the hair grows around their face.