The Most Fascinating Animals On Earth

We live in a world that is abundant in life forms: plant life, animal life, species that dominate the land, the sea and the air, microscopic species, hairy species, intelligent species, dumb species, mutant species...but to date i am not aware of any useless species. Every living thing seems to play its part in the "grand scheme" of things. The millions of species that scientists have identified so far represent a very small portion of the life on earth.

The animal kingdom in particular contains some of the most fascinating species. It only takes a quick glance at the Discovery channel to realize this fact. The following are tidbits of information and great hubs that have been written on some of the most fascinating animals on Earth.

Ants are one of the most populous living creatures on the planet. (Contrary to what a lot of people believe, humans are not the most populous species. In fact, there are probably even more chickens than humans on Earth.)

Ants are organized creatures and share many similarities with humans. One quick look at the amazing world of ants and you'll discover that they also have their own civilizations or colonies and a social structure (queen, workers, etc).They gather stockpiles of food for times when collecting food is difficult (eg winter). Ants can carry many times their own weight and this is often seen where ants carry other, larger dead insects or leaves.The movement of the mandible or jaw of some ant species is said to be among the "fastest self-powered predatory strike in the animal kingdom"^ref.

They can walk on all surfaces (horizontal, vertical, upside down) utilizing their complex foot system consisting of claws and a sticky pad (arolium) in between that can be likened to geckos feet. Plus, ants can fall from virtually any height unharmed, due to their small size and therefore low terminal velocity. While most ants walk, some ants have wings and can fly and one species found in Australian swamps can even swim!

Are Ants Intelligent? They can communicate with each other using pheromones and chemicals by rubbing their antennae together - this is how so many of them know the path to your food! They can wage wars and capture slaves, exhibiting teamwork. 

An interesting dolphin fact: dolphins are mammals, not fish! This hub explains why. They live on average 20 years and not only are they cute, they are very intelligent. I'll bet that if aliens visited earth, they wouldn't worry about us humans, they'd communicate directly with the dolphins as a superior and more intelligent species! (Meanwhile we're mostly fascinated by their acrobatics and tricks in the pool!) 

They have good eyesight and superior hearing above and below water - their jaw and teeth structure is believed to receive and interpret sound waves in such a way as they are able to pinpoint the location of the sound origin. Dolphins have also been known to be protective of humans, circling around them when a shark is in the vicinity. Allegedly, they seem to be fascinated by pregnant women - a dolphin's sonar abilities may help them to see an ultrasound of the baby inside the mother's womb.

Like humans, these mammals also have sex simply for pleasure. They generally swim and feed in families called pods and tend to care for other injured dolphins, even those that don't belong in their pod. Swimming with dolphins and listening to their sounds is a very relaxing and beneficial experience, especially for those suffering illnesses like depression.    

More amazing facts about dolphins. 

Elephants are the largest land creatures. They are "big", they are heavy, and they have an appetite to match (to compensate for inefficient digestion). Like dolphins, their biggest predator is humans who hunt their tusks for ivory.

The elephant's trunk is most intriguing. It has two finger-like projections on the tip that encloses around objects and food to lift them. It is also sensitive to touch. Elephants drink by snorting water up their trunk and then blowing it back in their mouth (really!). They use their trunks when greeting other elephants and raise it as a warning to others when threatened. Notwithstanding the above, the trunk is also obviously the elephant's "nose" which provides a very sophisticated sense of smell that can even locate the direction of food and other elephants.

An elephant's "pillar" shaped foot is designed to support its heavy weight, but is also thought to be sensitive enough to sense imminent danger through vibrations in the ground. In fact, using their feet elephants can communicate with each other over long distances. (Their trunk can also act like a listening device. When placed on the ground it can help pick up vibrations.)

Elephants are also intelligent creatures, with a very good memory (apparently they never forget!). Elephants love painting. Yes, painting as in creating artwork - this is a common attraction at some zoos! (Hey, they find it relaxing, plus they love the attention!)

50 Silly But True Animal Facts

Some Fascinating facts about Animals! (Miscellaneous)

Biomimicry: Inventions Inspired by Animals

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