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The Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) is known to belong to the family Muridae. This rat is found in Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Pacific. They are found in various islands in the central and western Pacific. The habitat of this rat includes scrubs, forests, and grasslands. These rats can also be found in cultivated lands, houses, and granaries. The preferred elevations are below 3280 ft (1000 m). The diet or food of this rat includes grasses, seeds, fruits, broadleaf plants, and they are also known to feed on earthworms, spiders, insects, and cicadas....

The Siberian musk deer is a little, stocky musk deer living in the rugged forest districts of northeast Asia. It is most commonly found in the Taiga forest of Siberia. With a kangaroo-like face, long, solid hind legs, shorter and more vulnerable forelimbs, a small tail, and an especially angled back, these creatures prefer to live with their family in the jungles of northeast Asia and China. In contrast to other deer species, the male deer don’t have prongs yet develop canine teeth during the reproducing season....

If you like reading about different monkeys, you will love this article on the silvery lutung. The silvery lutung has the scientific name Trachypithecus cristatus and they arealso known as silvery langurs. This monkey is a member of the Old World monkey group that is found living in different kinds of forests and plantations. They are arboreal in nature and spend the majority of their time in the trees of different forests, rarely leaving these trees....

The tassle filefish is a ray-finned fish known by several other names due to its appendages and projections on its body. It is known as the leafy filefish, tasselled leatherjacket, and the prickly leatherjacket because of its dermal appendages and its sandpapery skin. These features are useful for camouflaging to avoid predators. It is the most peculiar-looking fish that is found in the marine waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Within these waters, it inhabits sandy bottoms, weeds, reefs, and corals in the neritic zone up to depths of 147 ft (45 m)....

The Vogelkop superb bird-of-paradise is a bird that was, until recently, thought to be conspecific with the greater bird-of-paradise species. It is known by a few other names, such as the crescent-caped Lophorina, and the curl-caped bird-of-paradise. It is officially declared as its own species in 2018. It is native to the Bird’s Neck Peninsula of Indonesia’s Western New Guinea. The bird has gained so much hype thanks to its courtship dance display being featured on the ‘Planet Earth’ TV show by David Attenborough....

Do you enjoy studying different insect species? These facts about wasps will surely keep you hooked. Wasps belong to the family of Vespidae, with innumerable species and sub-species strewn across the world. The life cycle of wasps is intriguing as they are very different from the bees (although they have a somewhat similar appearance and behavior). They can sting just like a bee but do not die - they can offer continuous blows....

The watchtowers built on the Great Wall of China are also known as beacon towers or guard towers.The beacon towers served as a Chinese military passage and also to keep an eye on their enemies. During the daytime, smoke used to be created by soldiers and during the nighttime, a fire was lit to warn their fellow troops.Watchtowers were typically placed on high elevations such as mountain summits or hilltops to provide greater viewing opportunities....

Crabs are famous among humans due to the tasty meat they provide.Crabs belong to the decapods group, meaning they have ten legs and belong to the family called Brachyura. Crabs are crustaceans that don’t always live in a deep blue sea.A large number of crabs live on land. There are more than 6,000 species of crab in the world. Generally, crabs are nothing but water spiders. Though spiders and crabs are not closely related this remark is made due to the legs....

These green leaves are greatly associated with St. Patrick’s Day and are considered to be a lucky charm.Four-leaf clovers are more commonly known as white clover, their scientific name being Trifolium repens. The term ‘Trifolium’ means ’three’ and the literal meaning of the entire term is ‘a trio of leaves’.In Ireland, three-leaf clovers are highly honored and they are in fact considered as the unofficial national flower of the country of Ireland....

Imagine walking around with a 5 ft (1.5 m) penguin right behind you, or admiring the beautiful blue sky with a giant parrot flying across it.Now, try thinking what a mess it would be if you got pooped on by giant parrots! It would probably be a vet’s nightmare to help a gigantic mammal give birth to her 38 offspring.Thanks to some huge catastrophes, these beasts are extinct from the face of our planet today....

Pet parents Alex and Lizzie describe the sweet bichon frise they know and love as “the ultimate survivor.” You wouldn’t know it from his disposition now, but their fluffy little ball of joy named Finn grew up in deplorable conditions. It wasn’t until little Finn came to them as a foster pup that he had his first taste of what a life of love could look like. The couple tells Daily Paws that Finn’s long road to recovery began in March of 2019, when the pup was placed in their home through Angels Among Us, an Atlanta-based rescue group who found Finn—along with 700 other dogs—in horrible conditions....

Traditionally, a zombie is depicted as a brainless corpse that feeds on human flesh or, in simple words, dead people or dead bodies that walk.Zombies are not considered cannibals because they consume living humans and not other zombies. The first zombie stories were published in the 1600s.People were formerly buried alive if they were in a coma because physicians misinterpreted it as death. When robbers dug up their graves to steal jewels, the bodies sometimes appeared to resurrect....

vacation photo of Murphy before getting lost Credit: Courtesy of Brooklyn Richardson Losing a beloved pet is defeating, but it’s even worse when you lose them far away from home—1,200 to be exact in the case of the Richardson family in Arlington, Texas. They lost their foster dog, Murphy, while vacationing in Minnesota. But thanks to the kindness of strangers and a little luck, they reunited against long odds. Brooklyn Richardson was hiking with Murphy and her family July 13 at Carlton’s Peak in Superior National Forest when disaster struck....

Have you ever wondered why do we feast on turkey on Thanksgiving?Thanksgiving is around the corner and we have people drooling for turkey, mash potato, and pumpkin pie. This festival helps to get us into the holiday season.Thanksgiving is the most awaited holiday season for many. It is a national holiday across the United States, Canada, and other countries or cultures celebrating Christmas and Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 by the people or the pilgrims of the New World for their first harvest....

1930 was a year of inventions and milestones.It was in 1930 that the first sound cartoon show was released. On August 16, a short animated feature named ‘Fiddlesticks,’ produced and directed by Ub Iwerks formally from the Walt Disney Company, made its debut in movie theaters.The US government was busy with a massive public works project at this time, which was part of the government’s plan to boost the falling US economy....

Bavaria (Bayern) is a fascinating region of Germany that has a lot to offer tourists and ex-pats.From its rich history and Bavarian culture to its politics and economy, there is much to learn about this unique area. From its snow-capped mountains and national park sites to its crystal-clear lakes, there is something for everyone in Bavaria!On January 18, 1871, the German Empire was established, with the County of Bavaria as one of its foundation states....

woman walking dog as her dog is sniffing; things to do with your pet for a healthier new year Credit: Brie Goldman In 2023, I think we can all agree that we want to do our best to keep our pets happy and healthy. But we need to make sure we’re extending ourselves the same courtesy. That’s why we’ve come up with five things we can do with our pets in the coming 11....

A common question asked by many people is how fast a shark can swim.They are ocean animals but they attack their prey like other animals on land. Therefore, they need to swim fast to catch their prey even in water.Smaller sharks or streamlined species swim faster compared to larger bulkier sharks. An average speed a shark can swim at is 5 mph (8 kph) but still, they are found swimming at a slow speed around 1....

Antarctic prions are prions that are also known as whalebirds and small petrels. They are found in the Southern Ocean waters and in the breeding season, along the coasts of the islands around Antarctica. Places like the Crozet, Kerguelen, Auckland, Heard, South Georgia and Sandwich, and the South Orkney Islands are where they breed. In the non-breeding season, they return to their preferred pelagic, marine habitats. They are mostly colored blue, gray, and white....

Bowerbirds are amazing birds that are also creative engineers! The satin bowerbird species from Australia (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) is famous for its beautiful sense of decoration and its peculiar tradition of males decorating nests with bright colored stones, flowers, or insect skeletons to attract females. The male bower is famous all over for creating complex yet beautiful structures as part of their mating ritual and the structures created by the male species bower can be divided into three main types (avenue, display courts and maypole structures)....