Generally useless facts, in a generally useless order, about four-legged, two-legged, six-legged, eight-legged, too-many-to-count-legged, and unlegged creatures that walk, jump, crawl, climb, clamber, swim, fly, squirm, creep, or burrow around us. Don't worry; they're mostly harmless.

The closest animal to the "antelope" mentioned in Home on the Range is the pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) which is not a true antelope. It also doesn't sound as good when you sing it.

Wild cats do not bury their feces, unless they are very frightened.

The praying mantis is the only animal with one ear.

Most cows give more milk if they listen to music.

Hummingbirds can fly 500 miles without stopping.

Termites are deaf.

Kangaroos are lactose intolerant.

Chickens can live up to 14 years.

Elephants really like licorice.

One tablespoon of honey is the life's work of twelve bees.

Tuna can swim 100 miles a day.

The average dairy cow produces 6000 quarts of milk a year.

The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head.

Dogs do sweat. While they cool themselves by panting, they also sweat though the pads of their feet and have sweat glands on their backs.

A rat can go longer without water than a camel can.

The average cat has 24 whiskers, 12 on each side of its nose.

A chicken can live for about 14 years.

Most species of bees in the U.S. are not social, and don't belong to hives. Honey bees and bumble bees are the only two exceptions.

Bears don't truly hibernate. They sleep most of the winter, but do wake up (females often even deliver cubs). Animals that are truly hibernating cannot be awakened.

A hippopotamus can outrun a man.

A bobcat is about twice the size of an average house cat.

Mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.

Penguins can jump as high as 6 feet in the air.

There is a difference between buffalo and bison. The animal native to the U.S. is actually a bison; true buffalo species live in Africa and Asia.

Frogs swallow by closing their eyes.

The cane toad secretes a substance called bufotenine through its skin. The chemical is very toxic, but can cause hallucinations if ingested in small quantities. Many people throughout the country have been hospitalized after licking cane toads to achieve the hallucinogenic effects. Authorities say that toad-licking is not illegal, unless they can prove the toad-user licked the toad on purpose

A kangaroo cannot jump if its tail is lifted off the ground.

There are about as many chickens on the planet as people.

Female aphids are born pregnant.

Cats can make about 100 vocal sounds, while dogs make only about ten.

A white pelican is larger than its parents by the time it reaches two months of age. It also weighs six pounds more than it will weigh as an adult.

The elephant is the only mammal that cannot jump.

Even if you cut off a cockroach's head, it can live for several weeks.

40% of dog and cat owners carry pictures of the pets in their wallets.

Queen bees only use their stingers on other queen bees.

You can only smell 1/20th as well as a dog.

Insecticides have their greatest effect on roaches and flies if used at about 4:00 pm.

The whale shark is the biggest fish alive today, and may be the biggest fish to ever exist. It eats only krill (tiny shrimps).

Spiders will not build webs on any object made of chestnut wood.

The great while shark is always hungry; it will eat even if it has just taken a meal.

The oldest known goldfish lived to 41 years of age. Its name was Fred.

You're more likely to get stung by a bee on a windy day than in any other weather.

Cat urine glows under a black light.

If a gorilla sticks its tongue out, it is angry.

Greyhounds have the best eyesight of any dog breed.

Mosquitos have 47 teeth.

If an orangutan belches at you, watch out. He's warning you to stay out of his territory.

Spotted skunks do handstands before they spray.

Some elephants remain standing after they die.

The albatross can glide on air currents for several days without beating its wings, and can even sleep while in flight.

Caterpillars have over four thousand muscles. Humans have only 639.

One fourth of all the mammal species on earth are bat species.

Snakes hear with their tongues.

Bovine recycle!! Cattle are often forced by ranchers to swallow magnets while still calves. The magnets attract all of the nails, tacks, and bits of barbed wire the animal might swallow while eating. When the animal is slaughtered, the magnet is retrieved and the metal sold for scrap.

In the early '80s, a toad was discovered that meows instead of croaking.

Crocodiles are fast runners on land, but cannot turn well. To evade a chasing crocodile, a person should run in a zig-zag pattern.

Worldwide, more people are killed each year by donkeys than are killed in airline crashes.

In 1880, there were over two billion passenger pigeons in the United States. By 1914, they were extinct.

In China, dogs are banned in many cities and police routinely kill stray dogs on sight. In 1994, the government began to force veterinarians out of business.

Backyard birdfeeders are considered a menace by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The feeders attract certain birds, such as blue jays, that compete with native endangered birds for nesting space in certain parts of the country.

Rodents' teeth grow all their lives. Pet hamsters, gerbils and rats often have to have their teeth clipped by veterinarians if they don't get enough hard objects to chew on.

Dogs have a small number of color receptors in their eyes and can be trained to detect color (although they normally ignore color). Cats either lack color receptors or are less motivated to learn to discriminate colors.

Rule of Thumb: A healthy cat can normally jump onto or over a wall of that has a height three times the length of the cat's tail.