The fun encyclopedia of animals is here! See pictures, wallpapers and videos and read fun reviews of products for animals, how tos, and fun stories about our animal friends here.
Humans may be king of the animal world when it comes to evolution, but we are flailing down the hearing ranks. Although our hearing isn't as sensitive as some of these guys below (ours is a limited 2 to 5 kiloherz) - the way our brain processes vibrations into sound that then does amazing things to our memory and processing banks, evoking emotions is nothing less than magical. But, how does it all work? For more information on how humans hear, check out www.hiddenhearing.co.uk. However, let's not take away the glory from these hearing heavyweights, here's the top 10 animals with amazing hearing:
1. The greater wax moth
This little guy has the hearing crown, with a hearing frequency of up to 300 kiloherz, it can hear 150 times more than us and can even hear 100 herz above a bat (but as the bat is its number one predator it's going to need to outwit it somehow). Dr. Hannah Moir, told The Daily Mail: "Many species of moth have evolved ultrasound-sensitive ears owing to the predation pressure of echo-locating bats - this system is one of the best known examples of an evolutionary 'arms-race' between predator and prey."
2. Elephants
It's no surprise really, with ears that big, that the elephant is going to be in the top 10! Their hearing frequency is somewhere in between 16 herz to 12 kiloherz which is a huge range and they can hear at a frequency 20 times lower than us.
3. Bats
Bats come second only to the moth. They use a biological sonar system called echolocation to find their way around in the pitch black. Their frequency level is around 212 kiloherz.
4. Dolphins
Like bats, dolphins use echolocation, waiting for sound to bounce back, so it's like seeing with sound. Their frequency range is 75 herz to 150 kiloherz.
5. Cats
Cats have a good frequency range - at 45 herz to 64 kiloherz it's far better than ours, so there's no point trying to sneak up on your cat!
6. Dogs
A dog's hearing is similar to a cat, they hear better at a higher pitch and can even differentiate between their owner's footsteps and strangers. People have reported that their dogs know they are coming home before they even get there!
7. Owl
An owl's frequency range is between 200 herz to 12 kiloherz, and with their excellent eyesight and a head that can nearly turn 360 degrees you really don't want to be its potential prey!
8. Rat
Our friendly rodent has a better hearing range than the cat, which is just as well for them. At 200 herz to 76 kiloherz they can hear an incy-wincy spider coming down the drain pipe.
9. Horse
Horses need to have a good hearing as well as they actually have many predators in the wild - they are a flight animal and rely heavily on their hearing, which is much better than their sight. Their frequency range is 55 herz to 33 kiloherz. They can move their ears in the direction of the sound. 10. Pigeons
Pigeons have an incredibly low hearing frequency, something like 0.5 herz! This helps them to hear sound over long distance and to detect storms and helps them to navigate over long distances. According to OneKind they are only one of four animals that can recognize themselves in a mirror which was worth a mention in itself!
Animals, like humans, have their own way with communication with their species. It was long thought that rats used their whiskers to communicate, but a research from the University of Sheffield discovered that their whiskers might actually be more than just a means of communication. The research found that rats actually deliberately change their whisker’s movement and position, depending on a number of factors like familiarity of the place and the chance of bumping into an object. They use their whiskers like humans use their fingers. This means that they purposefully use their whiskers to pick up information from their environment.
Vibrissae are think, long hairs that are found on a number of mammals, except on humans. These are specialized for touch or tactile sensing. Vibrissae are actually found all over the body, however facial vibrissae or whiskers are to most obvious and frequently studied. Small mammals like rats commonly used their whiskers when exploring the surrounding. This is called “whisking” and is assumed to carry sensory advantages for them. While whisking lets the animal locate an interesting stimulus, researchers weren’t sure about how the animal was actually able to control the movements of their whiskers.
During the research, the rats were “blinded” for a few days and made to run mazes for food. The researchers noticed how their whiskers moved and changed direction depending on what was available in the environment. When the rats were new in the environment, they’d use their whiskers to scan though the area and once they became more familiar to it, they made smaller whisker movements.
Rats, like humans, will show kindness to strangers, but only if the rats in distress are of a familiar type, a new study has found.
Neurobiologists from the University of Chicago have discovered that rats display empathy-like behavior toward other rats, but the basis of that empathy is environmental, rather than genetic. The creatures aren’t born with an innate motivation to help rats of their own kind, but instead those with whom they are socially familiar.
New rat genus A prominent tuft of spiny hair on the back, a white tail tip and three pairs of teats represent the unique set of characteristics describing a new genus of rat which has been discovered in the Moluccan province of Indonesia. This region had a profound influence on the British Naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace who independently developed the theory of evolution alongside Charles Darwin. The international team of zoologists was led by the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense in Indonesia and the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the University of Copenhagen
One hundred years after the death of Sir Alfred Russel Wallace, an international team of zoologists has discovered a new genus of mammal in the Halmahera Island in Indonesia. It is located in Wallacea, an Eastern Indonesian region named after the British Naturalist himself. The team was surprised to find the new endemic rodent close to the locality of Boki Mekot, a mountainous area under severe ecological threat due to mining and deforestation.
When it comes to pet rats, rat breeds tend to be a confusing subject, with a number of exotic pet owners asking, What’s the rarest rat breed?
In jest, Remy, the gourmand-rat from the 2007 animated hit Ratatouille, would one truly rare pet rat, given Remy’s culinary capacities and capabilities. After all, who wouldn’t welcome a kitchen maestro into his or her home?
But jokes aside, to determine a “rare rat breed” is not as exactly like determining a rare dog or cat breed. What’s rare, as most exotic pet circles note about rats, is not exactly the “breed” of a rat, but rather its “type”.
A “show worthy” Siamese Rat, for example, is considered to be quite highly valued, even though Siamese Rats are considered to be commonly found in pet stores. As rats, a Siamese Rat is defined by a cream-hued coat with blue points or seal-hued points, generally looking just like how Siamese Cats look like.
Also, apart from bearing a Siamese Cat-like coat, Siamese Rats are known to have distinct eye colors, typically in shades of red or pink. When talking about rare Siamese Rats, black-eyed Siamese Rats are generally considered to be quite rare and hard to find, and when matched with a perfectly blended coat, they would be the perfect rat candidates for the “rare rat breed” distinction.
Also, just as black-eyed Siamese Rats are considered to be unique, black-eyed white rats are considered to be rare, with most white rats having red or pink-hued eyes.
Though not exactly breeds, the two types of rats mentioned above are among the few types of known rare rats.
Rats being kept as pets may not fall along the “dogs kept as pets” convention, but as many owners of pet rats have come to share, their companionship as pets is often compared to having a dog around.
Featured as a villainous character in the 1986 animated classic The Great Mouse Detective, Ratigan managed to capture certain rat characteristics, showing the myriad of rat personalities known to be.
Though rats are not exactly “villainous” by nature, their intelligence and tenacity for survival has pegged them as a type of vermin in most parts of the world, but in no way does this mean that they are impossible to keep as pets.
Rats kept as pets in enclosures are relatively easy to take care, requiring only regular bathing, an ample supply of water and food to keep them going. Needless to say, it is advisable to get a pet rat from an accredited specialty pet store, since the rats from these venues are cleared of any diseases, rabies, and other parasites.
With rats being social creatures, it is often advised to keep them in groups, with same sex groups being a healthy group. Male rats are known to get along pretty well with other males, especially when we’re talking about siblings who’ve known each other since birth.
Though challenging, training rats to do tricks is possible to do, though this isn’t as relatively easy as teaching dogs to fetch or roll over or play dead.
Between male and female rats, males tend to be more lax while females tend to be more active, ie more playful. Also, female rats tend to have softer fur when compared to males, and knowing about these rat attributes would greatly help a potential pet rat owner in which type of rat to pick out as a pet.
Smart and generally pleasant company to keep, attention should be given to pet rats, since interaction helps keep their personalities tame and at ease.
Rats, being the titular characters of the 2007 blockbuster Ratatouille, were shone in a different light in the movie, featured as highly intelligent creatures, an attribute which has pegged them as one of the world’s most feared types of vermin.
As the world generally pegs them to be creatures to-do-away with, there are actually a number of folks out there who see rats as interesting creatures, with a number keeping them as exotic pets.
If you’re among those few who feel that there is more to rats than problems, here’s a quick take over what you need to know before bringing a rat into your life.
Rats – What to know before you keep one as a pet
In terms of life span rates, the average rat lives somewhere between two to three years, which doesn’t really make them great pets when “long term” pet keeping is being talked about. Also, they are nocturnal, which means that if you’re interested in keeping rats expecting them to be active and fun, the timing of their active hours may not fit well with yours.
The nifty thing about rats is that they are sociable animals, and having more than one is actually better than just having one. However, close watch over the activities of male and female rats should be done, since female rats are known to be in heat once in a four to five day cycle.
A population boom just may be ahead if you keep male and female rats in one enclosure.
But apart from their nocturnal and breeding habits, rats are quite entertaining to have as pets, highly intelligent and highly trainable too. They come in many varieties, not just in the traditional smoky grey coat, with certain species even sporting color patches of fur.
In terms of feeding, rats aren’t all that difficult to feed. Generally, any diet-type ideal for mammals fit well with rats, and cleaning their enclosures/cages aren’t all that difficult too.
When talking about where to get rats for petkeeping intentions, going to pet stores are highly advised, since the typical rat found in homes may have rabies and/or are carriers of dangerous diseases.
Other than watching over the possibility of a rat population boom, rats are quite fun to have as exotic pets, though they don’t necessarily have culinary skills that’s bring a food critic to his knees.
