Strange and Unusual Pet Facts

It’s time to appreciate your fur baby even more by learning some unusual facts about your favorite animals. Impress your family and friends with this bountiful trivia knowledge.

Dog Fun Facts

Scientific evidence suggests dogs were first domesticated by men over 10,000 years ago. They have continued to be man’s best friend during that time, and you may be surprised to learn:

• Canines have over 100 unique facial expressions.
• Dogs discharge heat by panting, and they can only sweat from the very bottom of the feet.
• Dogs are born without appendixes.
• Worldwide, there are over 350 dog breeds.
• When running at full speed, most domestic canines can run up to 19 miles per hour.

Finally, you may be surprised to learn that dogs are actually not colorblind. They can actually see shades of gray, green, yellow and blue. Even the color red can appear within a dog’s vision.

Cat Fun Facts

Did you know the reason why a cat’s tongue is scratchy is due to the fact it is lined with papillae, which allows it to hold prey into place? Here are some other fun facts about felines.

• A cat’s skeleton contains over 230 bones, compared to 206 bones in humans. This allows cats to be much more flexible.
• At a full sprint, cats can run up to 30 miles per hour.
• Cats can produce up to 100 unique vocal sounds. By comparison, most dogs can only produce about 10 sounds.
• Cats can jump up to seven times their own height.
• Cats lack sweat glands.

Goldfish Fun Facts

Goldfish are fixtures in many people’s houses, and they should be kept in large bowls with high levels of oxygen. It is recommended to keep at least two goldfish together because they can get lonely. While many goldfish live up to their name and are gold, these fish can also come in bronze, pink, metallic and calico.

Parrot Fun Facts

Parrots are a fun pet to have, and they can live up to 75 years old. There are nearly 372 species of parrots around the world, including the kakapo, kaka, and kea, which live in New Zealand. As of 2010, there were approximately 130 kakapos alive on planet earth.

Hamster Fun Facts

Hamsters are much more intelligent than most people give them credit for. They can even learn their names if you talk to yours often enough. Additionally, hamsters’ teeth always grow, which is why a chew toy of some kind is essential. Gnawing on the toy frequently helps wear down the teeth.

Rabbit Fun Facts

Over half of the rabbits in the whole world reside in North America. Male rabbits are referred to as bucks while female rabbits are known as does. Similarly to a hamster, a rabbit’s teeth will never stop growing, so they need to be worn down if you plan to keep one.

Let us know how you plan on celebrating National Pet Day on April 11th in the comments.