Did You Know...

[Adam Cheeseman]

Hi All,

What is the most interesting Did You Know type fact about British wildlife and our countryside that you know.

I'm doing a display at work and I would like to use some of the suggestions if I may, just to try and increase people's awareness of our wildlife and countryside.

Thanks very much,

Adam

[John]

Hi Adam

A few to be going on with.

Did you know that in Victorian times the Postman was known as Robin's because they wore bright red uniforms. Victorian Christmas cards often had pictures of Robins delivering the mail.

Do you know how the kingfisher got its bright colours? According to biblical legend the kingfisher was the second bird Noah sent from the ark in search of land. The kingfisher was originally grey however its back was stained with blue when it flew too close to the sky and its breast became orange when it was scorched by the sun.

Did you know that during the mating season the female Fox or vixen lets out ‘a blood chilling’ scream to attract a male Fox.

Did you know that spiders are not insects, they are arachnids? Insects have six legs and three body parts, head, abdomen and thorax whereas arachnids have eight legs and two body parts, abdomen and thorax.

Did you know that dead wood,both standing up and lying on the ground, supports wildlife such as beetles, fungi and mosses?

Did you know that in the UK alone, there are about 37,000 different types of animals, and around 65,000 different types of plants?

Did you know? A long-term study of one suburban garden in Leicester found that it supported more than 2,200 plant and animal species.

A survey of 61 ordinary gardens by the University of Sheffield concluded that non-native plants are just as valuable as native ones when it comes to encouraging wildlife - what is most important is diversity.

Large gardens support a broader range of wildlife than small gardens - but only because they cover a bigger space. In terms of quality, size doesn't matter.

Did you know? More than 70% of Scotland's population live less than an hour's travel time from Loch Lomond & The Trossachs.

Otters. DID YOU KNOW?
* The long, stiff guard hairs of the Otter's fur are coated with oil that the Otter produces, which makes them water repellent. The hairs are so effective that the animal's skin never gets wet.
* A newborn Otter is blind and naked and only 4 inches long.
* An Otter can swim underwater up to 1,300 feet before surfacing to breath.
* An adult Otter needs to consume 20 percent of its body weight in food every day, which is equivalent to 5 pounds.
* A single male Otter requires a territory of at least 10 miles of undisturbed riverbank.

Did you know that Ticks can be active all year round

It is generally assumed that ticks are most active between October and November and again during April and May, but studies have proved that ticks can be found questing all year round, and at temperatures as low as 3.5°C.

Here are some links for other did you know facts.
Area 51- Did you know Animal Facts?
Amazing facts, fun trivia, interesting facts, useless facts.
Interesting animals trivia
Cheshire Wildlife Trust, WATCH Fly agaric fascinating facts
Wildlife
Learn More – Conservation & Environmental Resources: Education & Institutions (Links)
Chichester Harbour - Wildlife

Non wildlife
The RSPB: Green living: Did you know?
Did you know?

John

[Adam Cheeseman]

Thanks very much John.

Cheers,

Adam

[derelict]

british Badgers are the only ones that live communally. On the continent they lead solitary lives...

that stuck with me!

[pressld2]

Did you know that a Pipistrelle bat will eat 3,000 insects, mostly gnats, in a single night? Next time you have a gnat bite think how much worse it could be if there were no bats!

Dave P.

[Hedge Witch]

True! Love them, anyways, but love them more now

[Davy Crockett]

Adam What a cracking reply you had from John, must have taken him ages to do that. Here's some from me


Fastest: Whilst swooping to catch their prey, the Peregrine Falcon can reach speeds of approximately 120mph (200kph)

Largest: With a wingspan of 2-2.5m (6-8ft), the Mute Swan is Britain's largest bird and at 10-12kg (22-26lbs) the Mute Swan - Britain's heaviest bird - is also one of the heaviest flying birds in the world. Â

Smallest: The Goldcrest is the smallest bird in Britain with a wingspan of just 13-15 cm.

Oldest: The oldest bird ever recorded in Britain is a Manx Shearwater that was ringed in 2004 as having reached the grand old age of 52.

Most Travelled: The above Manx Shearwater is also thought to be the most travelled bird in Britain. It has been calculated that the bird may have clocked up more than five million miles during annual migrations to South America and regular 600-mile feeding trips throughout the year.

Largest Nest: The largest bird nest ever found in Britain belonged to a pair of Golden Eagles and measured more than 4.5 metres (15 feet) deep.

DC

[Hobjob]

The roots of marsh mallow used to be used in rural France as
dummies for babies because of the lovely taste.

Blackcaps in Southern Germany have evolved to migrate to
England instead of the S Med in the last 30 years.
Visible evolution.

Winter Aconite - Eranthis hyemalis - used to be called "New Year's Gift" as it brings colour in the New Year

The sap from the bluebell bulbs was used to anchor feathers on arrows.

Walnuts were thrown at Roman weddings to bring fertility to the couple.

The humming-bird heart beats about 500 times a mintue at rest, rising to over twice this in activity.

[Adam Cheeseman]

Many thanks all, keep 'em coming

Cheers,

Adam

[Jason Green]

Probably one you know... Golden Eagles require aerial territories of 30miles...

[badger426]

Correct me if I'm wrong but can't female Rabbits re-absorb their embryos in times of hardship?
Badger.

[Hedge Witch]

Fish can taste with their fins and tail as well as their mouth.

[Wild-Woman]

Did you know....the worlds spiders eat insects equal to the weight of the population of humans in Holland, annually!!

How on Earth did they work that one out!

[Hobjob]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Did you know....the worlds spiders eat insects equal to the weight of the population of humans in Holland, annually!!

In Kruger National Park in South Africa, wiht its thousands of
elephants, hippos and antelope etc., the weight/mass of mammals
is less than the weight/mass of all the insects.

(actually true anywhere, but with elephants it seems more impressive)

[Jacky]

Rabbits produce a soft poo, different from their normal faeces, that they eat straight from their bums. They usually do this at night. Sorry, couldn't resist telling you that factoid!

Holly berries are considered male to the counterpart while misteltoe berries.

In the song 'The Holly and the Ivy' there is a line, 'Of all the trees that are in the woods, the holly bears the crown' - Santa used to be represented with a sprig of holly in his hat as he is the personification of the Holly King from the song.

The Sami people use dried Fly Agaric to help herd their reindeer as they are partial to them. The hallucinogenc quality is 4-5 times more potent in the dried form and there is no indicaiton that it does not affect them the same way it does humans.

The early Scandinavian Santa (and one of our origins of the modern Santa) was pulled by flying reindeer - possibly the ones that had just had the Fly Agaric?

Fly Agaric was used by Norsemen to aid them in their beserks, until going beserk was made illegal in 1123AD, resulting in a jail sentence lasting several years.

Druids used gilded apples at Yuletide to represent fertility - we use baubles today.

Hope some of these might be of use?

[Pam_M]

Did you know:

A house fly lives only 14 days.

Fish and insects do not have eyelids - their eyes are protected by a hardened lens

The slowest fish is the Sea Horse, which moves along at about 0.016 km/h (0.01 mph).

Mammals are the only animals with flaps around the ears