Pigs

1. Pigs snuggle close to one another and prefer to sleep nose to nose. They dream, much as humans do. In their natural surroundings, pigs spend hours playing, sunbathing, and exploring. People who run animal sanctuaries for farmed animals often report that pigs, like humans, enjoy listening to music, playing with soccer balls, and getting massages.
2. Pigs communicate constantly with one another; more than 20 vocalizations have been identified that pigs use in different situations, from wooing mates to saying, "I'm hungry!"
3. Newborn piglets learn to run to their mothers' voices and to recognize their own names. Mother pigs sing to their young while nursing.
4. According to Professor Donald Broom of the Cambridge University Veterinary School, "[Pigs] have the cognitive ability to be quite sophisticated. Even more so than dogs and certainly [more so than human] 3-year-olds."
5. Pigs appear to have a good sense of direction and have found their way home over great distances. Adult pigs can run at speeds of up to 11 miles an hour.
6. Professor Stanley Curtis of Penn State University has found that pigs can play joystick-controlled video games and are "capable of abstract representation." Dr. Curtis believes that "there is much more going on in terms of thinking and observing by these pigs than we would ever have guessed."
7. Pigs do not "eat like pigs" or "pig out." They prefer to eat slowly and savor their food.
8. Suzanne Held, who studies the cognitive abilities of farmed animals at the University of Bristol's Centre of Behavioural Biology, says that pigs are "really good at remembering where food is located, because in their natural environment food is patchily distributed and it pays to revisit profitable food patches."
9. Pigs are clean animals. If given sufficient space, they will be careful not to soil the area where they sleep or eat. Pigs don't "sweat like pigs"; they are actually unable to sweat. They like to bathe in water or mud to keep cool, and they actually prefer water to mud. One woman developed a shower for her pigs, and they learned to turn it on and off by themselves.
10. In his book The Whole Hog, biologist and Johannesburg Zoo director Lyall Watson writes, "I know of no other animals [who] are more consistently curious, more willing to explore new experiences, more ready to meet the world with open mouthed enthusiasm. Pigs, I have discovered, are incurable optimists and get a big kick out of just being."

German Shepards

The German Shepherd Dog of today continues to be a superlative companion dog and is the working dog of choice by many agencies. In North America the German Shepherd Dog is, by litter and individual dog registrations, one of the most popular and numerous breeds.

The breed is suitable for herding, police work, guiding the visually impaired, schutzhund, ring sport, search and rescue, drug and bomb detection and tracking to name a few. The German Shepherd Dog is also a natural guard dog, being territorial and protective.

Requirements -

- Daily Exercise to maintain physical and mental fitness.
- Not allowed to run free but confined to a fenced yard or a kennel run (never chain or tie the dog).
- Training is an essential part of responsible dog ownership, as well as establishing a strong bond between owner, trainer and dog.

Throughout the world are many organizations which promote the breed and host associated activities. Included is the Sieger show each year in Germany which is the largest show held for any breed in the world. The Sieger show attracts hundreds of thousands of people to witness this spectacle involving an entry of dogs in excess of one thousand.

In North America, similar systems exist although on a smaller scale. Many conformation shows are held each year as well as obedience trials, tracking trials, temperament tests, schutzhund trials, herding trials, agility events, french ring trials, police dog trials, and more.

The German Shepherd male stands 24 to 26 inches and weighs 80 to 95 pounds while the female stands 22 to 24 inches and weighs 70 to 80 pounds. The breed has a medium length, straight outer coat. Acceptable colours are sable, black and tan, bi-colour and all-black.

Highly active indoors
Hightly active outdoors
Highly vigorous and energetic
Highly consistent in behaviour
Highly dominant to strange dogs
Moderately dominant to familiar people
Highly territorial
Highly emotionally stable
Highly sociable with children
Low sociability with strangers
High rate of learning
High problem solving ability
Highly protective

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Ducks

All types of ducks are part of the bird family Anatidae, and there are species of ducks found worldwide on every continent except Antarctica. A baby duck is called a duckling, and an adult male is a drake. An adult female duck is called a hen or a duck, and a group of ducks can be called a raft, team or paddling.  All ducks have highly waterproof feathers as a result of an intricate feather structure and a waxy coating that is spread on each feather while preening. A duck's feathers are so waterproof that even when the duck dives underwater, its downy underlayer of feathers will stay completely dry.Ducks are omnivorous, opportunistic eaters and will eat grass, aquatic plants, insects, seeds, fruit, fish, crustaceans and other types of food.Most male ducks are silent and very few ducks actually "quack." Instead, their calls may include squeaks, grunts, groans, chirps, whistles, brays and growls.There are more than 40 breeds of domestic duck. The white Pekin duck (also called the Long Island duck) is the most common variety raised for eggs and meat.

What Is Your Favorite Animal?

What is your favorite animal? Tell me in your comment and I will write about that animal!!! Can't wait to see your anwsers!

Siberian Huskies

Did you know?
Siberian Huskies are a medium sized, strong, graceful, and tenacious sled dog. They are a handsome dog, energetic and dignified. While they are a medium sized dog, they are extremely strong, able to pull light loads at moderate speeds for long distances.
The Siberian Husky is a remarkably healthy breed. When well cared for, the Siberian is relatively "maintenance free", outside of normal checkups and vaccinations.
The Siberian Husky has a delightful temperament, affectionate but not fawning. This gentle and friendly disposition may be a heritage from the past, since the Chukchi people held their dogs in great esteem, housed them in the family shelters, and encouraged their children to play with them. The Siberian Husky is alert, eager to please, and adaptable. An aggressive dog is not a team dog, and therefore a lousy sled dog. Siberians are an extremely intelligent and independent breed. They can be very stubborn, owing to their original purpose, and they are easily bored. This independent and stubborn nature may at times challenge your ingenuity. His versatility makes him an agreeable companion to people of all ages and varying interests. However, this is not a breed that is typically recommended for first-time dog owners, as mistakes are easy to make and sometimes difficult to fix with this remarkably intelligent and opportunistic breed.

Fun Facts!

The biggest breed of domesticated cats are called a Maine Coon cat and weighs up to 11 kg.
The average cat sleeps between 12-14 hours a day.
White cats with blue eyes are quite often born deaf.
Cats have 30 permanent teeth, while adult humans have 32.
The lifespan of cats are usually between 15 and 20 years.

Cats have 230 bones in their bodies, this is 24 more than humans.

Cats have a top speed of about 30 mp/h (48.28 km/h).

The oldest cat ever and still living is Creme Puff who was born on August 3, 1967 and turned 37 in 2004. Creme Puff lives with her owner, Jake Perry in Austin, Texas, USA.
Cats have a body temperature of between 101 and 102.2 °F (38 and 39 °C).