In addition to being a sign of contentment, it is a signal, a homing call that cats learn early. At first, they feel only the vibrations of a purr when their mother cat uses it to bring them to feed. Later, cats learn to use it to indicate fear and distress as well as pleasure.
In the United States, all swine weighing under 180 pounds are pigs; those over that weight are hogs. In Britain, there is no difference: The term pig refers to all domestic swine.
The males of the fighting fish species do indeed fight. They nip each other’s fins and show off their extended gill covers and intensified colors. Their battles are exciting enough that the Thai have domesticated the fish for use in contests.
A polecat is not a cat at all. Polecat is the common name for various weasel-like animals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, minks, and otters. Varieties of this creature include: the European polecat; the mashed, or steppe, polecat of Asia; the marbled polecat of Eurasia; and the zorilla, or African polecat. In…
The scales provide the best clue to telling the age of a fish. Scaleless when born, fish grow scales under their outer layer of skin to provide waterproofing. As they age, most species add growth rings, that is, increase the size of their scales to cover their larger bodies. With a very old fish, however,…
The following dogs bite the least: 1. Golden retriever 2. Labrador retriever 3. Shetland sheepdog 4. Old English sheepdog 5. Welsh terrier