The Green List
February 2007

1. Why are cheetahs faster than other big cats? One reason is that unlike other cats, cheetahs’ claws are not retractable and help provide traction during their high-speed chases.

Cheetah keeping a look out.

2. Fossil records show that cheetahs evolved earlier than other big cats and therefore developed different physiological traits.

3. What land mammal can run even faster than a cheetah? The pronghorn antelope, which also makes the longest land migration in the United States at 350 miles round trip.

4. Of the eight routes the pronghorn has traditionally taken to reach its summer ranges in the Yellowstone and Teton highlands, six are now blocked by roads, farms and suburban sprawl.

5. Paleontologists have discovered a 400-million-year-old monster fish with the strongest fish bite ever, capable of exerting 1,100 pounds of pressure -- about a third as much as a large alligator.

6. The Ecuadorean tube-lipped nectar bat launches its tongue 1.5 times its body length, a longer distance than any other mammal.

7. A tiny tree frog preserved in amber is believed to have lived about 25 million years ago. The frog was of the genus Craugastor, whose relatives still live in the area today. Mexican researchers have been studying the centimetre-long frog found in Chipas state.

8. The longest underwater mountain range is the Mid-Ocean Ridge, extending 64,374 km from the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, around Africa, Asia, and Australia, and under the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of North America. By comparison, the longest above-water range is the South American Andes which is 7,564 km in length.

9. At birth, polar bear cubs weigh just more than a half a kilogram, and their hair is so fine it's barely visible.

River otter

10. Polar bear cubs are born in the winter. Sows usually give birth to twins, and on occasion triplets. Her cubs spend the next 28 months with her learning the necessary survival skills.

11. North American river otters can hold their breath underwater for eight minutes at a time.

12. When traveling on land, otters run a few steps and then slide on their bellies. They can slide for 6 metres on their bellies and may reach a speed of 29 kilometres an hour.

13. The South American giant river otter is the world's largest otter, and among the rarest. At about 1.8 metres long, they live in the rivers and creeks of the Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata river systems.

14. Twenty-five per cent of US methane emissions come from biodegradable waste in landfill sites.

	Anhingas drying it's wings in the sun.

15. Compared to carbon dioxide, methane is a potent greenhouse gas. When averaged over 100 years, each kg of methane warms the Earth 23 times as much as the same mass of carbon dioxide.

16. One square metre of woodland floor is home to approximately 30 million nematodes and 250 different species of mites.

17. Adult Atlas moths can stay in their cocoon for an extra year or two if the climatic conditions are not favourable for emerging.

18. The anhingas is a unique water bird. They lack the oil that other birds apply to their feathers in order to waterproof them. While this does allow them to dive deeper and move more efficiently in the water, their unprotected plumage becomes waterlogged. After diving, the anhingas stretch out their wings to dry them in the sun.

19. Most birds produce the oil used for waterproofing in a gland at the base of their tail. As they preen, they spread the oil throughout their feathers, while cleaning and smoothing them at the same time.

20. Snack time! Woodpecker finches in the Galapagos Islands use carefully selected cactus spines to extract tasty treats like insect larvae and grubs from holes in dead wood.

21. Often referred to as a honourary mammal, kiwis are the only birds whose nostrils open at the tip of the bill. This helps them sniff out grubs and worms.

	The red panda's closest relative is still a mystery.

22. Other mammal-esque traits that kiwis are known for are their shaggy, hair-like plumage, and cat-like whiskers on their face and around the base of their beak.

23. Hug it out! Spider monkeys in Mexico have been observed embracing to avoid gang violence. Hugging diffuses the tension when two bands of monkeys meet, a situation that has the potential to escalate into aggression and even physical attacks.

24. At birth, panda bear cubs weigh just 1/900th of their mother’s weight.

25. Known originally to the Chineses as “large cat bear,” giant panda pupils are vertical slits like cats' eyes. Most bears' eyes have round pupils.

26. The name may be misleading. Scientists can’t agree on who the red panda’s closest relative is. They have reddish fur, eat bamboo, and live in the the same kind of habitat as giant pandas, but are quite similar to raccoons in size and shape.

27. South American horned frogs have to work for their supper. To lure other frogs close enough to prey on them, horned frogs barely lift a hind foot off the ground then alternately vibrate the fourth and fifth toes. Apparently to other frogs, the toes look like tasty worms or insect larvae. Once the duped frog gets close enough, the horned frog pounces and enjoys a fresh meal.

28. Known as “Africa’s cradle of life,” the Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken caldera in the world. The ancient volcanic crater floor is 610 metres deep and 260 km squared, making it a natural enclosure for the estimated 25,000 animals that live within the crater.

Wildebeest in the Ngorongoro crater.