Category Fun Facts

WHY A SPINNING COIN DOES NOT TOPPLE?

Try to balance a one-rupee coin on its edge. It’ll topple over. However, if you flick it with your finger and make it spin it’ll stand on its edge while it is spinning. Why?

While the coin is spinning its centre of gravity runs straight down through it from edge to edge, keeping the spinning coin in place and balanced However, when it slows down, its centre of gravity falls outside its base and it topples over. You are able to ride your cycle because when the wheels are moving they can balance on edge and keep the cycle upright. When the wheels stop moving the cycle topples over.

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WHY DOES BLOWING ON A CANDLE EXTINGUISH THE FLAME?

A candle is burning. You blow hard and the flame gets extinguished. Why? Is it because of the carbon dioxide we exhale when we blow out? That can’t be the reason because a gust of wind can also blow out the candle and the wind carries a lot of oxygen along with it.

The reason why the candle goes out is that when you blow hard you remove the warm air around the flame. Cooler air takes its place. This lowers the temperature of the burning wax to below its ignition point. The wax stops burning and the candle goes out.

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WHAT ARE THE FUN FACTS ABOUT DUGONG?

A Dugong (family: Dugongidae) is the only herbivorous marine mammal found in deep waters. Dugong is a mammal that is closely related to elephants. It is a huge bulbous animal who is usually grey brown in color. Like whales, they have flattened fluked tail, a distinctive head shape, paddle like flippers but do not have any dorsal fin. The dugong is a marine mammal that is the only herbivore found in the deep waters that eats seagrass. Dugongs, even though they resemble a manatee, do not belong to the family of manatees. They weigh less than manatees and have different physical characteristics. Their rarity and the decreasing population are a great threat to their extinction. Issues like degradation of sea beds and illegal fishing traps are a major threat to the Dugong population.

There are very few dugongs that live in shallow waters of Australia, the Indian, and Pacific Ocean. Dugongs are listed as creatures that are vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN Red List. The numbers of these beautiful sea creatures are decreasing day by day due to the loss of seagrass beds and pollution of water which disrupts their habitation. Illegal fishing and fishing of dugongs for consumption and trade also is causing their population to decrease. They cannot live in freshwater and can tolerate marine water. Dugongs communicate by emitting sounds which are similar to chirps, whistles, barks that travel through water. They also communicate through sounds that echo underwater. They are also found in oceans around United States.

A dugong is a marine mammal that is native to the Great Barrier reef, world’s largest coral reef in the continent of Australia. The coastal shallow water around Australia were home to more than 85,000 animals but dugong populations are constantly decreasing across the world and they are highly endangered. The dugong species is hunted to extinction as well as traded to different countries illegally. Dugongs mostly live a sedentary lifestyle and migrate for miles in search of seagrass. Some dugongs prefer living in pairs, while sometimes, a herd of 7-10 Dugongs can be seen habituated. The herd or a group of dugong is called a nutcluster.

Dugongs have a lifespan of 70 years and give birth to only one calf during reproduction. They spend most of their time nursing and tending to their offspring. Low litter count and elongated weaning periods are also the reason why the gugong population is depleting. Young dugong calves are easy prey for crocodiles and sharks, which again contributes to population decrease.

Credit :  Kidadl

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WHAT ARE THE FUN FACTS ABOUT BONGO?

The bongo is also known as the lowland bongo or mountain bongo. It is a species of antelope. These animals are native to Africa. These are the heaviest and the biggest forest antelopes found only in Africa. The antelope species is easily recognizable among other wildlife of their kind for the vertical white stripes on their bodies. Both the male and female animals have a chestnut-orange coat and long horns. These bongo antelopes are the only horned species in the world where both sexes have long, wavy, horns. These colorful animals with big eyes, large ears, almost three feet high horns, and several vertical stripes on their body are the third largest among all species of antelopes. All bongo animals are nocturnal, shy, and mysterious wildlife that are rarely seen in the open. The number of bongos in the wild is decreasing rapidly and conservation efforts are underway. . Bongos can live up to 19 years in the wild. Bongos can run at the speed of 43 mph (69 kph). Bongos are the biggest forest antelopes and are quite heavy. The males weigh from 485 – 893 lb (220–405 kg) and the females weigh from 331 –518 lb (150-234 kg). Bongos are herbivorous animals and only include plant matter in their diet like leaves, bark, grass, roots, fruits, grains. These night-browsing animals get their nutrition from what they eat. Moreover, their nocturnal grazing habit keeps them safe from many predators sharing the same habitat.

Bongos are mammals. Female gives birth to only one calf at a time .There are fewer than a hundred mountain bongos left in the highland forests of Kenya, Africa. These animals are protected in Kenya to save them from extinction. The population of the lowland bongo are also decreasing in Western African countries. These animals have steady populations in their range in Central Africa. It is estimated that 28,000 bongos are left on earth. Loss of habitat and hunting are the two biggest threats to these antelopes.

Like most antelopes, bongos are rarely seen in bigger groups. Males are called bulls and roam around solitarily. Females live with the young in small groups of six to ten. A bongo herd usually never crosses more than twenty members. It is believed that the large ears of these animals aid in hearing the slightest noises. These animals recognize each other with their coloration in the dark forest habitat. These forest antelopes do not have any special secretion glands. They depend less on scents to find others of their kind in the forests.

Credit : Kidadl

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Which horse is actually a fish?

Although it has a head that resembles a horse, its gills, fins and swim bladder make the marine seahorse unquestionably a fish.

These fascinating creatures have a long snout, a bulbous body and a long snake-like tail. With a maximum speed of 1.5 metres per hour, the seahorse is the slowest fish in the world. In comparison, the average snail moves at 3 metres per hour.

They have a small dorsal fin that is not very strong, so swimming is labour some. Instead they use their tails to latch onto a piece of sea debris to float over distances. They also use their tails to anchor themselves to sea grass or coral when the sea becomes rough.

Their eyes can move independently of each other, like those of a chameleon, giving them a 360-degree field of vision! They are also extremely good at evading predators by camouflaging themselves to mimic their surroundings. This works out in two ways as they are excellent ambush predators. They lie in wait unnoticed till unsuspecting small crustaceans like shrimp come along. Then they use their long snouts to quickly suck them in and swallow them whole. They can suck prey from as far as 3 cm away.

If there were any prizes for the father of the year in the marine world, it would go to the male seahorse. In seahorse society, it is the father and not the mother who carries the eggs (in an abdominal pouch) for 45 days. The female is free to wander about and look for food!

And that’s not all; these incredibly unique sea creatures have no stomach or teeth. To stay alive they have to constantly eat! There are around 46 species of seahorse, which can range in size from a jellybean to a banana. The largest seahorse is the big-bellied seahorse which can grow up to 12 inches, while the smallest is called the pygmy seahorse and is only around 16 mm long.

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WHICH CAMELS CAN SWIM?

The Kharai camels of Kutch, Gujarat, are the only camels in the world that swim. Their name is derived from the word khara, meaning ‘saline’. They can survive on both dry land and in the sea, making it an ecotonal breed. During the rainy season, they swim upto 3 kms along the Gulf of Kutch grazing on mangroves and other saline loving plants. Because of the salt content in the plants, the camels need to drink water immediately after grazing. Locals believe that the milk of kharai camels is beneficial in the treatment of tuberculosis, diabetes and cancer. There were more than 10,000 kharai camels in Gujarat about a decade ago, but now there are fewer than 4,500. Rapid industrialisation in the mangrove swamps and erratic rainfall are destroying the habitat they rely on for food, pushing this unique breed to extinction. In 2015, the kharai camels were declared as endangered by the Indian government. After the major earthquake of Gujarat, the mining, cement, and windmill industries, among others, intensified their operations in a bid to rebuild Kutch. This disturbed the ecosystem wherein Kharai camels were thriving. Their routes changed and food intake decreased considerably. To save the Kharai camels, we must save their natural habitat. Since it is clear that they can only survive on mangroves, preserving their ecosystem is the need of the hour. Fortunately, the large-scale benefits of mangrove are being understood and the government is taking significant steps to conserve them. Several mangrove forests in the area have been designated as protected areas, where they are undergoing special care to continue sustained growth.

Credit : Financial express

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