YAWNING ANIMALS
Added on: 7th Apr 2015
This sleepy hedgehog baby is just a few days old but in fact,
hedgehogs are quite long-lived animals. Larger species can live up
to seven years in the wild and even more in captivity. The oldest
specimens have been recorded to live up to 16 years.
Apart from yawning, ferrets can mimic human behaviour in a few
more ways. It is a little known fact but you can teach your ferret to
blow his nose into a cloth handkerchief. That actually comes quite
naturally because they "wash” their faces with scent from glands
that are below and behind their ears by holding their hands over their
nostrils and blow, sometimes sneezing, to dislodge some scent, then
they will rub their hands behind their ears and forward over
their faces.
When yawning, lions proudly show off their large and sharp canine
teeth but in fact, they usually kill their prey by strangulation. The prey
also may be killed by the lion enclosing the animal's mouth and nostrils
in its jaws. An average kill made by a male lion may weigh
around 400 kg (880 lb).
With pelicans, it may be difficult to determine when the bird is really
yawning and when it is just drying out its pouch. They use the pouch
as a scoop net for catching small fish. The pouch can hold up to three
gallons of water, which is up to three times the amount of what
the bird´s stomach can hold.
While hippos may not be the most cutely-looking animals when
yawning, they can definitely open their mouth the widest. Studies have
proven that a hippo can stretch his mouth open as wide as an incredible
150 degrees which may be enough to fit a 4-foot tall child in. But trying
that would be a really bad idea because hippos are famous for their
extremely powerful jaws and ill-temper and their sometimes even
aggressive approach towards humans.
Snakes can also open their mouths wide but in this case, trying to
figure out if they are yawning or getting ready for an attack is even
less recommended than checking out the hippo´ s yawn. Even this
adorable spiny bush viper baby can deliver a very painful bite. Without
access to proper first aid and anti-venom treatment, their
bite can be fatal.
Most dog lovers would agree that every puppy looks sweet and
yawning usually makes them look even more adorable, no matter
what breed they are. It is hard to believe that this tiny sweetheart
Rottweiler puppy will be a powerful and fearless dog weighing some
60 kilograms (130 pounds) one day.
The koala is known for its relaxed and lazy life style so it is not
surprising to see them yawning. In fact, they get so little nutrition from
their diet that they must limit their energy use and sleep 20 hours a day.
That means they only spend 4 hours a day in active movement.
Pictures of chilling fur seals are also popular but don’t let them fool you.
Despite their clumsy appearance, fur seals can be very nimble and
fast animals. Strong front flippers give them extra mobility on land and
an adult fur seal can move extremely fast across the beach if it has to.
Not to mention their great swimming skills.
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