We spoke with Animal Fun's Director, Sue McLaren, to hear more about its applications, the importance of early intervention, and why children (and adults!) enjoy the magic of Animal Fun. Knolle F, Goncalves RP, Jennifer Morton A. Sheep recognize familiar and unfamiliar human faces from two-dimensional images. R Soc Open Sci. 2017;4(11). doi:10.1098/rsos.171228

Albatrosses form bonds for life, returning to the same place every year to raise their young. Some of these bonds are between two female albatrosses, with a study finding that in one breeding area 31% of pairs were two females. 25 That’s higher than 3 average sized men all stood on top of each other. This large species of hare can also run up to 35mph (55kph) when escaping predators. 15 35. Grey-headed Albatross can circle the globe in only 46 days. As social animals, sheep are capable of recognising familiar and unfamiliar faces. Studies even suggest that they miss other sheep when they are taken away for a long time afterwards. 27 63. Tardigrades can survive in space and go without eating for more than 10 years.This is due to the high demand of their scales and meat in Asian cultures. 70% of Chinese citizens believe pangolin products have medicinal value, when its been scientifically proven to be false.

The main benefit of the programme is that if an activity is fun, it is more likely that children will want to engage with it and thereby increase the amount of time practicing a skill. By tapping into children’s love of animals and their innate desire to play, Animal Fun is helping all children to refine their skills, build their growth mindset – of “I can do it” instead of withdrawing. At its peak, the howler monkey can produce sounds that reach 140 decibels. That’s as noisy as a jet engine, on take off! 32. There is an average of 50,000 spiders per acre in green areas. Nielsen J, Hedeholm RB, Heinemeier J, et al. Eye lens radiocarbon reveals centuries of longevity in the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus). Science (80- ). 2016;353(6300):702-704. doi:10.1126/science.aaf1703 Despite being the largest animal to have ever lived on planet Earth, the Blue Whale is known to feed on some of the smallest marine animals: tiny shrimp called krill!The foul smelling spray from a skunk can also cause skin irritation and even temporary blindness. 46. The most venonmous fish in the world is the 30cm Stonefish.

Qiu Q, Zhang G, Ma T, et al. The yak genome and adaptation to life at high altitude. Nat Genet 2012 448. 2012;44(8):946-949. doi:10.1038/ng.2343 Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. Their population is estimated as 10 7–10 8 billion alone, in comparison to approx. 7 billion humans on the planet. 5 9. The shortest living animal in the world is the Mayfly. Its entire adult lifespan is just 24hrs. DJ L, L M, H V, et al. Wood frog adaptations to overwintering in Alaska: new limits to freezing tolerance. J Exp Biol. 2014;217(Pt 12):2193-2200. doi:10.1242/JEB.101931 These huge birds are over a meter tall (up to 5 feet) and have a wingspan of more than 2 m (almost 8 feet!). Its name comes from its huge beak which is over 20cm long and almost that wide. Along with lungfish, it also eats baby turtles and baby crocodiles whole. A. Williams (2016). “These birds can fly almost 10-months without landing”, via National Geographic.

I Don’t Know If I’d Be Delighted Or Scared Sh*tless

The Mayfly reproduces and then dies, during that short 24hr period of life. Some species of Mayfly only live for 8-10 hours. Although they have the shortest adult lifespan, they actually exist as a nymph in water from 3-7 years, depending on species. 10. The horned lizard is able to shoot blood from its own eyes, up to a distance of 3 feet away. The rather bizarre and disgusting act is a defensive mechanism to confuse predators. Larabee FJ, Smith AA, Suarez A V. Snap-jaw morphology is specialized for high-speed power amplification in the Dracula ant, Mystrium camillae. R Soc Open Sci. 2018;5(12). doi:10.1098/rsos.181447 They can be up to 20m long and weigh up to 80 tonnes. These giant whales dive down to almost 3,000m below the surface where they hunt giant squid. Giant squid can be the same size or bigger than sperm whales and will fight viciously with them. Adult whales can be seen with scars on their heads from the beaks of giant squid. 19 Cheetahs can sprint for about 17 seconds straight. After that, they have to stop because they generate so much heat from the exertion that if they continued running they would literally cook their own brains.