• Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up.

• Horses can run shortly after birth.

• Domestic horses have a lifespan of around 25 years.

• A 19th century horse named ‘Old Billy’ is said to have lived 62 years.

• Horses have around 205 bones in their skeleton.

• Horses have been domesticated for over 5000 years.

• Horses are herbivores (plant eaters).

• Horses have bigger eyes than any other mammal that lives on land.

• Because horse’s eyes are on the side of their head they are capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time.

• Horses gallop at around 44 kph (27 mph).

• The fastest recorded sprinting speed of a horse was 88 kph (55 mph).

• Estimates suggest that there are around 60 million horses in the world.

• Scientists believe that horses have evolved over the past 50 million years from much smaller creatures.

• A male horse is called a stallion.

• A female horse is called a mare.

• A young male horse is called a colt.

• A young female horse is called a filly.

• Ponies are small horses. More fun facts about dogs.

An Alligator - animals for kids is a crocodilian in the genus ‘Alligator’ of the family ‘Alligatoridae’. Alligators are large, semi-aquatic carnivorous reptiles with four small legs and a very large, long tail. The tail is half the animals total length. Alligators tails help propel them rapidly through the water and is used to make pools of water during the dry seasons called ‘gator holes’.

The tail is also used as a weapon and stores fat that the alligator will use for nourishment during the winter. Alligators are cold blooded (ectothermic) and like most reptiles they do not make their own body heat. Alligators gain body heat by basking in the sun moving between hot and cool locations.

Alligators, like many reptiles are ‘plantigrade’. This means that they walk in a flat-footed manner. On land, they can run and move very fast, but only in short bursts.

There are two living alligator species:

The American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) found only in the southeastern part of the USA – Gulf of Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida as well as Arkansas, Georgia and the Carolinas. The majority of American Alligators inhabit Florida and Louisiana. In Florida alone there are an estimated more than one million alligators. The United States is the only nation on earth where both alligators and crocodiles live side by side. American Alligators live in freshwater environments, such as ponds, marshes, wetlands, rivers and swamps.

An average American Alligators weight is 800 pounds and their length is around 13 feet long. The largest alligator recorded in Florida was 17 feet 5 inches long (5.3 metres). The largest alligator ever recorded in the world measured 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 metres) and was found on Marsh Island, Louisiana. Few of the giant specimens were weighed, but the larger ones could have exceeded a ton in weight. The Chinese Alligator is smaller, rarely exceeding 7 feet (2 metres) in length.

Fact of life, the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis) is an endangered species and is found in the lower Yangtze River basin in China. Alligators mostly live in fresh to brackish water, in swamps, marshes, canals and lakes. There is estimated to be only around 24 Chinese Alligators left in the wild. There are many more of these alligators in zoos around the world than in the wild.

Alligators are sometimes confused with Crocodiles as they are similar in shape, features and behaviour. However, they can be distinguished by the following difference:

Alligators have a ‘U’ shaped, shorter snout. Their upper jaw is wider than the lower jaw, overlapping it.

Their lower teeth are mostly hidden when their mouth is closed and fit into sockets in the upper jaw.

Their salt glands are non-functional and their sensory pits are located only near their jaws.

Crocodiles have a ‘V’ shaped, longer snout. Their upper jaw is about the same size as lower jaw and their lower teeth are displayed outside the upper jaw when the mouth is closed (especially noticeable is the huge fourth tooth).

Their upper teeth display outside the lower jaw. Their salt glands are located on their tongues and excrete excess salt. Their sensory pits are located over most of its entire body.

Both living species of Alligator also tend to be darker in colour than the Crocodile, often nearly black. However, colour is very dependent on the water. Algae-laden waters produce greener Alligators whereas Alligators from waters with a lot of tannic acid from overhanging trees are often darker (although the Chinese alligator has some light patterning).

The eyes of a large Alligator will glow red and those of a smaller one will glow green when a light is shined on them. This fact can be used to find alligators in the dark.

Alligator Behaviour

Large male Alligators are solitary, territorial reptiles. Smaller Alligators can often be found in large numbers in close proximity to each other. The largest of the species (both males and females), will defend prime territory whereas smaller Alligators have a higher tolerance of other Alligators within a similar size class.

Although Alligators have heavy bodies and slow metabolisms, they are capable of short bursts of speed that can exceed 30 miles per hour, though this could more properly be classified as a short fast lunge rather than a dash. Alligators main prey are smaller animals that they can kill and eat with a single bite. Alligators may kill larger prey by grabbing it and dragging it in the water to drown.

Alligators consume food that cannot be eaten in one bite by allowing it to rot or by biting and then spinning or convulsing wildly until bite-size pieces are torn off. This is referred to as the ‘death roll’. Most of the muscle in an alligators jaw is intended for biting and gripping prey. The muscles for opening their jaws are relatively weak. As a result an adult man can hold an alligators jaw shut with his bare hands.

Alligator Diet

Alligators are nocturnal and feed primarily at night. Younger alligators eat insects, shrimps, snails, small fish, tadpoles and frogs. Adult alligators eat fish, birds, turtles, other reptiles and mammals. Alligators swallow their prey whole. Their conical teeth are used for catching the prey, not tearing it apart. Alligators have about 80 teeth and when an alligator loses a tooth, it regrows.

Alligator Reproduction

Alligators do not sit on their eggs, which are laid in nests, because it would crush them. The rotting vegetation in the nest warms the eggs. The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings. If the eggs are incubated over 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius), the embryo develops as a male; plant facts, temperatures below 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) result in female embryos. Between these temperatures, both sexes are produced. The natural sex ratio at hatching is five females to one male. The eggs hatch in two months, producing hatchlings about 6 inches long (15 centimetres). The female defends the nest from predators. A group of babies is called a ‘pod’. The female alligator will provide protection for the young for about a year if they remain in the area. Alligators are among the most nurturing of the reptiles.

The average life span of an Alligator is around 35 – 50 years old, although it is said they can live to a maximum of 80 years old. This is more possible of Alligators living in captivity.

Alligator History and Evolution

Crocodyloformes (the group encompassing crocodylians and other similar but extinct reptiles) evolved during the Triassic Period, about 248 million years ago. Crocodylians (a group which includes alligators, crocodiles, gharials or gavials, caiman) appeared during the Cretaceous period, about 98 million years ago, towards the end of the Mesozoic Era, the Age of Reptiles.

Deinosuchus (meaning ‘terrible crocodile’) was the largest crocodylian, growing up to 50 feet (15 metres) long. It lived during the late Cretaceous period (about 146 to 65 million years ago). This carnivore lived on the shores of the large shallow sea called the Tethys Sea, that covered much of North America. It survived on fish and perhaps some species of dinosaurs. Very few Deinosuchus fossils have been found.

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The European Hare grows to about 50 – 70 centimetres and has a tail length of 7 – 11 centimetres.

The weight of a full grown adult hare varies between 2.5 and 6.5 kilograms. Because of its longer legs, it can run at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour. European Hares are herbivores and their diet consists of grasses and herbs during summer months and changes to twigs and bark in the winter. The European Hare is known as a pest to orchard farmers as it also feeds upon buds of young orchard trees during the end of winter.

Fact of life, European Hares are generally shy mammals, however, their behaviour changes in springtime. Many are seen in broad daylight chasing one another in meadows. This behaviour appears to be competitions between the male European Hares to attain dominance which allows them more access to breeding female European Hares.

During their spring dominance competitions, males can be seen performing what is known as ‘boxing matches’, hitting each other with their paws. It is most commonly done by the males, however, females have been known to perform this act by hitting males when they are not ready to mate or to test the determination of the male.

The European Hare is declining in Europe due to changes in farming practices. Its natural predators include the Golden Eagle and carnivorous mammals like the Red Fox and Wolf.

Smaller hares native to southern Europe previously regarded as European Hares have been divided as a separate species in recent years, including the Broom Hare in northern Spain.

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The number of trees in California’s Sierra Nevada forests killed by drought, a bark beetle epidemic and warmer temperatures has dramatically increased since last year, raising fears that they will fuel catastrophic wildfires and endanger people’s lives, officials said on Wednesday.

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Since 2010, an estimated 66 million trees have died in a six-county region of the central and southern Sierra hardest hit by the epidemic, the US Forest Service said.

Officials flying over the region captured images of dead patches that have turned a rust-colored red. The mortality from Tuolumne to Kern counties has increased by 65% since the last count announced in October, which found 40m dead trees.

California is in the fifth year of a historic drought, which officials say has deprived trees of water, making them more vulnerable to attack from beetles.

Governor Jerry Brown in October declared an emergency, forming a taskforce charged with finding ways to remove the trees that threaten motorists and mountain communities.

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These efforts have hit obstacles, slowing the tree removal as California enters a potentially explosive wildfire season.

Brown pushed for burning the trees at biomass plants to generate electricity, sending them to lumber mills or burning them in large incinerators, removing potential fuel for wildfires.

The US agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, who oversees the Forest Service, said disaster awaits if more money is not invested in managing forests in California and across the country. He urged Congress to act.

“Tree die-offs of this magnitude are unprecedented and increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires that puts property and lives at risk,” he said in a statement. “We must fund wildfire suppression like other natural disasters in the country.”

The Forest Service has committed $32m to California’s epidemic, and the state budgeted $11m for the California department of forestry and fire protection to buy tree removal equipment and to grant local communities money for their own work.

So far, the Forest Service says it has cut down 77,000 trees that pose the greatest risk to people, along roads and near communities and campgrounds. Crews from Cal Fire and Pacific Gas and Electric Co also are at work using chainsaws and wood chippers to remove dangerous trees.

Kathryn Phillips, director of the Sierra Club California, said the die-off from drought should signal to policymakers the urgency of curbing pollution that contributes to climate change.

“This is a warning to all of us,” she said. “We need to cut our air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions more. We’re on the right path, but we need to accelerate our effort.”

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Reviews, Common Newt The Common Newt (Triturus vulgaris) is also known as the Smooth Newt and is one of the commonest amphibians in Europe, however, they are absent from Iberia, southern France, southern Italy and most Mediterranean islands. They are also found in Russia and western Asia. The common newt is one of three native newt species.

All newts are amphibians. The Common Newt has the widest distribution of our native newts.

Common Newt Description

Common newts measure around 7 – 11 centimetres in length from head to tail. Male and female newts are difficult to tell apart as both are of similar size and have a similar pale brown to yellow colouration. There are only two visible differences in which one can tell them apart.

Firstly, the male newt has a single black line running down the centre of the spine, the females have two parallel lines either side of the centre. Secondly, On closer inspection, one can clearly see that the males cloaca (the posterior opening from which they excrete both urine and faeces) is very swollen, whilst the females is nearly invisible.

Breeding season is the best time to tell the male from the female common newt animals for kids. During this period the male develops a wavy, transparent crest along the spine and tail. Each wave is topped by a black mark. The bright orange belly has black spots. Females are smaller and also develops spots, but not on the stomach area, which is paler than the males and their spots are generally smaller. The females do not develop crests. As they grow, Common newts shed their skin once a week. Males are also distinguishable from females by their fringed toes. 

Common Newt Habitats

Common newts can be found in a variety of habitats outside the breeding season, inhabiting deciduous woodland, wet heathland, bogs, marshes, gardens, parks and farmland. They prefer standing water with plenty of weeds, such as lake margins, ponds and ditches, in which to breed.

Common Newt Diet

Common newts feed upon insects, caterpillars, worms and slugs which is their main diet on land, while in the water, insects, crustaceans, mollusks and tadpoles are eaten. Newts do not use their tongues to catch their prey in the water, instead, they have tiny teeth which they use to grab onto their prey. Newts tend to hunt for their prey near the surface of the water.

Common Newt Behaviour

Common Newts emerge from hibernation in March, they breed through to May and generally the adult newts leave the water in July. They are one of the most terrestrial of the newts in Europe. When newts surface from the water for air, they make a characteristic ‘popping’ sound. Newts are nocturnal animals and sleep under stones or compost heaps during the day.

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Common Newt Reproduction

During courtship the male newt ‘displays’ for his prospective mate by vibrating his tail in front of the female and waft glandular secretions towards her by fanning his tail in her direction. This stimulates the female to approach him. The male then deposits a sperm-containing capsule, known as a spermatophore, in front of his mate, who manoeuvres herself into a position whereby she can pick up the capsule with her cloaca – fertilization occurring inside the female. After a few days, the female begins to lay eggs individually, usually under aquatic plant leaves at a rate of 7 to 12 eggs per day. Altogether a total of 400 eggs may be produced over the season.

After 2 to 3 weeks (depending on water temperature) the eggs hatch to a larval form – a tadpole. For a few days the tadpoles live off the food reserves contained within their yolk sacs (left over from the egg stage). After this they start to eat freshwater plankton, and later insect larvae and mollusks. Unlike frog tadpoles, newts are carnivorous throughout their life. The larvae have external gills, which absorb oxygen directly from the water. About 10 weeks later they have metamorphosed into air-breathing juveniles. They are known as ‘efts’ at this time and some may leave the water. They become sexually mature at 3 years of age. The average life span of a newt is 6 years although it is possible for them to survive for 20 years.

Common Newt Conservation Status

Newts are protected in Europe. There are laws prohibiting the killing, destruction and the selling of newts. While the species is by no means endangered, IUCN lists insufficient data to make an assessment for two of the subspecies.

In the UK, the Common newt is protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) with respect to sale only. It is therefore illegal to sell individuals of the species, but their destruction or capture is still permitted. They are also listed under Annex III of the Bern Convention. The Common newt is the only newt native to Ireland and it is protected there under the Wildlife Acts [1976 and 2000]. It is an offence to capture or kill a newt in Ireland without a licence.

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The Atlas beetle is, like other beetles of the genus Chalcosoma, notable for its size and its horns that are located on its head. It is a very strong beetle and can carry 4 grams in weight. The Atlas beetle differs from other Chalcosoma species as its cephalic (relating to the head) horn is much broader.

One fascinating fact about the Atlas beetle is that its larvae is known for its fierce behaviour. The larvae is capable of biting, even if only touched. It is also known that larvae that live together will fight to the death if there is not enough space or food.

The name of the Atlas beetle may have originated from the ‘Atlas Mountains’.

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Reviews, the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) grows up to 33 metres (110 feet) in length and weighs 200 tons or more in weight. The Blue Whale is believed to be the largest animal to have ever lived. The last sighting of Blue whales was in the San Salvador channel, off Puerto Egas, Santiago Island. Long and slender, the Blue Whales body can be various shades of bluish-grey.

The Blue Whale has a long tapering body that appears stretched in comparison with the stockier build of other whales. Their head is flat and U-shaped and has a prominent ridge running from the blowhole to the top of the upper lip. The front part of their mouth is thick with baleen plates, around 300 plates (each around one metre (3.2 feet) long) hang from the upper jaw, running 0.5 metres (1.6 feet) back into the mouth.

Between 60 and 90 grooves (called ventral pleats) run along the throat parallel to the body. These plates assist with evacuating water from the mouth after lunge feeding. The dorsal fin is small, visible only briefly during the dive sequence. Located around three-quarters of the way along the length of the body it varies in shape from one individual to another. When surfacing to breathe, the Blue Whale raises its shoulder and blowhole out of the water to a greater extent than other large whales such as the Fin whale or Sei whale.

Some Blue Whales in the North Atlantic and North Pacific raise their tail fluke when diving. When breathing, the whale emits a spectacular vertical single column blow (up to 12 metres (40 feet), typically 9 metres (30 feet)) that can be seen from a great distance on a calm day. Its lung capacity is 5,000 litres. Blue whales have twin blowholes, shielded by a large splashguard.

The Blue Whales flippers are three to four metres (10 to 13 feet) long. Their upper sides are grey with a thin white border. Their lower sides are white. Their head and tail fluke are generally uniformly grey. The Blue whales upper parts and sometimes the flippers, are usually mottled.

A Blue Whales tongue weighs around 3 tons and when fully expanded its mouth is large enough to hold up to 100 tons of food and water. Despite the size of its mouth, the dimensions of its throat are such that a Blue Whale cannot swallow an object wider than a beach ball. Its heart weighs 600 kilograms (1,320 pounds) and is the largest known in any animal.

The Blue whale always feeds in the areas with the highest concentration of krill, sometimes eating up to 3,600 kilograms (8,000 pounds) of krill in a single day. This means that they typically feed at depths of more than 100 metres (330 feet) during the day and only surface feed at night. Dive times are typically 10 minutes when feeding, though dives of up to 20 minutes are common. The longest recorded dive is 36 minutes.

Mating starts in late autumn and continues to the end of winter. Little is known about mating behaviour or breeding grounds. Female Blue Whales typically give birth once every two to three years at the start of the winter after a gestation period of ten to twelve months. The Blue Whale calf weighs about 3 tons and is around 7 metres (23 feet) in length.

During the first 7 months of its life, a Blue Whale calf drinks approximately 400 litres of milk every day. Blue Whale calves gain weight quickly, as much as 90 kilograms (200 pounds) every 24 hours. Even at birth, they weigh up to 2,700 kilograms (6,000 pounds) – the same as a fully-grown hippopotamus.

Blue Whales animals for kids can reach speeds of 50 km/h (30 miles per hour) over short bursts, usually when interacting with other whales, but 20 km/h (12 mph) is a more typical travelling speed. When feeding they slow down to 5 km/h (3 mph).

As with other baleen whales, the Blue Whale’s diet consists mainly of small crustaceans known as krill, as well as small fish and squid.

Blue Whales most commonly live alone or with one other individual. It is not known whether those that travel in pairs stay together over long periods or form more loose relationships. In locations where there is a high concentration of food, as many as 50 Blue Whales have been seen scattered over a small area. However, they do not form the large close-knit groups seen in other baleen species.

Blue Whales were abundant in nearly all oceans until the beginning of the twentieth century. For over 40 years they were hunted almost to extinction by whalers until protected by the international community in 1966. A 2002 report estimated there were 5,000 to 12,000 Blue Whales worldwide located in at least five groups.

Blue whales conservation status is classed as endangered.

Cats belong to the family called ‘Felidea’. Interestingly enough, the cat family split from the other mammals at least 40,000,000 years ago, making them one of the oldest mammalian families. For more information click here emperor penguin facts for kids

All cats share certain characteristics that are unique to the cat family.

Adult cats average about 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimetres) tall at the shoulder. Most cats weigh from 6 to 15 pounds (2.7 to 7 kilograms). Some cats weigh more than 20 pounds (9 kilograms).

Cats are natural hunting animals and have strong predatory instincts. Cats are built as a perfect hunting animal, they have powerful jaws, long sharp teeth and claws that retract back into their paws when not in use. Cats have acute hearing (more sensitive than a dogs or humans) and excellent eyesight that is adapted for dim vision, which enables them to hunt mainly after dusk and before dawn.

Most of a cats muscles are long, thin and flexible. They enable a cat to move with great ease and speed. Cats can run about 30 miles (48 kilometres) per hour. Unlike many animals, a cat walks by moving the front and rear legs on one side of its body at the same time and then the legs on the other side. As a result, a cat seems to glide.

You can tell a cats mood just by looking into its eyes. A frightened or excited cat will have large pupils, whereas an angry cat will have narrowed pupils. Both humans and cats have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion.

Cat Diet

Cats are pure carnivores (meat-eaters) and require a lot of meat and a lot of protein in their diet, usually around 30%. Cats tend not to eat fruit and vegetables as they do not have an adequate digestive system to cope with that kind of food, although they occassionally chew grass to help with digestion. A good well-balanced diet is essential for your cats health. There is a wide range of cat foods available:

Canned Food:

Canned cat foods are the most popular and contain all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Most canned food comes in a variety of flavours, including, chicken, rabbit lamb, turkey, liver, salmon, tuna, cod and game. Canned foods are available in both gravy and jelly varieties.

Foil pouches and alu-trays:

Single serve packaging such as 100 gram foil pouches and alu-trays have become popular with cat owners due to their convenience and cost. Most cats will only eat 100 grams of food in one serving resulting in a lot of wastage when using the 400 gram canned food. Foil pouches come in many delicious flavours including duck, turkey, lamb, liver, chicken and rabbit. Gravy and jelly varieties are also available in foil pouches.

Dried Food:

Dried cat food is becoming increasingly popular. It contains all the vitamin and minerals necessary for a complete balanced diet. Water should always be available when feeding your cat dry food. Dry food can always be mixed with food in gravy for extra nutrients.

Treats:

Treats can provide an extra supplement to your cats diet and provide exercise for cats teeth and gums.

Fresh Food:

Fresh food can provide an extra source of nutrition. Cooked meat such as beef, lamb, turkey or chicken should be cooled before serving.

Dry food helps to clean the teeth and if nutritionally complete can be the bulk of the cats diet and it is easily stored. Although it must be refrigerated once opened, most cats enjoy the variety. Cats prefer their food at room temperature. Never feed your cat food that comes directly from the refrigerator. It is a good idea to take food out of the fridge around half an hour before serving to enable it to climatize to room temperature. Many cats cannot digest milk and develop diarrhoea when given cows milk. This can be particularly serious for kittens who become quickly dehydrated when suffering from diarrhoea. Cat milk is available in small plastic bottles. Always provide clean fresh water for your cat. See more fun facts about dogs

How much to feed your cat

Do not fill their plate. If you cannot feel your cats ribs, it is probably overweight and daily rations should be reduced. If you think you are feeding your cat adequate amounts of food, but it looks thin or loses weight, have it examined by a veterinarian. Loving owners often indulge their pets into obesity. Overweight pets have shorter life spans and are more prone to heart and respiratory problems and arthritic pain. Help your cat stay healthy by keeping it at its proper weight.

A kittens diet will be different from that of an adult and elderly cat. Generally a kitten should be fed little and often, whereas, an adult cat will need larger meals less frequently.

Cats will kill and eat small mammals, birds, fish, frogs, lizards and snakes. On farms, cats help reduce the vermin population (rats, mice, and other small, destructive animals). Cats use their acute sight and hearing to catch prey. Cats swallow large bites of meat without chewing it. Cats are primarily nocturnal (most active at night) because of their very good night vision.

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A dog is a mammal in the order Carnivora.

Fun facts about dogs: Dogs were domesticated from wolves as recently as 15,000 years ago. New evidence suggests that dogs were first domesticated in East Asia, possibly China. Over time, the dog has developed into hundreds of breeds with a great degree of variation.

Dogs, like humans, are highly social animals and this similarity in their overall behavioural pattern accounts for their trainability, playfulnes and ability to fit into human households and social situations. This similarity has earned dogs a unique position in the realm of interspecies relationships.

The loyalty and devotion that dogs demonstrate as part of their natural instincts as pack animals closely mimics the human idea of love and friendship, leading many dog owners to view their pets as full-fledged family members.

The common name for the domestic dog is ‘Canis familiaris‘, a species of the dog family ‘Canidae’. The dog is generally considered the ‘first’ domesticated animal.

Dogs can differ in appearance, function, temperament and size. Some small dogs can weigh as little as 1.5 pounds, whereas some larger dogs can weigh as much as 200 pounds.

Depending on the country, there are about 138 officially recognised dog breeds.

Dogs fill a variety of roles in human society and are often trained as working dogs. For dogs that do not have traditional jobs, a wide range of dog sports provide the opportunity to exhibit their natural skills.

It is estimated that for more than 12,000 years the dog has lived with humans as a hunting companion, protector and friend. A dog is one of the most popular pets in the world and has been referred to as ‘mans best friend’. Whether you are poor or rich, a dog will be faithful and loyal to you and love you to bits.

A pet dog will fit easily into family life and environment, they of course need caring for as any other pet – feeding, grooming, bathing and when ill, will need a visit to the vets. Dogs thrive on affection and will happily wag its tail when showered with love and attention. Dogs will also sit and sulk if they get told off for doing something wrong.

A well-mannered dog must be trained properly and with patience and perciverence. Fact of life you must never mistreat a dog at any time as not only is it very wrong to mistreat any animal, but some will bite in their own defense.

Larger dogs need considerably more exercise over a larger area than medium sized or small dogs. You can take them out into the countryside or to your local park or recreation ground. Here, they can run about and play games and get the exercise they need to keep them fit and healthy.

Dogs can be taught how to do things. Throw a small branch, stick or frizzbee and you can teach your dog to go fetch and bring the item back to you. Dogs have nearly 220 million smell-sensitive cells over an area about the size of a pocket handkerchief (compared to 5 million over an area the size of a postage stamp for humans). Some breeds have been selectively bred for excellence in detecting scents.

What information a dog actually detects when he is scenting is not perfectly understood. Although once a matter of debate, it now seems to be well established that dogs can distinguish two different types of scents when trailing an air scent from some person or thing that has recently passed by, as well as a ground scent that remains detectable for a much longer period.

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