Mother nature is home to animals and their unique abilities that you may have never heard about. Not many people know these facts about animals even though they’re really interesting! 7th grader Lindsey boyd said “no” agreeing she doesn’t know any facts.For example, did you know that male songbirds sing on average 2,000 times each day?

Although all animals on planet Earth are interesting in their own way, these animals have many unique features but are relatively unknown. Some of them don’t get the credit they deserve because people simply aren’t really as informed about these animals as much as others. A lot of these animals populations are declining, on top of being relatively unknown. All of these animals, despite this, are unique in their own way.

Myra Torrez, an 8th grader at Dobie agrees animals are ”unique.” A statement which couldn’t be more true, as will be proven with these uncommonly known animals and or facts about them.

Many may think rats don’t have humor, but scientists have heard rats laughing before. Many people also dislike them, seeing them as gross creatures, but they really can laugh. ZaQuila Petit, a 7th grader at Dobie, can agree with that statement “I don’t like rats.” she said.

But rats are kind and take care of their sick in their group. Rats also have excellent memory, which makes them good at navigation! “Rats can go longer without water than camels” according to www.onekindplanet.org. Who knew rat’s were pretty cool!

When you think of fearless animals, you may start thinking of big animals like lions or even wolverines (Yes, Wolverines are an actual animal, not just a marvel character).
Honey Badgers, according to howstuffworks.com are known to be fearless. “Guinness World Records” has named them “World’s Most Fearless Creature.”

They have been known to chase lions off of prey and then just take them! Part of the reason why they are so brave is because of their flexible skin. If a possible predator bit down on them, they could twist their bodies and bite and claw at them. It would teach the predator not to mess with a honey badger again.

On top of this, their skin is very thick, allowing them to withstand bee stings with ease while eating honey and bee larvae out of the beehive like it’s just another Tuesday for them. But the reason why they are known to be so hardcore is that they eat snakes, vemonous ones.

Mainly Cobras and Puffer Adders are on the main menu of a Honey Badger. They seem to have some sort of resistance towards venom. It can take multiple bites from either one of these highly dangerous snakes and only just pass out for a couple hours. Sure, if the snake bit the badger enough, they could probably kill it, but it most likely won’t be alive long enough to make that happen.

They are actually more unknown than one might think for such a ferocious animal.

Christan Cooper, an 8th grader at Dobie Jr High says “It’s a bird, right?” when asked what he thought about the honey badger.

Ryan Winter, an 8th grader at Dobie Jr High, thankfully, knows what a honey badger is.“It looks mean.” Winter said as he searched for a picture of the fierce animal.

Bats are often used to symbolize horror in movies, or represent a certain hero but they are actually an important species. Bananas, avacados, and mangos need bats for pollination. They also spread seeds, one being the main ingredient in chocolate, cocoa. At least 13 types of bats in the U.S are endangered too.

Angelica Rivera, a 7th grader at Dobie says “Bats are cool.” when asked to voice their opinion on the flying mammal.

“Most bats only have one pup a year leaving them vulnerable to extinction” according to www.nature.org.

Squirrels don’t seem very exciting, since they are seen in trees outside of houses, or on the ground collecting acorns.

Cooper, is one of the few who don’t really see squirrels as interesting animals “Squirrels go fast.” he said when asked what he views of them.

Squirrels are very clever, and sometimes pretend to bury their food only to throw off potential thieves because, on average 25% of their food is usually stolen.

When you think of wildcats with spots, most likely, you’ll start thinking of leopards and cheetahs immediately, but what if I told you that there’s a lesser known wildcat out there. Spotted cats aren’t just exclusive for cheetahs and leopards.

Jaguars may look similar to leopards, but they do not have the central spot that leopards do. Their spots are also not dots and they are bigger than a leopard’s.
Speaking of the jaguar’s fur, there seems to be a lot of people who like the appeal of the jaguar’s majestic look.

Sophia Herrera, an 8th grader at Dobie, didn’t hesitate much when asked what she thought of the wild cat “I think they’re pretty.” she said, as she goes on about how beautiful they look.

Sarah Bonney, an 8th grader at Dobie, followed up quickly as soon as Sophia was done
“They look like they represent royalty.” she said.

They are also more built and muscular than a leopard’s. So much more, in fact, that they can take on crocodiles and deer. Though they would prefer to eat capybara and peccary. Don’t worry, they usually don’t attack people…Or even want to be seen by them since they are rather hard to spot. Both from the fact that they are under threat and they are blend into the rain forest really well.

“The jaguar is virtually extinct in the northern part of its original range and survives in reduced numbers only in remote areas of Central and South America; the largest known population exists in the Amazon rain forest.” According to britannica.com.

Something that most people probably didn’t know is that the jaguars have land tenure systems very similar to big cats like cougars and lions. Female offspring can actually inherit the territory from their mother. They use their own urine to mark their territory, though it must get confusing since male territory can overlap several of the females.

Almost all of these animals have two things in common. They are all unique, and their population is declining. It’s very important that we learn about these animals, if we are not careful, they can very well go extinct. Nobody would want to be the ones who live in a world where an animal they grew up knowing died off. All animals are important to nature, one way or another. Though not a lot of people really knows what they’re all about, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a vital part of the environment they live in.