MelGee
@melissagee.bsky.social
Writer, teacher, animal lover, fact collector
Animal Fact of the Day: Although armadillos can swim, they will walk underwater along a streambed and hold their breath for up to six minutes.
September 2, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: Although armadillos can swim, they will walk underwater along a streambed and hold their breath for up to six minutes.
Animal Fact of the Day: The ancient Egyptian writing system called hieroglyphics used the symbol of the owl to represent the “m” sound.
August 28, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: The ancient Egyptian writing system called hieroglyphics used the symbol of the owl to represent the “m” sound.
Animal Fact of the Day: The Japanese macaque is the northernmost monkey, capable of living in more than 3 feet (1 m) of snow in temperatures as low as 5 ºF (-15 ºC).
August 27, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: The Japanese macaque is the northernmost monkey, capable of living in more than 3 feet (1 m) of snow in temperatures as low as 5 ºF (-15 ºC).
Animal Fact of the Day: Helpless aardwolf pups spend their first six to eight weeks in the family den being cared for by both parents.
August 26, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: Helpless aardwolf pups spend their first six to eight weeks in the family den being cared for by both parents.
Animal Fact of the Day: When startled or disturbed, Madagascar’s satanic leaf-tailed gecko opens its bright red mouth to show aggression.
August 25, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: When startled or disturbed, Madagascar’s satanic leaf-tailed gecko opens its bright red mouth to show aggression.
Animal Fact of the Day: Black bears commonly dig into beaver lodges, especially in spring when bears are most hungry and lodges are weakened by winter weather.
August 23, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: Black bears commonly dig into beaver lodges, especially in spring when bears are most hungry and lodges are weakened by winter weather.
Animal Fact of the Day: Barbary sheep, goat-antelopes native to North Africa, have been introduced to bighorn habitat in Texas, New Mexico, and California.
August 18, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: Barbary sheep, goat-antelopes native to North Africa, have been introduced to bighorn habitat in Texas, New Mexico, and California.
Animal Fact of the Day: The leopard moray eel, also known as the dragon moray, has long, tubular nostrils for detecting prey such as fish and squid.
August 17, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: The leopard moray eel, also known as the dragon moray, has long, tubular nostrils for detecting prey such as fish and squid.
Animal Fact of the Day: The sword-billed hummingbird is the only bird species whose beak is longer than the length of its entire body.
August 16, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: The sword-billed hummingbird is the only bird species whose beak is longer than the length of its entire body.
Animal Fact of the Day: The ancient Romans believed that dreaming about an owl was unlucky and would cause the dreamer to be robbed or shipwrecked.
August 14, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: The ancient Romans believed that dreaming about an owl was unlucky and would cause the dreamer to be robbed or shipwrecked.
Animal Fact of the Day: The breadcrumb sponge is yellow, but it often looks green. That is because zoochlorellae algae live on the sponge. The algae provide nutrients to the sponge, and the sponge gives the algae a safe place to live.
August 4, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: The breadcrumb sponge is yellow, but it often looks green. That is because zoochlorellae algae live on the sponge. The algae provide nutrients to the sponge, and the sponge gives the algae a safe place to live.
Animal Fact of the Day: The giant anteater’s skull averages 12 to 14 inches (30.5–35.6 cm) long—roughly half the length of its tongue.
August 3, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: The giant anteater’s skull averages 12 to 14 inches (30.5–35.6 cm) long—roughly half the length of its tongue.
Animal Fact of the Day: When a moose dips its long nose underwater to feed on aquatic plants, its large nostrils automatically close, shutting out water.
August 2, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: When a moose dips its long nose underwater to feed on aquatic plants, its large nostrils automatically close, shutting out water.
Animal Fact of the Day: In southern Mexico, the Baird’s tapir is called anteburro, which means “small donkey,” and in Belize, it is nicknamed the mountain cow.
August 1, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: In southern Mexico, the Baird’s tapir is called anteburro, which means “small donkey,” and in Belize, it is nicknamed the mountain cow.
By standing on tall wooden platforms, visitors to Alaska’s Katmai National Park can safely view bears feeding at Brooks Falls. Watch the bear cam at Katmai here:
www.youtube.com/live/73-Eekd...
www.youtube.com/live/73-Eekd...
Brooks Falls - Katmai National Park, Alaska 2025 powered by EXPLORE.org
YouTube video by Explore Live Nature Cams
www.youtube.com
July 31, 2025 at 11:58 AM
By standing on tall wooden platforms, visitors to Alaska’s Katmai National Park can safely view bears feeding at Brooks Falls. Watch the bear cam at Katmai here:
www.youtube.com/live/73-Eekd...
www.youtube.com/live/73-Eekd...
Animal Fact of the Day: Each tooth of an orca, which curves inward to tightly grip prey, measures about three inches (7.6 cm) long and one inch (2.5 cm) thick.
July 30, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: Each tooth of an orca, which curves inward to tightly grip prey, measures about three inches (7.6 cm) long and one inch (2.5 cm) thick.
Animal Fact of the Day: Although a snow leopard with rabies once attacked two men in 1940, no healthy snow leopard has ever attacked a human.
July 29, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: Although a snow leopard with rabies once attacked two men in 1940, no healthy snow leopard has ever attacked a human.
Animal Fact of the Day: Honduran white bats roost under the leaves of Heliconia plants, chewing the leaves in such a way as to create tentlike structures.
July 28, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: Honduran white bats roost under the leaves of Heliconia plants, chewing the leaves in such a way as to create tentlike structures.
Animal Fact of the Day: Thailand’s red waterfall crab eats mostly fallen fruit and seeds from among the leaf litter lining streams.
July 27, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: Thailand’s red waterfall crab eats mostly fallen fruit and seeds from among the leaf litter lining streams.
Animal Fact of the Day: As humans may wear name tags to identify themselves, squirrel monkeys will smear food on their tails as scent markings.
July 26, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: As humans may wear name tags to identify themselves, squirrel monkeys will smear food on their tails as scent markings.
Animal Fact of the Day: Owls are the only birds whose upper eyelids lower when they blink; all other birds raise their lower eyelids.
July 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: Owls are the only birds whose upper eyelids lower when they blink; all other birds raise their lower eyelids.
Animal Fact of the Day: Geckos can reach vertical speeds of 40 inches (102 cm) per second—equivalent to a human running 81 miles (130 km) per hour up a wall.
July 24, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: Geckos can reach vertical speeds of 40 inches (102 cm) per second—equivalent to a human running 81 miles (130 km) per hour up a wall.
Animal Fact of the Day: On average, loggerhead turtles travel 9,000 miles (14,484 km) to nest—the longest migration of any animal.
July 23, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Animal Fact of the Day: On average, loggerhead turtles travel 9,000 miles (14,484 km) to nest—the longest migration of any animal.
Animal Fact of the Day: Flamingos sometimes feed on microscopic organisms called thermophiles, which thrive in hot springs.
July 22, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: Flamingos sometimes feed on microscopic organisms called thermophiles, which thrive in hot springs.
Animal Fact of the Day: The rare Thysanostoma loriferum roams the open ocean trailing its rope-like arms tipped with needle-like projections.
July 21, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Animal Fact of the Day: The rare Thysanostoma loriferum roams the open ocean trailing its rope-like arms tipped with needle-like projections.