Animal Facts!

[Edgar Christopher]

And they said that RPing wasn't educational.

Anyway, not really a game, but we get to LEARN THINGS, isn't that awesome? Yes, let's post facts about our shifters' beasts. Or if you've got a human, pick a favourite animal. INB4 RATS ARE BEST ANIMAL BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT ALREADY.

Crocodiles!
- Have a cerebral cortex, a four chambered heart, and what equivocates to a diaphragm. Crocodilians are the only reptiles that have them. As far as I know. I think it's also alligators?
- They lack a Vomeronasal organ and a urinary bladder.
- While hunting underwater, some crocodiles build up an 'oxygen debt'. When they catch the prey they're after, they can actually close their right aortic arch and use the left to pump a large amount of blood to their stomach. This blood's rich in carbon dioxide, which makes it easier for the stomach lining to produce acid in order to digest the catch faster.
- The sex of a nile crocodile hatchling is determined by egg temperature. Any temperature below 89.1°F or above 94.1°F yields a female. Males fall into that narrow five degree range in the middle.
- Crocs have no vocal cords, but they can make sounds by forcing air through their nose or throat.
- They can also close their nostrils and seal their throat with a valve. Sealing the throat makes it possible for them to catch prey underwater.

[Sati Beshara]

- People claim that moths eat clothes, but this isn't true (except in the case of the Clothing Moth). Most moths don't have a mouth, they are simply meant to reproduce before they starve to death. It's the larva that eat the clothing. Luna Moths are one of these unfortunate breeds, and live only a week.
- Some moths, however, do have a proboscis through which they suck nectar like butterflies do. Then there's the vampire moth, which uses a specially developed proboscis to pierce the skin of animals (and humans!) to suck blood from them. In the reverse of the mosquito, where it's always the female that drinks blood, the vampire moths that suck blood are always the male ones.
- Death’s Head Hawkmoths have a white pattern on their backs that looks like a human skull, and they will emit loud squeaks when disturbed!
- The reason moths are attracted to flames, porch lights, etc. is because they navigate by the moon and are basically "getting lost" because this alternate light source confuses them
- Another moth that eats is the Grease Moth, which feeds on butter, suet, and, of course, grease. It has even been observed to eat human fat!
- The Luna Moth is one of the largest moths in North America

[Yuume Souryuu]

Right since Yume's a human I'm gonna do... POLAR BEARS.

BECAUSE POLAR BEARS ARE BRILLIANT. And also the largest terrestrial carnivore, along side the Kodiak bear. Yes, good, so.

- Contrary to popular belief, polar bears are not typically vicious creatures, preferring caution over attack. Very rarely will they attack without being provoked. More importantly, a true attack from a polar bear will be one of stealth, and for food, as opposed to the mauling of a brown bear.
- In addition to this, polar bears are not territorial, and spend most of their time at sea. Though generally living solitary lives, they will actually play with one another when they have an encounter, and have additionally played with dogs (though this is more rare, and they're more likely to react aggressively to each other.)
- They have the ability to fast for months at a time; this is because their main source of food, seals, are unavailable for the most part during the late summer and early fall when the ice is unfrozen. This is in part because they can survive off their fat reserves; adult polar bears, though able to eat many kinds of foods, are meant to feed off the blubber of creatures such as walrus and seal; they cannot receive the same caloric intake from terrestrial animals.
- Compared to other bears, they are more elongated in form, with shorter legs; this helps to spread weight over the ice that they walk on.
- Most polar bears are active year-round; the exception is pregnant mothers, who create a 'maternity den' to hole up in during the time the cubs grow and are born, and even then, it is not true hibernation.
- After cubs reach the age to leave their mother, they often travel together for some time; cubs are typically born in pairs.
- Due to the high concentration of Vitamin A, polar bear livers are poisonous.