Longest Snake
Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) regularly exceeds 20' 6" in length. The longest specimen on record was found in Celebes, Indonesia and was more than 32' long.
Fastest Land Insects
Periphlaneta Americana, large tropical cockroaches (Periphlaneta americana of the family Dictyoptera) are the fastest insects on land. The University of California, Berkeley, USA, in 1991, a Periphlaneta americana was recorded at speeds of 3.36 mph.
Smallest Lizard
Sphaerodactylus Parthenopion, a gecko indigenous to Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands is the smallest lizard in the world. Some pregnant females are only 0.7" long from snout to vent with tails approximately the same length.
Biggest Reptile
Estuarine or Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), found throughout the tropical regions of Asia and the Pacific, is the largest reptile in the world. They can grow to be over 23' in length.
Biggest Butterfly
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) of Papua New Guinea is the biggest butterfly in the world. Females can have a wingspan exceeding 11" and weigh over 0.9 oz.
Rarest Living Creature
Abington Island giant tortoise(Geochelone elephantopus abingdoni) The world's rarest living creative is the Abington Island giant tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus abingdoni). An aged male name Lonesome George is the only remaining representative of this species. With virtually no hope of discovering another specimen, this articular subspecies is now effectively extinct.
Rarest Land Mammal
Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sandaicus) is the world's rarest land mammal. Demand for its horns in traditional Oriental medicines and destruction of its habitats have led to there being just 60 specimens remaining in Indonesia and Vietnam.
Rarest Marine Mammal
Baiji or Yangtze River Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) which lives in the Yangtze River, China, has an estimated population of just 150.
Rarest Bird of Prey
Californian Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) With only 61 Californian condors, most of which were bred in captivity, existing in the wild and about 99 in captivity as of April 2000, this animal is officially the rarest bird in the world.
Warm or cold blooded?
Vertebrates are usually referred to as cold-blooded or warm-blooded animals. Since this is not very precise, we use the terms ectoderm and endoderm to describe temperature regulation more accurately in animals. An endotherm is an animal that regulates its temperature by means of generating heat internally. Conversely, the ectotherm relies on its surroundings to regulate its body temperature.
Mammals and birds are endotherms, they generate heat through their metabolic processes, and they retain the heat by having layers of fat, fur, or feathers which act as insulation. Since their bodies are always warm, they can live in and remain active in the coldest of conditions on Earth. Reptiles, amphibians, and fish are ectotherms and do not maintain a constant warm temperature. Some species will raise their body temperature far above the surrounding environment by basking in the sun.
Mammals laying eggs?
We typically think of mammals as live bearing creatures which raise their young on milk. Enter the Monotreme, the common name applied to a group of egg-laying mammals, including the platypus, or duckbill, native to Tasmania and southern and eastern Australia, and the echidnas or spiny anteaters, the short-nosed echidna found in Australia and the New Guinean echidna.
After monotreme eggs are hatched, the young are helpless, and in the case of the echidna, are carried in shallow abdominal pouches and the liquid produced by the nippleless mammary organ is licked from the belly hair of the mother. The female Platypus will lay usually two eggs in a clutch. The young animals have no fur when they hatch and the female uses its tail to clasp the young to its abdomen, enabling them to nurse.
Monotremes belong to the subclass Monotremata. The platypus makes up the family Ornithorynchidae, classified as Ornithor hynchus. Echidnas are classified in the genera Tachyglossus and Zaglossus, family Tachyglossidae.
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