According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, then spring will come early; if it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will persist for six more weeks.

The Western Monarch (Danaus plexippus) may be the most familiar North American butterfly, with its easily recognizable black, orange, and white wing pattern. ​ The North American monarch population is notable for its annual southward late-summer/autumn migration from the United States and southern Canada to Mexico. During the fall migration, monarchs cover thousands of miles, with a corresponding multi-generational return north.

All blue whale groups make calls at a fundamental frequency between 10 and 40 Hz; the lowest frequency sound a human can typically perceive is 20 Hz. Blue whale calls last between ten and thirty seconds. Blue whales off the coast of Sri Lanka have been repeatedly recorded making "songs" of four notes, lasting about two minutes each, reminiscent of the well-known humpback whale songs. ​

Their scientific name means "maritime bear", and derives from the fact that polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present. Because of their dependence on the sea ice, polar bears are classified as marine mammals. ​

The coloration of a fawn's coat helps the fawn to blend in with the forest floor and dappled light and remain hidden from predators.

The rarest member of the bear family, pandas live mainly in bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China, where they subsist almost entirely on bamboo, eating from 26 to 84 pounds of it every day.

The California red-legged frog is found in California and extreme northern Baja California, northwestern Mexico. This species now occurs most commonly along the northern and southern Coast Ranges, and in isolated areas in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) is a medium-sized brown and white antelope-gazelle of southwestern Africa. The common name "springbok" comes from the Afrikaans and Dutch words spring = jump and bok = male antelope or goat.

​

From medieval times, beagle was used as a description for smaller hounds of many breeds. Miniature breeds of beagle-type dogs were known from the times of Edward II and Henry VII, who both had packs of the very diminutive Glove Beagle, and Queen Elizabeth I kept a breed known as a Pocket Beagle, which stood only 8 to 9 inches at the shoulder.

The Clydesdale, Percheron, Suffolk and the Shire are all important working horses in Australia.

Koalas were hunted by Indigenous Australians and depicted in myths and cave art for thousands of years. The first recorded encounter between a European and a koala was in 1798, and an image of the animal was published in 1810 by naturalist George Perry.

Both leopards and snow leopards have a melanistic variation in which their coats are fully black (though the rosettes can be seen as shadows). In this variation they are known as black panthers.

Feral donkeys in Australia are donkeys (scientific name Equus asinus) which escaped from captivity, and are living and breeding in the wild.

​

The word "bumblebee" is a compound of "bumble" + "bee" — "bumble" meaning to hum, buzz, drone, or move ineptly or flounderingly. In early centuries, they were also known as "humblebees" or "dumbledors."

Photo: Jonathan Goddard

Siamese Fighting Fish

Remember: "Red and yellow, kill a fellow; red and black, friend of Jack."

The domestic guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet, a type of pocket pet, ever since its introduction by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature; friendly, even affectionate responsiveness to handling and feeding; and the relative ease of caring for them continue to make guinea pigs a popular choice of pet.

The humble guinea pig gets a tartan tribute in the warm colors of the different breeds.

Luna Moths are huge moths, members of the Saturniidae family, also known as the "Giant Silkworm Moths" with a wingspan of four and a half inches. They have a white body, pinkish legs, and huge pale green wings. The hindwings have eyespots and long tails. They fly only at night, in spring and early summer.

Tigers feature prominently in ancient mythology and folklore. They appear on many flags, coats of arms, and as mascots for sporting teams. The tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and South Korea.

​

The Highland Tiger

Although the term is associated with drunken hallucination, A pink elephant (also white or albino elephant) is a rare kind of elephant, but not a distinct species. Although often depicted as snow white, their skin is normally a soft reddish-brown, turning a light pink when wet.

Many ancient civilizations paired wolves with the moon in both images and literature, a coupling which eventually evolved into today's popular belief that wolves howl at the moon. While experts have found no connection between the phases of the moon and wolf howling, pointing their faces upwards while howling allows wolves to project their calls farther

World Goat Day reflects upon the important role of goats in Iran and in many other countries of the world, not only in food security, but also for employment, income, rural development, environmental management and cultural traditions.

Bats are the only flying mammals, but the species of vampire bats have an even more interesting distinction - they are the only mammals that feed entirely on blood (hemophagia), usually livestock. ​ These bats sleep during the day in total darkness, suspended upside down from the roofs of caves. They typically gather in colonies of about 100 animals, but sometimes live in groups of 1,000 or more. ​

Bright blue lobsters are so-coloured because of a genetic abnormality that causes them to produce more of a certain protein than others. This rare colour is estimated to occur at a rate of 1 in every 200 million.

​

​

​

Red Rum was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years.

The magical ability to assume the form and characteristics of a wolf is known as lycanthropism, or lycanthropy. ​ There was no widespread belief in werewolves in medieval Europe before the 14th century, though the concept of animal shape-shifting goes back much further.

The folklore surrounding black cats varies from culture to culture, with black cats being reckoned either as harbingers of good fortune or conversely, of bad tidings.

​

Icelandic horses have a double coat, to provide insulation against the harsh climate.

Icelandic horses have a double coat, to provide insulation against the harsh climate.

With its long legs and very slender body, the cheetah is often referred to as "the greyhound of cats" and is capable of reaching speeds greater than 110 kilometers per hour in just over 3 seconds and at top speed has a stride of 7 meters long. ​

The Palomino horse is named for its beautiful golden coat and white mane and tail. ​ Due to their distinct color, palominos stand out in a show ring, and are much sought after as parade horses. They were particularly popular in movies and television during the 1940s and 1950s.

The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. It is well adapted to living in cold environments, and is best known for its thick, warm fur that is also used as camouflage. On average, Arctic foxes only live 3-4 years in the wild.

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, North America and Eurasia.

​