Animals in sayings-2

Coming to the second part of the earlier topic, now this post reveals about animal sayings in the form of proverbs. Its true that there are animals and their number of proverbs are huge, this post will reveal only a few great ones.

As it is known that dogs are man's best friends, they are all time no.1 pets for humans. They can even be smarter than a 2-yr old child and their breeds are also loved by most people around the world. One of the best proverbs of these faithful creatures is revealed here. Every person in life has good and bad days. But, when good times arrive, this saying comes into use i.e. 'Every dog has his day' which means every person will have his good times at some point in life.

Image courtesy of [satit_srihin] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Elephants are one of the really amazing beasts created by god. They boast unique characteristics like possessing more than 40,000 muscles in their trunks, capability of identifying humans even from a distance etc. These giants have not only became famous with humans for use in riding, work animals etc.but they are also popular for their inclusion in sayings of which two great ones are revealed.  Here is a popular proverb which is ' When an elephant is in danger, even a frog will kick him'. In this case, it means that elephant is a person who is rich and the frog is one who is the opposite. No matter how rich or strong the person is, whenever he/she gets into trouble, the poor one can also take advantage of him/her.

Another really popular and valuable proverb which has elephant is derived due to the animal's size and its application in problem solving or challenging situations. It is 'The only way to eat an elephant standing in your way is to slice it into pieces'.Here, the elephant is referred to as a problem and it means we should solve any big problem bit by bit. This proverb is used more popularly in situations  like when a student is completing a huge portion for an exam etc.

Similar to elephants, horses became popular with humans.Along with riding, they play a role as a beast of burden. They do are intelligent and boast pretty nice memory. They are also no exception when it comes to their inclusion in proverbs.When it comes to riding, there is a proverb which highlights about a particular task in which one is appointed a leader and another is appointed a subordinate. For this, a quote states 'When two people decide to ride on a horse, then one must ride from behind'. Also, there is another one which states about changing the people appointed for work. It states 'Do not change your horses while crossing the stream'. True, it isn't great to change people when they are appointed for any work i.e. changing the appointed posts.

Last comes the proverb about the king of the beasts i.e. the lion. Yes, lions are one of the powerful animals and are a symbol of bravery and even strength.They are the top predators in whichever ecosystem they inhabit. The male's menacing roar can be heard from 5 miles away.Two most popular proverbs of this majestic beast revealed are about  people of two qualities. 'A roaring lion doesn't kill any game' states a person who talks a lot doesn't do things a lot. 'Even a lion also has to fight with the flies' states no matter how strong a person is he still has to deal with small troubling matters.

Animals in sayings-1

It is true that humans have made phrases which are used according to situations. But, in some phrases animals are used  which represent their characteristic behavior and some popular ones will be presented in this post.

Bull is used quite many times in phrases and popular ones are 'dragging the bull by horns' which means tackling the challenge by facing it upfront like 'he dragged the bull by horns by completing the stunt'. 'Telling a cock and bull story' means telling an unbelievable story like I have won a lottery.

Though not used quite often, possum has its own phrase i.e. 'playing possum' means 'pretending to be dead'. For instance,
'When the man climbed a tree, his friend played possum on the ground as they both had seen a large bear approaching from far towards them'. Remember the fable by Aesop in which two friends were crossing a forest and had seen a bear approaching towards them. One had to lie down to pretend as if he is dead.

True, in such a situation this phrase becomes applicable. It should be done when one sees any wild animal but it is useless to do if one sees a scavenger like hyena.

In many situations, we often want to get a large part of something be it a snack like burger,pizza or a money etc. then that part is called as 'king size'. As lion is referred to as the king of the beasts in all the stories or fables, another phrase is born which is getting 'a lion's share' which means a large part of something.

When a person is accused of wrong doing or if he/she just wants to show themselves sad, then they only cry falsely. This cry is known as 'crocodile tears' means shedding false tears which arose by the crocodile's behavior of removing tears from their eyes by fooling us that they are sad. But, in reality it happens naturally to them as when warm air passes through them while feeding, tears roll down from their eyes as a result of air passing through their eyes.

Sometimes, we immediately rush into any situation thinking it is favorable for us. But, there is someone (another person or a leader if its a group) who tells wait please don't rush. In this case, hold your horses is applicable as if every person has a horse with him/her to ride through life which means to wait.

Is it male or female?

We all know how to differentiate between a male and a female human but how to differentiate between a male and female animal species, we all know quite some of them.

As it is known that animals have sexual diamorphism. The most obvious kinds of sexual diamorphism observed are in lions where males boast thick and fuzzy manes, many males of birds and two primates i.e. mandrill and gelada baboon have brightly colored body parts, females of all marsupial species having pouches etc.and in huge number of animal species males are larger than females.

But, this post will tell about distinction of males and females in some other animal species about their other characteristics apart from their size which are never thought about.

The presence of tusks is the symbol of only bull elephants which is true only in case of Asian elephants, but not applicable for its African cousin where bulls(males) as well as cows(females) boast it.

Tallest animals i.e. giraffes are recognized by bulls(males) boasting bald ossicones (giraffe's horns) whereas cows(females) boast hairy ossicones.


Everyone knows that the remarkable part of camels are their humps which are their storehouses for fats. But, it isn't used as a determinant for gender determination. A weird part found on the neck of bull (male) Arabian (single-humped) camels which is a soft palate which it inflates during the mating season to attract cows (females) is the main thing for identification.

Similar to these camels, the same case is with orangutans where the males of these orange-hairy primates boast soft cheek pads which they inflate during the mating season to amplify their calls and other purposes. But, the males of its bulky, black cousins i.e. gorillas boast grey backs who are known by the name "silver backs".

But, here comes the most remarkable example for an animal whose way of identification from that of other species will make you feel really awkward. The male platypus is recognized by venomous spurs on its hind feet to assert dominance during the mating season. Even though it doesn't kill us, still we shouldn't underestimate their venom as they are strong to cause severe pain.


Lastly, another weird example is that of turtles where the genders are recognized on the basis of sounds where males produce grunts and females emit hisses.

Our etimologies

 We all have heard what is an etymology as its a branch of how a word is formed from different words of either same or different languages. Every word has its own etymology and names of animals are no exception. Not all of them are, but a few best ones are mentioned in this post.

Hippopotamus (hippo) is an ideal example as it is derived from Greek language which means a river horse. True, hippos inhabit rivers and lakes but their heads resemble almost a little similar as it enabled them to get their name.

Similarly, a word for another bulky pachyderm (thick-skinned) whose name can be shortened i.e. rhinoceros (rhino) also gets its derivation from Greek language which means 'nose-horn'.








Tallest beast, giraffe also has an interesting etymology as it is derived from Arabic word 'zirafoh' which means 'something with a long neck'.

Two spotted big cats do have an interesting etymology. Leopard is made by combining two words 'leo'(lion) and 'pard' (panther)which refers a mix of a lion and a panther. But, its larger spotted brother, the jaguar is derived from 'yaguar' which means 'someone who kills in a single leap' i.e. this large wild cat kills its prey by piercing its prey's skull  by ambush (by surprise) rather than biting the throat with its razor sharp teeth.



Lastly, the largest deer species, the moose again derives its name from some American Indian language which means 'a twig-eater' or 'someone who strips the barks of young trees'.

Incapable of it

Animals usually boast lot of skills which tend to fascinate us. But some of these skills are found in many species while in others they are absent. Species which are incapable of doing some things will be explained in this post.

There is a fascinating fact which states that in the entire animal kingdom only elephants are incapable of jumping which is totally false. It's true that they are incapable of doing it but there are other animals on the list who lack this skill like rhinos,hippos, sloths, ants,centipedes,mites, porpoises and some species of whales etc. But, there is a debate which states the removal of rhinos and hippos from this category as when these pachyderms(thick-skinned animals) run, all of  their four feet are in the air resembling a jump.

Crocodilians (crocodiles,alligators,caimans), aren't capable of sticking out their tongue as it is attached to roof of their mouth. Truly, an odd one out among the reptiles as this feature separates them from other species. Also, along with chelonians (tortoises,turtles and terrapins)  crocodilians are incapable of  scaling (climbing) trees. Only the American alligator, African crocodile species, the Australian freshwater crocodile and the American crocodile remain the exceptions and frequently climb to scan their territory which comes handy to them while hunting for their prey.The large sized individuals scale and remain only on the lower branches while smaller ones scale to the top. Shockingly weird!. Never used to imagine them doing that.

When we hear or think about vomiting, we fell yucky,gross etc. In case of us, this happens when we are seriously ill or over eaten and in case of other animals , they use it for defense and also when sick. But, some animals have to consider themselves unlucky for not boasting those reflexes which cause vomiting as it helps for throwing out the undigested food making them incapable of throwing up(to vomit). Some rodents like squirrels,rats,hamsters lack that part for throwing up, so do rabbits and horses.


Anatomical features of pigs makes them incapable of looking up in the sky thus missing the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the sky like moon, stars,clouds etc.

In case of primates, apes differentiate from monkeys in another way along with absence of tails. Apes(only chimps,orangutans and gibbons) can recognize themselves in front of mirror like us while monkeys are just incapable of it.

Weird locomotors-2

Coming to the next part of blog of weird locmotors, this blog brings its list of  lot more animals known for their weird locomotions.

One group of reptiles are eminent for one extraordinary capability, due to their extraordinary legs. Basilisk lizards are known for running on water bipedally to escape predators. Thanks to the flaps in between their toes which work as scaffolding while sprinting on water. Perhaps no other animal is so gifted like these lizards for their ability to run on water.

The webbed feet are also found in tree frogs due to which they can make impressive  long leaps. And some frogs can make lengthy leaps, due to which they are called as flying frogs.

And again back to mammals, we know that digitigrades are animals who locomote by their digits(toes) which include dogs,cats,some walking birds etc. But in case of cats, the locomotion of a lion is said to be weird as when it walks, its heels do not touch the ground. It really makes us wonder how its leg bones are made.

But, there is a mammal which locomotes terrestrially which is akin to dancing. It would really be a nice source of entertainment for tourists who enter in their natural habitat by watching their cool moves. They are sifakas- who hop sideways by this movement and  due to this they are even skilled at leaping from tree to tree.



Terrestrial mammals like armadillos are again gifted to walk under water. But, it is strangely discovered that though hippos are thought to be really good swimmers, they aren't. They can do so only due to those stones present underwater as they use it for placing their legs and pushing thus enabling them to swim. How strange it is that hippos who are related to whales and dolphins are poor swimmers!

Weird locomotors part-1

First of all, a very very happy new year to all my readers who read my blogs with great interest and enthusiasm. Hope so, this year too will be a year of posting many blogs like last year.

Now, lets begin with the post.We are known to walk by putting one feet at a time in the front.This  is our style of locomotion which is also shared with other animals like dogs,cats etc. But, there are uniquely talented animals whose locomotion techniques will really shock us.

Kangaroos, icons of Australian wildlife utilize their tails along with legs while hopping which is quite unique among animals. Their tails move up and down while hopping which also touch the ground thus controlling the angle of the body and giving them enough balance. Locomotion can't happen if their tails are being held. Quite special movement. 

More weirder form of locomotion is observed in camels where these desert ships move both legs on one side of their body at the same time then both legs of the opposite side while walking. Giraffes and other few animals too boast this talent. 


Many people think  fishes do not walk, but it is true that they do. Tripod fishes loco-mote with their fins but they aren't the  only one who boasts this art. Strangely,it is also revealed  that even newly discovered species of shark i.e. the epaulette shark (shown in pic) strolls on sea floor with its strong fins rather than swim. 





Gliding is another weird form of locomotion found in many other animals not only in flying (insects, birds) and bats but also surprisingly in reptiles too. The paradise tree snake is a famed example for this. Thanks to its superb scales which gives the arboreal serpent the power to jump from branches and finally to glide. Amazingly, it can take turns even in mid-air. True, it really sounds bizarre to hear a flying snake, but check out the video link below to see the serpent going air-borne.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMs8Cu8PNKM


The same case also lies with the flying dragon lizard but its gliding gears are only its large layers of skin which are utilized by spreading them apart from the sides of their bodies during take-off and then off in the air.  Purposes are quest for food and to flee from predators. 

Along with flying dragons, flying squirrels and gliders( Australian gliding arboreal marsupials) do boast this feature.Another video link of  two sugar gliders going air-borne is here. 

http://www.arkive.org/sugar-glider/petaurus-breviceps/video-00.html