Here are a few random facts about animals, so next time you eat their innards or wear their flesh you can recall the fact that at one time they had feelings.
Pigs wag their tails when they're happy, and mother pigs in nature build nests from twigs to give birth in. Aw
Dogs study human faces to read our expressions, which help them communicate with their guardians and anticipate their guardians plans.
Baboons are very family-oriented and have conducted sit-ins, blocked traffic, and thrown rocks at cars after their youngsters were struck and killed by vehicles.
Orphaned chimpanzees are adopted by their aunts, older siblings, or other members of their tribe who teach them how to find natural antibiotics, avoid poisonous plants, and build tree nests.
Every sheep has a different face, and flockmates can recognize each other, even from photographs and even if they've been separated for years.
Alaskan buffalo have been observed charging down hills and sliding across icy ponds, bellowing with delight, and then climbing back up the hill to do it again.
The leader of a flock of sheep is usually the oldest and wisest sheep, not the biggest or strongest.
A typical cat spends over 10,000 hours of his or her life purring.
A bond between a chicken and her chick begins a day before the egg hatches; the baby will make peeping noises from inside the shell and the mother will respond in soothing tones.
Octopuses collect bottle caps, attractive stones and other finds from the ocean floor and decorate their dens with them, repositioning an object if it doesn't seen to suit the design.
Mother cows have crashed fences and traveled for miles to reunite with calves sold to other farms.
Prairie dogs speak to one another in a complex language which includes nouns and verbs that has different dialects depending on where they're from. This one confused me a little.
Geese mate for life and grieve for a long time. if one is killed the other may mourn the loss forever and never remarry.
Parrots cannot bear to be alone; While most mate for life, all live in large social groups, sometimes with multiple species of birds.
Pigeons are actually domesticated rock doves who were set free. They are marvelous parents: the father builds the nest, and both parents take turns incubating the eggs and even making milk in their crops for the young.
When presented with a round object like a melon ball, groups of turkeys and chickens will toss it around for fun, much like they're playing football.
Chickens have 24 distinct cries to communicate to one another, including separate alarm calls depending on what kind of predator is threatening them.
There are more than 450 species of animals that have documented homosexual pairs, including grizzly bears, flamingoes, salmon and penguins.
Dolphins crave physical attention and will pat each other with their flippers.
Some fish protect their babies by opening their mouths and letting the babies swim inside until the predator has passed by.
Fish live in groups with social hierarchies. They are able to recognize individual family members, form bonds with other fish, cooperate and even tell time.
Ravens and crows like to play and have been observed sliding down snow banks on their backs, cavorting in updrafts and sliding repeatedly down sloping church windows.
Mantis shrimp are believed to have the most sophisticated eyes of any animal on Earth. They are also the only known sea animal to use fluorescence as a form of communication.
Ostrich mothers lay their eggs in a communal nest, allowing the eggs and young to all be cared for by one bonded pair; up to 380 chicks have been seen being escorted by loving parents.
Mother cheetahs become so exhausted from tending to their boisterous youngsters that they are known to fall asleep while stalking prey.
Unlike most birds born in nests, chicken, partridge and duck youngsters are able to walk, swim and pick up food as soon as they hatch.
Giant South African bullfrogs are devoted fathers who have attacked lions and elephants while defending tadpoles.
