Happy Thanksgiving! Fun Turkey Facts

Here are a few fun facts about turkeys that you can share with your family and friends during Thanksgiving dinner. To learn even more about turkeys, visit the turkey animal facts page.

• Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.

• Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining.

• Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset.

• Turkeys fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon.

• Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning.

• A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. Their field of vision is about 270 degrees. This is the main reason they continue to elude some hunters.

• A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.

• Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird.

• In 2007, the average American ate 17.5 pounds of turkey.

• The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, roughly the size of a large dog.

What Sound Does a Giraffe Make?

Have you ever wondered what sound a giraffe makes? Giraffes are usually silent, but they do make noise in certain situations:

~Calves (baby giraffes) bleat and make a mewing call.
~Cows (female giraffes) seeking lost calves bellow.
~Courting bulls (male giraffes) sometimes let out a loud cough!

Also, giraffes have been heard snorting, moaning, snoring, hissing, and making strange flutelike sounds!

Recent research has shown evidence that the animal communicates at an infrasound level.

Know someone who loves giraffes? This giraffe Christmas ornament might be the perfect gift this holiday season.

Is Obama Getting A Hairless Puppy?

A hairless puppy might become the new White House hound. A Peruvian association is offering U.S. President-elect Obama's family Machu Picchu, a hairless, hypoallergenic puppy. This could be the perfect choice for Obama's daughter Malia, who is allergic to most breeds.

View a video of the hairless puppy here:

Quick Animal Fact: Mosquito

The next time you go camping or spend a long day outside, remember not to wear the color blue, or you might get eaten alive! Mosquitos are attracted most to the color blue.

Quick Animal Fact: Goldfish

The goldfish is the only animal that can see infrared and ultraviolet light!