In honour of Earth Day, Earth, a documentary from Disneynature, opens in theatres on April 22, 2009. During its five years of filming, the movie was able to capture 42 animal species. Discover some of these diverse species and learn more about our planet with these Earth Day facts:
DID YOU KNOW?
– The earth is tilted at an angle of exactly 23.5 degrees to the sun. Without this tilt, there would be no seasons and no variation in the hours of daylight and darkness during the year.
– Tropical rainforests cover less than 3% of the planet’s surface but are home to more than 50% of the world’s species.
– Polar bears can travel hundreds of miles to find food. They can also swim 12 miles per day.
– Because they live in subzero temperatures, polar bears are so well adapted to retaining heat that they can’t run long distances without being in danger of overheating.
– Only 50% of polar bear cubs survive their first year. Even more are lost when they first leave their mother to make their way alone.
– Some studies show that about 60% of the population of polar bears live in Canada.
– An adult elephant can eat over 300 pounds of food and drink 50 gallons of water a day.
– It can take up to six months for an elephant calf to learn how to use its trunk to bring water up to its mouth.
– The world’s longest land migration, some 2,000 miles, is undertaken by millions of caribou.
– Other than caribou, grey wolves travel greater distances than any other land mammal in North America.
– Demoiselle cranes can fly at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet, and migrate from Mongolia to the warmer climates of India. Their travels take them over the Himalayas, the highest mountain range on earth.
– Lions are the only cats to live socially in groups called prides. Lionesses in a pride do most of the hunting.
– The cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal. It can accelerate from zero to 40 miles per hour in three strides and to its full speed of 70 miles per hour in seconds.
– Great white sharks are the world’s largest predatory fish. They can have around 3,000 teeth.
– To ensure that females see its mating display, a male six plumed bird of paradise builds a dance floor by clearing a small patch of forest floor and pruning the surrounding branches of leaves.