Interesting Raccoon Facts:

Raccoons usually reach 2,5 feet in length and weigh between 12-16 pounds. Raccoons that live in colder climates are larger and heavier.

They have grayish fur, black mask around eyes and long tail covered with black and brown bands. Because of their tail, they are nicknamed "ringtail".

Raccoon's hand looks like human's. They have five fingers and use their hands to collect food, open shells, door or trash cans

They are omnivores (eat plants and animals) and like to eat insects, eggs, small mammals, fruit, berries, seed, garbage...

Raccoons often place food in water before they start to eat it. They have highly sensitive sense of touch and water increases sensitivity even more. By touching the food they get better insight about things they will eat.

They are easily adaptable to various environments. They can live in hollow tree equally happy like they can in abandoned cars.

Raccoons are solitary (live on their own) and nocturnal creatures (they hunt at night).

They don't hibernate, but they spend coldest days of winters in their burrows.

Raccoons produce various sounds. They can hiss, purr, whistle, growl

They are excellent swimmers and climbers.

Raccoons can transmit rabies to domestic animals and people. Their feces often contain roundworms.

Group of raccoons is called nursery or gaze.

Mating season takes place from January to mid March. Two months later, female will give birth to 3-4 babies. Their tails don't have bands, and mask around eyes is still missing.

Mother is very protective and she will teach them how to survive and what to eat as soon they become ready to leave the burrow.

Average life span in the wild is 5 years, while they can live up to 20 years in captivity.

Interesting Stingray Facts:

Largest stingrays can reach 6.5 feet in length and weigh up to 790 pounds.

Stingrays are close relatives of shark. Like sharks, they don't have bony skeleton. Their skeleton is made of cartilage, same material that builds our nose and ears.

Their flattened body ends with long tail that usually contains spine and venom. Spine can be serrated in some species.

They use spine and venom to protect against predators. Stingrays can kill a lot of different animals, including humans.

Ancient Greek dentists used stingray's venom as anesthetic.

People that live in the areas where stingrays can be found use their spines to make a weapon (daggers). Venom remains deadly even if it is extracted from a dead stingray.

Their eyes are located on the top of the head, but they don't use eyes to find prey. Stingrays have electro-sensors which help them detect electrical charges that prey emits.

Mouths are located on the bottom side of their body. When they catch clams, shrimps, and mussels, they will crash and eat them using their powerful jaws.

Besides mouth, they have gill slides and nostrils on the bottom side of their body.

They swim by moving flippers up and down. These movements are similar with movements of the wings in birds and it is sometimes said that stingrays "fly" through the water.

They are usually solitary, but they sometimes swim in the groups. Group of stingrays is called "school".

Most of their time, they will be hidden on the ocean floor. Shape and color of their body allow them to slip under the sand and become invisible for enemies.

Stingrays give birth to 2-6 young stingrays each year.

Baby stingrays are born fully developed; they look like miniature versions of adult animals. Babies take care of themselves from the moment of birth.

They live 15-25 years in the wild.