nature facts

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the world’s largest reef system. The waste hierarchy or 3 R’s are (in order of importance) reduce, reuse and recycle. Around 75% of the volcanoes on Earth are found in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area around the Pacific Ocean where tectonic plates meet. Despite it name, the Killer Whale (Orca) is actually a type of dolphin. Giant water lilies in the Amazon can grow over 6 feet in diameter. The largest ocean on Earth is the Pacific Ocean. The largest individual flower on Earth is from a plant called Rafflesia arnoldii. Its flowers reach up to 1 metre (3 feet) in diameter and weigh around 10kg. Plants on the surface of the Earth have existed for around 400 million years. Unlike humans, cows and horses sleep while standing up. When an insect touches the hairs of a Venus Fly Trap it triggers the plant to close, trapping its victim before killing and dissolving it in acid. Although Polar Bears have white, fluffy fur, their skin is actually black. Female lions are better hunters than male lions and do most of the hunting for a pride. Around three quarters of the increase in CO2 levels from human activity over the last 20 years is from the burning of fossil fuels. The rest is made up largely of land use changes such as deforestation. The largest land based mammals on Earth are elephants. Born in 1809, Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who developed the idea of natural selection and changed the way we think about evolution.