var arrayFacts = [ "If at first you don't succeed...

A hunting lioness has a success rate of only about 25 percent.", "Walk, run, or swim...

A lion can run 35 mph. It can also swim and climb trees. They walk up to five miles a day in search of food and water.", "Sweep Right.

A lion chasing prey can run the length of a football field in six seconds. Lions tend to hunt at dawn and dusk, and the home territory of a pride can cover 100 square miles.

The Swahili word for lion is 'samba' which means 'king,' 'strong,' and 'aggressive.'", "Roar like a lion.

A lion’s roar can be heard up to 5 miles away. The trademark roar of a lion is made possible by the cartilage in their throat having ossified into bone.

Smaller domestic cats have a softer throat structure, and can therefore only meow.", "An after dinner nap.

After eating a large meal, lions often sleep for as long as 24 hours. An adult lion will typically eat 40 pounds of meat at a time, and on some occasions will consume a massive 75 pounds of meat in one sitting.

They will not need to eat again for 3-5 days.", "An unusual gift.

In 1904, Emperor Menelik of Abyssinia(now Ethiopia) presented Theodore Roosevelt with an adult male lion with a black-tipped mane.", "Lion around.

A day in the life of a lion…isn’t very exciting at all. A lion spends most of its life sleeping, cat napping, resting, and sleeping some more. They like to sleep upside down with their feet straight up in the air!

Within a 24-hour day, a lion can lie around and be lazy for up to 21 hours in a day!", "I want my mommy!

Lion cubs are blind at birth. A newborn lion cub is completely dependent on its mother.

Cubs start learning to hunt at about 6 weeks old, but they cannot tear meat from a carcass until they are a year old.", "Start them young...

Lion cubs begin to hunt when they're three months old and weigh about 40 pounds.", "Rule the roost.

Lionesses do the majority of the hunting and cub rearing. Many of the females in the pride give birth at the same time, and may nurse each others cubs.", "Big bright eyes!

Lions have the largest eyes of any carnivore.", "Female society.

Lions live in a matriarchal society. Usually all the lionesses in the pride are related—mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and sisters. Each pride generally has no more than two adult males", "A little time to catch their breath.

Following the chase for food, the cheetah is so tired that is must wait for half an hour before it can consume its meal.

The Cheetah’s resting heart rate is 120-170 beats per minute, its heart rate after a chase is 200-250 beats per minute. The Cheetah’s resting breaths vary from 20-30 per minute. After the chase though, it rises to 150-200 per minute!", "20/20 Vision.

Cheetah’s have binocular-like vision. The cheetah relies on its sight to hunt, and its eyes are adapted for speed. The retinal fovea of the eye is an elongated shape, giving a sharp wide-angle view. The dark 'tear marks' on the Cheetah's face reduces glare from the bright sun and aids its excellent vision.", "The cat's meow.

Cheetahs cannot roar like a lion, but they can meow, yelp, chirp, and purr.", "Here kitty, kitty, kitty.

Egyptian pharaohs kept cheetahs as pets.", "The hunt.

In the 16th century, emperors and other royalty hunted gazelles with trained cheetahs.", "On your marks, get set...GO!

The cheetah can reach 45mph in 2.5 seconds. At its quickest, it can reach up to 64mph, but this can maintained only briefly.", "Purr-fectly content.

Like domestic cats, cheetahs purr loudly when content. Cheetahs are the only big cats that can purr. When angry or threatened, Cheetahs make chirping sounds, and hiss or spit. ", "Run out of steam.

The cheetah is a sprinter not a long-distance runner.

The Cheetah averages 4 strides per second and can reach 64mph, while the horse averages only about 2 strides per second and can reach 43mph.

In a short race, the cheetah would beat the horse easily since it can go from 0 to 45mph in 2 seconds, but in a long distance race the horse would eventually win.", "I heard that!

A feature of the African wild dog is their unusually large ears. Large, rounded ears give them excellent hearing and helps keep them cool under the African sun.

The African wild dog belongs to the same family as jackals, foxes, coyotes, wolves, and dingoes. They are frequently mistaken for hyenas, and have been called 'striped hyenas.'", "Fierce Competition:

African wild dogs are one of the most successful hunters in Africa. Their unique markings tend to make the pack look 10 times larger than it is, and this both confuses prey and helps the pack when hunting.

They catch their prey 70-90% of the time, compared with lions who are only successful 30-40% of the time. They can also kill their prey quicker than a lion.", "Let's work together.

African wild dogs are strategic hunters and team players. They work well as a pack and employ a number of clever hunting techniques. When a potential meal is spotted the dogs will drop their heads to make themselves look unthreatening to their prey.

They communicate with each other via a series of high-pitched vocal sounds, and signal which direction to go in with their ears.

They also turn hunting into a relay race, each taking turns to run after the prey.", "Hard of hearing.

The elephant's ears are for more than just listening.

African Bush elephants have large ears measuring up to 6.5 feet long. Flapping their ears serves two purposes: it cools both their body surface and the blood circulating in their ears, helping them to decrease body heat.

Ironically, elephants, in spite of their ears, actually have very poor hearing.", "They talk too much.

Elephants communicate a lot more than we know. African elephants are capable of making a wide variety of vocal sounds, such as grunts, bellows, whistles and the obvious trumpeting sound.

Often, the sounds they make are below the human range. These sounds keep individual elephants, as well as different herds, in close contact with each other, even over long distances.", "Ivory hunters.

There was once several million African elephants, but now the numbers are closer to 700,000.

Sadly, the numbers of these great mammals is dwindling. Although illegal, poaching (illegal hunting) continues to be a problem in Africa.", "Seeing double.

According to 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not!' an adult two-trunked elephant was shot in Zimbabwe in 2004.", "Some elephants are great impersonators.

Mlaika, an elephant in Tsavo National Park in Kenya, imitates traffic sounds she hears from a nearby highway, said to be indistinguishable from actual traffic.", "He's really let himself go.

African Bush elephants are the largest land animals in the world.

They can weigh about 22,000 lbs and grow to 20 to 24 ft.

Although huge, they are surprisingly fast animals; when frightened they can run about 24 miles an hour.", "Picky eaters.

An African elephant can spend up to 16 hours per day eating and drinking. But it does not digest everything that it eats. Actually, they will only digest 40% of their food intake.

They have specific dietary needs. The typical elephant requires 5% of their body weight per day in digested vegetation. Elephants also require at least 30 to 50 gallons of water every day.

Elephants are strict vegetarians and only eat grass, twigs, leaves, and other similar foods. ", "Necking?.

In a test of strength, 2 male giraffes will entwine their necks before going into a head slamming contest.

In these duels the males will slam their horns into their opponents body or neck, each one getting a turn.

The force of the giraffe's blow is extremely powerful.

In one zoo, an antelope was annoying a male giraffe. The giraffe hammered the antelope with his head, throwing the 1,000 pound animal into the air.

The antelope suffered from a broken shoulder caused by the impact of landing.", "Poor giants!

Giraffes can't cough, so they are very susceptible to throat infections.", "Big-hearted.

A giraffe's heart is huge; it weighs 25 pounds, is two feet long and has walls up to three inches thick.", "Ouch!

After 15 months in the womb, giraffe calves are born headfirst and dropped six feet to the ground from the standing mom.

The calves can walk within minutes of birth.", "Giraffe horns?

Atop the giraffe's head are knobby horns, or, more correctly, ossicones, lumps of cartilage, covered with skin and hair.", "Delicious!

Where are the tastiest leaves on a tree? At the top, of course!

A giraffe is able to reach the tasty leaves high up in the trees.

The giraffe is the tallest animal living on land. He can grow to be nearly fifteen feet tall.

A giraffe can eat 75 pounds of leaves in a day.", "Just like us.

Giraffe have the same number of vertebrae in their neck as humans. Despite their long necks, giraffe have only seven vertebrae in their neck.

They also have two-way valves in their veins so they can bend over without all the blood rushing to their head – otherwise they’d faint.", "Lions beware!

Giraffes are capable of killing a lion.

Despite the ferocious reputation of the lion, giraffes are powerful enemies.

They strike with their fore feet first, and use their necks and heads for fighting.

Male giraffes have additional bones in their skulls especially for fighting.", "Big eaters!

In the wild, giraffes can eat up to 145 pounds of food daily.

Giraffes spend between 16-20 hours per day feeding, grazing on leaves and shoots that are high in the trees.

The giraffe’s tongue is up to 21 inches long, and is designed to enable them to process thorny foods.", "The tallest.

The giraffe is the tallest mammal.

Reaching heights of eighteen feet or more, it can gallop at almost 30mph.

Each giraffe's coat, like a human fingerprint, is unique.", "Record holder.

The tallest recorded giraffe was 19.3 feet tall.

The male giraffe is usually about 17.3 feet tall and females average slightly shorter than this at 14.1 feet tall.

There are 3 distinct species of giraffe – Masai, Reticulated and Rothschild.", "Not all giraffes have spots.

There are solid beige ones with no spots and albino giraffes.", "Big target.

Theodore Roosevelt shot at least six giraffe on his 1909 East African safari with Frederick Courtenay Selous.", "Now that's a tongue!

The giraffe’s tongue is up to 21 inches long.

Its tongue is prehensile, allowing it to grasp objects such as twigs and leaves.", "Big-eyed.

Giraffes have the largest eyes of any land mammal.", "Blood under pressure.

Giraffes have the highest blood pressure of any land mammal.

That's because they are the tallest land mammals.", "Thorny problem solved!

Giraffes favorite leaves are from the thorny acacia tree.

The tree's thorns stop most animals from eating their leaves.

Not the giraffes! They just use their 18-inch (46-centimeter) tongues to reach around the thorns.", "A bull hippo's canines can grow to 28 inches long, and their mouths can open four feet wide.", "A hippo can hold its breath for 30 minutes.

In the water, adult hippos usually resurface to breathe every 3-5 minutes, although they have been recorded as staying under water for 30 minutes. Even when asleep underwater, a hippo will automatically resurface and breathe without waking up.", "Adult hippos can weigh as much as 7,000 pounds.

Hippos have killed more than 400 people in Africa; more than any other animal. Its Latin name means 'River Horse.'", "Hippos can weigh up to 7,000 pounds.

The largest land animal after the elephant and white rhino, the hippo averages 11 feet long, 5 feet tall and weighs between 3,500 and 7,000 pounds. Despite their size, hippos can run short distances at speeds up to 30 miles per hour.", "Hippos cannot swim.

Common hippos are some of the heaviest land mammals on Earth, and despite spending most of their life in water the hippo's body is far too dense too float, let alone swim. They move around by pushing off from the riverbed, walking along at a slow-motion gallop, or by ballet dancing with their toes gently touching the bottom. ", "Hippos like to 'raid their fridge' at night.

Hippos spend at least 6 hours per night grazing on short grasses, referred to as the 'hippo lawn'. They can eat up to 100 pounds of grass in a single night. Hippos don't eat during daylight hours, preferring to spend their time wallowing in shallow water.", "Hippos regularly apply sunscreen.

They secrete an oily substance from their skin, which looks a little like blood, due to the redness of color. This oily substance has a practical purpose in moisturizing the hippo's skin and protecting it from sunburn.", "A group of rhinos is called a 'crash'.

Rhinos are exceptionally near-sighted and as a result often charge when startled. This has given them a reputation for being bad-tempered.", "Black rhinos and white rhinos are the same color.

Despite their names, both black and white rhinos are a brownish-gray color. It is thought that the name white rhino came from early Boer settlers in South Africa who may have called it 'wijde', Dutch for 'wide', referring to the size of the animal or its very wide lips.", "In rare cases, white rhinos have three horns.", "Millions of years ago there were many species of rhino.

Among them was Indricotherium, the largest land mammal that ever lived, one and a half times as tall as an elephant.", "Rhinoceroses get their name from their horns.

The word 'rhinoceros' comes from the Greek word rhino meaning 'nose', and ceros meaning 'horn'. For centuries, rhino horns have been used by witch doctors to cure fevers and other illnesses. Yet a rhino horn is made of keratin, just like our fingernails and has no known healing properties.", "The first traces of horned rhino, living 25 to 40 million years ago, were found in North America.", "The longest known Rhino horn measured over 5 feet long.

The rhino's nose horn continues to grow throughout its life, and if it is broken off it will grow back again. Their horn grows approximately 1 to 3 inches per year.", "The rhino's closest living relative is the tapir, which is a short, pig-like animal that looks a bit like an anteater.

", "The sable's scientific name (Hippotragus niger) means 'black horned horse.'

Of the five species of rhino, the white rhino and the Indian one-horned rhino share the title of second largest land mammal after the elephant.", "The white rhino has horns that can grow to 60 inches.", "The white rhino's head can weigh up to 2,000 pounds.

The largest in its family, the white rhino, measures 12-13 feet long, 6 feet tall and weighs on average, 5,000 pounds. The hump of muscle on its neck holds up its heavy head, which can weigh over one-third of its total body weight.", "In Zimbabwe, wildlife officials are removing the Black Rhinoceros' horns to actually protect the species.

Ninety percent of Black Rhinos' deaths occur from poachers who value their horns. Dagger handles are made from them in North Uemen and medicines are made in China. Many Asian markets will pay up to 22,000 dollars per kilogram, that's more than the price of gold! To stop the poachers from killing the rhinoceros, officials are removing the horns without harming the rhinoceros.", "Black rhinos have prehensile lips used much like fingers to select and pick the leaves and twigs they prefer.", "A rhino's horn is not a true horn attached to the skull.

It grows from the skin and is made up of keratin fibers, the same material found in hair and nails.", "If a female rhinoceros is in heat, her urine emits a special chemical called a pheromone, which the male recognizes by smell.

If her urine does not have this chemical odor, the male wanders off to find another female that might be a possible candidate as a mate.", "There are five species of rhinoceros.

Javan and Indian rhinos have one horn, and Sumatran, black and white rhinos have two horns. The white rhino is the largest, measuring 12-13 feet long and 6 feet tall. The Sumatran rhino is the smallest at 8-10 feet long and up to 4.8 feet tall.", "Fast out of the gate.

A newborn zebra can walk within 20 minutes.", "At birth, zebra foals are dark brown and white.

They are able to walk 20 minutes after being born and can run within an hour. This is necessary so that the foal can move with its mother and the herd.", "What's in a name?

Burchell's zebra was named for British naturalist William John Burchell.

He brought the first specimen of this species from South Africa to the British Museum.

Burchell's zebras are found in savannas, from treeless grasslands to open woodlands.", "Zebra fingerprint.

Zebras have a unique striped pattern, like a human fingerprint.

This helps protect them from predators. When zebras are grouped together their stripes make it difficult for a lion to pick out one animal to chase.

Zebra stripes vary from narrow to wide. The further south on the African plains, the wider the zebra's stripes.", "Busy hunter - zebras beware!.

On his nearly yearlong safari in 1909 with his son Kermit, Theodore Roosevelt's party amassed more than 500 animal trophies for the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History.

Many zebras were bagged.", "Not only black.

Some zebras have brown stripes instead of black.", "Speedy.

The zebra can run up to 40 miles per hour.

Zebras are closely related to horses and donkeys and will run fast to escape from predators such as lions and hyenas.

They have excellent hearing and eyesight and a powerful kick that can cause serious injury.

Zebras live for about 28 years, they average 4.5 feet tall and weigh up to 900 pounds.", "Zebra smile?

The zebra has a special smile for friends and foes.

Zebras display a bared-teeth grimace as a greeting to others.

This smile is also thought to prevent potential acts of aggression.", "Why have stripes?

The zebras' stripes are thought to confuse predators when the herd runs away.

Oddly, zebras are attracted to black-and-white stripes, even if painted on a wall. ", "Early learners.

Zebra foals can run an hour after birth.

This is important since the zebra mother needs to move with the herd to find food and water.

The mother cannot leave the foal behind, so the foal must be running quickly in order to stay with the herd.", "African Lawn Mowers.

Zebras are constantly mowing their African lawn.

Throughout the day, zebras continually graze across the African plains, feeding on grasses, leaves and stems of bushes.

The frequent chewing and grinding actions wear their teeth down over time, which is why their teeth never stop growing.

Most zebras are nomadic without any specific territory.

The exception is the Grevy's zebra, which marks its territory with urine and dung.", "Dust bath anyone?

Zebras take dust or mud baths to get clean.

When zebras cover themselves in dirt they are basically having a wash.

After bathing, they shake the dirt off to remove loose hair and flaky skin.

Any residual dirt or mud helps to protect them from the wind, sun and any bothersome insects.", ];