Heartbeats Unimaginably So Very Slow

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I never knew before that some animals can have heartbeats unimaginably so very slow. The heart has to pump blood through its intricate system of arteries, veins and valves towards the lungs to remove carbon dioxide and to allow general blood circulation in an animal's body through a major artery, the aorta. This mechanism serves the following functions: provide much needed oxygen, remove carbon dioxide from the blood, distribute nutrients, and remove bodily waste in general.

Among those animals known to have the slowest heartbeat are the blue whales at four heartbeats per minute. It can afford to do so because of its big size. Browsing the internet, I discovered that a relatively smaller animal can even have a slower heartbeat at only two heartbeats per minute. These are the crocodiles.

Find out how crocodiles do it among other facts in a featured article titled "What Animal Has the Slowest Heartbeat Ever".

Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats

Are vampire bats really blood-sucking mammals as its name connotes?

While looking for facts about this mammal, trying to verify if these animals are really blood-sucking like vampires are portrayed on stories and films, I discovered a lot of facts. While these animals are associated with the supernatural and treated with disdain, they serve some purpose to man. They are not blood sucking but may surreptitiously feed on any warm-blooded animal including man.

More on these remarkable animals here.

Palawan Bearcat: Neither Bear Nor Cat

Palawan Bearcats (Arctictis binturong) exist only in Palawan in the Philippines as it is an endemic species. They are, however, neither bear nor cats as people might think because of its name. Locally named binturong, the bearcat belongs to Family Viverridae which includes civets and genets. Civets are small mammals frequenting trees (arboreal)which produce a distinctive musk. Genets, on the other hand, are catlike (but unrelated to cats) and likewise have musk glands. are Genets are superficially cat-like creatures, despite being unrelated to cats.

Notable among the bear cats are their prehensile tail which they also use to communicate. More on these animals here.

Visit Palawaniana for more information on Palawan's wildlife.