Fastest Animal on Land

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Cheetah
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The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is an atypical member of the cat family (Felidae) that is unique in its speed and stealth, while lacking climbing abilities. As such, it is placed in its own genus, Acinonyx. It is the fastest land animal, reaching speeds between 112 kilometres per hour (70 mph) and 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph) in short bursts covering distances up to 460 metres (1,500 ft), and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) in three seconds, greater than most supercars
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Data reffer : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetah

Largest Lake In The World (Volume)

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Caspian Sea
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General Information
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Description : The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world by volume. It is also thought to be one of only a handful of ancient lakes on earth.
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It is generally believed that about 90 percent of all the world's sturgeons swim in the Caspian Sea. Seven species or subspecies of sturgeon populate the Caspian, giving it the greatest diversity of sturgeon in the world.
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The Caspian Sea is an endorheic, or terminal lake, meaning that its water does not reach the ocean. Because of this, minerals build up in the water as it evaporates and the lake usually becomes saline. Endorheic lakes are usually more sensitive to pollution than waterbodies that drain to the ocean.
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Country : AzerbaijanIranKazakhstanRussian FederationTurkmenistan
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Latitude : 40° 0' 0" (40.0000)
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Longitude : 51° 0' 0" (51.0000)
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Physical Characteristics
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Description : The Caspian's largest inflow is from the Volga River.
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Volume : 78,200.00 km3
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Surface Area : 36,000.00 km2
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Depth :
Mean depth: 187.0 m.
Maximum depth: 1,025.0 m.
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Residence Time : 250.0 years
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Age : 2 million - 20 million years before present.
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Origin : Tectonic
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Type : Saline,Permanent,Natural
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Catchment :
Catchment size : 1,400,000.00 km2
Catchment/surface area ratio: 3:1
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Data reffer : http://www.worldlakes.org/lakedetails.asp?lakeid=8762

Miniature Horses History

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History and Origin of the Breed.

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The first true Miniature Horses originated in Europe. As early as the sixteen hundreds, these tiny equines were being bred as pets for the European nobility. Paintings and articles were featuring the Miniature Horse by 1765. Lady Estella Hope and her sisters carried on the original English lines into the mid-nineteen hundreds. Many of the smallest Miniatures in the United States are from the Hope line. Unfortunately, not all early Miniatures were pampered pets of kings and queens. Some were used to work in the English Midlands and Northern European coal mines.
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Breed Characteristics.
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An elegant, scaled-down version of the large-size horse,the American Miniature Horse cannot be taller than 34 inches at the withers. The Miniature Horses of today are stylish, well-proportioned and the product of nearly 400 years of selected breeding.

The ideal Miniature Horse of today, according to the American Miniature Horse Association's Standard of Perfection, must be small (standing at or less than 34 inches tall as measured from the last hairs of the mane,) must be sound, well-balanced, and possess the correct conformation characteristics required of most breeds. The general impression should be one of symmetry, strength, agility and alertness, with refinement and femininity in the mare and boldness and masculinity in the stallion-in other words, must be the smallest possible perfect horse. The Miniature comes in all possible horse colors.

Miniature Horses are seen in performance classes - halter obstacle, hunter jumper, showmanship, costume, liberty, and driving. A variety of driving classes are popular at the more than 250 AMHA scantioned horse shows nationwide, and include pleasure driving, roadster driving, obstacle driving, single and multiple hitches and fine viceroy.

Because of their gentle, affectionate nature and small size, a Miniature Horse is also an excellent companion. They are often used as pets for young children, adults, senior citizens, and the handicapped. A small child may be intimidated by a large horse, yet that same child will show an eagerness to embrace and hug a Miniature foal. The foals are particularly lovable due to their small size, ranging from 16 to 21 inches in height at birth. Handicapped people have found the Miniature horse an excellent substitute for the full-size horse they may not be able to physically handle.
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The American Miniature Horse Association, the AMHA, was organized in 1978 by a group of dedicated horsemen to develop a standardized American breed and to aid and encourage the breeding, exhibiting, use and perpetuation of the American Miniature horse.

The AMHA hosts a National Futurity each year in conjunction with the National Show. The Futurity was created to allow breeders to showcase their ability to breed and raise exceptional Miniature Horses. Purses of over $88,000 were awarded in 1996.

MINIATURE HORSE HISTORY AND BREED CHARACTERISTICS- AMHR

The AMHR was established “to encourage the perpetuation and improvement of the American Miniature Horse by providing and preserving an accurate and concise record of births, pedigrees and ownership.” Miniature enthusiasts, owners and breeders were encouraged to become active members of the ASPC as it was the parent organization and would be the administrator of the AMHR. Early in 1972, MINI PONY TONY, 29” (#001P) was the first AMHR horse to be registered.

The general impression of an American Miniature Horse should be that of a small, sound well-balanced equine, exhibiting strength, agility and alertness. The disposition should be eager, willing to please and friendly. The conformation, head and legs of a good miniature should beas free of faults as any larger-sized breed of horses and ponies. Legs must be straight and teeth meet evenly.

Miniatures come in nearly every color known to the equine world, with any coat color, eye color and/or marking pattern being acceptable for showing and breeding. “A” division miniatures must be 34” and under and “B” division miniatures must be over 34”, up to and including 38”.
Miniatures are shown throughout the country in breed and performance classes. Breed classes are divided by ages, sex, heights and color, and performance classes include pleasure driving, hunter, jumper, obstacle in hand and harness, fine harness and costume. There are many classes for amateurs and youth. Even the elderly, physically or mentally challenged may raise, show and enjoy these tiniest of the equine world.
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Data reffer: http://www.runningcreekminis.com/history.html

http://www.amha.org

World's Oldest Tree

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Oldest tree in the world
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The tree was a member of a population of bristlecone pine trees growing at the tree line on the lateral moraine of a former glacier on Wheeler Peak, in what, since 1986, has been Great Basin National park, in eastern Nevada. Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain in the Snake Range, and the tallest mountain entirely within the state of Nevada. The bristlecone pine population on it is divided into (at least) two distinct sub-populations, one of which is accessible by a popular interpretive trail. Prometheus however, grew in an area reachable only by off-trail hiking. In either 1958 or 1961, a group of naturalists who admired the grove in which the tree grew gave names to a number of the largest or most distinctive trees, including Prometheus. The designation of WPN-114 was given by the original researcher, Donald R. Currey, and refers to the 114th tree sampled by him for his research in Nevada's White Pine county.
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The ring count of a section of the tree by Currey was 4844. A few years later, this was increased to 4862 by Donald Graybill of the University of Arizona's Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. However, the ring counts were done on a trunk cross section taken about 2.5 m (8 feet) above the original germination point of the tree, because the innermost rings were missing below that point. Adding in the years required to reach this height, plus a correction for the estimated number of missing rings (which are not uncommon in trees growing at tree line), it is probable that the tree was at least 5000 years old when cut[verification needed]. This makes it the oldest unitary (i.e non-clonal) organism ever known, exceeding the Methuselah tree of the White Mountains' Schulman Grove, in California by about 200 years.
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Whether Prometheus should be considered the oldest organism ever known depends on the definition of "oldest" and "organism" one uses. For example, certain sprouting or clonal organisms, such as creosote bush or aspen, could have older individuals if the entire clonal organism is considered. Under this standard, the oldest living organism is a quaking aspen grove in Utah known as Pando, at 80,000 years old. In a clonal organism, however, the individual clonal stems are nowhere near as old, and no part of the organism at any given point in time is particularly old. Prometheus was thus the oldest non-clonal organism yet discovered, with its innermost wood over 5000 years of age. It is possible, however, that an older specimen exists that has not yet been dated. Bristlecones are notoriously hard to date because of their extremely contorted growth, and cutting of old trees is no longer allowed.
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Data reffer:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_%28tree%29

World's Smallest Bird

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Bee Hummingbird smallest of all birds.
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The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is a hummingbird, and the smallest of all birds (with the male being smaller than the female of the species). It can be found in Cuba (where it is called the zunzuncito) and in the Isle of Youth. Its mass is approximately 1.8 grams, which is lighter than a United States dime, and it is about 5 cm (2 inches) long.
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Description
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The male has the pileum and fiery red throat, the iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper-parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white. The female is green above, whitish below with white tips to the outer tail feathers. While more apt to be mistaken for a bee than a bird because of the size, the bird is not a mimic.
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Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tailfeathers have white spots. Breeding males have a pink to red head, chin, and throat. Non-breeding males look like females, except that their wingtips have blue spots.
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Data reffer :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_Hummingbird
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Smallest Pig or Miniature Pig

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Mini pigs are big success on farm.

A Devon fun farm is reaping the rewards of a nine-year breeding programme for miniature pigs. The pigs
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The pigs, which are about a fifth of the size of ordinary pigs, have been a hit with visitors at Pennywell Farm.

TV celebrity Jonathan Ross bought two of the pint-sized porkers as pets at £150 each and there have even been offers from as far away as Australia.

The pocket pigs are a variant of the rare kune kune breed, which are found in New Zealand.

Chris Murray, co-owner of the farm near Buckfastleigh, began cross-breeding the pigs nine years ago and believes he has the perfect pet pig.
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Data reffer :http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/7044897.stm
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Other Mini Pigs
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Biggest Dog

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Hercules: The World's Biggest Dog Ever According to Guinness World Records

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Hercules was recently awarded the honorable distinction of Worlds Biggest Dog by Guinness World Records. Hercules is an English Mastiff and has a 38 inch neck and weighs 282 pounds.

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With "paws the size of softballs" (reports the Boston Herald), the three-year-old monster is far larger and heavier than his breed's standard 200lb. limit. Hercules owner Mr. Flynn says that Hercules weight is natural and not induced by a bizarre diet: "I fed him normal food and he just grew".... and grew. and grew.

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Data reffer: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_hercules_worlds_biggest_dog.htm

OLDEST LIVING CATS

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"Oldest living cat" is naturally a category where the title-holders change frequently as they finally succumb to advancing age. As well as an official record holder, there are numerous unverified records of longevity. Some of these contenders die before their claim can be verified while others are handicapped by lack of birth records. This means that the category is biased in favour of pedigree cats and against domestic moggies. Some of the unverified claimants achieve national fame through magazines or international coverage in news reports.
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In 2004, it was reported that the oldest living cat (verified) was a 27 year old Burmese called Kataleena Lady owned by Mrs V Hayward of Melbourne, Australia. Kataleena Lady was born on March 11th, 1977. In March 2005, a cat called Amber from west Wales was a contender for the oldest living domestic cat. Amber was a fully grown stray of 2 - 3 years old when adopted by Diane Sleeman of Ferryside in 1978. Diane believes Amber is approaching 30, which would make her almost 5 years older than the verified record holder, however Guinness World Records require evidence of Amber's longevity. Amber was toothless, but fit and healthy although less active than she used to be. Diane attributed Amber's longevity down to a diet which included hot cod, chicken and prawns in addition to regular cat food. In March 2005, the oldest living cat (verified) was 23 year old Spook from Ontario, Canada.
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A black and white British cat called Whiskey, rescued from a dustbin when a tiny kitten, was also a contender for the title of oldest cat at the age of 33 (unverified). Tiger, a tabby cat owned by Roy and Linda Gilbert of Coseley, near Dudley in the West Midlands was believed to be 27 years old in 2001. The previous oldie was Spike, who died in 2001 at the age of 31.
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A 31 year old (unverified) tomcat called Kiko was reported from a small village in Estonia in 2001. Although Kiko looked like a 10 year old, the vet believes him to be 31. Kiko's claim is based on that fact that he had been a present for the owner's 2 year old son; the son was 33 years old in 2001. Kiko had glaucoma, but was otherwise in good health. Kiko was believed to have reached this age because he did not roam, lived mostly indoors and had a good diet including egg and fresh milk. Kiko apparently still chased dogs.
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Data reffer : http://www.messybeast.com/longevity.htm