On the Prowl
Amazing facts and figures
by Bernadette Calonego
A relative gave me an interesting booklet as a gift: Its title is „Newfoundland and Labrador Book of Everything“. Word must have gotten around that I am really interested in this province. I actually found some surprising facts in that book. Like this one: There are only 1.4 people per square kilometre in Newfoundland and Labrador.
For you, this number might not have the same “wow factor” as it has for me. In Switzerland, there are 200 people per square kilometre. When I told a friend who had immigrated from the Netherlands to Canada, she was floored: “In Holland, my country of origin, there are 500 people per square kilometre!” Talk about crowded places …
Outstanding is also the low fertility rate of 1.3 children per capita in our province, actually the lowest in Canada. In other words, in Newfoundland and Lab-rador, compared with the number of peo-ple, fewer children are born than in any other province or territory. Here is an-other surprise: I always thought that people here get married very young. But according to Statistics Canada, the av-erage age of the groom in Newfoundland and Labrador is 29 years and of the bride is 28 years.
By the way, do you know what the highest mountain in Newfoundland and Labrador is (A)? And which is the most common tree (B)? How many days of sunshine does our province get annually (C)? When was the last execution carried out? (D) How many museums are there in our province? (E) And how many kilometres of paved roads? (F)
Here are the answers:
A Mount Caubvick with 1652 metres.
B) Balsam fir.
C) 268 days (I hardly believe this!).
D) In 1942, Herbert Spratt was hanged in St. John`s for the murder of his fiancée, Josephine O`Brien.
E) 147
F) 6995 kilometres
I also read something that probably no-body in our province knows except the people who wrote the “Book of Every-thing”: The Beothuk`s name for a domestic cat is “abideeshook”. Please don`t ask me how this word is pronounced!
Of course, we cannot know every fact and figure about Newfoundland and Labrador. But we can look up some of them. We cer-tainly don`t know everything about cats, dogs and other pets. It is worth doing some research on the internet.
Do you know how many muscles a cat uses to move her ears (G)?
How many hours do cats spend sleeping per day? (H)
How many different sounds can a cat make? (I)
How fast is a cat? (K)
Which was the largest ever known litter produced? (L)
How many whiskers does a cat have on each side of its face? (M)
How fast does a cat`s heart beat? (N)
Here are the anwers:
G) 32
H) on average 16 hours
I) about 100
K) top speed (only for a short distance) is approximately 49 km/hour (31 mph)
L) 19 kittens of which 15 survived (Source “Cat World Records”. Cat World)
M) about 12 whiskers on each side
N) 110 to 140 beats a minute, twice as fast as a human heart
Here are some amazing facts about dogs:
Did you know that dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and ges-tures? Or that the wetness of their nose is essential for determining what direc-tion a smell is coming from? Did you know that puppies have 28 teeth and adult dogs 42? Or that a dog`s normal body temperature is between 101 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit? You probably know that dogs sweat through their paw pads and they pant to cool themselves off. But did you know that a panting dog can increase his regular 30 to 40 breaths per minute easily to 300 to 400 breaths if needed?
There are also figures about pets that are never properly established. We can only rely on estimates. For instance how many cats and dogs are there in New-foundland and Labrador? How many of them are strays? How many die outside from cold and starvation?
But we know that a cat can have 3 to 4 litters in a year, which can result in up to 24 kittens. Mind you – one cat alone! And these kittens can give birth very soon to more kittens. And we know for a fact, that only a small part of the kittens that are born can find a good home. So please have your cat and dog, male or female, fixed. Dr. John Earle and his mobile vet clinic are in Port au Choix from June 16 to June 20. Call Bon-nie to make an appointment: 519-282 96 09.
If you have your pet fixed, you become part of a truly amazing fact: that is the increasing number of responsible pet owners who make a difference in this world!
www.northernpeninsulapets.org
Photo Neyda Galvez, St. Lunaire-Griquet
