animals, plants

The greatest salamander fauna in the world is found in the Southeastern US.

The greatest cactus flora is found in Mexico. Mexico is also the only place (apart from bordering regions) where you can find venomous lizards.

The greatest turtle fauna is also found in the Southeast US (specifically Alabama).

Gibbons can brachiate as fast as a racehorse can run.

Snapping turtles can hold their breathe almost an hour and live over a hundred years.

The Fitzroy River turtle of Australia can breathe (absorb oxygen) through its anus while submerged.

There are no sea snakes in the Atlantic (they don't swim around the tips of Africa or South America).

There are no pinnipeds in the Carribean (there used to be the Carribean Monk Seal, but it is extirpated).

There was a huge sirenian, Stellar's Sea Cow, that lived in the North Atlantic, but it was hunted to extinction recently.

The Moa was a 12 foot bird in New Zealand recently hunted to extinction.

Potatoes are from new world (not Ireland:).

Roly-polies are (the only) land crustaceans--they have gills, not lungs, must stay moist to breathe.

The moose is a holarctic animal--present across northern Eurasia as well as N. America.

About 7000 new species of insect are discovered every year.

Gorillas are (inexplicably, as far as science is concerned) terrified of caterpillars and chameleons.

There are many times more species of psychoactive plants in the new world as compared to the old.