- You do not have any products in your shopping cart yet.
Did you know that...?
Did you know that in some penguin species, mates as well as parents and chicks can recognise one another by distinctive calls? In some hammerhead shark species, the broad head increases the area seen by both eyes at the same time.
The more we learn about animals, the more our curiosity grows. At Plueschtier.de, discover carefully checked animal facts about the real animals that inspire our Cuddly Toys and Plush Toys. Whether it is a single Plush Toy, a familiar Cuddly Toy or a collection of different Stuffed Animals, a Stuffed Animal can become a starting point for learning more about wildlife. Open the individual sections to learn more about habitats, physical features and behaviour.
...some wild animals have astonishing camouflage abilities to protect themselves from predators?
...occur naturally only on Madagascar?
...are primates?
...live alone, in pairs or in social groups, depending on the species?
...communicate through calls, scents and body postures?
...ring-tailed lemurs often sit upright and spread their arms while sunbathing?
...live in the tropical forests of Central and South America?
...spend most of their lives in trees and often hang upside down?
...have a very slow metabolism and digest their food very slowly?
...can support algae in their fur, helping with camouflage?
...are good swimmers despite moving slowly on land?
...spend much of the day in water but find most of their food on land?
...usually push off or walk along the bottom in deep water rather than paddling like typical swimmers?
...have eyes, ears and nostrils high on their heads and can close their nostrils underwater?
...mainly graze on grasses at night?
...secrete a reddish skin fluid that absorbs ultraviolet light and inhibits the growth of some bacteria?
...are the only big cats that regularly live in social prides?
...lionesses often hunt together?
...males help defend the pride’s territory through roaring and patrols?
...their roar can be heard several kilometres away under favourable conditions?
...often rest or sleep for 16 to 20 hours a day?
...are nocturnal primates from Africa?
...have large eyes adapted to low light?
...can use their mobile ears to locate sounds from different directions very precisely?
...use powerful hind legs to make long leaps between branches?
...eat insects, fruit and tree gum, depending on the species?
...are the largest living carnivorous marsupials?
...occur in the wild only in Tasmania?
...are mainly active at night?
...can consume skin, fur and smaller bones when scavenging?
...are severely threatened by a contagious facial tumour disease?
...inhabit rocky mountain regions in Central and South Asia?
...are adapted to cold and snow with dense fur and large, fur-covered paws?
...use their long, powerful tails for balance and can wrap them around their bodies for warmth?
...are well camouflaged among rocks and scree by their spotted coats?
...cannot roar, unlike lions and tigers?
...are the smallest members of the dog family?
...live in arid regions of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula?
...release heat through their large ears and can hear prey beneath the sand?
...have fur-covered soles that protect them from hot sand?
...are active at night and usually spend the day in burrows they have dug?
...are evolutionarily more closely related to cats than to dogs?
...are highly successful hunters and do not live on carrion alone?
...live in large clans dominated by females?
...females are generally larger and higher-ranking than males?
...can crush and digest bones with their powerful teeth and jaws?
...are neither bears nor close relatives of giant pandas?
...live in mountain forests of the eastern Himalayas and south-western China?
...mainly eat bamboo despite belonging to the order Carnivora?
...grip bamboo with an elongated wrist bone that acts like a false thumb?
...can climb headfirst down tree trunks thanks to highly flexible ankles?
...originate from the dry mountain regions of the Andes?
...have exceptionally dense fur?
...clean their coats with dust baths rather than water?
...are mainly active at dusk and during the night?
...have teeth that continue to grow throughout their lives?
...live in tundra regions around the Arctic Ocean?
...grow a pale winter coat and a darker summer coat in the white colour morph?
...have dense fur even on the soles of their feet?
...use their bushy tails like warm blankets while resting?
...can cache food and dig it up again later?
...can live in very different habitats, including forests, tundra, plains and even deserts?
...usually live in family groups made up of a breeding pair and their offspring?
...communicate through howls, growls, barks, body language and scent marking?
...use howling to gather pack members, help separated wolves find the group and signal their presence to neighbouring packs?
...often hunt hoofed mammals such as deer, reindeer, moose or bison, depending on the region, but also eat smaller prey?
...can travel up to around 50 kilometres in a day while searching for food?
...some animals of the water world use fascinating communication techniques?
...are the largest members of the dolphin family?
...occur in every ocean on Earth?
...often live in stable family groups centred on older females?
...learn group-specific calls and dialects?
...prefer different prey and hunting techniques depending on the population?
...must breathe air because they are mammals?
...are born on land or ice, depending on the species?
...can quickly build a protective layer of blubber on milk that is particularly rich in fat?
...are recognised by their mothers through voice and scent in many species?
...are nursed for anything from a few days to several weeks, depending on the species?
...are salamanders from Mexico?
...retain external gills and other larval features as adults?
...have simple lungs in addition to their gills and can also breathe through their skin?
...can regenerate limbs and parts of several organs?
...survive in the wild only in remnants of the Xochimilco canal system?
...have skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone, like all sharks?
...carry several rows of serrated teeth that are replaced continuously?
...can detect weak electrical fields produced by prey?
...are camouflaged in the water by their dark upper sides and pale undersides?
...can travel long distances across open oceans?
...belong to the mustelid family?
...are adapted to life in water with streamlined bodies, webbed feet and powerful tails?
...stay warm through very dense fur rather than a thick layer of blubber?
...use sensitive whiskers to detect movement in the water?
...eat amphibians, crustaceans and other small prey as well as fish?
...can take water into an expandable stomach and inflate dramatically when threatened?
...many species raise clearly visible spines as they inflate?
...have four fused teeth that form a powerful beak?
...include marine, brackish-water and freshwater species?
...many species contain the powerful neurotoxin tetrodotoxin?
...are mammals and breathe through a blowhole?
...often live in social groups?
...communicate through whistles, clicks and body signals?
...use clicks for echolocation to detect prey and obstacles?
...can rest one half of the brain at a time while the other monitors breathing?
...have visible external ear flaps, unlike true seals?
...can rotate their hind flippers beneath their bodies and therefore move comparatively well on land?
...propel themselves through the water mainly with powerful strokes of their front flippers?
...rest along coasts in groups that are often large and noisy?
...use characteristic calls that allow mothers and pups to recognise one another?
...are reptiles and must come to the surface to breathe?
...have shells connected to their spines and ribs?
...cannot keep their body temperature constant and therefore often bask?
...have no teeth but sharp-edged, beak-like jaws?
...lay their eggs on land even when they spend almost all their lives in water?
...can consist of around 95 per cent water?
...have neither a brain nor a heart or blood?
...process stimuli through a simple nerve net?
...have specialised stinging cells for capturing prey and defending themselves?
...take in food through the same body opening used to expel indigestible remains?
...some animals in the forest cleverly disguise their tracks, so even experienced hunters often walk right past them?
...can thrive in forests, meadows, coastal areas and even cities?
...are omnivores that eat small mammals, insects, fruit and carrion, among other foods?
...hear so well that they can locate small prey beneath snow or tall grass?
...use a high pounce to land precisely on hidden prey?
...use their bushy tails for balance, signalling and warmth?
...are rodents whose incisors grow continuously?
...climb tree trunks skilfully with sharp claws and flexible ankles?
...use their bushy tails for balance, warmth and signalling?
...can hide nuts and seeds for later?
...build twig nests or use tree cavities, depending on the species?
...are domesticated mustelids closely related to the European polecat?
...can move through narrow passages with their long, slender bodies?
...have short digestive tracts because they are carnivores?
...are mainly active around dawn and dusk?
...can sleep for a large part of the day?
...belong to the lagomorphs rather than the rodents?
...are born furred, with open eyes and the ability to move?
...usually rest in shallow hollows rather than digging underground burrows?
...can run quickly and leap far with their long, powerful hind legs?
...eat grasses, herbs, leaves and other plant material?
...have especially sensitive and dexterous front paws?
...are omnivores and adapt their diet to the habitat around them?
...are mainly active at night?
...are excellent climbers and can descend tree trunks headfirst?
...may enter periods of winter torpor but do not truly hibernate?
...grasp prey with spined front legs modified for catching?
...can turn their triangular heads widely thanks to a flexible neck?
...can judge distances using stereoscopic vision?
...often blend remarkably well with leaves, twigs or flowers through their colours and body shapes?
...undergo incomplete metamorphosis from egg to nymph to adult?
...belong to the squirrel family?
...carry nuts, seeds and other food in expandable cheek pouches?
...build underground burrows for sleeping, shelter and food storage?
...eat insects as well as plant food?
...many species spend winter in torpor and wake periodically to eat stored food?
...can spray a powerful-smelling secretion from two glands near the tail?
...some species can aim their defensive spray over several metres?
...often warn with stamping, a raised tail or other threat postures before spraying?
...use their contrasting coat pattern to warn potential attackers?
...are nocturnal omnivores that eat insects, small animals and fruit, among other foods?
...have spines made of keratin that are modified hairs?
...can use powerful skin muscles to roll into a spiny ball when threatened?
...mainly forage at night?
...mostly eat invertebrates but, depending on the species, also consume other animal and plant food?
...some species hibernate in colder regions?
...live mainly on land and have strong, column-like legs?
...have bony shells connected to their ribs and spines?
...cannot leave their shells because the shell is part of the skeleton?
...breathe air with lungs and regulate body temperature by moving between sun and shade?
...lay their eggs in nests dug on land?
...spend most of their lives in tunnel systems they dig themselves?
...use broad, outward-facing front paws like shovels?
...have small, functional eyes but no visible external ear flaps?
...mainly eat earthworms and other soil-dwelling invertebrates?
...have velvety fur that does not easily catch when they move forwards or backwards through narrow tunnels?
...root through the soil with their powerful snouts for roots, tubers and small animals?
...are omnivores with highly adaptable diets?
...have excellent senses of smell and hearing?
...females and their young usually live in groups called sounders?
...have longitudinally striped coats as piglets, helping to camouflage them in undergrowth?
...are large ground squirrels?
...build extensive burrows for sleeping, hiding and overwintering?
...can hibernate for several months in cold regions?
...mainly eat grasses, herbs and other plants?
...warn one another of danger with shrill whistles?
...are rodents whose incisors grow continuously?
...use their whiskers to sense nearby obstacles and air movements?
...have highly developed senses of smell and hearing?
...in some species also communicate with one another at ultrasonic frequencies?
...are adaptable omnivores that eat seeds, plant material and small invertebrates?
...belong to the mustelid family?
...dig extensive burrows with powerful front paws and long claws?
...are mainly active at dusk and during the night?
...are omnivores that eat earthworms, insects, fruit and small vertebrates, among other foods?
...in Europe can enlarge and use the same setts over many generations?
...belong to the same animal family as otters, badgers and weasels?
...can move through narrow gaps with their slender bodies and flexible joints?
...are skilful climbers and use their bushy tails for balance?
...usually travel alone and are mainly active at dusk or during the night?
...eat fruit, berries and other plant food as well as small prey?
...are the only mammals capable of sustained powered flight?
...many species use echolocation for navigation and hunting?
...are not blind and use their eyes as well as echolocation?
...eat insects, fruit, nectar, fish or small vertebrates, depending on the species?
...are important pollinators and seed dispersers for many plants??
...some birds in the animal kingdom possess fascinating navigational skills?
...are called peacocks or peahens depending on their sex?
...the male’s magnificent train consists mainly of elongated upper tail coverts rather than the true tail feathers?
...the eye-shaped markings are displayed prominently during courtship?
...usually forage on the ground for seeds, fruit, insects and small animals?
...can fly short distances and reach trees to roost despite their long display feathers?
...are flightless birds found naturally only in New Zealand?
...are mainly active at night?
...have their nostrils near the tip of their long bills?
...have hair-like feathers and only tiny wings hidden beneath their plumage?
...lay exceptionally large eggs in relation to their body size?
...can paddle efficiently through water with their webbed feet?
...feed as dabbling or diving ducks, depending on the species?
...have bills whose shapes and filtering lamellae are adapted to their diets?
...keep their plumage clean and functional through regular preening?
...are, in many species, able to walk, swim and feed themselves soon after hatching?
...usually live near coasts, lakes or large rivers?
...eat waterbirds, small mammals and carrion as well as fish?
...grasp prey with powerful feet and sharp talons?
...can judge distances very precisely with their forward-facing eyes?
...build large stick nests and may reuse them for years?
...are flightless seabirds whose wings have evolved into powerful flippers?
...effectively ‘fly’ underwater with their flippers?
...are camouflaged at sea by dark upper sides and pale undersides?
...are protected from cold by dense plumage and a layer of fat?
...live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, but not only in Antarctica?
...breed in the Arctic tundra?
...count lemmings among their most important prey?
...make their nests as shallow scrapes directly on the ground?
...also hunt in daylight during the Arctic summer?
...females and young birds are usually more heavily marked with dark bars than adult males?
...live in tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America?
...have very large bills that are comparatively light because of their internal structure?
...can point two toes forwards and two backwards?
...mainly eat fruit but also consume insects, eggs and small vertebrates?
...often use existing tree cavities as nest sites?
...belong to the diverse pigeon-and-dove family?
...both parents incubate the eggs in many species?
...both parents can produce nutrient-rich crop milk to feed their young?
...usually build simple nests from only a few twigs?
...domestic homing pigeons can find their way back to their lofts over long distances?
...obtain their pink colour from pigments in their food?
...feed with their heads upside down and filter food particles from the water with lamellae in their bills?
...build cone-shaped nests from mud?
...hatch with grey or whitish down and initially straight bills?
...both parents can produce nutrient-rich crop milk for their young?
...belong to the corvid family and can solve complex problems?
...use a very wide range of food sources as omnivores?
...can cache surplus food and remember many hiding places?
...have a large repertoire of calls and other sounds?
...play acrobatically in the air, sometimes rolling or turning onto their backs?
...some pets know how to recognise and respond to their owners' moods?
...were developed as herding dogs in the border region between Scotland and England?
...often control sheep with an intense gaze and a crouched posture?
...can have either smooth or medium-length coats?
...occur in many different coat colours and markings?
...need plenty of physical exercise and challenging mental stimulation?
...are domesticated rodents originating from South America?
...are social animals that communicate through sounds and body postures?
...cannot produce vitamin C and must obtain it through their diet?
...have teeth that continue to grow throughout their lives?
...digest plant food in a specialised hindgut?
...is a colour variation rather than a separate cat breed?
...can result from variants of the TYRP1 gene?
...causes black eumelanin to appear brown?
...is inherited recessively and therefore requires relevant gene variants from both parents?
...can occur in several pedigree breeds as well as in non-pedigree cats?
...are small parrots native to inland Australia?
...are mainly green and yellow in the wild?
...search for water and food in nomadic flocks outside the breeding season?
...feed mainly on the seeds of grasses and herbs?
...nest in tree cavities and can breed quickly after favourable rainfall?
...were developed by the Chukchi people of north-eastern Asia as endurance sled dogs?
...were bred to pull light loads over long distances as part of a team?
...have dense double coats consisting of undercoat and guard hair?
...can have brown, blue or differently coloured eyes?
...need plenty of activity and mental stimulation as energetic working dogs?
...are obligate carnivores and require certain nutrients from animal-based food?
...can keep most of their claws retracted at rest and extend them when needed?
...use sensitive whiskers to detect nearby objects and air movements?
...see much better than people in low light but not in complete darkness?
...communicate through scents, sounds and body postures?
...take their name from the Swiss region of Bern?
...were historically used on farms for guarding, driving cattle and pulling small carts?
...have a characteristic tricolour pattern of black, white and rust markings?
...have long, dense double coats?
...are large, powerfully built working dogs?
...occur in the wild only in a small area of Syria and neighbouring regions?
...mainly live alone and defend their territories against other hamsters?
...are primarily active at dusk and during the night?
...build underground burrows with sleeping and food-storage chambers?
...collect seeds and other food and store it for later?
...are among the largest domestic cat breeds?
...have long, dense coats and especially bushy tails?
...often have tufts of hair between their toes?
...occur in many different coat colours and patterns?
...mature slowly and often reach their full size only after several years?
…some animals on the farm can form particularly close friendships with other animals?
...descend from wild boar and retain many of their behaviours?
...are social animals capable of forming stable relationships within groups?
...have an especially keen sense of smell?
...are omnivores that use their mobile snouts to search the soil for food?
...wallow in mud to cool themselves and protect their skin?
...descend from the African wild ass and have been domesticated for several thousand years?
...can locate sounds from different directions precisely with their large, mobile ears?
...communicate over long distances with their far-carrying bray?
...are herbivores that digest fibrous food in a specialised hindgut?
...often assess possible danger carefully rather than fleeing immediately?
...are domestic goats with an inherited condition that produces additional horns?
...can form extra horns when horn buds divide during embryonic development?
...have multiple horns associated with changes in the HOXD1 gene?
...may have three, four or even more separate or partly fused horns, depending on the expression?
...are ruminant herbivores like other domestic goats?
...originate from the Scottish Highlands and the western islands of Scotland?
...have long outer hair and a dense, soft undercoat?
...both males and females grow long horns?
...can be yellow, black, dun, brindle or white as well as red?
...are especially well adapted to harsh weather and rough grazing?
...usually hatch after about 21 days of incubation in domestic chickens?
...use a temporary egg tooth to break the shell from inside?
...can exchange calls with the hen and other chicks before hatching?
...hatch wet before their down dries and becomes fluffy?
...can walk and peck soon after hatching but still need warmth and protection?
...are social herd animals with complex relationships and hierarchies?
...spend many hours of the day grazing as herbivores?
...have a very wide field of view because their eyes are positioned on the sides of the head?
...use their mobile ears both to locate sounds and as visible body signals?
...can doze while standing but must lie down for REM sleep?