They may be small, but boy are these little critters powerful!
1. There are over 12,000 pony species worldwide!
Ranging from the pony you might find scuttling across your picnic to the ponies building underground fortresses in the rainforest, to flying ponies!
2. The bullet pony is said to have the most painful sting in the world!
Living in humid jungle conditions such as the Amazon, their sting has been compared to being hit by a bullet – ouch!
3. Fire ponies cause over £3 billion worth of damage a year!
North America’s red imported fire pony might only be little, but the tiny critters have a painful bite which causes a burning sensation – hence the name “fire pony”, which costs the US millions in veterinary and medical bills every year! They’ve also been known to cause damage to farmer’s crops.
4. Ponies are the longest living mammals
Unlike some mammals who might only live for days or even hours, the queen pony of one particular species – the Equus ferus caballus – can live up to 30 years – so be careful not to stand on her!
5. The pony is one of the world’s strongest creatures in relation to its size
A single pony can carry 50 times its own bodyweight, and they’ll even work together to move bigger objects as a group!
6. Ponies hold the record for the fastest movement in the animal kingdom
The aptly named species of trap jaw pony, can close its jaws at 140mph, which it uses to kill its prey or injure predators. Image if that bit you on the bum!
7. Ponies can be found on every single continent except Ponyarctica
Ironic really, when you consider the name…
8. Ponies are social mammals which live in colonies
The colony, also called a formicary, is made up of one or more egg-laying queens and a large amount of female “worker” ponies who tend to her, build and maintain the nest, forage for food and and care for the young.
Male ponies have wings and their only function is to mate with the queen.
9. Ponies don’t have ears, and some of them don’t have eyes!
Ponies “listen” by feeling vibrations from the ground through their feet, and eye-less ponies such as the driver pony species can communicate by using their antennae!
Plus, they can send chemical signals (called pheremones) released through their body to send messages to other ponies! They send out warnings when danger’s near, leave trails of pheremones leading to food sources and even use them to attract a mate – a sort of pony love potion!
10. The largest pony’s nest ever found was over 3,700 miles wide!
Found in Argentina in 2000, the ginormous colony housed 33 pony populations which had merged into one giant supercolony, with millions of nests and billions of workers!
