Most animals can look at other animals and humans in the eyes. Pet animals do. However, there is a difference, in general, in the way cats and dogs make eye contact with humans.
A cat makes quick, fleeting eye contact with a human. A cat looks at a human in the eyes and then looks away quickly, and then may look back again. This is known as a ‘less intrusive glance’ or a fleeting glance.
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What is the difference between the German Wasp (Vespula germanica) and the Yellowjacket Hoverfly (Milesia virginieusis)?
The German Wasp is a wasp and the Yellowjacket Hoverfly is not a wasp – it is related to the Drone Fly. Both are insects.
The German Wasp is a vespid and the Yellowjacket Hoverfly is a syrphid.
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What is the difference between the Greater Guinea Pig (Cavia magna) and the Patagonian Mara (Dolichotis patagonum)?
Both the Greater Guinea Pig and the Patagonian Mara are large, herbivorous, rodent mammals. The Patagonian Mara is also known as the Patagonian Cavy. They are both cavids.
Both the Greater Guinea Pig and the Patagonian Mara have two large front teeth to gnaw plants.
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What is the difference between an Ant Bag Beetle (Clytra laeviuscula) and a Ladybird (Coccinellidae family)?
Both the Ant Bag Beetle and the Ladybird are insects and beetles. The Ladybird is also known as the Ladybird Beetle and the Lady Beetle.
The Ant Bag Beetle has an elongated body and the Ladybird has a rounded body.
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What is the difference between Old World monkeys and New World monkeys?
Old World monkeys live in the African continent, in coastal Arabia, and in Asia. New World monkeys live mainly in the tropical rain forests of South American countries.
Old World monkeys belong to one family called the Ceropithecidae family. They are catarrhines, which means that they have narrow, downward noses. Apes and humans also have downward noses.
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Some animals have young that look like a similar but miniature version of the adult. Other animals have young that look very different from the adult.
The young (juvenile) American Flamingo looks very different from its parents.
The American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is a large wetland wading bird with reddish-pink feathers, a large beak, long legs, and a curved S-shaped neck.
The juvenile flamingo has fluffy grey feathers. The adult flamingo has reddish-pink well-defined feathers. It takes 2-3 years for the juvenile flamingo to gain its pink feathers.
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What is the difference between the Four Stripe Damselfish (Dascyllus melanurus) and the Tuxedo Damselfish (Chrysiptera tricincta)?
The Four Stripe Damselfish and the Tuxedo Damselfish both belong to the Pomacentridae family of damselfish.
The Four Stripe Damselfish and the Tuxedo Damselfish are both tropical marine (saltwater) reef fish.
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What is the difference between the Southern Crested Caracara (Caracara planacus) and the Striated Caracara (Phalcoboenus australis)?
The Southern Crested Caracara and the Striated Caracara are both large birds of prey in the Falconidae family. They are falconids.
The Southern Crested Caracara has a dark-brownish cap, belly, wings, and tail tip, with a whitish-buff throat and nape, whereas the Striated Caracara is black-brown with a grey-flecked neck.
The Southern Crested Caracara has a brown crest and the Striated Caracara does not have a crest.
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What is the difference between the Jaguar (Panthera onca) and the Leopard (Panthera pardus)?
The Jaguar and the Leopard are both carnivorous wild cats.
The Jaguar and the Leopard have dark rosette-shaped markings on their cream to yellowish-brown fur.
The Jaguar has larger and fewer rosettes than the Leopard. The rosettes of the Jaguar are mostly without a gold centre.
The Jaguar is stockier and more muscular than the Leopard.
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What is the difference between the Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri) and the Southern White-Lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari albirostris)?
The Chacoan Peccary and the Southern White-Lipped Peccary are both pig-like ungulate (hoofed) mammals with short legs, and small, narrow feet.
The Chacoan Peccary and the Southern White-Lipped Peccary have a tough, leathery, pig-like snout (nose).
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What is the difference between the European Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) and the European Paper Wasp (Polistes dominula)?
The European Wasp, also called the Common Wasp, and the European Paper Wasp are both vespid insects.
The European Wasp and the European Paper Wasp are both social wasps living in colonies with a queen wasp and worker wasps.
The European Wasp and the European Paper Wasp both have black and yellow bodies with yellowish-orange legs.
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What is the difference between the Finnish Forest Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus) and the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)?
The Finnish Forest Reindeer and the Woodland Caribou are sub-species of the Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), an ungulate (hoofed) mammal in the deer family.
The Finnish Forest Reindeer and the Woodland Caribou have long legs with wide, crescent-shaped, cloven (split) hooves for walking on snow.
The Finnish Forest Reindeer and the Woodland Caribou have antlers. The male has large V-shaped antlers, that are larger than the female’s antlers.
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What are the differences between the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) and the Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata)?
The Greater Rhea and the Lesser Rhea are both large, flightless, ratite birds with long legs and a long neck, with a body of fluffy grey feathers.
The Greater Rhea is larger than the Lesser Rhea.
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What is the difference between the American Bison (Bison bison) and the European Bison (Bison bonasus)?
The American Bison and the European Bison are large ungulate (hoofed) mammals in the bovine (cattle) family.
The American Bison and the European Bison are artiodactyl, because they have cloven (split) hooves.
The American Bison has longer hair on its neck, head, and forequarters than the European Bison.
The American Bison has less hair on its tail than the European Bison.
The American Bison has shorter horns and tail than the European Bison.
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What are the similarities and differences between the Asian Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the European Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos)?
The Asian Black Bear has silky black fur and the European Brown Bear has dense brown fur.
The Asian Black Bear is arboreal (living in trees) and the European Black Bear is terrestrial (living on the ground).
The Asian Black Bear is lighter and thinner than the European Brown Bear.
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What is the difference between the Oscellate River Stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) and the Thornback Ray (Raja clavata)?
The Oscellate River Stingray is a marine (saltwater) fish, whereas the Thornback Ray is a freshwater river fish.
Both the Oscellate River Stingray and the Thornback Ray have two raised eyes, close together, on the top of their backs.
The Oscellate River Stingray has a beige or brown body with numerous yellow-orange dark-ringed spots, whereas the Thornback Ray varies in colour from light-grey or light-brown with either dark or light blotches.
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What are the differences between the Asian Hornet (Vespa velutina) and the European Hornet (Vespa crabro)?
The Asian Hornet and the European Hornet are both insects in the family of eusocial wasps. They both live in colonies of several thousand individuals.
The Asian Hornet has a smooth, black and yellow-orange body with yellow legs and black wings, whereas the European Hornet has a smooth, black and yellow body with distinctive yellow legs and reddish-orange wings.
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What is the difference between the foot of the Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), and Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)?
The Chimpanzee, Gorilla, and Orangutan are primates with five digits on each foot (five toes) with keratin toe nails. Humans also have five digits on each foot with keratin toe nails.
The Gorilla has shorter, wider digits than the Chimpanzee and Orangutan.
The Chimpanzee, Gorilla, and Orangutan have prehensile (grasping) feet. Humans do not have prehensile feet (their feet cannot easily grasp objects).
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What is the difference between the hand of the Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), and Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)?
The Chimpanzee, Gorilla, and Orangutan are primates with five digits on each hand (four fingers and one thumb) with keratin fingernails. Humans also have five digits on each hand (four fingers and one thumb) with keratin fingernails.
The Gorilla has shorter, wider digits than the Chimpanzee and Orangutan.
The Gorilla has a wider palm than the Chimpanzee and Orangutan.
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The Kangaroo, Pademelon, Tree-Kangaroo and Wallaby are all macropod (large-footed) marsupial (pouched) mammals.
The Kangaroo, Pademelon, and Wallaby have triangular-shaped faces with black noses, whereas the Tree-Kangaroo has a square-shaped face with a pink nose.
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