#21 Despite Their Appearance, Elephant Shrews Are In Fact More Closely Related To Elephants Than Shrews
Previously, my colleague spoke to two of r/Awwducational’s moderators, u/IchTanze and u/AGreatWind, about the community. Redditor u/IchTanze, a moderator-veteran with 6 years of experience now (5 at the time of the interview), told Bored Panda that the ‘aww’ part of the subreddit refers to how people react to baby animals, flowers, endangered species, and other subjectively cute things. “‘Aww is in the eye of the beholder,’ as we say.”
The moderators and the entire community want everyone who joins the online group to learn something new about the animal world. That’s why they insist on everyone backing up their facts with proper sources.
#22 Beavers Have Orange Teeth Because Their Tooth Enamal Has A High Iron Content To Make Them Strong Enough To Chew Through Wood
#23 The Chinese Mountain Cat Is One Of The Rarest Wild Cats, And Was First Captured On Camera In The Wild In 2007
#24 The Manul (Or Pallas' Cat) Of Central Asia Has The Longest And Densest Fur Of All The Cat Species
“The educational component is what gets added in the comment section, where the user must provide a source for their fact in the title that is either peer-reviewed, from a highly reputable source, or has citations from one of the above to back it up,” the mod explained.
Meanwhile, moderator u/AGreatWind pointed out that r/Awwducational allows content about natural history, alongside “animals and plants of all kinds, even if their cuteness may be… subjective.” In short, it doesn’t have to be super cute to get on the subreddit (though it helps!).
#25 Aardwolves Are Neither Aardvarks Nor Wolves
#26 Penguin Chicks, Because Of Their Fat Insulation, When They Get Too Hot, They Pant And Stick Their Legs Out, Which Cools Them Off
#27 It Takes Bald Eagles About Five Years To Obtain Their White Head!
The moderator team approves all the posts and knows what they’re doing when it comes to animal facts. And their background proves it. “Our mod team is a diverse group of animal lovers, enthusiasts, and scientists from a range of backgrounds spanning ecology, biophysics, and infectious disease,” u/AGreatWind explained, adding that the mod team has its hands full with work. However, in the end, it’s all worth it.
#28 These Guys Are Goldcrests, The Smallest Birds In Europe
#29 Marine Iguanas Have A Mutualistic Relationship With Lava Lizards, As The Lizards Often Scurry Over Them To Hunt Flies
#30 Gibbons Are One Of The Only Non-Human Primates Which Practice Monogamy
“We are rather large by subscriber count, but the community still feels small because of the interaction and cooperation we have with them. We try to engage with and listen to our subscribers rather than try to herd them, much as we did when there were only a few thousand,” u/AGreatWind told Bored Panda, calling r/Awwducational “a big little sub.”
#31 The California Ground And Rock Squirrels Have Acquired A Great Anti-Rattlesnake Defense
#32 The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon Brachyurus) Is The Largest Canid In South America. His Marks Resemble Those Of Foxes, But He Is Not A Fox Or A Wolf. It Is The Only Species Of The Genus Chrysocyon (Which Means "Golden Dog"). These Wolves Are Also Commonly Mistaken For “El Chupacabra”
#33 Say Hello To An Australian Echidna! One Of Only Two Mammals In The World That Lay Eggs (Called Monotremes)! This Little Girl Was Brought Into My Work
#34 King Cheetahs Are Variety Of Cheetahs With A Rare Mutation Caused By A Recessive Allele. Their Cream-Colored Fur Are Marked With Large, Blotchy Spots And Three Dark, Wide Stripes Extend From The Neck To The Tail
#35 There Are Only 880 Mountain Gorillas Left...
#36 Snow Leopards Cover The Distance Of A Marathon (26.2 Mi) In One Night
#37 Native To Mexico, The Axolotl Has A Slimy Tail And A Mouth That Curls Into An Odd Smile. It Is Known As The "Water Monster" Or The "Mexican Walking Fish."
#38 Hippos Can't Really Swim. Their Big Bones Are Too Dense And Heavy, So They Just Push Off The Ground, Walking Or Bouncing Off The Bottom
#39 Australian "Firehawk" Raptors, Such As This Black Kite, Have Recently Been Found To Purposefully Spread Wildfires
#40 Done Brushing Your Dog? Birds Love Using The Hair To Build Nests. Set Aside One Birdfeeder To Fill With Hair
