AnimalsNOV 7, 2025

40 Lesser-Known Facts About Animals That Made People Say 'Aww'

If the internet was a perfect place, it would surely give us something more valuable than time well wasted. Imagine how awesome it would be if our all-time favorite pet pics and animal videos were to meet the knowledge we all crave. Well, guess what?

This Reddit community titled "Awwducational" is doing precisely that. Created in November 2012, it has become home to some of the most amusing educational facts you’d love to share on your next trivia round with friends. The best part: they all have to do with the most wholesome furry creatures out there, from cute possums and giggling rats, to playful cows and the slow-mo sloths.

So let’s get ready to soak up some did-you-knows and make your biology teacher proud. And scroll down for Bored Panda’s interview with r/awwducational senior moderators who shared some insights about their wholesome Reddit community.

#1 The Opossum Is North America's Only Marsupial, They Can Eat 5000 Ticks A Year And Are Almost Immune To Rabies! Their Body Temperature Is Too Low For The Virus To Survive!

#2 150 Kākāriki Karaka Chicks Have Hatched This Season, Potentially Doubling The This Rare Birds Population

#3 Trained African Giant Pouched Rats Have Found Thousands Of Unexploded Landmines And Bombs. Researchers Have Also Trained These Rats To Detect Tuberculosis. And Most Recently They Are Training Them To Sniff Out Poached Wildlife Trophies Being Exported Out Of African Ports

#4 Opposums Get A Lot Of Hate, But They Clear Many Unwanted Bugs And Parasites From The Ecosystem And Are Generally Helpful Friends. Please Appreciate Them, Especially This Good Boy

#5 Lynx Have Evolved Enormous Paws To Distribute Weight Better In Snow, Acting Like Natural Snowshoes

#6 When In Danger, The Malabar Giant Squirrel Often Freezes Or Flattens Itself Against The Tree Trunk, Instead Of Fleeing

#7 Rats Giggle When You Tickle Them. Their Voices Are So High-Pitched You Need Special Equipment To Hear Them, But When You Do, Their Laughs Are Immediately Evident

#8 Bats Are Not Rodents. They Are Their Own Group Called Chiroptera. They Are More Closely Related To Cats Than Rats

#9 Blue Penguins Are The Smallest Type Of Penguin. Adults Reach Only 12-13in Tall. Owing To Their Small Size And Bright Color They Are Often Called Fairy Penguins

#10 A University Of Chicago Study Found That Rats Are Just As Capable Of Empathy As Humans

#11 The Pudú Deer Is The Smallest Species Of Deer Standing At 15 Inches Tall On Average

#12 Cows Have Similar Emotional Range As Dogs. They Display Boldness, Shyness, Fearfulness And Even Playfulness

#13 Van Kittens Are Initially Born With Pale Blue Eyes, Which Change To A Deeper Blue Or Amber As They Grow Older. Occasionally, You’ll Also See A Van With One Amber Eye And One Blue Eye, Or Two Blue Eyes Of Different Hues

#14 This Is The Raccoon Dog, The Only Extant Species In The Genus Nyctereutes. It's A Close Relative Of True Foxes And The Only Canid Known To Hibernate During The Winter

#15 Tigers Are Carnivores, But Will Eat Fruit In Order To Ease Digestion

#16 The World's Oldest Known Wild Bird, Wisdom The Laysan Albatross, Has Laid An Egg At 67! Wisdom Has Outlived Several Mates And Has Raised 30 To 35 Chicks

#17 Native To India, Sloth Bears Are The Only Ursids Known To Carry Their Young For Extended Periods. Cubs Will Ride On Their Mother’s Backs For Six To Seven Months After Leaving The Den

#18 The Red Wolf (Canis Rufus) Is The Most Endangered Canid Species Alive. There Are Less Than 35 Individuals In The Wild After An Attempt To Bring The Species Numbers Up (Peaking At 130 Individuals In 2006). These Wolves Form Close-Knit Packs That Consist Of The Breeding Pair And Their Offspring

#19 Captain Cook Collected Quolls Along The East Coast In 1770, And Recorded 'Quoll' As Their Local Aboriginal Name. Quolls Were Often Seen By Early Settlers, Who Called Them 'Native Cat', 'Native Polecat' And 'Spotted Marten', Names Based On Familiar European Animals

#20 The Red Fox's Adaptability And Resourcefulness Have Earned It A Legendary Reputation For Intelligence And Cunning. Also, A Fox's Tail Is Called A "Brush"

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