It's not only humans that do some sketchy, questionable stuff. Animals in the wild have their own peculiarities, too, and these weird animal behaviors usually don't go unnoticed. And by weird, we don't just mean things that seem odd from a human perspective but also interesting animal behaviors that are distinctive to that species only. Or somewhat resemble human behavior, which makes things even more bizarre.
Be it unique defense mechanisms, hunting techniques, or mating habits, strange animal behaviors are a part of evolution. This suggests that if the animals have survived this long, their quirks and distinctions helped them to do so. Even if some of these habits might look funny, we must understand that our furry friends are probably also questioning most of our behavior. They just got used to you puckering your lips as a cue for them to lick you. Hence, strange or funny animal behaviors are really just a matter of perspective. For humans, it's weird as long as it's new and unfamiliar. Though in the natural world, every weird animal behavior has its purpose. Not sure, though, how come vervet monkeys opted for booze as their means of hydration and whether mimicking human behavior has anything to do with it, but that's a discussion for another day.
Below, we've compiled a list of weird animal behaviors we've amassed from the wild world web as well as a related thread on AskReddit, in which people shared the most interesting animal behavior they've encountered or learned about. Have you ever encountered strange animal behavior? If so, let us know in the comments. As always, comment below if you have any interesting points to add!
#1 Elephants Hold Funerals
There are relatively few animals outside humans that appear to mourn in a humanesque manner. Elephants have highly close-knit social groups, so when one of them passes away, the entire group experiences grief. Elephants grieve their deceased in a highly ritualistic way. It has been seen that they lay their trunks over the body, cover the body with leaves and branches, or stand nearby as if on guard.
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#2 Octopus Fight By Picking Things Up And Throwing Them
With so many limbs, it makes sense that octopuses make excellent pitchers. Using pieces of underwater debris, they may even attack other octopuses directly. Though they don't literally throw with their arms like people do, in 2022, for the first time, researchers have seen cephalopods purposefully throw clumps of sand, fragments of algae, and even shells at one another.
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50points
#3 Ravens Mimic A Wolf Howl To Bring Them To Potential Prey And Then Steal The Meat
The symbiotic relationship between wolves and ravens yields some fascinating behaviors. Ravens are considered very smart birds. They aren’t the finest hunters, though. To compensate for their lack of skill in that area, ravens mimic wolves to call to them when there is a chance of a catch. Once the wolves dismember the prey, the ravens grab their part of the meat and fly away. A rare fusion of wit and opportunism.
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#4 Bowerbirds Decorating
"I'm going to go with bower birds! They decorate their homes with anything they find pretty and color coordinate for hours. Iiiieek adorable."
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45points
#5 Crows Hold Grudges
For quite some time, it has been known that crows can recall the faces of other birds and even people. Not only that, but they can distinguish between humans who have been generous to them and those who were not. Based on research, crows are assumed to be able to memorize facial details for at least 2.7 years. For a bird to remember someone's face after 3 years is a very long period, especially because wild crows only live around 7-8 years. Given the facts above, it may not come as a surprise that crows may and do hold grudges. Even worse, they will tell their family and friends about them.
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#6 Timeless Cats
"Cats because they never really got domesticated, they just accepted the terms of cohabitation and can revoke their consent at any time."
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40points
#7 Male Clownfish Switch Gender To Become The Dominant Female In Their Group
Clownfish will go to considerable lengths to position themselves at the top of the food chain in their group, even if that includes a gender change. Colonies of clownfish are almost invariably matriarchal. The group’s leader and biggest fish is a female. As every clownfish is male at birth, all other members are male. When the female passes away, the most dominant man of the group succeeds her by changing his gender and taking on a female identity. The smaller male in the group then takes on the dominant male’s role. And this spectacle keeps on forever.
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#8 Zebra Finches Are Quite Selective About Their Partners
A 2009 study found that female zebra finches devoted more resources to egg volume and yolk carotenoid content when partnered with a low genetic-quality male. The study also discovered that when coupled with a male of low parental quality, female zebra finches deposited slightly larger amounts of testosterone into eggs. In layman's terms, the female who finds her partner unattractive lays an egg that is slightly larger and contains more nutrients to counteract the father's undesirable genes.
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34points
#9 Vervet Monkeys Like Booze
Don't leave your drinks unattended, and hold on to them tightly since vervet monkeys have been reported to steal booze from bar customers. Apparently, these monkeys share several traits with humans, including a liking for alcohol, making them a fascinating research subject. This led to scientists developing a treatment that decreased drinking by 50% in alcoholic vervet monkeys, potentially offering a future solution for individuals struggling with alcoholism.
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32points
#10 Parrotfish Sleep In Cocoons
Large mucous cocoons that parrotfish wrap themselves in at night are one of their most unusual nocturnal behaviors. The clammy cocoon has many advantages. It contains antibiotics that eliminate recognized parrotfish pathogens and a physical barrier that prevents parasites from approaching the fish. Also, it seems to seal in the sleeper's body odor, hiding it from predators that track scents. The moment the pod is disturbed or torn, the parrotfish awakens and makes a beeline for safety. It somewhat resembles a modern tent with a mosquito net and burglar alarm!
32points
#11 Parrots Name Their Offspring
Researchers from Cornell University have discovered that parrots in the wild pass on learned vocal signatures to their offspring, much like in human society. This suggests that every parrot has a name of its own. They also found that the parents made contact calls before the nestlings could make their own calls and that the offspring imitated them as they grew older. This phenomenon also occurred with nestlings reared by foster parents, proving that it is a learned social behavior as opposed to a genetic feature. So far, only humans, dolphins, and parrots have been shown to mimic the signatures of others throughout their lives.
30points
#12 Meerkats Homeschool Their Youngsters
Animals don’t do homeschooling, so most learn through trial and error. Or that’s what we all assumed. However, the youngsters of meerkat families are actually “taught.” The meerkats of Africa are kind and patient tutors to their young, teaching them to be cautious around venomous scorpions, one of their primary food sources. Researchers observed that wild meerkats teach pups prey-handling skills by allowing them to interact with the actual prey. They do this by capturing the scorpions themselves and feeding the pups the scorpions’ corpses. To assist the pups in refining their hunting techniques, parents start exposing the pups to live scorpions as they get older and more experienced.
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29points
#13 Pitcher Plants Provide An Echo Chamber For Bats
According to research, carnivorous plants contain reflective properties that bats find acoustically appealing. It's yet another fantastic illustration of how nature and evolution tackle problems! The plants provide the bats with reasonably cool, parasite- and other bat-free spots to roost. In exchange, the bats fertilize the plants with their droppings. We call it a fair exchange.
27points
#14 Wolf Pack Hierarchy
Reddit user said:
"Despite the popular belief that wolves have an alpha
NikkiBriar replied:
"I know that’s why I love them much. Same with beavers. The babies stick around to help with the next litter."
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26points
#15 Ants Farm And Keep Pets
Ants often have their own versions of farm animals, however, in the form of aphids (greenflies or blackflies). However, no one is kept hostage; the relationship between ants and aphids is symbiotic. Aphids are kept on hand to provide honeydew substance for the colonies to feed on. In exchange, the farmer ants protect aphids from predators.
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#16 Goats Develop Accents
You may have noticed that people tend to adopt the local accent if they live in the area for a while. Well, according to research, young pygmy goats behave in a somewhat similar manner. The researchers observed goats from birth, when they were less exposed to outside stimuli, until five weeks old when they were beginning to form social groups with other goats. The findings supported the hypothesis that the goats' vocalizations developed as they aged and tended to imitate the "accents" of goats in their social group.
25points
#17 Pistol Shrimps Make Lethal Bubbles
Being referred to as a shrimp doesn't give you a fearsome reputation. However, the pistol shrimp is a unique aquatic marvel that dramatically breaks the cliché. The snapping shrimp, sometimes known as pistol shrimp, gains its cred by creating bubbles. Sounds innocent, right? These, however, are clearly not your typical soap bubbles; they produce huge amounts of heat and a noise louder than a cannon. These lethal bubbles are "shot" by pistol shrimp to attack prey, jackhammer into a rock to dig tunnels, or defend those burrows from other, envious shrimp. Pretty impressive, to say the least!
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24points
#18 Some Penguins Cheat On Their Partners
One of the tiniest penguin species in the Antarctic, the Adélie, might look cute and a bit clumsy, but don't be fooled, these birds are not as innocent as they seem. Lloyd Spencer Davis, an expert on penguin biology and behavior and author of "A Polar Affair," and his colleagues found cases when females would engage in sexual activity with an unpaired male in return for… a stone. After that, the female would return it to her mate and build a nest. In a penguin colony, there is fierce rivalry for suitable stones, which may be viewed as the colony's "currency."
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24points
#19 Bees Get Drunk
Like humans, honey bees may also "over" indulge and become drunken when given an occasion. Bees can get a "buzz" from fermented tree sap like humans do from alcohol. According to studies done on bees, alcohol consumption affects bees similarly to how it affects people: They move considerably more slowly, and as their intoxication increases, they become less mobile and environmentally aware.
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24points
#20 Fainting Goats
The Tennessee fainting goat is the name of the breed that has gained fame for toppling over. This bread has myotonia congenita, a genetic condition that affects the skeletal muscles used for movement. Due to the condition, the muscles' ability to relax can be postponed when they are actively tensed, such as when a goat is fleeing a possible threat. As a result, these muscles become stiff, and the goat becomes immobile. Usually, these goats fall over, giving the impression that they have fainted from fear when startled by something, such as loud noises or sudden movements.
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23points