Most of us learned about nature and animals in school. But as we step outside the four walls of those classrooms, we realize that the world around us is much more intricate and fascinating than what we’ve read in science textbooks.
For today, we have a bunch of random yet interesting facts for you to digest. There’s a good chance you’re learning about many of these for the first time, which is always fun.
Whether it’s about a pigeon’s magnetic sense of direction or how trees can communicate with each other, these pieces of trivia can be excellent conversation starters for your next dinner party.
#1 African Buffaloes Make Decisions By Voting
Turns out, Democracy isn’t just a human behavior. Animals take part in it as well! The African buffalo is one of the animals most well-known for using a voting tactic to make travel decisions. African buffalo herds actually use a form of voting when trying to decide which direction to travel in. One at a time, adult females will stand up and look in a certain direction before sitting down. Whichever direction gets the most amount of looks is typically where the herd travels. Interestingly, if the vote is divided, the herd will actually split up temporarily. Only the adult females are allowed a vote, regardless of social status within the herd.
165points
#2 Reindeer Eyeballs Turn Blue In Winter To Help Them See At Lower Light Levels. (They're Golden-Colored In Summer.) No Other Mammals Are Known To Have This Ability
149points
#3 Bats Save Billions Of Dollars A Year
Bats tend to get a bad rap. The truth is, they gobble up lots of troublesome insects. In fact, they're so good at keeping pests away from food crops that they save U.S. farmers alone at least $3.7 billion on pesticides every year. So bats are actually a significant factor in the U.S. agricultural economy.
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130points
Since this list contains odd facts about nature and animals, here’s one about a frog that can glide through the air. If you haven’t heard about the Wallace’s flying frog, it is worth checking out.
This breed of amphibian has two pairs of webbed feet, which allows it to have a bit of hang time. It can even adjust mid-flight and change directions.
#4 In High Temperatures, Nectar Ferments, Causing Bees To Become Drunk. Their Hive Won't Let Them Back In Until They've Sobered
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126points
#5 Orangutans Self-Medicate
A Sumatran Orangutan in Indonesia has been observed healing a nasty wound on its face by making a paste from a native plant known to locals as having healing properties. The primate chewed the stems and leaves of the Akar Kuning plant (Fibraurea tinctoria), a type of liana vine, and repeatedly spread the juice and shredded leaves on his open wound over a number of days.
110points
#6 Young Goats Pick Up Accents From Each Other, Joining Humans, Bats, And Whales As Mammals Known To Adjust Their Vocal Sounds To Fit Into A New Social Group
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103points
Here’s a fun fact about snakes: most have a slow metabolism, so they rarely eat. Pythons and vipers can go months without eating or moving from one spot.
Their bodies can also store energy for long periods, allowing them to survive without having a meal. Talk about taking intermittent fasting to an entirely new level.
#7 Desert Foxes Use Their Big Ears To Keep Cool
Desert foxes, especially the tiny Fennec Fox, have really big ears. But these ears aren’t just good for hearing. They help the foxes stay cool in the hot desert. The large ears act like natural air conditioners, releasing heat and keeping the foxes comfortable in the scorching sun.
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99points
#8 Happy Guinea Pigs Pop Like Popcorn
When a guinea pig, particularly a baby guinea pig, gets excited, it just can't hold that feeling in. It pushes off from all four feet and hops straight up in the air, looking like a kernel of popcorn in a microwave.
Guinea pigs aren't the only animals that popcorn, as this behavior is called. Gazelles will do something similar to ward off predators, and even horses have been known to popcorn on occasion.
Guinea pigs aren't the only animals that popcorn, as this behavior is called. Gazelles will do something similar to ward off predators, and even horses have been known to popcorn on occasion.
90points
#9 Camels' Humps Are Made Up Of Fat, Not Water
It's time that the world knew the truth. While you probably didn't think those camel humps were beverage coolers, you might have imagined that all the water that a camel drinks—up to 53 gallons in three minutes—has to go somewhere. And it does, but it's not in its humps. The water stays in the camel's stomach or bloodstream.
Those humps are actually storing fat, which is the camel's energy source when food is scarce. Since camels live in hot environments, they don't want all that fat insulating and overheating their organs, so it's stored in natural "backpacks" instead.
Those humps are actually storing fat, which is the camel's energy source when food is scarce. Since camels live in hot environments, they don't want all that fat insulating and overheating their organs, so it's stored in natural "backpacks" instead.
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87points
Numerous studies have established a connection between humans and chimpanzees. The most glaring one so far is the penchant for consuming alcohol and getting inebriated.
Researchers found that chimps are fond of soaking palm wine in their mouths using leaves, leading to the development of the “drunken monkey” hypothesis. The theory suggests that alcohol consumption dates back to millions of years ago, through humanity’s closest living relatives.
#10 A Single Strand Of Spider Silk Is Thinner Than A Human Hair But Also Five Times Stronger Than Steel Of The Same Width. A Rope Just 2 Inches Thick Could Reportedly Stop A Boeing 747
86points
#11 Male Gentoo And Adelie Penguins "Propose" To Females By Giving Them A Pebble
These are precious because the penguins use them to build their nests, and they can be hard to find along the barren Antarctic shoreline. If the female accepts the pebble, the pair bonds and mates for life.
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83points
#12 A Tiger's Skin Also Has Stripes
Beneath a tiger's fur, the animal's skin is striped as well. Although shaving a tiger is not recommended, if you were to do so, you would see dark and light stripes in the same pattern as its fur.
Just as some men have a very visible "five o'clock shadow" where their beards grow, the dark hair follicles of a tiger are easily distinguished from the light ones on its skin. Snow leopards and other big cats also have skin markings to match their fur.
Just as some men have a very visible "five o'clock shadow" where their beards grow, the dark hair follicles of a tiger are easily distinguished from the light ones on its skin. Snow leopards and other big cats also have skin markings to match their fur.
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82points
Lions may be the kings of the jungle, but for most wild animals, humans are still the top apex predators on the planet. A paper published in Current Biology revealed that the fear of humans “significantly exceeded” the fear of lions in the savanna mammal community.
However, it’s not entirely a good thing. As University of Western Ontario biology professor Liana Zanette tells The Guardian, the pervasiveness of the fear of humans may affect the overall food chain, which may have a worldwide environmental impact.
#13 Elephants "Never" Forget
Have you ever heard the phrase, “memory like an elephant?” It turns out that elephants actually do have a better memory than most living things.
All mammals, including humans, have four different lobes in their cortex: occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal lobes. All four of these lobes play a key role in the functioning of our brain. From language acquisition to processing auditory information, each lobe is crucial.
Elephants actually have a larger and denser temporal lobe, comparatively. The temporal lobe is commonly associated with memory acquisition, allowing elephants to have an incredible memory.
All mammals, including humans, have four different lobes in their cortex: occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal lobes. All four of these lobes play a key role in the functioning of our brain. From language acquisition to processing auditory information, each lobe is crucial.
Elephants actually have a larger and denser temporal lobe, comparatively. The temporal lobe is commonly associated with memory acquisition, allowing elephants to have an incredible memory.
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81points
#14 The Loudest Animal In The World Is A Shrimp
Ready for another mind-blowing fact about nature? Well, one of the loudest animals in the world is a shrimp that is just 2cm long. The Pistol Shrimp can snap its claw so fast that it can be used as a sonic weapon that it uses to stun prey, before eating them.
As the claw snaps shut, it fires a blast of bubbles. As the bubbles collapse, they produce a sonic blast that’s so loud it can even disrupt the sonic transmissions of submarines. The imploding bubbles also momentarily generate temperatures almost as hot as the sun. The sonic blast stuns the prey, allowing the tiny shrimp to feast without having to engage in a fight. It’s a good reminder that small can be mighty.
As the claw snaps shut, it fires a blast of bubbles. As the bubbles collapse, they produce a sonic blast that’s so loud it can even disrupt the sonic transmissions of submarines. The imploding bubbles also momentarily generate temperatures almost as hot as the sun. The sonic blast stuns the prey, allowing the tiny shrimp to feast without having to engage in a fight. It’s a good reminder that small can be mighty.
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78points
#15 Crows Remember Faces
Researchers have found that crows can recognise individual human faces. It is believed that crows learn to recognise threatening humans from both their parents and others in their flock.
Ornithologists believe this gives corvids the evolutionary edge. One researcher, Dr Marzluff said “If you can learn who to avoid and who to seek out, that’s a lot easier than continually getting hurt. I think it allows these animals to survive with us and take advantage of us in a much safer, more effective way.”
Ornithologists believe this gives corvids the evolutionary edge. One researcher, Dr Marzluff said “If you can learn who to avoid and who to seek out, that’s a lot easier than continually getting hurt. I think it allows these animals to survive with us and take advantage of us in a much safer, more effective way.”
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76points
Now, let’s shift the focus to you, readers. What weird yet fascinating animal facts do you know? Share them in the comments section below!
#16 Squirrels Plant Thousands Of Trees Each Year
Squirrels help the environment by planting trees without even realizing it. They bury nuts, which they sometimes forget to retrieve. These forgotten nuts then grow into new trees, aiding in forest growth.
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66points
#17 Donkeys Aren't Waterproof
They are not like other equines, and are less able to repel rain than horses because they have less oil in their coats. This is thought to be because donkeys are descendants of the African Wild A*s, whose natural environments are the hot, dry semi-desert and mountainous climates of Africa and the Middle East - not damp wet weather.
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65points
#18 Cows K*ll More People Than Sharks
Hard to believe, but true. Sharks k*ll an average of 5 people per year while cows k*ll an average of 22 people per year. In fact, humans are more deadly to sharks than they are to humans. Humans k*ll about 100 million sharks per year!
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62points
#19 There Are Animals That Can Live Forever. Well, Sort-Of
Immortal jellyfish, along with at least five other jellyfish species, dodge death by hitting rewind. Even after a dead medusa has collapsed into a pile of mush, its cells can grow into polyps. It's like a fragment of butterfly wing turning into a caterpillar.
Immortal jellyfish can still die, from predation and disease, but their regenerating abilities make them tough and successful.
Immortal jellyfish can still die, from predation and disease, but their regenerating abilities make them tough and successful.
61points
#20 Trees Can Fight Back
Believe or not, if there’s a threat, trees don’t always allow it to harm them. In fact, sometimes, trees fight back. Now, it would be a little terrifying if trees fought back the way the apple trees do in Wizard of Oz. Thankfully, you won’t encounter any apple-throwing trees in the near future. Trees actually protect themselves in a much more subtle way.
If an insect attacks a tree, it will fight back. Trees can flood their leaves with chemicals called phenolics, helping to deter any pests that may cause harm to the tree. They also have protective structures and processes that help protect them from disease, similar to our immune system.
If an insect attacks a tree, it will fight back. Trees can flood their leaves with chemicals called phenolics, helping to deter any pests that may cause harm to the tree. They also have protective structures and processes that help protect them from disease, similar to our immune system.
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58points