Mammals are truly the greatest species. Humans are trash. Let's just admit that and embrace it. The Animal Kingdom is the most fascinating and most welcoming. The behavior and truths about animals is a never ending well and there of course is some chaos and lunacy but its always a information that is worth knowing.
Redditor u/elonsmodel3 wanted to discuss all the wonders of the animal kingdom by asking.... What is an animal fact that absolutely blew your mind?Look out below....
flying slow motion GIF by Eloy LannoóGiphyDragonflies cannot walk. It's strictly landing gear.
Through the Hole...
Rats can fit through any hole as long as their head fits through it. When they pass through the hole, their lungs collapse down allowing them to squeeze through and spring back into position once the rat gets out.
Like the holes in my attempts to not look desperate for their friendship. There's a kitty on my block who squeezes right past that but one day I'll get her to see I am a most suitable friend indeed.
Stretch....
giraffe eating GIFGiphyA giraffe has approximately one inch of tongue for every one foot of height.
Giraffes are bizarre animals. They look like a camel-chetah hybrid got its neck stuck in something and then stretched it out.
Up a Tree...
Leopards can drag 3x their own bodyweight up a tree.
And they are know to kill and eat gorillas despite being smaller than some dogs (40-165 lbs, smallest females to largest males).
Poop Squared....
Wombats have square poop.
When pursued by predators, a wombat will just run back to its den and plug the entrance with its butt. Much of their butt is made of thick cartilage, which is apparently quite scratch and bite resistant. And many of the wombat's natural predators also lack the ability to really hurt a wombat's combat ass.
If a predator manages to stick its snout in the den, it will use its powerful hind legs and padded butt to crush the predator's head up against the ceiling to suffocate it. It twerks predators to death.
No Sleep...
Dolphins don't sleep. Each hemisphere of their brain alternates being active and resting every 12 hours.
It's the same with flamingos! It's how they're able to stand on one leg while sleeping. I think it's called having a "semi-hemispheric brain" but I might be remembering that wrong. It's been a long time since that zoo visit.
Biggest Ever!
the golden girls weenie GIF by TV Land ClassicGiphyThe blue whale is not only the largest animal in the world currently, it is also the largest animal that has EVER lived in the history of the earth, including all dinosaurs.
"warm blooded"
Argentine Tegus are known to be the only "warm blooded" reptiles. Unlike all other reptiles that require a heat source to maintain a warm body temperature, these tegus are able to "turn on" an internal heater certain times of the year (mainly observed around breeding season). Both males and females can do this. Most of the time, they still require an external heat source, but the fact they can warm themselves up when needed is a first for reptiles!
Facts.....
Here's two, somewhat related due to nutrition.
- Pandas rarely eat anything other than bamboo which is not a calorie dense food at all. A full grown 120 kilogram panda has to eat 45 kilos of bamboo a day just to not starve.
- The Koala's diet is so poor that, after generations of eating only eucalyptus leaves, it's brain has shrunk so much that it's considerably smaller than it's cranial cavity. malgranda_azeno
The Devil's Work.....
Angry Tazmanian Devil GIF by Looney TunesGiphyTasmanian devils have up to fifty babies but only four nipples. They're marsupials so they're born premature and have to climb up to their mothers pouch. As she licks herself she eats most of them and only the four strongest make it to the pouch.
20/20 Jumpers....
Jumping spiders have basically the same vision we do, they can see us and know when we're looking at them and like to show off!
I would assume this is the same for most spiders that actively hunt their prey. I'm in Australia and we get huntsmen here. They're big and creepy looking but ultimately harmless. They don't build webs, they're wicked fast and chase down their food including speedy bugs like roaches.
Anyway when they get in your house they usually hang out up high on a wall where it meets the ceiling and in my experience if you look at them too long and start to move toward them they just book it at warp speed. I've always wondered how well they (and spiders in general) can see but spiders and especially their eyes creep me out so I've never really researched it.
Slow Eats
sloth yawn GIFGiphyA sloth's metabolism is so slow that they can starve to death with a stomach full of food Also, many sloths have fallen out of trees and died because they mistook their own arm for a tree branch and tried to grab it
I wonder how they're not extinct yet.
The Asexual Power
There was recently a 62 year old female python that had no contact with any males for over 15 years and just got laid an entire batch of eggs.
Supposedly it's been documented that pythons can asexually reproduce, however in this case they are currently testing if they were asexually born or if it was a result of the female storing the semen. (Which they can also do!)
Cat Prowess.....
Cats have a stealth ability with their paws I believe! I don't know the exact science behind it, but the way the padding on their feet is arranged makes it so they're essentially silent hunters. It's how such large animals like tigers or mountain lions can sneak around so easily (plus, their hind legs step exactly where their front legs step, adding to their stealth. I think giraffes are one of the few other animals that also matches steps like that).
Consuming the Male
How angler fish mate.
Basically, the male (who is maybe 1/10 the size of the female) bites onto the side of the female, who then secretes a substance that dissolves the lips of the male, thus binding his mouth to her body. His body will continue to dissolve until all that remains are the gonads, which dangle outside the female's body. So, not only was the female able to reproduce, she also gained nutrition by consuming the male.
But, wait, there's more!
Females can mate with multiple males. Many females have been caught with 5 or more sets of gonads on their sides. AND, after mating, the female can continue to draw from any of the gonads whenever she pleases.
So, yeah.
Savage Moby Dicks....
Orca whales elbow slam blue whales for hours in groups to prevent it from catching air, drowning it.
Also, some jellyfish are immortal.
Orcas have developed different "cultures". Each population only eats certain food (some only eat fish, some eat sea mammals etc.), they don't breed to outsiders, and they even speak different "languages". Of all animals on this planet they might be the closest to humans intelligence-wise, despite having evolved in a completely different environment.
Smart Squid
octopus GIFGiphyThe mimic octopus can not only change its color, but also changes its shape, movement and patterns to copy other species. It can imitate a lionfish, sea snakes, jellyfish, sole, and others. Pretty kick a**, but that's octopus for ya.
Bloodsucker....
There's a parasitic isopod that literally sucks the blood out of fish tongues (in the living fish's mouth) and then replace the tongue. Then all the males who've been vibing in the fish's gills the entire time get to crawl into the mouth to have an interesting party with the female. There's nothing the fish can do about this.
Venom....
Everything about platypuses.
They are a prehistoric evolutionary step between reptiles and mammals, they swim in water but live underground, lay eggs and sweat milk because they don't have nipples, their beaks are actually radars to spot electromagnetic movement in the mud, and most importantly: they are venomous.
They have stings on their heels. The venom won't kill you but there is no anti-venom and you will be in pain for MONTHS. Not even high doses of Morphine can ease the pain.
I mean wtf. Gotta love those venomous prehistoric beaver-ducks with built-in radar.
EDIT:I wrote they are a evolutionary step between amphibians and mammals. I was wrong.
Sonic Flight
owl think GIFGiphyOwls feathers are layered just perfectly that they don't create a sonic sound when flying.
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.
