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.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.