75 Animal Facts That Will Change the Way You View the Animal

75 Animal Facts That Will Change the Way You View the Animal Kingdom · 1. Koala fingerprints are so close to humans' that they could taint crime scenes. · 2. Culture 75AnimalFactsThatWillChangetheWayYouViewtheAnimalKingdom Impressyourfriendswithmind-blowingtriviaaboutdolphins,koalas,bats,andmore. By SarahCrow January29,2020 By SarahCrow January29,2020 Shutterstock Withanestimated7.77millionspeciesofanimalsontheplanet,theanimalkingdomisanundeniablydiverseplace.Butwhilethebreadthofearthlybiodiversitymaybewellknown,theincrediblethingsouranimalcounterpartscandoareoftenhiddentohumans.Fromfurrycreaturesyouneverrealizedkissedtothosewhoenjoygettingtipsy,theseamazinganimalfactsaresuretowoweventhebiggestanimalloversoutthere. 1 Koalafingerprintsaresoclosetohumans'thattheycouldtaintcrimescenes. ShutterstockKoalasmightnotseemtohavealotincommonwithus,butifyouweretotakeacloserlookattheirhands,you'dseethattheyhavefingerprintsthatarejustlikehumans'.Infact,they'resosimilarwhenitcomestothedistinctiveloopsandarches,thatinAustralia,"policefearedthatcriminalinvestigationsmayhavebeenhamperedbykoalaprints,"accordingtoRipley'sBelieveItorNot.Anykoalaswhowanttocommitcrimeswouldbewisetodosowearinggloves. 2 Parrotswillselflesslyhelpeachotherout. ShutterstockParrotsmaybeassociatedwithpirates,butitturnsoutAfricangreyparrotsarenothingliketheinfamouslygreedy,treasure-seekingcriminals.Instead,researchershavediscoveredthatthecolorfulbirdswill"voluntarilyhelpeachotherobtainfoodrewards"andperform"selfless"acts,accordingtoa2020studypublishedinCurrentBiology.Studyco-authorAugustevonBayernnoted,"Africangreyparrotswereintrinsicallymotivatedtohelpothers,eveniftheotherindividualwasnottheirfriend,sotheybehavedvery'prosocially.'" 3 Prairiedogskiss. ShutterstockPrairiedogsarequirkycreaturesforanumberofreasons:They'regiantrodents,theydigmassiveinterconnectedundergroundhomes,andtheykiss.Whilethey'reactuallytouchingtheirfrontteethinordertoidentifyeachotherwhentheyseemtobesweetlysharingasmooch,theBBCexplainsthatscientistsbelieveprairiedogs"'kissandcuddle'morewhentheyarebeingwatchedbyzoovisitors,"becausethey"appearedtoenjoytheattention." 4 Ghostcrabsgrowlusingteethintheirstomachs. ShutterstockCrabsmaybeabletointimidateothercreatureswiththeirclaws,butifthat'snotenough,ghostcrabswillgrowlattheirenemieslikeadog.However,unlikeourcaninefriends,crabsmakethesefearsomenoisesusingteethlocatedintheirstomachs."Therearethreemainteeth—amedialtoothandtwolateralteeth—thatareessentiallyelongated,hard(calcified)structures.Theyarepartofthegastricmillapparatusinthestomach,wheretheyrubagainsteachothertogrindupfood,"JenniferTaylor,fromtheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego,toldNewsweek.Sheandhercolleagueswereabletonaildownthesourceofthenoiseafternoticingthat"thecrabs[were]'growling'at"them. 5 Themantisshrimphastheworld'sfastestpunch. ShutterstockYoumightthinkthatboxershavethemostimpressivejabs,hooks,anduppercutsontheplanet,butit'sthemantisshrimpthatboaststheworld'sfastestpunch.Travelingatabout50mph,whenashrimppunches,itslittlefistoffury(which,ofcourse,isn'tafistatall)is"acceleratingfasterthana.22-caliberbullet,"accordingtoScience.NationalGeographicsharedthetaleofonesuchsmallsmasher,explainingthat"inApril1998,anaggressivecreaturenamedTysonsmashedthroughthequarter-inch-thickglasswallofhiscell.HewassoonsubduedbynervousattendantsandmovedtoamoresecurefacilityinGreatYarmouth.Unlikehisheavyweightnamesake[formerprofessionalboxerMikeTyson],Tyson wasonlyfourincheslong.ButscientistshaverecentlyfoundthatTyson,likeallhiskin,canthrowoneofthefastestandmostpowerfulpunchesinnature." 6 Femalelionsdo90percentofthehunting. ShutterstockWhilemalelionsattracttheirfairshareofattentionthankstotheirimpressivemanes,it'sthefemalelionswhodothebulkoftheworkwhenitcomestofeedingtheirfamilies."Lionesses,notmalelions,dothemajorityofhuntingfortheirpride,"accordingtoCBSNews."Lionesseshuntaround90percentofthetime,whilethemalesprotecttheirpride." 7 Narwhaltusksarereallyan"insideout"tooth. ShutterstockNarwhalsareunlikemostotherwhalesbecausetheyhavewhatappearstobeagianttusk.Butthat'snotactuallyatuskatall—whatyou'reseeingisatooth.HarvardUniversity'sMartinNweeiatoldtheBBCthatthe"toothisalmostlikeapieceofskininthesensethatithasallthesesensorynerveendings,"addingthatit's"essentiallybuiltinsideout." 8 Theworld'soldestknownbreedofdomesticateddogdatesbackto329BC. ShutterstockDogsarewellknownforbeingman'sbestfriend,anditturnsoutthat'sarelationshipthatgoesbacklongerthanyoumightexpect.AccordingtoGuinnessWorldRecords,theoldestknownbreedofdomesticateddoggoesallthewaybackto329BC."SalukidogswerereveredinancientEgypt,beingkeptasroyalpetsandbeingmummifiedafterdeath,"theynote."TherearecarvingsfoundinSumer(present-daysouthernIraq)whichrepresentadog,closelyresemblingasaluki,whichdatebackto7000BC." 9 Andtheoldestevidenceofdomesticatedcatsdatesback9,500years. ShutterstockCatshavealsobeenhangingaroundhumansforthousandsofyears.GuinnessWorldRecordsreportsthatwe'vebeendomesticatingcatsfor9,500years.Proofofthiscamein2004whenthe"bonesofacatwerediscoveredintheneolithicvillageofShillourokambosonCyprus.Thepositionofthecatinthegroundwasnexttothebonesofahuman,whosesimilarstateofpreservationstronglysuggeststheywereburiedtogether." 10 Puffinsusetwigstoscratchtheirbodies. ShutterstockPuffinssurelyhaveenoughtobeproudofwiththeirbeautifulbeaks,buttheseabirdsalsohappentobequiteclever.Accordingtoa2019studypublishedinProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences(PNAS),AtlanticpuffinsinbothWalesandIcelandwereobserved"spontaneouslyusingasmallwoodensticktoscratchtheirbodies."Indeed,inavideosharedbyScience,alittlepuffincanbeseenpickingupatinytwigbeforeusingittoscratchanitchyspotonitsbelly. 11 Bottlenosedolphinsareevenmoreright-handedthanhumans. Shutterstock"Mosthumans(say70percentto95percent)areright-handed,aminority(say5percentto30percent)areleft-handed,"accordingtoScientificAmerican.Andthesameholdstrueforbottlenosedolphins.Infact,thesavvyswimmersareevenmoreright-handedthanweare.AteamledbyFlorida'sDolphinCommunicationProjecttookalookatthefeedingbehaviorofbottlenosedolphinsandfoundthattheanimalswereturningtotheirleftside99.44percentofthetime,which"actuallysuggestsaright-sidebias,"accordingtoIFLScience."Itplacesthedolphin'srightsideandrighteyeclosetotheoceanfloorasithunts." 12 There'sakindofantthatonlylivesinasmallareaofManhattan. ShutterstockIfyou'reeverintheareaof"theBroadwaymediansat63rdand76thstreets"inNewYorkCity,keepaneyeonthegroundforcrawlingcrittersandyoumightspotsomethingrare.That'swherethe"ManhattAnt"canbefound,anantthatonlylivesintheonesmallareaofthecity."It'sarelativeofthecornfieldant,anditlookslikeit'sfromEurope,butwecan'tmatchitupwithanyoftheEuropeanspecies,"RobDunn,abiologyprofessoratNorthCarolinaStateUniversity,toldtheNewYorkPost.Dunnandhisteamdiscoveredtheisolatedantvarietyin2012. 13 Cowspaintedwithzebra-likestripescanavoidbeingbittenbyflies. ShutterstockCowshavetodealwithpeskyfliesthatarebeyondannoyingforthedocilecreatures.Luckily,farmerscannowprotecttheiranimalsbypaintingthemwithzebra-likestripes.Accordingtoa2019studypublishedinPLOSOne,"thenumbersofbitingfliesonJapaneseBlackcowspaintedwithblack-and-whitestripesweresignificantlylowerthanthoseonnon-paintedcowsandcowspaintedonlywithblackstripes."IFLSciencesuggeststhismightworkbecause"thestripesmaycauseakindofmotioncamouflagetargetedattheinsects'vision,confusingthemmuchinthewaythatopticalillusions…confuseus." 14 Capuchinmonkeyswashtheirhandsandfeetinurine. ShutterstockMonkeysareundeniablycute.Theycanalsobeprettydarngross.Capuchinmonkeys,forexample,urinateontheirhandsandfeetwhenthey'refeeling"randy.""Wethinkthealphamalesmightuseurine-washingtoconveywarm,fuzzyfeelingstofemales,thattheirsolicitationisworkingandthatthere'snoneedtorunaway,"primatologistKimranMillertoldNBCNews."Ortheycouldbedoingitbecausethey'reexcited."Eitherway,ew! 15 SpermwhalesintheCaribbeanhaveanaccent. ShutterstockPeoplewhocomefromdifferentareasaroundtheworldtendtospeakwithinflections,fluctuations,andpatternsthatarespecifictotheirhomeregions.Apparently,thesamecanbesaidforwhales.ResearchersfromDalhousieUniversityinCanadaandtheUniversityofSt.AndrewsintheUKhavefoundevidencethatseemstoshowwhalesintheCaribbeanhaveadifferent"accent"thanwhalesinotheroceans. 16 SomepigsinChinaarethesizeofbears. ShutterstockInNanning,thecapitalofChina'sGuangxiprovince,amannamedPangConghasaratherremarkableanimallivingonhisfarm:a1,102-poundpig.That'sroughlythesamesizeasafull-grownadultmalepolarbear.AccordingtoBloomberg,massiveswineofthatsize"cansellformorethan10,000yuan($1,399),overthreetimeshigherthantheaveragemonthlydisposableincome"inthearea. 17 Somesharksglowinthedark. NationalGeographicviaYouTubeSharksboastsomeenviable—andterrifying—features,liketheirsleekdesignandrazor-sharpteeth.Andwhileglow-in-the-darksharkssoundlikesomethingyou'dseeinasci-fifilm,they'retotallyreal,asnotedina2019studypublishediniScience.Researcherswerealreadyawarethatsomesharkspeciesproduceaglowthatonlyothersharkscansee,butnowscientistshavediscoveredthat"previouslyunknownsmall-moleculemetabolitesarethecauseofthegreenglow,"accordingtoCNN.Thisglow"helpssharksidentifyeachotherandevenfightagainstinfectiononamicrobiallevel." 18 Somesnailshavehairyshells. ShutterstockWhileit'snotasecretthatsnailshaveshells,youprobablydidn'tknowthatsomeactuallyhavehairyshells.Thesehairsareratherhandytohave,astheyhelpasnailsticktowetsurfaceslikeleaves. 19 Cowbirdsusesecretpasswordstoteachtheiryoung. ShutterstockCowbirdslaytheireggsinotherbirdspecies'nests,whichmeansthatthelittleoneseventuallyneedtoreconnectwiththeirownkindwhenthetimeisright.Andwhenthattimecomes,theyoungbirdshaveatrickforfiguringoutwhotoreachoutto."Juvenilecowbirdsreadilyrecognizeandaffiliatewithothercowbirds.That'sbecausetheyhaveasecrethandshakeorpassword,"accordingtoScienceDaily.Toputitmoresimply,theyuse"aspecificchattercall"tobeckoneachother. 20 BabyTasmaniandevilsmakelife-longfriendships. ShutterstockIfyouhavebestfriendswhohavebeenaroundsinceyouwereachild,thenyouhavesomethingincommonwithTasmaniandevils.ResearchhasshownthatTasmaniandevilsformbondswhenthey'reyoungthatlastfortherestoftheirlives.AsZoosVictoria'sMarissaParrotttoldIFLScience,"Inthewild,whenbabydevilsleavetheirmums,webelievetheyallsocializetogether."Asthewebsitenotes, "youngdevilshavetheirowndens,""engageinfriendlysleep-overs,"andwhengiventhechance,theyprefer"tosharewiththeir…originalfriends." 21 Agrizzlybear'sbiteisstrongenoughtocrushabowlingball. ShutterstockThosewhofindthemselvesinthepresenceofagrizzlybearwillsurelywanttostayoutofreachofthisanimal'ssupersharpclaws.Butthey'llcertainlyalsowanttokeepoutofthegrizzly'smouth,becausethesecreatures"haveabite-forceofover8,000,000pascals,"accordingtoNationalGeographic.Thatmeansgrizzlybearscanliterallycrushabowlingballbetweentheirjaws.Yikes! 22 Humpbackwhalesusebubblestohunt. ShutterstockYoumightthinkthatawhale'smassivesizeistheonlyedgethey'dneedwhenitcomestohuntingintheopenwaters.Buthumpbackwhalesactuallyteamuptousea"bubble-net"techniqueinordertocatchtheirprey."Sometimes,thewhaleswillswiminanupwardspiralandblowbubblesunderwater,creatingacircular'net'ofbubblesthatmakesitharderforfishtoescape,"ScienceNewsreports. 23 AhouseflybuzzesinanFkey. ShutterstockWhenyouhearahouseflybuzzingaroundyourhome,youmightbeannoyedbythepersistentsound.However,thenexttimeithappens,trytosootheyourselfbynotingthattheairbornepestisactuallybuzzinginanFkey.Howmelodious! 24 Morayeelshaveasecondpairof"Alien-style"jaws. ShutterstockIfyoualreadythoughtthateelswerekindofcreepy,thenthisfactisn'tgoingtomakeyoufeelanybetteraboutthem.Morayeelshavewhat'scalledpharyngealjaws,whichareasecondpairof"Alien-style"jawsthatarelocatedinthethroatandemergetograsppreybeforepullingtheunfortunatemealdownintotheeel'sgullet. 25 Duckscansurf. ShutterstockOverinNewZealand,surfershavenoticedthesamethingthatthosewhoridethewavesinCaliforniahavewitnessed:duckscansurf.Thebirdsdosoinordertocatchfoodorsimplytomovethroughthewaterquickly.SportsreporterFrancisMalleyspottedafemaleduckandherbabiescatchingawaveandtoldtheNewZealandHerald,"Themotherwassurfingonherbellyonthewhitewash.I'veneversurfedwithducksbeforesothiswasafirst."ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb 26 Slowlorisesaretheonlyvenomousprimates. ShutterstockTheymaybecute,buttheirbitecankill.AccordingtoPopularScience,theseadorableanimalssecretetoxinsfromaglandinthecrookoftheirinnerarms.Theirbiteshavecausedanaphylacticshockandevendeathinhumans.Betterwatchout! 27 Pigeonscandomath. ShutterstockYoumightthinkofpigeonsas…notthatsmart.Butitturnsout,they'reactuallyquiteintelligent.Infact,one2011studypublishedinthejournalSciencefoundthatthebirdsarecapableofdoingmathatthesamelevelasmonkeys.Duringthestudy,thepigeonswereaskedtocomparenineimages,eachcontainingadifferentnumberofobjects.Theresearchersfoundthatthebirdswereabletoranktheimagesinorderofhowmanyobjectstheycontained.Putsimply,theylearnedthatthebirdscouldcount! 28 Zebrastripesactasanaturalbugrepellant. ShutterstockCowsmaybenefitfromartificialstripes,butzebrashavetherealdeal.One2012reportpublishedintheJournalofExperimentalBiologysuggeststhatzebras'blackandwhitestripesmaybeanevolutionaryfeaturetofendoffharmfulhorseflybites."Azebra-stripedhorsemodelattractsfarfewerhorsefliesthaneitherhomogeneousblack,brown,greyorwhiteequivalents,"theresearcherswrote. 29 Wildchimpsliketodrink. ShutterstockHumansaren'ttheonlyanimalswhoenjoyadrinkortwo.A2015studypublishedinthejournalRoyalSocietyOpenSciencerevealsthatchimpanzeesinGuineahadafondnessforimbibingfermentedpalmsapandgettingtipsyintheprocess. 30 Seaottersareadeptatusingtools. JiriProchazka/Shutterstock Whilemanyscientistsbelievethattooluseamongdolphinsisarelativelynewphenomenon,a2017studypublishedinBiologyLetterssuggeststhatottersmayhavebeenusingtoolsformillionsofyears.Seaottersfrequentlyuserockstobreakopenwell-armoredprey,suchassnails. 31 Frogscanfreezewithoutdying. ShutterstockWhytoleratethecoldwhenyoucouldjustfreezeyourselfsolid?AccordingtoKennethStorey,aprofessoratCarletonUniversityinOttawa,frogsundergorepeatedfreeze-thawcycles."Wehavefalsespringshereallthetimewhereitgetsreallywarmandallthesnowmeltsandthensuddenly—bam—thewindcomesfromthenorthandit'sbackdowntominus10,minus15[Celsius],andthey'refine,"StoreytoldNationalGeographic. 32 Malehorseshavewaymoreteeththantheirfemalecounterparts. ShutterstockMalehorseshave40to42permanentteeth,whilefemaleshavejust36to40.AccordingtotheVCAAnimalHospital,theoriginalpurposeoftheseextrateethwasasfightingweaponry. 33 Koalassleepupto22hoursaday. ShutterstockIfyouthoughtyourcatwassleepy,justwaituntilyouhearaboutkoalas.AccordingtotheAustralianKoalaFoundation,thesecutiessleepbetween18and22hoursaday.Thekoalas'dietsrequirealotofenergytodigest,whichiswhythey'vegottonapsomuch. 34 Agroupofferretsiscalledabusiness. ShutterstockNo,it'snotbecausethey'resoprofessional—it'samodernizedformof"busyness,"thewordoriginallyusedtodescribeagroupoftheseweasel-relatedmammals. 35 Octopusescantastewiththeirarms. ShutterstockAndyes,theyarecalledarms,nottentacles.AccordingtotheLibraryofCongress,theanimalscantasteandgrabwiththesuckersontheirarms.Evenmoreimpressive?Octopusesarecapableofmovingatspeedsofupto25milesperhour. 36 Dolphinshavenamesforoneanother. Shutterstock Youalreadyknowthatdolphinsaresmart.Butdidyouknowthattheyevenhavetheirownnames?One2013studypublishedinPNAS foundthatbottlenosedolphinsdevelopspecificwhistlesforoneanother. 37 Reindeereyesturnblueinthewinter. ShutterstockReindeershavebeautifulbabyblues—butonlyinthewinter!AccordingtotheBiotechnologyandBiologicalSciencesResearchCouncil,"theeyesofArcticreindeerchangecolorthroughtheseasonsfromgoldtoblue,adaptingtoextremechangesoflightlevelsintheirenvironment."Thechangeincolorimpactshowlightisreflectedthroughtheanimals'retina,andimprovestheirvision. 38 Giraffeshaveblacktongues. ShutterstockScientistsbelievethatit'ssotheydon'tgetsunburnswhiletheyeat.Theanimals'tonguesarealsoaround20incheslong. 39 Alligatorswillletmanateesswimaheadofthem. Shutterstock Inbusywaters,manateeswillnudgealligatorstogetinfront,andalligatorsgenerallyoblige. 40 Slothscantakeuptoamonthtocompletelydigestasingleleaf. ShutterstockEverythingaboutlifeisslowforthesesleepymammals.Mostslothswillonlyhaveabowelmovementonceaweek,anditcantakethemupto30daystocompletelydigestasingleleaf.Forcomparison,ittakestheaveragehuman12to48hourstoingest,digest,andeliminatewastefromfood. 41 Adultcatsonlymeowathumans. Shutterstock Youprobablyknowthatcatslovetotalktotheirhumans.Butdidyouknowyou'reunlikelytoseeyourfelinefriendinteractthesamewaywithanothercat?That'sbecauseotherthankittensmeowingattheirmothers,catsdon'tmeowatothercats. 42 Elephantsandhumanshavesimilarself-soothingtechniques. ShutterstockElephantcalveswillsucktheirtrunkstocomfortthemselves.Thebabiesdoitforthesamereasonhumansdo(itmimicstheactionofsucklingtheirmothers). 43 Femalebatsgivebirthtobabiesthatweighuptoathirdoftheirweight. ShutterstockAccordingtoBatConservationInternational,batsgivebirthtobabies—knownaspups—thatcanweighasmuchasone-thirdofthemother'sweight.Ifthatdoesn'tsoundlikealot,imagineapersongivingbirthtoababythatweighed40pounds. 44 Paintedturtlessurvivewinterbybreathingthroughtheirbutts. Shutterstock Notallcreaturesheadtowarmerclimateswhenitgetscoldout,andthatmeanstheyneedtolearntosurviveinchillyconditions.Paintedturtlesneedtoadapttofrozenponds,whichrestricttheiraccesstotheairabovethewater.Theydothatbybreathingthroughtheirbutts—specifically,theall-purposeorificecalledthecloaca.Thankstoaprocesscalledcloacalrespiration,theturtlesareabletogetoxygendirectlyfromthewateraroundthem. 45 Dogshavewayfewertastebudsthanhumans. Shutterstock WhileyoumaythinkthatFidohasthesamedinnertimeexperienceasyoudo,he'sactuallygotamuchdifferenttastebudarrangement.Humanshaveabout9,000tastebuds,whiledogshaveonlyaround1,700.Andwhiletheycanidentifythesamefourtastesensationsaspeople,dogsarenotfondofsalt. 46 Ottershavetheworld'sthickestfur. ShutterstockThey'rethoughttohaveuptoonemillionhairspersquareinch.Theirfurconsistsoftwolayersandisdesignedtotrapalayerofairnexttotheirskinsotheirskindoesn'tgetwet. 47 Alligatorscangrowformorethan30years. ShutterstockAccordingtoa2018studypublishedinCopeia,alligatorsoftenhaven'thittheirfullsizeuntil33. 48 Agroupofowlsiscalledaparliament. ShutterstockTheirlegislativepowers,however,arestillupfordebate. 49 Snowleopardsdon'troar. ShutterstockSnowleopardshaveless-developedvocalcordsthantheirfellowlargecats,meaningthattheycan'troar,butmakeapurr-likesoundcalledachuffinstead.Fora2010studypublishedintheBiologicalJournaloftheLinneanSociety,scientistsresearchedwhysomecatshaveahigher-pitchedmeowthanothers.Theyfoundthatit'snotsizethatdeterminesakitty'scall,buthabitat. 50 Axolotlscanregeneratetheirparts. ShutterstockThesalamandersaretheonlyvertebratesthatcanreplacetheirskin,limbs,tail,jaws,andspinesatanyage.Ontheflipside,humanscanregeneratelostlimbbudsasembryosandfingertipsasyoungchildren. 51 Agroupofrhinosiscalledacrash. ShutterstockIndividualmalerhinosarereferredtoasbulls,andfemalesascows. 52 Squirrelswilladoptorphans. Shutterstock Turnsout,squirrelshaveanintensemotherlyinstinct.One2010studybyresearchersattheUniversityofGuelphfoundthattheanimalswilltakeintheorphanedpupsoftheirlatefamilymembers. "Socialanimals,includinglionsandchimpanzees,areoftensurroundedbyrelatives,soit'snotsurprisingthatafemalewouldadoptanorphanedfamilymemberbecausetheyhavealreadyspentalotoftimetogether,"saidleadresearcherAndrewMcAdam,anevolutionarybiologist."Butredsquirrelsliveincompleteisolationandareveryterritorial.Theonlytimetheywillallowanothersquirrelontheirterritoryistheonedayayearwhenthefemalesarereadytomateorwhentheyarenursingtheirpups." 53 Giantanteatershavetwo-foottongues. ShutterstockAccordingtoNationalGeographic,it'sthelongesttongueofanyknownmammal. 54 Cowshavebestfriends. ShutterstockCowshavestrongersocialtiesthanyoumightthink.One2013studyconductedbyresearchersattheUniversityofNorthamptonfoundthatwhencowswereseparatedfromtheirBFFs,theirheartratesincreasedasasignofstress. 55 Mothsexperienceloveatfirstscent. ShutterstockWhenamalemothcatchesawhiffofafemalemoth,he'lltravelmilestofindher⁠—basedoffherscentalone.AccordingtotheexpertsatAudobon,"theydon'tknowwhatthefemalesoundslike,orevenwhatshelookslike.Butwhentheysmellher,boy,dotheyknowit,andtheyuseherseductivemusktotrackherdown." 56 Horseshavedistinctfacialexpressions. iStockHorsescanmake17facialmovements,whichis3morethanchimpsandonly10fewerthanhumans,accordingtoa2015studypublishedinPLOSOne. 57 Deercanrunupto35milesperhour. ShutterstockYes,white-taileddeercanhittopspeedsof35milesperhour.Thinkthat'sfast?Reindeercanrunupto 50milesperhour. 58 Anoctopushasthreehearts. ShutterstockOctopuseshavetwomoreheartsthanyoudo.Twoheartsareusedtopumpbloodtotheirgills,whilethethirdbringsbloodtotherestoftheirbody.Ifthat'snotenough,theyalsohaveninebrains. 59 Somewormscanjump. ShutterstockCertainspeciesoftheAmynthasworm,whichhaverecentlybeenidentifiedintheMidwesternUnitedStates,canjumpanddetachtheirtailswhendisturbed. 60 Crocodilescanliveupto100. ShutterstockNilecrocodilescanliveforafullcentury.Andtheycandoalotofdamageoverthecourseofthose100years:Approximately200peopledieeveryyearfromNilecrocodileattacks. 61 Ravensaremastersofdeception. ShutterstockJusthowsmartareravens?A2002studypublishedinAnimalBehaviourfoundthatthesetrickybirdshavetheabilitytodeceiveeachother.Theentirecorvidfamily—whichincludescrows,ravens,andjays—isexceptionallyintelligent.Thesebirdshavealsobeenknowntoplaypranksononeanother,andtoteaseotheranimals. 62 Ratslaugh. ShutterstockWhilescientistsdon'texactlythinktheyhaveasenseofhumor,ratswillmakealaugh-likesoundwhentickled. 63 Tigershavestripedskin. ShutterstockYoumightthinkit'sjusttheirfur,butno,tigershavestripedskin.Andspeakingofthosestripes,muchlikeourfingerprints,they'reuniquetoeverytiger. 64 Catsrecognizetheirownnamebutchoosenottorespond. ShutterstockSorry,catowners,you'renotjustbeingparanoid:Yourpet does knowwhenyou'recallingtheirname,andthey'reignoringyouanyway.Ina2019studypublishedin ScientificReports,researchersdiscoveredthatwhilecatscandistinguishtheirownname,theydon'tnecessarilyfeelobligatedtorespond. 65 Cowsproducemoremilkwhenlisteningtoslowmusic. ShutterstockCallitamoo-d.ResearchersattheUniversityofLeicesterSchoolofPsychologyfoundthatcowsproduced1.54morepintsperday—a3percentincrease—whentheywereplayedslowmusic,asopposedtomoreupbeattunes. 66 Butterfliestastewiththeirfeet. ShutterstockNotonlydobutterfliestasteusingtheirfeet—thereceptorsontheirlegsarealso200timesstrongerthanhumantastebuds.Whenabutterflylandsonaplant,theyusethesesensorstodeterminewhetherornotwhatthey'restandingonisedible. 67 Thespur-wingedgoose'sdietmakesitpoisonous. ShutterstockDon'tplanoneatingaspur-wingedgooseifyouhappentocomeacrossoneduringyourtravels.Thesebirds,nativesofsub-SaharanAfrica,havefleshthat'softenpoisonoustohumans,thankstotheirdietofblisterbeetles,whichcontainthedeadlycantharidinpoison. 68 Vampirebatsalivakeepsbloodfromclotting. ShutterstockVampirebatsdomorethanjustbitetheirprey—theyalsokeeptheotheranimal'sbloodfromclotting.Theirsalivaworksasananticoagulant,sothatthebloodcanflowfreelyastheyfeed.Here'sanotherfunfact:Theproteinintheanticoagulanthasbeennicknamed"Draculin."Spooky! 69 Wombatpoopiscube-shaped. ShutterstockWombatsusetheirdroppingstowarnotheranimalstostayofftheirturf.Luckily,theircube-shapedpoopmakesiteasytoseethataspotisgovernedbywombats,asthelittlesquarestendtostayputmoreeasilythansphericaldroppingswould. 70 Giraffeswithdarkerspotsaremoredominant. ShutterstockYoucanlearnalotfromthecolorofagiraffe'sspots.Accordingtoa2019studyin AnimalBehaviour,giraffeswithdarkerspotsaremoredominantthangiraffeswithlighterspots.Andnotonlythat:Dark-spottedgiraffesalsotendtobemoresolitary. 71 Orcascanlearntospeakdolphin. ShutterstockGroupsofkillerwhaleshavetheirowndialectsthatarefurtherinfluencedbythecompanytheykeep.A2014studypublishedinTheJournaloftheAcousticalSocietyofAmericarevealedthatorcashousedwithbottlenosedolphinsoveralongperiodoftimewereabletoreplicatethedolphins'language. 72 Queenmoleratsmakeotherfemalemoleratsinfertile. ShutterstockToensureherdominance,thequeenmoleratworkstomakeitimpossibleforotherfemalemoleratstohavelitters.Infact,thequeencanproduceasubstanceinherurinethatrendersotherfemalemoleratsinfertile. 73 Hornedlizardssquirtbloodfromtheireyes. ShutterstockThehornedlizardhasaprettyimpressivetrickforevadingpredators.Whenahornedlizardfindsitselfinaperiloussituation,itcansquirtastreamofbloodfromitseyes.Thepredatorthenrunsoff,because,well,wouldn'tyou? 74 Catfishhavetaughtthemselveshowtokillpigeons. ShutterstockRelax,pigeons—it'snot all catfish.Butyes,insouthwesternFrance,agroupofEuropeancatfishhavelearnedtokillpigeons,launchingthemselvesoutofthewatertograbthesunbathingbirds. 75 Primitivecrocodilescouldgallop. ShutterstockIfyouthinkcrocodilesaren'tfrighteningenough,considerthis:Theyusedtogallop.Whilemodern-daycrocodilescanmovesurprisinglyfast,giantcrocodilesduringtheCretaceousperiodcouldusetheirlegstochaseandkilldinosaurs. AdditionalreportingbyDesiréeO. SarahCrow SarahCrowisasenioreditoratEatThis,NotThat!,whereshefocusesoncelebritynewsandhealthcoverage. Read more FiledUnderAnimals •Facts •FunFacts •Trivia ReadThisNext 30AnimalPhotosSoCuteYou'llLiterallyMelt Dogandcatloversalikewillswoonoverthesepurr-fectpics. October17,2018 100BrandNewMind-BlowingFacts Youmightthinkyouknowallthetriviaoutthere,butthesebrandnewfactswillsurpriseyou. September10,2020 33AdorableAnimalsThatAreActuallyDeadly Pandasaren'tsocuteonceyoulearnoftheirmurderpotential. February4,2019 LatestNews SmarterLiving Don'tFillUpYourGasWithoutDoingThisFirst Policehaveissuedanewwarning. Health TheOnly6StatesWhereCOVIDIsSpiking Ahandfulofplacesarestillseeingcasesrise. Relationships TheZodiacSignMostLikelytoDivorce Watchoutfortheseheartbreakers. Travel IfYouHearThis,PrepareforBadTurbulence It'sasuresignyourflightisabouttogetbumpy. Health CancerSurvivorHughJackmanUrgesYoutoDoThis It'squick,easy,andabsolutelylife-saving. SmarterLiving USPSIsGettingRidofThisNow Andit'seffectiveimmediately. ReadThisNext 30AnimalPhotosSoCuteYou'llLiterallyMelt Dogandcatloversalikewillswoonoverthesepurr-fectpics. October17,2018 100BrandNewMind-BlowingFacts Youmightthinkyouknowallthetriviaoutthere,butthesebrandnewfactswillsurpriseyou. September10,2020 33AdorableAnimalsThatAreActuallyDeadly Pandasaren'tsocuteonceyoulearnoftheirmurderpotential. February4,2019