100 Greatest Animal Facts That Will Blow Your Mind

The 100 most bizarre and surprising animal facts in the world. Weird, unusual and extraordinary facts about animals that will amaze you! Skiptocontent Here’sourbiglistofthe100greatestanimalfacts.Thisincludessomeofthemostasked,fun,surprisingandcrazyanimalfactsfromacrosstheanimalkingdom.Theloudest,deadliest,fastest,largest,mostbizarreandrandom,areallhereinourbiganimalfactlist. 1.Theloudestanimalintheworldisamere2cmlong,prawn.ThePistolShrimpiscapableofsnappingitsclawshutsorapidly,thatitcreatesabubblewhichcollapsestoproduceasonicblast,louderthanaConcorde’ssonicboom. Theshockwavecanreach230decibels,louderthanthesoundofagunshot.Theimplodingbubbleforsplitsecondsalsogeneratestemperatesof4,400C,nearlyashotasthesun,killingitsprey.1 2.Flamingosarenotpink.Theyareborngrey,theirdietofbrineshrimpandbluegreenalgaecontainsanaturalpinkdyecalledcanthaxanthinthatmakestheirfeatherspink. Flamingosinzoosoftenlosttheircolouring,untilzookeeperssupplementedtheirdiets.2 3.Otters“holdhands”whilesleeping,sotheydon’tfloatawayfromeachother. Andit’ssuper-cute.Look. 4.Hummingbirdsaretheonlyknownbirdsthatcanalsoflybackwards. Theyoftendothiswhenretreatingawayfromflowers.3 5.Dolphinsusetoxicpufferfishto‘gethigh’. Dolphinsdeliberatelyhandlepufferfishcausingthemtoreleasetoxinsasadefencemechanism.Thesetoxinscanbedeadlyinhighdoses,butalsohaveanarcoticeffect–andareapowerfulhallucinogenic,whichdolphinsappeartoenjoy.  Adocumentarywitnessedthempassingaroundpufferfishinapod,beforefloatingjustunderneaththewater’ssurface,apparently‘mesmerisedbytheirownreflections’afterwards.4 6.TheInlandTaipan(alsoknownas,theWesternTaipan)isthemostvenomoussnakeintheworld.Asinglebitecontainsenoughvenomtokillatleast100fullygrownmen,andcankillwithinjust30minutes,ifleftuntreated. Theyveryrarelyevercomeincontactwithhumans,however.EveryreliableidentificationofasnakebitevictimfromanInlandTaipanhavebeenherpetologists,whenhandlingorstudyingthesnakes.Theyhaveallsurvived,duetosuccessfultreatmentwithantivenom. 7.Theworldsdeadliestanimalisn’tashark,bearortiger,butsomethingfarsmaller–themosquito.AccordingtotheWorldHealthOrganization,725,000peoplearekilledeachyearfrommosquito-bornediseases,suchasMalaria,denguefeverandyellowfever. Theyoutnumbereveryotheranimalintheworld,apartfromantsandtermites.Theycanalsobefoundinnearlyeverypartoftheworld,whichalladdupintherisktheyposetohumans. 8.Therearemorethan1.4billioninsectsforEACHHUMANontheplanet,accordingtorecentestimates. AntshavecolonisedalmosteverylandmassonEarth.Theirpopulationisestimatedas107–108billionalone,incomparisontoapprox.7billionhumansontheplanet.5 9.TheshortestlivinganimalintheworldistheMayfly.It’sentirelifespanisjust24hrs. TheMayflyreproducesandthendies,duringthatshort24hrperiodoflife.SomespeciesofMayflyonlylivefor8-10hours. 10.Thehornedlizardisabletoshootbloodfromit’sowneyes,uptoadistanceof3feetaway.Theratherbizarreanddisgustingactisadefensivemechanismtoconfusepredators. Theirbloodcontainsachemicalthatisnoxioustopredators,andthisisn’titsonlytrick–short-hornedlizardsarealsocapableofinflatingtheirbodiesuptotwicetheirsizetoscareanythingaway.6  11.Roosterspreventthemselvesfromgoingdeafduetotheirownloudcrowing,bytiltingtheirheadbackswhentheycrow,whichcoverstheirearcanalcompletely,servingasabuilt-inear-plug. Astudyshowedthattheircrowingaveragesover100decibels,whichisroughlythesameasrunningachainsaw.7 12.LittleisknownabouttheelusiveGiantsquid,howeverthelargestsquideverfoundmeasuredover50feetandweighednearlyatonne. Toputthatinperspective,that’sbiggerthanabus.8 13.Thepangolinisabletorollupintoanarmour-platedball,solionscan’teatthem. Ifonlythisworkedforpoachers,whosimplypickthemupwhentheyrollintoaball.  14.Koalascansleepforupto22hoursaday. Koalaneedmoresleepthanmostanimals,becausetheirdietofeucalyptusleavescontaintoxins,areverylowinnutrition,andhighinfibrousmatter–sotheytakealargeamountofenergytodigest! 15.Swiftsspendmostoftheirlivesflyingintheair,andcanflyforalmostanentireyear,withouteverlanding. Astudyshowedthatovera10-monthperiod,aswiftstoppedforjust2hours.9 16.Evenafterhavingitsheadcutoff,acockroachcanstillliveforweeks. Evenstranger,acockroach’sheadcanactuallysurvivebyitselfforafewhours,too.10 17.Agroupofparrotsisknownasapandemonium. Andthecollectivenounforporcupines,isaprickle. 18.Cowspooupto15timesaday,whichcanbeasmuchas115poundsofmanureperday,orapproximately21tonsperyear. Thelargequantitiesareoftenputtogooduse,though–manure,tofertilizer,tofuel,orbiogastocreateelectricityandheatfordevelopingpartsoftheworld.11 19.Panda’smusteat25–90pounds(12-38kg)ofbambooeverydaytomeettheirenergyneeds. Thisisbecausebamboocontainsverylittlenutritionalvalue,sotheyhavetoeatitinvastquantitiestosurvive.Althoughthegiantpandapossessthedigestivesystemofacarnivore,theyhaveevolvedtodependalmostentirelyonbamboo. 20.ABlueWhalestonguecanweighasmuchasacar,orasmalladultelephant. ABlueWhalestonguecanweighapprox.2.7tonnes,or6,000–8,000pounds(2,720–3,630kg). 21.Thelongestliving,verifiedanimalisaMadagascarradiatedtortoise,whichdiedatanageof188yearsinMay1965. However,theremightbeevenolder.Adwaita,anAldabragianttortoise,diedatanestimatedageof255inMarch2006inAliporeZoo,Kolkata,India.Ifverified,itwillhavebeentheoldestterrestrialanimalintheworld.12 22.Thefastestlandanimalontheplanetisacheetah.Itcanreachspeedsofupto75mph(120kph). WhilethePeregrineFalconisthefastestbird,withadivingspeedof242mph(390kph).TheBlackMarlinisthefastestseaanimal,andcanswimupto80mph(130kph). 23.Babyelephantssucktheirtrunksforcomfort. Justlikebabiesandyoungchildrensucktheirthumbs,awwww. PhotocourtesyofDarkroomillusions. 24.TheNilecrocodilesjawscanapply5,000poundsofpressurepersquareinch–thestrongestbiteofanyanimalintheworld. Ahuman’sjawproduces100poundsofpressurepersquareinchincomparison.Acrocodilesbiteis10timesmorepowerfulthanthatofagreatwhiteshark 25.Axolotlareabletoregeneratelostlimbsandbodyorgans. Mexicanwalkingfishcanregrowthesamelimbupto5times,andevenregeneratepartsofitsbrain. 26.TheGiantPacificOctopushas3hearts,9brainsandblueblood. Theyarealsoabletochangetheircolourandtexturetocamouflagethemselvesinablinkofaneye. 27.Afleacanjumpdistances200timestheirbodylength. Theyareabletojump10inches(25cm)verticallyandupto18inches(45cm)horizontally,makingthemoneoftheplanetsbestjumpersrelativetoitssize.It’sequaltoahumanjumpingashighastheEmpireStateBuildinginNewYork. 28.Themaleseahorsegoesthroughpregnancyandgivesbirthtobabies.Theyaretheonlyanimalonearthwherethemalecarriesthebabyratherthanthefemale. Themaleseahorsehasapouchonitsstomachinwhichtocarrybabies—asmanyas2,000atatime. 29.Pufferfishcancontainatetrodoxin,atoxinthatisupto1,200timesmoredeadlythancyanidetohumans.Thereisenoughtoxininonepufferfishtokill30adulthumans,andthereisnoknownantidote. Amazinglydespitethis,somepufferfishmeatisconsideredadelicacyinJapan.ThemeatcalledFugu,isexpensiveandonlypreparedbylicencedchefswithover3yearsofrigoroustrainingwhoremovetoxicpartsofthemeatfordiners. 30.TheloudestanimalrelativetosizeistheWaterBoatman,whichmeasuresatjust12mmlong,butcanproduce99dBofsoundbyrubbingitsgenitaliaacrossitsabdomen. Thisistheequivalentnoiselevelofoperatingacircularsaw,oradrill.13 31.Thehowlermonkeyistheloudestlandanimal.Itscallscanbeheardfrom3miles(5km)away. Atitspeak,thehowlermonkeycanproducesoundsthatreach140decibels.That’sasnoisyasajetengine,ontakeoff! 32.Thereisanaverageof50,000spidersperacreingreenareas. There’sover45,000knownspiderspecies,withthevenomofafewonlyknowntobedangeroustohumans. 33.Theaptlynamedcolossalsquidseyesareaslargeasabasketball. Thisallowsthemtodetectthefaintlightofapredatorfromover400feet(120metres).14 34.White-tailedjackrabbitsarethegreatestlandjumpers,havingbeenrecordedleapinganastonishing21ft(6.4m)vertically. That’shigherthan3averagesizedmenallstoodontopofeachother.Thislargespeciesofharecanalsorunupto35mph(55kph)whenescapingpredators.15 35.Grey-headedAlbatrosscancircletheglobeinonly46days. Theincredibleround-the-worldjourneycovers14,000milesoverthe46dayperiodatasteady13mph.Theyperformthisfeatbymakingvariouspit-stopsalongtheway.16 36.Giraffesarethetallestlandanimalintheworld,reachingheightsof19ft(5.8m).Theostrichistheworld’stallestbird.Itcangrowupto9feet(2.7m)tall. Over2metres(7ft)ofagiraffestotalsizeisitsfamouslylongneck,whichhelpsitreachleavesintalltrees. 37.Anostrichlegsaresopowerfulthattheirkickscankillalion. Orahuman!Eachtwo-toedfoothasalong,sharpclaw–makingthemformidableweapons.Animalsoftenenduprunningawayfromthelargebird. 38.Thedementorwaspparalysescockroacheswithvenomtoitshead,turningthemintoazombie-likestate.Thetoxinsleavethecockroachunabletocontrolitsownmovements,whichincrediblymakesitrunintothewaspsnesttomeetitsdemise. Thevenomisthoughttocutbrainactivitythatmakescockroachessensefearandrunawaytosafety.Thedementorwaspwillthenlayeggsonthecockroachtoactasanincubatorforitsyoung. 39.MorethanhalfofallpigsintheworldarekeptbyfarmersinChina. Thereareover440millionpigsinChina.UnitedStatesincomparisonhasamere73millionpigs. 40.Polarbearshavejetblackskinundertheirwhitefurcoats. Ithelpsthemabsorbheattokeepwarm,whilethewhitefurhelpsprovidescamouflageinthesnowyandicyenvironmenttheylive. 41.Giantanteatersconsumeupto35,000antsandtermitesinasingleday. Theyusetheirlongstickytonguestoslurpuphundredsofantsperminute.Interestingly,anteaterspurposefullyneverdestroyanantnest,preferringtoleavesomeantsalivetorebuild,soitcanreturnandfeedagaininthefuture. 42.Thelittleknownpangolinistheworldsmostpoachedandtraffickedanimal. ThisisduetothehighdemandoftheirscalesandmeatinAsiancultures.70%ofChinesecitizensbelievepangolinproductshavemedicinalvalue,whenitsbeenscientificallyproventobefalse. 43.Greatwhitesharkscandetectadropofbloodin25gallons(100litres)ofwaterandcanevensensetinyamountsofbloodfrom3miles(5km)away. Theyusetheiracutesenseofsmelltodetectbloodusinganorgancalledthe‘olfactorybulb’. 44.TheNakedMole-Ratcanliveinanalmostzerooxygenatmosphere. Incredibly,inazerooxygenenvironment,theNakedMole-Ratcanstillsurviveforupto20-minuteswithoutsufferinganyharmatall. 45.Thesmellofaskunkispowerfulenoughforahumantosmellitupto3.5miles(5.6km)away. Thefoulsmellingsprayfromaskunkcanalsocauseskinirritationandeventemporaryblindness. 46.Themostvenonmousfishintheworldisthe30cmStonefish. Theyhave13sharpfinspinesontheirback,eachwithtwovenomglands.Theirstingsareextremelypainful,canbelethaltohumans,andmostlyoccurasaresultofsteppingonthecreature. 47.Only5%ofcheetahcubssurvivetoadulthood. Astudyinthe90’sintheSerengetifoundthat95%ofcheetahcubsdiedbeforereachingadulthood.ManydeathswereduetoLions,butalsootherpredatorsanddisease. 48.Atigersrearlegsaresopowerful,thattheyhavebeenfoundremainingtostandevenafterdeath. Tigershavebeenwitnessedtohavebeenshot,bledout,anddied–andremainedstandingthroughout. 49.ARhinoceros‘shornsaremadeof‘keratin’,thesametypeofproteinthatmakesuphairandfingernails. SomespeciesofRhinoshavetwohorns,whileothersjusthaveasinglehorn. 50.TheAlpineSwiftisabletostayairborneforover6monthswithouttouchingdown. Itholdstheworldrecordforthelongestrecordeduninterruptedflightbyabird,atover200daysintheairasithuntedflyinginsectsonitswinteringrangeintheskiesoverWestAfrica. 17 51.TheEdibleDormouse(Glisglis)isabletohibernatethelongest–upto11-monthsoftheyearwhenfoodavailabilityislow. Tobeabletopullofthisfeat,theydoubleoreventripletheirbodyweightbeforehibernation.Duringhibernationtheyareabletoreducetheirmetabolicrateandtheanimalmaystopbreathingforperiodsofuptoanhouratatime.18 52.JapaneseMacaquesplaywithsnowballsforfun. Thesesnowmonkeyshavebeenobservedrollingupsnowballs,thenpushingthemdownhillsjustfortheheckofit.Othersgatherlumpsofsnowinaballandcarrythemaround,proudlysometimestotheenvyofothermonkeyswhotrytostealit. 53.Spermwhalesaretheworld’slargestpredator. Theycanbeupto18mlongandweighupto53tonnes.Thesegiantwhalesdivedowntoalmost3000mbelowthesurfacewheretheyhuntgiantsquid.Giantsquidcanbethesamesizeorbiggerthanspermwhalesandwillfightviciouslywiththem.Adultwhalescanbeseenwithscarsontheirheadsfromthebeaksofgiantsquid.19 54.Thelargestinsecttoeverlivewasa“dragonfly”withawingspanofover75cm(2andahalffeet)across. TheyarecalledMeganeuropsisandwerearound247millionyearsago.Theywereproficientpredators,withlargemandiblesthattheyusedtocapturefish,amphibiansandinsects.20 55.Koala’shavefingerprintsalmostidenticaltohuman. Itissohardtodistinguishbetweenthefingerprintsofkoalasandhumansthatevenunderamicroscopeitishardtotell.Thereareevenreportedcasesofakoala’sfingerprintsconfusingforensicsatcrimescenes.21 56.Greenlandsharksarethelongestlivingvertebratesonearth,withoneindividualthoughttobeover400yearsold Greenlandsharksaregiant,reachingupto5minlength,andliveinthecolddeepwatersoftheNorthAtlantic.Theyarerarelyseen,andlittleisknownaboutthem.22 57.Theblood‘Draculaant’hasthefastestrecordedanimalmovementwhenitsnapsitsmandible. Thiscannibalisticantcangofromzeroto200mphin0.000015secondswhenitsnapsitsmandibles,that’sroughly5,000timesfasterthanhumansblink.5Thisisthefastestrecordedmovementintheanimalkingdom.23 58.Theboxjellyfishisconsideredthemostvenomousmarinespeciesintheworld. Thesecubeshapedjellyfishhavelongtentaclesandcanbeover3minlength.Theirtoxin,deliveredviastingingcellsintheirtentacles,issopotentthatmanydiebeforetheycanevenreachtheshore.24 59.TheJapaneseSpiderCrabhasthelongestlegspanofanyarthropod. Fromthetipofoneclawtotheothercanbeaslongasalmost4m!Ithas10legsstretchingoutfromacentralbody,givingititsspiderlikeappearance.TheylivedeepintheoceanssouthofJapan. 60.Somealbatrossesarelesbians. Albatrossesformbondsforlife,returningtothesameplaceeveryyeartoraisetheiryoung.Someofthesebondsarebetweentwofemalealbatrosses,withastudyfindingthatinonebreedingarea31%ofpairsweretwofemales.25 61.Somecorvids(crows,rooks,ravensetc,)canunderstandphysics. Corvidsarehighlyintelligent.Theycanusetools,solvepuzzles,recognisefaces,andevenunderstandphysics.Testsshowthatrookshavethesamelevelofunderstandingofphysicsasa6-month-oldbaby,whichishigherthansomeapes.26 62.Sheepcanrecognisefaces. Associalanimals,sheeparecapableofrecognisingfamiliarandunfamiliarfaces.Studiesevensuggestthattheymissothersheepwhentheyaretakenawayforalongtimeafterwards.27 63.Tardigradescansurviveinspaceandgowithouteatingformorethan10years. Tardigradesaremicroscopicanimalswithcrazyenduranceabilities.Theycansurviveintemperaturesashighas149oCoraslowas-272oCandpressures6timesmoreintensethanthebottomoftheocean.Theyalsolookliketinybears!28 64.Hoatzin’saretheonlybirdspecieswitharuminantdigestivesystem,andtheysmelllikecow-dung. Aruminantdigestivesystemisonethatusesfermentationtodigestfood,cowsbeingawell-knownexampleofthis.It’sthisdigestivesystemthatgivesitit’slovelycow-dungsmell.Thesebirdsarefoundintheamazonandhaveadinosaurlikeappearancetothem. 65.Echidna’sarerelativesofduck-billedplatypusesandhaveabeak,spikes,akangaroo-likepouch,andlayseggs. Theyaresmallatjust30–45cmandareknownasspinyanteaters.Oneofthefewegg-layingmammals,theylayatinyeggwhichisthentransferredintoakangaroo-likepouchwhereitthenhatches. 66.Thedesperateleafchameleonislessthan3cmlong. Oneofthetiniestreptilesintheworld,thistinychameleonisnativeonlytoMadagascar.Itcanchangecolourtomatchitsenvironmentandlayshugeeggscomparedtoitsbodysize.Theyarenamed“desperate”duetotheirstatusascriticallyendangered.29 67.TheYangtzegiantsoftshellturtleisthebiggestfreshwaterturtleintheworld. Itweighsbetween150to220kilograms(330to485pounds)andisover100cm(39in)inlength.TheyarefoundprimarilyintheareaoftheYangtzeRiverinChina. 68.TheMarianasnailfishisthedeepestfishintheocean,livinguptoaround8000mbelowthesurface. Theylivedowninthedeepesttrenchesoftheoceanwheretheyhuntinvertebrates,suchascrustaceansandshrimp.30 69.PeaCrabsareminiaturecrabsthatspendtheirwholelivesinsideoysters,clams,andmussels. Namessobecauseitisthesizeofapea,thistinycrabreliesentirelyonitshostforfood. 70.Theshoebillstorkhasahugebeakandswallowslungfishwhole. Thesehugebirdsareoverametertall(upto5feet)andhaveawingspanofmorethan2m(almost8feet!).Itsnamecomesfromitshugebeakwhichisover20cmlongandalmostthatwide.Alongwithlungfish,italsoeatsbabyturtlesandbabycrocodileswhole. 71.Lungfisharetheonlyfishthathavebothlungsandgills. Thisallowsthemtosurvivewhenthewaterintheirponds/lakesdriesup. 72.Electriceelsareinfactnoteels,andgiveashockstrongenoughtoknockoutahorse. IntheTennesseeAquariumanelectriceel’stankhasbeenhookeduptoacomputerprogrammedtosendoutatweetwhenevertheeelproducesenoughelectricity.31 73.Theyellowheadjawfishincubatesitseggsinitsmouth. Themalegathersupalloftheeggsoncethey’vebeenfertilisedandstorestheminhismouthuntiltheyhatch. 74.Thepatudiguaisthoughttobethissmallestspiderintheworldatjust0.37mm. ThisColombianspiderisaboutonefifththesizeoftheheadofapin. 75.Vampirebatssharebloodwiththeirfriends. Batsneedtoeatbloodatleastevery48hourstosurvive.Batswillsharebloodafteragoodmealwithanotherbatthat’sfedtheminthepast.32 76.TheU.S.militarytrainedbottlenosedolphins. BottlenosedolphinswereusedinboththeVietnamandtheGulftodetectenemyswimmerstryingtoplantexplosivesonships.33 77.WojtekthebearwasacorporalinthepolishmilitaryduringWWII. WojtekwasbroughtbypolishshoulderswhileinIran.Hewasmadeanofficersothathewasallowedrationsandeventuallywaspromotedtocorporal.Hehelpedoutbycarryingboxesofammunition. 78.Hornedlizardsshootbloodoutoftheireyes. Toscareofpredators,thislizardshootsbloodoutofitseyes. 79.Cuckoobirdshidetheireggsinthenestsofotherspecies. Theotherbirdspeciesthenraisesthecuckoochickasifitwereitsown,andthecuckoomotherdoesn’thavetodoanyofthework. 80.Elephantsmourntheirdead. Elephantswillreturntotheplacewherefamilymembersdiedandstandinsilenceoverthebones,sometimesbowingtheirheads. 81.Meerkatparentstraintheiroffspringtohuntscorpions. Theywillbringbackdeadoralmostdeadscorpionsbacktotheyoungeronessothattheycanpracticekillingthemwithoutgettingstung. 82.Only3-5%ofmammalsaremonogamous. Themajorityofmammalsarenotmonogamous,makinghumansunusual. 83.Gorilla’shavebeenseendismantlingtrapssetbypoachers. Poachingisabigproblemforgorillas,butyounggorillashavelearnthowtotrapanddismantlesnares.34 84.Theearliestfounddepictionsofdogscomefrom8000yearsago. Dogshavebeenhuman-kindsbestfriendforalongtime,withacarvinginarockfaceinSaudiArabiashowingamanhuntingwith13dogs.Twoofthemevenhaveleads! 85.Cat’sweredomesticated9,500yearsagoinAncientEgypt. TheywereworshipedinAncientEgyptandsomehistoriansreportthatitwasillegaltokillacat. 86.Emperorpenguinsaretheworld’sbiggestpenguins,andtheytrek50–120km(31–75m)acrosstheAntarctictoreachbreedingcolonies. Theseimpressivepenguinsreach100cm(39in)inlengthandweigh22to45kg(49to99lb).Theybreedduringwinter,whentheyemergefromtheirmorenaturalhabitatintheoceantotreklongdistancesovertreacherousice. 87.Yaksarespeciallyadaptedtohighaltitudes,withahugelungcapacityandsmallredbloodcells. NativeoriginallytoTibet,thesegiantoxen-likeanimalsliveathighaltitudesintheHimalayas(4,000–6,000metres).Theyarespecificallyadaptedtothelowoxygenlevelswithalungcapacitythatis~3timesthatofnormalcattle,andhavesmallerredbloodcellstoimproveoxygentransport.35 88.Cuvier’sBeakedwhalesareoneofthedeepestdivingmammalsandcancollapsetheirlungstosurvivethehighpressure. Oneofthedeepestdivingmammals,oneindividualwasrecordeddivingdownto2,992m(9,816ft)belowthesurface.Thepressureatthesedepthsissohighthatinordertosurviveittheyhavetocollapsetheirlungs.36 89.Orangutansaretheheaviesttree-dwellinganimals. Therearethreespeciesoforangutanandadultmalesofallthreetypicallyweigharound75kg(165lb)whilefemalesare~37kg(82lb).Theyare~1.5m(5ft)tallandhaveahugearmspanof~2m(6ft).Theyspendmostoftheirtimeupinthecanopy,makingthemtheheaviesttree-dwellinganimal. 90.Chimpanzeesareveryintelligenceandmakeallkindsoftools. Forexample,someuselongstickstofishouttermitesfromtheirmounds.Othershavebeenrecordedcreating“spears”tohuntbushbabies!37 91.Shrike’simpaletheirpreyonstickstosavethemforlater. Alsoknownas“butcherbirds”theyarefamousforbeingfairlybrutalsongbirds.Theycatchallkindsofanimals,includingcrickets,lizards,andsmallbirds,andimpalethemonstickstosavethemforlater. 92.Atlanticwolffishareterrifyingpredatorsreachingupto5feetinlength. Theyhaveverysharpteethandapowerfulbite,makingthempowerfulpredators.Theyusethisbiteforcetocrushthehardshellsofmolluscsandcrustaceans. 93.Thewoodfrogspends7monthsoftheyearfrozen. TheseAlaskanfrogsfreezealmostcompletelyatthestartofwinter,withtwo-thirdsoftheirbodywaterturningintoice.Toallintentsandpurposes,theyseemdead;theirheartstopsbeating,andtheirbloodflowstops.However,oncewinterstartstothawsodotheyandtheyhopbacktolife.38 94.Certainanimalshaveanti-freezeproteinsthatallowthemtosurviveextremetemperatures. Theseanti-freezeproteinspreventwaterinthecellsoftheanimalsfromcrystalisingandformingice.Examplesofanimalswiththissuperpowerincludethewinterflounderandtheeelpout. 95.Honeypotantsswelluptoahugesizewithfood. Honeypotantshavetobeseentobebelieved.Duringwetseason,certainantsconsumehugeamountsofnectar,makingtheirabdomensswelluptothesizeofagrape.Then,duringdryseason,theyprovidetheotherantswithfoodbythrowingthenectarbackupagain.Yum! 96.Thelesula,discoveredin2007,hasgianthumanlikeeyesandabluebottom. ThisrelativelynewlydiscoveredmonkeylivesintheCongo.Theireyesareverydistinctivebecauseoftheirhuman-likeappearance,asaretheirbrightbluebums. 97.TheDonaldTrumpcaterpillarlooksidenticaltotheex-president’shair. Thisspeciesofcaterpillar,priorto2016,wasknownastheFlannelMothCaterpillar(Megalopygeopercularis).Itgainedpopularityasitisveryfurryandbrightorange,givingitanuncannyresemblancetoTrump’shair(wig?).This‘fur’however,isactuallycomposedofmultiplevenomous‘hairs’.Grabbingholdofoneofthesecaterpillarsisapainfulexperience.39 98.Frilledsharksare2-meter-longlivingfossilsthateattheirpreywhole. Theyareconsideredlivingfossils,meaningthey’vegoneunchangedforalongperiodoftimeandmostoftheirclosestrelativescanonlybefoundintheformoffossils.Theygettheirnamesfromtheir“frilly”gillsandtheyarepredatorswhichswallowtheirpreywhole. 99.Giantvampirebatslived100,000yearsagoandhadawingspanof50cm(20inches). Thesegiantbatswereroughly30%largerthanthemodernvampirebats.TheremainsofonewererecentlyfoundinacaveinArgentina. 100.Thereareanestimated8.7millionspeciesonearthandmorethan80%ofthemareundiscovered. 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Crocodilescangothrough4,000teethoverthecourseoftheir35-75yearlifespan. Achameleon’stonguecanbeaslongasitsbody. Acheetahcangofrom0-60mphin3seconds. Polarbearshaveblackskinundertheirwhitefur. Therearemorethan1.4billioninsectsforEACHHUMANontheplanet. Top20UnusualAnimalFacts Narwhal Pangolin MantisShrimp Shoebill NakedMole-Rat Aye-Aye DementorWasp Axolotl Liger PenisSnake ThornyDevil BulletAnt HonduranWhiteBat PinkFairyArmadillo Potoo Star-NosedMole YetiCrab SaigaAntelope GoblinShark FlyingSnake