When it comes to studying the animal kingdom, there are so many unbelievable facts to be known. Some facts you may have heard of before, while others are newer studies. Today, be amazed by these 50 animal facts that are simply incredible. Some of them involve your common furry friends, while others are about other animal species such as the Chevrotain. Enjoy reading about these 50 animal facts that you’ll want to share as soon as you finish reading this article.
1. Frogs Can Freeze Without Dying
You may have heard about the incredible facts on frogs. However, what you may not have heard is that frogs can actually freeze without dying. According to one study, the frogs simply thaw out in the spring. Unlike mammals, they are not harmed by the cold weather.
2. Octopuses Can Taste With Their Arms
After all the studies done on octopuses, the conclusion is that octopuses are pretty incredible. For example, we now know that an octopus has three hearts, nine brains, and blue blood. But what you may not know is that octopuses can taste with their arms. In addition to this, octopuses can smell with their eight arms. Octopuses highly depend on their arms to smell and eat food.
3. Crocodiles Can Grow For More Than 30 Years
Most humans stop growing during their teenage years, while others may grow an inch or two later on in their life. Crocodiles, however, will continue growing for more than 30 years. In fact, they don’t reach their full grown size until they are 33 years old.
4. Only the Males Are Called Peacocks
Although the term “peacock” is often used to refer to males and females, only the males are called peacocks. The females are actually called peahens.
5. Flamingos Are Actually White
When you think of flamingos, you probably imagine them with pink feathers. And that would be correct. Most flamingos are indeed pink. However, that is not their natural color. They are born with grey feathers, which gradually turn pink in the wild because of a natural pink dye called canthaxanthin that they obtain from their diet of brine shrimp and blue-green algae.
6. Cats Can’t Taste Sugar
Almost all of us humans are guilty of craving sweets. Without sugar, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the sweet treats we eat today. If you have ever wondered if cats enjoy sugar, you may be surprised that they can’t taste sugar at all. But don’t start feeling bad for our feline friends. Cats actually have taste buds that humans don’t have, which allows them to taste energy in cells and even water.
7. Birds Are Immune To Chili Peppers
Have you ever eaten a chili pepper? If so, then you know how spicy they are. Birds, however, do not get bothered by the spice of chili peppers because they are immune to them.
8. Cats Can Be Allergic To Humans
You may know people who are allergic to cats, but did you know that cats can be allergic to humans too? Feline allergies are caused by the same triggers as human allergies. Sometimes cats are allergic to the chemicals on the skin, but some are allergic to the actual human.
9. Baby Puffins Are Called Pufflings
Puffins are one of the most adorable animals in the world, right? The name of a baby puffin is even cuter. They are called pufflings.
10. Snow Leopards Don’t Roar
Unlike other cats, snow leopards have less-developed vocal cords, meaning that they can’t roar. However, they can make a purr-like sound called a chuff instead.
11. Cats Don’t Meow At Other Cats, But Only At Humans
When you hear a cat meow, you may assume that they are communicating with other cats. But this isn’t true. Cats will only meow at humans for food or attention. Kittens will meow at their mothers, but that is really the only time that they meow at other cats.
12. Sloths Can Take a Week to Digest Their Food
It takes only six to eight hours for humans to digest their food. But for the sloth, digesting food can take up to a week to do.
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13. Koalas Sleep Up to 22 Hours a Day
These cuddly creatures tend to take long naps. Even the average cat does not sleep this long. They need more sleep than most animals because eucalyptus leaves contain toxins and are very low in nutrition and high in a fibrous matter. This means they take a large amount of energy to digest. Sleeping gives them the rest they need.
14. Zebra Stripes Work As Bug Repellent
Have you ever sat outside on a summer night? As calming as it may be, you probably spent a lot of your time swatting bugs. Zebras, however, don’t need to swat bugs. Their stripes work as a bug repellent.
15. Cows Have Best Friends
Do you have a best friend? If so, you probably can’t imagine being separated from each other. Surprisingly, cows feel the same way. Cows have strong social bonds and display physical symptoms of stress when they’re away from their best friend.
16. Pigeons Can Do Math
Perhaps the most interesting fact among these animal facts is that pigeons can do arithmetic. Pigeons are capable of doing math at a similar level to monkeys. It sounds like pigeons would get an A+ at math in school.
17. The Chevrotain Is An Animal That Looks Like A Tiny Deer With Fangs
Take one look at the Chevrotain and you probably will think it looks just like a deer. But when the chevrotain opens his mouth, you may be surprised to see that this animal has fangs. Although they lack antlers and horns, they have long tusk-like incisors.
18. Snails Can Sleep For Three Years
Talk about one long nap! Similar to other animals, snails hibernate in order to survive. Although snails will hibernate when it’s cold, they often hibernate when it is dry. Desert snails can sense when the air is particularly dry and will burrow underground in order to retain moisture. They hibernate up to 3 years, waiting for the temperature to become more suitable for them.
19. A Shrimp’s Heart Is Located On Its Head
Shrimp are unique little creatures for many reasons. One of those reasons is that its heart is located on its head. Not only is the heart of the shrimp located on its head, but so is the brain, stomach, ovary, and testis.
20. Koalas Have Fingerprints That Look Just Like Human Fingerprints
The fingerprints of a koala are very similar to the fingerprints of a human. In fact, many investigators have confused the fingerprints of a koala with the fingerprints of a human in crime scenes.
21. Slugs Have Four Noses
Imagine having more than one nose. You would have an amazing sense of smell, to say the least. Well, slugs are one of the animals that have more than one nose. In fact, they have four noses. They use their noses for breathing more than they do for smelling.
22. An Ostrich’s Eye Is Bigger Than Its Brain
Ostriches have the biggest eyes proportionate to their body in the whole animal kingdom. The eyes take up so much room in the skull, which is why its eye is bigger than its brain.
23. Around 50 Percent Of Orangutans Have Fractured Bones, Due To Falling Out Of Trees On A Regular Basis
Have you ever had a fractured bone? Fractured bones are painful and are very common due to weak bones and injuries. It turns out that orangutans get fractured bones a lot too. 50 percent of them have fractured bones, due to falling out of trees on a regular basis.
24. Elephants Are One Of the Only Animals That Can’t Jump
Elephants are one of the only animals that cannot jump in the air. A few other animals that can’t jump either are rhinos, sloths, and hippos. However, unlike elephants, hippos and rhinos can have all four feet off the ground at the same time when they run.
25. A Group Of Flamingos Is Called A “Flamboyance”
There are actually a number of words for a group of flamingos. Most people use the word flock. Flamboyance seems to be the second most common choice. Other terms include pat, stand, regiment, and colony.
26. Sea Otters Hold Each Other’s Paws When They Sleep So They Don’t Drift Apart
One of the sweetest animal facts is that sea otters will hold onto each other’s paws when they sleep. They do this so that they don’t drift apart. How sweet!
27. Gentoo Penguins Propose To Their Lifemates With A Pebble
When us humans propose, we usually do it with an engagement ring. Gentoo penguins, however, do things a little differently. Instead of proposing with an engagement ring, they propose with a pebble.
28. Dolphins Have Names For Each Other
Recent research shows that dolphins can call out to one other by mimicking the distinct whistle of the dolphin they want. They do it to identify objects as well. This is the only animal known for doing this.
29. The Quokka Animal Always Appears To Be Smiling
The quokka is one happy animal, or so it seems. Its mouth is shaped in a way so that it looks like this animal is always smiling.
30. Squirrels Plant Thousands Of New Trees Each Year Simply By Forgetting Where They Put Their Acorns
Thanks to squirrels, thousands of trees have been planted each year simply because they forgot where their acorns were. They are helping the environment without even knowing it!
31. Oysters Can Change Gender
One of the most interesting animal facts is that oysters can change their gender. Oysters aren’t the only ones known to do this. Clownfish, eels, and many other animals are known for changing their gender.
32. Japanese Macaques Make Snowballs For Fun
If you live in a snowy area, you probably enjoy making snowballs with friends and family. It turns out that Japanese Macaques love making snowballs too. Perhaps we can arrange a snowball fight with these monkeys.
33. Rats Laugh When Tickled
Rats are one of the few animals that will actually laugh when tickled. They also laugh when they are in a good mood.
34. Spiders Can’t Fly
Spiders are the only insect that doesn’t have wings for flying. However, they can float in the air if they jump off of an object.
35. Seahorses Hold Each Others’ Tails When Traveling
Once seahorses have mated with each other, they hold each others’ tails when traveling. How romantic!
36. Dogs Noses Are As Unique As Human Fingerprints
Just like human fingerprints, each dog nose has its own unique printings. Just as humans can be identified by their fingerprints, dogs can be identified by their nose prints.
37. Before Chicks Hatch, They Can Communicate With Each Other And Their Mother Through A System Of Sounds
Another amazing animal fact: Studies have found that mother birds communicate to their unhatched chicks, and their chicks can communicate back. The chicks can also communicate with the other chicks.
38. Goats Have Accents
Us humans can develop accents as we get older or change our social settings. Goats can also develop “accents” as they grow older in accordance with other members of their social group, or “creche.”
39. Butterflies Taste With Their Feet
Butterflies taste with their feet as their taste sensors are located there. They can taste it by just standing on their food. They don’t have mouths that allow them to bite or chew. Instead, they have a long straw-like structure called a proboscis which they use to drink nectar and juices.
40. Baby Porcupines Have Soft Quills
Unlike adult porcupines, baby porcupines actually have soft quills at birth. These quills begin to harden within a few hours after birth.
41. Catfish Use Their Entire Body To Taste
Catfish have taste buds along their entire body. This allows them to taste the food before it even enters their mouth. Their whiskers can also tell which direction the food is at.
42. Penguins Have Knees
When looking at a penguin standing or waddling around, it may look like they have very short legs and no knees. However, a penguin’s leg is composed of a short femur, knee, tibia, and fibula.
43. Horned Lizards Shoot Blood Out Of Their Eyes To Defend Themselves
When a horned lizard feels threatened by a predator, its final defense response is to shoot blood from their flooded sinuses and out its eye sockets.
44. Honey Bees Taste With Their Feet
Just like butterflies, honey bees taste with their feet. The ability to taste with their feet lets them check a flower for nectar as soon as they land, which means less wasted effort if the flower is dry.
45. Koala Bears Aren’t Actually Bears
Surprisingly, koala bears aren’t actually born. Instead, they are marsupials. Although they are called koala bears, the correct name for them is koalas.
46. Elephants Are Pregnant For Two Years
Elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals. Their pregnancies last from one and a half years to two years.
47. Humming Birds Can Fly Backward
Hummingbirds are the only birds known to fly backward. They can also fly forward, hover, and they beat their wings 80 times per second.
48. Horses And Cows Sleep Standing Up, But Can’t Dream Until They Lie Down
Horses and cows can sleep standing up, but they don’t experience full REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement deep slumber is what allows us to dream) unless they lie down.
49. An Elephant’s Tooth Weighs 8 Pounds
The elephant’s tooth is probably the heaviest tooth that any animal has. It can weigh up to 8 pounds. Compared to the human tooth, an elephants’ tooth is very heavy. The average human tooth only weighs about 0.05 ounces.
50. Snakes Don’t Blink
Snakes don’t blink because they do not have eyelids. Each eye is covered with a single clear eye scale. These eye scales protect eyes from injury and prevent the eyes from drying out. That is the reason snakes are unable to blink their eyes and sleep with open eyes.
Final Thoughts
I hope you have enjoyed reading this article on animal facts. As you can see, there are so many different interesting animal facts. Some of them you may have heard of before, while others come from newer studies. Now, go share these incredible animal facts with everyone you know!
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