30 Fun Facts About Animals That Will Shock You

Animals are amazing things, some are unique and sometimes very unusual in their behavior. The natural world is full of incredible creatures with an estimated 7.77 million species of animals on the planet, the animal kingdom is an obviously diverse place. Each one of them represents an ancient tome of biological trivia.

The incredible things that our animals can do are often hidden from humans. Human Beings are aware of the existence of many kinds of animals, but still, they are unknown to some fun facts about animals.

Our animal kingdom consists of millions of majestic, mysterious, and magnificent species. These amazing creatures that live on our land, beneath the oceans, and beyond will surely make you smile when you discover interesting fun facts about them.

Here are some of the fun facts about animals from around the world that will remind you that the world is an awesome place.

1.Koala fingerprints are so close to humans' that they could taint crime scenes.

If you take a closer look at Koalas hands, you'd see that they have fingerprints that are almost identical just like humans.

In fact, they're so similar that not even careful analysis under a microscope can easily distinguish when it involves loopy, whirling ridges on koalas' fingers from our own.

2.Parrots will selflessly help each other out.

Researchers have discovered that parrots will voluntarily help each other obtain food rewards and perform selfless acts.

According to a 2020 study published in Current Biology co-author Auguste von Bayern noted, "African grey parrots were intrinsically motivated to assist others, albeit the opposite individual wasn't their friend, in order that they behaved very pro-socially.

3.Prairie dogs kiss.

Prairie dogs are quirky creatures as they're giant rodents, they dig massive underground homes, and that they kiss. When they seem to be sweetly sharing a smooch they are actually touching their front teeth to identify each other.

The BBC explains that scientists believe prairie dogs kiss and cuddle more when they are being watched by zoo visitors because they enjoy the attention.

4.The mantis shrimp has the world's fastest punch.

It's the mantis shrimp that has the world's fastest punch than a boxer, traveling at about 50 mph.

According to Science its little fists are "accelerating faster than a .22-caliber bullet". National Geographic also shared the tale of Tyson a mantis in April 1998, an aggressive creature who smashed through the quarter-inch-thick glass wall of his cell.

5.The world's oldest known breed of domesticated dog dates back to 329 BC.

Dogs are well known for being man's best friend and this relationship goes back longer than you might expect. Consistent with Guinness World Records, the oldest known breed of domesticated dog goes all the way back to 329 BC."There are carvings found in Sumer which represent a dog, which resembles a Saluki, which dates back to 7000 BC."

6.And the oldest evidence of domesticated cats dates back 9,500 years.

According to Guinness World Records reports humans have been domesticating cats for over 9,500 years.

In 2004 it was proved "bones of a cat were discovered within the Neolithic village of Shillourokambos in Cyprus. The position of the cat within the ground was next to the bones of a person's, whose similar state of preservation strongly suggests they were buried together."

7.Bottlenose dolphins are even more right-handed than humans.

According to Scientific American "Around 70-80% humans are right-handed and the remaining are left-handed". And the same goes for bottlenose dolphins.

A team of Florida's Dolphin Communication Project noticed the feeding behavior of bottlenose dolphins and found that the animals were turning to their left side 99.44 percent of the time, which "actually suggests a right-side bias".

8.Cows painted with zebra-like stripes can avoid being bitten by flies.

Cows have to deal with the annoying pesky flies. Farmers can now protect their animals by painting them with zebra-like stripes.

A study of PLOS One published in 2019 states that "the numbers of biting flies on Japanese Black cows painted with black-and-white stripes were significantly less than those on non-painted cows and cows painted only with black stripes." This worked because the stripes cause a sort of motion that confused them much within the way that optical illusions.

9.Capuchin monkeys wash their hands and feet in urine.

Capuchin monkeys wash their feet and hands in urine to urge comfort or sex. Many species of monkeys rinse their feet and hands in their own waste by urinating on their hands and rubbing their feet.

Primatologist Miller told NBC News. "Capuchin monkeys could be doing it because they're excited." Either way, ew!

10.Sperm whales in the Caribbean have an accent.

People from different areas around the world tend to speak with inflections, fluctuations, and patterns that are specific to their home regions. Strangely, the same can be said for whales.

Researchers of Dalhousie University in Canada and the University of St. Andrews in the UK have found evidence that whales found in the Caribbean have a different accent than whales in other oceans.

11.Cowbirds use secret passwords to teach their young.

According to Science Daily "Juvenile cowbirds readily recognize and affiliate with other cowbirds. That's because they need a secret handshake or password."

Cowbirds lay their eggs in other bird's nests, which suggests that their little ones eventually got to reconnect with their own kind when the time is true. And when that point comes, the young birds have a trick for deciding whom to succeed in bent, simply they use "a specific chatter call" to interact with one another.

12.Pigeons can do the math.

One of the studies of 2011 published in the journal Science found that birds are capable of doing math. During the study, the pigeons were asked to compare nine images, each containing a different number of objects.

The researchers found that the birds were able to rank the images in order of how many objects they contained. You might think of pigeons as not that smart but they're actually quite intelligent!

13.Frogs can freeze without dying.

According to Kenneth Storey, a professor at Carleton University "We have false springs here all the time where it gets really warm and all the snow melts and then suddenly bam the wind comes from the north and it's back down to -10 to -15 Celsius and they're fine". Frogs undergo repeated freeze-thaw cycles.

14.Reindeer eyes turn blue in the winter.

According to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, "the eyes of Arctic reindeer change color through the seasons from gold to blue, adapting to extreme changes of sunshine levels in their environment."

The change in color impacts how light is reflected through the animals' retina, and improves their vision. Reindeers have beautiful baby blues eyes but only in the winter!

15.Sloths can take up to a month to completely digest a single leaf.

Everything about life is slow for these sleepy mammals. With its slow metabolism, it's going to take the sloth a month to digest one leaf.

For comparison, it takes the typical human 12 to 48 hours to ingest, digest, and eliminate waste from food.

16.Adult cats only meow at humans.

According to the ASPCA, while “Kittens meow to let their mother know they’re cold or hungry, but once they get a bit older, cats no longer meow to other cats.

But they continue to meow at people throughout their lives.” Cats mostly do this to get human’s attention. Next time the cat wants your attention, it will make ‘miaow’ again!

17.Painted turtles survive winter by breathing through their butts.

Painted turtles need to adapt to frozen ponds, which restrict their access to the air above the water. In the winter, Painted Turtles do something called brumation, which may be a period of dormancy, almost like hibernation. During brumation, these turtles use their butts for breathing. This process is called cloacal respiration.

18.Snow leopards don't roar.

According to a study of 2010 published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, scientists researched why some cats have a higher-pitched meow than others. Through this study, they found that it's not the size that determines a kitty's call, but its habitat.

Snow leopards have less-developed vocal cords than their fellow large cats, this means that they can't roar, but make a purr-like sound called a chuff.

19.Squirrels will adopt orphans.

An evolutionary biologist Andrew McAdam said, “Social animals, including lions and chimpanzees, are often surrounded by relatives, so it isn't surprising that a female would adopt an orphaned loved one because they need already spent tons of your time together.”

According to the study of the University of Guelph, animals will take in the orphaned pups of their late family members. Turns out, squirrels have an intense motherly instinct.

20.Moths experience love at first scent.

Well, love, at first sight, is not only meant for humans but the same goes for a moth.

When a male moth catches a whiff of a female moth, he'll travel miles to find her⁠ based on her scent alone.

According to the experts at Audobon, "they don't know what the female sounds like, or even what she looks like. But when they smell her, boy, do they know it, and they use her seductive musk to track her down."

21.Ravens are masters of deception.

A 2002 study published in Animal Behaviour found that these birds have the ability to deceive each other. The entire corvid family which includes crows, ravens, and jays is exceptionally intelligent. Ravens have also been known to play pranks on one another and to tease other animals.

22.Cats recognize their own name but choose not to respond.

In a 2019 study published in Scientific Reports, researchers discovered that cats can recognize their own name but they don't necessarily feel obligated to respond.

Sorry, cat owners, your pet does know when you're calling their name, yet they're ignoring you.

23.Cows produce more milk when listening to slow music.

Researchers at the University of Leicester School of Psychology found that slow music can reduce stress in cows and increase the amount of milk they produce by 3% as opposed to more upbeat tunes.

24.Catfish have taught themselves how to kill pigeons.

In southwestern France, a group of European catfish has learned to kill pigeons, launching themselves out of the water to grab the sunbathing birds.

Researchers have no idea why they hunt the birds but guess it could be because of declining prey.

25.Dragonflies create a heart with their tails while mating

Dragonflies even create a combined heart-shaped with their tails when mating. Dragonflies symbolize change, transformation, adaptability, mark a sign of spiritual growth, and emotional maturity seeing one of these flutterings around has a special meaning. Not only this, but they also embody love in many ways.

26.Penguins propose to each other with pebbles

Just like humans propose to each other by exchanging a ring, penguins also use the same method but with a pebble. When penguins choose a mate, they give a small stone over to them, which represents their lifelong commitment to each other. This one really pulls on your heartstrings!

27.Ghost crabs growl using teeth in their stomachs.

Ghost crabs can growl at their enemies sort of a dog. crabs make fearsome noises using their teeth located within the stomachs. Ghost crabs utilize a special animal acoustic communication system.

They can make different sounds by striking the ground with their claws, rubbing their claws together to make a rasping sound, rubbing their legs to make a bubbly noise, and rubbing the teeth inside their stomachs to make a growling sound.

28.Female lions do 90 percent of the hunting.

According to CBS News "Lionesses, not male lions, do the majority of hunting for their pride".

While male lions attract their fair share of attention thanks to their impressive men, it's the female lions who do the bulk of the work when it comes to feeding their families. 29. Some sharks glow in the dark.

29. Sharks glow in the dark

The researchers, from Belgium and New Zealand, found that some shark species produce a glow that only other sharks can see.

According to CNN this glow "helps sharks identify each other and even fight against infection on a microbial level."

30.Baby Tasmanian devils make life-long friendships.

If you have best friends who have been around since you were a child, then you have something in common with Baby Tasmanian devils.

Research has shown that Tasmanian devils form bonds when they're young, engage in friendly sleep-overs, that last for the rest of their lives.

So these are the 30 amazing fun facts about animals that will shock you. Impress your friends and family with these mind-blowing fun facts about Dolphins, Koalas, Bats, and many more. Their cute or lovely look, their natural innocence, or their emotional reactions.

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