Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Most Obscure Animal Facts They Know

Who doesn't love animals?

Be they cute and cuddly, or ferocious and dangerous, it's hard to imagine anyone who isn't fascinated by at least one animal on this planet.

Particularly as there's almost always something surprising and unusual to learn about animals, no matter the species.

Redditor colonoscopescount was curious to learn unusual, largely unknown facts about animals discovered by other members of the Reddit community, leading them to ask:

"What is your number one obscure animal fact?"


"The Ants go rolling in a ball, hurrah, hurrah..."

"Army Ants will create 'balls' during high water floods."

"The ball will roll allowing every ant to get a breath."- H010CR0N

Be weary of fake bananas.

"The chemical compound which is used to make fake banana flavor is the same compound honey bees use as an alarm pheromone."

"So never eat banana sweets near a beehive, and if you suddenly smell banana near a beehive, run!"- generic-volume

Unconventional nursing.

"The duck billed platypus has no nipples to feed their offspring."

"Instead, milk oozes from the skin."- ChimpyChompies

platypus GIFGiphy

Every inch is soft and cuddly.

"Rabbits don't have pads on their paws."

"Only fur."

"So if you see a cartoon rabbit with pads on it's paw, completely wrong."- FOTBWN

Providing all kinds of relief.

"Vultures urinate on their legs and feet to cool off on hot days, a process called urohydrosis."

"Their urine also helps kill any bacteria or parasites they’ve picked up from walking through carcasses or perching on dead animals."- Iron_Chic

Small but mighty.

"There is a genus of frog called 'Mini'."

"There are only three frogs in the genus, and their scientific names are all puns: Mini mum, Mini ature and Mini scule."- SwimmingOnMars

Pbs Nature Frog GIF by Nature on PBSGiphy

A built in Brita!

"Penguins have a gland above their eye that converts saltwater into freshwater."- Yeeteth_thy_baby

Blind but terrifying

"The vast majority of Greenland sharks are blind thanks to a special parasite that eats their eyes and replaces them."

"It is thought that this might actually be helpful because their eyesight was sh*t anyway, the parasites wave like lures and may have an anglerfish-like effect, and the sharks are super slow so that might be one of the few ways for them to catch live prey."

"Imagine something eating your eyeballs and it being an upgrade."- Fabled_Webs

Don't be fooled by their Beauty

"Butterflies will drink blood given the option."- Semicolon7645

A jumping baby factory.

"A kangaroo will mate again one to three days after giving birth."

"The newborn will latch onto a teat in the pouch and as long as it thrives, the kangaroo can put its newly fertilized embryo in a state of dormancy and have a back up baby ready to go."

"If the newborn grows out of the pouch or dies, the kangaroos hormones will send signals to start the development of the egg."

"So they can have an adolescent Joey, a nursing one, and one in stasis all at the same time."

Yo Mama Australia GIF by Nat Geo WildGiphy

So many animals on this planet.

So much to learn every day.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.


More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Francois Arnaud; Miley Cyrus
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

'Heated Rivalry' Star Has Cheeky Reaction After Miley Cyrus Says She Wants To Do Music For Season 2

The HBO Max series Heated Rivalry is pretty much THE break-out TV hit of the past several months, so no wonder singer Miley Cyrus says she's "so in" on collaborating on season two.

But one of the stars of the show, François Arnaud, doesn't seem so sure it's quite the right fit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mark Kelly; Pete Hegseth
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Mark Kelly Rips Pete Hegseth After Pentagon Moves To Cut His Pension And Demote Him Over Video About Illegal Orders

Senator Mark Kelly, who flew combat missions during the Gulf War in the U.S. Navy before being selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot, blasted MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, for his part in the latest Trump administration attempt to lash out at their political rivals.

Hegseth previously demanded the Navy provide punishment recommendations to the Pentagon's Office of General Counsel for the retired Captain, who flew 39 combat missions during the Gulf War before going to space four times for NASA.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tucker Carlson Dragged After Offering Truly Bonkers Theory For Why Trump Captured Nicolás Maduro

Tucker Carlson Dragged After Offering Truly Bonkers Theory For Why Trump Captured Nicolás Maduro

Former Fox News host turned far-right podcaster Tucker Carlson raised eyebrows after he claimed that President Donald Trump captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in order to bring same-sex marriage to the people of a country now in a dangerous state of flux after the U.S. invaded.

Weirdly, he claimed “pro-gay forces” were secretly driving regime change, pointing to Nobel Peace Prize recipient and opposition leader María Corina Machado's support for same-sex marriage. He suggested this is proof that "globo homo," his term for progressive liberal elites, are hard at work.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jimmy Kimmel; Donald Trump
Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Jimmy Kimmel Thanks Trump After Winning Critics Choice Award In A Roast For The Ages

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mockingly thanked President Donald Trump when he took home the Critics Choice Award on Sunday for Best Talk Show, suggesting Trump helped him win the honor in part because of 'all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day."

Kimmel's remarks were considerably pointed considering the role Trump played in pulling Kimmel off the air this past autumn.

Keep ReadingShow less
Groom placing wedding ring on bride's finger
Photo by Jeongim Kwon on Unsplash

Married People Explain How Often They Take Their Wedding Ring Off

When two people get married, there's an assumption that others tend to make: that the couple will wear their wedding rings no matter what, and if they don't, it's a sign of a troubled marriage and a lack of commitment.

But there are lots of reasons not to wear wedding rings full-time, from cleanliness to safety to health concerns.

Keep ReadingShow less