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 GIFGiphyEvery 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 PBSGiphyA 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 WildGiphySo 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.
@RepClayHiggins/X
