Time for a confession: my brain works a lot like an episode of Pop Up Video. People talk to me and my brain just throws out random (and predominantly useless) factoids that are kind of related to whatever they just said.
I have no idea why it works that way, it just does. I know I'm not alone, though - otherwise Pop Up Video wouldn't ever have existed. Memes wouldn't be a thing either, now that I think about it.
Thing is, I have no idea where these factoids came from. I don't remember ever purposefully researching the mating habits of the common garden snail; but there's the knowledge of snail penis-jousting just sitting right there and there's no way I can shake it!
And yeah, turns out I'm not the only one who can't shake stuff once it's in there.
reddit user XxEggWarriorxX asked:
What's a random fact that has been burned into your brain?
So here's Reddit's ode to you, fellow factoid-knowers! Let's talk about animals, mitochondria, Vanilla Ice and that plastic thingie on the end of your shoelace!
The Amazing Octopus
GiphyAn Octopus can fit through any hole that's larger than its beak.
This makes me incredibly uncomfortable. Just the fact that they can survive on land as well.
You know they had some in an aquarium, and some of the other fish kept going missing. Eventually they shut the octopus tank properly - blocked the exit by putting like a brick on the lid or something - and the fish stopped vanishing. Turned out the octopus was getting out, going on a walk, and eating some of the other fish.
Terrifying.
- Klop422
Phineas And Ferb Taught Us
The plastic bit on the end of a shoelace is the aglet
I also remember that episode of Phineas and Ferb.
A-G-L-E-T! AGLET! Don't forget it!
Drowning Danger
GiphyDrowning doesn't look like you think it does. Drowning is silent and they'll be barely above the water line, not waving their arms around calling for help.
Chickens Are Terrifying
Chickens are natural cannibals, and WILL eat each other given the chance.
I remember reading something online about someone who had chickens and on of them got a sore on it's back in a spot it could reach with it's beak, so like any animal with the ability to do so it picked at it and ended up making it worse and then it started to literally eat at the wound, the chicken was literally eating itself and the person had to knit something to prevent the chicken from getting at the sore until it fully healed just to stop the chicken from self cannibalizing.
Yup, witnesses this first hand. Had 5 chickens, a week later we were down to one. We decided to name him Hannibal... till he drowned himself three days later. :/
I was out collecting our hen's eggs and accidentally dropped one. All of the chickens attacked the broken egg and ate it within seconds.
They were like monsters, devouring their unborn.
Will eat each other if they see blood. Doesn't even have to be chicken blood. If you prick your finger and wipe it in a chicken, the whole coop will murder each other.
Cuddle Hormone
Oxytocin is sometimes known as the cuddling hormone because it is released in large amounts when cuddling with a significant other.
Also released in breast milk...babies being milk drunk is kinda real.
It's also referred to as the love hormone as well. And also that explains why babies are hungry all the time, they are high on happiness.
Betty White
GiphyBetty White was born before the invention of sliced bread, so sliced bread is the best thing since Betty White.
Banana Plague
There was a banana plague and the species banana flavored candy was based off was killed in it, explaining why banana flavored items don't taste like bananas.
- izzy_e3
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit