Most of us love some kind of animal, but how many people really know about the animal kingdom?
Crows can recognize each person even when they are in disguise and after many years of not seeing them.
All the deep-sea anglerfish you often see with glowing hooks hanging from their heads are female. Males of this species are very small and are born with extremely weak jaws, as well as a hungry stomach. When they see a female, they are torn between hunger and mating. And finally, they choose to rush in and bite the “fishing rod”. The female simply swallows the male fish. However, its body then releases an enzyme, slowly absorbing the opponent into its body and leaving only… their testicles. So that she can then immediately fertilize her eggs when she wants. Some females have rows of testicles on their bodies, evidence that they have absorbed many males.
Sloths are literally lazy, even when it comes to finding mates. Therefore, female sloths will often sit in trees and scream until the male hears and decides to crawl over to mate with her.
Female dragonflies will pretend to be dead to prevent unwanted “advances” of males. But in some other animal species, pretending to be dead or actually dying does not stop the male’s progress. For example, ducks.
Tarantulas live in symbiosis with frogs. The frogs will eat bugs and parasites that can damage the spider’s eggs, and the spider will in turn protect the frog. Even after the eggs hatch, they continue to protect the frogs.
The chemical compound used to create the banana-like flavor in confectionery is similar to the pheromones that honeybees use as alarm signals. So, never eat banana candy near a beehive, and if you suddenly smell bananas near a beehive, run away!
When caterpillars enter the pupal stage, they don’t simply grow wings. Instead, their entire bodies first turn into a liquid, soupy consistency, and then they turn into butterflies.
Roosters temporarily deafen themselves every time they crow, so as not to damage their hearing.
In Africa, some tribes can communicate directly with birds called Honeyguides to hunt for honey together. The birds will lead people to beehives hidden in trees. The tribesmen would open the hive and collect the honey, leaving the bee larvae and wax for the birds. This is the only known example of targeted two-way signaling between humans and a free-living species.
A woodpecker’s tongue can wrap around the back of its brain. This helps protect the brain while it pecks at the tree trunk at high speed.
The sperm whale’s cry is so loud that the sound waves from it can kill a person if they swim too close. Some divers also say they can feel the water heating up from the energy of the sound.
All flounder living in California (USA) are male until they reach a length of 45 inches (1.14 meters). Then they all became children.
The chickens will say goodbye to each other when one is about to die. They will cry softly and then leave and the chicken will often die alone. Some chickens will also kill another chicken if they sense there is something wrong with that chicken, such as a disease.
Snakes do not have eyelids. If you see a snake winking, it’s a legless lizard.
Vultures urinate on their own legs and feet to cool off on hot days, a process scientifically known as urohydrosis. Their urine also helps kill bacteria or parasites, which they step on when walking over carcasses or landing on dead animals.
Every once in a while, an emperor penguin will do something very strange. Every once in a while, a penguin will turn its back on its flock and begin to head deep into the Antarctic continent. Away from food, water, and safety. It alone heads towards its predetermined death. In the past, scientists have tried to stop them by reintroducing them to the herd. But it will begin its journey again, in the same direction, toward the same endpoint. Some will even become violent if stopped. Speculations are that this penguin is depressed and is committing suicide in a very austere way. Birds as a species can suffer from depression or anxiety, but they tend to react to this in very immediate ways, such as excessive preening, screaming or being unusually quiet, loss of appetite… But no one knows why the penguins chose to do such a negative thing.
Most Greenland sharks are blind due to infection with a special parasite. They will eat the fish’s eye and replace it. But it’s thought that this actually helps, because the fish’s eyesight is poor anyway, and the parasites glow like bait, and the sharks are quite slow, and this is clearly a good way to hunt.
A beaver smells like ice cream. Castoreum, a product of the anal glands of beavers was once used as a flavor substitute for vanilla. Now it is used only in perfume production.
A kangaroo will mate again one to three days after birth. The newborn will hold the teat in its pouch and as long as it thrives, the mother kangaroo can put her newly fertilized embryo into hibernation and get everything ready for a spare baby. If the cub develops and then leaves the pouch or dies, the kangaroo’s hormones will send a signal to initiate the development of the new cub. Thus, a mother can have a juvenile, a suckling pup, and a developing pup at the same time.
Many birds will eat the feces of their young, to keep the nest clean. So think twice before wishing you were a certain kind of bird.
