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I think that a previous life I might’ve been a zookeeper. Or a veterinarian. Or maybe a lion tamer.
My point is that I love animals!
But I also have to say that I don’t know that much about them, to be honest with you.
That’s why these responses are really great!
Let’s dive into these animal facts that AskReddit users offered up.
1. Wacky fish.
“In clownfish, each ‘school'( tribe whatever) has one female, and a head male and the others ( all males) , if the female dies, the head male turns into a female.
And the next in line to the ( leadership throne?) would be the male leader and bang the former male leader.
Yeah clownfish are Wacky.”
2. Sly like a fox.
“Foxes use the earth’s magnetic fields.
Like a guided missile, the fox harnesses the earth’s magnetic field to hunt. Other animals, like birds, sharks, and turtles, have this “magnetic sense,” but the fox is the first one we’ve discovered that uses it to catch prey.
According to New Scientist, the fox can see the earth’s magnetic field as a “ring of shadow” on its eyes that darkens as it heads towards magnetic north. When the shadow and the sound the prey is making line up, it’s time to pounce. “
3. Dolphin suicide?
“Unlike humans, dolphins must actively decide when to breathe.
Captive dolphins have been known to hold their breath until they die of suffocation, which some have suggested amounts to dolphin suicide.”
4. That’s crazy.
“When a specific species of carpenter ant realizes it’s going to lose the fight it’s having with another insect, it latches onto them and then blows itself up.
Membranes along the ant’s body can be activated that’ll lead to combustion. Special enlarged glands in its head mean the explosion sends a glue-like substance shooting out that will very likely entrap the previously presumptive brawl victor.”
5. They sure are mean.
“Hippos are some of the most aggressive animals on the planet- if a crocodile is a wise hunter that chooses its battles wisely, a hippo is that one dude that’s always looking for a fight because he spends way too much time at the gym and hasn’t found a reasonable use for all his muscles.
They’re territorial as all hell, capable of charging you at almost 40 kilometers per hour on land, and frequently pick fights with whole boats. They have mouths built to kill, too- those giant teeth are only for combat, and can grow up to half a meter long. That’s right, hippo teeth can get as big as the average human forearm.
With teeth that big, you might be asking yourself “wait, just how big are hippos?” which is a question you should never have asked, because the answer is “bigger than you were comfortable knowing.”
Hippos are more than 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder, meaning if you wanted to stare down a hippo it would look you dead in the eye before opening its mouth more than a meter and biting you in half- a feat made even more terrifying when you learn that hippos are primarily herbivorous and kill just for the hell of it.
They can weigh more than 4,500 kilograms and grow to more than five meters long. They kill more than 500 people a year in Africa, and in 2014 one attacked a boat filled with Nigerian schoolchildren, killing 14 and biting the boat in half.”
6. Scandalous penguins.
“Penguins:
1910-1913 Scott Antarctic Expedition,on sexual life of Penguins was deemed too shocking for the public. During that time, he witnessed males having sex with other males and also with dead females, including several that had died the previous year.
He also saw them sexually coerce females and chicks and occasionally kill them.”
7. That’s why they do it.
“Owls bob their heads up and down to help improve their depth of perception.
You can try it out yourself. Focus on an object and bob your head. It doesn’t work for us, but you do look like an idiot.”
8. Whoa!
“Caterpillars have over 200 muscles in just their head.”
9. Keep that away from me.
“There’s an intelligent species of jumping spider called as the “Portia Spider”. These little munchkins are specialized spider hunters, with different tactics for a particular problem.
Their favorite food is the common weaving spiders. Their tactics ranges from imitating a fallen debris on the prey’s web to directly attacking the prey.
Their venoms are potent against spiders as it will only take seconds to paralyze the prey.”
10. Fox behaviors.
“In a fox couple, if the vixen dies, the male fox will become single for the rest of his life.
Now if the male fox dies, the vixen goes off to find another partner.”
11. If it ain’t broke…
“The nautilus has remained essentially unchanged for 400 million years. They just evolved to their current form and stayed that way. The first dinosaurs didn’t even appear until 230 million years ago.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
12. My little pet
“Various species of tarantulas around the world will keep frogs as pets.
The tarantula protects the frog larger predators while the frog protects the spider from smaller pests such as ants.”
13. Just like Gene Simmons.
“Woodpecker’s tongues are super long, and wrap around their skull inside their head, to provide cushioning for their brain when they peck.”
14. Unique animal sounds.
“Bald eagles don’t sound like they do on TV. They dub over the call of a redtail hawk. Actual bald eagle calls sound more like a seagull.
Similarly, lion roars on tv are usually dubbed over with tiger roars, because an actual lion roar is usually too deep to record well so it sounds weak, but apparently is terrifying IRL.”
Those were great! Hats off to the AskReddit users who offered up answers to that question.
Now we want to hear from YOU.
If you know an amazing animal fact, please share it with us in the comments!
