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36 Animal Facts That Prove Animals Are Incredibly Weird

Look at your dog right now. Look how weird it is!

36 Animal Facts That Prove Animals Are Incredibly Weird

November 16, 2023

Animals are everywhere, and often, adorable as hell. That sometimes makes us forget how weird they are. Take the Slow Loris — cute name, huge eyes, poisonous armpits. And what's cuter than a koala? We’ll tell you what: a baby koala. Well, if it’s true that you are what you eat, then joeys are poop. Don’t even get us started on cute insects like ladybugs (cannibals!) and butterflies (freakin' vampires!).

All that and more below!

36

THE SLOW LORIS CAN KILL YOU WITH ITS POISON. The only known venomous primate releases toxins from its inner arm. Some researchers believe it has evolved to mimic cobras. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

35

Margays

MARGAYS MIMIC THE CRIES OF INFANTS TO LURE ITS PREY. These large cats have been observed imitating the vocalizations of its prey species in order to attract its attention. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

34

Birds

PETTING A BIRD AROUSES THEM. A bird's sexual hormones are stimulated when it gets pet on its back. Some vets advise you to only pet the head and feet of a bird in order to not sexually frustrate it. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

33

MURDER IS COMMON AMONG CHIMPANZEES. Aside from planned murders of adult males, mother chimpanzees may have to hide while giving birth in order to prevent the alpha male from eating the newborn. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

32

CLOWNFISH WILL EAT THE EGGS OF ANY DEFORMED OFFSPRING. A truthful Finding Nemo would be extremely dark. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

31

RABBITS EAT THEIR OWN POOP Rabbits need to digest their food a second time in order to absorb the nutrients they need for CRACKED.COM survival. — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

30

BABY KOALAS EAT THEIR MOM'S POOP Joeys initially breastfeed, but for several weeks it will peek its head out of its mom's poach to feast from its mom's butt. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

29

LADYBUGS ARE CANNIBALS 2-spot larvae will eat their siblings in order to develop faster and create less competition for survival. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

28

OTTERS ARE KNOWN TO KILL BABY SEALS THROUGH INTERCOURSE In addition, they have been reported to have violent, forced sex with dogs. Males have also been seen having sex with dead otter bodies. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

27

Penguins walk better than us. While their short legs make for inefficient walking, their waddle holds the key because it conserves way more energy than our walking habits. Scientists say that waddling makes for smoother energy exchange, almost like a pendulum, and can help pregnant women and people with disabilities or neurological problems use their energies better. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

26

Hens can eject sperm. That's right, chickens are better at natural birth control than us. Hens will eject the sperm of a male if he is deemed less desirable or if mating was forced. Given that both sexes are quite promiscuous, this happens a lot. GRACKED COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

25

Sharks can replace a lost or broken tooth in a matter of days. Thanks to stem cells in their jaws, sharks' teeth are constantly being grown. When they lose a tooth, the jaw works like a conveyor belt and pushes the new tooth out. They go through around 20,000 teeth in a lifetime. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

24

ARMADILLOS CAN SPREAD LEPROSY. They're the only other animal known to get the disease. 95% of people are immune to leprosy so it's not too worrisome. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

23

INSTEAD OF VOMITTING, FROGS TURN THEIR STOMACHS INSIDE OUT. They eject their stomachs from their mouths and flip it inside out like a pocket. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

22

SEAGULLS EAT THE EYES OF NEWBORN SEALS. Kelp gulls will wait for the blinded seal to die and then come back for its remains. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

21

MALE DOLPHINS WILL MURDER BABY DOLPHINS IN ORDER TO MATE WITH THE MOTHER. A new mother is unavailable for mating for years while she cares for her young. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

20

CAPUCHIN MONKEYS WASH THEIR BODIES WITH THEIR URINE. This process attracts mates. Marcel on Friends was grosser than you thought. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

19

BUTTERFLIES WILL EAT BLOOD, SWEAT, TEARS, URINE, POOP, AND ROTTING FLESH. These not-picky-eaters will also consume mud. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

18

Bees do not suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect. A (challenging) study was done to determine whether bees would take the risk and perform a task they knew would be difficult to do. The bees opted out of the choice and performed better in the task overall, suggesting that they do not overestimate their abilities. Scientists aren't sure whether it's a true cognitive reflection, but this awareness definitely helps bees survive. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

17

Reindeer can change the color of their eyes. Their eyes turn from golden brown to blue during the dark Arctic winter months to help them catch more light. This happens by putting pressure on the eyeball to reduce spacing between its collagen fibers, making it reflect blue light. Such a dramatic shift has never been seen in mammals before. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

16

Pigeons

Pigeons can be better multitaskers than humans. Scientists think it's because of their brains' neuronal density. They have six times more nerve cells per cubic millimeter of brain than humans, which seems to make it easier for them to switch from one task to another. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

15

An Amazonian ant species has evolved to reproduce without sex. The females basically clone themselves to produce an all-female ant colony. It's the first time this behavior has been recorded in ants. While diversity and the longevity of the species could be an obvious problem here, it's fascinating to note that these female colonies grow a greater number of crops than other ant species. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

14

The African spiny mouse is the only known mammal that can lose up to 60% of its skin, and grow It all back. Their skins are brittle and can easily tear to help them escape their predators. While mammals will grow scar tissue when their skins are removed, spiny mice can fully regrow skin, hair follicles, sweat glands, and even cartilage. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

13

The Mimic Octopus

The mimic octopus can instantly transform itself to look like other animals. These octopuses can mimic several animals in rapid succession (most animals can only mimic one other species). They contort their bodies in different ways, and can even mirror behavior. CRACKED COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

12

HIPPOS MARK THEIR TERRITORY BY HELICOPTERING THEIR POOP. Hippos will spin their tails while pooping in order scatter it farther. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

11

RING-TAILED LEMURS HAVE STINK FIGHTS. Male lemurs have scent glands on their wrists and shoulders and use their tails to flick their scent at sexual competition. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

10

EURASIAN ROLLER CHICKS PROJECTILE VOMIT TO DEFEND AGAINST PREDATORS. The smell discourages being eaten and alerts the parents. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

9

Penguin Poop

YOU CAN SEE PENGUIN POOP FROM SPACE Researchers are using satellite photos of poop to study and track colonies. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

8

PENGUINS WILL KIDNAP OTHER PENGUINS' CHICKS. Emperor penguins whose chicks have died will kidnap other penguins' offspring. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

7

SLOTHS TAKE ONE REALLY LONG POOP ONCE A WEEK. Pooping is extremely dangerous for sloths as it requires them to take a (slow) trip to the ground where they are vulnerable to predators. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Horrific Facts About Adorable Animals

6

Alpine ibex goats are incredible rock climbers. Mothers and their young can scale near vertical slopes as they look for salt to lick off the rocks. They do this because mothers need more salt when feeding their young, and it's the best place to find some. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

5

Meerkats can naturally deflect bright light to see better. Those black circles around their eyes are basically built-in sunglasses. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

4

The Hydra jellyfish can regenerate damaged nerves and tissue, and renew its cells whenever it wants. Their incredible ability to shed their cells keeps them from aging, with some scientists suggesting that they're incapable of dying of old age. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

3

Birds seem to pay more attention to speed limits than us. A study in Europe showed how birds observe traffic speeds and then calculate how long they can hang around on the road before getting hit by a car. Times when birds do get hit by cars are believed to be the fault of the driver exceeding the speed limit. GRACKED COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

2

African buffaloes practice democracy and let the females make the decisions. The females all vote on which direction the herd needs to trek by lifting their heads, one by one, and staring into the direction they wish to go. If the vote is split, they'll divide into two groups and spend the night apart, only to reconvene in the morning and vote again. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

1

Hippos' skins can naturally produce sunscreen. Hippos secrete a red fluid that acts both as an anti-bacterial and a sunscreen against the harsh African sun. Pretty neat. GRACKED COM — Source: 15 Animals With Envy-Inducing Biology

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