16 curious and little known facts about some animals

Because of our urban lifestyle and because there is less and less contact with nature, most people have only a superficial knowledge about animals and their physical and behavioral characteristics. For example, did you know that the Jaguar has a bite strong enough to crack a turtle’s shell and that pigeons can remember the faces of people who have treated them badly? Curious and little known facts about some animals are the subject of this post.

We, from awesome.club, we love discovering new facts about the animal kingdom and, therefore, we prepared this post filled with little-known facts about some animals. Follow!

Crows and pigeons can recognize people and remember their faces. It has also been observed in some studies that these birds can harbor resentment and anger towards people who have shown themselves to be aggressive towards them.

Cows kill more people than sharks annually. According to data from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2001 to 2013, cows were responsible for the deaths of 60 people, while sharks took the lives of, on average, one person per year. Better be careful with them, agree?

Among mammals, the jaguar occupies the third place in the ranking of the strongest bites (second only to the lion and the tiger). Its fangs are so long and its bite so strong, that it is even capable of biting and breaking the shell of a tortoise or the skull of a cow.

The Axolotl is a species of salamander that stands out for being able to regenerate virtually any part of its body — paws, legs, tail, and even parts of its heart and brain. But the curiosities about this amphibian are not limited only to its ability to regenerate.

All organs, including the eyes, can be transplanted from one individual to another without any negative reaction from the immune system of the recipient Axolotl. In 1968, scientists proved that it is possible to transplant the head from one individual to another without any complications, with the body functioning perfectly after the procedure.

Some beetles typical of some regions of Africa use the Milky Way to orient themselves when they are moving. Sometimes these insects travel kilometers from the holes where they live, but still manage to orient themselves and return home. Interestingly, when in a closed environment, these beetles move chaotically, even walking in circles.

Elephants can recognize their reflection in a mirror. This fact indicates that the animal is aware of itself, which has also been observed in some monkeys and dolphins.

The jaw muscles of a North American alligator are so strong that they can close it with a force comparable to that of a moving truck. But despite this incredible compression force, the muscles responsible for opening the mouth cavity are quite weak in these reptiles, and it is possible to keep their mouths closed just using their hands, an adhesive tape or an elastic garter.

Cows can establish friendships with other individuals in the herd. It has been observed that they are much less stressed when they spend time around their friends. However, in the opposite case, if they are separated and placed in different herds, they can start to suffer from severe stress. And, interestingly, if a long time passes, they end up “losing” their friendship with each other, not restoring it even when reunited.

By winking, you are showing the cat that you are not a danger to him, and that he can trust you. Even better is blinking slowly, this could even be indicative of your love for the cat. All this because, in the world of cats, closed eyes in the presence of another individual is one of the greatest signs of trust.

Web trap made symmetrically by a female of the genus seothyra at the entrance to your burrow

In the Namib desert, and in some regions of South Africa, it is possible to find spiders of the genus seothyra belonging to the family Eresidae🇧🇷 They usually hunt ants. To do this, the spider is hidden in the sand until it feels the vibrations of the insects’ movement across the surface, then, when prey approaches, it traps them with its paw, pressing them against the scorching sand. The arachnid then waits until the victim is “cooked” alive before it can eat it.

Did you know that giraffes can meow, whine, roar, cough, hiss, grunt and neigh? Other than that, the most interesting thing is that they are very sociable animals. Communication between them takes place through infrasound, which are sound frequencies, unfortunately, inaudible to humans.

By the way, experts managed to decipher the meaning of some of the sounds made by giraffes. For example, when male individuals cough, they are showing sympathy to a female. And when they whine, they express denial or opposition to other males. If a female hisses, then she is irritated or “complaining” to some younger giraffe.

Birds lack the sphincter muscle. To be more precise, birds have some muscles around their cloaca, but they don’t develop and are therefore not very active. Thus, the birds cannot control the evacuation process; their excrement is simply expelled as it accumulates in the intestine.

The Okapi, who appear to be a cross between a zebra and a giraffe, generally lead a reclusive life in the wild. And it is because of this that this animal remained unknown to science until the beginning of the 20th century. Until then, he was considered a mythical creature, just like a unicorn or a dragon.

Goldfish are often kept in small aquariums with a volume of less than 4 L. And even though these animals are quite hardy and can withstand temporary living in such environments, in order for them to have a really comfortable life, they need to live in an environment with a capacity of at least 20 L of water. The main problem with small aquariums is that these little fish produce a huge amount of droppings and waste, which requires a powerful water filtration system. But, the most important information is that the goldfish can grow up to 25 cm and live for more than 20 years. Few know this, as these animals are usually kept in small aquariums and, therefore, have their lifespan severely reduced, often dying without even having completely developed and reached adulthood. And all this is due only to the inadequate size of the aquarium.

It may seem surprising, but bears are actually able to outrun horses in a race. However, only over short distances, as bears are not as hardy as horses.

When they sleep floating in the water, otters hold each other’s paws so that they don’t float away in different directions during sleep. An extremely cute scene, don’t you think?

What other unusual and little-known facts about animals do you know? Tell us in the comments section.