Every fall, Alaska’s Katmai National Park hosts “Fat Bear Week” and crowns the park’s fattest brown bear. Their online community votes based on photos of bears in the spring to photos of the same bears at the end of summer. – WTF Fun Facts
Animals
Our random animal facts are a both fun and a little bit weird but they will keep you entertained for days!
WTF Fun Fact – Banana Derby
At some of the state fairs and festivals in the US, you can find “banana derbies”, where monkeys ride dogs like jockeys in a race around a track. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: BANANA DERBY – Home
WTF Fun Fact – Ship Bees
Growing almonds in California takes more than half of the commercial honeybee population in the US. Bee hives have to be shipped in by flatbed truck from other states in order to pollinate the almond blossoms. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Growing California almonds takes more than half of US honeybees – ABC News (go.com)
WTF Fun Fact – Flamingo Tongue
The tongue of the flamingo was considered a delicacy in Ancient Roman times. The birds themselves were considered a representation of the wealth of the owner and sacrificing a bird in the name of gods was a very fancy gesture too. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://owlcation.com/humanities/10-Weird-and-Fascinating-Ancient-Roman-Foods
WTF Fun Fact – How A Baby Owl Sleeps
Baby owls sleep on their stomachs because their heads are too heavy. They do so until they are large enough to sleep upright. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – A Crash Of Rhinos
A group of rhinos is called a ‘crash’. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/rhinos
WTF Fun Fact – World’s Smallest Teddy Bear
The world’s smallest commercially available stitched teddy bear measures 0.35 inches tall. It was created by South African artist Cheryl Moss, who is known for her minuscule works known as ‘microbears’. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Smallest commercially available stitched teddy bear | Guinness World Records
WTF Fun Fact – Giant Gippsland Earthworm
Australia is home to the giant Gippsland earthworm. These giant earthworms average over 3 ft. in length and almost an inch in diameter. They can reach up to 10 ft. in length; however, their body is able to contract and expand making them appear even larger. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Sea Dogs
Up until the 16th century, mariners and others referred to sharks as ‘sea dogs’. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Sharks Were Once Called Sea Dogs, And Other Little-Known Facts | Science | Smithsonian Magazine
WTF Fun Fact – Honeybee Venom Kills Cancer Cells
A 2020 lab study found honeybee venom, which contains the compound melittin, destroyed 2 types of hard to treat breast cancer cells. Melittin, which can be produced synthetically, also reduced cancer cell growth. One venom concentration even killed cancer cells within an hour. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Honeybee venom ‘kills some breast cancer cells’ – BBC News
WTF Fun Fact – A “Heart” In Each Horse Hoof
Horses have a “pumping mechanism” in each hoof which helps return blood to the heart. The mechanism is necessary due to the position of the hoof in relation to the heart and a lack of muscle in the lower leg and hoof itself. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Blood Pumping Mechanism of the Hoof – Horses (extension.org)
WTF Fun Fact – Diego Saves His Species
Diego is a Hood Island giant tortoise whose high libido helped save his species. He fathered >900 offspring who were released in the Galápagos, helping increase the wild population from 15 to >2,000. After 80 years in captivity, Diego is now retired in the Galápagos. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Tortoise whose storied sex drive helped save his species is finally retiring | Articles | omaha.com
WTF Fun Fact – Harrods Pet Kingdom
Until 2014, Harrods luxury department store in Knightsbridge was the home of the legendary Pet Kingdom, which historically sold all sorts of exotic animals such as lions, alligators, leopards, elephants, and more. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/extraordinary-history-harrods-pet-store-19948359
WTF Fun Fact – Paint Cows Like Zebras
In a recent study, researchers found that painting a cow to look similar to a zebra reduced fly bites by 50%. This finding could help reduce the economic impact of biting flies on the US cattle production, which has been estimated at $2.2 billion per year. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: If the shoo fits: cows painted with zebra stripes keep flies in line | Animals | The Guardian
WTF Fun Fact – South Korean Cloned Drug Sniffing Dogs
In 2007, South Korea began employing cloned Labrador retrievers to sniff out drugs for the customs service. Training and using cloned dogs was more cost effective since only 30% of naturally born dogs they trained ever qualified for service. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: South Korea deploys cloned drug-sniffing dogs – ABC News (go.com)
WTF Fun Fact – The Aquarium Barter System
Aquariums aren’t allowed to pay to acquire animals from other aquariums as it encourages poaching. Instead, there is a barter system in place where they swap animals and each has their own fish or similar “base currency” they prefer to trade in. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Hummingbirds That Double Their Size
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are able to fly across the Gulf of Mexico, ~500 miles, in one 20-hour non-stop flight. This flight requires more calories than the bird’s weight of ~3g, so they prepare by doubling their fat mass. They then expend their entire caloric reserve during the migration. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Lady Wonder
Born in 1924, Lady Wonder was a horse many believed was psychic. She made predictions and answered questions for over 30 years and more than 150,000 people. She is credited with helping solve several crimes. – WTF Fun Facts