Bats in the US eat so many insects (as much as their own body weight every day) that they save farmers an estimated $22.9 billion every year on pesticides. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/opinion/05tue3.html
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 – Priapium fish
The male priapium fish (Phallostethus cuulong), which is named after the ancient Greek fertility deity Priapus, has its genitals right under its chin. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22023-zoologger-the-fish-with-its-genitals-on-its-head/
WTF Fun Fact – Fox’s Rangefinder
Foxes use the Earth’s magnetic field to estimate distances. It works as a kind of ‘rangefinder’, to estimate the distance to its prey and help them make a more accurate pounce. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Cat’s Eye Watch
Ninja’s could tell time time by how dilated a cat’s pupils were as they dilate in a regular pattern throughout the day, regardless of ambient light. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Fatherless Ants
Male ants have no fathers because unfertilized ant eggs always produce male ants and only fertilized eggs produce female ants. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant#Development_and_reproduction
WTF Fun Fact – Full Moon And Animals
A recent study found dogs and cats are ~25% more likely to get injured on the days surrounding a full moon, but no conclusive evidence as to why that is. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.livescience.com/1696-full-moon-sends-dogs-cats-emergency-room.html
WTF Fun Fact – High Australian Wallabies
In 2009, Australian wallabies were getting into the medicinal opium fields and eating the poppies. They then hopped around while high resulting in crop circles. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8118257.stm
WTF Fun Fact – Manta Rays & Mirrors
In a recent study, scientists found that manta rays, which have the largest brain of all fish, show signs of recognizing themselves in the mirror and may be self-aware.– WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Darwin Finches Failing To Evolve
Darwin’s finches, which are a classic example of evolution, are dying off due to an infectious parasite that damages their beaks. The damage causes their mating calls to have an unpleasant tune, hindering their ability to reproduce. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – World’s Smallest Chameleon
The Brookesia micra chameleon is believed to be the world’s smallest at just over an inch long. It is found only on the small island of Nosy Hara, which is also home to the world’s smallest lemur, giant lemurs, and the world’s largest chameleons. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Selfless Parrots
African grey parrots are highly social and recent research demonstrated they have evolved the ability to act selflessly. This is the first time non-mammals have been observed helping each other in this way. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: nytimes.com/2020/01/09/science/parrots-selflessness-help.html
WTF Fun Fact – North Island Brown Kiwi
The North Island brown kiwi is a flightless, nocturnal bird that lays a single egg which averages 15% of its body size (about 1 lb). It is the only bird known to consistently have both a left and right ovary as most birds have only a single ovary. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/north-island-brown-kiwi
WTF Fun Fact – Zoo Matchmaking Site
The American Zoo Association has a “matchmaking site” known as the Population Management Center. It was started in June 2000 to help conserve species by facilitating matchmaking between zoos. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/07/13/match-com-for-animals/
WTF Fun Fact – Odd Rat Names
Baby rats are called kittens or pups. A group of rats is called a mischief. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Asthmatic Otter
An asthmatic otter named Mishka has learned how to use an AeroKat inhaler to help deal with asthma attacks. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.livescience.com/52288-mishka-otter-asthma.html
WTF Fun Fact – Squirrels Fake It
When squirrels have spare nuts they bury them, digging a separate hole for each. However, researchers found that up to 20% of the time they are elaborately faking burying nuts to trick would-be thieves. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19726395-400-squirrels-fake-it-to-fool-would-be-thieves/
WTF Fun Fact – Where’s A Cockroach’s Brain?
Cockroaches can live for several weeks without their heads because their brains are located inside their body. However, they would eventually die from being unable to eat. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/can-a-cockroach-really-live-without-its-head/
WTF Fun Fact – Silverfish Don’t Drink
There are silverfish in the desert that don’t need to drink as they can absorb moisture from the air through their anus. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://australianmuseum.net.au/blog/amri-news/dna-barcoding-sheds-light-on-cryptic-silverfish-species/