Amazing Facts About Nature and Animals

Even just stepping outside your front door or looking out of your window, there are so many incredible things. Our planet has millions of different species of plants and animals, all with amazing characteristics.

Amazing Facts About Nature and Animals Part 1

1. In 2015, an incredibly tiny shark was discovered. It’s only 5.5 centimeters long and looks like a miniature sperm whale! It was only officially recognised as a new species four years later.

2. It takes an average piece of plastic 1,000 years to decompose. Even then, it only decomposes into smaller pieces of plastic.

3. Mosquito bites are caused only by females, which need protein from blood to help eggs develop in the mosquito’s abdomen.

4. There is a high demand for rhino horns in Asia. It is what fuels the poaching trade in Africa.

5. It’s strange, but back in the day carrots were actually purple, yellow and white — not orange at all.

6. If all the ice on land melted, it could raise sea levels by 70m.

7. During an earthquake, moths can’t fly.

8. You would be surprised to hear that a fetus in the womb can get hiccups.

9. Kittens sleep most of the time because the release of a growth hormone only occurs when they sleep.

10. Some tiny spiders have brains that overflow into their legs.

11. Male seahorses can produce over 2,000 babies in a season while the female stays nearby to guard them.

12. Flamingos get their pink color from shrimp and algae they consume. The tiny blue-green algae and shrimp turn pink as they are digested.

13. Are you taller in the morning or at night? The cartilage between your bones compresses during the day, so you could be up to 1 cm shorter by the time evening comes.

14. Human babies are stronger than oxen on a pound-for-pound basis.

15. Clownfish start their lives as males, but they grow up to be female.

16. Jellyfish evaporate in the sun. They are 98% water; hence, they quickly disappear when exposed to direct sunlight.

17. For the world’s most intense blue color, look no further than the berry of the Synsepalum dulcificum tree, which grows in parts of Africa.

18. Dogs can learn many words. Rico, a Border Collie, was able to learn 200 different objects by name.

19. When the moon is directly overhead, the gravitational pull on your body is slightly less than when the moon is over the horizon.

20. Tooth decay is the world’s most common disease.

21. There is no mention of cats in the Bible.

22. When babies are born, they don’t have kneecaps. It wouldn’t be until around the age of four that their kneecaps will begin developing.

23. The iris of the reindeer turns blue in winter to help it see better in the lower light of a snowy environment.

24. Owls have tubular eyes, not eyeballs

25. Sloths can hold their breath underwater for 40 minutes. They do so by slowing down their heart rate and conserving the oxygen in the blood before diving.

26. Though modern reptiles shed their skin all at once, it is believed that dinosaurs may have shed theirs in chunks.

27. A cat can recognize its own name, but they also have some sense of control over whether or not they respond to those names.

28. The ocean traps more than 90% of the world’s greenhouse gases.

29. An exotic herb from South and Central America is able to learn and remember things as well as many animals.

30. According to the article “Plants may learn faster than you think” by Liz Langley for CNN, scientists observing Mimosa Pudica discovered it can remember and recognize environmental stimuli. The plant adapts easily to changing circumstances; when it is patted, it curls up its leaves in an attempt to protect itself.

Amazing Facts About Nature and Animals Part 2

31. Bees stop buzzing during solar eclipses.

32. Birth control pills for humans work on gorillas.

33. In a study, researchers were able to teach pigeons all the letters of the alphabet.

34. Stripes are a characteristic of tiger skin.

35. The legs of a Tyrannosaurus Rex were 12 feet long; its arms, only 3 feet long.

36. Castoreum is a natural extract typically labelled as “natural flavoring” in the food industry. While it’s often associated with vanilla, castoreum actually smells like raspberry. It is harvested from the anal gland of beavers and has a host of different uses, ranging from traditional medicine to perfume.

37. Our fingers get wrinkly when left in water because the body wants us to have a better grip on wet objects.

38. Mosquitoes, for whatever reason, are twice as attracted to the color blue than any other color.

39. Giraffes have one of the highest blood pressures among all animals living today. This is because their heart is so far away from their head.

40. An octopus can change colors when it’s frightened or angry. Due to this ability, they are often mentioned in popular culture. Octopus characters appear in many of children’s books; this includes “Little Miss Octopus” (1939), “The Little Blue and the Little Yellow” (1939), “The Thankful Octopus” (1941)

41. Babies get their first teeth in the womb, around six months before they’re born. They just aren’t visible for around 6-12 months.

42. With 13g of natural sugar, apples can be an excellent alternative to coffee. They will wake you up better than coffee, with none of the caffeine jitters.

43. The 20 hottest years on record have all been in the last 22 years.

44. Some catfish can kill pigeons.

45. Recycling three feet of paper can save a tree.

46. In order to fly, butterflies need to have a body temperature of less than 82 degrees.

47. Two weeks to a month is the typical lifespan of a housefly.

48. A cow’s weight can change by almost 75 pounds in a day.

49. Scientists have made new discoveries about the colour of dogs. In 2017, a green puppy was born. Investigation revealed that in the womb, it had consumed bile pigment that gives babies temporary jaundice. The effect faded after birth, though.

50. Close to 10 horses die every week at American race tracks, and this is more than at any other country in the world.

51. Azara’s owl monkeys are extremely loyal and affectionate. Studies have shown that Azara’s owl monkeys are more monogamous than humans.

52. Octopuses have not one, but three hearts.

53. Bed bugs are one of the oldest known species, and have been around since the dinosaur era, but they managed to survive the extinction.

54. When a female horse mates with a male donkey, the offspring are mules. If, however, a male horse mates with a female donkey, the offspring are called hinnies.

55. Cats do not typically meow at other cats. They use this sound to communicate with humans.

56. A lamb can recognize its mother by the sound she makes.

57. Spiders are known to have transparent blood. The bright, colourless liquid is called hemolymph.

58. When humans reach middle age, they often have midlife crises. Old male apes also go through midlife crises.

59. You might think you know all the facts about ducks, but did you know that they can see ultraviolet light? Alternative: Bats can also see ultra-violet lights.

60. There is a type of psychoactive fungus that can make cicadas’ butts fall off when they come into contact with it.