ANIMALS

Creatures big, small and gloriously weird - from three-hearted octopuses to cube-pooping wombats.

53 facts

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An octopus has three hearts and blue blood.

An octopus has three hearts and blue blood.

Two hearts pump blood to the gills, one to the body - and the main one stops when they swim.

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52 facts

An octopus carries coconut shells around to use as armor.

DID YOU KNOW? An octopus carries coconut shells around to use as armor. The veined octopus piles two coconut halves under its body and tiptoes across the seafloor with them. 2 min read

Honeybees can do simple math.

DID YOU KNOW? Honeybees can do simple math. In lab tests, bees can add, subtract, and even understand the idea of zero. 2 min read

A tarantula's bite is about as bad as a bee sting.

DID YOU KNOW? A tarantula's bite is about as bad as a bee sting. The world's scariest-looking spider is almost harmless to humans - and most never bite at all. 2 min read

The Etruscan shrew is the world's smallest mammal - and its heart beats 1,500 times a minute.

DID YOU KNOW? The Etruscan shrew is the world's smallest mammal - and its heart beats 1,500 times a minute. It weighs less than a penny and has to eat constantly to stay alive. 2 min read

A cheetah can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds.

DID YOU KNOW? A cheetah can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds. That's faster than almost any sports car - and it can only do it for 30 seconds. 2 min read

The bee hummingbird is so small it gets mistaken for a bee.

DID YOU KNOW? The bee hummingbird is so small it gets mistaken for a bee. It's the smallest bird in the world and lays eggs the size of coffee beans. 2 min read

The blue whale is the biggest animal that has ever lived.

DID YOU KNOW? The blue whale is the biggest animal that has ever lived. Bigger than any dinosaur. Their tongue alone weighs as much as an elephant. 2 min read

Greenland sharks can live for over 400 years.

DID YOU KNOW? Greenland sharks can live for over 400 years. A shark swimming today might have been born before the United States existed. 2 min read

Fireflies "talk" to each other by flashing in patterns.

DID YOU KNOW? Fireflies "talk" to each other by flashing in patterns. Each species has its own light code - and some use it to trick others. 2 min read

A praying mantis can turn its head all the way around to look at you.

DID YOU KNOW? A praying mantis can turn its head all the way around to look at you. It's the only insect that can - and the only one that sees in 3D. 2 min read

A cockroach can live without its head for over a week.

DID YOU KNOW? A cockroach can live without its head for over a week. It doesn't need its head to breathe - and it eventually dies of thirst, not injury. 2 min read

Dragonflies catch their prey 95% of the time - the best on Earth.

DID YOU KNOW? Dragonflies catch their prey 95% of the time - the best on Earth. Lions only succeed about 1 in 4 hunts. Dragonflies almost never miss. 2 min read

Leafcutter ants invented farming 60 million years before humans did.

DID YOU KNOW? Leafcutter ants invented farming 60 million years before humans did. They don't actually eat the leaves - they grow a special fungus that does. 2 min read

Spiders fly through the sky using electricity.

DID YOU KNOW? Spiders fly through the sky using electricity. They send out silk strands that catch on Earth's atmospheric electric field - and zoom. 2 min read

Wood frogs survive being frozen solid for months.

DID YOU KNOW? Wood frogs survive being frozen solid for months. Their heart stops, their blood stops, they look dead - and then spring comes. 2 min read

Some tortoises live for over 180 years.

DID YOU KNOW? Some tortoises live for over 180 years. A few alive today were already adults before the first photograph was ever taken. 2 min read

Geckos walk on ceilings using a force scientists barely understand.

DID YOU KNOW? Geckos walk on ceilings using a force scientists barely understand. Their feet aren't sticky or wet - they use a strange quantum-level grip. 2 min read

Snakes "smell" with their tongues.

DID YOU KNOW? Snakes "smell" with their tongues. That flickering tongue is collecting tiny scent particles in mid-air. 2 min read

Chameleons change color to talk - not just to hide.

DID YOU KNOW? Chameleons change color to talk - not just to hide. And their eyes can look in two completely different directions at once. 2 min read

Komodo dragons have venom - and can swallow a goat whole.

DID YOU KNOW? Komodo dragons have venom - and can swallow a goat whole. They're the world's biggest lizards, and they hunt with a slow, deadly bite. 2 min read

A peregrine falcon dives at over 240 miles per hour.

DID YOU KNOW? A peregrine falcon dives at over 240 miles per hour. It's the fastest animal on Earth - by a long way. 2 min read

Male bowerbirds build artistic displays to attract mates.

DID YOU KNOW? Male bowerbirds build artistic displays to attract mates. They sort objects by color, arrange them carefully, and even use perspective tricks. 2 min read

Male penguins propose by finding the perfect pebble.

DID YOU KNOW? Male penguins propose by finding the perfect pebble. He hunts the whole beach for the smoothest stone - and gives it to her like a ring. 2 min read

Owls fly almost completely silently - and have built-in stereo sound.

DID YOU KNOW? Owls fly almost completely silently - and have built-in stereo sound. One ear is higher than the other, so they can pinpoint a mouse in total darkness. 2 min read

Crows remember individual human faces - and hold grudges for years.

DID YOU KNOW? Crows remember individual human faces - and hold grudges for years. Treat a crow badly and its whole flock will recognize you for the rest of your life. 2 min read

Coral isn't a plant or a rock - it's actually an animal.

DID YOU KNOW? Coral isn't a plant or a rock - it's actually an animal. Every reef is millions of tiny animals living together in a stone city they built themselves. 2 min read

Seahorse dads give birth - sometimes to 2,000 babies at once.

DID YOU KNOW? Seahorse dads give birth - sometimes to 2,000 babies at once. The female gives him the eggs, he carries them in a pouch, then pops them out. 2 min read

Pufferfish inflate to four times their normal size in seconds.

DID YOU KNOW? Pufferfish inflate to four times their normal size in seconds. They gulp water to puff up - and many carry a poison stronger than cyanide. 2 min read

Sharks have been swimming the oceans longer than trees have existed.

DID YOU KNOW? Sharks have been swimming the oceans longer than trees have existed. They're older than dinosaurs, older than Saturn's rings, older than trees. 2 min read

A pistol shrimp's snap creates a bubble as hot as the surface of the Sun.

DID YOU KNOW? A pistol shrimp's snap creates a bubble as hot as the surface of the Sun. Its claw closes so fast it briefly boils the water and stuns fish from a distance. 2 min read

The deep-sea anglerfish male fuses to the female and becomes part of her.

DID YOU KNOW? The deep-sea anglerfish male fuses to the female and becomes part of her. He bites on, melts in, and turns into a permanent attachment that just makes babies. 2 min read

Cuttlefish can change color in a blink - even though they're color-blind.

DID YOU KNOW? Cuttlefish can change color in a blink - even though they're color-blind. They have one of the most advanced camouflage systems on Earth, run by skin cells. 2 min read

Humpback whales sing complex songs - and the songs go viral.

DID YOU KNOW? Humpback whales sing complex songs - and the songs go viral. Every male in an ocean sings the same song, then the hit changes the next year. 2 min read

Giraffes only sleep about 30 minutes a day.

DID YOU KNOW? Giraffes only sleep about 30 minutes a day. They mostly doze standing up, in 5-minute bursts. 2 min read

Capybaras are the world's biggest rodents - and everyone's best friend.

DID YOU KNOW? Capybaras are the world's biggest rodents - and everyone's best friend. They're rabbit cousins the size of a big dog, and almost every other animal likes them. 2 min read

Pangolins are the only mammals covered in scales.

DID YOU KNOW? Pangolins are the only mammals covered in scales. When scared, they roll into a ball so tough even lions usually give up. 2 min read

Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart.

DID YOU KNOW? Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart. They also use rocks as tools - and have skin pockets to carry their favorite ones. 2 min read

Beavers have iron in their teeth - that's why they're orange.

DID YOU KNOW? Beavers have iron in their teeth - that's why they're orange. Their teeth never stop growing, and the iron makes them strong enough to chew through trees. 2 min read

Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly.

DID YOU KNOW? Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly. Their wings are basically giant webbed hands - and some "see" using sound. 2 min read

The platypus lays eggs, hunts with electricity, and is mildly venomous.

DID YOU KNOW? The platypus lays eggs, hunts with electricity, and is mildly venomous. A mammal that's basically been stitched together from spare parts - and it works. 2 min read

Naked mole rats almost never get cancer and live 30+ years.

DID YOU KNOW? Naked mole rats almost never get cancer and live 30+ years. They feel no pain from acid, survive 18 minutes without oxygen, and barely age. 2 min read

Elephants can "hear" through their feet.

DID YOU KNOW? Elephants can "hear" through their feet. They pick up deep rumbles and distant thunder as vibrations traveling through the ground. 2 min read

Honeybees talk to each other by dancing.

DID YOU KNOW? Honeybees talk to each other by dancing. A "waggle dance" tells the hive the exact direction and distance to the best flowers. 1 min read

One kind of jellyfish can basically live forever.

DID YOU KNOW? One kind of jellyfish can basically live forever. When it's hurt or starving, it can rewind to a baby stage and start its life again. 2 min read

A hummingbird's heart can beat over 1,200 times a minute.

DID YOU KNOW? A hummingbird's heart can beat over 1,200 times a minute. They're the only birds that can fly backward - and they remember every flower they visit. 1 min read

The Arctic tern flies from pole to pole every year.

DID YOU KNOW? The Arctic tern flies from pole to pole every year. Its yearly round trip is about 44,000 miles - it sees two summers and barely any winter. 2 min read

Sloths are so slow that algae grows on their fur.

DID YOU KNOW? Sloths are so slow that algae grows on their fur. They digest a single leaf for weeks and climb down to poop just once a week. 2 min read

An axolotl can regrow its legs - and parts of its brain.

DID YOU KNOW? An axolotl can regrow its legs - and parts of its brain. These smiley salamanders rebuild lost limbs, tails and even heart tissue, with no scars. 2 min read

A mantis shrimp punches as fast as a speeding bullet.

DID YOU KNOW? A mantis shrimp punches as fast as a speeding bullet. Its club accelerates like a .22 bullet and briefly boils the water around it. 2 min read

Tardigrades can survive in the vacuum of space.

DID YOU KNOW? Tardigrades can survive in the vacuum of space. These tiny "water bears" shrug off boiling, freezing, radiation and decades with no water. 2 min read

Wombats do cube-shaped poop.

DID YOU KNOW? Wombats do cube-shaped poop. Up to 100 little cubes a night - the flat sides stop them rolling away. 1 min read

Flamingos aren't born pink - and a flock is a "flamboyance."

DID YOU KNOW? Flamingos aren't born pink - and a flock is a "flamboyance." They turn pink from the food they eat, and balance on one leg to save body heat. 1 min read

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