Did you know that the blue-and-yellow macaw can live between 65 and 70 years? To put it simply: it will likely outlive a bunch of you (including me). It can also talk and bond very closely with humans. It's a pretty striking and fascinating animal. They're also pretty readily available. I ran into a woman in the park the other day who had one perched on her shoulder!
But guess what? That's just one of the multitudes of animals on this planet, and each one is cooler than the last.
That's what we were so kindly reminded about after Redditor Gustavus666 asked the online community,
"What is the most interesting animal fact you know?"
And thus, it is the only bird that can fly backward from its problems.
"They waggle their tail..."
"Call ducks were bred to aide their owners in hunting. They make loud noises to lure predators. They're cheeky, scared cutiepies. They waggle their tail when they're happy. They have an oil from their butt which they use to clean themselves and keep themselves dry. In some areas, it is illegal to own only one call duck because they're a very social bird.
They're the cutest pets with personality of their own."
"That said..."
"Dragonfly nymphs are aquatic and can launch their lower jaw like a grappling hook. They use this for hunting other pond-dwelling creatures before they leave the water. Probably the most badass thing in nature for a set of wings.
That said they have a ridiculous hunt success rate, somewhere above 90%, so you best watch out if you're a fly just enjoying your day."
This is the terrifying animal fact I didn't know I needed. I am glad I am not a fly!
"You can tell..."
"Elephants can be left tusked or right tusked, similar to how humans are right or left-handed.
You can tell which one an elephant is by the shorter tusk, if it's a short right tusk then they're right tusked and vice versa."
"There are..."
"There are an estimated 200 million insects for every human on the planet."
I, for one, welcome our insect overlords. Think they'll get tired of us and just attack, one day? We'd totally deserve it.
"An owl's eyes..."
"An owl's eyes are so large that they are immobile, they never develop any muscles for moving their eyes inside their sockets. Instead, they move their entire head."
"Penguins have a gland..."
"Penguins have a gland behind their eye that converts salt water into fresh water."
This sounds like something that we might want to consider reverse bioengineering in a climate-stressed future. Just saying.
"Orcas hunt out of boredom..."
"Orcas hunt out of boredom and will often toss the dead body of a seal around as if it was just a ball."
They can be pretty sadistic. Dolphins, too. The more I read about them, the less I like them.
"They don't even have feet..."
"Maggots can climb walls. Those don't even have feet but god damn they hustle around the room."
"Some species of shark..."
"Some species of shark, like the grey nurse shark, eat their siblings (or the egg cells that would have become their siblings) while still in the uterus, meaning they become cannibals before they're even born."
The world is vast and full of brilliant and amazing creatures, each with abilities all their own. We really take it for granted, don't we? We suck.
Have some facts of your own to share? Feel free to tell us all about them in the comments below!
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