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It is said that truth is stranger than fiction and if you’ve ever read some truly unbelievable facts, you might understand why. There's just some stuff in the world that can leaves you thinking “it can’t be true”. But a quick fact-check reveals that is (f)actually is.

Not Common Facts has clocked up an impressive following of over 6.1 million people. The Instagram page shares “facts, breaking news and viral content”. Some you might never have known. Others you might battle to believe. Keep scrolling for our personal favorites from the page, and upvote the ones that leave you enlightened. Don't miss the chat Bored Panda had with Dr. Andrew Loveridge about a disturbing fact on the list that deals with the "king of the jungle". Loveridge is the Lion Program Director for Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization.

Bored Panda was so intrigued by some of the facts on the Insta page that we just could not help doing a deep dive down the rabbit hole to find out more information. One of the sadder facts on the page focuses on the “king of the jungle”, stating that "there are more lion statues in the world than there are real lions in the wild."

While we don’t necessarily find that hard to believe, we would prefer for it not to be true. We reached out to a lion expert to find out more. Dr. Andrew Loveridge is the Lion Program Director for Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization.

"Less than 23,000 lions are estimated to remain in the wild, down from an estimated 90,000 in 1970," he told us, adding that the decline is "primarily due to poaching for the illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss, loss of prey due to overhunting by people, bushmeat poaching and human-wildlife conflict." Loveridge says the vast majority of lions live in east and southern Africa, with a small population in India.

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Bored Panda asked Loveridge whether he thinks there are more lion statues than living lions in the world. "I’m afraid I have no way to corroborate this (as I spend my time counting live lions rather than lion statues!)," he said. "But it's possible, given how culturally important the species is even in parts of the world where lions are extinct or have never occurred."

It would indeed be difficult to count the exact number of statues on the planet. And we couldn’t find concrete stats. But to put things into perspective, London alone has 10,000 lion statues. That's according to a photographer who once tried to capture all of them.

While the number of live lions is going down, new lion statues are being made. As Marbleism reports, “Large lion statues have been created for centuries, dating back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Some of the most famous lion statues in the world include the guardian lions of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Lion of Lucerne in Switzerland, and the Trafalgar Square lions in London.” And just a few months ago, a New Orleans man made headlines for putting a giant lion statue on his roof.

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Kira Okah
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Had a baby owl sleep on me, she was perched upright on my wrist. This phenomenon has only ever been observed in captivity. Perhaps it is due to the safety that they do not have in the wild? If a wild owl did this, they would get quickly eaten.

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So is there anything the ordinary person can do to help the living lions? Loveridge says Panthera is running a "Home for the Holidays" campaign. "Just as people around the world head home to see family and loved ones for the holiday season, we’re reminded of the importance of protecting critical species and helping them return to their natural homes," he told Bored Panda. All donations made to Panthera between November 22 and December 31, 2024, will be matched dollar-for-dollar by The Ayers Wild Cat Conservation Trust.

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Another post that caught our attention was this one: The “dead” man who came back to life after the ambulance he was traveling in hit a pothole. While the story seems bizarre, it turns out that it’s been widely reported by several news outlets. And not on April Fools.

The reports go something like this: An 80-year-old man’s relatives started preparing for his memorial, soon after he was declared dead by doctors in January this year. Darshan Singh Brar’s body was being transported from the hospital in Patiala, India to his home near a place called Karnal. NDTV reported that “mourning relatives had gathered, food had been laid out and wood had been collected for his funeral, when the ambulance hit a pothole.”

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The man’s grandson was with him in the back of the ambulance and noticed his hand moving after the sudden pothole jolt. Upon noticing a heartbeat, the paramedics headed straight to the nearest hospital. The man was admitted in a “critical” condition. NDTV even posted a photo of him in his hospital bed after the incident.

"We cannot say that the patient had died. When he was brought to us, he was breathing and had blood pressure as well as a pulse. We don't know what happened at the other hospital, whether it was a technical error or something else," said a doctor at the hospital, where the patient was being treated.

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Luke Branwen
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm almost 30, childless and still watch Digimon. That's because cartoons freakin' rock, unlike many of those shallow "grimdark" shows that only call themselves "adult" because they contain gratuitous sex and extreme violence.

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If you love the ocean, you’ll be spoilt for choice should you visit (or live in) Australia. Many of us are lucky if we have a beach or two nearby. But according to this post, Australians are blessed with over 11,000 beaches: you could visit a new one every day for the next 32 years. Sounds like bliss to us, so we dove a little deeper.

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nuberiffic
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't bother with Bondi though. I went saw it recently and couldn't believe how small and uninteresting it was. All my life is heard about how it was *the* beach in Australia, but upon seeing it, it was just so mundane.

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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

XX and XY is biological sex, not gender, and there are more than two variants. Chromosomes help determine sex, not necessarily gender.

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As an island continent, Australia is completely surrounded by water. It has over 16,000 miles of coastline, and naturally more than its fair share of beaches. According to this government report, 87% of Australia’s population live within a 31-mile radius of the coast.

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“It is not surprising that coastal tourism dominates the Australian tourism market,” reads the report. “Australian coastal locations (particularly beaches and the Great Barrier Reef) have been identified as the most attractive destinations, with aquatic and coastal experiences among the greatest drivers.”

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General Anaesthesia
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1 week ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No. Since autumn 2023, only citizens of the EU/EEA (European Union/European Economic Area) or Switzerland can study for free, while all other students have to pay tuition fees. Edit: Expanded EU/EEA .

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Even though 16,000 miles of coastline sounds like a lot, there are several countries beating the Aussies when it comes to length. Canada claims the top spot, with a whopping 151,600 miles of coastal bliss. And Canadians can choose from three different oceans surrounding them: the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

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CoMa4
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How heartbreaking. I can’t imagine being one of his students and finding that out. 😢

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Tabitha
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If so, then why have I never been able to abide beets, even though they were my mother’s favorite vegetable that she ate all the time? Did I hate their taste when I was still in her womb, but just couldn’t say anything about it then (though she heard enough about it as soon as I learned to talk, though)?

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General Anaesthesia
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1 week ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Did he know he was lost? If I knew I were lost I would answer any call from any number, glad there was finally a signal. I wouldn't get the extended warranty, though.

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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The win should be tax free. At most the tax man should get a token amount. Why tax people who have a win when you let real life billionaires avoid tax?

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Tabitha
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So, no accounting for sitting back and really getting into a storyline, especially if you’re off work, the house is clean, dinner’s in the oven, it’s raining or snowing outside, and you finished reading that stack of books from the library?

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Kira Okah
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A shipment is the transport of multiple packages of cargo at once, cargo is any goods conveyed by vehicle.

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Ladedah
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1 week ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would like to clarify that yes - probably more comfortable together and thus happier... however, no one is EVER happy at the exact moment that their husband farts in front of a fan that is pointed directly at their face...

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Ladedah
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1 week ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree. Every time my husband takes my dog camping on my "work weekend," I find myself calling him in my overworked / hungry / tired state between shifts and whining that he needs to bring my dog back home!

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Tabitha
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1 week ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’s something to get your head around the fact that the moonlight you see hitting the ground this very millisecond is actually about 8 minutes old. Light from Mars is about 20 minutes old. And some of the stars whose lights we see in the night sky may be so far away that they may not even exist anymore, but we won’t notice them go dark if we look up at night until the number of years for the very last speck of light from them reaches Earth. Quite a thought, that time is so variable like that, instead of rigid.

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Kari Panda
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I‘d say that depends. We always make our fries in the oven with only little oil and no salt. And seeing how some burgers are smothered in sauce… You can make any food healthier or less healthy.

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Kira Okah
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1 week ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was an estimate in a single swimming pool, one pool, not average, over a period of three weeks. The Guardian also has a wonderful graphic on its article explaining how little this is: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/01/how-much-pee-is-in-our-swimming-pools-new-urine-test-reveals-the-truth

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Surly Scot
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If so, all us Scottish are braindamaged. All we do is make constant jokes to cope with the weather.

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Aerial (Any pronouns/Canadian/Jewish)
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1 week ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't believe I have to call this out, but AI. Headset mic appears to be a full circle, controller has 3 joysticks, literal hologram (which isn't even angled so the kid can see it), weirdly smooth skin, incomprehensible sweater/jacket, gibberish font on the one visible patch.

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S Mi
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1 week ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

None of these have ever proven to be true. That snake has eaten something much smaller than nearly all adults

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