28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know

The lifestyles and peculiarities of most animals are often a lot weirder than we might expect, particularly if your main frame of reference is “a cat goes meow and a dog goes woof.” The natural world is full of wonders and surprises waiting to be discovered.

Someone asked “What is the weirdest animal fact you know?” and wildlife-savvy netizens from around the world answered. So get comfortable, imagine every answer being read in the voice of David Attenborough, and get to scrolling. Be sure to upvote the facts that were most surprising to you and comment your thoughts below.

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28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know When a female sloth wants a mate she'll hang onto a tree branch and just scream.

Remarkable_Sink2542 , Roxanne Minnish Report

Final score:

209points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago

I've sat on my couch and screamed, but no one came.

180points

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28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know octopus punch other fish for no reason- so, for fun.

Samanthalynn8915 , Serena Repice Lentini Report

Final score:

208points

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Lavender Myst 1 year ago

How do we know the fish didnt say somethin nasty in bubblease?(j/k) Like "your mother was a blowhole breather"

126points

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28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know cats have the mental capacity of a 2 year old which makes a lot of sense

Alive_Ad823 , Peng Louis Report

Final score:

192points

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troufaki13 1 year ago

I saw a documentary once that said that dogs behave like 4 year-olds, meaning they get attached to their owners just like toddlers to their parents, but cats behave like teens. They love their parents but they don't want to hang around them too much! 😅

108points

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28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Polar bear fur isn't white - it's translucent (for most frequencies of light). And they have black skin underneath.

So polar bear fur lets all the light through to their black skin to warm them - except for a few visible frequencies to keep them camouflaged as white.

seedanrun , Pixabay Report

Final score:

182points

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Luiza Menezess 1 year ago

I searched for shaved polar bears and now I'm terrified

88points

Laugh or not 1 year ago

Any shaved bear goes from Teddy to Freddy.

19points

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𝖇𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖐 1 year ago

images-2-6...02dff.jpeg

16points

Rob Dabank 1 year ago

I am more concerned that your first thought when reading this was to search for shaved polar bears

8points

Adrian 1 year ago

Yeah, don't, you'll regret it...

8points

David 1 year ago

OMG Never thought of searching for that. They look like "if Gollum had a pet dog"

7points

Elizabeth Bock 1 year ago

Omg! Yikes!

2points

SleepSycho 1 year ago

So of course I did it too but looks like a werewolf

2points

Courtney Christelle 1 year ago

They look like chupacabras.

1point

Ti Al 1 year ago

Thanks, satan.

1point

Nadine Debard 1 year ago

I couldn't resist... I'm crying laughing at this poor thing in the picture.

1point

Khall Khall 1 year ago

Shaved bear meme. Horrifying.

1point

DeeRay 1 year ago

I did the same and feel the same as you.

1point

Kat Lyle 1 year ago

Dammit.

1point

WindySwede 1 year ago

I can only imagine what could come up on a search..

1point

Roger9er 1 year ago (edited)

The hairs on his skin aren't only translucent, they're hollow as well. This is an optimal adaptation to the cold. Sunlight can reach the skin through the hollow hairs. The black skin absorbs heat very well. The air in the hollow hairs is also heated by the sun. The polar bear is therefore well protected against the cold by the warm air layer around him.

7points

I just work here 1 year ago

My little mix breed dog I got from the humane society has white hair, and totally pink skin underneath. When I bathe him, he looks like a fat little piglet... :)

2points

Maggie Mae 1 year ago

Also Polar Bears & Giraffs Have Black Tongues!!

1point

Catherine Maven 1 year ago

See previous BP post on hairless animals - https://www.boredpanda.com/hairless-bald-animals/

0points

Jazmin 1 year ago

I'm searching shaved polar bears

0points

Purple Boba Gurl 1 year ago

🎶 We are family 🎶 *I'm black for whom it may concern

0points

Smiley MG 1 year ago

So they should be like orbeez underwater.... Showing the black skin... No?

0points

Cassidy Moore 1 year ago (edited)

Also their translucent fur traps in air and the body heat warms it up and that helps them keep warm

0points

David Paterson 1 year ago

Everything that's white is translucent. The whiteness comes from scattering incoming light from small transparent bodies. Polar bear furbis no different.

0points

Virginie Michaud 1 year ago

What does translucent mean? I'll let you look it up, and check if your notion of translucent works with a brick wall that has been painted white for example. Reflectivity and transparency are different. But facts and knowledge don't factor in your opinions, do they?

1point

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John West 1 year ago

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Colleen Glim 1 year ago

How tf do you figure that?

0points

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28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Contrary to popular belief, reindeer prefer raisins instead of carrots. So if you want to leave a treat for Santa's reindeer, leave raisins. I only know this because a friend of mine has a reindeer farm and they will push you for a whole box.

DaniGeek , Annika Thierfeld Report

Final score:

169points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago

Good to know. Personally, I see raisins as the waste of a perfectly good grape. So, I'll eat the celery and peanut butter, and the reindeer can have the raisins.

58points

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28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Argonauts are small octopuses that are too lazy to f**k. They detach their d***s and toss them into the open sea to mate with female argonauts.

Schwarzes__Loch , Bernd Hofmann Report

Final score:

163points

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Nikki D 1 year ago

Weirdest game of hot potato ever.

142points

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28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Honey badgers can turn their a******s inside out and use the smell to deter attackers. Not sure what exactly has the guts to attack a honey badger, but if they have the courage to do so, the badger sure as hell isn’t gonna make it easy.

nonexistantauthor , Sumeet Moghe Report

Final score:

158points

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Pedantic Panda 1 year ago (edited)

Wreck the rectüm.

16points

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28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Dolphins will intentionally use puffer fish to get high.

altkaldra , HAMID ELBAZ Report

Final score:

154points

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Pedantic Panda 1 year ago

Pass the puffy on the left hand side.

121points

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28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know The Blanket Octopus exhibits the highest degree of sexual dimorphism known. Females: About 6 feet across. Males: About one inch.

Fabulous-Pause4154 , Isabel Galvez Report

Final score:

146points

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Zoey Bear 1 year ago

Do the males wear big belt buckles and drive oversized pick-up trucks?

186points

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#10

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain

DMD612 , Adriaan Greyling Report

Final score:

144points

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Max 1 year ago

He looks insulted by the insinuation.

146points

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#11

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Woodpeckers' tongues wrap around their brains to cushion them from the vibrations of slamming their face into trees all day.

we_made_yewww , Chris F Report

Final score:

137points

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Shelli Aderman 1 year ago

Fun Internet rabbit hole I just went down. It’s not so much that they conscientiously place their tongue there. The woodpecker tongue is so long to reach insects, and when not darting into the holes of trees they’ve made, it just kind of stores itself really far up: Woodpecker...ahashi.png

63points

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#12

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Sea otters are the most densely furred animal with 600,000 to 1,000,000 hair follicles per square inch. Dogs have about 15,000 per square inch, humans on average are between 800 to 1,290 hairs per square inch

atom1129 , Marshal Hedin Report

Final score:

136points

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XenoMurph 1 year ago

Daddy otters and mummy otters are mainly responsible for the global increase in ocean temperatures. Because when they get together they make the sea otter.

103points

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#13

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Owls have really long necks, but it's hard to notice that because their feathers are so fluffy

ergonaut , Fábio Scaletta Report

Final score:

131points

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HelluvaHedgehogAlien 1 year ago

They also have really long legs and wings. But all the choose to do all day is look cute… until night comes

77points

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#14

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Dragon flys have the highest kill rate out of any flying predator.

Excellent_Priority_5 , Jude Infantini Report

Final score:

130points

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Floeckchen 1 year ago (edited)

I think kill rate is a bit misleading here. Hunting quota might be more accurate. If a dragonfly set out to hunt its prey they have a success rate of (depending on the source) 70% up to 98%

20points

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#15

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Cats can get pregnant while being pregnant.

Odd_Zombie_1 , Leonardo de Oliveira Report

Final score:

126points

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LuckyL 1 year ago

We can also get pregnant while pregnant. The chances are just really low.

107points

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#16

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Platypus glow blueish green under ultraviolet light. They also don’t have nipples, they just exude milk from glands under the skin and the baby’s lap it up.

WakingOwl1 , Klaus Report

Final score:

126points

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Gandalf the Pink 1 year ago

It is also one of the only five mammals that lay eggs. I swear platypuses and octopuses are aliens on Earth...

84points

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#17

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Armadillos always have offspring in quadruplets

Uncle_Bill , Dan RO Report

Final score:

125points

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Bored something 1 year ago

Are babe armadillos called quadradillos?

94points

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#18

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Male anglerfish are super teeny tiny compared to a female. When a male finally bumps into a female down in the deep deep dark, he attaches himself to her and slowly, over time, he becomes A PART OF HER

SuzannaEmberwolf , NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory Report

Final score:

116points

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Kim 1 year ago

Like a part of floating gonads

34points

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#19

28 People Share The Weirdest Animal Facts They Know Does will eat their offsprings feces in order to keep predators from even recognizing there are babies around.