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

Xitxarel•lo Panda 1 year ago

Octopus are very clever criatures, makes a lot of sense. They may talk a lot of languages I guess 🤣🤣🤣🤣

8points

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Zoey Bear 1 year ago

So they pretty much punch the fish in the brain with one of their 9 brains.

10points

Lavender Myst 1 year ago

Brain kisses!

9points

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Donna Peluda 1 year ago

Then they put the video on you tube

7points

Great Aunt Kate 1 year ago

Bogans everwhere. DAMMIT

3points

JoyfulZebra 1 year ago

Or spite

3points

Maggie Mae 1 year ago

Just a Territory Issue Humans Know Nothing About!! Stay Outta my Space!!!

0points

Jazmin 1 year ago

Like humans. I punch someone for no reason.

0points

R.A. Haley 1 year ago

I remember hearing of an octopus in an aquarium somewhere that would shoot a jet of water at a light outside his tank, just to blow it up for fun.

0points

TheDuck 1 year ago

Larger ones will just snap fish in half. Even sharks.

0points

Sherman 1 year ago

Yet another reason to love them!

0points

Norah Reilly 1 year ago

LMAO!

0points

Shane S 1 year ago

Haven’t octopuses been observed killing fish for fun? I seem to remember a story about shark that kept getting snapped in half

0points

Jill Branton 1 year ago

Try ready the tag with a ? instead. You can almost feel ‘em smirking.

0points

Heather Swanson 1 year ago

Octopus arnt fish you dindongs they are cephalopods.

0points

Courtney Christelle 1 year ago

The female also throw things at males they don’t want to mate with.

0points

Timbob 1 year ago

They have personally told you this ?

0points

WonderWoman 1 year ago

For no reason - that we are aware of. Not necessarily for fun

0points

Becky Samuel 1 year ago (edited)

This sentence is false because an octopus isn't a fish, therefore it can't punch "other fish".

0points

Fluffy mommy panda 1 year ago

Is it just because they can, or are them fish being rude? Lol

0points

hwatinternation 1 year ago

It's speculated they do this to keep their fish collaborator in line.

0points

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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

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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.