15 scarcely known animal facts

1. The duckbill platypus is venomous. 

That’s right. Full grown male platypus have a pointed spur just above the heel of each hind leg that can inject the poison into predators.

2. If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will become pale. 

The cells that control their pigmentation respond to light. It’s all chemical reactions.

3. Deer have no gall bladders.

4. A group of owls is called a parliament.

5. The flamingo can only eat when its head is upside down.

Their top jaw can move and it makes up for the awkward position.

6. Ants never sleep. Also they don’t have lungs.

They rest, but don’t exhibit the common brain wave pattern that is associated with the human sleep definition. They take in oxygen through openings in their abdomens called ‘spiracles’.

7. A housefly hums in the key of F.

8. The smallest amount of alcohol placed on a scorpion will make it go crazy and sting itself to death.

Please don’t do this, though. They’re just trying their best.

9. Approximately half the pigs in the world are kept by farmers in China.

10. Cows can sleep standing up, but they can only dream lying down.

11. Oysters can change gender multiple times during their life.

12.  Seahorses are monogamous and mate for life.

13. Seahorses are also the only animal on Earth where the male bears the unborn young.

I would put a gif of a seahorse giving birth but it’s pretty gross so I’ll leave the hyperlink here for those who want to see it.

14. Once a giant clam picks a spot to live on a reef, it does not move for the rest of its life.

Me too, my dudes.

15.  Ancient Greek dentists used the venom from stingrays as an anesthetic.

The world is wild.