Over one million animal species have been identified on planet Earth. You can find animals that are only 8.5 micrometres in length as well as those who are 33.6 metres tall. There are several such amazing facts about animals that we do not know about. These astonishing animal facts are sure to amaze even the most ardent animal fans. Let’s look at 100 amazing animals facts below.
40 amazing animal facts for kids
1. Parrots will selflessly assist one another.
According to a 2020 study published in Current Biology, African grey parrots are innately driven to help others, even if the other individual is not their friend. The birds voluntarily assist one other in obtaining food rewards and perform various selfless deeds.
2. Fingerprints of koalas are similar to those of people.
Although Koalas do not have much in common with humans, a closer examination of their palms reveals that they have fingerprints that are identical to humans. In fact, the loops and arches are so similar that, police in Australia believe that criminal investigations may have been hampered by koala prints.
3. Teeth in a ghost crab’s stomach are used to growl.
Crabs are already quite terrifying with their claws, but ghost crabs take the fear factor up a notch. They snarl like a dog at their foes. These crabs, generate these terrifying noises with fangs in their guts. They contain three teeth- a medial tooth and two lateral teeth, that are basically elongated, calcified structures. These teeth rub against each other to grind up food, and in the process, produce a growling sound.
4. Prairie dogs exchange kisses.
Prairie dogs are enormous rats that build gigantic linked underground houses. One thing that sets them apart is that Prairie dogs like to kiss and snuggle. In fact, according to BBC, they snuggle and kiss more when viewed by zoo visitors as they appreciate the attention.
5. The pistol shrimp is the world’s loudest animal.
The world’s loudest animal is the pistol shrimp, which is only 2cm long. The shrimp can close its claw so quickly that it generates a bubble that collapses and emits a sonic explosion that is louder than a Concorde’s (a supersonic airline) sonic boom. The shock is as loud as 230 decibels, which is louder than a gunshot. Furthermore, the bursting bubble creates temperatures of 4,400C for a fraction of a second, nearly as hot as the sun, thus, killing the shrimp’s prey.
6. The mantis shrimp has the world’s fastest punch.
Another magnificent shrimp on this list of animal facts is the mantis shrimp. It is the animal with the world’s quickest punch, beating out even the greatest human boxers. The shrimp punches at a speed of roughly 50 mph. Its small appendage accelerates faster than a .22-caliber bullet and can even punch a crab’s arm off. In April 1998, an aggressive mantis shrimp named Tyson blasted through the quarter-inch-thick glass wall of his cage and escaped.
7. Flamingos do not have pink feathers.
We have all seen beautiful pink flamingos. But did you know that their feathers are not actually pink! A flamingos feathers appear pink because they feed on brine shrimp and blue-green algae, which contain a natural pink colour called canthaxanthin. In fact, zookeepers supplement their nutrition so that the birds do not lose their colour in captivity.
8. The tusks of a narwhal is an inside out tooth.
Narwhals are different from other whales due to the presence of a massive tusk. However, what we see isn’t a tusk at all, it is a tooth. It is often described as a piece of skin that contains all sensitive nerve endings.
9. The world’s earliest known domesticated dog breed was discovered in 329 BC.
The relationship between man and dogs date back further than you may think. According to Guinness World Records, the earliest known breed of domesticated dog dates back to 329 BC. In ancient Egypt, Saluki dogs were venerated and kept as royal pets. They were even mummified after death. Several carvings dating back to 7000 BC have been discovered in Sumer that depicts a dog that closely resembles a Saluki.
10. The inland taipan is the world’s most poisonous snake.
A single bite of the inland taipan has enough venom to kill at least 100 fully grown men within 30 minutes. The venom is a cocktail of neurotoxins, myotoxins and procoagulants that paralyze muscles, inhibit breathing and cause haemorrhaging in blood vessels and tissues.
However, the chances of a person coming in contact with the snake are very low.
11. 90% of the hunting is done by female lions.
Although male lions draw a lot of attention, female lions are the ones that perform the majority of the effort when it comes to feeding their children. In fact, around 90% of the time, lionesses hunt, while males defend their pride.
12. Snakes keep their eyes open at all times, even while they are sleeping.
Snakes don’t have eyelids, thus they can not close their eyes. Their eyes are covered by eye scales that shed when the snake sheds its skin.
13. The Mayfly is the world’s tiniest living creature and only has a 24-hour lifetime.
During its brief 24 hour life, the Mayfly reproduces and then dies. Some Mayfly species only survive for 8-10 hours.
14. The world’s deadliest animal is a mosquito.
According to the World Health Organization, mosquito-borne illnesses such as Malaria, Dengue Fever, and Yellow Fever kill 725,000 people each year. As they are present in almost every corner of the globe, the danger they bring to people is extremely high.
15. The horned lizard has the ability to discharge blood from its eyes.
This is a defence technique used by the horned lizard that can confound predators. It can shoot out blood up to a distance of 3 feet and some short-horned lizards also have a toxin in their blood that is poisonous to predators. Furthermore, they can inflate their bodies to double their size, thus, scaring away their predators.
16. Crickets have ears on the front legs of their bodies.
A cricket’s ears are located just below the knees. Grasshoppers and locusts also have ears on their legs.
17. Puffins scratch their bodies with twigs.
Atlantic puffins use a little wooden stick to scratch their bodies, according to a 2019 research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
18. Termites and ants may be heard and smelled by aardvarks.
Aardvarks are capable of hearing and smelling ants nearby. They then use their long tongues to reach deep into termite and ant mounds. This skill is extremely handy as aardvarks have poor vision and are colour blind.
19. Cobras are born with the ability to kill with a bite.
The venom of a baby cobra is just as powerful as that of an adult cobra. . The neurotoxic in cobra venom affects the central nervous system and can cause paralysis, respiratory failure, and death.
20. Bottlenose dolphins are right-handed
Similar to humans, a majority of bottlenose dolphins are right-handed. In fact, clever swimmers are more right-handed than humans. According to IFL Science, a study led by Florida’s Dolphin Communication Project studied bottlenose dolphin feeding behaviour and discovered that the animals turned to their left side 99.44 per cent of the time, which shows a right-side bias, as the dolphin positions its right side and right eye near the water floor.
21. Pandas must consume 25 to 90 pounds of bamboo.
Pandas consume a lot of bamboos to satisfy their dietary needs as bamboo has very little nutritional value. An interesting fact to note is that, despite having a carnivorous digestive system, the giant panda has evolved to subsist nearly completely on bamboo.
22. There’s an ant species that can only be found in a tiny area of Manhattan.
If you’re ever in the region of Broadway medians at 63rd and 76th streets in New York City, keep an eye on the ground as you could notice something unique. This region is where the “ManhattAnt,” resides. It is an ant that only lives in one small part of the city.
23. Cows may poop up to 15 times per day.
Cows generate over 100 pounds of dung every day and around 21 tonnes per year. However, the enormous amount of dung is put to good use as manure, fertiliser, fuel, or biogas to provide energy and heat for underdeveloped countries.
24. Capuchin monkeys use urine to clean their hands and feet.
When capuchin monkeys are aroused they urinate on their hands and feet. Some scientists believe that alpha males employ urine-washing to send warm, fuzzy sentiments to females, indicating that their solicitation is working and that there is no need to flee. Others believe that they may be doing it because they are ecstatic.
25. Jellyfish that live forever.
The immortal jellyfish or Turritopsis dohrnii is a small arthropod that can live forever. It is one of the few species that can revert to its polyp form and resume its life cycle if it feels threatened, thus, making it a physiologically immortal creature.
26. Cows having zebra-like stripes are less likely to be bitten by insects.
Cows are usually surrounded by a swarm of irritating insects that constantly torment the calm animals. Some farmers began painting their livestock with zebra-like stripes and noticed that the number of flies biting the striped cows was much lower than the number of flies biting the non-painted cow. Research shows that the stripes may generate a form of motion camouflage targeted at the insects’ eyesight, confusing them, similar to how optical illusions fool people.
27. Some sharks have the ability to shine in the dark.
Although a glow-in-the-dark shark may seem like something out of a science fiction movie, they are actually real. According to a 2019 research published in iScience, previously unknown small-molecule metabolites are the origin of the green light emitted from the shark. The light helps sharks identify one another and possibly fight illness on a microbiological level.
28. The shells of certain snails are hairy.
While it’s no secret that snails have shells, you may not be aware that some of them have hairy shells. These hairs are extremely useful because they aid a snail’s adhesion to damp surfaces such as leaves.
29. Pufferfish excrete a toxin that is 1,200 times more dangerous than cyanide
Tetrodotoxin, a toxin that is up to 1,200 times more dangerous than cyanide is found in pufferfish. One pufferfish contains enough poison to kill 30 adult humans. Furthermore, there is no antidote for the poison.
Despite this, the Japanese consider pufferfish flesh to be a delicacy. Fugu is pricey meat that is exclusively cooked by licenced chefs who have completed over three years of rigorous training and who remove poisonous components of the flesh for consumers.
30. The grey-headed albatross can fly around the world in 46 days.
Over the course of 46 days, the bird traverses the remarkable round-the-world voyage of 14,000 miles at a constant 13mph. They accomplish this accomplishment by stopping at several locations along the trip.
31. Baby Tasmanian devils form lifelong bonds with one another.
According to research, Tasmanian devils create ties with each other when they are young. These relationships continue for the remainder of their lives. Young Tasmanian devils have their own dens and even engage in pleasant sleep-overs with their buddies.
32. Giraffes are the world’s tallest land animals.
Reaching heights of 19 feet or 5.8 m, the giraffe is the world’s tallest land animal. A giraffe’s notoriously long neck accounts for around 2 metres of its overall size, allowing it to reach foliage in higher trees.
33. Cowbirds train their offspring by using secret passwords.
Cowbirds lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, which means that when the time comes, the young must reunite with their own kind. When that moment arrives, juvenile cowbirds instantly recognise and associate with other cowbirds because they have a secret handshake or password. In other words, the birds summon each other with a particular chatter call.
34. The legs of an ostrich are so strong that they can kill a lion with their kicks.
Ostriches use their long legs to defend themselves. Their kicks are strong enough to kill predators as well as humans. The claws on each two-toed foot are large and sharp, making them effective weapons.
35. Some Australian flower spiders consume their mothers.
When food gets scarce, spiders consume their mothers. By urging her young spiders to assault her, destroy her insides, and feast on her body, the mother spider comits self-sacrifice.
36. Axolotls have the ability to regrow lost limbs and organs.
The single leg of an axolotl may regenerate within 40 days. Immune cells called macrophages build up tissue until a new limb is formed. The creature can even regenerate sections of its brain.
37. A butterfly wing contains scales that reflect light.
The chitin is coated with ‘scales,’ which are modified hairs that carry pigments that reflect light in various colours. Light is reflected several times as it reaches the many layers of a butterfly wing. Many species have bright hues due to the combination of all of these reflections. Some of the colourful scales will wear off over time, revealing the translucent membrane beneath.
38. The pangolin is the most hunted and traded animal on the planet.
Owing to Asian societies’ tremendous desire for their scales and flesh, countless pangolin are hunted each year. In fact, 70% of Chinese citizens think they have medical benefits, despite scientific evidence contrary to their beliefs.
39. Great white sharks can detect blood underwater.
Great white sharks use an organ called the ‘olfactory bulb’ to detect blood using their keen sense of smell. They can sense a drop of blood in 100 litres of water. Furthermore, they can detect small amounts of blood even from a distance of 5 kilometres.
40. The Naked Mole-Rat can survive in a nearly oxygen-free environment.
Surprisingly, the Naked Mole-Rat can survive in a zero-oxygen condition for up to 20 minutes without incurring any injury.
FAQs
1. What animals can’t jump?
There are several species of animals that can not jump. Some of them are elephants, starfish, sloths, clams, sea sponges, the European glass lizard and the hippopotamus.
2. Which animal is the most intelligent?
Chimpanzees can learn to interact with people through sign language or via languages based on the presentation of tokens or graphic representations. Chimps have developed an awareness of words as abstract ideas that may be used in new and meaningful ways.
3. What is the name of the animal with 32 brains?
Leech has a total of 32 brains. The interior anatomy of a leech is divided into 32 different segments, each of which contains its own brain.
4. What animal’s blood is green?
Green blood is one of the most uncommon traits in the animal kingdom, but it is the distinguishing feature of a group of New Guinean lizards of the genus Prasinohaema.
5. What are some of the world’s largest animals?
| Record | Animal | Scientific name | Length | Weight | Diet Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The biggest animal that ever lived | Argentinosaurus (a dinosaur) |
Argentinosaurus huinculensis | 35+m | 730,000 kg | herbivore |
| Biggest living animal | blue whale | Balaenoptera musculus | 33.4m | 190,000+ kg | herbivore |
| Biggest land animal | African bush elephant | Loxodonta africana | 10.7m | 12,700 kg | herbivore |
| Tallest land animal | giraffe | Giraffa camelopardalis | 5.8m | 2,000 kg | herbivore |
| Biggest reptile | saltwater crocodile | Crocodylus porosus | 6.3m | 1,360 kg | carnivore |
| Biggest living bird | ostrich | Struthio camelus | 2.8m | 156 kg | omnivore |
| Biggest spider | Goliath birdeater | Heteropoda maxima | 0.30m | 0.15 kg | carnivore |
| Biggest insect | Goliath beetle | Goliathus goliatus + G. regius | 0.115m | 0.1 kg | herbivore |
| Biggest butterfly | Queen Alexandra’s birdwing | Ornithoptera alexandrae | 0.08m | 0.012 kg | herbivore |
6. Which primate is venomous?
Slow lorises are adorable, but their bite is deadly. These charming creatures, emit poisons from a gland in the crook of their inner arms that can kill humans by inducing an anaphylactic shock.
7. Which mammal is known to have the world’s most powerful bite?
The Nile crocodile’s bite goes as high as 5,000 psi. Thus, they have the most powerful bite.
8. Which animal is said to sleep for 90% of its waking hours?
The king of sleep, the Koala bear, can sleep up to 22 hours per day in captivity. This is nearly 90 per cent of their lives. In the Australian bush, they sleep about 14.5 hours of sleep each day, with 5 hours of relaxation and inactivity added on top.
Koalas consume eucalyptus leaves, which are poor in nutrition, high in fibre, and rich in toxins. As a result, it takes more energy to digest them safely. The animals sleep while digesting the food.
9. Which animals have best friends?
- Cows have strong social ties. In fact, a study conducted by the University of Northampton showed that cows get stressed when separated from their best friends.
- Vampire bats can form string bods with others of the species and even maintain it afgter being uprooted. The relationship starts by the bats grooming eachother, but eventually it moves on to regurgitating blood to share.
- Dolphins are another species that form connections with others. They go as far as forming cliques and even shunn other groups. Dolphis especially form strong bonds with injust members of their species. A dolphin will stay with an ill or injured dolphin and even help it breadthe.
- Elephants form lifelong friendships with other members of their species. They bathe and eat together. Furthermore, they also show their love by hugging their friends or by sticking their ears and trunks over their heads.
10. What animals have more than one heart?
| Organism | Number of hearts | Notes |
| Octopus/squid | 3 | One systematic to pump blood to the body and two gill-hearts that pump blood to the gills. |
| Earthworm | 5 | Not technically a heart, the earthworm has 5 aortic arches (or hearts) that pump blood throughout its body. |
| Hagfish | 4 | One main three-chambered systematic heart and three accessory pumps. |
