#20. Chameleon
Now, you probably think that the chameleon is on our list because of its ability to change color. You’d be surprised to know that the chameleon actually gets even cooler than that! Their skin is amazing but so is their tongue. It so happens to be that a chameleon’s tongue is extremely fast.
In just a 100th of a second, a chameleon’s tongue goes from 0 to 60 miles an hour. This means that when they get hungry and locate their next prey, they just need a mere 20 milliseconds to have food within their belly. The tongue isn’t only shockingly fast, but it can also grow up to twice the size of their body.
#19. Blue Whale
We all know that whales are huge. But when we say huge, can you even imagine how huge exactly? The biggest of them all is the blue whale, which can measure up to 29.9 m and weigh about 173 tonnes. To give you an idea, just their tongues measure 3 tonnes, which is two times your average car.
The blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever existed. That means that they are larger than any dinosaur that walked this Earth. We aren’t sure why they are as big as they are, but scientists think that it is related to heat loss and metabolism.
#18. Bat
Sometimes called flying rats, bats are the only mammals that can naturally sustain a flight. Their forelimbs are adapted as wings, allowing them to have a lot of control while flying. Their “fingers” are very long and the wing of the bat is a thin membrane called patagium.
Bats can weigh between one ounce to a few pounds. As seen in the above photograph, bats have tiny legs made out of tiny bones, which means that these legs are too weak to hold their body. If you wanted to know another cool fact about bats, their droppings can be actually be used to make gunpowder.
#17. Elephant
We are all left fascinated at the sheer size of a fully grown elephant. It is probably one of the most majestic-looking animals; with t long trunk and beautiful yet sought-after tusks, the elephant is a beautiful animal to just stare at. Well, while we all know how big these mammals are, it isn’t their size that brings them to this list.
Much like humans, elephants have a dominant side. Do you know how some people are left-handed while others are right-handed? Well, in the elephant world it isn’t about hands but rather about tusks. Elephants can be right tusked or left tusked and you can tell which side is the dominant one because it will be more worn out.
#16. Hippopotamus
Besides the fact that the hippopotamus has one of the coolest names in the animal kingdom, you might want to know this weird fact about them that will leave you envious of them. You probably know that a hippopotamus enjoys basking in the sun, but have you ever wondered why they don’t burn? Self-produced sunscreen is the answer.
While human beings hate sweating because all it does is make us feel gross and smell terrible, when a hippopotamus sweats, it is actually creating its own sunscreen. The sweat is initially transparent but then it proceeds to dry and turn into a reddish color to finally set to a brown color.
#15. Cow
Cows are extremely gentle creatures. For generations, people have domesticated this animal, to the point in which its existence is of prime importance to humankind. But beyond the fact that we use cows for practically everything, you might be interested to know that cows can poop around 15 times a day! Talk about a good bowel movement.
With so much pooping, that means that they produce an average of 65 pounds of manure every single day. The total of that is 12 tons of manure in a year, and that is per one cow. Ever wondered why farms smell so deliciously fresh and floral? Yep, it is the cows’ poop that gives farms their distinct aroma.
#14. Elephant Seal
Elephant seals can be categorized into two types: the Northern elephant seals, which are found in California, and the Southern elephant seals, which live in Antarctic waters. Since their environment is not all that pleasant, elephant seals have adapted to become skilled hunters.
These mammals are carnivores that need to get their dietary needs in the deep sea. This means that they are extremely good at diving. An elephant seal can dive up to a depth of 7,835 feet. Diving this deep means they have to be exceptional at holding their breath, and they are. While diving, they can hold their breath for 2 full hours.
#13. Dolphin
Dolphins are often recalled as being the most intelligent animal (unless you count us, humans). They swim in all the oceans and can mostly be spotted near shallow seas. Their diet is made out of fish and squid, which means that they have adapted to be skilled hunters.
What makes dolphins so exceptional is that they can stay awake for up to two weeks straight. Imagine how you would have aced that exam if you could have stayed up for that long? However, when a dolphin has to recharge after a tiring period of time, it can do so by switching off half of its brain and making it go into sleep mode, while the other half remains awake.
#12. Kangaroo
We can’t be the only ones that are baffled by kangaroo pregnancy and delivery. More specifically, it’s amazing how the little one can just hop in and out of the pouch, it’s like having a pocket on your skin! Once a kangaroo is pregnant, she will give birth to a little joey as soon as 1 month after conception.
The baby kangaroo is just a mere 2 cm long when born. That’s about the size of a lima bean! However, even though the joey has been born, that doesn’t mean that it is fully developed. For the next 9 months, it will crawl back to its mother’s pouch to continue growing.
#11. Bee
We thank bees for being so hardworking, providing us with delicious honey, and having such a huge and important role in pollination. These smart insects have been perfecting their role for millions and millions of years. In fact, the oldest bee fossil ever found was in Myanmar, and it was 100 million years old.
To put it into perspective, homo sapiens have been known to be around for a mere 200,000 years. If we want to get very specific, evidence of an anatomically modern human was found in Morocco and this one dated 300,000 years. No wonder why they say that human beings are a relatively new species! We’ve got nothing on the mighty bee!
#10. Camel
I bet that if you had to name a cool fact about a camel, you would say that it can store water inside its hump. Well, if that is true, then you are sorely mistaken. The common misconception that camels can do that is driving people to think that what is actually fat, is water that sits in that hump.
If you previously thought that camels stored water in their hump for emergencies, you’re still wrong, but you’re a bit closer to the truth. The reality is that the fat that is stored in the hump is utilized as nourishment when food is scarce. In the case that the camel uses the fat supply, the hump will go limp and droop down, only returning to its original shape once the camel feeds again.
#9. Reindeer
Have you ever met anybody whose eyes change color depending on the season? You probably haven’t. But do you know which animal has that capacity? The reindeer. Throughout summer, a reindeer’s eyes will be a golden color. When winter comes, however, the eyes change to blue.
The season change is a unique feature of the reindeer, and it exists so that the animal can see better during the dark days in the Arctic. The deep blue eyes increase retinal sensitivity, which is the perfect winter trade-off. This means that when it is dark, the reindeer gets to see more than usual, thus helping it stay away from predators.
#8. African Buffalo
Have you ever complained about our voting system? It seems that no matter where you go, there is some sort of complaints. Also, you probably thought that we were the only species that actually held votes, right? Wrong. Turns out, the African buffaloes also hold votes. They do so to decide which direction the herd should head next.
Do you know what else is cool? You probably knew that back in the olden days, only men were allowed to vote. Well, it seems that for this animal species, it is the females that have better discernment. The decision of where to head next is based upon the direction where the majority of the females are facing.
#7. Female Dragonfly
Another animal where the female is the rockstar. Certain species of female dragonflies have the ability to fake their deaths. But how, you might be wondering? While flying, they will freeze mid-air and drop dead on the spot, crashing on the ground and thus appearing dead.
Maybe you’re curious about why they would do such a thing. Your first thought was probably that the female dragonfly is trying to escape a predator. Well, sort of. Female dragonflies play dead whenever they want to avoid mating with a male dragonfly. Quite a handy trick if you ask me!
#6. Starfish
Wouldn’t it be amazing if humans could just regenerate a lost limb? While it certainly isn’t that common for people to be losing limbs, having the ability to bring one back would indeed be life-changing for some. Luckily for the starfish, they possess the “skills” to regenerate the part of them that was lost.
As if that didn’t make their bodies cool enough, starfish can also cut off one of their appendages (one of their arms if you will) if they feel endangered. The starfish will then have the ability to regrow the ripped off appendage, while the sole arm will be able to grow into another starfish.
#5. Manatees
This is definitely one of the weird animal facts that will make you laugh. While human farts are absolutely useless, manatees use flatulence to regulate their buoyancy. The way this works is that the air inside them allows them to float. However, when they have the need to dive deeper, they simply fart, releasing air and helping them sink.
How do they have so many farts inside of them at their disposal? Well, an adult manatee usually eats up to 150 pounds of vegetation every day. This means that there is a lot of methane stored within them. So if they want to float to the top, they just hold the methane in.
#4. Jellyfish
Most of us have been at that point where you wish you could be younger, or back to simpler times and happier days. But, unless they discover some sort of magic potion or you happen to be Benjamin Button, the truth is that human beings cannot make themselves younger. Well, there is one species out there that can, the Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish.
This jellyfish has the ability to become younger under certain environmental conditions. If it feels stressed or threatened, it can go back to its immature state. Want another amazing fact about this jellyfish? It is immortal. It is the only immortal creature that scientists have discovered thus far.
#3. Koala
You’ve probably heard that the chimpanzees and gorillas are the most similar animals to our own human species. This might be true overall, but did you know that koalas have a characteristic very similar to ours? It might sound a bit surprising, but it’s their fingerprints that are comparable to ours!
In fact, koala fingerprints resemble human fingerprints so much that investigators have been known to collect koala fingerprints instead of human fingerprints in a crime scene! Imagine the look of the investigators when they found out that they were trying to trace this harmless marsupial?
#2. Sloths
If your friends have told you before that you are walking too slowly, or your parents are telling you to please do the dishes ASAP, you can just let them know that you’re not that slow… in comparison to a sloth. On the ground, sloths move at a speed of 2 meters per min. Hanging, it’s a bit faster, a whopping 3 meters per minute!
Not only are they slow walkers, but sloths also do practically everything slow. Take eating for instance. It takes up to 20 days for a sloth to digest one leaf. Because it takes them so long to digest, sloths only need to leave the comfort of hanging from a tree once a week to poop.
#1. Mantis Shrimp
Maybe you thought that the mantis shrimp is our number one because of its amazing range of colors. Well, it is actually here because of its strength. While the mantis shrimp is only a few inches long, it can punch at the speed of a rifle bullet. You don’t want to get into a fight with this little fellow.
When the mantis fights, it can easily destroy its victims’ shells with the strength of a bullet. Surprisingly, it isn’t their muscles that provide such strength to them but instead, the mechanism of their arms. Their arms are like springs, meaning they can swing the fists to a speed of 23 meters per second.