Here we bring you some of the most outrageously astonishing facts you can think of. From mousebrain toothpaste to rabbits attacking Napoleon, it’s all here!
Your brain has around 86 billion neurons. Jellyfish have none, but still survive just fine.
A shrimp’s heart is located in its head.
Some species of ants farm fungi as their primary food source.
The fingerprints of a koala are so similar to humans’ that they’ve confused crime scene investigators.
Sea otters hold hands when they sleep to avoid drifting apart.
Elephants can detect rainstorms from 150 miles away.
Cows have best friends and stress when they’re separated.
Lake Natron in Tanzania turns animals into stone-like statues due to high alkalinity.
A material called aerogel is 99.8% air, yet is still solid.
The human stomach gets a new lining every 3-4 days to avoid digesting itself.
A museum in Sweden is called the Disgusting Food Museum – and yes, they serve samples.
A species of lizard goes by the name of the Jesus Christ lizard because it can run on water.
The moon has moonquakes, just like we have earthquakes.
Cats can’t taste sweetness.
Napoleon was once attacked by a horde of bunnies during a hunting trip. On a rabbit hunt that his chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier, organised, his entourage mistakenly brought along tame rabbits instead of wild ones. Instead of fleeing when released, the rabbits swarmed Napoleon, seeing him as a source of food, leading to a chaotic and comical scene where he had to retreat to his coach.
Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire.
The word “nerd” was first coined by Dr. Seuss in 1950.
Ancient Romans used powdered mouse brains as toothpaste.
Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words, including “bedazzled” and “swagger”.
The word “robot” comes from the Czech word robota, meaning “forced labour” or “drudgery”.
The word “quarantine” comes from the Italian “quaranta giorni”, meaning “40 days” – the time ships had to wait offshore during the plague.
Octopus arms can taste and think independently – they have neurons in their arms that act semi-autonomously from the brain.
The smell of freshly-cut grass is actually a distress signal from the plant – a chemical SOS.
There’s a planet made of diamond – 55 Cancri e – with a carbon-rich composition that may include diamond layers.
The wood frog can hold its pee for up to eight months to survive droughts.
Dolphins have names. They develop unique whistles to identify themselves to others.
Bees can recognise human faces and process visual patterns similarly to humans, despite having tiny brains.
The human nose can detect over a trillion scents. However, dogs can detect odours nine orders of magnitude fainter than humans
A group of porcupines is called a prickle.
Giraffes hum to each other at night, possibly to stay connected while sleeping.
We hope you enjoyed reading “The Most Outrageously Astonishing Facts”. Click here for more of our Strange Facts series.
