Animal Kingdom
1. Cats can’t taste sweetness. A genetic mutation disables their sweet taste receptors, making them the only known mammal with this limitation.
2. A jellyfish is 95% water. Their bodies consist primarily of a jelly-like substance called mesoglea, which provides structure without the need for bones, blood, or a brain either. This high water content is why they are nearly invisible in the water and dehydrate almost instantly when washed ashore.
3. The fingerprints of a koala are so close to humans they can confuse crime scenes.
4. Venus flytraps can count how many times something touches them.
5. The world’s smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat.
6. Some fish can walk on land for short distances. Several species can move on land using specialised fins or body movements. The most well-known is the mudskipper, which uses its strong pectoral fins to walk, jump, and also climb in mangrove forests across mud, sand, and rocks.
7. Polar bears have black skin under their white fur to absorb maximum heat from the sun. Their fur is actually transparent and hollow, appearing white to camouflage against snow and ice.
The World Around Us
8. Your brain uses about 20% of your body’s energy.
9. There are over 1,500 castles in England.
10. Stonehenge is older than the pyramids of Egypt. Construction began around 3000 BC, whereas the Great Pyramids of Giza were built between roughly 2550 and 2490 BC.
11. In the UK we drink over 100 million cups of tea every day.
12. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway in the world. It opened on 10 January 1863 as the Metropolitan Railway, initially operating steam locomotives between Paddington and Farringdon.
13. Cheddar cheese gets its name from a village in Somerset. The village of Cheddar dates back to at least 1170, and the cheese was traditionally matured in the nearby Cheddar Gorge caves, which provided ideal temperature and humidity. It was developed to preserve surplus milk by pressing curds into a hard cheese.
14. Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world.
Space
15. Space is completely silent – there is no air for sound to travel.
16. The Milky Way galaxy contains over 100 billion stars.
17. A day on Mars is only about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth.
18. Jupiter is so big that all the other planets could fit inside it.
Fun Food Facts
19. Spaghetti means “little strings” in Italian.
20. Popcorn can pop up to three feet in the air.
21. Cucumbers are about 96% water.
22. The world’s most expensive pizza costs over £10,000. The Louis XIII pizza was created by Renato Viola in Salerno, Italy. This 20 cm (8-inch) pizza serves two and features exclusive toppings including three types of rare caviar, Norwegian lobster, and buffalo mozzarella, paired with premium cognac and champagne.
23. Almonds are seeds, not true nuts.
24. Broccoli contains more protein than steak (per calorie).
25. Mushrooms can make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.
Feature image by Hans-Jurgen Mager on Unsplash
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