From wombats doing poops in cubes to three-hearted octopus, there are some truly incredible things to learn about animals. Here, we explore 27 wild animal facts that will surprise you.
27 Facts About Wild Animals
1.The koala is a relative of the Australian wombat. Both are marsupials and unique to Australia. Both also have backwards-facing pouches in which they care for their young. They have somehow also managed to evolve fingerprints virtually indistinguishable from those of human beings, even under an electron microscope.
2. Wombats do their poop in cubes. They are the only animal in the world to do this. No one really knows why but it may have something to do with a dry habitat and a strong digestive tract. Wombats generally do somewhere between 80 and 100 cube-shaped poos each night.
3. Elephant calves can stand within 20 minutes of birth.
4. Related to to the Kangaroo is the Quokka!! But unlike their relative they can climb trees up to 2 metres in height.
5. Dugongs are also known as the sea cow and were believed to be the inspiration behind mermaids and sirens.
6. Wolves can sprint short distances of between 58 to 61 kilometres.
7. Sloths are not only three times stronger than humans but they can also fall 100 feet and not be injured.
8. Similar to the Sloth the Raccoon can sustain injuries from heights up to 40 feet.
9. Unlike turtles on land the Sea-Turtle does not retract into its shell. Some turtles breathe through their butt. A handful of turtle species—including the North American eastern painted turtle and the Australian white-throated snapping turtle—have specialized sacs near their cloacas (the organs used for defecating, urinating, and copulating) that collect air and filter out oxygen.
10. An animal with not one heart but three as well as blood that is blue is the Octopus. It also has nine brains. Two of the hearts pump blood through their gills, the other hearts plum blood to the rest of their bodies, and there are also nine aggregations of nerve tissue. In other words, an octopus also has nine brains.
11. Meerkats are a relative of the Mongoose and therefore can withstand many venoms bites.
12. Red Pandas can grow to 60cm in height and their tales can grow to 50cm in length.
13. The stripes on a Zebra act as a natural insect repellent.
15. Male Platypuses have venoms glands which are connected to spurs on their back legs.
16. The horn of a Rhinoceros is made out of their hair.
17. In a 24 hour period Giraffe’s only need up to 30 minutes of sleep.
18. In winter Reindeers have blue as they adapt to the climate change of the lower level light.
19. Although Orcas are known as Killer Whales they are infact apart of the dolphin family.
20. The largest shark species is the Whale Shark.
21. Lemur’s can jump up to three times their body height.
22. Hippopotamus’s although are a semi-aquatic animals they can not swim or float.
23. The female spotted hyena has a penis: more accurately, the clitoris of the female closely resembles the penis of the male.
24. Butterflies taste with their feet.
25. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards.
26. Elephants can smell water that is up to 5 kilometres away.
27. Echidnas are one of the few toothless animals on the planet.
