89 Lesser-Known Facts About Animals That Made People Say ‘Aww’

If the internet was a perfect place, it would surely give us something more valuable than time well wasted. Imagine how awesome it would be if our all-time favorite pet pics and animal videos were to meet the knowledge we all crave. Well, guess what?

This Reddit community titled "Awwducational" is doing precisely that. Created in November 2012, it has become home to some of the most amusing educational facts you’d love to share on your next trivia round with friends. The best part: they all have to do with the most wholesome furry creatures out there, from cute possums and giggling rats, to playful cows and the slow-mo sloths.

So let’s get ready to soak up some did-you-knows and make your biology teacher proud. And scroll down for Bored Panda’s interview with r/awwducational senior moderators who shared some insights about their wholesome Reddit community.

#1 Trained African Giant Pouched Rats Have Found Thousands Of Unexploded Landmines And Bombs. Researchers Have Also Trained These Rats To Detect Tuberculosis. And Most Recently They Are Training Them To Sniff Out Poached Wildlife Trophies Being Exported Out Of African Ports

Image credits: reddit.com

#2 Scientists Know That Rats Like To Have Their Bellies Tickled, So They Used That As Basis For Testing Happiness In Rats. They Found Out That The Ears Of Rats Undergoing Tickling Became Droopier And Pinker - Subtle Signs Of Being Relaxed And Happy

Image credits: petdog347

#3 Seagulls Stomping On Grass Is Called, The Rain Dance. This Mimics Rain By Vibration, And Brings Earthworms And Other Bugs To Surface

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To find out more about this awesome subreddit, we spoke to senior moderators u/IchTanze and u/AGreatWind. Reddit user u/IchTanze, who has been moderating r/awwducational for 5 years now, said that the cool title of the subreddit refers to the “aww” reaction to insects, flowers, baby animals, or a critically endangered species. “‘Aww is in the eye of the beholder’ as we say,” he said.

Meanwhile, “The educational component is what gets added in the comment section, where the user must provide a source for their fact in the title that is either peer-reviewed, from a highly reputable source, or has citations from one of the above to back it up.” Most importantly, the community wants their users to learn something.

#4 Capybara's Are Social Animals, Who Get Along With A Large Variety Of Other Animals, Including Chickens, Ducks, Dogs, Cats, Llamas, Rabbits And Turtles

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#5 Cheetahs Are So Shy That Zoos Give Them Their Own Emotional “Support Dogs”

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#6 Alex, The African Grey Parrot, Is The Only Animal To Ever Ask An Existential Question. He Asked “What Color” He Was

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Another senior user u/AGreatWind commented that they allow content about natural history as well as “animals and plants of all kinds, even if their cuteness may be... subjective.” The moderator said that users provide a source for their fact, which must link to peer-reviewed research or an article that links to peer-reviewed research, which is then verified by a member of the mod team.

“Our mod team is a diverse group of animal lovers, enthusiasts, and scientists from a range of backgrounds spanning ecology, biophysics, and infectious disease.”

u/AGreatWind also said that it’s a lot of work as each post needs to be attended to, but the community enjoys it since they “get to learn new things every day.”

#7 Opposums Get A Lot Of Hate, But They Clear Many Unwanted Bugs And Parasites From The Ecosystem And Are Generally Helpful Friends. Please Appreciate Them, Especially This Good Boy

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#8 A University Of Chicago Study Found That Rats Are Just As Capable Of Empathy As Humans

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#9 The Opossum Is North America's Only Marsupial, They Can Eat 5000 Ticks A Year And Are Almost Immune To Rabies! Their Body Temperature Is Too Low For The Virus To Survive!

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Redditor u/AGreatWind said that in his time as a moderator here, “we went from 50,000 subscribers to over 2 million. In that time, we have maintained a consistent approach to verification and civility.” Thus, u/AGreatWind likes to think of /r/Awwducational as "a big little sub."

“We are rather large by subscriber count, but the community still feels small because of the interaction and cooperation we have with them. We try to engage with and listen to our subscribers rather than try to herd them, much as we did when there were only a few thousand.”

In the r/awwducational community, the users make it as much as the mod team. “So often someone in the comments has a remarkable insight about a post's subject animal, be it cooperation amongst lab rats, newly discovered birds of paradise, or the hyoid mechanics of a snow leopard's voice box. It’s fantastic!”

#10 A Sloth's Claws Work The Opposite Way That Human Hand Does. The Default Position Is A Tight Strong Grip, And Sloths Must Exert Effort To Open Them Up. This Is Why Sloths Don't Fall Out Of Trees When They're Asleep

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#11 The Aardvark, Alphabetically The First Animal, Plays An Important Role In Preventing Wildlife Deaths From Fire. They Dig Large Underground Burrows That Wildlife Can Hide In During Fires

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#12 When In Danger, The Malabar Giant Squirrel Often Freezes Or Flattens Itself Against The Tree Trunk, Instead Of Fleeing

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#13 Lynx Have Evolved Enormous Paws To Distribute Weight Better In Snow, Acting Like Natural Snowshoes

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#14 Cows Have "Eureka" Moments, And Take Pleasure In Their Own Learning Achievements

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#15 In Most Western Cultures, Black Cats Are Considered A Bad Omen. But In Scottish Lore, The Arrival Of A Strange Black Cat Signifies Prosperity

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#16 Blue Penguins Are The Smallest Type Of Penguin. Adults Reach Only 12-13in Tall. Owing To Their Small Size And Bright Color They Are Often Called Fairy Penguins

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#17 The Pudú Deer Is The Smallest Species Of Deer Standing At 15 Inches Tall On Average

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#18 Gibbons Are One Of The Only Non-Human Primates Which Practice Monogamy. Both Parents Play A Vital Role In Raising Of Their Young

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#19 The Northern Cardinal Is Probably The Most 'Romantic' Bird Species: They Mate For Life, Travel Together, Sing Before Nesting, And During Courtship, Feed Seed Beak-To-Beak

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#20 The Milk Of Pinnipeds Consist Of Up To 60% Fat, Allowing The Young To Grow Fairly Quickly. Pups Can Gain Over 2.2 Kg (4.9 Lb) Per Day While Nursing

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#21 The Burmese Star Tortoise Is One Of The Few Animals That Have Comeback From Being Called Functionally Extinct

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#22 Flamingo's Pink Coloring Comes From The Shrimp They Eat, And In 1992 In The Miami Zoo They Had To Stick The Flamingos In The Bathroom To Ride Out Hurricane Andrew

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#23 A Newborn Chinese Water Deer Is So Small It Can Almost Be Held In The Palm Of The Hand. When It Matures, Instead Of Growing Antlers, They Grow Long Upper Canine Teeth Gaining Them The Name "Vampire Deer"

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#24 The Asiatic Black Bear Has The Largest Ears Of Any Bear Species

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#25 Aardwolves Are Shy And Nocturnal, Sleeping In Underground Burrows By Day. They Have Often Been Mistaken For Solitary Animals. In Fact, They Live As Monogamous Pairs With Their Young

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#26 Cows Have Similar Emotional Range As Dogs. They Display Boldness, Shyness, Fearfulness And Even Playfulness

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#27 Adult Giraffes Only Sleep For A Couple Of Minutes At A Time. Baby Giraffes Will Sleep For Much Longer Periods Of Time With Their Head Resting On Their Rump

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#28 This Is The Raccoon Dog, The Only Extant Species In The Genus Nyctereutes. It's A Close Relative Of True Foxes And The Only Canid Known To Hibernate During The Winter

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#29 The Mangalica Is The Only Pig Species Covered In A Long Wool Coat, Similar To A Sheep's

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#30 Despite Their Appearance, Elephant Shrews Are In Fact More Closely Related To Elephants Than Shrews

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#31 Sand Cats Specialize In Surviving In The Desert. They Are Not Good Climbers Or Jumpers, But They Are Excellent Diggers. They Use Their Digging Ability To Dig Shallow Burrows To Escape The Heat Of The Desert During The Day

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#32 The Eyes Of The Blunthead Tree Snake Make Up Approximately 26% Of Its Head

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#33 150 Kākāriki Karaka Chicks Have Hatched This Season, Potentially Doubling The This Rare Birds Population

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#34 Secretary Birds Are Famous For Its Snake-Stomping Legs; A Single Kick Delivered Some 195 Newtons Of Force. They Are Also Famous For Their Long Eyelashes

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#35 Pigs Have Episodic Memory. It Is Likely That They Can Replay And Feel Past Experiences In Their Heads

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#36 Van Kittens Are Initially Born With Pale Blue Eyes, Which Change To A Deeper Blue Or Amber As They Grow Older. Occasionally, You’ll Also See A Van With One Amber Eye And One Blue Eye, Or Two Blue Eyes Of Different Hues

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#37 Done Brushing Your Dog? Birds Love Using The Hair To Build Nests. Set Aside One Birdfeeder To Fill With Hair

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#38 Rabbits Are The Third Most Abandoned Pet, And Thousands Of "Easter Bunnies" Bought As Pets End Up In Shelters After Easter Each Year

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#39 The Okapi's Closest Realative Is The Giraffe. Okapis Were Descovered In 1901. Unfortunately, They Are Now Endangered

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#40 Tigers Are Carnivores, But Will Eat Fruit In Order To Ease Digestion

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#41 Rats Giggle When You Tickle Them. Their Voices Are So High-Pitched You Need Special Equipment To Hear Them, But When You Do, Their Laughs Are Immediately Evident

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#42 Golden Moles Have Eyeballs, But They Are Covered By Skin So They Don’t Really Work. Oh Well

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#43 The Platypus Is Unique Not Only For Laying Eggs. It Also Has Elecrtoreceptors In Its Snout For Locating Prey, Eyes With Double Cones, No Stomach, A Single Duct For Their Urinary, Defecatory, And Reproductive System, 10 Chromosomes, And The Males Have Venomous Barbs On Their Hind Legs

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#44 Bats Are Not Rodents. They Are Their Own Group Called Chiroptera. They Are More Closely Related To Cats Than Rats

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#45 Native To India, Sloth Bears Are The Only Ursids Known To Carry Their Young For Extended Periods. Cubs Will Ride On Their Mother’s Backs For Six To Seven Months After Leaving The Den

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#46 Red Pandas Can Stand On Their Hind Legs To Make Themselves Appear Larger. They Also Have "False Thumbs", Which Is An Extension Of The Wrist Bone, To Aid Them In Grasping Their Food.

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#47 Male Ostriches Will Mate With 3 To 5 Hens That Will Lay Their Eggs In A Single Nest That The Male Digs Out. Every Night The Male Incubates The Eggs And During The Day The Dominate Female Will Incubate The Eggs, Which Take Around 40 Days To Hatch. The Male And The Females Will Help Raise The Chicks

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#48 Cows Can Recognise Individual Humans, Even When They Wear The Same Clothes

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#49 Puffins Are One Of The Few Seabirds That Can Hold 10 To 12 Small Fish During One Forging Trip. This Allows Them To Bring More Food For Their Young Compared While Most Seabirds Tend To Swallow And Regurgitate Meals For Their Chicks

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#50 Pangolins Has Soft, Pale Scales When Born, Which Begin To Harden By Second Day

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#51 Most River Otter Species Are Monogamous And Mate For Life. So Those Cute Pictures Of Otter Couples You See, They May Just Be Together Forever

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#52 Cats Can Nurse Hedgehogs

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#53 It Takes Bald Eagles About Five Years To Obtain Their White Head! These Pictures Are Of The Same Bird Taken Years Apart, Illustrating The Difference Between Juvenile And Subadult Plumage

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#54 The Manul (Or Pallas' Cat) Of Central Asia Has The Longest And Densest Fur Of All The Cat Species

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#55 The Red Wolf (Canis Rufus) Is The Most Endangered Canid Species Alive. There Are Less Than 35 Individuals In The Wild After An Attempt To Bring The Species Numbers Up (Peaking At 130 Individuals In 2006). These Wolves Form Close-Knit Packs That Consist Of The Breeding Pair And Their Offspring

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#56 The Chinese Mountain Cat Is One Of The Rarest Wild Cats, And Was First Captured On Camera In The Wild In 2007

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#57 An Adult North American Porcupine (Erethizon Dorsatum) Has About 30,000 Quills That Cover Almost All Of Its Body. The Quills Are Hollow And Used Primarily For Defense, But Also Serve To Insulate Their Bodies During Winter. They Cannot Throw Their Quills

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#58 The Red Fox's Adaptability And Resourcefulness Have Earned It A Legendary Reputation For Intelligence And Cunning. Also, A Fox's Tail Is Called A "Brush"

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#59 New Study Shows “Rollie Pollies” Remove Heavy Metals From Soil And Protect Groundwater. Thank You To These Little Helpers!

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#60 The World's Oldest Known Wild Bird, Wisdom The Laysan Albatross, Has Laid An Egg At 67! Wisdom Has Outlived Several Mates And Has Raised 30 To 35 Chicks

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#61 Australian "Firehawk" Raptors, Such As This Black Kite, Have Recently Been Found To Purposefully Spread Wildfires, By Carrying Smouldering Branches To Unburnt Areas, To Flush Out Prey, Confirming Long-Held Traditional Aboriginal Knowledge

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#62 The Pygmy Falcon Is The Smallest Raptor In Africa - Adults Are Less Than 8” Long

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#63 The Ears Of Caracal Kittens Do Not Become Active Until The Third Or Fourth Week After Birth

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#64 Newborn Kangaroos Are About The Size Of A Lima Bean. They Use Their Forelimbs To Climb Into The Pouch And Latch Onto A Teat Until They Leave The Pouch After About Nine Months

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#65 A Thorny Devil, A Type Of Lizard Native To Australia. They Eat Insects And Defend Themselves With Their Spines

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#66 Wombats Are Herbivores; Their Diets Consist Mostly Of Grasses, Sedges, Herbs, Bark, And Roots. Their Incisor Teeth Somewhat Resemble Those Of Rodents (Rats, Mice, Etc.), Being Adapted For Gnawing Tough Vegetation

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#67 Cheetah Cubs Have Long Tall Hair That Runs From Their Neck All The Way Down To The Base Of Their Tail, Which Is Called The Mantle. The Mantle Makes A Cheetah Cub Look Like A Honey Badger And Makes Them Blend Into Tall Grass, Which Helps Keep Them Safe From Threats Like Lions And Hyenas

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#68 King Cheetahs Are Variety Of Cheetahs With A Rare Mutation Caused By A Recessive Allele. Their Cream-Colored Fur Are Marked With Large, Blotchy Spots And Three Dark, Wide Stripes Extend From The Neck To The Tail

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#69 Native To Mexico, The Axolotl Has A Slimy Tail And A Mouth That Curls Into An Odd Smile. It Is Known As The "Water Monster" Or The "Mexican Walking Fish."

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#70 Numerous Research Were Conducted Regarding Complex Emotional States In Sheep. In Positive Situations, The Ear Posture Remained More Stable And In Relaxed Positions. Ear Posture, Heart Rate, And Other Behavioral And Physiological Measures Confirm That Lambs Enjoy Gentle Stroking

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#71 Despite Being Voracious Carnivores, Crocodilians Are Surprisingly Caring And Nurturing Parents. Mothers Will Fiercely Guard Their Offspring Against Predators For Over A Year Till They're Large Enough To Fend From Themselves

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#72 Captain Cook Collected Quolls Along The East Coast In 1770, And Recorded 'Quoll' As Their Local Aboriginal Name. Quolls Were Often Seen By Early Settlers, Who Called Them 'Native Cat', 'Native Polecat' And 'Spotted Marten', Names Based On Familiar European Animals

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#73 Coyotes And Badgers Occasionally Form Short-Term Alliances To Hunt. The Most Common Structure Is One Coyote And One Badger, Though Occasionally Two Coyotes Will Join Up

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#74 Hippos Can't Really Swim. Their Big Bones Are Too Dense And Heavy, So They Just Push Off The Ground, Walking Or Bouncing Off The Bottom

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#75 Only 1 In 3000 Calicos Are Male Cats. Despite Popular Myth, There Is No Additional Value To Them Being Male, As They Are Sterile

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#76 He's Got A Funny Face, Antifreeze In His Blood And Likes To Cuddle With Divers. It´s A Wolffish

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#77 When Threatened, The Silky Anteater, Like Other Anteaters, Defends Itself By Standing On Its Hind Legs And Holding Its Fore Feet Close To Its Face So It Can Strike Any Animal That Tries To Get Close With Its Sharp Claws. | Photo By Brian Wilcox

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#78 Kakapos Are Making A Sweet Little Comeback In New Zealand. A Few New Chicks Have Finally Arrived In The Country, Due To A Slight But Very Significant Baby Boom. The Chicks Are The First To Be Born In Three Years

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#79 New Study Finds Holstein Dairy Calves Are Natural Optimists Or Pessimists, Just Like Us

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#80 Sea Otters Are Keystone Species In Kelp Forests. They Feed On Sea Urchins, Which Eat Kelp. Without The Otters, These Otherwise Productive Ecosystems Turn Into Urchin Barrens

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#81 Hazel Dormice Spend A Large Proportion Of Their Lives Sleeping - Either Hibernating In Nests On The Ground In Winter, Or In A State Of Torpor (Curls Up Into A Ball And Sleep) In Summer. They Are Also Nocturnal On Top Of It All. You Can Also Hear Them Snore

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#82 The Tibetan Mastiff Originally Used As Guard Dogs For Livestock And Property, They Can Still Be Found Performing That Role, But They Also Enjoy Life As Family Companions And Show Dogs. One Red Mastiff Named “Big Splash” Reportedly Sold For $1.5 Million In 2011, In The Most Expensive Dog Sale Then

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#83 When Tadpoles Metamorphose Into Frogs, They Cease Breathing With Gills And Start Breathing With Lungs. (Pictured Of A Young Frog Gasping For Air, As It Learns To Use Its Lungs.)

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#84 On Average, Opossums Eat Up To 5000 Ticks In A Season, But They Don’t Contract Or Carry Lyme Disease

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#85 Due To The Height Of Their Mother's, Baby Giraffes Endure A 5-6ft Drop Straight To The Ground When They're Born

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#86 Cats Are Easy To Train And Have A Working Memory Of 30 Seconds

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#87 The Lemming Is A Small Rodent, Usually Found In Or Near The Arctic In Tundra Biomes. Their Defence System Is Thought To Be Based On Aposematism (Warning Display). They Can Be Very Territorial And Aggressive

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#88 Researchers Have Speculated That Dogs Facial Muscles Have Evolved In Such A Way To Help Them Communicate Better With Their Human Counterparts

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#89 Three-Banded Armadillos Are Capable Of Rolling Into A Complete Ball To Defend Themselves

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