9 Facts About Animals No One Told Us During Biology Class

If biology teachers told their students about these animals and their crazy habits, no one would ever skip class again.

Bright Side gathered nine unbelievable facts about the animal world that would stun even scientists. After reading about these animals, you’ll realize how diverse and amazing they really are.

9. Flamingo crop milk is red

Flamingos have this interesting thing called “crop milk,” which is like a special liquid they make in their stomachs. It’s full of good stuff that helps baby flamingos grow. What’s cool is that it’s not like the milk from mammals — it’s made in their upper stomachs. The juice is a pretty pink color because of the colorful foods flamingos eat, like algae and tiny sea creatures. These foods have something called carotenoids that make the juice turn pink. Scientists are still figuring it all out, but here’s the interesting part — the mom or dad flamingo helps their little one by feeding them this special juice straight from their heads. It’s a clever way nature takes care of its own! So, while scientists keep learning more about flamingos, this story about their special juice shows how amazing and clever nature can be.

8. Sparrowhawks set grass on fire to force rodents out of their holes.

Believe it or not, some birds may be responsible for spreading wildfires. In Australia, zoologists have witnessed sparrowhawks and other birds of prey carrying burning sticks in their talons and throwing them onto dry grass. Doing this causes grass fires, forcing their prey to come out of hiding.

7. A frog that completely freezes itself.

The Alaskan Wood Frog literally freezes for six to seven months at a time. When the frost comes and covers the frog’s body with ice, its lungs and heart stop working and its blood stops circulating. The frog has a cryoprotectant mechanism, reducing the freezing point of the blood and other biological fluids that help it survive during such freezing. As soon as the spring comes, the frog wakes up again and continues to thrive.

6. A fish that creates a perfectly geometrical nest.

These mysterious geometric patterns on the Pacific Ocean’s floor are the work of the white-spotted puffer. These beautiful patterns are meant to collect fine sand particles from streams of water, helping the white-spotted puffer to survive in the ocean’s environment.

5. Zebras’ stripes don’t serve as camouflage.

Much to their dismay, scientists found out that zebras’ black and white stripes aren’t used for camouflage, but instead serve as a tool to fight off tsetse flies and horseflies. The narrow stripes on zebras’ bodies are unattractive to insects because the light waves that reflect off the animals’ skin.

4. A huge shark that won’t bite you.

This basking shark is the second largest fish after the whale shark. While the basking shark and the whale shark look as if they could swallow large fish or even a human being, they’re actually not dangerous because they only eat plankton.

3. Komodo dragons are very weak.

Despite their menacing look and the fact that they’re the largest lizards on the planet, the Komodo dragon’s bite is actually weaker than a house cat’s. And if this raptor tried to bite someone, it would probably damage its own jaw or skull. However, this giant wuss of a dragon is still dangerous since it hunts with the help of its poisonous saliva.

2. The King of the herrings is an incredibly long fish.

This sea monster was caught several years ago near Santa Catalina Island. The incredible fish is referred to as the King of the herrings or the ribbonfish, measuring at a whopping 5.5 meters (18 ft). It’s worth noting that the giant fish is in the Guinness World Records as the longest living bony fish. The biggest fish reached a record length of 11 meters (36 ft).

1. A koala’s fingerprints are almost identical to a human being’s.

Koala’s fingerprint on the left, human being’s one on the right

Australian researchers found out that koalas have the same fingerprints as humans. The prints are so similar that even experts have trouble telling the fingerprints apart— they’re as alike as two peas under a microscope!

Our world is definitely full of incredible creatures with even more surprising features. Do you know any other little-known facts about animals? Share them with us!