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Bonus points for articles or links to said facts. I demand rabbit-holes to explore
That is my favorite way I have ever heard anyone express that wish.
Some lint for you (accuracy may vary):
Bee family trees, if you follow a queen down through drones and workers and other queens, follow the fibonacci sequence. The fibonacci sequence is also reflected in the structure of spiral seashells. Source: Some book I read about the fibonacci sequence many years ago.
Flamingoes are motherfucking TANKS. Seriously. Their ability to survive in absurdly harsh environments that would kill other animals is wild.
Only female reindeer lose their antlers in wintertime (disclaimer: this may depend on species of reindeer?)
Some guy (Russian I think?), when a computer informed him that nuclear missiles had been fired at his country and he was told to return fire, correctly believed the computer to be bugged and refused to fire the missiles. So uh. Thanks, guy. He went and lived out his life normally and never got appropriate thanks for saving a shitload of people, I think. Source: memory of wikipedia article, may be wrong on some details so really I should be double checking those before repeating them but here you go I’m too tired for that.
Some other guy survived BOTH the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, and lived to old age afterwards. Somehow both the literal worst luck, and the best.
There is a parasite that latches on to ants’ feet that does not harm the ant - in fact, it fully replaces the function of the ant’s foot, including forming a claw to help the ant grab stuff like it would with its actual foot. There is also a similar parasite that replaces a fish’s tongue (yeah I hate it too).
Octpuses only live for like 3 years max, and the females die after laying their eggs. Meanwhile, they are really, really, really smart, like dolphins and parrots and crows. Imagine being that aware and smart, but only living 3 years. It disturbs me.
Uranium glass, which is exactly what it says on the tin - glass made with a teensy bit of uranium in it - glows in the dark in (typically) bright, cartoon acid green.
Whales can and do communicate across vast distances because their calls carry much more easily in water than sound carries in air.
Hammerhead sharks’ heads detect electrical fields, and they use these fields to locate their prey. Run.
The whole alpha/beta/omega wolf pack thing is complete bullshit, retracted even by the person who first popularized it, and he has spent years upon years trying to scrub out that idea he unleashed into pop culture but has been unable to.
Elephants’ feet are very sensitive, able to feel minute vibrations from miles away, and they can communicate with them. Also they do NOT make the thumping sound that is foley’d into nature documentaries - they walk silently. Also, the bottom of their feet looks like swiss cheese and you should not google that if you have tryptophobia.
Edit 2: most bees are solitary bees, and many look nothing like a honey or bumble bee. Many “save the bees” efforts end up counterproductive because they just boost domestic honeybees where the honeybees are an invasive species, and where some native plants are exclusively pollinated by a specific species of native solitary bee.
Uranium glass is much more subtle than it sounds. VERY slightly radioactive, and it doesn’t glow. It has an interesting tint to it, and if you shine light through it, it looks intense, but it doesn’t actually glow. (A friend who works with glass gives me any she happens to run across.)
That is my favorite way I have ever heard anyone express that wish.
Some lint for you (accuracy may vary):
Bee family trees, if you follow a queen down through drones and workers and other queens, follow the fibonacci sequence. The fibonacci sequence is also reflected in the structure of spiral seashells. Source: Some book I read about the fibonacci sequence many years ago.
Flamingoes are motherfucking TANKS. Seriously. Their ability to survive in absurdly harsh environments that would kill other animals is wild.
Only female reindeer lose their antlers in wintertime (disclaimer: this may depend on species of reindeer?)
Some guy (Russian I think?), when a computer informed him that nuclear missiles had been fired at his country and he was told to return fire, correctly believed the computer to be bugged and refused to fire the missiles. So uh. Thanks, guy. He went and lived out his life normally and never got appropriate thanks for saving a shitload of people, I think. Source: memory of wikipedia article, may be wrong on some details so really I should be double checking those before repeating them but here you go I’m too tired for that.
Some other guy survived BOTH the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, and lived to old age afterwards. Somehow both the literal worst luck, and the best.
There is a parasite that latches on to ants’ feet that does not harm the ant - in fact, it fully replaces the function of the ant’s foot, including forming a claw to help the ant grab stuff like it would with its actual foot. There is also a similar parasite that replaces a fish’s tongue (yeah I hate it too).
Octpuses only live for like 3 years max, and the females die after laying their eggs. Meanwhile, they are really, really, really smart, like dolphins and parrots and crows. Imagine being that aware and smart, but only living 3 years. It disturbs me.
Uranium glass, which is exactly what it says on the tin - glass made with a teensy bit of uranium in it - glows in the dark in (typically) bright, cartoon acid green.
Whales can and do communicate across vast distances because their calls carry much more easily in water than sound carries in air.
Hammerhead sharks’ heads detect electrical fields, and they use these fields to locate their prey. Run.
The whole alpha/beta/omega wolf pack thing is complete bullshit, retracted even by the person who first popularized it, and he has spent years upon years trying to scrub out that idea he unleashed into pop culture but has been unable to.
Elephants’ feet are very sensitive, able to feel minute vibrations from miles away, and they can communicate with them. Also they do NOT make the thumping sound that is foley’d into nature documentaries - they walk silently. Also, the bottom of their feet looks like swiss cheese and you should not google that if you have tryptophobia.
Edit 2: most bees are solitary bees, and many look nothing like a honey or bumble bee. Many “save the bees” efforts end up counterproductive because they just boost domestic honeybees where the honeybees are an invasive species, and where some native plants are exclusively pollinated by a specific species of native solitary bee.
Stanislav Petrov is the guy who refused to launch the Russian nukes and possibly averted World War 3.
Uranium glass is much more subtle than it sounds. VERY slightly radioactive, and it doesn’t glow. It has an interesting tint to it, and if you shine light through it, it looks intense, but it doesn’t actually glow. (A friend who works with glass gives me any she happens to run across.)