Factual Animal Facts

Animal facts verified by reputable websites, books, and common sense. For more information and links to the sources for each tweet, please visit our website.

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The 2nd largest known fish, basking sharks can be 30+ ft long & weigh 8,5000 lbs. This passive filter-feeder is poses no threat to humans.

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Elephants go through 6 sets of teeth in their lifetime. At ~5-11 lbs, each molar is about the size of a brick!

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Unlike other new world canids, the hoary fox primarily eats insects. This species is unique to Brazil.

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The unusual webbed feet of the Arabian Sand Gecko are a handy adaptation for the sandy habitats in which this nocturnal reptile lives

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The Mohéli scops-owl is found only on its namesake island. Critically endangered, an estimated ~260 mature individuals remain.

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Chimpanzees nurse until they are ~4 years old. Infants have a white tuft of hair on their bottoms that disappears with age.

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#MarsupialMonday Male koalas make low-pitched mating calls at a frequency that is more typical of an elephant-sized animal.

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The endangered Giant-striped Mongoose is endemic to the spiny desert of SW Madagascar. They primarily eat invertebrates including scorpions.

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A single kiwi egg can weigh up to 20% of the mother's body weight. For comparison, that's like a 130 lb human woman having a 26 lb newborn.

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Marine iguanas of the Galapagos are the only living sea-going lizard species. Adapted to their oceanic life, they "sneeze" out excess salt.

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#VocabWednesday Lagomorph: A member of the order Lagomorpha which includes pikas, rabbits, and hares.

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The chousingha aka Four-horned Antelope is the only living wild mammal species with 4 horns, which are only present in males.

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A monarch butterfly with darker orange/red wings can fly for longer distances & time periods than a monarch with lighter yellowy wings.

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Little Brown Skinks will lay eggs in alligator nests & muskrat houses. One study found 932 skink eggs & eggshells in a single alligator nest

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A beagle named Elvis is able to detect pregnancy in polar bear fecal samples with 97% accuracy.

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Weighing 60-170 lbs (roughly half the size of American black bears), the sun bear is the smallest bear species.

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The Black-breasted Puffleg is a hummingbird found only in Ecuador. They're critically endangered mainly due to habitat destruction.

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#MarsupialMonday North American Opossums can survive rattlesnake bites thanks to a peptide that neutralizes the venom.

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Takin are large stocky "goat antelopes" from Central Asia that are capable of leaping over 6 foot high walls from a standstill.

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It's likely sea turtles can locate their nest sites because they imprint to the unique magnetic signature of the beach where they hatched