20+ interesting facts about our smaller brothers

We love animals — and also to learn something new and amazing about them. Habits, character, interesting details from life, instincts, and much more — there are many more facts about our younger brothers, which you probably did not guess. Let's take a look at some of the little-known facts about animals!

Female dragonflies may pretend to be dead to stop unwanted courtship by males

Sloths are too lazy even to look for a mate. During the mating season, the female can sit on a tree and scream until the male hears her and comes to mate himself

The smell of bananas can cause aggression in bees. They have a special "pheromone of anxiety", which they secrete to give a signal to their relatives. This pheromone contains substances very similar to those found in bananas

Tarantulas and frogs have mutually beneficial cooperation. Frogs eat insects and parasites that can harm spider eggs. The spider, in turn, protects the frog from dangers (even after the birth of the spiders)

Crows can remember faces and recognize people, even years later

Deep-sea angler fish with a small "flashlight" on their head are female individuals. Males are much smaller in size, and they have a weaker jaw

The hearing of roosters does not deteriorate with time, despite the fact that they crow very loudly. They are born with "natural earplugs" — during crowing, half of the birds' eardrum is covered with a soft cloth, which muffles the sound

Hippopotamus sweat is red

In captivity, an animal called binturong (they are also called "cat bears") can hold a grudge against a person

When the caterpillars enter the pupal phase, first their entire body splits and turns into a liquid mass

In Africa, some tribes "cooperate" with birds from the Honeyeater family. The birds lead them to the hives hidden in the trees — the tribes take the honey, and the birds are left with bee larvae

The octopus has eight tentacles, three hearts and nine brains

Woodpeckers' tongues can wrap around the back of their brains. This protects their brains when hitting a tree with their beak

The cry of a sperm whale is so loud that sound waves can kill a person if he swims close

When male halibut grow to a certain size (about 114 cm), they become females

The spikes on the tiger's tongue are sharp enough to peel the skin off the muscles

Chickens can say goodbye to dying relatives. In addition, they can specifically peck a relative if they feel that they are sick

Vultures urinate on their paws to cool off on hot days — this process is called urohydrosis. Their urine also helps to destroy bacteria or parasites

The platypus glows turquoise under ultraviolet light

Penguins have a special supraorbital gland that "filters" salt water, turning it into fresh

The average life expectancy of a squirrel is 16 years

In order to cross the river, armadillos can crawl along its bottom if it is small (they can breathe underwater for about 7 minutes), or "inflate" their guts in a special way to swim with their help

Castoreum is a product of the anal glands of beavers, which was once used as a substitute for vanilla flavor. Now it is used only in perfumery, and in Swedish schnapps called Bäverhojt

Kangaroos can mate again from 1 to 3 days after the birth of a cub. The new embryo will be at the diapause stage while the baby is growing in the bag. And when the cub grows up and leaves the bag, the "waiting" embryo begins to develop

A penguin can leave the colony for no reason and head in the other direction alone — almost like a zombie. So far, scientists have not found a clear explanation for this behavior

The vast majority of Greenland sharks are blind — because of a parasite that eats their eyes

Turtles can breathe through the anus

Whale milk has the consistency of toothpaste. Therefore, baby whales can gain weight at a rate of 4.5 kg per hour

The teeth of the Paku fish look like human teeth. They have changed evolutionarily so that fish can snap nuts