Weird and Wonderful Wildlife Facts

Read time - 3 minutes

Planet Earth is teeming with wildlife; big cats prowl African savannahs, birdsong symphonies ring out from rainforest canopies, whales breach at the ends of the Earth as Mountain gorillas beat their chests from an East African jungle nest…our animal kingdom always astonishes and amazes us.

There are millions of different species of animals in the world; our oceans are home to nearly fifty per cent of all animal life on Earth, while one in ten known species can be found in the Amazon Rainforest.

There is a shared passion for the world’s zoological wonders here at Exodus, so we put our heads together to come up with some weird and wonderful wildlife facts that may give you ‘paws’ for thought…

Weird Animal Facts

Bengal tiger

Sloth Fact

Sloths only venture down from the trees about once a week to defecate! So strong is their aversion to being on the ground that if one of their young falls, a sloth parent will stay put and let nature run its course.

Giraffe Fact

Giraffes may have the longest necks on the planet, but they have just seven vertebrae – the same as in a human neck. 

Polar Bear Fact

Polar bears do not give off any detectable body heat, so cannot be picked up on infrared cameras.

Bat Fact

The leg bones of bats are so thin that no bat can walk.

Tiger Fact

Tigers have striped skin as well as striped fur.

Hyena Fact

Hyenas have the most acidic stomachs of the animal kingdom which enables them to break down bones and tough sinews.

Shark Fact

Sharks have six senses, the same five as humans plus one other - their lateral line and collection of electroreceptors in their noses allow them to detect motion in the form of electrical impulses.

Jungle gorilla

Gorilla Fact

Closely linked by DNA, gorillas are amongst the closest living relatives of humans. However, unlike us, who can be identified by our fingerprints, gorillas each have a unique nose print. 

Penguin Fact

There are 17 species of penguin found in the world, but only four are resident to mainland Antarctica – the Adelie, Chinstrap, Emperor and the Gentoo. King, Rockhopper and Macaroni penguins are only found on the sub-Antarctic islands. -

Snake Fact

Snakes do not have eyelids and therefore never shut their eyes. They have an eyecap known as the brille. These clear scales help to protect their eyes and keep them moist much like an eyelid would.

An elk’s coat grows from tail to neck, the opposite direction of most fur-covered animals.

Rock Hyrax Fact

You’d never guess it from looking at them, but the Rock hyrax is closely related to the elephant. These small herbivorous mammals are found in East Africa and weigh just nine pounds.

Grizzly Bears

Grizzly Bear Fact

Grizzly bears can outrun a racehorse over small distances. They have been known to cover 50 yards in just three seconds.

Snow Leopard Fact

Snow leopards use their long tails for warmth as well as balance and wrap it around their necks like a scarf.

Tortoise Fact

The only time a tortoise will utter a sound is during mating.

Hummingbird Fact

Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards. They flap their wings between 600 - 800 times a minute.

Seahorse Fact

The slowest fish in the sea is the Dwarf seahorse, swimming at just 0.001mph. 

Elephant Fact

An elephant can smell water up to three miles away.

Elephant safari

Hippo Fact

Hippos have the biggest mouth of any land animal – opening it more than one metre wide. 

Moose Fact

Moose don’t sweat, hence they are often seen standing around in lakes to keep cool.

Howler Monkey Fact

Howler monkeys are the loudest land animal and can be heard up to 3 miles away - even through dense rainforest.

Cheetah Fact

A cheetah’s 100m record is 6.13 seconds - over three seconds faster than Usain Bolt.

Flamingo Fact

A flamingo can only eat when its head is upside down.

Dolphin Fact

When dolphins sleep, one half of their brain goes dormant while the other stays active to prevent them drowning. They also keep one eye open and one closed when they sleep.

Dolphin

Rat Fact

A rat can survive without water for longer than a camel.

Blue Whale Fact

The Blue whale is the loudest animal on Earth reaching levels of 188 decibels – a volume which could deafen a human.

Ant Fact

For every human on the planet, there are more than one million ants. Army ants are still used to stitch wounds in Central and South America.

So how many did you already know? Why not share your weird and wonderful wildlife facts on our Facebook fan page.

Find out more about the planet's incredible animals on our wildlife trips below.