These adorable animals are more interesting than they seem!
Redditors shared their favourite cute animal facts, and these were our favorites.
Check out the source at the end of the article if you want to read more.
Bearded dragon.
Bearded dragons are a popular species among children because of their friendly and calm nature, and the relative ease of caring for them. Generally speaking, the bearded dragon is a solitary animal.
Axolotl.
Native to Mexico, the axolotl has a slimy tail and a mouth that curls into an odd smile. It is known as the “water monster” or the “Mexican walking fish.”
Frogs.
When tadpoles metamorphose into frogs, they cease breathing with gills and start breathing with lungs.
Bats.
Bats have a unique vestibular system anatomy. When exposed to zero-G, bats do not undergo the series of righting reflexes that most mammals do to correct orientation because they are accustomed to resting upside-down.
Text Source SendMeAlpacaSelfies
Alpacas.
Not all alpacas spit, but all are capable of doing so. Occasionally the projectile contains only air and a little saliva, although alpacas commonly bring up acidic stomach contents and project it onto their chosen targets. Spitting is mostly reserved for other alpacas.
Sloth bears.
Despite their shambling walk, sloth bears can gallop faster than a human can run.
Capybara.
Capybara are the largest species of rodent. They may exceed 100 pounds. They are semiaquatic.
Kermode bear.
The Kermode bear, also known as the “spirit bear,” is a rare subspecies of the American black bear found in British Columbia, Canada. In the daytime the bear is 30% more efficient than a black bear in capturing salmon because their white coat makes them less visible.
Hermit crabs.
Groups of Hermit crabs will sometimes form “Vacancy Chains” around empty large shells that they themselves are too small to fit into. Once a large enough crab comes to occupy the big shell it initiates a mass swap of shells so that all crabs in the chain can get an upgrade.
Okapi.
Other than giraffes, the Okapi is the only other living member of the family Giraffidae. An Okapi pregnancy will last about 440 days after which usually a single calf is born. The infant can stand within 30 minutes of birth.
Hummingbird.
The Aztec God of War was often depicted as a Hummingbird, and the Aztecs believed that fallen warriors would return to Earth in the form of a Hummingbird.
Dogs.
Dogs are one of only three animals for which yawning is known to be contagious. They “catch” yawns not only from other dogs, but also from humans.
Coconut crab.
The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is a species of terrestrial hermit crab and the largest terrestrial arthropod. Adults weigh about as much as a healthy cat.
Cats.
Free-ranging domesticat cats kill 1.3–4.0 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually in the United States and are likely the single greatest source of anthropogenic mortality for US birds and mammals. They are considered one of the top 100 worst invasive species
Newfoundland dogs.
Newfoundland dogs, known for their gentle demeanor and strong swimming ability, have webbed toes which help their swimming. They were originally bred and used as working dogs in Newfoundland, an island in Eastern Canada.
Huskies.
Huskies have a lot of special adaptations for dealing with cold weather. For instance, when they sleep, they put their tails over their noses. The tails are specially adapted to act as warm air filters so the dog only breathes warm air.
Bats.
Several bat species will use old, dead palm fronds as roosts. These should not be trimmed back during summer months when bats use them as nurseries.
Prairie dogs.
Prairie dogs are named for their habitat and warning call, which sounds similar to a dog’s bark. They actually belong to the rodent family.
Flatback turtles.
About 7,000 flatback turtle eggs are about to be laid at Australia’s only privately owned turtle rookery! 70 females will be required for this to happen. Only one percent typically survive to adulthood. Good luck, baby turts.
Wild turkey.
The wild turkey was hunted nearly to extinction by the early 1900’s, when the population reached a low of around 30,000 birds. But restoration programs across North America have brought the numbers up to seven million today.
Red pandas.
Red Panda ankles are extremely flexible and rotate when climbing headfirst down a tree trunk. Red pandas climb well, using trees for shelter, to escape predators and sunbathe in the winter.
Hippos.
Like humans, baby hippos sometimes suckle while they sleep as a result of active dreaming.
Hedgehogs.
Hedgehog domestication became popular in the early 1980s.
Pangolin.
A pangolin’s tongue is attached near its pelvis and last pair of ribs, and when fully extended is longer than the animal’s head and body.
Norwegian Lundehund.
The Norwegian Lundehund is a puffin hunting breed known for commonly having six toes on each paw, and able to bend their head back almost one eighty degrees along its own spine.
Sand cats.
Sand cats are extremely difficult to study in the wild. Their furry soles that prevent them from sinking in soft sand make their footprints nearly invisible. They have learned to crouch low and close their eyes when a light is shown on them, preventing any reflection off of their eyes.
Cows.
Cows can have best friends and tend to suffer stress when they’re separated.
Orangutangs are smarter than we think.
A new study finds that wild orangutangs use the leaves of a plant found to have anti-inflammatory properties, Dracaena cantleyi, to self-medicate. They chew the leaves and rub the lather onto their limbs. Researchers suggest they may have been using it to treat arms that became sore from carrying offspring.
Comments may have been edited for the sake of clarity.