28 Bizarre Facts About Animals That Will Make You Go “WTF?”

Acrobatic pee-ers. Projectile poopers. A parasite that takes the place of a tongue. Insects that love to eat sweat ... and others that are attracted to stinky feet.

Read on for some wild facts about animals that are sure to make you go “WTF?”

1. Penguins shoot poop bombs.
2. Pandas can handstand while peeing.
3. Female platypuses “sweat” milk.
4. Hippos “sweat” “blood.”
5. Goats have accents.
6. Horse’s teeth take up more space in their heads than their brain does.
7. If you look through an owl’s ears, you can see its eyes.
8. Reindeer’s eyes change color.
9. There’s a type of frog that uses its broken bones as a weapon.
10. Mosquitoes like stinky feet.
11. Sea cucumbers can expel their organs through their butts. 
12. The loudest recorded cat purr is almost as loud as a vacuum cleaner. 
13. A single moose can carry tens of thousands of ticks.
14. Giraffes have the same number of neck vertebrae as humans ...
15. … And they use their necks as weapons. 
16. Some species of anglerfish fuse together when mating.
17. Houseflies taste with their feet.
18. Butterflies eat a lot of gross things.
19. Whale penises can be 10 feet long.
20. Barnacle penises can change shape.
21. Texas horned lizards shoot blood from their eyes. 
22. Beaded lacewings fart to kill their prey.
23. Termites produce a lot of methane.
24. Alligator snapping turtles use their tongues to trap prey.
25. There’s a type of parasite that acts like a fish tongue.
26. There’s a breed of dog that doesn’t bark.
27. Some types of tuna are warm-blooded.
28. Naked mole rats use their teeth like chopsticks.

Penguins shoot poop bombs.

Penguins are super cute, with their tuxedo-like patterns and their adorable little waddles, but you don’t want to stand on the wrong end of a penguin that needs to poop. Some species shoot “poop bombs” either horizontally or in an arc, depending on the specific species, and they have incredibly strong rectal pressure: Their poop bombs can travel through the air at nearly 5 mph, theoretically reaching a distance of up to 53 inches. According to one estimate, that would be the equivalent of a human sending the contents of their bowels 10 feet through the air. Projective poop bombs are pretty gross, but there might be a good reason for them: It’s thought penguins do it to help keep their nests clean. 

Pandas can handstand while peeing.

If you think poop bombs are impressive, wait until you see a male panda pee. Pandas are notoriously clumsy and are prone to falling out of trees. But their athletic capabilities are on full display when it’s time to empty their bladders. Male pandas are known to handstand while peeing to mark their territory because urinating while upside down lets them spray their scent higher onto a tree, probably to tell females “sup, I’m here,” and tell other males “I’m big and tough.”

Female platypuses “sweat” milk.

Platypuses are the weirdos of the animal world. They’re mammals, but they lay eggs and have bills. They don’t have nipples, but they still have mammary glands that produce milk. Female platypus secrete milk out of their skin, making it look like they’re sweating milk. Baby platypuses—which are adorably known as puggles—simply lick the milk from special grooves

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Hippos “sweat” “blood.”

Here’s another animal that “sweats” something that isn’t actually sweat. Hippos secrete a red fluid that makes it look like they’re sweating blood. The animals have extremely sensitive skin, and the so-called “blood sweat”—which isn’t blood or sweat—actually acts as a moisturizer, water repellent, and antibiotic. It helps protect their skin from both all the time they spend underwater and the harsh sun. It took some careful research to figure out what the red substance actually was. A group of chemists tried to carefully collect the “blood” by dabbing it with paper towels, but the substance was too chemically unstable and broke down. After years of trial and error, scientists were able to collect adequate samples by carefully sponging it off the hippos. 

Goats have accents.

You might think that all goats sound the same—but other goats would disagree. The animals change their vocal sounds based on their social environments. A 2012 study published in Animal Behaviour found that the calls of young pygmy goats who were put in the same social groups would start to sound familiar. Goats who were raised in separate social groups, on the other hand, would sound different as time passed.

Horse’s teeth take up more space in their heads than their brain does.

Though horses have big heads, their brains aren’t large. The average horse brain weighs roughly 1.5 pounds—which is about half as much as a human brain weighs. Their giant noggins aren’t full of small brains and a bunch of empty space, though. Adult horses have anywhere between 36 to 44 teeth. Each tooth is about 4 to 5 inches long, and only a small portion is actually above the gumline. 

If you look through an owl’s ears, you can see its eyes.

 If you sneak a peek through an owl’s ears, you may be able to see the back of the owl’s eyes. All owls have large eyes, but specific species like the northern saw-whet owl have evolved to have particularly large peepers compared to their body size, which is why it’s possible to see the backs of their eyes through their earholes.

Reindeer’s eyes change color.

Many mammals change their coats, depending on the season. Their fur can change color, or it will become thick and fluffy in the winter and sleek in the summer. Reindeer, however, take their seasonal wardrobe change a step further by changing their eye color from gold-turquoise to blue. They have golden-brown eyes in the warmer months, but bust out their baby blues in the winter, it’s not the iris that’s changing color, it’s the tapetum lucidum—the same thing that makes cat’s eyes look like they’re glowing when you shine a light on them. It’s thought the color change helps them see better in the perpetual twilight of an Arctic winter.

There’s a type of frog that uses its broken bones as a weapon.

Hairy frogs aren’t actually hairy—male frogs sometimes have thin strands of skin on their bodies that look like hair. But that isn’t the most wtf thing about these amphibians. Hairy frogs have an extremely unusual way of defending themselves. They break their toe bones when under duress, then shove their broken toe bones through their skin and use them like claws.

Mosquitoes like stinky feet.

Mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find animals they want to snack on. Certain perfumes and foods may attract them toward a target. Strong body odors, like someone’s stinky, sweaty feet and socks, are also a beacon. One study even found that mosquitoes infected with malaria are three times more likely to be attracted to the stench of a person’s feet. So if you’re in an area with a lot of mosquitoes, make sure you keep your feet and socks clean.

Sea cucumbers can expel their organs through their butts. 

Sea cucumbers look like some sort of squishy, elongated ocean blob. You don’t want to underestimate them, though: When under attack, some species shoot their internal organs out of their rectums. Their organs are sticky and can contain a toxic chemical that will kill a predator. The sea cucumber can survive after expelling its organs though its butt, as they’re able to regenerate missing body parts.

The loudest recorded cat purr is almost as loud as a vacuum cleaner. 

In 2011, a housecat named Smokey broke the record for the world’s loudest cat purr. Her happy rumbles hit an impressive 67.8 decibels. That’s about as loud as a vacuum cleaner and louder than a lot of human conversations—Smokey’s human commented that they had difficulty hearing movies over her purrs.

A single moose can carry tens of thousands of ticks.

Ticks are tiny parasites that can become huge problems for moose. A single adult moose can have upwards of 90,000 ticks embedded in it at one time. The tick-infested moose may rub almost all its fur off in an effort to remove the bloodsuckers. Adult moose might survive having tens of thousands of ticks eating away at then, but calves often die. And unfortunately for the moose, climate change is causing warmer winters, which is making tick infestations worse.

Giraffes have the same number of neck vertebrae as humans ...

A giraffe’s neck is 6 feet long—that’s taller than the average human male. But their necks actually have the same amount of vertebrae as a person’s neck. Theirs are just significantly larger, with some of their neck vertebrae being nearly 10 inches long. 

… And they use their necks as weapons. 

They also wield their giant necks as weapons. Male giraffes will use their necks to spar with one another. Sometimes they participate in mild, harmless sparring sessions, while other times they’ll use their necks to really pack a punch. Watching one of these fights is truly wild.

Some species of anglerfish fuse together when mating.

When it comes to anglerfish sex, two really do become one. In some anglerfish species, the male will fuse together with the female while mating. Depending on the species, the two fish may separate once the deed is done, or their tissue may remain joined together forever. In the latter cases, the male and females’ circulatory systems will connect, and the male will rely on the female for sustenance. And they aren’t monogamous, either: A single female can fuse together with multiple males.

Houseflies taste with their feet.

Houseflies’ taste buds are on their feet. And their sense of taste is incredible: According to the Smithsonian, their feet are 10 million times more sensitive than the human tongue is. They also regurgitate or poop pretty much every time they land on your food..

Butterflies eat a lot of gross things.

Butterflies love a good pollinator garden. And though flowers do feed them, the insects will also devour much less appetizing meals. They’ve been known to eat blood, sweat, tears, pee, poop, and even rotting flesh.

Whale penises can be 10 feet long.

Blue whales have the world’s largest penises. While it’s understandably difficult to measure them, it’s often said that they can be 10 feet long, have a 1-foot diameter, and weigh about 150 pounds. That’s how much each of their testicles weigh, too. All together, their genitalia weigh about 450 pounds, which is just slightly more than the weight of their heart. Whale penises are so large and strange-looking that some theorize they’ve been mistaken for sea monsters.

Barnacle penises can change shape.

Barnacles also have some pretty impressive penises. Some species can stretch their penises to become eight times as long as their body, while others can change shape depending on their environment. Barnacles in rough waters have short, wide phalluses, whereas those in gentler conditions have long, thin ones. They can also regrow their penises before each mating season, making it easy for them to adapt to whatever conditions they’re living in.

Texas horned lizards shoot blood from their eyes. 

Texas horned lizards and a few related species use more than just their spikes and horns to defend themselves. They also shoot blood from their eyes. The stream of blood can reach several feet, and it’s mixed with a nasty chemical meant to deter predators. It isn’t a small amount of liquid, either: a Texas horned lizard can release one-third of its total blood supply through its eyes.

Beaded lacewings fart to kill their prey.

Beaded lacewings are a type of winged insect that eats termites as babies. Adults lay eggs in termite nests, setting their young up for some stinky but successful hunting. Beaded lacewing larvae release a chemical called “allomone” from their rear ends that paralyzes the termites, which they then eat. Just one fart can take down multiple termites. 

Termites produce a lot of methane.

Termites are also impressively gassy: The insects produce up to 3 percent of all of the world’s methane emissions. Which isn’t all that surprising, considering that by some estimates, there are 27 quadrillion termites roaming the Earth right now. Fortunately, their mounds are good at filtering the greenhouse gas. One 2018 study found that nearly half of the methane the termites fart out is broken down by bacteria inside the termite mounds and nearby soil before it escapes into the atmosphere.

Alligator snapping turtles use their tongues to trap prey.

Alligator snapping turtles have tongues that kind of look like worms. When they’re hunting, the turtles will hang out with their mouths open. Fish will then mistake their wiggling tongues for worms or something similar. 

There’s a type of parasite that acts like a fish tongue.

Speaking of tongues: A tongue-eating louse is a type of parasite that severs a fish’s tongue from its mouth. It then replaces the tongue with itself and eats the fish’s mucus or blood. The parasites have been found pretending to be the tongues of species including sea trout, snapper, and Atlantic croaker. The long-term effects of this arrangement on the fish probably depend on species of both fish and parasite, but no matter what, the pictures are gnarly.

There’s a breed of dog that doesn’t bark.

Basenji dogs don’t bark. They yodel instead. There’s a theory that they have a shallower laryngeal ventricle than most other dogs, which is why they yodel instead of bark. Controversially, though, some scientists and basenji owners report that basenjis can bark, they just don’t. One mid-20th century study found that in a test where cocker spaniels barked 68 percent of the time, basenjis only barked 20 percent. Whether these barking basenjis are purebreds is more-or-less an open question that more scientists need to get on.

Some types of tuna are warm-blooded.

Bluefin tuna certainly aren’t mammals, but they are warm-blooded. They have a specialized blood vessel structure called a “countercurrent exchanger” that lets them maintain a body temperature that’s warmer than the surrounding water. This helps them live in colder climates, and also lets them swim faster and more powerfully.

Naked mole rats use their teeth like chopsticks.

Naked mole rats use their teeth for a lot of things: to eat plants and their own poop, to fight, and to dig through soil. The weird, wrinkly rodents can move their front teeth independently. According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, they essentially use their big buck teeth like a pair of chopsticks by spreading them apart and pulling them back together.

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This story was adapted from an episode of The List Show on YouTube. Subscribe for more fun videos.