11 WTF Fun Facts About Animals That Will Surprise You

 1. Do otters hold hands when they sleep?

Otters are known to hold hands in groups - called a raft - while they eat, sleep and rest, to prevent families losing each other. The furry animals, the largest member of the weasel family, are even known to wrap sea plants around them to secure the bond.

2. What animals have chins?

The chin isn't just the lower part of your face: It's a specific term for that little piece of bone extending from the jaw. While it may seem odd, humans are in fact the only animals that have one. Even chimpanzees and gorillas, our closest genetic cousins, lack chins.

3. Is there a difference between buffalo and bison?

Early American settlers called bison “bufello” due to the similar appearance between the two animals, and the name "buffalo" stuck for the American variety. But it's wrong. The American bison (Bison bison) lives only in North America, while the two main buffalo species reside in Africa and Asia.

4. Are ants really strong?

The legs of the ant are very strong so they can run very quickly. If a man could run as fast for his size as an ant can, he could run as fast as a racehorse. Ants can lift 20 times their own body weight. An ant brain has about 250 000 brain cells.

5. How many fingers does a raccoon have?

The five toes on a raccoon's front paws are extremely dexterous, functioning essentially as five little fingers which allow it to grasp and manipulate food it finds in the wild as well as a variety of other objects, including doorknobs, jars, and latches.

6. What does a camel store inside its hump?

Camels do not store water in their humps, as it is commonly believed. The humps are actually reservoirs of fatty tissue. Concentrating body fat in their humps minimizes heat-trapping insulation throughout the rest of their body, which may be an adaptation to living in hot climates.

7. Do snakes have a good sense of smell?

Most snakes have an excellent sense of smell, in part to make up for their poor eyesight and limited hearing. Rather than a conventional nose, however, snakes sniff with an organ at the roof of the mouth called a Jacobson's organ, which is also found in a few lizard species.

8. Do salmon die after they spawn?

The salmon run is the time when salmon, which have migrated from the ocean, swim to the upper reaches of rivers where they spawn on gravel beds. After spawning, all Pacific salmon and most Atlantic salmon die, and the salmon life cycle starts over again.

9. How much does a baby blue whale weigh at birth?

After about a year inside its mother's womb, a baby blue whale emerges weighing up to 3 tons (2.7 metric tons) and stretching to 25 feet (8 meters). It gorges on nothing but mother's milk and gains about 200 pounds (91 kilograms) every day for its first year.

10. How does a giraffe sleep?

In the wild, giraffes almost never lie down because of vulnerability to predators. They usually sleep standing, sometimes sitting, and they give birth standing up. When giraffes sleep, they curl their necks and sleep for about five minutes at a time, sleeping no more than 30 minutes a day.

11. Do male seahorses get pregnant?

In sea horses, the males become pregnant. Their mating involves the female inserting her oviduct into the male's brooding pouch. She does this several times for short intervals to avoid exhaustion. In between the female rests while the male contorts himself to try to get the eggs in place in his brood pouch.