25 Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

25 Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals: Did you know that if a female ferret goes into heat but is unable to mate, she'll die? Did you know they're one of the only mammals that lay eggs? The species is declining dramatically as their forest habitats are devastated by slash-and-burn agriculture. There are countless amazing facts about the animal kingdom.

Throughout the world, animals of all types have evolved extraordinary adaptations over tens of millions of years. Each species tells its unique story, from tiny insects, spiders, fish, and other minute organisms to some of the world's largest animals.

Today we're not going to tell you how high a spider can jump or how fast a cheetah can run, or why dogs wag their tails. Nope! Today we're going to look at animals that are endangered, unusual, or exotic. I'm Mike with List 25, and here are 25 fascinating facts about rare and exotic animals.

25. The world's most trafficked animal: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Pangolins are peaceful solitary creatures that curl into balls when threatened. Of the world's eight pangolin species, four can be found in Africa. These strange, peaceful armored animals have the tragic honor of being the most trafficked animal in the world, leading to their protection by international law.

All commercial international trade is prohibited. The reason for this animal's highly trafficked status is a sad one. Their bodies are coated in scales, which are used in various traditional medicines. The saddest fact is that over 100,000 of them are stolen from the wild in Africa and Asia every year. Humans are causing their silent extinction.

24. Wombats poop cubes: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

The fact that wombats poop cubes has received a lot of attention recently, and it's no surprise. The reasons for this have long been a mystery, but a couple of scientists from Georgia Institute of Technology and Australia's University of Adelaide conducted a more thorough investigation. Wombat poop is exceptionally dry as wombats, which live in arid areas, absorb every drop of moisture from their food. According to National Geographic, their intestines are also oddly formed and elastic, which helps mold dry scat into its distinctive cube-like shape.

23. The world's second ugliest animal: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

The kakapo is a flightless nocturnal parrot native to New Zealand that lives for roughly 60 years. Yes, they're classified as the world's second ugliest animal, although I don't think they look that ugly. Human colonization of the island nation and the introduction of cats to the region wreaked havoc on the kakapo population.

In fact, the parrot is thought to be extinct in its natural habitat. However, the species' numbers are steadily rising due to a government-sponsored conservation and relocation program. An adult male kakapo can weigh up to 40 kg, making it the world's biggest and heaviest parrot – roughly the weight of four enormous pineapples.

22. Rabbits can only breathe through their noses: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Bunnies and rabbits are incredibly cute – that's a fact. However, an interesting fact for you: did you know that rabbits can only breathe through their noses? It's true. These little creatures are obligate nasal breathers, meaning they rely exclusively on their noses for breathing. A rabbit that opens its mouth to breathe could have inflamed nasal passages, blocked with mucus, or nasal passages obstructed by another substance that prevents comfortable breathing. If you own or care for a rabbit, remember that if you ever find yourself in this situation, you must get it to the vet as soon as possible.

21. The rise of groller bears: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Global warming is here to stay, but while scientists have created flowcharts and made predictions, several unexpected consequences have occurred. One was the appearance of hybrid bears known as groller bears in the wild. Historically, polar bears and brown bears had separate habitats, with polar bears staying in the far north and brown bears occupying southern regions. However, shorter and less severe winters have pushed polar bears further south in search of food, leading to encounters and romantic excursions with brown bears.

Scientists believe that these interactions aren't random, given the extended courtship practices of both bear species. While nobody can be 100% sure how many of these hybrid bears currently exist in the wild, the ongoing trend of rising temperatures suggests many more will emerge in the years ahead.

20. Polar bears aren't really white: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

It's true; polar bears have black skin. Pay attention to their noses – it's coated with transparent pigment-free hair. Each polar bear's fur reflects and scatters visible light, making these beautiful animals appear white when they're not. Very sneaky! Before we move on to the next item, did you know that they have blue tongues? Well, we all do now!

19. The axolotl doesn't grow up: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

The axolotl is a salamander-like critter that can grow to about a foot long. It's entirely aquatic, vegetarian, and lives for 10 to 15 years. Axolotls resemble tiger salamanders during their larval morphogenesis but never completely metamorphose into fully fledged salamanders. What is remarkable, however, is that axolotls can undergo transformation. They abandon it somewhere along the line by using iodine to stimulate their thyroids – a function they lack the hormones to perform on their own.

Unfortunately, the only native habitat of the axolotl is the water surrounding Mexico City. Dirt pollution, invading fish species, and the fact that they appear to be delicious have all contributed to their dwindling numbers. They are currently more common in personal aquariums than in the wild.

18. Penguins shoot poop bombs: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

You may or may not be aware of this, but penguins can shoot their poop across incredible distances - up to twice their body length, in fact. A group of scientists got together to figure out exactly how much force that requires. Yes, it matters how much force a penguin needs to shoot poop!

Researchers focused on humble penguins, which release their feces in a sophisticated arc from their nests. The pressure generated in the penguins' rectums was calculated to be around 4 lb per square inch or 28.2 kilopascals. This means the powerful poopers can shoot their feces at speeds of up to 5 miles or 8 km an hour and up to 53 inches or 134 cm away. Fascinating stuff indeed!

17. Koalas have fingerprints that look just like ours: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Koalas’ and human fingerprints are practically indistinguishable from each other. This is a process known as convergent evolution, which is more widespread in the animal kingdom than you might expect. The explanation for this particular trait is a little strange. For one thing, scientists estimate that our last common ancestor with koalas died out more than 100 million years ago. The idea that we have fingerprints as intricately made as those of the charming tree-hugger is interesting.

You may be wondering how comparable our prints are. For decades, law enforcement personnel in Australia have marked and recorded fingerprints recovered at crime scenes. They've amassed a vast database, and when they acquire fingerprints from new crimes, they check for matches. However, there are now so many unmatched fingerprints in the database that officials are wondering if a significant fraction of these mystery prints belong to koalas.

16. China owns all the pandas: Fact: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

pandas do not only consume bamboo as many people believe, but bamboo accounts for 99% of their diet. Pandas are critically endangered and you may have noticed that your local zoo doesn't keep any. That's for a good reason; pandas do not breed well in captivity, and there are just a few hundred in zoos, with an additional 1,500 to 3,000 potentially living in the wild. We were amazed to learn that China owns all of the world's pandas.

During our research years ago, the country practiced "panda diplomacy," delivering pandas as gifts to powerful friends such as the U.S. and the U.K. as a show of good faith. However, since 1984, the Chinese government has only leased the animals for up to a million annually. Combined with the enormous cost of maintaining the panda's diet, it makes keeping them all but impossible for all but the biggest and most profitable zoos.

15. Know your tarantula: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Tarantulas as pets are easy to care for and fun to interact with, even if most can't be handled. For example, the new world tarantula or jumping spider makes an excellent pet. However, old world tarantulas, in contrast, are drastically different and considerably less reasonable. While spiders from the new world are frequently placid, old-world species are much faster, defensive, and may even have more potent venom, which, while not always fatal, will keep most humans away from the hairy giants that are not as gentle as their American relatives.

14. Ferret sex: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Did you know that if a female ferret goes into heat but is unable to mate, she'll die? Female ferrets can go into prolonged heat during which they must reproduce or die from aplastic anemia, a disorder where the bone marrow ceases generating new blood cells, induced by estrogen poisoning. Since female ferrets are induced ovulators, mating must take place to bring the female ferret out of heat. Intact females that are not mated will remain in heat, and high estrogen levels will eventually cause the bone marrow to stop making red blood cells.

13. Everything is slow with sloths: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Sloths take their time with everything from moving to climbing to looking around. However, activity and motion aren't the only things that take time in a sloth's life. Sloth digestion is also incredibly slow. To give you a reference point, the average human digests each meal in about 12 to 24 hours. For sloths, the process takes much longer. Each meal takes the average sloth about 2 weeks to digest. In extreme cases, experts have found that sloths can digest their food for up to 30 days!

12. Guinea pigs do not make their own vitamin C: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

When it comes to cute and cuddly pets, a guinea pig might not be everybody's cup of tea. However, if you're in the market for one, it's important to know that guinea pigs need daily oral vitamin C supplements. Feeding them vitamin C-rich foods won't make a difference if a guinea pig doesn't get enough vitamin C. If they lack vitamin C, they won't be able to produce collagen and other necessary proteins. Their teeth will fall out, their gums will bleed, and their blood vessels won't function normally.

11. Killing off a species for its fur:

The Amur leopard can be found in the Amur region spanning China and Russia. It's been hunted to the brink of extinction for its distinctive spotted fur. However, in recent years, the population has experienced a modest increase, rising from just 14 adult individuals in 2005 to approximately 84 today. The trend is partly attributed to a conservation area established in Russia's Far East, which has played a pivotal role in aiding their recovery. It's believed that the absence of prey will discourage them from returning to their old habitat.

10. Lemurs: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Apart from "liking to move it, move it" (that's a Madagascar reference, in case you missed the animated movie), lemurs are loved the world over. They're adorable, charismatic, and strangely humanlike, even if they aren't as closely related to humans as chimps and other apes.

Lemurs are still part of the family. These Madagascar-dwelling creatures include the ring-tailed lemur (the critters with the extremely long tails) and the blue-eyed black lemur, which is incredibly enough the only primate with blue eyes other than humans. Unfortunately, despite their universal appeal, lemurs are the world's most endangered mammals. Their species are declining dramatically as their forest habitats are devastated by slash-and-burn agriculture and logging for charcoal and fuel wood.

9. Tigers have the brightest eyes of all animals: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Did you know that tigers have the brightest eyes of any animal? This is because their eyes are backlit by a layer of tissue that scatters light through the retina. As a result, they have the brightest and, in my opinion, the most beautiful eyes in nature. And while we're on the subject, did you know that their urine smells like buttery popcorn? That's an interesting fact for you – not quite sure what you're going to do with it, but you know, use it well!

8. Flamingos aren't pink: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

It's a fascinating but actual animal fact worth repeating just because it's so darn cool! Famously pink flamingos aren't pink and they'd stay that way if it weren't for their highly individualized diet of crustaceans and blue-green algae. According to the BBC Science Focus, these foods contain canthaxanthin, a natural dye, that causes flamingo feathers to turn pink over time. To top this off, it's fascinating to know that a flamingo's head has to be upside down when it eats. Imagine swallowing your food like that!

7. Chameleons glow in the dark: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

In 2018, researchers placed a few of the color-changing animals in a dark room and zapped them with a UV lamp. Most of the chameleons began to glow a stunning electric blue. The powerful biological light had nothing to do with the creatures' legendary ability to adjust their colors. Surprisingly, the neon glow emanated from their bones. The tendency of bones to glow beneath UV light is not new to science; however, live skeletons covered in muscle and skin are much harder to detect. The newly discovered ability of chameleons was easier to identify due to their shallower structure.

6. Orangutans and broken bones: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

We rarely think about it, yet it stands to reason that many wild animals suffer from broken bones in their lives. For one species, in particular, the orangutan, these breaks are so regular that researchers literally expect to come across them. Estimates show that at least half of adult orangutans have one or more broken bones somewhere in their body. While these animals are strong and agile, they frequently fall, and when they do, many suffer catastrophic bone fractures. The lucky ones emerge unscathed and transform the injury into a ton of scar tissue.

5. Leprosy in armadillos: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Leprosy is a dreadful disfiguring disease that was quite common in ancient times. It's incredibly rare today, with only 150 to 250 cases recorded in the U.S. each year, mostly among people who traveled to third-world countries. However, there is another uncommon carrier for leprosy: the armadillo. This secretive armored species is indigenous to the American South, where it's most commonly encountered as roadkill.

The disease spreads as, believe it or not, even in this day and age of quick food and frozen pizza, a few people, primarily in Louisiana and Texas, eat armadillos. While leprosy can be treated if identified early, the damage is generally done before symptoms appear. Humans and armadillos are the only living creatures known to contract the disease.

4. Bearded dragons: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Bearded dragons can be found in Australia's deserts, savannas, scrublands, and subtropical forests. However, because of their amiable temperament, constant smiles, and relaxed nature, they are frequently kept as pets worldwide. One fascinating aspect about these "beardies," as they're affectionately known, is that they can run at human speeds! Additionally, their signature beard acts as a mood ring, turning black when the animal feels threatened, stressed, or excited. They are also well known for their arm waving and head bobbing. The reason for these actions is unknown, but beardies have the enduring habit of waving their arms in an unusually human-like manner.

3. Don't irritate a platypus: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

You wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of a platypus. One of the fascinating facts about animals that appear innocent, like the platypus, is their unusual defense mechanisms. The heels of the back feet of males carry venomous spurs. While their venom is not lethal, it is excruciating and can induce swelling and hyperventilation. Did you know they're one of the only mammals that lay eggs? These incredibly resourceful animals also dig burrows and make plugs to deceive predators. Their bill is utilized as a sensory organ to locate prey underwater.

2. Alpacas are fire and water-resistant: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

Alpacas are these odd-looking, fluffy animals with a habit of chewing and spitting constantly. They are extremely gregarious and should never be left alone. Their fleece is resistant to water and fire. Any product created using their fiber is flame-retardant and moisture-wicking.

This is very good to know if you're someone who loves knitting or crocheting! However, alpaca yarn or yarn blends can be pretty pricey. The most wholesome fact we can uncover is that being around alpacas is incredibly therapeutic, and they are often brought to hospitals to bring healing and joy, particularly to children.

1. The happiest animal in the world: Fascinating Facts About Rare and Exotic Animals

A quokka is rarely seen without a big smile on its face. These happy-go-lucky Australian mammals have taken over Instagram, but quokkas are much more than just a friendly face. These cute critters are native to Rottnest Island in Western Australia, a nature reserve for freshwater. Fortunately, these little fellows can last a month without drinking water due to their diet, which consists primarily of moist leaves and plants. Additionally, being marsupials, mothers carry newborn quokkas, also known as joeys, in pouches.

Another interesting fact is that, much like cows, they regurgitate their food and then eat it. Sadly, quokkas are categorized as vulnerable to extinction within Australia's national environment law due to habitat damage, climate change, and invading predators.

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