Animal crackers
BRAINY boffins have discovered sea anemones – which have no grey matter – can still learn and adapt, as we reported yesterday.
That’s good news for Justice Secretary Dominic Raab who was dubbed “Brainless” after he claimed cops would not investigate yearold crimes.
But it’s also just one of many crazy critter facts, as NADINE LINGE
Tickled pink: Famous for their bright hue, flamingos are actually born grey or white rather than pink. They change colour thanks to pigments found in the algae and invertebrates they eat.
Whole tooth: A slug has around 27,000 teeth – that’s more than a shark, They routinely lose and replace them. Some slugs can stretch to 20 times their normal size.
On the nose: Great White sharks – as immortalised in the film Jaws – have up to 300 serrated teeth and the ability to detect blood from three miles away.
Willy nilly: There are almost 10,000 species of birds but only around 3% of them have a functioning penis, including ducks, geese and swans.
Croc shock: Crocodiles are unable to stick out their tongues
due to a membrane which holds it in place on the roof of their mouth. It’s one way to tell them apart from alligators.
Just pawsome: Sea otters hold hands while sleeping so they don’t drift apart. They also have the thickest fur of all animals, around 2.6million hairs per square inch.
Claw blimey: The coconut crab’s grip is 10 times stronger than a human. Its handshake would crush your fingers.
Adder enough: The inland taipan snake is the world’s most poisonous. A single bite contains enough venom to kill at least 100 men and their bite can kill you within 45 minutes.
Buzz off: But the most deadly critter on the planet isn’t a shark, bear or tiger, but the mosquito. Around 725,000 people die each year from diseases carried by the insect.
Bloody hell: The horned lizard can shoot blood from its eyes, up to a distance of 3ft away. It’s a defence mechanism to confuse predators
Time’s up: The briefest living animal is the mayfly. Its entire adult lifespan is just 24 hours, while some live eight to 10 hours.
Ear goes: Roosters tilt their head back as they crow so they completely cover their ear canal.
That acts as an earplug so they don’t deafen themselves.
Kip time: Koalas can sleep for up to 22 hours in a day. They need the lengthy snooze because their diet of eucalyptus leaves contains toxins, is very low in nutrition and high in fibrous matter.
Head’s up: Even after having its head cut off, a cockroach can still live for weeks. That’s thanks to how their breathing and blood flow system works – they don’t need a brain to direct them.
Fur real: Underneath its white fur, a polar bear’s skin is jet black. It helps them absorb heat to keep warm, while the white fur provides camouflage in the snow.
Snow joke: Japanese macaques, also known as snow monkeys, play with snowballs for fun. They’ve been spotted rolling them up and pushing them down hills.