Nature can be a beautiful thing to observe. The majesty of seeing a caterpillar emerge from its cocoon as a graceful butterfly, for instance. These facts we recently uncovered, however, are pretty much the opposite of beautiful.
Each of these animals found in the wild are hiding disgusting, terrifying, or down right spooky secrets.
1. Hippos kill more people in Africa than lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, and rhinos combined.
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2. There are 200 million insects for every one human on earth.
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3. Great white sharks can smell blood in water up to three miles away.
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4. But don’t worry, you’re more likely to be killed by a bee than a shark.
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5. Several species of horned lizards are able to squirt blood from their eyes in defense.
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6. Inda’s Ganges River is famous for two things: the Hindu ritual of bringing deceased loved ones to its waters for their final resting place, and pollution. Over the years, snapping turtles were introduced to consume the bodies whose families couldn’t afford cremation.
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7. Most metropolitan areas deal with a high rat population, but in Tehran, Iran, they deal with giant rats weighing as much as 11 pounds.
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8. A beaver’s teeth never stop growing but stay filed down with all their tree chewing.
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9. A golden poison dart frog has enough venom to kill 10 adults.
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10. There is such a thing as a “flying snake.” They’re able to glide in air for up to 330 feet and can even make turns and change direction midair.
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11. Snow leopards can jump as far as 50 feet in one bound.
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12. Golden eagles have been clocked at 150 miles per hour when diving at their prey.
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13. Vampire bats are 100% real and do in fact live on blood.
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14. A wolf can eat up to 20 pounds of meat in one sitting.
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15. Tarantulas consume their prey by injecting them with a poison that liquifies their insides which they then drink.
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16. As a defense mechanism, sea cucumbers spew portions of their internal organs through their anus.
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17. In case you weren’t already terrified of snakes, king cobras have enough venom in one bite to kill 20 people.
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18. Most koalas have chlamydia.
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19. Groups of meerkats essentially have designated dictators who assign mating couples and harshly punish any female who is impregnated without permission.
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20. Crocodiles can climb trees.
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Basically, the safest option: Never leave your house ever again! At least there you only have to worry about your pets getting wild.
