General Discussion

Ok, so I'm bored and curious about what kind of random and/or dumb fun facts you have! Whether they are fandom related, FR related, history related or otherwise! I crave your random knowledge! I don't care what it is I want to hear it!

Sharks can up-heave their entire stomach outside of their body to expel things they cannot digest, and then suck it right back in with no problem at all.

That's my favorite one.

I also know you cannot throw a LIVE moose out of a moving airplane in Alaska. (Don't know about other states, or a dead one, but...:x )

It's also illegal to deface a public ROCK (NOT statue, a rock!!!) in the state of California.

I know weird state laws...

[quote name="Amura" date="2020-07-05 16:10:02" ] Sharks can up-heave their entire stomach outside of their body to expel things they cannot digest, and then suck it right back in with no problem at all. That's my favorite one. I also know you cannot throw a LIVE moose out of a moving airplane in Alaska. (Don't know about other states, or a dead one, but...:x ) It's also illegal to deface a public ROCK (NOT statue, a rock!!!) in the state of California. I know weird state laws... [/quote] OMG all of that is what I was looking for! Awesome Fun Facts!

There is a chance that the entire universe will destroy itself in 22 billion years!
The adder's tongue fern has 1,262 chromosomes while humans have 46!
NASA found a bubble gum pink planet that is the size of Jupiter but is several times its mass!
Birds in the corvidae family are considered some of the most intelligent birds that have been studied!
Only 0.5 of people know how to code! (Although this was in 2015, so I'm assuming more people know now)
The Devils Hole Pupfish is currently the rarest fish in the world!
There might be an ocean that is 35 to 50 miles below Titan's icy surface!

Toothpaste tubes were designed for you to waste more. The holes in the tube is 30% larger than needed, and advertisements always show a long strip of toothpaste on the toothbrush to encourage you to use more than needed, which results in more waste, and buying more, and more frequently.

You only need a pea-sized drop, not a long strip. Stop wasting toothpaste.

Our brains bounce around in our skull. :>

In Missouri, it is illegal to honk the horn of someone else’s car...

Oops

In ancient Egypt, most pet cats did not have names. They were usually called "miu" if male or "miut" if female, meaning "he (or she) who mews". A cat that belonged to a priest that served under the pharaoh Thutmose III was the first recorded cat to have a name, which was "Nedjem". "Nedjem" is an ancient Egyptian word meaning basically "sweetie".

Archaeologists found the drawings of a 7-year-old peasant boy named Onfim in the Russian village of Novgorod. These drawings were done over 700 years ago on pieces of birch bark, and are varied in their subject matter. One drawing shows what looks like alphabet practice on which has been drawn a monster labeled "I am a wild beast". You can find the images of the drawings here.

The oldest known smiley face was drawn on an urn that was found in an archaeological site in Turkey. The urn is about 3,300 years old, and held sherbet, a sweet drink. Here's an article on it.

The bit of loose skin that some cats have hanging from their bellies is not due to weight or being fixed. It's called a primordial pouch and it's actually a defense mechanism. Cats' primary method of attack is their claws, so they often fight while laying down. This leaves their lower abdomen and all of the crucial organs inside exposed, thus the extra skin. An enemy cat's claws would get tangled in the primordial pouch and not cause any serious damage.

On a related note, you often get clawed if you pet a cat when they're laying on their back because their claws are their primary weapon. Fight behavior and play behavior are very close, so when a cat presents their belly to you and isn't asleep, there's a good chance they're asking you to play. (Also, a lot of cats are ticklish on their bellies.)

This isn't really related at all other than being another cat fact, but I find it highly interesting. Cats really only meow to communicate with their kittens and humans, not each other. (Kittens, like all babies, aren't developed enough to communicate properly with adult cats, so they meow instead.) Cat communication is mostly subtle body language, but they recognize that humans are more auditory and that their wants, opinions, and needs are received better if they're meowed.

vikings weren't actually as focussed on naval warfare as the media makes them out to be. a lot of their ships were built for carrying loot from their raids on the land, & made to be fast. certainly, they got into maritime battles, but usually there the goal was to board the enemy's ship and fight them with swords and such. ancient athenians knew what was up when it came to a powerful & efficient navy, though.