New fun facts

Here are some new fun facts for you:

  1. Giraffes have four kneecaps: Unlike humans, who have two kneecaps (one for each knee), giraffes have four kneecaps, two for each knee. This is because their legs have to support their long necks and bodies.
  2. There's a species of jellyfish that's immortal: The Turritopsis dohrnii, also known as the "immortal jellyfish," is a type of jellyfish that can transform its body into a younger state through a process called transdifferentiation. This means it can essentially revert back to its polyp stage and start its life cycle all over again.
  3. The shortest war in history was between Britain and Zanzibar on August 27, 1896: Zanzibar surrendered after just 38 minutes, making it the shortest war in recorded history.
  4. There's a type of fungus that turns ants into "zombies": Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a fungus that grows in the rainforests of South America, infects ants and takes control of their bodies, causing them to climb to high locations and bite onto a leaf before producing spores that can infect other ants.
  5. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds: Yes, you read that right! A chicken named Mike flew for 13 whole seconds before landing safely back on the ground.
  6. The world's largest living organism is a fungus: The Armillaria ostoyae fungus covers over 2,200 acres in Oregon, USA, and is estimated to be around 2,400 years old.
  7. There's a species of shark that can live for up to 500 years: The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is one of the longest-living vertebrates on Earth, with some individuals estimated to be over 500 years old.
  8. The highest recorded temperature on Earth was 134°F (56.7°C): This temperature was recorded on July 10, 1913, in Death Valley, California.
  9. The world's largest snowflake was 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick: This massive snowflake was recorded in Montana in 1887 and was so large that it looked like a small piece of white silk.
  10. There's a type of plant that can move its leaves to face the sun: The Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura) has leaves that can move to face the direction of the sun, a process called phototropism.

I hope you found these fun facts interesting and entertaining!