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[Misc] Did You Know?



symyjym

Banned
Nov 2, 2009
13,138
Brighton / Hove actually
A thread full of interesting facts that we may not know, assumed different, or not even thought too deeply about

Did you know that a hyena and the wolf do not share a common ancestor, and that the hyena is actually from the mongoose family evolutionary tree.

I had always assumed that a hyena was part of the canine family.
 












Is it PotG?

Thrifty non-licker
Feb 20, 2017
23,102
Sussex by the Sea
Skunks are in a family of their own.

The official name for the skunk family is Mephitidae, which means "stink." They used to be grouped with weasels, otters, badgers, and their relatives in the Mustelidae family - but unlike those animals, which have a duct that secretes scent markings, skunks spray their scent in a controllable stream from nipples in the anal gland.

After their DNA was decoded, scientists learned that skunks derived from a single common ancestor about 30 to 40 million years ago.

These days, the skunk family contains 10 different species of skunks, which come in different sizes and coloration, and two different species of stink badger, which are the only members of the Mephitidae family not native to North or South America.
 




cardboard

New member
Jul 8, 2003
4,573
Mile Oak
Apparently all polar bears are left handed. They sneak up on prey by covering their nose with their right paw (their nose being black and therefore showing up against the snowy white background), then club it mercilessly with their left paw.
 




Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
Ibiza town was founded by Carthaginians circa 600BC making it one of the oldest towns in Europe, and 600 years older than London
 




Is it PotG?

Thrifty non-licker
Feb 20, 2017
23,102
Sussex by the Sea
Apparently all polar bears are left handed. They sneak up on prey by covering their nose with their right paw (their nose being black and therefore showing up against the snowy white background), then club it mercilessly with their left paw.

Well, you NEVER see a polar bear playing polo so there must be something in it.
 














Postman Pat

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2007
6,971
Coldean
Most animals given the name red are actually orange, red squirrel, red fox, red panda, robin redbreast etc. they were called red because there was no name for the colour orange when they were named, only the fruit, which then gave its name to the colour.
 








Eeyore

Lord Donkey of Queen's Park
NSC Patreon
Apr 5, 2014
23,381
Yep, give the guy a star. That's my speciality, capirals of the world. Oh and flags too.

It was for me when I was about eight. If I had a quiz with the 1977 me now I would definitely lose.

Unless we included the Balkan states.
 





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