Interesting and Unbelievable Facts

Brunei is a small country in Southeast Asia with an area of 2,226 sq. miles. It is the 4 th smallest country  and the 2 nd least populated country in Asia (after the Maldives ). Brunei is located entirely on the island of Borneo . It is the only sovereign country on this island. A large part of Borneo is under the control of Malaysia and Indonesia . Brunei is located on the northern coast of Borneo. The South China Sea is located in the north of Brunei, while the county is surrounded by Malaysia on all other sides. The official language of Brunei is standard  Malay. However, more than 65% of the country’s population speak the Brunei Malay. People in different areas also speak several minority languages. According to an estimate, the Sultan of Brunei  owns around 7,000 cars . These include a few of the most expensive and rare cars in the world. The Sultan of Brunei was once the wealthiest man in the world. He is now the world’s  2 nd  richest king  (just b...

Chameleons are arboreal (tree-dwelling) old-world lizards commonly known for changing their body color. Contrary to a common perception, chameleons usually don’t change color for camouflage. Instead, the reasons behind  changing their color are to regulate body temperature or provide social signals to other chameleons. They can easily do so thanks to the transparent outer layer of their skin. ( Source ) Chameleons can move their tongue from 0 to 60 mph in 1/100 th of a second while catching their prey. It is one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom. ( Source ) The oldest chameleon ever found is 99 million years old. This fossilized chameleon was discovered from amber in Myanmar. ( Source ) There are more than 200 known species of chameleons. Around half of these species are present in Madagascar . The remaining species are in mainland Africa, Asia , and parts of Europe . A study shows that chameleons moved from Africa to Madagascar millions of years ago. ( Source...

Grasshoppers are jumping insects that initially appeared on earth around 300 million years ago. Their  closest relatives  are ground-hoppers and pygmy mole crickets. Grasshoppers have powerful hind legs that assist them in covering   a distance of 30 inches in a single jump. ( Source ) Grasshoppers have  three simple and two compound eyes . Compound eyes are used to know the movement of an object. On the other hand, the 3 simple eyes in between the compound eyes can differentiate between light and dark. ( Source ) There are several differences between grasshoppers and crickets  despite their similar appearance. Grasshoppers are larger than crickets. Both  insects  have different colors. Grasshoppers can fly and jump, while crickets can only jump. Grasshoppers are diurnal, while crickets are nocturnal. Grasshoppers make sounds by rubbing their hind legs with wings, and their auditory organs are on their abdomens. Crickets make sounds by rubbing ...

The grizzly bear, a subspecies of brown bears, is native to North America . Compared to brown bears in other continents , they are known as grizzly (streak with grey hair) due to their white-tipped brown fur.   Grizzly bears originated in Asia around 1.3 million years ago. It migrated to North America through the Bering land bridge roughly 200,000 years ago. The ancestor of the grizzly bear is the Etruscan bear, which lived from 5.3 million years ago to 10,000 years in Eurasia and Africa . ( Source ) Adult grizzly bears can reach 2.5 m (8 ft.) in length and attain a weight of around 410 kg (900 lb). Males are considerably heavier than females.  Grizzly bears have the  2 nd  lowest reproductive rate  for terrestrial mammals in North America after musk ox. Females reach breeding maturity between 4 to 9 years and breed after every three or more years.   The claws of grizzly bears can grow up to 4 inches long. These long and powerful claws are ideal...

Rhinoceros, also known as rhino, belong to the mammalian order of odd-toed ungulate. Their  closest relatives are horses , zebras , and tapirs . The feet and feeding habits of these animals are similar. ( Source ) There are five species of rhinos. Two of these (white rhino and black rhino) are present in Africa, while the other three species (Indian rhino, Sumatran rhino, and Javan rhino) are in Asia . The white rhino and the Indian rhino (both can weigh up to 2,700 kg) are the largest species in Africa and Asia, respectively. Sumatran rhino (maximum weight of 1,000 kg) is the smallest of all rhino species. ( Source ) There were 500,000 rhinos in Asia and Africa at the beginning of the 20 th  Century. Currently, only 29,000 rhinos remain  in the wild. Black rhinos, Javan rhinos, and Sumatran rhinos are critically endangered. On the contrary, the number of Indian rhinos has increased from 200 at the start of the 20 th  Century to 3,700 today. ( Source ) Rhino...

Zebras belong to the equid family of mammals, which includes horses and asses. There are three species of zebras: Grevy’s zebra, plains (or Burchell’s) zebra, and mountain zebra. They are present in the eastern and southern parts of Africa . Plain zebra is the most numerous of all species, while Grevy’s zebra is the largest among them. ( Source )  The most prominent feature of zebras is their black and white stripes . These mammals have coats of dark hair with white stripes. These stripes provide several advantages to zebras, including protection from horseflies and tsetse flies, thermoregulation, and camouflage. ( Source ) Like the unique pattern of fingerprints in humans, the design  of stripes is unique in each zebra.  They can recognize each other through their individual stripes.  Zebras  live alongside  wildebeest and giraffes . It provides better protection for all animals because they alert each other in case of any danger. Zebras are pure h...

Koala is a marsupial (mammal with a pouch) animal endemic to Australia.  Their  closest relatives are  wombats ,  kangaroos , wallabies, and opossums. Koalas have  human-like fingerprints . They are the only non-primate animals to possess this feature. ( Source ) Koalas have one of the smallest brains to body ratios  among  mammals . Koala’s brain is just 60% of its total skull cavity. This tiny brain assists the animal in conserving energy and surviving extreme droughts. The area between the brain and skull is filled with a special fluid that protects the koala’s head in case of head injury. The average age for koalas is 12 years in the wild and 16 years in captivity. The  oldest koala in captivity died at 23 years in 2001. ( Source ) The fossil record shows that koala-like animals initially appeared in Australia around 25 million years ago . The koala is the sleepiest animal in the world. It sleeps for 20 to 22 hours a day....