Trivia 2:
Natural Oddities



The full moon casts a golden arc across Cumberland Falls in KY. It's the only moonbow in the northern hemisphere.

Because of its high sulfur content, Red Spring in Ste. Nectaire, France, turns anything thrown into its waters into pink stone.

Five suns rise on misty mornings in Sing-nying-chu, China - but they're only an optical illusion caused by the mist.

During the summer of 1947, it was so hot in Missouri that corn popped right off the stalk before it could be harvested.

A mouse has more bones than a human, at 255 versus our 206.

When fried, the white of a murre's egg turns bright blue, while the yolk turns red.

The Klipspringer Antelope of Africa has such small feet that all four of its hooves can fit on a dime.

The Koala bear of Australia rarely takes a drink. Except in times of drought, it gets all the water it needs from the eucalyptus leaves it eats. In the Aborigine language, koala means "no drink".

The hummingbird makes its nest out of spider webs.

Male satin bowerbirds actually paint the walls of their nest with a fiber brush dipped in charcoal and berry juice. They accessorize it with flowers, shells, and shiny stones to enhance the overall effect.

The rifle bird of Australia decorates its nest with snake skins to frighten away predators.

The elephant is the only animal with four knees.

For a period of 20 years, from 1790 to 1810, a white porpoise named Hatteras Jack guided every ship in and out of Hatteras Inlet, NC, and never lost a single vessel.

Novelist Charles Dickens had a deaf cat that reminded him when it was bedtime by stuffing out the candle on his desk.

Giant squids have eyes the size of basketballs.

The African catfish leaves the water at night to hunt on land.

The boxfish is so ferocious that if swallowed by a shark, it can bite its way to freedom.

The wolf fish has such a vicious bite that its teeth will leave marks on an iron anchor.

The Australian cockroach doesn't need wings because it lives underground, so when it reaches maturity, it bites off its own wings.

The fire beetle of Australia can walk through red-hot embers.

The Hercules beetle has a body the size of a fist, and can grow up to eight inches long, including its long horn. When males fight, they use their horn to pick up the enemy and fling him away.



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