Fun Fact of the Day 8/27: Stream of Consciousness

First off, let me tell you about something that, while a fact, is not at all fun: i got all four of my wisdom teeth unceremoniously torn from my skull yesterday, and though numb and frantically breathing in laughing gas from the mask they gave me, I was still a bit too lucid through the whole thing...I just tried not to think about what exactly all that clicking, tapping, and immense pushing actually entailed n terms of damage to my poor mouth. I instead attempted to focus on other things, anything actually...unicorns, that one person I like (she came up alot, damn laughing gas), Stephen Jay Gould's paper I was reading in the lobby, and lots and lots of dinosaurs. Anyway, the point is, it reminded me of a past couple of fun facts I've done, in which I relate a barrage of random facts rather than one long one. Just like my brain clicked and whirred to a bunch of different places while the dentist tore my jaw apart, so I shall now impart on you, dear readers, a series of randoms much in the same manner. And so, with my analogous and biographical introduction typed out, let us begin. **inhales deeply**

• Godzilla, both the American and Japanese versions of the monster, is actually impossible: his weight and nuclear organ (yes, he has one) would cause him to explode like bomb upon surfacing, making a great mess of the harbor, but leaving alot to be desired in the vein of classic urban destruction
• Zebras' stripes serve as a means of blurring together their outlines when they are in a group, making the group appear large and threatening to a potential predator
• While most populations of African lions display sexual dimorphism, in which males have manes and females do not, there is an area in Kenya called Tsavo where the males are maneless, and also hunt with the females. These lions are also infamous for attacking and eating humans
• The largest fish in the world is the Whale Shark, which feeds on plankton and can reach over 5o feet in length
• Vultures are bald so that they are able to insert their heads inside of carcasses without their feathers becoming coated in fluid and becoming a hindrance
• Bats are the only mammals native to the Hawaiian islands, colonizing them with their also distinctive gify among mammals, flight
• Every flying animal has a different anatomical configuration for wing design. In bats, the wing is formed of the extended finger bones, for example. But in pterosaurs, the flying reptiles of the Mesozoic, the weight of flight was actually borne by the equivalent of the bone of the pinky finger, which could be several feet long
• The lines seen on the chins and bellies of many species of whale (all with this "pleating" belong to the Rorqual family of whales) are actually small folds that allow the animal to distend it's mouth when feeding, providing extra water volume
• The largest carnivore living on earth currently is the Sperm whale
• When the evidence of dinosaurs was first discovered, some scientists actually believed it to be evidence of the previous existence of giant birds. Only in the late 20th century, when science shed light upon just how bird-like dinosaurs really were, does this very early supposition actually appear ironically correct in some capacity
• Killer whales are not whales at all, but large dolphins
• Some of the most venomous species of snakes are the sea snakes, but biting for them is difficult because they are rear-fanged, with tiny teeth in the back of the mouth delivering the venom
• The bite of a shrew is mildly venomous
• California was once home to several species of wolves, lions, and mastodons during the Pleistocene era. During the time of the dinosaurs, over half of the state was underwater, including the spot from which I type, here in Palmdale. At least we had it better than the central US, which was entirely underwater at the time
• There are rumored to be moths in the Amazon rainforest which feed on the fluids in one's eyeball. A victim of such a moth would likely awake in the morning to find their eye a shriveled, tiny sac, devoid of fluid.
• Some species of catfish deep in the amazon and mekong rivers, in South America and China respectively, can reach lengths of over 10 feet, and are rumored, at least in the Amazon, to have eaten human children
• Constrictor snakes (boas and pythons) kill their prey with immense strength as they wrap around them. Contrary to popular belief, however, it is usually not suffocation that kills the prey, but the rupturing of capillaries in the brain by the immense increase in blood pressure
• Portugese ManO'War are not actually single organisms, but entire colonies of specialized organisms, much like coral. This stands in contrast to jellyfish, which are singular organisms.
• Aquaman can swim at speeds of over 150 miles per hour, and , in some versions, is immune to bullet fire on land because of his ability to survive immense pressure while submerged.
• The evolution of color vision in primates was largely driven by the need to distinguish between poisonous and safe leaves and fruits to eat, a determination usually made by subtle differences in coloration.
• Only female mosquitoes suck blood, males eat nectar
• We have explored less than 10% of the ocean floor, and new species are discovered almost every time trips are made down there
• The Mariana trench is the deepest part of the ocean, reaching 6.85 miles deep at it's lowest region
• Tyrannosaurus Rex teeth have tiny serrations, which end in pinhole slits. These pinholes absorb force and prevent the serrations from breaking
• Badgers are rumored to dig so fast, that they seem to disappear straight into the ground in a shower of dirt
• Asian elephants, among other differences, have only one lip on the end of their trunk, while African elephants have two, allowing them to pick up objects easier

And, that will be all for tonight. Until tomorrow, dear readers, thank you for reading.