We often think of animals as aloof creatures who only have a sense for the primal stuff. Think food, water, shelter, that kind of thing. But honestly, this perspective is a disservice! Animals have some serious skills that we definitely need to appreciate more!
If you’ve ever found yourself thinking just how boring the animals around us are, this is your opportunity to change your mind! Take a look at some incredibly badass things that animals do, and that range from “pretty darn cool” to “woah!”
1. Ants Farming Fungi
Ants are hardworking little scavengers, aren’t they? Working hard all day, carrying heavy stuff, doing hands-on teamwork. You name it! But look at leafcutter ants! They collect leaves so that they can grow fungus that serves as their food source.
The operation is a whole spy mission! First, go out for an adventure, and look for good leaves. But careful, giants and mystical enemies are all around! Second, find a leaf and bring it underground, into the secret tunnels! Third, use them to grow fungus. Four, nom!
2. Dolphins Using Tools
They say that one of the best indicators of intelligence in the animal kingdom is the usage of tools. That’s why dolphins are so impressive! Dolphins heard the word “Spongebob” and immediately started bobbing the sponge.
This joke may confuse you now, but hear me out! Some species of dolphins have been observed using sea sponges on their noses. Why? To protect them from hunting in rougher sea beds! It’s basically protection-helmet crafting!
3. Octopuses Punching Fish
Besides being cunning escape artists and pretty smart ones at that, they love to box fish left and right. That’s right – you haven’t misread. They’ve been caught on camera going for quick and unexpected punches at their finned neighbors.
Sometimes they do it strategically while hunting. But other times, they just do it to throw a temper tantrum. I suppose octopuses need to let off steam sometimes too! But I don’t support sea creature-on-sea creature violence in this house!
4. Mantis Shrimp’s Punches
You thought octopuses punch hard, but I’d argue that Mantis shrimp are the Muhammad Alis in this case. Their club appendages can swing with lightning speed! That means they can generate shockwaves that cause tiny explosions underwater.
This sounds absolutely wild, doesn’t it? But think of it as a high velocity punch machine. A single punch can sometimes break through crab shells, or even crack aquarium glass!
5. Spiders Turning Prey Into Zombies
Spiders are true Doctor Victor Frankensteins! They inject venom into their prey and transform them into fresh and preserved meals for later consumption.
Essentially, that’s like a natural freeze fry machine. Except a thousand times more creepy and more sinister. No wonder most of us are scared of these creepy crawlers!
6. Crows Solving Puzzles
Have you ever heard about the fact that it’s a bad omen to anger crows? Did you ever ask yourself why? Well, dear friend, it’s because crows are highly intelligent birds! They hold grudges! They might rally their friends for revenge against you, too.
But their emotional state isn’t the only problem they can solve. They’re masters of figuring out easy ways to get to food! For example, they crack nuts by dropping them on the road. And they sometimes use sticks to get to food that’s hard to reach!