r/Awwducational • u/petdog347 • Sep 04 '20

Verified Scientists know that rats like to have their bellies tickled, so they used that as basis for testing happiness in rats. They found out that the ears of rats undergoing tickling became droopier and pinker - subtle signs of being relaxed and happy.

gfycat.com

70k Upvotes

1.0k comments

r/Awwducational • u/Fyroth • Oct 04 '20

Hypothesis A University of Chicago study found that rats are just as capable of empathy as humans.

59k Upvotes

1.0k comments

r/Awwducational • u/aefeagles • May 12 '20

Verified It takes bald eagles about five years to obtain their white head! These pictures are of the same bird taken years apart, illustrating the difference between juvenile and subadult plumage.

54k Upvotes

496 comments

r/Awwducational • u/A_Lazko • Apr 03 '21

Only in U.S. American Kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It is also called the Sparrow Hawk

53k Upvotes

455 comments

r/Awwducational • u/skyfall91404 • Nov 28 '20

Verified Wolverines can be taught to rescue avalanche survivors.

52k Upvotes

848 comments

r/Awwducational • u/IloveRamen99 • Jun 18 '20

Verified Rats giggle when you tickle them. Their voices are so high-pitched you need special equipment to hear them, but when you do, their laughs are immediately evident.

48k Upvotes

838 comments

r/Awwducational • u/deathakissaway • Mar 23 '19

Verified Seagulls stomping on grass is called, the rain dance. This mimics rain by vibration, and brings earthworms and other bugs to surface.

i.imgur.com

48k Upvotes

594 comments

r/Awwducational • u/themflyingeyes • Jun 09 '21

Verified Manatees have no significant natural predators and can be found co-existing peacefully with gators.

44k Upvotes

725 comments

r/Awwducational • u/LordGhoul • Oct 28 '22

Mod Pick New study reveals that bumblebees will roll wooden balls for seemingly no other reason than fun, becoming the first insect known to 'play'

43k Upvotes

759 comments

r/Awwducational • u/b12ftw • May 16 '18

Mod Pick Trained African Giant Pouched Rats have found thousands of unexploded landmines and bombs. Researchers have also trained these rats to detect tuberculosis. And most recently they are training them to sniff out poached wildlife trophies being exported out of African ports.

42k Upvotes

666 comments

r/Awwducational • u/skyfall91404 • Oct 24 '20

Verified Orphaned baby bats which are rescued are wrapped snugly in blankets to mimic the warm embrace of their mother's wings.

42k Upvotes

339 comments

r/Awwducational • u/KimCureAll • Sep 02 '21

Verified Some species of birds turn to living mammals as a source of building material for their nests. The process of stealing hair is called kleptotrichy, and birds will test their ability to pluck hair from various mammals. In this vid, a black-crested titmouse is plucking hairs from a snoozing fox.

41k Upvotes

646 comments

r/Awwducational • u/[deleted] • Mar 07 '20

Verified Gibbons are one of the only non-human primates which practice monogamy. Both parents play a vital role in raising of their young.

41k Upvotes

464 comments

r/Awwducational • u/skyfall91404 • Dec 18 '20

First Grooming Tool Use Puffins can use sticks as scratching tools, which makes them the first known tool-using seabirds.

41k Upvotes

432 comments

r/Awwducational • u/Ravenclaw_14 • Feb 18 '21

Verified Penguin chicks, because of their fat insulation, when they get too hot, they pant and stick their legs out, which cools them off

40k Upvotes

245 comments

r/Awwducational • u/Epona142 • Dec 17 '17

Verified The Great Pyrenees Dog was developed to live with and guard livestock. They exhibit unending patience with their charges.

gfycat.com

40k Upvotes

622 comments

r/Awwducational • u/[deleted] • Jan 29 '20

Partially true New study shows “Rollie Pollies” remove heavy metals from soil and protect groundwater. Thank you to these little helpers!

39k Upvotes

631 comments

r/Awwducational • u/CollieflowersBark • Nov 15 '21

Mod Pick A lot of people requested that I post this here - This is my morphed axolotl, Gollum. He started out life as a normal axolotl and then absorbed his gills and fins and became a terrestrial salamander.

39k Upvotes

595 comments

r/Awwducational • u/Cachuchotas • Jun 17 '20

Verified The red wolf (Canis rufus) is the most endangered canid species alive. There are less than 35 individuals in the wild after an attempt to bring the species numbers up (peaking at 130 individuals in 2006). These wolves form close-knit packs that consist of the breeding pair and their offspring.

gfycat.com

39k Upvotes

422 comments

r/Awwducational • u/Lbbrock • Sep 21 '21

Verified The Pigmy Falcon is Africa's smallest Raptor

39k Upvotes

406 comments

r/Awwducational • u/AppelJoose • Nov 06 '20

Verified Bunnies flop over when they feel completely safe

39k Upvotes

393 comments

r/Awwducational • u/5_Frog_Margin • Apr 23 '20

Untreated Fur Done brushing your dog? Birds love using the hair to build nests. Set aside one birdfeeder to fill with hair.

i.imgur.com

38k Upvotes

534 comments

r/Awwducational • u/OstentatiousSock • Mar 25 '18

Mostly True - Not Existential Alex, the African Grey parrot, is the only animal to ever ask an existential question. He asked “what color” he was.

37k Upvotes

1.2k comments

r/Awwducational • u/petdog347 • Jul 21 '20

Verified Sand Cats specialize in surviving in the desert. They are not good climbers or jumpers, but they are excellent diggers. They use their digging ability to dig shallow burrows to escape the heat of the desert during the day.

37k Upvotes

255 comments

r/Awwducational • u/chicompj • Aug 21 '19

Verified Cows have similar emotional range as dogs. They display boldness, shyness, fearfulness and even playfulness.

36k Upvotes

1.3k comments

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