Wiekes weetjes: facts about animals that will make your day better

Fun facts about things can always make me happy. Pictures and videos of animals do the same, by the way. So what could be better than treating you to ten beautiful facts from the animal kingdom on this lazy Sunday that will surely make your day better? Exactly, that's what I thought too. Everything you need.

1. It has happened multiple times that people fell asleep under a tree and elephants thought they were dead.
They woke up while elephants were gently ‘petting’ them with their trunk and in some cases, the elephants were placing branches around them as a sort of ‘burial’. We have known for a long time that elephants mourn the dead and have rituals, but they can do that for us too.

2. Crows are incredibly smart and fun with people.
They remember people's faces (especially those they have a bond with or those they dislike) and often give gifts to people from whom they frequently receive food.

3. Orcas are socially very interesting animals.
They have their own language and even regional dialects. They sing and dance together and mourn together when one dies, but they also celebrate births together. Orca Tahlequah gave birth to a dead calf and kept it for seventeen days with her. When she gave birth again, orcas from all over the world (seriously) came to her to celebrate. I want to be an orca.

4. Zebras cannot sleep alone.
The reason is a bit grim: if there is no other zebra nearby, they are not safe from predators. But still, it is quite cozy.

5. Sea urchins voluntarily wear hats.
In the ‘wild’, they often put stones and shells on their heads for protection, but if you give them a hat, they are fine with that too. 

6. Wood pigeons (the most common) are not wild animals by nature.
Every wood pigeon descends from a tame bird, which means you can catch them and tame them just like you can with a dog or cat. In fact, they are also incredibly sweet. As long as you don't take an adult pigeon or one that is too young; a teenager is what you want, and then they are really nice pets.

7. Cats can sense when their kittens have nightmares.
And then they pull them close like a cuddle and lick their face. CUTE.

8. Eels are not social by nature, except in an aquarium in Japan.
Because people continuously came there, the eels became more social. But... then came corona and they lost that. The solution? They were facetime-called daily.

9. Dogs often get a fake tail in movies through CGI.
The reason? They are having so much fun that their tail just won't stop wagging. How cute is that?

10. Cheetahs are also not social, but they get help with that.
Cheetahs in captivity often have an ‘emotional support dog’. Yep, so I want a cheetah and a dog now. 

wieke