Wiekes Weetjes: completely random facts that you still want to know

The next time you are somewhere and there is an awkward silence, you will be grateful to me. Because how can you fill that better than by coming up with a random fact? You are in luck that those kinds of facts are my specialty, and that is why I have listed ten of them for you again.

1. Have you ever thought about what koalas sound like?
I hadn't, but since I found out that hyenas meow (so cute), I've become extremely interested in animal sounds. And the sounds that koalas make, I really didn't expect.

2. There is a type of duck mussel that causes male crabs to become female
Uh, excuse me? This duck mussel is also known as the ‘crab hacker barnacle’ and it acts as a kind of parasite in male crabs. When they are inside a crab, they ensure that its legs stop growing and that it develops female reproductive organs.

3. The heart rate of a penguin really goes all over the place
Their heart rate can go up to 250 BPM just before they dive, and when they are very deep underwater, it drops to 6 BPM; they are about 300 meters deep.

4. Sloths can't fart
Isn't this just so random? Why not, and how did they ever find this out? Are there scientists who focus purely on farts? Anyway, they can't do it: methane (the substance in farts) is simply exhaled by them.

5. Avocados are actually fruits, not vegetables
They fall under the category of berries, to be precise.

6. The Eiffel Tower is 15 centimeters taller in the summer
This is due to the heat, which causes the iron to expand.

7. It is illegal to have only one guinea pig in Switzerland
Aah, cute. This is because they are social animals and you must always take two, otherwise the other one becomes lonely and depressed. If you do this, it is considered animal abuse.

8. There was one Tinder match in Antarctica
This success story took place in 2014 when two researchers swiped right. The man worked at the United States Antarctic McMurdo Station and the woman was in a helicopter about 45 minutes away. How boring was that helicopter flight that you decided to Tinder in the meantime?

9. The actors who provide the English voices for Mickey and Minnie Mouse are actually married
How cute? Wayne Allwine (Mickey) and Russi Taylor (Minnie) said 'I do' in 1991.

10. The longest walking route in the world is 22,387 kilometers
It goes from Magadan in Russia to Cape Town, South Africa. You can actually walk it, no airplane involved.