35 Happy & Cute Animal Facts That’ll Make You Smile

The Ocean sunfish is the largest known bony fish in the world, weighing in at about 2 tonnes, with a diet of jellyfish. The female can produce as many as 300,000,000 eggs at a time.

2. There is a bird called the horned screamer, named after the unique unicorn-like horn on the top of their heads, and their peculiarly loud scream.

3. Skunks, who are notoriously known for their rather fowl spray emitted when afraid, try to warn their assailants through dance. They will stomp, whisk their tail, jump around, and do handstands, all in an attempt to scare them away.

4. Microtityus minimus is the world's smallest known scorpion species. It measures 0.4 inches from end to end.

5. Sand cats are extremely difficult to study in the wild. Their furry soles prevent them from sinking in soft sand which makes their footprints nearly invisible. They have learned to crouch low and close their eyes when a light is shown on them, preventing any reflection off of their eyes.

Like many fruit-eating pigeons, the Pink-necked green pigeon is thought to be an important disperser of fruit seeds in forests and woodlands and is thought to be one of those responsible for helping the return of many of the Ficus species to the islands of Krakatoa.

7. The Honey Possum is the only non-flying animal in the world to live solely on a diet of nectar and pollen. Whilst their young are born weighing only 0.005 grams, honey Possum males have the largest sperm of any mammal in the world (0.36 mm).

8. An orchid mantis uses an aggressive 'flowerlike' mimic that attracts pollinators as prey items.

9. In the mornings the ring-tailed lemurs' sunbath to warm themselves. They face the sun sitting in what is frequently described as a "sun-worshipping" posture or lotus position.

10. The Hammer-headed bat, the largest bat in Africa has been observed attacking live chickens. With a lifespan of over 30 years, it is also a carrier of the Ebola virus.

The bearded vulture is the only known animal whose diet is almost exclusively bone. In fact, it usually disdains the actual meat and lives on a diet that is typically 85–90% bone marrow.

12. Red-lipped batfish is actually a pretty bad swimmer, so it uses its highly adapted pectoral fins that are large enough to help it walk across the ocean floor.

13. Harvest Mice like crawling into flowers to eat the pollen and sometimes even fall asleep in them.

14. Boxer or Pom-Pom Crabs carry around live anemones in each claw to protect them from predators. When a pom-pom crab lacks sea anemones, it steals one from another crab and splits it into two fragments that regenerate into identical clones of the original anemone.

15. Ducklings have abstract thoughts. Within hours of hatching, these baby birds can learn concepts like “same” or “different” — and they do so faster than human infants.

Slow lorises are the only known venomous primates. The venom comes from brachial glands on their forearms and from their saliva. When threatened, the slow loris will lick the brachial patch prior to biting the aggressor.

17. The black heron uses a hunting method called canopy feeding. It uses its wings like an umbrella, creating shade that attracts fish.

18. Bushbabies pee on their hands to have more traction on branches and to be able to find their way back to their nests.

19. Some stoats (also known as weasels) turn completely white in winter - except for the tip of their tail, which remains black. Their name is thought to have derived from the Dutch word for "naughty."

20. Luzon bleeding-heart is a species of a ground dove which has a reddish hue extending down the belly, furthering the illusion of blood having run down the bird's breast. They are shy and secretive, and very quiet, and rarely leave the ground except when nesting.

Japanese macaque wash their food in saltwater before they eat in order to both clean it and enhance the taste. They also make snowballs for fun.

22. Huskies have a lot of special adaptations for dealing with cold weather. For instance, when they sleep, they put their tails over their noses. The tails are specially adapted to act as warm air filters so the dog only breathes warm air.

23. The shoebill is noted for its slow movements and tendency to stay still for long periods, resulting in descriptions of the species as "statue-like." 

24. Pangolins have soft, pale scales when born, which begin to harden by the second day. They are the only mammal with scales and it’s also the most illegally traded wild mammal on the planet, and is in danger of being eaten to extinction.

25. Southern viscacha is a species of viscacha, a rodent which is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. It is a colonial animal living in small groups in rocky mountain areas. They do not venture far from rocks so that they can plunge underground if danger threatens.