44 Amazingly Adorable Animal Facts That’ll Make You Smile – Part 3

A sloth's claws work the opposite way that the human hand does. Their default position is a tight strong grip, and sloths must exert effort to open them up. This is why sloths don't fall out of trees when they're asleep.

2. A newborn Chinese Water Deer is so small it can almost be held in the palm of the hand. When it matures, instead of growing antlers, they grow long upper canine teeth gaining them the name "Vampire Deer." 

3. Red Pandas can stand on their hind legs to make themselves appear larger. They also have "false thumbs", which is an extension of the wrist bone, to aid them in grasping their food.

4. King cheetahs are a variety of cheetahs with a rare mutation which is caused by a recessive allele. Their cream-colored fur is marked with large, blotchy spots and three dark, wide stripes that extend from the neck to the tail.

5. Tigers are carnivores but will eat fruits to aid and ease digestion.

Male African Jacanas are also known as “Jesus Bird” because they carry their chicks in their wings.

7. The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid in South America. Its marks resemble that of foxes, but they are neither a fox nor a wolf. It is the only species of the genus Chrysocyon (which means “golden dog”). These wolves are also commonly mistaken for “El Chupacabra.”

8. Pangolins are the only mammal with keratin scales. They are nocturnal, and they eat mainly ants and termites. They are the most trafficked mammal in the world, feeding the market for pseudoscience products. All eight species of pangolin are either vulnerable, threatened, or critically endangered. 

9. The ears of caracal kittens do not become active until the third or fourth week after birth.

10. Marine iguanas have a mutualistic relationship with lava lizards, as the lizards often scurry over them to hunt flies. As the iguanas are herbivores, they rely on the lizards to remove the flies.

Hazel Dormice spend a large proportion of their lives sleeping - either hibernating in nests on the ground in winter, or in a state of torpor (curls up into a ball and sleep) in summer. They are also nocturnal on top of it all. You can also hear them snore. 

12. Due to the height of their mother's, baby giraffes endure a 5-6 feet drop straight to the ground when they are born.

13. Sea Otters' lung capacity is about 2.5 times greater than that of similar-sized land mammals, making its body highly buoyant in water. 

14. The eyes of the blunt head tree snake make up approximately 26% of its head. 

15. A Thorny Devil is a type of lizard native to Australia. They eat insects and defend themselves with their spines

Remoras eat scraps of prey dropped by the shark. They also feed off of parasites on the shark's skin and in its mouth. This keeps the shark happy because the parasites would otherwise irritate the shark.

17. Native to India, Sloth bears are the only Ursids known to carry their young for extended periods. Cubs will ride on their mother’s backs for six to seven months after leaving the den.

18. The Tibetan Mastiffs were originally used as guard dogs for livestock and property. They can still be found performing that role, but they also enjoy life as family companions and show dogs. One red mastiff named “Big Splash” was reportedly sold for $1.5 million in 2011, in the most expensive dog sale then.

19. Dogs often sneeze while playing so that the playmate knows they are having fun and that their behavior is play. 

20. Holland Lop, one of the most popular rabbit breeds, only reaches a maximum weight of 4 lbs (1.8 kg) and it is one of the smallest lop-eared breeds. Holland Lops are known to be muscular and well-toned relative to their compact stature.

The average monarch butterfly will increase their mass by 2000 times in the caterpillar stage, taking 9-14 days. This is only 7 days of growth.

22. Bearded dragons have a third eye called the parietal eye. It’s used to detect shadows and light and can be found in other animals such as bullfrogs, anoles, sharks, and turtles.

23. The Honduran White Bat is one of approximately 22 known species of bats that roost within leaf "tents". They cut the side veins extending out from the midrib of the large leaves causing them to fold down to form a tent - a comfy shelter during the day.

24. Zebras are born with brown and white strips that turn black later.

25. The Four-horned Antelope is one of the few bovids to have more than two horns. Unfortunately, this makes them a popular target for trophy hunters.