3 Unknown Facts About Animals

We might think we know everything about animals, after all, we had biology class in school. But the truth is there are many details about them that most of us never knew. If you believe that turtles live inside their shells like a house, there’s a lot you need to learn about these reptiles… And if you believe it’s always female animals that carry babies during their pregnancy, this article will be very enlightening.

Turtles do not live in their shells, they are their shells.

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Many people believe that turtles and their shells are separate entities. However, their shells are actually part of their skeleton, and they’re made of about 50 bones. Turtles are so connected to their shells that they can even feel when they’re being scratched, just like humans can feel when their skin is scratched.

It isn’t the female seahorse who carries its babies, it’s the male.

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While female seahorses are the ones who actually get pregnant at first, it is male seahorses who fertilize the eggs in their pouches. This means that once the eggs inside a pregnant female seahorse get mature enough, she transfers them to her male partner – who carries the babies until the end of the gestation period.

Owls have not one, but three eyelids.

Getty Images / Moment / Dominic Marley

This characteristic is actually pretty common in the animal kingdom. Just like polar bears, kangaroos, beavers and seals, owls have three eyelids. The upper one closes downwards when the animal blinks. The lower eyelid closes up when it sleeps. And the third one, called a nictitating membrane, which helps keep the animal’s eyeball moist.