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TIL that when a hawk moth caterpillar feels threatened, its body swells up taking the shape of a pit viper's head, with two huge black markings appearing as the snakes' eyes. The caterpillar also turns itself over to reveal its belly, completely transforming itself into a menacing predator.

QdQE TIL Sharon Stone, for many years, maintained that she had an IQ of 148 and was a member of Mensa. She admitted in 2002 that she was not, and had never been, a member of Mensa.
kJwa1 TIL that the T.V. show Archer had to re-name the characters' employer. At the start of the series the characters worked for "the International Secret Intelligence Service" (prominently called I.S.I.S. for short). When the Iraq occupation ended real world events gave the name an unwanted connotation.
9wN77 TIL Before the bison were slaughtered, the native people living in the plains were among world tallest in the world. After, in just one generation, the height of Native American people who depended on bison dropped by over an inch.
xV7M7 TIL Alaric, who became King of the Visigoths and sacked Rome in 410 CE, was conscripted as a Roman soldier earlier in his life. While fighting in the Alpine passes, he likely learned the weaknesses of Rome's natural defenses.
oB8AW TIL that by petting your bird on its back, tail or under the wings, you might induce such hormonal and behavioral responses that the bird sees you as a reproductive partner, and that can lead it to be sexually frustrated, resulting in harmful behavior towards you and the bird itself.