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TIL The Grasshopper Mouse is a predatory mouse that feeds on scorpions. They are resistant to venom and are able to tolerate being stung in the face multiple times because they can temporarily block their pain receptors.

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Z88KD TIL of A dovecote or dovecot /ˈdʌvkɒt/ (Scots: doocot) a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in Western Europe and were kept for their eggs, flesh, and dung.
QNg8E TIL George Washington's statue in London has soil from Virginia under it because Washington said in 1799 "I shall never step on English soil again"
69AZX TIL that the Stasi is widely considered to be the most effective intelligence agency during the Cold War. 1/63 East Germans were collaborators. Including part-time informers, they had an agent for every 6.5 people. Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal called them more oppressive than the Gestapo.
a8PrL TIL that in 1933, U.S. Roosevelt ordered Americans to sell much of their gold to the government. While exceptions were made for jewelry, art & teeth, possessing more than $100 of gold coins, bars, or bullion was penalized by steep fines or up to 10 years imprisonment. The order lasted until 1974.
VBAyk TIL The malacologist Alexander Fedoslov named the four sea slugs from the group Clavus which he discovered after his favorite rock & metal guitarists: Clavus davidgilmouri (Pink Floyd), Clavus andreolbrichi (Blind Guardian), Clavus kirkhammetti (Metallica) and Clavus brianmayi (Queen)!