› added 5 years ago

549

TIL Hippos can't really swim, but instead walk or sometimes run on the riverbed

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via reddit.com

PjAL TIL that in 1965 a dolphin and his trainer entered into a sexual relationship, which after being forcibly ended caused the dolphin to commit suicide.
dAD9 TIL the whip is the first man made device capable of breaking the sound barrier. Also, the crack of the whip is actually a sonic boom.
JbWv TIL The “Red Queen” is not another name for the Queen of Hearts in “Alice in Wonderland.” They are actually two separate characters. The Queen of Hearts is from “Alice in Wonderland,” and the Red Queen is from the sequel “Through the Looking Glass.”
R59Q8 TIL that when mating, the female Serromyia biting midge (no-see-um) drives her tongue like a drill into the male's head, pumping him full of acid. His insides melt, and she sucks him dry. The male's genitals break off, blocking the female from future mating.
wEN6 TIL it’s considered belittling and insulting to refer to Ukraine as “The” Ukraine.