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TIL that some owls keep blind snakes as pets. They feed on parasitic larvae, and a study conducted by Baylor University scientists found that Eastern Screech-Owl chicks grew faster and healthier in nests kept parasite-free by these “domesticated blind snakes”.

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7rrmL TIL Oyster Mushrooms (white edible mushrooms that grow on dead trees) are carnivorous. They have microscopic lassos that attract nematodes with a chemical, then constrict around the nematode and release a toxin that paralyzes the nematode so they can absorb nitrogen from them.
x5Gw TIL A horse’s field of vision is nearly 360 degrees with only a small blind spot directly behind them.
WPeL TIL: The original 1983 V miniseries was inspired by the 1935 novel It Couldn’t Happen Here but with American fascists replaced by an alien occupying force to make it easier to market.
8OKb TIL The United States almost converted completely to the Metric System with the Metric Conversion Act of 1975. Reluctance and the Reagan administration’s effort to reduce federal spending prevented it.
E1mxV TIL, The SS Great Eastern, a ship designed in 1854 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel once struck a rock, causing a 83ft long hole. The passengers never noticed. 58 years later a hole just half the size sunk the Titanic.