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The Western Lowland Gorilla’s scientific name is Gorilla gorilla gorilla.
Similarly, the lynx (Lynx lynx) and caracal (caracal caracal) are animals that have a repeated scientific name. This happens when the genus and species name of an animal is the same.
Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia.
When you think Saudi, you automatically think of desert sands and camels. It seems like one of the funny facts that are hard to believe, but Saudi does get some of their camels from Australia. Native Saudi camels are used for racing and domestic purposes, but the imported camels are used for their meat.
Loofahs are vegetables.
If you look at a loofah, you might think it came from a dried sea creature. However, this scrubbing sponge is actually made from a vegetable. Loofahs are made from the fibrous flesh of the mature Luffa aegyptiaca and L. cyclindrica gourd. They’re distant relatives of melons and squash. Before reaching maturity, luffa is also edible.
Fact: Samsung tests phone durability with a butt-shaped robot
People stash their phones in their back pockets all the time, which is why Samsung created a robot shaped like a butt to “sit” on their phones to make sure they can take the pressure. Believe it or not, the robot even wears jeans.
Fact: The Windy City nickname has nothing to do with Chicago’s weather
If you live in Chicago, you might already know this random fact, but we’re betting most other people don’t. Chicago’s nickname was coined by 19th-century journalists who were referring to the fact that its residents were “windbags” and “full of hot air.”
Fact: Peanuts aren’t technically nuts
They’re legumes. According to Merriam-Webster, a nut is only a nut if it’s “a hard-shelled dry fruit or seed with a separable rind or shell and interior kernel.” That means walnuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios aren’t nuts either. They’re seeds.
Fact: Armadillo shells are bulletproof
In fact, one Texas man was hospitalized when a bullet he shot at an armadillo ricocheted off the animal and hit him in the jaw. That’s a totally true animal tidbit. These animal “facts,” however, are false.
Fact: Firefighters use wetting agents to make water wetter
The chemicals reduce the surface tension of plain water so it’s easier to spread and better soaks into objects, which is why it’s known as “wet water.”
Eagles don’t mate while airborne.
You may have encountered the myth that eagles mate in the air. However, eagles mate on branches or nests. The fact that people even think it’s possible is just one of the funny facts.
People once claimed that coconuts kill more people than sharks yearly.
In a 1984 study “Injuries Due to Falling Coconuts,” it was claimed that falling coconuts kill 150 per year, which is a lot more than shark-related deaths at 5 per year. However, it was actually only a misinterpretation of the statistics gathered from Papua New Guinea. However, there have been a number of documented cases of coconuts killing people. Falling coconuts can cause fatal injuries to the head, neck, shoulders, and back.
A Lord of the Rings actor would rather hike up a whole mountain than ride a helicopter.
One of the things that makes Lord of the Rings lore so rich is the immersive environment of the story’s settings. While shooting the films, the cast had to fly to remote locations via helicopter. Sean Bean, who plays Boromir (and Ned Stark in Game of Thrones) was afraid of flight, and would only do it if he had no choice. During the shootings for the Fellowship crossing snowy mountains, he’d climb for two hours every morning to get to the set. He would make the climb already dressed as Boromir.
Pringles are not potato chips.
From 2007 to 2009, Pringles had a court issue where judges debated whether Pringles were potato chips or not. In 2009, it was ruled that they were potato chips. However, Pringles are actually just 42% potato; the rest is made of wheat.
Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables.
The word originates from Greek lachno (vegetables) and phobos (fear or aversion). This may be one of the funny facts that sound like we’re just making things up, but there is actually a medical diagnosis for the fear of veggies. In 2009, a woman was diagnosed with the condition. However, since she had a baby to care for, she overcame her phobia.
There were over 300 banana-related injuries in Britain in 2001.
Over 300 banana-related accidents were reported in Britain in 2001, mostly involving people slipping on skins.
George Lucas got stuck in the Jaws shark’s head.
During a set visit, George Lucas thought it would be funny to stick his head in Bruce The Shark’s head. Steven Spielberg closed the jaws of the animatronic shark, and George Lucas got stuck inside. So much for funny facts.
This Star Wars actor rolled around in the sand before shoots.
In order to give Obi-Wan Kenobi a desert-worn, rugged look, Alec Guinness would lay on the Tunisian desert floor and roll around in his costume.
Bonnie and Clyde’s gunshot sounds were so loud, a projectionist kept lowering the volume.
Director-star Warren Beatty deliberately made the gunshot sounds in Bonnie and Clyde pop out from the mix. During the film’s British premiere, Beatty noticed the projectionist at the cinema lowering the volume because he thought the loud gunshots were due to poor audio mixing.
Everyday objects were used for the asteroids in Star Wars.
The FX team at Industrial Light & Magic enjoyed choosing which objects they’ll throw into the asteroid field for Star Wars scenes: the weirdest ones being a potato and a shoe.
The voice of the Exorcist demon ate raw eggs, chain-smoked, and had herself tied to a chair during recordings.
Mercedes McCambridge fully committed to her role as Pazuzu’s voice in the 70’s horror classic, The Exorcist. Before recording her vocals, she chugged raw eggs, chain-smoked and drank whiskey to make her voice harsher than normal. One of the most shocking funny facts: During the recordings, she had herself bound to a chair. After all of that dedication, she insisted not to have her voice credited in the film!
Forrest Gump has more CGI than Jurassic Park.
When Forrest ran through a jungle in Vietnam, and showed his table tennis skills, that was CGI. Even the feather at the opening scene is computer-generated. Overall, Forrest Gump has more minutes of CGI screen-time than Jurassic Park. another one of those funny facts that are hard to believe.
Cooking shows are almost always scripted.
For most cooking contests, contestants would get the ingredients they have to use weeks earlier. For restaurant improvement shows, the restaurants they feature usually go bankrupt a month after their episode is aired.
There is a Starbucks cup in all frames of Fight Club.
Move aside, Game of Thrones. David Fincher directed Fight Club at the height of Starbucks cafes popping up everywhere. He claimed it was “too much of a good thing,” and put a Starbucks cup in every shot of the film. Starbucks allowed their products being shown in the ‘90s cult classic, as long as their shop was not destroyed on film. For the cafe scene, Fincher used the fictional Gratifico Coffee instead.
A sound engineer once got accidentally high on LSD while cleaning an old radio.
When Eliot Curtis tried to restore an old Buchla Model 100 synthesizer, he ended up tripping on 50-year old LSD. He only noticed a crystalline substance that had gathered on the radio, which he wiped off. Since he found it in a dark closet at a university, the psychedelic components were preserved. The LSD residue dissolved in his hands and got him into a 9-hour trip. How’s that for wild funny facts.
In Russia, competitive slapping is a sport.
In March 2019, Russia held its first-ever competitive slapping contest. The winning contestant must deliver the hardest slap and endure the longest time being slapped. The contest was tournament-style, with winners for each match facing other winners until one man is left standing. The first-ever champion turned out to be Vasiliy Kamotskiy, nicknamed Pelmen or “Dumpling.” the 370-pound man won 30,000 Russian Ruble (US$470).
A farmer once grew a 910-pound pumpkin and turned it into a boat.
People can be strange. One of the craziest funny facts is an actual news headline: For 4 years, Tennessee farmer Justin Ownby grew an almost 1,000-pound pumpkin. When he reached his goal, he hollowed it out and rode it as a boat in a nearby pond.
Scientists have taught rats to drive.
According to an experiment, rats can learn how to drive. Scientists made tiny cars with an aluminum floor and a “steering wheel” made out of three copper bars. When the rat stood on the car’s aluminum floor and touched the copper bars, they would start an electrical charge that moves the car. By the end of the experiment, they had taught the rats to steer the car in different directions by touching different copper bars. Their secret? Froot Loops. The scientists conditioned the rats to maneuver different ways by rewarding them with cereal pieces.
An Australian engineer once sued his ex-boss for farting on him.
In March 2017, David Hingst sued his ex-boss for repeatedly farting on him in his former job. He sought 1.8 million Australian dollars ($1.28 million) worth in damages. Apparently, his boss would fart on him 5 to 6 times a day, but his former supervisor insists he only ever did it once or twice.
An octopus can eat its own tentacle.
When an octopus is stressed, it may suffer from autophagy or self-cannibalism. In some cases, a stressed octopus can eat its own arms. However, an octopus can lose an arm without pain and regrow it with no problem.
Camels have straight spines.
One look at a camel would have you thinking, “What are you talking about? These funny facts are lies!” However, camel spines are really no different than ours in structure. The hump on their back is not their spine – but an energy reserve entirely made of fat.
People used to dream in black and white.
The world may not be black and white now, but there was a time when even dreams were. Before color TV was invented, 75% of people said their dreams were in black and white. However, only 12% does now.