Animals
A group of flamingos is called a flock.
True or False?
False!
A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
True or False?
False!
Lightning frequently strikes the same place multiple times. The Empire State Building is struck by lightning around 20 times per year.
Humans are the only animals with fingerprints.
True or False?
False!
Koalas also have fingerprints, and they are so similar to human fingerprints that they have occasionally confused crime scene investigators.
Australia is both a country and a continent.
True or False?
True!
Australia is the only nation in the world that occupies an entire continent.
A group of cats is called a clowder.
True or False?
True!
Another lesser-known term is a “glaring,” especially when the cats appear unfriendly.
A snail can sleep for up to three years.
True or False?
True!
Snails can enter a long dormancy period called estivation when weather conditions become too hot or dry.
The Sun is a star.
True or False?
True!
The Sun is a medium-sized star classified as a yellow dwarf, located about 93 million miles from Earth.
Yawning is contagious even when you read about it.
True or False?
True!
Simply reading or thinking about yawning can trigger one. (You might even be yawning right now.)
Canada has more lakes than any other country in the world.
True or False?
True!
Canada contains more than 60% of the world's lakes, totaling over 2 million.
The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows.
True or False?
True!
Many historians believe Leonardo da Vinci intentionally painted her without eyebrows, though some may also have faded during centuries of restoration.
Sharks are the only fish that can blink.
True or False?
True!
Sharks have a nictitating membrane, a protective inner eyelid that closes when they attack prey.
Sound travels faster than light.
True or False?
False!
Light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second, while sound travels at about 767 miles per hour.
Adults have fewer bones than babies.
True or False?
True!
Babies are born with around 300 bones. Many fuse together during childhood and adolescence, leaving adults with 206 bones.
The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.
True or False?
False!
Antarctica is the largest desert in the world. A desert is defined by low precipitation, not temperature. The Sahara is the largest hot desert.
A jiffy is an actual unit of time.
True or False?
True!
In physics, a jiffy is the time it takes light to travel one centimeter, about 33.4 picoseconds.
A cow produces more milk when listening to music.
True or False?
True!
Studies have shown that slow, calming music can increase milk production by a meaningful amount.
Humans share about 50% of their DNA with bananas.
True or False?
True!
Humans share surprising amounts of DNA with many living things, including about 60% with fruit flies and roughly 85% with mice.
The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body.
True or False?
False!
The tongue is strong, but the masseter (jaw muscle) is generally considered the strongest muscle relative to its size.
New Zealand was the first country to give women the right to vote.
True or False?
True!
New Zealand granted women the right to vote in 1893, nearly 30 years before the United States.
Fireworks were invented in China.
True or False?
True!
Fireworks were developed in China around the 7th century during the Tang Dynasty, originally discovered while experimenting with early gunpowder.
Penguins mate for life.
True or False?
False!
Most penguin species are serially monogamous. They are faithful within a breeding season but not always to the same partner across years.
All planets in our solar system rotate in the same direction.
True or False?
False!
Venus and Uranus rotate in the opposite direction from most other planets.
Your nose and ears never stop growing.
True or False?
True!
While most bones stop growing after adolescence, cartilage continues to grow slowly throughout life. Ears and noses are largely made of cartilage.
Iceland is covered in ice and Greenland is covered in green.
True or False?
False!
Iceland has a relatively mild climate with large areas of vegetation, while Greenland is about 80% covered by an ice sheet.
The tradition of the Christmas tree originated in Germany.
True or False?
True!
Decorating evergreen trees indoors during winter became popular in Germany in the 16th century and later spread throughout Europe and the United States.