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Petting birds turns them on -

It turns out, birds really like it when you stroke their feathers. When birds mate, it usually begins with one stroking its partner along the head and back. 

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There's a tongue-eating louse -

Also known as Csymothoa exigua, this parasite latches onto a fish’s tongue and feeds on the blood vessels. When the tongue eventually falls off, it attaches itself on what's left and becomes the fish's new tongue.

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Ladybugs have a disturbing snack -

Ladybugs lay as many as 1,000 tiny gold-colored eggs during a single season, but not all make it to adulthood. When there's a short supply of prey, they actually eat their own eggs.

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Otters can be aggressive harassers -

Male otters are serial harassers. When males mate, they grab the female and aggressively bite her face. Talk about a date nightmare!

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Swarms of fruit flies are swingers -

Those buzzing fruit flies in your kitchen are hungry for more than just overripe bananas. They're actually building arousal in a big group before mating.

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Many koalas suffer from chlamydia -

Evolution hasn't been so kind to koalas. Shockingly, they pee, poo, and reproduce through the same orifice, which is called the cloaca. And because of this, many of them are infected with chlamydia.

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Snapping turtles can be trained to eat the dead -

In order to clean up the Ganges river of human corpses, the Indian government trained snapping turtles in the '90s to do the job. An unsuccessful project due to corruption and mismanagement, these turtles were initially fed on a diet of dead fish to train them for the corpses.

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Sloths almost die when they poop -

Doing a number two is a dangerous business for sloths! This is because they most climb down to the ground, making them vulnerable to predators. Sadly, they're even slower on the ground than in trees.

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After scorpions shed their tails, they die of constipation -

The anatomy of a scorpion is rather strange! They release excrement from a spot close to the stinger. Therefore, they lose the ability to defecate when they shed their tails. This results in a slow death caused by constipation.

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Bored ducks become cannibals -

The reason why ducks turn to cannibalism isn't entirely known. But it has been associated with boredom, overcrowding, and the lack of ventilation.

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When male bees mate, their private organs explode -

While mating, the testicles of the male bee explode, leaving the tip of his gen**** in the queen. It's a way to stop another male from mating with her.

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Cape buffaloes are nicknamed "Black Death" for a reason -

Extremely dangerous and unpredictable by nature, cape buffaloes stalk their prey before charging up to a speed of around 35 miles (55 km) per hour. One knock and you're gone!

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The greater short-horned lizard squirts blood out of its eyes -

As horrific as it sounds, this is actually a defense mechanism for the short-horned lizard. When it feels threatened by a predator, its final defense response is to shoot blood out its eye sockets.

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Slow loris monkeys have poisonous elbows -

These furballs produce a toxic secretion from the brachial gland in the upper arm that causes an allergic reaction in other mammals. When threatened, they'll lick the secretion and bite the predator, delivering the poison into the wound.

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Several bird species keep cool by defecating on themselves -

To beat out the heat on a sunny day, bird species, like storks, condors, flamingos, and vultures, keep cool by defecating on their own legs. As the poop dries, the heat is carried away, bringing down their body temperature. 

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Tarantulas suck their food through a straw -

Though tarantulas seem pretty scary to humans, they'd rather attack insects, frogs, mice, and birds. In order to eat their prey, the tarantula secretes digestive enzymes that liquefy their bodies. It then sucks up its meal using strawlike openings under its fangs.

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This tiny frog kills you with a single touch -

The golden poison dart frog might be the size of a paperclip, but it's extremely lethal. Covered in toxins, it leaves the nerves and muscles of its victims inactive, and eventually dead.

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One slip of the foot and you’re dead with these venomous snails -

Cone snails might look pretty, but they have one of the world’s most painful and fatal stings. They release a harpoon that can cause muscle paralysis and respiratory failure.

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The box jellyfish is possibly the most venomous marine animal in the world -

Commonly found in Australia’s northern oceans, one sting can cause cardiac arrest in its victims. So make sure you stay away from these marine animals.

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Sea cucumbers have a nasty diet -

With over 1,200 different species of sea cucumber, these creatures can be found in the deep ocean feasting on their own poop.

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Flies are just unhygienic -

Apart from being super annoying, flies are pretty nasty. On top of eating feces, they're suspected of transmitting at least 65 diseases to humans, including typhoid fever, cholera, and tuberculosis.

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Meerkats are baby-killing beasts -

The dominant female meerkat controls breeding and kills the babies of those that aren’t her own in the clan. This way, she ensures that her own offspring has the best chance of survival.

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You might have eaten beaver secretions -

Also known as castoreum, it's a yellowish secretion of a beaver’s castor sac. Filled with intestinal liquids and urine, it’s been used for years to bring out the flavor in vanilla ice cream. It's also used in cigarettes and perfume.

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Some frogs live in elephant poop -

Who would have thought that elephant poop makes the perfect home for frogs? It turns out dung is the perfect shelter from the sun, and it provides snacks with all the insects crawling around.

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Vampire bats naturally want blood -

Appropriately named, vampire bats feed solely on the blood of mammals. Fortunately they're less inclined to go after humans–but it's not unheard of!

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A hungry female black widow will eat the male during mating -

For male widow spiders, mating is an infamously dangerous activity. The large females will often eat the males during mating, hence the "widow" in their names.

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You’re more likely to be killed by a cow than a shark -

You shouldn't be that worried about sharks. More people die annually from getting kicked or stepped on by a cow. So watch out if you spot one!

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Falcon breeders let birds copulate with their heads -

Falcon breeders have actually designed special little hats to wear to capture the falcon’s semen. They later inject it into the female's egg so that baby birdies can be born.

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Snails have sharp teeth -

They might be slow, but snails have razor-sharp teeth. Located on a ribbon-like structure called a radula, they use these teeth to cut their prey.

Sources: (INSH) (WWF)

See also: The incredible ways animals impact the Earth

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