Don't mess with the anglerfish!
Reference: National Geographic, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Little known facts have always been a source of head-scratching inspiration (or at least entertainment) for me, and I suspect I'm not alone in this. Enrich your knowledge of purportedly useless information! Enjoy your journey through the flotsam, jetsam and general minutiae of life!
Reference: National Geographic, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza daily. That's about 350 slices per second, or 3 billion pizzas per year, or 46 slices per capita per year, adding up to about $30 billion in annual pizza sales.
Favorite pizza toppings vary, depending on where you live. In America, pepperoni is by far the favorite topping, (2.5 million pounds per year!). In Russia, the favorite is a combination of tuna, salmon, sardines, mackeral and onions, mmm. Ordering pizza in India? Try the pickled ginger, minced mutton and paneer. Or Curry in Pakistan. Eel and squid in Japan. This Australian favorite sounds good -- shrimp and pineapple. You're likely to find coconut on your pizza in Costa Rica, green peas if you're in Brazil, or bacon, onion and fresh cream in France.
References: pizzaware.com; verapizzanapoletana.com; pizzatherapy.com
Snakes swallow their young to protect them. What actually happens is that some snakes (the garter snake, for example) carry their eggs internally until they are ready to hatch so that the babies are born live.
Counting the rattles on a rattlesnake will give you its age -- one rattle per year. Actually, rattlesnakes gain a new rattle each time they shed, which can happen several times a year. It is also not uncommon for rattles to break off. So counting rattles is not a reliable way of guessing a snake's age.
Snakes can only strike from a coiled position. Not true. A snake can strike from any position.
Some snakes hypnotize or "charm" their prey. There is no scientific evidence of this whatsoever. Some small animals do freeze when they're scared, so they may give the appearance of being 'charmed'.
Snakes are slimy. Snakes are dry and either smooth or scaly.
Hoop snakes make a hoop by fastening their tail in their mouth and then rolling. Believe it or not, there's no such thing as a hoop snake.
Snakes can jump up to two feet. Snakes can't jump at all.
Snakes always travel in pairs. Only during mating season will you see pairs of snakes.
Snakes suck milk from cows and goats. Milk snakes do go into barns, but they're looking for rodents to eat, not milk.
Reference: Ohio Public Library Information Network; texas snakes.net; Davidson College
OK, that's the good news. The bad news is that chocolate contains fat and high percentages of sugar. So forget about fighting tooth decay by eating chocolate. The fat and sugar make for a high calorie treat, so eating too much can definitely cause weight gain. But you knew all that. Here are some interesting bits that maybe you didn't know:
Reference: California Academy of Sciences