- [Alex] The things that animals do can be outright breathtaking, but sometimes they're
just downright weird. Even though we've co-existed with animals for millions of years, they can still surprise us
with strange behaviors that on the surface don't make a lot of sense. From odd displays of domination to trying to eat themselves whole, let's take a closer
look at why some animals do what they do. (bright music) C-rock-odilians. If you looked inside a crocodile
or alligator's stomach, you'd probably see the remains
of prey like fish and birds, along with any other
animals they've gobbled up. But there'd also be a
rather intriguing addition to the menu, a pile of rocks. Almost like a side dish,
these colossal crocodilians occasionally chow down on
any rocks they can find. But what on earth would drive
these mammoth reptilians to swallow a portion of pebbles? Obviously it's not for the
nutritional value or the taste. Though there are a couple
of theories explaining why they engage in this
tooth-cracking behavior. And one is that it aids their digestion. Because crocodiles and alligators tear off large sections of their
prey or swallow them whole, a few rocks in the
stomach can help to crush and grate they're fully formed food. Especially meals that contain
tough shells and bones. Although another theory suggests that the increased weight the rocks give them allows them to stay under water
for longer periods of time. With more rocks in their stomach, they can take a greater amount of air into their lungs and still sink. Although I reckon eating rocks is enough to give anyone that
sinking stomach feeling. Gassy manatees. Manatees are sea creatures
that once inspired the myth of mermaids, thanks to their graceful movements and the seriously strong booze those sailors must've been drinking. Because if they'd taken a more sober look, they might've noticed that
these bulbous sea dwellers were swimming around using their farts. You heard me right. But how exactly do they
use that gas to get around? Well, manatees are
incredibly heavy animals that can weigh up to 1300 pounds. At that weight, an adult
manatee could eat up to 130 pounds of vegetation each day, which means a lot of methane
gas builds up inside them. Usually sea dwelling animals
this size have swim bladders to help regulate their buoyancy. These are organs that contain
a mix of oxygen and gas, allowing animals to maintain their depth without floating up or sinking. But for all their underwater
grace, manatees don't have one. Instead they control
their depth by releasing steady streams of gas from their
lungs and from their butts. So if they want to float to the top, they'll hold everything in, but if they want a sink to the
bottom, they'll let one rip. (upbeat music) Whoa, that's an eyeful
you can really smell. And if you think flatulence is funny, be sure to hit those like
and subscribe buttons below so that you never miss out on another of my brilliantly bizarre videos. Crafty crows. Have you ever been called a bird brain? You might think someone
was calling you stupid, but it could have been a compliment, that is if the bird
brain belonged to a crow. These black feathered
fliers are often credited as some of the smartest
animals on the planet, and with good reason. The crafty corvids have
learned how to fashion and use certain tools to help
them get out of reach food. They also understand how
water displacement works, which scientists observed
as they dropped rocks into a water filled tube to
raise up a floating snack. (upbeat music) And they can even remember
different human faces, meaning if you treat one badly, it'll hold one hell of
a grudge against you. Along with their many other
signs of intelligence, scientists have concluded that crows have the reasoning skills of an average seven year old human child. And it's all thanks to the composition of that utterly incredible bird brain. Unlike most birds, crows have a phenomenally large forebrain, which is where high functioning
processes take place, like problem solving and complex thinking. It takes up approximately 80% of the crow's total brain volume, which is shockingly similar in proportion to that of a human brain. So it would seem that not all bird brains are bird brains after all. Zany zebra finch. In the bird world, trying
to find an attractive mate can be a real hassle. A lot of female birds invest
huge amounts of energy into finding and breeding with males that have the best plumage, size or nest. But not for the Zebra Finch. These tiny birds find that the size and stamina of their mate is what sets them apart from the rest, as larger and fitter birds can better provide for their nest. But if the wily female of this bird breed ends up with a small and unfit partner, she'll lay much larger than average eggs that contain a lot more nutrients. Because Zebra Finches mate for life, the female has no reason
to save up her resources for another better partner. This means that the low
genetic quality of the male is compensated for by good egg quality. While nutrients can
overcome genetic coding, a larger egg does give the chick inside a lot more nourishment,
meaning it can grow larger and has a better chance of
surviving once it hatches. That's one weird way of
compensating for an unfit father. Pistol shrimp snap. Measuring in at just over
an inch and a half long, the pistol shrimp doesn't look like it could do anyone or anything much harm. But this unassuming little creature has a deadly weapon hidden up its sleeve, or should I say in its claw. That gigantic pincer
has a snapping mechanism that can snap shut at a
shocking 60 miles per hour. When it suddenly clamps down like this, the force results in
a sound that can reach a deafening 218 decibels, that's
louder than most gunshots. But because it's so
small, it sounds more like someone pouring milk on
some aggressive cereal. (pincer snapping) I guess it's not called up
pistol shrimp or nothing. It achieves this ear
splitting action thanks to the design of its huge pincer, which consists of two main
parts, a plunger and a socket. The shrimp opens its claws
and builds up tension before setting the whole thing
off with incredible force. When the plunger slams into the socket, the water in it is suddenly displaced and jets out at a staggering
105 feet per second. It's so fast that the water
pressure drastically drops and creates a vacuum, which then collapses and sends out a water
pulse that's so powerful, it can stun nearby prey. The reaction also
generates a flash of light and brief burst of heat that can reach up to 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's as hot as the surface of the sun. So even though this little shrimp isn't much bigger than your finger, you shouldn't go sticking your digits anywhere near this super tiny stun gun. Poopy-baras. Capybaras are arguably the largest and most adorable rodents in the world. Able to grow up to two
feet at the shoulder and weighing up to 143 pounds, these semi-aquatic rodents
are closely related to the equally adorable guinea pig. While they, like their
super small relatives, enjoy a diet of fruit,
grasses, and vegetables, they also like to indulge
in a hideous homemade treat, their own poop. As gross as it sounds,
this bizarre behavior is a relatively normal and
natural action called coprophagy. Because some of the food
capybaras eat, like grasses, can be hard for them to digest, they eat their waste in order to effectively digest it twice. So these otherwise incredibly cute rodents will chow down on their
own poop in the mornings, which is when their poo
is still protein rich from yesterday's meals. Do you think they're still adorable now? Cow compasses. Back in 2008, scientists began to notice a remarkable behavior in one of earth's most unremarkable animals, cows. Thanks to the launch of
the Google Earth tool, scientists were able to see that cattle all around the world weren't just standing about randomly in their fields. A significant amount
of them appeared to be lined up on a north to south axis, almost like they were aligning themselves with the Earth's magnetic poles. The discovery sent a ripple of excitement through the scientific community, which led to two very important questions. How and why were the cows doing this? Seeing as the earth's magnetic field was the only common factor, they deduced that cows must possess a sixth sense of magnetism. It's possible that this would have helped their ancestors during migrations, meaning they'd all inherited
a great sense of direction. But as attractive is all
these theories sounded, the science wasn't actually that strong. Followup studies into this
crazy cattle alignment found no such patterns,
leading many to believe that the first findings had been a total fluke. As disappointing as it is, it looks like it's time for the myth of internal cow compasses
to be put out to pasture. Fake it till you make it. Some women can think they're
pretty savvy in the bedroom. And for one reason or another, try to fake certain carnal shenanigans. But they're not the only
species they can fake it. Scientists from Sweden's
National Board of Fisheries discovered that female brown trout also fake it when they mate. During their reproductive cycle, both the male and female
fish of courting pairs quiver with their mouths open when they release their eggs and sperm. However, female fish often quiver without releasing their eggs and the poor dude falls for it every time. Not only that, but the
more 'big O's' she fakes, the more males are attracted to her, believing they too have a chance of passing on their genetic material. But what purpose does all
this fishy floundering have? Researchers believe that female trout trick their partners into
this premature release so that they have more choice over who will father their offspring. Clearly, it's a behavior that's better for her than it is for him. Dragon-fakes. While female trout may
seem to have it good, mating for some female dragonflies can turn into a desperate
fight for survival. If the females aren't lucky, hyper aggressive males can injure or even kill them if they're coerced into the ultimate carnal act. And it's gotten so bad that females have started going to a hilarious extreme to avoid mating with pestering partners, they fake their own deaths. In 2017, a scientist in
Switzerland witnessed a female moorland hawker dragonfly being harassed by aggressive males. All of a sudden, she dramatically
dropped out of the sky, crashed on the ground and
lay completely motionless. It looked like she'd died
from the sheer exhaustion from having to deal with
so many annoying males. But after the males moved away, she flew back up like
nothing had happened. Now the act of playing dead
is seen in many species like frogs and, more famously, possums, to avoid being attacked by predators. But it seems that these dragonflies use the death feint to avoid predators of the Harvey Weinstein
variety, if you get my meaning. Vervet drunkeys. Humans love to indulge
in an alcoholic beverage every now and again, but
we're not the only species that enjoys a cheeky tipple. Scampering about on the
Caribbean islands of St. Kitt, Nevis and Barbados, the local
population of vervet monkeys are notorious for their
love of the devil's juice. In their quest for the taste of hooch, they've been known to steal
entire bottles of booze from bars and swipe cocktails
from unsuspecting tourists. Confused by this boozy behavior, scientists began to observe these monkey's strange hooch habits. And their studies revealed that they weren't just drinking
to indulge in he high, super-sweet sugar content
of beverages and cocktails. When given a choice, some
monkeys voluntarily chose the alcoholic alternatives,
suggesting they'd learned to enjoy the fuzzy feelings of inebriation that come with alcohol consumption. Further research showed that they even had drinking habits similar to humans. With some monkeys enjoying
the occasional snifter, while others binge drank to
the point they blacked out. Despite their famously dexterous grips, it looks like these monkeys need to learn how to hold their drink. Buffalo phenomenon. The American electoral vote of 2020 was a never-ending
nightmare for the nation. But in the animal kingdom,
displays of democracy are, ironically, much simpler. Across the grassy plains
of the African continent, herds of African Buffalo
astoundingly cast votes on which direction they believe they should travel before moving on. But obviously they're not doing this by filling out a ballot. According to scientific observations, these cattle purposely shift positions while they're resting, but
this isn't to get comfy. By changing the direction they're facing, they're casting their own vote on which way they think
the herd should travel and the head female will move the herd off in that direction. In other words, African
Buffalo herd movements are guided by a majority vote. Although this looks like
incredibly progressive behavior, not every Buffalo gets a say because only the females
can cast the deciding votes. Looks like democracy isn't the only thing humans share with African Buffalo. Even these males refuse
to ask for directions. Self-eating snake. Have you ever seen a cat
attacking its own tail? It's pretty hilarious. Although there's nothing
weirder or more frightening than watching a snake do the same thing. (upbeat music) The terrifying tail-eating
behavior of snakes has inspired ancient
symbols throughout the ages. Like the Ouroboros, which represents the eternal cycle of life and death. While it's an incredibly beautiful emblem, the reason snakes really do
this isn't nearly as pretty. Snakes can't regulate their
own body temperatures. So these cold blooded animals sit under external heat sources like the
sun or a hot lamp to warm up. If they want to cool down they'll slither into water or a patch of shade. But if they get too hot, they
become horribly confused. The heat also ramps up their metabolism, falsely making them feel hungry. Disoriented and starving they'll attack and devour the first thing they see. Unfortunately, this can turn
out to be their own tails. And because they're evolved to prevent their prey from escaping their jaws, once they start to self cannibalize, they become their own can of Pringles. And sadly, they just can't stop. The goats that know no fear. Everything in our world
adheres to the laws of gravity. That is, except for goats. Several subspecies of
these four hooved heretics make an absolute mockery out of physics with their utterly insane
climbing abilities. The magnificent mountain
goats of North America, for example, have adapted
to spend most of their lives careening across steep,
rocky mountainsides. And over the pond in the European Alps, Alpine Ibex can clamor expertly
up just about anything. Even practically vertical brick dams. Along with their remarkable
sense of balance, they have slightly soft cloven hooves, which spread their weight into the rocky crevices and grip on tight. They've evolved to do so in order to reach high growing moss,
lick salt from rocks and get to tasty fruits and
leaves at the tops of trees. While their behavior does
technically make sense, seeing a herd of goats climbing a tree, like these goats in
Morocco are apt to doing, is enough to blow even Einstein's mind. This unusual behavior is usually witnessed in the Sous Valley, where
the rare Aragania tree grows. The delicious fruit that
buds from its branches are a particular favorite
of the local goats, who will happily hop up to the
tops of these 25 foot trees. Although with their voracious appetites, let's hope these goats
don't eat themselves out of a tree to sit in. Fainting goats. While some goats are clearly fearless, there's another truly bizarre breed that completely freezes
at the slightest scare. (laughter) Hilariously nicknamed, fainting goats, the real name of these
frightened fur balls is actually Myotonic Goats. Through breeding, they've
inherited a genetic condition that causes their muscles
to stiffen briefly when they're startled. This is because normally
when an animal is scared, a brief jolt of heart racing adrenaline forces their muscles to move. But the cell mutation
that these goats have prevents their muscles from
receiving the adrenaline, which causes them to
completely lock up instead. So even something as silly
as a man doing a flip is enough to make them
freeze in their tracks. Thankfully, this means
they don't actually faint. They just fall over and bounce back up once the stiffness goes away. While the reaction isn't
harmful or painful to the goats, I imagine being constantly snuck up on just to be laughed at is pretty annoying. Menacing magpies. Black and white Eurasian magpies are known all over the world for their incredible plumage
and brilliant brains. In fact, they're widely considered to be one of the smartest birds in the world. A trait that sadly, isn't shared by their hyper-aggressive Australian cousins. These frightening fliers
performed dangerous dive bombs on innocent people
strolling past their nest, as this one incredibly
unfortunate kid found out. (screaming) - [Cameraman] Hey! Hey! Hey! (laughs) - While their black and white
plumage may make you think they're just a breed of
super aggressive magpie, they're actually not related
to the Eurasian lookalikes. These avid Australian birds are members of the artamidae family, like
woodswallows and butcher birds, not the corvid family, like
crows and Eurasian magpies. So every spring Australians helmet up and hunker down from these
strange swooping attacks, which have resulted in a staggering 600 injuries in 2020 alone. But they're not doing it to cause chaos, they're actually just trying
to protect their nests. This fearless strategy
keeps potential predators away from their nest
during breeding seasons, meaning they'll attack almost anything that comes within about 160 feet of them. Fortunately, only about
10% of mating pairs become astonishingly
aggressive as this guy, but even that's enough to put the land down under,
under constant attack. Hilarious hooded seals. When trying to impress a lady, some men puff up their chest to make themselves look a bit more buff. But when male hooded seals
are trying to attract a mate, they puff up something
drastically different. By closing off one nostril, this seal blows and inflates
an elasticated membrane in his nasal cavity. The sack is then pushed out and presented like a big red clown nose, which gets its color from
all the blood vessels running across the stretchy membrane. Then he'll waive his bulging sack around all the available ladies to prove just how big and powerful he is. So the bigger his sack is,
the better his chances are. But these seals don't just
have a nose for romance, they also use their inflatable nasals to square off against
other competing males that can weigh up to 880 pounds. So to save them the effort
of physical confrontation, they just measure up each other's balloon and the larger of the two usually wins. Well, it might work for the hooded seal, but if you're a man, don't
go waving a big red balloon in a pretty lady's face
before asking her out. It doesn't work. Trust me, I've tried. Reindeer retinas. Reindeer are best known for Rudolph's fictional glowing red nose, but scientists have
discovered that these animals genuinely do change their
color, but in a different way. Astoundingly, the backs of their eyeballs change color from gold in the
summer, to blue in the winter. This is all because of changes
in their tapetum lucidum, or cat's eye, a mirrored layer that sits just behind their retinas. This helps the animal
to see in dim conditions by reflecting light that misses the retinal sweet spot back into the eye. And in the reindeer's Arctic habitat, which can have weeks of
unending light in the summer and month-long nights in the winter, adjusting their eyes to
long-term lighting is essential. So when the season gets dark, the reindeer's iris' will
dilate for months on end. But when they're in large like this for an extended period of time,
their eyes begin to swell, compressing the fibers
that make up the tapetum. In its extended state,
it would usually reflect yellow wave lengths but
when it's compressed, it reflects blue wave lengths. So in the summer, the
reindeers golden tapetum reflects a lot of light out of the eye to help it deal with the
near constant daylight, a bit like inbuilt sunglasses. And then in the winter,
the tapetum turns blue, which reflects less light out of the eye so that it can deal with
the never-ending darkness. I bet this would make Rudolph so jealous. The applesauce owl. Early in 2020, a viral
sensation swept the world that left people scared and confused. No, not that viral sensation, this one. Twitter user jvonne78
brought the world's attention to a photo of an owl sitting, and I quote, criss-cross applesauce. Considering no one has
ever witnessed a bird sitting with its legs crossed like a yoga aficionado before, the internet began to ask can
owls really sit cross-legged? While the deceptively long
legs of these amazing birds look like they could bend like pretzels, the heartbreaking truth
is that they actually cannot sit criss-cross applesauce. Owl legs have backward bending joints so they physically can't bend
them like those of a human. The owl is actually sitting on its hocks which are the backward
bending joints between the birds thighs and its lower leg. It's a resting behavior
seen in many birds, although few of them have as many frontal feathers as this little owl. So it would seem that
the lay of those feathers is creating the illusion that this bird knows a few killer yoga poses. Massive murmurations. Just before dusk, skies around the world are suddenly blacked out
by shape-shifting clouds that turn, twist and loop in
bizarrely beautiful patterns. (upbeat music) But these aren't clouds, they're actually flocks of thousands of starlings. And when they perform
these impossible acts of choreography high in the sky, they're called a murmuration. While they start out comprised of a few hundred or a few thousand birds, many more quickly join the
nighttime acrobatic routine. They can swell beyond a
million individual fliers with one murmuration in Somerset, Britain attracting an astounding record of 6 million starlings back in 1999. But as mesmerizing as they
are, why did they do it? Well, grouping together like
this offers safety in numbers with sky high predators
finding it hard to target just one bird in the middle
of such an immense flock. And by gathering like this, it allows the starlings
to exchange information like where the best feeding areas are, as well as gathering to
keep warm for the night. I guess there's nothing like performing an immense display of
sky high choreography to get you ready for bed. Have you ever seen an animal doing any of these weird and wacky behaviors? Let me know down in those comments below and thanks for watching. (upbeat music)
