Quite Interesting Facts
Weird creature facts

Helpful Tools

  • Add to My UKTV
  • Send to a friend
  • Print this page
Weird creature facts

Weird creature facts

  • Fainting goats were discovered in America in 1880. The breed suffer from a condition called myatonia. This causes them to lock up and fall over whenever they are startled. They don’t actually lose consciousness, but remain rigid on the ground for about fifteen seconds. The condition is not harmful, but simply a genetic quirk.

  • The Gulper eel is formed almost entirely of one giant, razor-toothed mouth attached to an expandable stomach. Grotesque in appearance, they are found at depths of 6,500 feet. The jaws are detachable, allowing a Gulper to eat food of its own size. The eel hangs vertically in the water, until prey is engulfed in one gulp - its entire frame opens like an umbrella.

  • The mop budgerigar is a beautifully feathered creature. Bizarrely, it is this beauty that means they only ever live for under a year. The small birds have long, curly feathers that grow up to 6 centimetres in length. Scientists believe the fatal protein deficiency that kills them is caused by their excess feather production.

  • The star-nosed mole has developed a peculiar shaped nose to help it find its food. The snout is surrounded by ‘tentacles’, which constantly move around as it searches. The 22 fleshy appendages are crammed with over 25,000 sensors which feel the ground to find anything edible. Once located, the tentacles retract so that the mole can get the food into its mouth.

  • The anglerfish is so named because it appears to ‘fish’ for its prey. It has a special dorsal spine which protrudes from its head and at the end of this is the ‘bait’ – a knob that looks just like a small fish. The anglerfish dangles this just in front of its huge mouth, while sitting steady on the ocean floor. When another fish investigates, the anglerfish expands its mouth and sucks in its victim in just six thousandths of a second.

    •
     
     

    Our Programmes

    Dave Stars

    UKTV Essentials


    Sky Channel 111, Virgin TV 128, Freeview 19
    Dave On TV Now

    Dave  All UKTV