Here at Bored Panda, we firmly believe that cuteness, animal pics, and education perfectly go hand-in-hand: there hasn’t been a better trio since Harry, Hermione, and Ron graced the halls of Hogwarts. So when it comes to Reddit, the ‘Awwducational’ subreddit is at the top of our list of favorites, dishing out wholesomeness and scientific facts left, right, and center.
The 3-million-strong subreddit that has been going strong since 2012 shares educational animal facts paired with truly soul-healing photos that will satisfy not just your heart but also your mind. We’ve got a lot of ‘awwducational’ photos for you to enjoy today, Pandas, so grab yourself a big mug of hot tea, snuggle under a blanket, and let’s get scrolling. Don’t forget to upvote your fave facts and pics!
Redditor u/AGreatWind, an incredibly friendly moderator who manages r/Awwducational at night and works as an infectious diseases researcher during the day, went in-depth with me about the community’s rules about avoiding trivial animal facts and always adding in reputable sources with posts. The redditor, who has over 7 years of experience working on the subreddit, also opened up to Bored Panda about the fact that some of the mods are actual scientists which is very cool in itself.
Oh, and be sure to have a read through Bored Panda’s second interview with the always-friendly PDSA team who was more than happy to share some insights into animal behavior and body language. If you still haven’t hit your cuteness limit for the day with this list, we cordially invite you to scroll through our previous article about r/Awwducational right over here.
#1 Orphaned Baby Bats Which Are Rescued Are Wrapped Snugly In Blankets To Mimic The Warm Embrace Of Their Mother’s Wings
Image source: skyfall91404, wikipedia
#2 Alex, The African Grey Parrot, Is The Only Animal To Ever Ask An Existential Question. He Asked “What Color” He Was
Image source: OstentatiousSock, Arlene Levin Rowe
#3 American Kestrel Is The Smallest And Most Common Falcon In North America. It Is Also Called The Sparrow Hawk
Image source: A_Lazko, wikipedia
#4 Dogs Sneeze While Playing To Let Other Dogs Know They Are Playing And Aren’t Trying To Be Aggresive
Image source: Ravenclaw_14, American Kennel Club
#5 Pygmy Hippos Are Critically Endangered, With Less Than 3,000 In The Wild. The San Diego Zoo Has Bred One For The First Time In Three Decades. His Name Is Akobi, And He’s Two Months Old
Image source: deleted, theweek
#6 Secretary Birds Are Famous For Its Snake-Stomping Legs; A Single Kick Delivered Some 195 Newtons Of Force
They are also famous for their long eyelashes
Image source: misanthrophile1, Scientific American
#7 New Study Shows “Rollie Pollies” Remove Heavy Metals From Soil And Protect Groundwater. Thank You To These Little Helpers!
Image source: Benjamint444, Benjamint444
#8 Red Pandas Can Stand On Their Hind Legs To Make Themselves Appear Larger
They also have “False thumbs”, which is an extension of the wrist bone, to aid them in grasping their food
Image source: petdog347, wikipedia
#9 The Southern Viscacha Is A Species Of Rodent Native To Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, And Peru. They Spend A Large Portion Of Their Day Sunbathing, Grooming, And Resting
Image source: Pardusco, wikipedia
#10 Sand Cats Specialize In Surviving In The Desert
They are not good climbers or jumpers, but they are excellent diggers. They use their digging ability to dig shallow burrows to escape the heat of the desert during the day.
Image source: petdog347, Grégory Breton
#11 Capybara’s Are Social Animals, Who Get Along With A Large Variety Of Other Animals, Including Chickens, Ducks, Dogs, Cats, Llamas, Rabbits And Turtles
Including chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, llamas, rabbits and turtles
Image source: Btherock78, Wikipedia
#12 Black-Footed Cat (Felis Nigripes) Is The Smallest Cat In Africa (Up To 5 Lbs) And Can Hunt Preys Bigger Than Himself
Image source: ca6lypso, wikipedia
#13 Seals Will Perform The Banana Pose When They Are Feeling Safe And Content
Lifting their heads and flippers into to the air also helps to regulate their body temperature and keeps their extremities dry when close to water.
Image source: prean625, ecomare
#14 Manatees Have No Significant Natural Predators And Can Be Found Co-Existing Peacefully With Gators
Image source: themflyingeyes, Swimming with the manatees
#15 Wolverines Can Be Taught To Rescue Avalanche Survivors
Image source: skyfall91404, Nat Geo WIld
#16 Pigs Are Known For Being Very Sociable And Intelligent, And This Is Especially The Case For Vietnamese Potbellied Pigs
Image source: meowroarhiss, humanesociety
#17 The Aardvark, Alphabetically The First Animal, Plays An Important Role In Preventing Wildlife Deaths From Fire
They dig large underground burrows that wildlife can hide in during fires.
Image source: Mail30silver, wikipedia
#18 The Mangalica Is The Only Pig Species Covered In A Long Wool Coat, Similar To A Sheep’s
Image source: shan_eh_dor, wikipedia
#19 Elephants Are Intelligent, Social, Empathetic Animals Who Display ‘Ah Ha’ Spontaneous Problem Solving Behavior
As babies they tend to be helpless, relying on their moms until they’re three.
Image source: cheekypuns, plos one
#20 Ravens Are Capable Of High-Quality Imitation Of Human Speech
Image source: regian24 , ResearchGate
#21 Despite Their Appearance, Elephant Shrews Are In Fact More Closely Related To Elephants Than Shrews
Image source: https://www.reddit.com/user/SophiaLongnameovich/, wikipedia
#22 Beavers Have Orange Teeth Because Their Tooth Enamal Has A High Iron Content To Make Them Strong Enough To Chew Through Wood
Image source: saskatoonbaldguy, Mc Gill
#23 The Chinese Mountain Cat Is One Of The Rarest Wild Cats, And Was First Captured On Camera In The Wild In 2007
Image source: tt598, wildcatconservation
#24 The Manul (Or Pallas’ Cat) Of Central Asia Has The Longest And Densest Fur Of All The Cat Species
Image source: JerryfromTomandJerry, bigcatrescue
#25 Aardwolves Are Neither Aardvarks Nor Wolves
They are actually related to hyenas, but with one big exception – aardwolves feed mainly on termites, around 200,000 a day. This diet helps aardwolves maintain their protein and moisture needs in some of the driest places in Africa
Image source: KimCureAll, wikipedia
#26 Penguin Chicks, Because Of Their Fat Insulation, When They Get Too Hot, They Pant And Stick Their Legs Out, Which Cools Them Off
Image source: Ravenclaw_14, penguins international
#27 It Takes Bald Eagles About Five Years To Obtain Their White Head!
These pictures are of the same bird taken years apart, illustrating the difference between juvenile and subadult plumage
Image source: aefeagles, eagles
#28 These Guys Are Goldcrests, The Smallest Birds In Europe
They weigh 1/100th of a pound and their eggs are the size of peas. They also looks really grumpy all the time
Image source: best_cricket, wikipedia
#29 Marine Iguanas Have A Mutualistic Relationship With Lava Lizards, As The Lizards Often Scurry Over Them To Hunt Flies
As The Iguanas Are Herbivores, They Rely On The Lizards To Remove The Flies.
Image source: https://www.reddit.com/user/skyfall91404/, wikipedia
#30 Gibbons Are One Of The Only Non-Human Primates Which Practice Monogamy
Both parents play a vital role in raising of their young
Image source: reddit.com, wikipedia
#31 The California Ground And Rock Squirrels Have Acquired A Great Anti-Rattlesnake Defense
They chew on the old snake skins, then lick and apply the mush onto their fur to disguise their own odor, tricking the rattler into scenting only snake and thus avoid detection from its slithering predators
Image source: SunCloud-777, sciencedaily
#32 The Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon Brachyurus) Is The Largest Canid In South America. His Marks Resemble Those Of Foxes, But He Is Not A Fox Or A Wolf. It Is The Only Species Of The Genus Chrysocyon (Which Means “Golden Dog”). These Wolves Are Also Commonly Mistaken For “El Chupacabra”
Image source: mccur1eyfries, nationalzoo
#33 Say Hello To An Australian Echidna! One Of Only Two Mammals In The World That Lay Eggs (Called Monotremes)! This Little Girl Was Brought Into My Work
Image source: p3rthr0, environment
#34 King Cheetahs Are Variety Of Cheetahs With A Rare Mutation Caused By A Recessive Allele. Their Cream-Colored Fur Are Marked With Large, Blotchy Spots And Three Dark, Wide Stripes Extend From The Neck To The Tail
Image source: skyfall91404, wikipedia
#35 There Are Only 880 Mountain Gorillas Left…
Moderator edit: IUCN Red List has the mature population at 600 (last updated 2018). Wiki says 880. Others say it’s around 1000. We are going to call this ‘debated’ since a current consensus is still being worked out apparently. The good news is that the population is trending up, so take that as solace that all is not lost and we can still make a difference!
Image source: Bite_Tricky, wikipedia
#36 Snow Leopards Cover The Distance Of A Marathon (26.2 Mi) In One Night
They also cannot roar. They are also more closely related to tigers than they are to leopards! But they are definitely the cutest
Image source: BrainSlugParty3000, wwf
#37 Native To Mexico, The Axolotl Has A Slimy Tail And A Mouth That Curls Into An Odd Smile. It Is Known As The “Water Monster” Or The “Mexican Walking Fish.”
Image source: polisci201, aquariumindustries
#38 Hippos Can’t Really Swim. Their Big Bones Are Too Dense And Heavy, So They Just Push Off The Ground, Walking Or Bouncing Off The Bottom
Image source: awkwardtheturtle, theatlantic
#39 Australian “Firehawk” Raptors, Such As This Black Kite, Have Recently Been Found To Purposefully Spread Wildfires
By carrying smoldering branches to unburnt areas, to flush out prey, confirming long-held traditional aboriginal knowledge
Image source: tea_and_biology, bioone
#40 Done Brushing Your Dog? Birds Love Using The Hair To Build Nests. Set Aside One Birdfeeder To Fill With Hair
Image source: 5_Frog_Margin, paloaltoonline
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