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30 Surprising Facts About Nature for Those of Us Who Like to Stay Inside

I’d rather learn about nature from a screen

30 Surprising Facts About Nature for Those of Us Who Like to Stay Inside

August 12, 2023

Nature, it’s worth noting, isn’t all grace and beauty. Everywhere you look — from the sky to the oceans — is filled with terrible monsters that you need to remain vigilant about. And even more notable than that, a lot of what we consider “nature” isn’t even natural at all! It’s the result of either intentional human meddling or negligence — to very weird results! So hey, maybe we’re better off just sitting here and learning about nature from our phones.

30

Central Park

CRACKED.COM New York's Central Park was man-made. In fact, certain buildings in New York were built before the plans to create the park were even approved. — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

29

Flevopoider

The island of Flevopolder in the Netherlands didn't exist 100 years ago. Now home to 350 thousand people, Flevopolder is the world's largest artificial island with 370 sq mi of area. Finished in the 1960s, it was built to stop flooding and to add arable land. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

28

Fly Geyser

CRACKED.COM Fly Geyser in the Nevada Desert was created by a geothermic energy company's drilling. The water wasn't hot enough for their purposes, so the company sealed the well. But they did a bad job of it, resulting in the geyser's formation. — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

27

Providence Canyon

Providence Canyon, one of Georgia's Seven Natural Wonders, isn't natural at all. The canyons were actually formed by faulty farming practices in the 1800s, which left the area susceptible to erosion. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

26

BACK BABIES

Surinam Toad Birth GRACKED COM As if childbirth wasn't already horrifying, this species' mama toad absorbs fertilized eggs in her back, and 3 to 4 months later, fully-formed toads burst out of her back's skin. They start feeding right away, sometimes eating their siblings. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

25

Pigeon-Eating Contest

Pigeon-Eating Catfish CRACKED.COM If you've ever lived in a city, you know how absolutely disgusting pigeons are. In Southwestern France, giant catfish have learned how to hunt the gross birds. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

24

"Snot Flower"

Bone-Eating Snot Flower CRACKED.COM These sea creatures are actually worms who mainly feed on whale bones (or any other bones that come across their path) — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

23

Vanilla and Bees

The natural pollination of vanilla orchids can only occur in Mexico because they need euglossine bees that are native to the country to complete the pollination process. Even within the country, the rate of success for a vanilla orchid to be pollinated naturally is less than 1%. This is why a majority of the vanilla you consume today is pollinated by humans. Without human intervention, the price of vanilla would skyrocket. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

22

Black Olives

CRACKED.COM RAT ROOM The black olives we eat don't naturally occur. They're actually green olives that have been processed to hell and back. They're picked before they're ripe, then cured with brine and Iye, which is followed by a variety of salts and compressed air that are used to get the dark black color. — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

21

Manmade Earthquakes

agoton *Aspland A 2011 earthquake in Oklahoma nsas was likely caused by Blackwell on human activity. Ponca City Woodward Enid on name Shatty ?Stillwa *Selling RIVES Cu Guthrie Canadian KLAHON er Edmond Pampa Oklahoma Sha Moore S Norman ISIN nuo Wichita da Pabls Val Altús, Lawton A Columbia University study strongly suggests 35 that the 5.6 rated earthquake (the most powerful in Oklahoma history) was created dada by the injection of wastewater into the ground for a project that was trying ni CRACKED COM to extract Sevemour natural gas from rocks. — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

20

Bananas

Think bananas are all-natural? They're actually the result of thousands of years of selective breeding. The banana was an inedible pod of nasty seeds until humans began cross- breeding it with heartier, less-seedy plants. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

19

Yellowstone's Waters

Yellowstone's Morning Glory Pool's yellow and green colors have been caused by humans throwing garbage, rocks, and coins into it. The activity has clogged the pool's heat source that lowered its temperature and allowed microbial mats to thrive and produce the vibrant colors. GRACKED CON — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

18

Leopard Slugs

Leopard Slug Mating Just a normal love story...two slugs dangle upside on a mucus rope, where their giant blue penises (protruding from the sides of their heads) wrap around the writhing mates, fertilizing each others' eggs. CRACKED.COM — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

17

Squirrel Cannibals

Cannibalistic Squirrels GRACKED.COM Squirrels are not strict vegetarians but are really bad at killing. So they eat poor cute li'l helpless animals alive...like baby birds, baby bunnies, and even baby squirrels. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

16

Deer Decaptiation

Decapitated Deer CRACKED COM There have been several reported incidents of white-tailed bucks wielding the decapitated, decomposing head of their defeated rival upon their antlers. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

15

No No No No No

Hagfish CRACKED.COM If vagina dentata is your ultimate nightmare, beware the mouth of this eel-like fish. When threatened, the fish releases viscous slime. They mostly eat dead fish. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

14

The Origins of Lemons

Life doesn't give us lemons, our ancestors did. + = DNA analysis from Southwest University revealed that lemon is the result of crossbreeding between citron and sour orange. GRACKED.COM — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

13

The Scottish Highlands

The Scottish Highlands was once a thick forest. Deforestation that began long before the Romans arrived gave us the iconic view of a treeless plateau. CRACKED COM — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

12

Dogs Barking

Dogs don't naturally bark. CRACKED.COM Wolves and wild dogs only bark in the wild when they're young. Humans bred selectively for the barking behavior, either because it's a useful form of communication, or because it's a juvenile and less aggressive trait, or both. — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

11

Purple Carrots

GRACKED.COM Most carrots were originally purple. Dutch farmers in the 17th century crossbred yellow and white wild carrots into the orange ones we eat today. — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

10

Fish With Human Chompers

Pacu's Human Teeth GRACKED.COM Related to the pirranhea, the pacu fish can grow up to two feet and has weirdly human teeth (but no dentist.) — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

9

Koalas and Poop

Baby Koalas CRACKED.COM The seemingly cute creatures eat their moms' poop. For a few weeks, a joey will nuzzle its mom's butt, when she'll release poop pellets then runnier fecal matter call pap which helps prepare the baby for a diet of eucalyptus leaves. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

8

Big Ol' Worms

Giant South African Earthworm CRACKED.COM If you're grossed out by worms, imagine one that can grow up to 21 feet long. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

7

Plants With Crazy Diets

Rat-Eating Plant CRACKED.COM Nepenthes attenboroughii (named in honor of Sir David Attenborough) is a football-sized pitcher plant that traps insects and small animals, including rats. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

6

Thanksgiving Turkeys

The turkeys that are cooked on Thanksgiving are not the wild ones you may be picturing. Broad breasted white turkeys are a special breed, made through artificial insemination to suit your dinner needs. CRACKED COM — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

5

The Truth About Pearls

Most pearls are not natural. They're cultured in oyster farms. Basically, farmers put small beads made from one oyster's shell in a live oyster. They then wait until pearls form around the beads and harvest them. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

4

Camouflaged Wild Pigs

Wild pigs have camouflaged coats, not black. People bred pigs to be black (at least three separate times, on three continents). CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

3

Dutch Territory

CRACKED.COM About 21% of Dutch territory used to be under the sea. 1300 1900-2000 The Dutch make new land by building a dike around a small patch of sea, then pumping out the water. — Source: 20 'Natural' Things That Aren't

2

Sea Lampreys

Sea Lampreys GRACKED COM The eel-like fish attaches itself to prey, sucking the blood and other bodily fluids out. It produces a chemical to keep its prey's blood from clotting. In worse news, we're descended from its distant ancestor. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

1

Nasty Rocks

Rock Snot CRACKED.COM Global warming is causing the freshwater algae to be more common, if you needed more reason to be concerned. — Source: 13 Reminders That Nature Is Disgusting

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