5 Happy Animal Facts That Will Make You Smile

Our mission is to open minds everywhere and tell the stories of the Earth’s wildlife through vibrant & diverse pieces of art. Sometimes it's the animal world's turn to restore our appreciation of the world.

It’s hard to say what it is about animals that we love the most – their cute or beautiful looks, their natural innocence or the emotional reactions that they elicit from us. But whatever the case may be, one of these 5 happy animal facts is bound to bring a smile to your face.

1. Baby elephants suck their trunks for comfort

Baby elephants do, in fact, suck their trucks just like baby humans suck their thumbs. And they do it for the same reason — comfort. When a baby elephant is not nursing, it might suck its trunk just like a human baby might suck a pacifier.

2. Sea otters hold hands while they're sleeping so they don't drift apart

Otters are known to hold hands in groups - called a raft - while they eat, sleep and rest, to prevent families losing each other.

The furry animals, the largest member of the weasel family, are even known to wrap sea plants around them to secure the bond.

3. Animal behaviorists have concluded that cats don't meow as a way to communicate with each other.

It's a method they use for getting attention from humans. In cat-to-cat communication, adult cats rarely meow to each other. Kittens do more meowing as a way of saying they’re in need of something or are in trouble. Kittens seem to address most of their meows toward the mother cat.

4. All clownfish are born male—some turn female to enable mating.

Clownfish, also known as anemonefish, are sequential hermaphrodites that first develop into males. In fact, they live in regimented schools made up of all males and just one female- the lone female being the dominant and generally the largest fish in a given group. During breeding, the female will lay sometimes thousands of eggs, depending on the species and her size, usually on a pre-cleaned rock or coral close to the anemone they live in. After the eggs are laid, the male will go along and fertilize them.

5. The peacock mantis shrimp can throw a punch at 50 mph, accelerating quicker than a .22-caliber bullet.

The peacock mantis shrimp packs a powerful punch. The crustacean uses its hammerlike claws to smash through mollusk shells and even aquarium glass without getting injured. Now, a new study reveals what makes its claws so tough: a unique composition and structure that stops cracks in their tracks—one that could help engineers design lighter, stronger materials for military, medical, and other applications.

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