Someone Asked People “What Is A True Fact That Sounds Fake?” And 27 Delivered Illuminating Responses

Article created by: Ieva Pečiulytė

In this modern world, where the amount of fake news, alternative facts, scams, and quasi-claims seem to be off the charts, it’s easy to doubt things. But despite our suspicions, many of us still enjoy and seek out good "truth is stranger than fiction" stories. Because life is weird. Science is crazy. Evolution is wild. And there are so many staggering or downright surreal things happening right under our noses we don't even notice.

Chances are, you've stumbled upon at least one piece of trivia that is so weird, it sounds totally made up. And you’re definitely not the only one. There’s an entire thread on 'Ask Reddit' where this subject matter takes center stage. "What is a true fact that sounds fake?" asked user TheMemeing and inspired hundreds of members to share their intriguing tidbits of knowledge immediately.

From snails having 14,000 teeth to Mantis shrimp generating light, just because something sounds a little bogus, it doesn’t mean it’s not real. We've gathered some of the most illuminating responses from the thread, so continue scrolling! Although remember that a little healthy skepticism goes a long way, so put your thinking caps on and take everything you read online with a pinch of salt. Then upvote the facts that surprised you most, and be sure to share your own nuggets of information with us in the comments.

Psst! When you've finished this list, take a look at our previous post filled with fake-sounding facts here.

• Read More: Someone Asked People "What Is A True Fact That Sounds Fake?" And 27 Delivered Illuminating Responses

#1

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Female dragonflies drop out the sky and pretend to be not alive to avoid unwanted male advances.

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#10

Johnny Cash was the first westerner to learn of Joseph Stalin’s passing in 1953. He was a morse code operator at the time

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Koalas are not very smart, so that they can't recognise a eucalyptus leaf if it isn't attached to a tree.

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#15

More people drown in the desert than pass away of dehydration.

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#26

The day Michael Jackson's hair caught fire while filming a Pepsi commercial was the exact middle of his life. Born: August 29, 1958 (9,281 days) Pepsi incident: January 27, 1984 (9,281 days) Passed away: June 25, 2009

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#27

The Michelin Star system was developed by Michelin tires.

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The oldest hotel in the world is The Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Japan and has been in business since 705AD. The crazy thing is that it’s still a family business. For 52 generations In 1895 there were 2 cars out of the entire state of Ohio and they still managed to crash into each other The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn. There’s a penguin named Brigadier Sir Nils Olav III who is the ceremonial head of the Norwegian Royal Guard Oxford University predates the Aztec Empire by 3.5 centuries. Humans can smell geosmin (the chemical released when it rains or snows) at 5 parts per trillion. Which means that humans are 200,000 times more sensitive to smelling geosmin than sharks are at smelling blood. People were on the moon before they put wheels on suitcases. The Mantis shrimp punches so hard it generates light. From 1912 to 1948, the Olympics awarded official medals for painting, sculpture, architecture, literature and music, alongside those for the athletic competitions. The greenland shark, has a life expectancy of between 250-500 years. That means there could be a greenland shark swimming around, that swam the oceans when the Spanish conquistadors went to search Mexico for gold, which at that time, were inhabited by the Aztecs. Bananas are berries and strawberries aren't. Alligators will give manatees the right of way if they are swimming near each other Sharks existed before grass. The ancient Egyptian empire lasted more than 3000 years. It has been less time since the empire fell. Snails have 14,000 teeth and eat bones and meat not just vegetables. A fully loaded Amazon Kindle is a billionth of a billionth of a gram heavier than an empty one. McDonalds feeds 1% of the world’s population daily. There’s a type of mold that, as a single celled organism, can move around by itself, learn, recognise colours and solve mazes. there are many species of slime mold that can come in all colours such as banana yellow, hazard-jacket orange and, fittingly, slime green. Australia has the largest amount of wild camels in the world. There are more pet tigers in Texas than there are in the wild of the entire planet. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is the fear of big words. Hot water freezes faster than cold water. Mpemba effect. The guy who discovered it (in modern times, since Aristotle wrote about it) was ridiculed by everybody including his own teacher, but 6 years later the results were published and is considered fact.