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Today is a brand new day and before it turns into yet another small and insignificant spot somewhere in a 365-day bender, there’s time to make it worthwhile. So today, we baked you a special treat of a list that features some of the most entertaining facts you probably didn’t know.

Thanks to our dear friends and the powerhouse of Reddit, “Today I Learned,” we have quite a read to scroll through right below. The group’s whopping 26.2 million members prove that too many of us love that sense of discovery, no matter how big or small it be. And often all it takes is one specific fact to pump up your trivia muscle!

After you're done, be sure to check out our previous TIL posts here, here and here.

#1

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL 110 years ago Dr Charles Campbell constructed 30 feet high bat roost to fight malaria. Bats that lived in the roost ate the mosquitoes and Mitchell's lake municipality was malaria-free in 4 years.

ketanpande , Larry D. Moore Report

#2

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that the first child protective services organization in the world was created after the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals realized laws protecting animals from abuse were stronger than laws protecting children

Stock_Trading_Pro , Anna Shvets Report

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Ren Karlej
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

First child cruelty case in the UK was prosecuted under animal welfare legislation.

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#3

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL Mexico was the only country to protest the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. To honor that support, there is a square in Vienna named "Mexikoplatz"

iSleepUpsideDown , Bwag Report

#4

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL about a man who shot a protected saguaro cactus down with his shotgun in 1982. The cactus fell on him, crushing and impaling him to death.

Pups_the_Jew , Sullynyflhi Report

#5

TIL that in 2013, Star Wars was dubbed into Navajo, making it the first major motion picture translated into a Native American language

2 days ago Report

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Devil's Advocate
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depressing it took so long! We need to keep older languages alive. Moana was released in Tokelauan, and there are songs that were never translated into English to encourage natives to keep their language alive.

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#6

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that the song "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" by the artist Skrillex was observed as a mosquito repellent due to its low-frequency vibrations. The scientists also found that mosquitoes exposed to the song had sex "far less often" than other mosquitos without music.

30phil1 , Weekly Dig Report

#7

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL The British army breaks step when crossing bridges. This is because in 1831 a suspension bridge collapsed from all the soldiers marching in unison.

OntarioIsPain , Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files Report

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NsG
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Look up what happened with the Millennium Bridge. Pedestrians hit the resonant frequency of the bridge by accident, but then the effect was multiplied when people started correcting their steps to keep their balance.

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#8

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that the FTC actually recommends against organizations using regular password changing policies as it only encourages users to use simple, easy to remember passwords that they then only alter in predictable ways.

Gullible_Skeptic , Tima Miroshnichenko Report

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Something
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Alternatively, it causes users to come up with passwords so secure that even they can't access their accounts.

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#9

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that in China 209 BC two generals were going to be late which was punishable by death. They realized that the punish for rebellion was the same as the one for being late, so they decided to rebel and created an uprising.

maicii Report

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Richard Liu
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They're not general but just low level officer. Their names are Chen Sheng & Wu Guang (surname first). Their revolt was suppressed in just 6 months.

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#10

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that Enya lives in a castle in Ireland, and when Bo Burnham wanted to include Orinoco Flow in his film, he had to send her a hand written letter

cugzkani , Sardaka Report

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#11

TIL of Lady Lucy Houston, a British philanthropist who, after WWI, recognized the need for a strong Air Force... when the British government refused, she funded development of what became the Spitfire. She passed before WWII, and never saw how much that investment paid off.

jrrybock Report

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Caro Caro
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is interesting. What a great woman. http://www.warfaremagazine.co.uk/articles/Lady-Lucy-Houston-The-Unsung-Heroine/224

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#12

TIL that a guy drove 3.25 million miles with his Volvo that he bought in 1966 until his death in 2018

fella-from-chernobyl Report

#13

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL, While alcohol made from apples is called cider, alcohol made from pears is called "Perry"

APleasantMemory , Bicanski Report

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Scagsy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It goes down like water as well and is usually quite strong. Perfect for a hot summers day but watch yourself on it.

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#14

TIL: President Nixon, wife Pat, and Henry Kissinger took lessons and practiced for months to learn to use chopsticks properly, in preparation for the dinner banquet on his visit to China in 1972

simp-for-china Report

#15

TIL that Filipino churches built during Spain's colonial period used millions of egg whites in the concrete to make it more durable. This is also why Filipino desserts often use lots of egg yolks- many were developed to use up all the extra yolks from construction projects

camwynya Report

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Laugh or not
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the other hand, monasteries used a lot of egg yolk for their manuscripts and had to create recipes with the white, which is why we have meringue, macarons, and other sweets with a lot of egg whites.

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#16

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL James Blunt(singer) developed scurvy in university when he ate only meat for two months 'out of principle' to annoy vegetarian classmates

saeijou , Dani Dapena Report

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Ren Karlej
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He added orange juice to his diet to try to combat it and got acid reflux. Balance in diet is important!!!

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#17

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL the sex of alligator hatchlings is based purely on temperature while incubating. At 86F or lower, the babies will all be female; at 93F or higher, they will all be male. The mother can sense these changes in temperature and will alter the nest to maintain an optimum temperature.

TululaDaydream , Roger Smith Report

#18

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL The Vatican has its own telescope staffed by priests, and has previously been given awards for the pursuit of scientific research.

_Mr_Washee_Washee , H. Raab Report

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Romenriel
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Several catholic orders consider pursue of academic knowledge and research to be one of their

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#19

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that in 1939 an experiment was conducted at the University of Iowa on orphans in which the purpose was to induce stuttering in otherwise normally speaking children. Dubbed the "monster study", it caused lifelong psychological issues in some of the subjects.

Tufflaw Report

#20

TIL David Lucas, a producer of the 1976 rock hit "Don't Fear The Reaper", really did want more cowbell, while band members felt he was crazy. In a 2005 interview, the bassist recalled that the cowbell "really pulled the track together".

AnthillOmbudsman Report

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#21

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL of garden hermits, people encouraged to dress as druids and live in caves and grottoes on the estates of rich people effectively as decoration in the 18th century, usually receiving room and board as payment. One such hermit was fired three weeks into a seven year term after being found drinking at a local pub.

a3poify , Johann Baptist Theobald Schmitt Report

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Romenriel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Druid" is not a correct term. Hermite is a type of Christian monk that lives alone in a wilderness, but now that I think of it, they were similar to druids in some aspects, for example, they were believed to be friends with animals and animals would be helping them out.

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#22

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that Stalin struggled with depression and summoned renowned Russian psychiatrist Vladimir Bekhterev to examine him. After the examination Bekhterev said only one word - "paranoiac". He died on the very next day from what most believed was poisoning.

PrognosticatorMortus , Unknown Report

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Serial pacifist
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I have a feeling people don't like me, it's not like I ban them from speaking their minds and send them to gulags to freeze or work to death if I don't like what they say."

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#23

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus. It takes Venus longer to rotate once on its axis than to complete one orbit of the Sun. That's 243 Earth days to rotate once, and 225 Earth days to complete one orbit of the Sun.

WildAnimus , NASA Report

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Devil's Advocate
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pretty sure Mercury is the same. Conversely, a lunar year and a lunar day are identical which is why we always have the same side facing us

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#24

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) Today I learned Charlie Chaplin didn't actually have a mustache, it was a part of his makeup.

ElaborateRuse420 , P.D Jankens Report

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Andy Acceber
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unlike Cesar Romero who did have a mustache that Ben Nye attempted to hide under makeup. (Cesar Romero played the Joker in the original TV Batman series.)

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#25

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL there is a full taxidermed whale in a Swedish museum that was open to the public until a couple was caught making love inside it (1930's)

anonymous , Jopparn Report

#26

TIL pepperoni is an American invention. It's similar to the spicy salamis of southern Italy, but it also has elements characteristic of German sausages (smokiness, beef content, and fine grind). In Italian, "peperoni" just means "bell peppers".

howmuchbanana Report

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Kari Panda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Germany, 'peperoni' is used for something similar to chili peppers. For years, when I read about 'peperoni pizza' I believed it was just a pizza with a whole lot of chili.

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#27

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL ancient Egyptians would give opium to quiet crying babies. This practice was also a popular way to calm babies in the Victorian era, but it sometimes caused infants to starve to death as they were kept in a constant state of narcotism.

The_Ry_Ry , pxhere Report

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Burs
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This used to be done in my village too. They would give strong poppy tea to crying babies to calm them down. Good as a painkiller but definetly too dangerous for babies since some would die.

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#28

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that half of all panda births result in twins, however, it is very rare for both cubs to survive as giant pandas almost always abandon a cub if they give birth to more than one

CaptainI9C3G6 , piqsels Report

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Romenriel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw a Youtube video about this! Chinese scientist were trying to keep alive both babies, so they switched them up in regular intervals. The bear mama only had one baby at her at all times, while the other one was in incubator and nursed by caretakers, and then switch so both babies would get mama love and milk.

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#29

TIL that the opossum and the possum are not the same animal. The opossum lives in North America and the possum lives in Australia and SE Asia. While they are both marsupials, they belong to different orders. An example of a possum would be the sugar glider, which weighs less than 5 ounces.

Squaragus_Asparagus Report

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J. Normal
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As homely as the NA opossums are - they are one of our friends. They eat a lot of nasty ticks, are immune to rabies and are non aggressive for starters. I have had several encounters with them, and the freezing when frightened was the most annoying thing about them (he was blocking the trail so I could not drive the tractor). We spent a good 5-10 min trying to convince him to just move along. We finally went and hid behind a tree and he wandered off.

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Daniel Marsh
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Opossums are typically called 'possums; Possums are named after 'possums.

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Sue Hazlewood
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Possums are in New Zealand too. Some idiot imported them from Australia and now they are a pest.

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Vasha
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Damn. How could I be almost 70 years old and not have known that?

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GoddessOdd
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have opossums living in my garage. They are natures clean up crew, and they eat ticks, which is a wonderful thing.

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Sar-kei Scyence
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So is the phrase actually “Playing opossum” or did it originate to Oz or SE Asia?

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TheAnimalLady
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Playing Opossum" is "playing dead" as a survival instinct because most animals don't eat dead animals unless they've killed them themselves. It originated with the North American Opossums. I don't believe that Possums do it, they growl and retreat.

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Vicky Z
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you Google them though it shows the same animal! And the translation in my language is the same for both animals

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Anne Mitchell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sugar gliders are tiny, shy and not seen very often. A better example would be the Ring Tailed Possum. Much more common.

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Riley Quinn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The possums down under are definitely cuter, but our ugly Northern opossums (and skunks) that ate the nasty lawn grubs were a welcome sight.

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Whawhawhatsis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The librarian at my daughter's school was a wildlife rescuer, and raised a baby opossum for a year in the library. Kids had to be EXTRA good to get to visit the opossum. It was released after the year when it was fully grown; opossums have such small brains they don't imprint on humans, so they operate purely by instinct and get along fine once released back into the wild. It was great! And then the school administration made her stop bringing the animals to school because they said it was too smelly!

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Adrian
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait 'til you are living in a house with a corrugated iron roof in Australia. Try to get to sleep when a group of the local possums (3 to 4 kg each) decide to have an all-in brawl on the roof for an hour or so. They are not so cute then.

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Elizabeth
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We had a sugar glider once, could of fooled me that there was ever a difference based on the temperament of it. Definitely had more than enough in common with the opossum that lived on our porch

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Nicky
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Learned that the opossums are naturally resistant to rabies due to their low body temperature and they eat ticks.

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Viv Justviv
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Opossums are awesome little creatures! People get freaked out by them but they're naturally immune to rabies & eat up all sorts of pests & garbage. Let the opossum be free!

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Ellie Rosser
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sugar glider is an example of a possum, but they are not routinely thought of as possums. Brushtail possum is a much better example.

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Paul Wairegi
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let the WAAAAARRRS beginnn!!!😂😂😂😅😅😅😅😅😅

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Margaret Weaver
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a contraction from Overseer Possums. They heal possums injured near them, and respawn them continuously during combat. You reeeeally want to take the overseers out first, or you'll get overrun.

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PixxelDust
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

as an Aussie, i didn't know opossums existed until I was 10, instead thinking opossum was interchangeable with possum as like some sort of different name or nickname lol

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Lyn Moffett
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My little granddaughter is fascinated by sugar gliders. She has asked me several times if she can have one for her birthday. Lol. Are they not endangered

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TheAnimalLady
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Always research before getting any pet... Sugar Gliders require specialized care/diet and LOTS of room. Vets have difficulty treating them, many won't try. The legal issues involved depend on where you live. Bringing non-native animals into an area has dire consequences if they escape (ask Florida). Many are farmed, bred in cruel ways. They're NOCTURNAL and very social, having one alone is cruel (like with Guinea Pigs). They're expensive, smelly, messy, and prone to injury/ illness. You can't just leave them with random people to pet-sit. Definitely not for children nor unexperienced owners.

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Callie Ge
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sugar gliders care the smallest of our possums, ring tail possums & brush tail possums are the size of a cat.

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Callie Ge
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We have ring tail possums & Brush tail possums both of which are the size of a small cat

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Blaze Fitzwater
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never knew this! I always thought the opossum was an alternate spelling. 😶

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Dodo
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Australia was supposed to get the opossum but the Powers That Be screwed up. Hence the possum is the only Australian animal that doesn't want to kill you.

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David Gripon
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well no wonder they would never answer me. I was calling them possums this entire time.

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Mary Rose Kent
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did not know about this distinction, but in a way it doesn’t really matter because in the U.S., opossums are just called possums.

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Lily Mae Kitty
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have always known this. and it annoys me that my fellow americans call them possums. lol Ours aren't as cute as possums but they are a beneficial animal.

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Anna Snorrepot
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this is common knowledge, just like cats are not the female versions of dogs and ponies are not baby horses. Also milk comes from cow boobs who have to have a baby cow before they produce milk.

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Fat Harry
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2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Did anyone actually think they were the same?!

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Mary Rose Kent
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don’t want tp shock you or anything, but plenty of us never learned this in schools.

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#30

TIL that in 1457 golf was banned in Scotland by king James II, because he felt that young men were playing too much golf instead of practicing archery. It remained in banned until 1502, when James IV became a golfer.

jcd1974 Report

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Sue Lynn Chan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But...............HEAR ME OUT! What if they use a golf ball made of metals..........so that when the enemies comes, the can swing the golf to the enemies.

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Note: this post originally had 69 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.