The things that animals do can be outright breathtaking, but sometimes they're just downright weird. Even though we've coexisted with animals for millions of years, they can still surprise us with strange behaviors that, on the surface, don't make a lot of sense, from odd displays of domination to trying to eat themselves whole.

Let's take a closer look at why some animals do what they do

 

 

Self-eating snake 

Have you ever seen a cat attacking its tail? It's pretty hilarious, although there's nothing weirder or more frightening than watching a snake do the same thing?

The terrifying tail-eating behavior of snakes has inspired ancient symbols throughout the ages like the Uroboros, representing the eternal cycle of life and death while it's a beautiful emblem; the reason snakes do this isn't nearly as pretty snakes can't regulate their body temperatures.

 

 

So these cold-blooded animals sit under external heat sources like the sun or a hot lamp to warm up. If they want to cool down, they'll slither into water or a patch of shade, but they become confused if they get too hot. The heat also ramps up their metabolism, falsely making them feel hungry, disoriented, and starving. They'll attack and devour the first thing they see.

Unfortunately, this can turn out to be their tails, and because they've evolved to prevent their prey from escaping their jaws once they start to self-cannibalize, they become their can of pringles, and sadly, they can't stop.

 

 

Crocodilians 

If you looked inside a crocodile or alligator stomach, you'd probably see the remains of prey like fish and birds along with any other animals they've gobbled up. 

But there'd also be a rather intriguing addition to the menu, a pile of rocks almost like a side dish these colossal crocodilians occasionally chow down on any stones they can find.

But what on earth would drive these mammoth reptilians to swallow a portion of pebbles.

 

 

It's not for the nutritional value or the taste though many theories explain why they engage in this tooth-cracking behavior. It aids their digestion because crocodiles and alligators tear off large sections of their prey or swallow them whole a few rocks in the stomach can help to crush and grate their fully formed food.

Especially meals that contain tough shells and bones, although another theory suggests that the increased weight the rocks give them allows them to stay underwater for more extended periods.

 

 

Crafty crows 

Have you ever been called a bird brain? You might think someone was calling you stupid, but it could have been a compliment, that is if the bird brain belonged to a crow? 

These black-feathered flyers are often credited as some of the most intelligent animals on the planet, and with good reason, the crafty corvids have learned how to fashion and use specific tools to help them get out of reach food.

They also understand how water displacement works, which scientists observed as they dropped rocks into a water-filled tube to raise a floating snack, and they can even remember different human faces. 

 

 

Meaning if you mistreat one, it'll hold one hell of a grudge against you. 

Along with their many other signs of intelligence, scientists have concluded that crows have the reasoning skills of an average seven-year-old human child, and it's all thanks to the composition of that utterly incredible bird brain.

Unlike most birds, crows have a phenomenally large forebrain where high-functioning processes take place like problem-solving and complex thinking. It takes up approximately eighty percent of the crow's total brain volume, which is shockingly similar in proportion to that of a human brain.

 

 

Pistol shrimp snap

Measuring in at just over an inch and a half long, the pistol shrimp doesn't look like it could do anyone or anything much harm. Still, this unassuming little creature has a deadly weapon hidden up its sleeve, or should I say in its claw, that gigantic pincer has a snapping mechanism that can snap shut at a shocking 60 miles per hour.

When it suddenly clamps down like this, the force results in a sound that can reach a deafening 218 decibels that's louder than most gunshots, but because it's so small, it sounds more like someone pouring milk on some aggressive cereal.

I guess it's called a pistol shrimp for nothing. It achieves this ear-splitting action.

Thanks to the design of its huge spencer, which consists of two main parts, a plunger, and a socket, the shrimp opens its claws and builds up tension before setting the whole thing off with incredible force,

 

 

When the plunger slams into the socket, the water in it are suddenly displaced and jets out at a staggering 105 feet per second; it's so fast that the water pressure drastically drops and creates a vacuum which then collapses and sends out a water pulse that's so powerful.

It can stun nearby prey. The reaction also generates a flash of light and a brief burst of heat that can reach up to 8000 degrees Fahrenheit, which's as hot as the sun's surface.

So even though this tiny shrimp isn't much more significant than your finger, you shouldn't go sticking your digits anywhere near this super slim stun gun. 

 

 

Cow compasses 

In 2008, scientists noticed unusual behavior in one of the earth's most unremarkable animals, cows. Thanks to the launch of the google earth tool, scientists were able to see that cattle all around the world weren't just standing about randomly in their fields.

A significant number of them appeared to be lined up on a north to south axis, almost like they aligned themselves with the earth's magnetic poles.

The discovery sent a ripple of excitement through the scientific community, which led to two fundamental questions how and why were the cows doing this; seeing as the earth's magnetic field was the only common factor, they deduced that cows must possess a sixth sense of magnetism.

 

 

It's possible that this would have helped their ancestors during migrations meaning they'd all inherited a great sense of direction. Still, as attractive as all these theories sounded, the science wasn't actually that solid follow-up studies into this crazy cattle alignment found no such patterns leading many to believe that the first findings had been a total fluke. As disappointing as it is, it looks like.

It's time for the myth of internal cow compasses to be put out to pasture.