#faccts

[flatwaterwithalittlefizz]

well now I need to drink water. have you drank water? Drink some water regardless

[suraiiya]

mocking a state =/= mocking a majority religion in that state

[ultrafacts]

Gold-digging ant is an animal from Medieval bestiaries. They were dog- or fox-sized ants that dug up gold in sandy areas. Some versions of the Physiologus said they came from Ethiopia, while Herodotus claimed they were located in India.

In Histories (Book 3, passages 102 to 105) Herodotus reports that a species of fox-sized, furry "ants" lives in one of the far eastern, Indian provinces of the Persian Empire. This region, he reports, is a sandy desert, and the sand there contains a wealth of fine gold dust. These giant ants, according to Herodotus, would often unearth the gold dust when digging their mounds and tunnels, and the people living in this province would then collect the precious dust.

French ethnologist Michel Peissel claims that the Himalayan marmot on the Deosai Plateau in Gilgit–Baltistan province of Pakistan, may have been what Herodotus called giant "ants". Much like the province that Herodotus describes, the ground of the Deosai Plateau is rich in gold dust. Peissel interviewed the Minaro tribal people who live in the Deosai Plateau, and they have confirmed that they have, for generations, collected the gold dust that the marmots bring to the surface when digging burrows. The story was widespread in the ancient world and later authors like Pliny the Elder mentioned it in his gold mining section of the Naturalis Historia.

Herodotus may have confused because he probably did not know any Persian and thus relied on local translators when travelling in the Persian Empire. Herodotus never claimed to have seen the "ant/marmot" creatures, he simply reported what other travelers told him.

(Fact Source) For more facts, follow Ultrafacts

[whatthafact-blog]

China, the country famous for it's amazing innovations and power on international markets! Here are 10 very interesting facts about China that you might not

[sealedbeastnue]

This Year's 'Shark Week' to Feature Special "Ladies Night" Episodes

Discovery Channel announced this week that the network's annual 'Shark Week' event will feature a special night dedicated to women in shark attacks.

A spokesperson for the network said that the special "seeks to show equality in shark attacks by drawing attention to the fact that women, too, are victims of these attacks." Critics of the network's new policies attacked this segment, citing it as another example of sensationalism in "a previously educational network - no more" and claiming similarity with the basest of exploitation films.

Read the full story here.

[big1011guy-blog-blog]

Fun Facts

A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes. (O.M.G.!!!) A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy. I'm still not over the pig.) The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off. (Honey, I'm home . What the...?) The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping... the length of a football field. (30 minutes. Lucky pig! Can you imagine?) The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds. (What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?) Some lions mate over 50 times a day. (I still can't believe that pig ...quality over quantity.) Butterflies taste with their feet. (Something I always wanted to know.) Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump. (Okay, so that would be a good thing.) A cat's urine glows under a black light. (I wonder how much the government paid to figure that out.) An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. (I know some people like that.) Starfish have no brains. (I know some people like that, too.) Polar bears are left-handed. (Talk about a southpaw.) Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure. (What about that pig? Do the dolphins know about the pig?) Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread these crazy facts x