this post was submitted on 24 May 2026
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What are your favorite fun facts about animals? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by stemy@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
89 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

-Elephants can't jump.

-Starfish don't brains.

-Cheetahs are almost literally giant housecats: they purr, they meow, they don't attack humans and are surprisingly easy to tame.

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[–] showmeyourkizinti@startrek.website 37 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Cheetah’s went through a genetic bottleneck somewhere between ten and twelve thousand years ago. There may have been less than ten left at one point. Dating the Cheetah Genetic Bottleneck
My totally silly theory is that humans in fact where adopting kits at that time and help saved the species, and that’s why they’re so almost domesticated.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 days ago

Or how it happens with african tribes; aggressive lions get killed by the whole tribe. And at some point there were almost no cheetah...

[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

There is almost no genetic diversity among them. You can skin graft or transplant organs between any two cheetahs without fear of rejection.

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Wouldnt that also result in inbreeding or is there enough diversity to this being of no concern?

[–] DrBob@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

Yes it has. But species survival is more important.

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 5 points 2 days ago

I never knew for ages they’re part of the house cat branch of the feline family rather than the big cat branch with the lions and tigers, so that explains why they’re just floppy doofuses.