A whole week? It’s true, and sometimes even longer than that. A cockroach does not bleed to death when its head is cut off. Instead, the blood clots at the neck, and the bug continues to breathe through little holes in its neck called spiracles. 

Further reading: Check out the book Quiz Whiz: 1,000 Super Fun Mind-Bending Totally Awesome Trivia Questions or visit your local library and check out the section with amazing facts (look for the Dewey Decimal number 031.02). 

Roy Sullivan, an American who worked as a park ranger, suffered an incredible 7 lightning strikes and survived. The fourth strike, in 1972, set Roy’s hair on fire.

Further reading: Check out the book 100 Weirdest Facts or visit your local library for books about extreme weather (look for the Dewey Decimal number 551.5).

Incredibly, Mike went on to live for a year and 6 months after being beheaded and made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 2002 as the longest surviving headless chicken. His owner, Mr. Olsen, fed him with an eyedropper. Now that’s thinking with your head!

Further reading: Check out the book Don’t Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You or visit your local library and explore the folklore section (look for the Dewey Decimal number 398). 

Yup, it’s true! When turtles hibernate, their main source of oxygen is through their butt. It’s a process known as “cloacal respiration.”  

Further reading: Visit your local library for more books about turtles (look for the Dewey Decimal number 597.92).

The biggest animal on Earth calls Canada home (at least part of the time). Blue whales, which can grow up to 27 meters long and weigh up to 132 tonnes, are found in Canadian waters along the east coast.

Further reading: Check out the book Canada for Kids: 1000 Awesome Facts or visit your local library for books about blue whales (look for the Dewey Decimal number 599.5248). 

Can you believe that butterflies taste with their feet? It’s true! Butterflies have a long, straw-like structure on their legs called a proboscis, which they use to suck up nectar and other liquids. 

Further reading: Check out the book Quiz Whiz: 1,000 Super Fun Mind-Bending Totally Awesome Trivia Questions or visit your local library for books about butterflies (look for the Dewey Decimal number 595.789). 

Octopuses are famous for having 8 legs, but they are remarkable in a lot of other ways: they have 3 hearts, blue blood, and they don’t have any bones! Plus, they’re super intelligent and can squirt ink to deter predators—now that’s a cool creature!

Further reading: Check out the book Quiz Whiz: 1,000 Super Fun Mind-Bending Totally Awesome Trivia Questions or visit your local library for books about octopuses (look for the Dewey Decimal number 594.56).

A dendrologist studies trees! A geologist studies the earth, a zoologist studies animals, and a heliologist studies the sun (hopefully from far away).

Further reading: Check out the book Quiz Whiz: 1,000 Super Fun Mind-Bending Totally Awesome Trivia Questions or visit your local library for more books about trees (look for the Dewey Decimal number 582.16). 

The beaver is Canada’s largest rodent. We’re so proud of it that we put it on our nickel, and it’s celebrated as a symbol of our country. 

Further reading: Check out the book Canada for Kids: 1000 Awesome Facts, or visit your local library for books about beavers (look for the Dewey Decimal number 599.37). 

Spiders are classified as arachnids, which are creatures with two body segments and 8 legs. Contrary to popular belief, spiders are not insects. Insects have 6 legs and 3 main body parts.

Further reading: Visit your local library for more books about spiders (look for the Dewey Decimal number 595.44).