The Earth is home to over one million known animal species, each representing an ancient book of biological characteristics. Much of this accidental knowledge is lost in the ether, and we need to speculate on dinosaur divorce rates and amphibious dance moves. But we still capture a lot and provide many interesting (although not always feasible) facts about our fellow species.

     The rundown underneath is an accolade for such random data. From terminated penguins to recently recognized wasps, these goodies mirror the profundity of our own species' interest in nature - and our expertise in revealing new insight into it. As you scrutinize these realities, envision all that went into finding everyone. We embrace their arbitrariness here, yet most hail from a hearty collection of information about the creature being referred to.

     From extinct penguins to newly identified bees, these bites reflect the depth of our species' curiosity about nature and our ability to shed new light on nature. As you read these facts, imagine what all ended up discovering each of them. We welcome their randomness here, but most come from a solid body of knowledge about the animal in question. 

Here are 10 random animal facts that may interest you:

1. OCTOPUS: They have three hearts. One pumps blood throughout the body and the other two pump blood to the gills. Their blood is blue in color because of the high copper vessels.
2. POLAR BEAR: The skin is black. This helps to absorb heat from the sun and keep it warm in the Arctic climate and may protect bears from harmful UV rays.
3. BUTTERFLIES: They can be tasted on the feet using what are called chemoreceptors that help identify plants. The woman chooses the right leaf to lay eggs by tapping with her paw and releasing the juice.
4. REINDEER: In winter, the eyeballs turn blue, so they can see well even in dark places. (They turn golden in the summer.) It is not known that other mammals have this ability.
5. SPIDER: A single chain of spider silk is thinner than human hair, but five times stronger than steel of the same thickness. A rope that is reportedly only 2 inches think can stop a Boeing 747.
6. MANTIS SHRIMP: The claws of a mantis shrimp can accelerate as fast as a 0..22 caliber bullet. Scientists have to keep them in thick plastic tanks, as the impact can break the glass.
7. SEA LION: Sea lions are the first non-human mammals to demonstrate the ability to maintain rhythm. A female sea lion named Rohan learned this from scientists, and they showed that they could translate the technique into songs with a different rhythm they have never heard of before.
8. WILD DOLPHINS: They call each other by name. They emit their unique whistle to identify each other and respond when their calls are heard.
9. HUMPBACK WHALE: The song of the humpback whale spreads like “a wave of culture from one population to another."
10. PENGUINS: Male Gentoo and Adelle penguin “propose” to females by giving them pebbles. They are valuable because they are used by penguins to build their nests and are difficult to find along the barren Antarctic coastline. When the female accepts the pebbles, they mate and can mate for life.