World
Curiosities
An ostrich's eye is larger than its brain.
An ostrich's eye is the largest of any land animal, measuring about 5 centimeters across, or about the size of a billiard ball. The ostrich's brain is much smaller, about the size of a walnut. The large eyes take up so much space in the ostrich's skull that there is little room for the brain. Ostriches have excellent eyesight, which helps them spot predators from a distance. They can see as far as 2.2 miles (3.5 km). Ostriches also have large eyelids and long eyelashes to protect their eyes from the desert sand.
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Flamingos are not born pink.
Flamingo chicks hatch with white or gray downy feathers and straight bills. "Time to turn pink" It takes several years and molts for flamingos to develop their signature pink color and hook-shaped bills. "How they get their color" Flamingos get their pink color from the food they eat, which is rich in pigments called carotenoids. Flamingos' specialized metabolism allows them to process these chemicals and break them down into pigments that stain their feathers, skin, mucous membranes, egg yolks, and fat.
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Japan hospitals
In Japan, some hospitals and hotels do not have rooms with the number 4 or 9 because these numbers are considered unlucky: "Number 4" The Japanese pronunciation of the number 4 is shi, which is a homophone for the word death. Some hospitals and hotels do not have a 4th floor, and rooms 40 through 49 are often omitted. "Number 9" The Japanese pronunciation of the number 9 is ku, which is a homophone for the word suffering. "Number 49" The pronunciation of the number 49 is similar to the Japanese term shiku, which means "to suffer and die".
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