There are around 6,500 currently recognized species of mammals, and all but five of them give birth to live young. The five exceptions, known as monotremes, are found exclusively in Australia and New Guinea. The platypus is the best-known of these, while four living species of echidna round out the list: short-beaked, western long-beaked, eastern long-beaked, and Sir David’s. Monotremes live fairly typical mammalian lives once they’ve hatched, including being nursed by their mothers’ milk.

There are no flying mammals.

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There is exactly one mammal capable of true flight: bats. (They’re considered mammals, not birds, because they have fur and warm blood, among other reasons.) Sugar gliders, flying squirrels, and other adorable species can glide, but they don’t have wings and thus don’t actually fly.

Australia is well known for its biodiversity — more than 80% of its plants and mammals are exclusive to the continent, including such Aussie icons as kangaroos and koalas — whereas New Guinea’s is more of a secret. The Pacific island, whose western half is part of Indonesia and whose eastern half is the independent country of Papua New Guinea, has the most plant diversity of any island in the world. It’s home to at least 13,500 plant species, with researchers estimating that another 4,000 could be discovered in the next half-century. Even more incredibly, New Guinea is estimated to contain 5–10% of all species on the planet — not bad for an island that takes up less than 0.5% of the Earth’s surface.

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Farmers aren’t the only ones with a vested interest in keeping bugs off crops. Plants themselves have a number of defenses against their entomological enemies, including, it turns out, caffeine. The chemical serves as a natural pesticide that “disturb[s] the behavior and growth of numerous insects and their larvae,” according to a New York Times report on the discovery of caffeine’s natural function in 1984. Until then, researchers had been mystified about why plants produce caffeine in the first place, as useful as it is for people.

In tests, caffeine proved effective against mosquitoes, tobacco hornworms, milkweed bugs, mealworms, and other pests; some of these tiny foes became uncoordinated, while others’ appetites were suppressed. (Aside from coffee and tea, plants that naturally include caffeine are kola, cacao, guarana, and yerba mate, among others.)

Caffeine is addictive.

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Though you can certainly become dependent on caffeine, experts don’t consider it an addiction because the withdrawal effects are minor when compared to those of alcohol and other drugs.

For all that, caffeine has yet to come into commercial use as an insecticide. Aside from a host of logistical issues (including its water solubility), its effectiveness is something of a double-edged sword, as it can seep into the soil of coffee farms to such an extent that it actually harms the plants themselves. As with humans consuming caffeine, moderation is key.

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Before he was a knight, Sir Nils Olav was a king — king penguin, that is. The flightless seabird was made both mascot and an honorary member of the Norwegian King’s Guard after the battalion visited the Edinburgh Zoo in 1972 and Major Nils Egelien had the idea to adopt a penguin. Sir Nils (he’s named for both Egelien and former King of Norway Olav V) quickly ascended through his country’s military ranks, receiving a promotion each time the King’s Guard returned to the zoo around performances for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The 2008 knighthood took place before 130 guardsmen and a crowd of several hundred people, during which King Harald V of Norway read out a citation describing Sir Nils as a penguin "in every way qualified to receive the honor and dignity of knighthood.” The penguin knighted in 2008 wasn’t the original Nils Olav, however. He was preceded by two others, inheriting their name and title when they went to the great penguin colony in the sky. (Penguins often live about 15–20 years, though some king penguins can live over 40 years in captivity.)

Penguins can drink salt water.

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Thanks to a gland above their eyes that connects to their bills, several species of marine birds can drink salt water — penguins among them. The gland prevents dehydration by removing excess sodium from their bloodstream.

Of course, Sir Nils isn’t the first animal with a more impressive resume than most humans. 10 Downing Street in London is home not just to the British prime minister but to Larry, the Chief Mouser. Back in World War I, a terrier named Sergeant Stubby participated in 17 battles as part of the U.S. 102nd Infantry’s 26th Yankee Division. And a number of cats, dogs, and goats have served as small-town mayors. Not bad considering none of them have thumbs.

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