At FluffyPlanet, we love all animals! Even the dumb ones.
Not everyone has the sharp senses of a T-rex – or a dolphin’s IQ.
Some animals are (in)famous for all the funny reasons. Like being incredibly slow, sluggish and stupid!
Here’s a list of the 10 dumbest animals we know!
1. The Goldfish
Scientific Name: Carassius auratus
Did you know a goldfish has one of the smallest memory spans in the world? 3 seconds
This makes it super hard for them to navigate their way in water! So they pretty much end up exactly where they started!
2. The Dodo Bird
Scientific name: Raphus cucullatus
This extinct and odd-looking bird may have been the dumbest birdie to have flown!
Although, since it was flightless, the Dodo bird could not actually fly. Dodoppointed? xD
In fact, did you know even the word dodo (Portuguese) – literally means ‘dumb’. Go figure!
3. Panda
Scientific Name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca
This cuddly bear is probably the laziest animal on our list.
And we are sure you know, pandas are maddeningly obsessed with bamboo shoots!
But wait – something doesn’t add up!
Panda’s are supposed to be carnivorous animals. Which means their digestive systems are more suitable for meat than bamboo sticks!
Eating up to 14 pounds of shoot, did you know pandas can keep chewing for 16 hours straight?
Not surprisingly, they also have to poo 40 times a day!
And guess what – when they are not stuffing themselves with plant matter or pooping it away – pandas are probably just taking naps! A lot.
4. The Koala Bear
Scientific Name: Phascolarctos cinereus
Native to Australia, the koala bear is a lover and dweller of the trees!
But why do they get a spot on our list of the dumbest animals ever?
Well, for starters – they have the smallest brain to body ratios in any mammal.
And not just that, they only feed on Eucalyptus. A plant which is toxic for most animals. And definitely not the easiest to digest!
Koalas pretty much spend their whole lives in a state of trance (possibly a result of their leafy diet!)
Sleeping for up to 18 hours a day!
Fun fact: Unfortunately, Koala bears are carries of chlamydia – a sexually transmitted disease they can transfer to humans (say, if a koala pees on you by accident!)
5. Jerboa
Scientific Name: Jaculus
With kangaroo legs and rabbity ears, the Jerboa is not your average looking rodent!
And the hardest thing it has to do, is to master the use of its hind legs, a process that takes take up to 11 weeks!
Unlike other burrowing rodents, jerboas are not particularly good at storing food. That said, their hoppity and comical relief of a gait is found to be pretty effective trick against predators.
To see a jerboa hopping around, click on video link below!
Fun fact: Did you know Jerboas can run at the speed of 24 km/h!
6. Sloth
Scientific Name: Choloepus hoffmanni
Native to the South America – a sloth is hands down the slowest animal in the world!
Sloths are particularly slow at eating, taking them up to 30 days to digest a leaf.
They are also dim-witted enough to mistake their own limbs for tree branches – and of course, fall flat on the ground when that doesn’t work out! Accidents are like these mostly common in baby sloths!
Sloths also have poor eyesight, and an exceptionally low metabolic rate!
Fun fact: Sloths can sleep for up to 12 hours a day!
7. Turkey
Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo
First domesticated by the Aztecs, turkeys are a staple during Thanksgiving!
With an eyesight thrice as good as humans – how dare we think that turkeys are one of the dumbest birds in the world?!
Well – here’s why: for once, turkeys are super-easy to scare – and have a self-destructive obsession with rainwater.
So when it rains, instead of finding a shelter – turkeys feel an uncontrollable urge to stare into the sky.
Sometimes for up to 30 minutes at a time – even drowning themselves to death!
Fun Fact: Did you know a turkey’s obsession with looking into the rain-sky is actually the result of a genetic condition called tetanic torticollar spasms?
8. Flamingo
Scientific name: Phoenicopterus roseus
Flamingos are known for their bright pink plumage!
But what else are they famous for?
Well, apparently, flamingos tend to use only one leg most of the time.
That’s right – they even sleep while standing! On one leg!
Fun fact: The eyes of a flamingo are bigger than its brain! We are not surprised!
9. Ostrich
Scientific Name: Struthio camelus
Despite being the largest living bird – the ostrich is definitely not the smartest kid on the block!
Here’s why!
Turns out, when an ostrich faces a predator it can’t outrun or shoo or kick away – they do something strange.
They pretend to push their heads into the ground, closes their eyes, and ‘feel’ like they are invisible!
Alas, of course, this invisibility cloak only exists in their teeny tiny heads!
10. Secretary Bird
Scientific Name: Sagittarius serpentarius
With unusually long legs, the Secretary Bird is known for its massive, quill-like feathers.
And despite having the ability to glide through the sky, it seems like this dumb ol’ birdie prefers to walk!
Turns out, it is also pretty stupid when it comes to food. Mostly feeding on venomous species of snakes which they kill by stomping!
Fun fact: The Secretary Bird has a light grasp so prey needs to be devoured right away or just left behind for good!
Are You Smarter Than the Dumbest Animals? Click on this video to find out.
We hope you had fun learning about some of the dumbest animals in the world! Which ones did you think were dumb, dumber and dumbest? Let us know in the comments below and why!
