Amazing facts for a Monday

The British Queen’s handbag is a body language communication device

It is used by her to relay secret and silent messages to her staff.  For example, if she is finished speaking to a guest she will move it from one arm to another and her aides will politely end the conversation, or if she wants to abruptly end a conversation she will put her bag on the ground.

Armadillos have shells so hard they can deflect a bullet

One poor Texan man learned this the hard way when he shot at an armadillo only to have the bullet ricochet off the indestructible beast, and back at him into his jaw!  The man was airlifted to hospital.  Amazingly, the armadillo just walked off unscathed.

Dogs can learn up to 250 words and gestures

The average intelligence of a dog is akin to that of a two-year-old human child.

Koalas have unique fingerprints

So do chimpanzees and gorillas. However koala fingerprints are so similar to human fingerprints that even the most seasoned forensic scientist would have a hard time telling koala fingerprints from a human one.

Surfer slang “hang ten” means having all 10 toes over your board’s edge when riding a wave

This is a move that can usually only be done on a heavy longboard.

Russia has more surface area than Pluto

With 6,601,668 square miles of land mass, Russia beats Pluto’s 6,427,805 square miles of surface area, and dwarfs the world’s second biggest country, Canada, which has a land mass of 3,855,103 square miles.

The Eiffel Tower “grows” in the summer

Due to the heat expansion of the tower’s iron in the summer sun, the Eiffel Tower’s height can grow by up to 6 inches!

Author:  Trace Mann