20 Lesser-Known Facts About Animals That Are Utterly Adorable

Most of us have superficial information about animals and their lives. Some of us just care about the cute and beautiful animals. But, scientists have estimated that there are about 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence, however, only around 1.2 million of them have been identified and described so far (most of which are insects). This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.

Prairie dogs greet each other with kisses. Friends, family, sometimes even enemies get a smooch to say hello. But it's not just an adorable quirk of these fuzzy, burrowing rodents. For prairie dogs about to be displaced from their homes by development, kisses could be the key to their survival. In prairie dogs, so-called "greet kissing" is common between mammas and babies, relatives, and friends. Wildlife biologists figured out it's a shortcut to social dynamics.