Spooky fact: While scarecrows do work against crows initially, crows are actually very intelligent, so they're quick to learn that the dummies are harmless.
Fun fact: Owls can't move their eyes, so to compensate they're able to turn their heads a two-hundred seventy degrees. Also, thanks to their specialized feathers they're capable of near-silent flight when catching prey.
Fun fact: Raccoons have communal bathrooms called latrines and all go in the same place. Because they are very clean animals, the latrines are separate from where they sleep and eat.
Fun fact: Opossums involuntarily play dead. The stress of facing a predator causes them to enter a catatonic state. It can last anywhere from forty minutes to four hours.
Fun fact: The waxy monkey frog secretes a thick waxy substance from behind their ears that they apply all over their body to seal moisture in and protect their skin from the sun.
Fun fact: Like many animals, hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. Incidentally, they can suffer from balloon syndrome where gas builds up under their skin causing them to inflate to twice their normal size.
Spooky Fact: Birds are immune to the effects of capsaicin, the chemical that makes food spicy and the active ingredient in pepper spray. This immunity allows them to eat and spread seeds. (please don't pepper spray birds).
Festive fact: While most species of mice don't hibernate, the meadow jumping mouse is one of the smallest true hibernators in North America. Hibernation begins around late September and lasts until mid April.
Fun fact: Not only are rats ticklish, evidence suggests they also enjoy being tickled. They even emit "giggling" sounds only heard through special microphones.
Fun fact: Sea otters are the one of the only marine mammals that use tools, though their tools are mostly rocks. They even have a pocket-like fold of fur to keep their favorite rock.
Fun fact: Gerbils can shed their tails when caught. It's called a "tail slip" and it's very painful to the gerbil. In reality they don't lose the whole tail, just the skin.