QI: The Book of General Ignorance - the Noticeably Stouter Edition by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson Page B
Authors: John Lloyd, John Mitchinson
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old’s that one?’ He said, ‘Eleven months … ’
What would you use to overpower a crocodile?
a ) Paper clip
b ) Crocodile clip
c ) Paper bag
d ) Handbag
e ) Rubber band
For crocodiles up to 2 m (6.5 feet) long, an ordinary rubber band should be sufficient for you to make your escape.
The muscles that close the jaws of a crocodile or alligator are so strong that they have the same downward force of a truck falling off a cliff. But the muscles that open their jaws are weak enough for you to hold their mouths shut with one hand.
The technical difference between alligators and crocodiles is that crocs have a longer, narrower snout, eyes further forward, and their fourth tooth sticks out from the lower jaw rather than fitting neatly into the upper jaw. Also, some crocodiles live in salty water; alligators generally live in fresh water.
‘Crocodile’ means lizard, from the Greek krokodeilos . This name was first recorded by Herodotus who remarked on them basking on the pebbly banks of the Nile. ‘Alligator’ is a corruption of the Spanish el lagarto das Indias , ‘the lizard of the Indies’.
Neither animal cries as it savages you to death. Crocodiletears are a myth from medieval travellers’ tales. Sir John Mandeville, writing in 1356, observed, ‘In many places of Inde are many cokadrilles – that is, a manner of long serpent. These serpents slay men and eat them weeping.’
Crocodiles do have tear ducts, but they discharge straight into the mouth, so no tears are visible externally. The origin of the legend may be in the proximity of the throat to the glands which lubricate the eye. These can cause the eye to water a little from the effort of swallowing something large or reluctant. They can’t smile either: crocodiles and alligators have no lips.
The digestive juices of crocodiles contain enough hydrochloric acid to dissolve iron and steel. On the other hand, there is no need to worry about alligators living in city sewers. They can’t survive without the ultraviolet radiation from the sun that enables them to process calcium. This urban legend can be traced back to a New York Times article in 1935, which reported that some boys had dragged an alligator out of a sewer in Harlem and beat it to death with shovels. It probably swam up a storm conduit after falling from a boat.
RICH When it says to defend yourself against an alligator, that’s the trick part of the question. This means if the alligator is litigious. And trying to sue you. Let’s say, because you’re wearing his mom on your feet. There’s a lot of paperwork involved in defending yourself in court against an alligator.
JEREMY HARDY Is that where the word ‘allegation’ comes from?
What is the bravest species of animal?
The carrier pigeon, which has received more than half of all the Dickin Medals for Animal Bravery ever issued.
The medal was instituted by Mrs Maria Dickin, founder of the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) in the UK in 1943. Between 1943 and 1949 the PDSA awarded fifty-four Dickin Medals to thirty-two pigeons, eighteen dogs, three horses, and one cat. Recently a few more awards have been given, most notably to two guide dogs that led their owners to safety down more than seventy floors of the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001.
Messenger pigeons were used throughout World War II, during communication blackouts and attacks. One of the first to win the DM was Winkie, who was on a plane when it crashed. Winkie broke free and found her way back to her owner in Scotland. From her oily and bedraggled appearance, Winkie’s owner could roughly estimate how long she had been flying. Using this information, along with the last known coordinates of the plane, the crew were saved.
A few years later, a pigeon named Gustav was issued to the war correspondent Montague Taylor, and braved a 150-mile trip to deliver the first account of the Normandy landings. Gustav came to a sticky
What would you use to overpower a crocodile?
a ) Paper clip
b ) Crocodile clip
c ) Paper bag
d ) Handbag
e ) Rubber band
For crocodiles up to 2 m (6.5 feet) long, an ordinary rubber band should be sufficient for you to make your escape.
The muscles that close the jaws of a crocodile or alligator are so strong that they have the same downward force of a truck falling off a cliff. But the muscles that open their jaws are weak enough for you to hold their mouths shut with one hand.
The technical difference between alligators and crocodiles is that crocs have a longer, narrower snout, eyes further forward, and their fourth tooth sticks out from the lower jaw rather than fitting neatly into the upper jaw. Also, some crocodiles live in salty water; alligators generally live in fresh water.
‘Crocodile’ means lizard, from the Greek krokodeilos . This name was first recorded by Herodotus who remarked on them basking on the pebbly banks of the Nile. ‘Alligator’ is a corruption of the Spanish el lagarto das Indias , ‘the lizard of the Indies’.
Neither animal cries as it savages you to death. Crocodiletears are a myth from medieval travellers’ tales. Sir John Mandeville, writing in 1356, observed, ‘In many places of Inde are many cokadrilles – that is, a manner of long serpent. These serpents slay men and eat them weeping.’
Crocodiles do have tear ducts, but they discharge straight into the mouth, so no tears are visible externally. The origin of the legend may be in the proximity of the throat to the glands which lubricate the eye. These can cause the eye to water a little from the effort of swallowing something large or reluctant. They can’t smile either: crocodiles and alligators have no lips.
The digestive juices of crocodiles contain enough hydrochloric acid to dissolve iron and steel. On the other hand, there is no need to worry about alligators living in city sewers. They can’t survive without the ultraviolet radiation from the sun that enables them to process calcium. This urban legend can be traced back to a New York Times article in 1935, which reported that some boys had dragged an alligator out of a sewer in Harlem and beat it to death with shovels. It probably swam up a storm conduit after falling from a boat.
RICH When it says to defend yourself against an alligator, that’s the trick part of the question. This means if the alligator is litigious. And trying to sue you. Let’s say, because you’re wearing his mom on your feet. There’s a lot of paperwork involved in defending yourself in court against an alligator.
JEREMY HARDY Is that where the word ‘allegation’ comes from?
What is the bravest species of animal?
The carrier pigeon, which has received more than half of all the Dickin Medals for Animal Bravery ever issued.
The medal was instituted by Mrs Maria Dickin, founder of the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) in the UK in 1943. Between 1943 and 1949 the PDSA awarded fifty-four Dickin Medals to thirty-two pigeons, eighteen dogs, three horses, and one cat. Recently a few more awards have been given, most notably to two guide dogs that led their owners to safety down more than seventy floors of the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001.
Messenger pigeons were used throughout World War II, during communication blackouts and attacks. One of the first to win the DM was Winkie, who was on a plane when it crashed. Winkie broke free and found her way back to her owner in Scotland. From her oily and bedraggled appearance, Winkie’s owner could roughly estimate how long she had been flying. Using this information, along with the last known coordinates of the plane, the crew were saved.
A few years later, a pigeon named Gustav was issued to the war correspondent Montague Taylor, and braved a 150-mile trip to deliver the first account of the Normandy landings. Gustav came to a sticky
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