As I write and edit, there always comes a point when fact checking must occur. Often when fact checking, I learn much more about any given subject than I ever wanted to know. So here’s a list of seven facts you may or may not know that I learned from various different research ventures.
1. There is a type of shark that hunts fish by hitting them with its tail.
This shark is called a Thresher Shark. Their tail makes up at least half their body length, and when they flick their tail like a whip, it can reach speeds up to 50 miles per hour.
2. When in a fight, it’s better to do palm strikes rather than closed fist punches.
For anyone unfamiliar with martial arts terms, a palm strike is the concept of hitting someone with an open hand. This has the same strength as using a fist would, with the added bonus of a lower percentage of injury for yourself. This also makes it easier to block oncoming attacks. Check out fightTIPS on Youtube.com for more tips.
3. The laws against shop lifting allow for a few loop holes.
Long story short, I promise this knowledge came from researching so I can have a character follow the law, or break it, accordingly. For legal purposes, I'll let you do that research yourself.
4. In some states the penalty for murder is as low as 20 years in prison.
Granted, this research might be slightly outdated, and it was a while ago so I don't remember which state it was. I do know that there were plenty of requirements that had to be met for the case in order to get the lowest sentence.
5. Some species of sharks are social and hunt in groups, otherwise known as a herd, school, gam, or shiver.
I don't know about you, but I always seemed to think of sharks as solitary creatures. Most of them are, however some are very social. In fact, Black Tip Reef Sharks often congregate in schools, live in shallow water and are not a threat to humans.
6. A baby shark is called a pup.
Even more strange, some sharks hatch from eggs, some are born live. Sand Tiger Sharks even eat their brothers and sisters while still in the womb.)
7. There are more types of sniper rifles than I ever wanted to know about.
There are at least 129 different variations. That is only sniper rifles. Who knew?
Do you have any strange or random facts? Let me know! Send me an email or a message on social media.