Tap a fact to reveal the answer. These come straight from the true-or-false squares in Snakes & Liquor — the free party board game where every square has a story. Read them out at the table and see who gets caught out by the myths.
1Octopuses have three hearts.
True. Two pump blood through the gills, one around the body.
2Honey never spoils.
True. Edible honey has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs.
3Bananas are berries, but strawberries are not.
True. Botanically, a berry grows from one flower with one ovary — strawberries don't qualify.
4A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.
True. Yes. Really.
5Butterflies taste with their feet.
True. Receptors on their feet tell them if a leaf is good to eat.
6Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa.
True. At 5,895 metres, in Tanzania.
7Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa by area.
True. And one of the biggest freshwater lakes in the world.
8Giraffes have the same number of neck bones as humans: seven.
True. Theirs are just enormously long.
9The Great Rift Valley runs through Kenya.
True. It stretches thousands of kilometres across East Africa.
10Gen Z is the generation that comes after Millennials.
True. Roughly those born from the late 1990s to early 2010s.
11Coffee beans are actually seeds.
True. They come from inside the coffee cherry.
12A day on Venus is longer than its year.
True. It spins once every 243 Earth days but orbits the Sun in 225.
13Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid.
True. The pyramid is ~2,500 years older than she was.
14Wombat poop is cube-shaped.
True. It stops it rolling away — handy for marking territory.
15The shortest war in history lasted about 38 minutes.
True. Britain vs Zanzibar, 1896.
16Hawaiian pizza was invented in Canada.
True. Sam Panopoulos, 1962.
17Lightning can be hotter than the surface of the Sun.
True. Around five times hotter.
18Sharks are older than trees.
True. Sharks: 400+ million years. Trees: ~350 million.
19Cows have best friends and get stressed when they are separated.
True. Studies show lower heart rates when paired with a favourite.
20A shrimp's heart is in its head.
True. Right behind its brain, in the thorax region.
21Mount Kenya is the second-highest mountain in Africa.
True. Only Kilimanjaro is taller.
22Dolphins sleep with half of their brain awake.
True. So they can keep surfacing to breathe.
23Tomatoes are botanically a fruit.
True. Because they grow from a flower and hold seeds.
24Wi-Fi stands for "Wireless Fidelity".
False. It doesn't stand for anything — it was just a catchy brand name.
25Goldfish have a three-second memory.
False. They can remember things for months.
26Nairobi is the capital of Tanzania.
False. Nairobi is Kenya's capital. Tanzania's official capital is Dodoma.
27Pineapples grow on trees.
False. They grow from the centre of a low, spiky plant.
28The Great Wall of China can be seen from space with the naked eye.
False. It's long, but far too narrow to spot from orbit.
29Mount Kilimanjaro is in Kenya.
False. It's in Tanzania — you can just see it from Kenya on a clear day.
30Humans only use 10% of their brains.
False. We use pretty much all of it.
31Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
False. The Empire State Building is hit around 20 times a year.
32Bulls charge because they hate the colour red.
False. Bulls are red-green colour-blind — they react to the movement.
33The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.
False. Antarctica is. The Sahara is the largest hot desert.
34Peanuts are true nuts.
False. They're legumes, like beans and lentils.
35Swahili is only spoken in Kenya.
False. Also Tanzania, Uganda, DR Congo and beyond.
36Kenya is the largest country in Africa by area.
False. Algeria is. Kenya ranks somewhere around 22nd in Africa.
37Sugar makes kids hyperactive.
False. Study after study finds no link.
38The Nile flows from south to north.
True. It flows north into the Mediterranean — which is why Upper Egypt is in the south.
39A group of owls is called a parliament.
True. Yes — and a group of crows is a murder.
40Strawberries have their seeds on the outside.
True. Each "seed" is actually a tiny fruit called an achene.
41Starfish don't have brains.
True. They have a nerve ring and nerves in their arms instead.
42Sound cannot travel through space.
True. There is no air to carry the vibrations.
43Kenya gained its independence in 1963.
True. On 12 December 1963.
44A newborn kangaroo is about the size of a jellybean.
True. It then crawls into its mother's pouch to grow.
45Sea otters hold hands when they sleep.
True. So they don't drift apart.
46The Pacific Ocean is larger than all of Earth's land put together.
True. It covers about a third of the planet.
47Octopuses have blue blood.
True. It carries copper-based hemocyanin instead of iron-based haemoglobin.
48Bananas are slightly radioactive.
True. They contain potassium-40 — harmlessly.
49A day on Mars is slightly longer than a day on Earth.
True. About 24 hours and 37 minutes.
50Dolphins call each other by name.
True. Each has a signature whistle that others use to address it.
51Crocodiles cannot stick their tongues out.
True. Their tongues are attached to the roof of their mouths.
52Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system.
True. Even though Mercury is closer to the Sun, Venus's thick atmosphere traps heat.
53An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
True. About 5 cm across.
54Elephants cannot jump.
True. Their legs just aren't built to leave the ground.
55Cashews grow on the outside of a fruit.
True. The nut hangs from the bottom of the cashew apple.
56Humans have only five senses.
False. We also sense balance, temperature, pain and more.
57Penguins live at the North Pole.
False. They live in the Southern Hemisphere.
58The capital of Australia is Sydney.
False. It's Canberra.
59Mombasa is the capital of Kenya.
False. It's Nairobi.
60Zanzibar is part of Kenya.
False. It's part of Tanzania.
61Gen Z is the generation before Millennials.
False. Gen Z comes after Millennials.
62Cats always land on their feet.
False. They usually do, but not always — it depends on height and time.
63Different parts of your tongue taste different flavours.
False. The "tongue map" is a myth — all areas detect all tastes.
64Vikings wore horned helmets.
False. There's no evidence they did.
65Fortune cookies come from China.
False. They were popularised in California, with roots in Japan.
66You lose most of your body heat through your head.
False. You lose heat evenly from any uncovered body part.
67Camels store water in their humps.
False. Humps store fat.
68Kenya's highest mountain is Kilimanjaro.
False. It's Mount Kenya — Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania.
69Einstein failed maths at school.
False. He excelled at it.
70Bananas grow on trees.
False. They grow on giant herbs — the "tree" is a stem of leaves.
71The Great Wall of China is visible from space with the naked eye.
False. A famous myth — it isn't.
72Cows have best friends.
True. Cows form close bonds and get stressed apart.
73The tongue is the strongest muscle in the body.
False. It's strong for its size, but the masseter and others are stronger.
74Penguins can fly short distances.
False. They can't fly — they swim.
75Ice is slippery because of pressure from your feet.
False. It's mostly a thin layer of water on the ice surface.
