Germany

In 19th–20th century Germany, university students prized facial scars from Mensur, an academic sword duel. Scars symbolized courage and elite status. Some students too afraid to participate sliced their own cheeks or paid doctors to create fake scars.

A "rat king" occurs when multiple rats' tails become entangled into a single mass. In 1828, a rat king of 32 rats was found in Buchheim, Germany. It likely forms when blood or excrement acts as adhesive in cramped spaces, or when tails freeze together in cold weather.

In 1822, a stork was found in Germany with an African spear in its neck. It had flown from Africa wounded, providing decisive evidence that migratory birds travel between continents. Germans call such birds 'Pfeilstorch' (arrow stork).