There’s no doubt that honey badgers have a fearless “bad ass” attitude. Let’s see why. Honey badgers, also known as ratels, regularly steal prey from leopards, attack and consume deadly snakes and scorpions, and successfully fight off lions and hyenas. One honey badger was observed grabbing a five-ton elephant by the trunk and another castrated … Read more
Male seahorses, rather than females, are the ones that become pregnant and give birth to live young. Females produce the eggs and transfer them to the male’s enclosed brood pouch where the male fertilizes the eggs, ensuring that his genes are passed to the next generation. When seahorses mate, they perform a lengthy courtship dance … Read more
Penguins are superbly adapted to staying warm in sub-zero temperatures. They use vasoconstriction of blood vessels under the skin to prevent losing heat to the outside. Penguin feet don’t freeze because they have dense, scaly insulating pads. They also have a specialized network of blood vessels that act as a heat transfer system. Descending blood … Read more
Yes, birds are the direct descendants of theropod dinosaurs, such as T. rex, that roamed planet earth over 100 million years ago. Chickens, turkeys, hummingbirds – all birds, in fact – are literally modern-day dinosaurs. Dinosaurs first evolved bird-like characteristics during the Jurassic around 165–150 million years ago. Microraptor, for example, was an early flying … Read more
Male snakes have two penises, each with its own testicle, but they only use one at a time. During copulation, the male inserts one hemipenis into the cloaca of the female to transfer his sperm. Female snakes can become pregnant immediately or choose to delay fertilization, storing sperm for up to five years. How Do … Read more
Death is inevitable for male octopuses once they’ve mated because they stop feeding, they become uncoordinated, often attracting predators in the wild, and they lose the ability to heal their skin. This period near the end of life, called senescence, is driven by secretions from the optic gland that trigger the reproductive organs while inactivating … Read more
Yes, dead jellyfish can still sting you, even if you find one washed up on the beach. And it doesn’t have to be a whole jellyfish – even small bits and pieces of tentacle can cause a painful sting. This is because the stinging cells, or nematocysts, can remain viable and ready to fire for … Read more
Woodpeckers with long tongues have specialized wiry structures that wrap around the skull, but not in direct contact with the brain. This Y-shaped structure consists of stiff, yet flexible, cartilage-and-bone connected to their tongues called the hyoid apparatus. The specialized hyoid apparatus allows woodpeckers to extend their rigid tongues for several inches to probe into … Read more
Albatrosses are large seabirds with the longest wingspans of any bird in the world, up to 10 or 12 feet. As a biologist, I became intrigued with the flight of the albatross after watching huge Royal Albatrosses soar past us on the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand. Albatrosses can soar effortlessly for hours at … Read more
Whenever I listen to the song of a Humpback whale, I am captivated by the eery quality of the complex sounds. There’s no doubt that whales are highly intelligent creatures that regularly communicate with one another. In this article, I well dive deep into the biology of whale communication. Whales communicate primarily through complex sounds, … Read more
Electric eels can produce 600-volt electric pulses up to 400 times per second. These high-voltage pulses are so strong that they remotely activate the neurons inside the prey, making their muscles spasm. This immobilizes the animal so the electric eel can swallow its prey whole. Humans have been attacked and killed by electric eels, but … Read more
Believe me when I tell you from personal experience, that observing wild Komodo dragons from a few feet away gives you a whole new respect for the size and power of these giant lizards. Komodo dragons can reproduce either sexually or by “virgin conception” depending on environmental conditions. In the wild they usually reproduce sexually, … Read more
Cephalopods, including octopuses, are the smartest invertebrates on the planet. They can use tools, carry coconut shells for shelter, stack rocks to protect their dens, and carry jellyfish tentacles for defense. In captivity, they can learn to solve puzzles, open screw-top jars, and squirt humans they don’t like. And they are about as smart as … Read more
I was born near Sydney Australia and, although I’ve lived in Canada for most of my life, I’ve spent lots of time in Sydney. You’ve probably read generalized reports about winter in Sydney, but after reading several posts, I can tell you that few are based on personal experience. The chances of snow in Sydney … Read more
We’ve had the good fortune of sitting quietly and watching wild platypuses swimming and feeding in their native habitat in Eungella National Park, Australia. The duck-billed platypus is often considered the most unique and bizarre mammal on the planet with some of the most unusual adaptations you will find anywhere. Let’s dive into some of … Read more
