Hi Everyone!
I wanted to apologize for the delay in today’s posting. There was a glitch with my WordPress Posting system. As well, I have been home sick all day today so I am not sure if I will be able to get a post for tomorrow. The posts will be back to regular once I start feeling better.
Thanks and enjoy the week leading up to Christmas!
Nathan
Photo by yeowatzup at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yeowatzup
Yesterday we talked about insects so let’s take a different route today and talk about an animal that eats insects. The Philippine tarsier is often referred to as the smallest monkey in the world. Although, this primate is only 9-16 cm (3.5 – 6″) in length (excluding the tail) it doesn’t classify as the smallest monkey since it really isn’t a monkey. The Philippine tarsier is a primate but it has a separate sub-order. In fact they are more closely related to the lemur. This doesn’t take anything away from the interesting characteristics that this little critter posess.
The Philippine tarsier is nocturnal animal that relies on its senses to capture their prey. Obviously, you have noticed the large eyes of the tarsier which help capture as much light as possible while hunting at night. The eyes of the tarsier do not rotate which means they have little to no peripheral vision. Don’t worry, the Philippine tarsier has found a solution to this problem. The tarsier is the only primate that can rotate their head 180 degrees. Similar to that creepy girl in that horror movie, which I can’t remember the name to. You know what! I am going to give 5 Wild Facts Bonus Points to the person that can tell me the movie I am thinking about!
The Philippine tarsier also has a few other adaptations to help them survive. For example they have excellent hearing which assists them throughout the night. As well, they have extraordinary legs which can be twice as long as their head and body combined. This allows them to jump as much as 40 times their length. Like other primates their frist toe is completely opposable which assists them in gripping tree branches. Finally, all the fingers and toes of the tarsier have flattened nails except for the second and third toes which are more claw-like. These specialized claws assist with grooming. We all know how much primates like to groom so this is actually an important feature.
Philippine Tarsier Fast Fact: The eye of the Philippine tarsier is actually larger than it’s brain and stomach. I have heard of the expression my eyes are bigger than my stomach but never my eyes are bigger than my brain!
I hope you enjoyed today’s fact. Check out the picture of the Philippine tarsier below. Does the fact that they can turn their heads around like this creep anyone else out?
Image by: National Geographic
Happy Friday everyone! Today we are going to take a trip to the icy north (for me, it isn’t that long of a trip!) to learn about the unicorn of the sea. Of course I am talking about the narwhal. What is a narwhal you ask? Well, it is a whale that has two teeth. You know, like the song! All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth! I will get to the importance of these two teeth in a bit but first let’s introduce you to this special whale.
Narwhal’s are related to the dolphins, orca whales and belugas. Similar to other porpoises, they tend to travel in groups. Usually in groups of 10 to 20 but some groups have been as large as 100′s and even 1000′s of narwhals. They tend to feed on shrimp, fish and squid but they don’t use those two teeth to chew their food. Nope, they just suck in their prey and swallow it whole. So where can you find these majestic whales? Well, they hang out in the Arctic Ocean around Northern Canada and Greenland so you had better grab your parka and a toque if you want to go spot some narwhal’s.
So, I keep mentioning the two teeth of the narwhal. This is simply because that long tusk on the front of the male narwhal is actually a tooth! Imagine the dentist bill on that one! In the male narwhal the left tooth will continue to grow right through their upper lip. This ivory tooth can get as long as 3 meters (9′) looking similar to a spiral, sword. On rare occasion both teeth will grow through the upper lip resulting in two tusks. As well, the female may also grow a smaller version of this ivory tusk, however, that too is rare. As usual, the million dollar question is, “What are these tusks for?”. I would love to tell you that the narwhal uses it to make fish and squid kabob’s or that they often use it to defend against predators but this is highly unlikely. If these tusks ever broke off the narwhal would mostly likely perish due to infection. The actual use of these tusks are not known, however, they are most likely a status symbol used to designate rank within the group and for mating purposes. As well, male members will often joust in a friendly fashion with their specialized tooth. This may be a way to greet each other or again to display dominance within the group. You can easily see why the narwhal is named the Unicorn of the Sea.
Narwhal Fast Fact: A long time ago people would sell the tusks of the narwhal claiming it was a unicorn horn. Believe it or not they would get 10 times their weight in gold for this tooth. As well, they would get what ever the Tooth Fairy left them under their pillow.
Courtesy of www.oceanlight.com
After talking about land and air born animals for the last few facts it is time to head back to the sea to find the largest known mammal ever to roam (errr… swim) the earth. Of course I am talking about the blue whale which can be over 100′ long while weighing in at a staggering 200 tons! Just to put the size of the blue whale into perspective lets look at a few interesting facts. Their tongues weigh as much as an elephant and their hearts, well they weigh as much as an automobile, and I am not talking about one of those little smart cars either. I am talking about a regular automobile. Now, if that doesn’t impress you then I have absolutely no idea what else to say!
The incredible thing about the blue whale is they are the largest mammal ever and they get this way by eating shrimp also known as krill. You know how much shrimp you would have to eat to get to this size? Approximately 8000 pounds of sea food per day. Luckily, krill are one of the most common food sources in the world second only to insects. They tend to travel in very large groups which makes things easier for big blue who can take down about 1000 krill in one quick swoop. So how does the blue whale eat this much krill? I doubt they dip them in seafood sauce and pull the tails off. Actually, they just open their mouths and take in as much as they can. But what about the water you ask? If they take in that much water wouldn’t they be bloated or at the very least have to pee more than your 95 year old grandpa on a long road trip. Well the truth is they have a structure in their mouth called a baleen. This baleen structure is basically numerous overlapping plates comprised of a material similar to finger nails. This acts like a filter for the blue whale. After they take in all of this sea water they are able to force it out of their mouth using their elephant size tongue. These baleen plates allow the water to get through but stop those yummy shrimp. This allows the whale to remove the water and eat thousands of shrimp for dinner. Note the blue whale are part of a group of baleen whales which have similar structures. Other animals that give up their teeth for baleen plates include the right whale, minke whale, bowhead whale and the humpback whale to name a few.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I would love to stay and talk more about the blue whale but I have this sudden craving for shrimp so I guess I will chat more with you tomorrow!
Well, I am back from British Columbia and well rested so let’s dive right into Monday’s Wild Fact. While, I was sitting in my hotel last week, I saw a commercial about an upcoming movie called 2012 which predicted the end of the world in the year of the title. It got me thinking about deadly plagues and I remembered that one of the 10 plagues of Egypt mentioned that locusts would come in and out with the wind. In a weird, round about way, that movie preview inspired today’s fact about locusts. So what exactly is a locust? We probably know they can be devastating to agriculture as they eat everything in sight but what causes this insect to be so destructive.
Firstly I want to let you know that a locust is basically a large grasshopper. I bet the majority of us have played with grasshoppers and they didn’t seem that destructive. For the most part this is true, but let’s take the desert locust for example. When there is plenty of food and the population of desert locusts is in check they are fairly harmless insects. Although, once the population starts to increase and the food runs out these small, friendly locusts become similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As the population grows there will be much more stimulation on the hind legs of the locust. So big deal, right? Wow, their legs are getting bumped due to overcrowding. I have seen similar things with humans in large cities so what is the big deal. I know, it may seem trivial but as these locusts legs constantly get touched it will release serotonin. Just so you know serotonin is known to play a role in regulating mood, appetite and muscle contraction. So are you starting to see the importance of Dr. Jekyll’s legs constantly getting bumped? As this serotonin level increases the friendly desert locusts will begin to molt until they produce one final generation of locust. This last generation, however, will be in the Mr. Hyde form. Instead of being a solitary animal they will turn gregarious and form gangs with other locusts. They become larger, change colours, consume more food and breed easier. This gregarious form is the typical locust swarm that we all picture. These swarms can become very large containing billions of locusts. Yes, BILLIONS! You can imagine what these hungry little insects will do to crops everywhere. Now that scientists realize it is an increase in serotonin levels that cause the gregarious form of locusts, they are working on a pesticide that will change them back into their harmless, solitary form. To date, I don’t believe this chemical exists but I am sure they are working hard on it. So, remember, the next time you are playing with a friendly grasshopper, make sure you don’t constantly touch the back legs 
.
Desert Locust Fast Fact – Desert locusts fly with the wind and can cover up to 100-200 kilometers/day. They will not fly higher that 2000 meters above sea level so tall mountain ranges will provide some very important barriers to this insect.
After I wrote today’s post I went searching for a great video that shows what a locust swarm looks like. I came across a video done by National Geographic that basically explains this Wild Fact. Check it out in the post below to see how devastating these swarms of locusts can be.
Literature Cited:
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/090130_locust.htm
I am starting to think I have a problem since I am never satisfied with the layout of my site. If you haven’t noticed yet, I have changed the layout yet again. Please let me know what you think or if you have any problems with portions of the website.
Thanks for putting up with all my changes!
Photo compliments of http://christaisgoingtonyc.wordpress.com/2008/08/
Who wants to go on a trip with me? You know what, I want all of you to join me on a trip down memory lane! I will set the flashback up for you. You are 8 years old and super excited because it is the middle of summer, which of course means No School! It is one of those beautiful, warm, mid-summer nights and you are hanging out with your brother, sister or some friends. You are playing outside (remember the days when kids still did that?) and all of a sudden you see a sparkle of light in the sky…..and again…. and again! By this time you have called your friends over who are now looking for a jar because it is time to go and catch some fireflies.
All right, come back to reality with me. Now it is 2009 and you are reading a great blog about animal facts! By this point you are probably hoping that a Wild Fact will be on fireflies. Well, sit back and enjoy because here comes your Firefly Wild Fact.
There are many different species of fireflies and not all of them emit a blinking light. I won’t get into the details of what causes this light but I will tell you that it is a chemical reaction created in specialized light-emitting organs. I always find the “why” question to be more interesting then the “how” so let’s discuss why fireflies emit this light. For the most part, adult fireflies use this light to locate similar species of fireflies for reproduction. Different species of fireflies have different light patterns which obviously are used to distinguish between species. The male firefly of certain groups, such as the genus Photinus, which are common in North America, will fly around the night sky emitting their light pattern. Females of this same group are unable to fly so when they see the male flying above they will give him a quick flash allowing him to come down and mate.
Certain fireflies have evolved and adapted to take advantage of the friendly Photinus firefly mating habits. Fireflies from the genus Photuris will sit on the ground and mimic the females of the Photinus group. What is the purpose for this? Well, when the male sees a response from a female counterpart he goes in for some loving, however, he will soon realize that he has been tricked by a predatory firefly and will pay the ultimate price with his life.
So what about the larvae of fireflies? Do they glow? Well, all fireflies glow as larvae (even the ones that don’t glow as adults). Because of this, the larvae are often called “Gloworms”. Some people may remember this toy by the same name. It looked like a caterpillar with wings and when you pushed on it, they would light up. I might be aging myself with this one! Anyway, back to the Wild Fact. You may have guessed that the larvae do not mate so why do they need to glow? It is suspected that the glowing nature of the larvae warns predators to stay away since most larvae contain chemicals that are toxic or just downright disgusting.
Well, I hope you enjoyed today’s fact and will think of this the next time you are watching the little fireflies put on a light show for you. As well, I would like to thank my dad for his question about fireflies which inspired today’s Wild Fact.
Throughout my ramblings at Wild Facts I have discussed several adaptations that animals have evolved to respond to predators. For example we have learned that the hog-nose snake plays dead or that the chickadee changes its song to warn its friends. If you ask me, I think the Mimic Octopus has them all beat. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the hog-nose snake was fascinating and a great actor but they have nothing on the mimic octopus.
Like other octopus’ the mimic octopus is an intelligent mollusc with eight arms each with two rows of suction cups. As a side note, the octopus is thought to be the most intelligent invertebrate. Similarly, most octopus’ are capable of changing their colour but the mimic octopus is able to change its colour, shape and behaviour to act like other animals. That’s right when a mimic octopus is threatened they will take the form of other animals to scare off the would be predator. If this were an X-Men movie then the mimic octopus would be like Mystique or some other shape shifter. For example if it were being attacked by a damselfish then the octopus would take the shape of a banded sea snake by changing its colour to black and white, drawing in six of its arms and waving the other two in opposite directions. You are thinking that this is pretty cool but how does it help the mimic octopus against the damselfish. Well, the banded sea snake is one of the main predators of the damselfish. The incredible thing about all this is the fact that this type of octopus can mimic at least 15 different species of animals depending upon its environment and what predator it is faced with at any given time. So far they have been known to mimic sea snakes, lionfish, flatfish, brittle stars, sea shells, giant crabs, stingrays, jellyfish, flounders, sea anemones and mantis shrimp among others. I guess this just goes to show you that not everything is what it seems. So be careful the next time you go to pick up a jellyfish because it may just be a mimic octopus!
If you are still curious and would like to see one in action then check out the video in the post below.
Hi Everyone,
I plan on heading over to Alaska for the weekend but before I go I wanted to post the new changes to the website. In an attempt for the website to look more “wild” I have tried changing the theme. I would really appreciate any comments on the new look. I still have some fine tuning to complete but I would love to hear what my readers have to say about the site!
Just a reminder to check out Lee’s Photoblog at http://wildlife.aminus3.com/ . On Saturday, the photo will be related to the most recent Wild Fact. You won’t be disappointed with his photos!
Thanks!
Nathan
The following is taken from the Amazon website and gives a brief description of the video.
The film almost exclusively emphasizes the behavior of the animal populations that inhabit the Earth, yet carefully omits shots that depict the more gory predatory behavior of species, rendering it family-friendly. It also employs a chronological approach — beginning in January in the Arctic wilderness, and moving progressively through the four seasons and 12 months comprising a single year, until it hits late December — contrasting various geographic regions of the Earth as shot in various seasons. Above all else, a cautionary message underscores this footage; as in An Inconvenient Truth, the filmmakers continually remind their audience that despite the grandiloquence present onscreen, all may be lost if humankind is not careful.
If you are interested in purchasing this timeless tale of our earth then please follow the link below:
