May 30/2018

Feature:
8 Fun Facts About Octopi — Or Is It Octopuses?

“The octopus is one of nature’s most delightful oddities: an 8-armed, wildly intelligent, oddly graceful creature that’s fascinated storytellers, chefs, & cephalopod fans for generations…

1. They’re arms, not tentacles
…the extremities of an octopus really are arms. An octopus has 4 pairs of them, & they all move independently, with a highly sophisticated nervous system — 2/3 of an octopus’ neurons are in its arms. This allows them to grasp & grapple potential prey & objects they want to manipulate much more easily…

2. Octopi can fit through almost anything
As long as an aperture is large enough for an octopus’ beak, it’s on… That trait comes in handy for octopi living in captivity, who have been known to confound zookeepers with their escape skills.

3. My, what tasty suckers you have, dear
Octopi have a pretty impressive set of incredibly strong suckers, but did you know that they can taste objects through their suckers? This helps them get a better sense of their surroundings, discriminate between friend & foe…

4. Octopi use tools
Tool use is extremely rare among animals…when octopi were observed building shelters for themselves out of coconut shells, their tiki style made humans sit up & take notice. The animals are clearly making a conscious decision to carry & use the shells, illustrating that they understand tool use & know how to use the environment around them to their advantage.

5. Octopi can regrow their arms- but arms can’t grow into octopi
…if an octopus loses an arm, she can regrow it, which is a pretty nifty trick. Octopi can actually drop their arms to confuse predators, although this is a plan of last resort since growing new ones takes a while. Thanks to the concentration of neurons in their arms, the detached arm can keep wriggling in a rather convincing way while the octopus escapes to safety.

6. The more to love you with

Octopui have a grand total of 3 hearts…2 of them are devoted exclusively to circulation throughout the body, & the 3rd circulates oxygen through the organs. While octopi swim, this 3rd heart doesn’t beat, which cuts down on their stamina, which explains why crawling through the water is preferred to cruising.

7. Octopus ink is an irritant

While cooks use octopus ink — along with inks from other cephalopods like cuttlefish — & it’s by no means toxic, it is an irritant. It’s designed to confuse enemies not just by clouding the waters, but also mangling the vision, sense of taste, & smell of predators so the octopus has time to get away.

8. Octopuses, Octopi, or Octopodes?

…’Octopus’ comes from Ancient Greek… many authorities generally agree that ‘octopuses’ is the most reasonable pluralization…”

s.e. smith 

Jan. 15/ 2018

Care2.com

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Weekly Chuckle

May 23/2018

Feature:
10 Must-Know Facts for World Turtle Day

“World Turtle Day, May 23rd, is an annual occasion that the American Tortoise Rescue began 17 years ago to honor & promote turtle & tortoise conservation around the world...  the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has protected habitat for 8 at-risk turtle species...

1. Turtle shells have nerves & a blood supply, making them an active part of turtles’ bodies.

2. The eastern snapping turtle, Canada’s largest freshwater turtle, stays submerged for so long that algae grows on its shell.

3. When threatened, the eastern musk turtle, a.k.a. “stinkpot,” releases a skunk-like odor.

4. Leatherback turtles, the largest turtle species in the world, can weigh up to 680 kg.

5. A turtle’s shell is an altered ribcage that’s part of its vertebral column & consists of 50 different plate-covered bones.

6. When female sea turtles are ready to lay their eggs, they travel all the way back to the same beach where they were born.

7. Turtles inhabit all continents except Antarctica.

8. Nest temperature affects which sex sea turtles are born as, with temperatures above 29C resulting in more female offspring.

9. The oldest discovered turtle fossil dates from around 220 million years ago.

10. The longest-lived turtle died at age 188.”

Adam Hunter (Nature Conservancy of Canada’s blog, Land Lines)

May 22/2017

care2.com

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Weekly Chuckle

May 16/2018

Feature:
11 Wondrous Facts About Praying Mantises

“…1. They have great vision

…They can see in 3-D & their eyes each have a fovea – a concentrated area that allows them to focus & track with acuity. Aside from those 2 large compound eyes, they also have 3 spare simple eyes located in between.

2. They are agile like cats …mantises have been found to jump with extreme precision, contorting their body midair to land on a precarious & specific target…

3. They make swift work of their prey

Praying mantis wait to ambush or patiently stalk their prey; but once they’re ready to strike, they do so with lightning speed, attacking with those big front legs…In addition, they have spikes on their legs to skewer & pin the victims into place.

4. They are masters of disguise

…They come in the form of leaves & sticks & branches, like many insects… Some mantises molt at the end of a dry season to become black, conveniently aligning themselves with the brush fires that leave a blackened landscape…

5. They only eat live food

Mantises like their food still moving, apparently. Which makes them helpful in pest control as they sup on all kinds of insects, including crickets, & grasshoppers.

6. They disrupt the food chain

…they commonly target hummingbirds! Not to mention warblers, sunbirds, honeyeaters, flycatchers, vireos, & European robins, in addition to frogs & lizards…

7. They go zombie

…when they capture birds, they go straight for the brains.

8. They do not have predators

…Their predators include frogs, lizards, & birds, & spiders.

9. They do battle with bats

Praying mantises are also preyed upon by bats… They can detect the bats’ echolocation sounds & when they are approached, they dive to the ground…if caught, they try to slash their way to freedom by use of their big spiky front legs…

10. They were thought to have special powers

…early civilizations, including Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, & Assyria considered them to have supernatural powers. (The mantis part of the name comes from the Greek for prophet.)…

11. They engage in risky sex

...Mama mantises lay an especially large bunch of eggs, which means they need a lot of food. Which means, unfortunately for their partners, they may literally bite off their head & devour them. And they may even do this during the course of their 3-hour mating session. A little bit of coital cannibalism may also add to the success of the copulation…”

Melissa Breyer (Treehugger)

Sept. 29/2017

Care2.com

                           
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Weekly Chuckle

May 9/2018

Feature:

Wayward Oriole to Catch Flight Home to B.C. In East Since 2015

     “OTTAWA- A Bullock’s oriole that landed in eastern Ontario in 2015 will finally be flying home to British Columbia- by plane.

     The little western bird drew national attention when it arrived in Pakenham, Ont., in December 2015-likely after being blown off its migration course.

     Bird lovers flocked to the area to witness the rare sighting…Ray Holland found it…under a tree & took it to the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre in January 2016.

     The female bird was diagnosed with dehydration, weakness, & hypothermia, & lost a toenail to frostbite.

     A few months later, after it had fully recovered, efforts, began to get it home, but because the bird had begun to molt, its return had to be postponed.

     The bird care centre says the oriole’s long-awaited journey home on an Air Canada flight is set to begin…at the Ottawa Airport.

     Bullock’s orioles are found in the southernmost part of B.C. & Alberta, but their main range is in the U.S…

     The centre says there were even offers from people willing to buy a ticket just to escort the bird.

     Air Canada employee Dave Starke will accompany the oriole to Vancouver & the airline has secured her a spot in the passenger cabin.

     BC Wildlife Rescue Association will give the oriole time to adapt in an outdoor flight cage where it will build muscle & acclimatize to outdoor temperatures again.

     It’s hoped the bird will be released after a week or so, at which point it will fly itself to the southern U.S. or northern Mexico, its native wintering grounds.”

The Canadian Press

Aug. 16/2017

The Montreal Gazette    

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Weekly Chuckle

May 2/2018

Feature:

10 Reasons to Celebrate Sharks, Not Fear Them

“...1. Since sharks are at the top of the food chain, they help keep the ecosystem in balance by deliberately preying on sick & weak fish. “Sharks groom many populations of marine life to the right size so that those prey species don’t cause harm to the ecosystem by becoming too populous,” notes Shark Savers, an international group advocating for an end to the slaughter of sharks & manta rays.

2. By killing sick fish, sharks also help stop the spread of disease that could devastate other species. At the same time, they’re helping to strengthen the gene pools of those species...

3. Another way sharks help keep the ecosystem in balance is by scaring away sea animals that overgraze on vital seagrass beds...

4. Sharks protect coral reefs by eating predatory fish, like groupers, that feed on herbivores. The lack of herbivores allows destructive macroalgae to expand & impact the survival of the reef system.

5. Sharks help clean the oceans by eating dead animals & plants...

6. ...Sharks like to eat their predators, which is helping to prevent shellfish from becoming extinct...sharks are at the top of all the intricate food webs that make up the ocean ecosystem. Scientists consider them to be a keystone species, meaning that if they were to disappear, the entire ecosystem would collapse.

7. Sharks have very strong immune systems & are resistant to many cancers... A recent study found unique modifications in their immunity genes that may provide them with the ability to fight cancer...

8. Sharks could also lead the way to a cure for heart disease, thanks to anticoagulant compounds in their blood that are currently being studied by scientists.

9. Sharks are able to swim with speed & efficiency because of the denticles on their skin. These small, toothlike structures reduce drag & turbulence as sharks move through the water...

10. Sharks have been around for at least 400 million years- 100 million years before dinosaurs first appeared on land- & are the oldest living vertebrae. They can help us learn more about the origin of humans & other vertebrate species.”

Laura Goldman

July 25/ 2017

care2.com

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Weekly Chuckle