While hunting deer in the Tehama Wildlife Area near Red Bluff in northern California, Jay Rathman climbed up a slope of a rocky gorge. As he raised his head to look over the ledge, he sensed movement to the right of his face. As he turned, a coiled rattler struck with lightning speed, just missing…
Over the years these cute, cuddly looking animals have captivated people. From shows like Animal Planet’s Meerkat Manor to characters like Timon in The Lion King, people just like meerkats. Besides their cute appearance and fun demeanor, meerkats are actually fascinating animals. Why? Because there are few animals that work together as well as meerkats.…
On August 15, 1934, Otis Barton and William Beebe set the record for descending to the ocean depth of 3,028 feet. They did this with a spherical deep-sea submersible called a bathysphere. This submersible was made with very thick cast steel to handle the remarkable pressure at such depths. At this depth, the bathysphere would…
Two bull moose entered into combat. Whether it was over territory or a female isn’t all that important. The result is. As their battle for male dominance raged on, their antlers became entangled. The fight eventually led the two moose down into a river. The ice-cold river quickly cooled them off as they remained entangled,…
While on a recent trip, my family visited the aquarium in Chattanooga, TN. Throughout the day they had several live demonstrations. The one that caught our attention the most was an animal the kids would be able to see up close and touch. We were ushered into a staging room, sat on the front row,…
Recently we took a look at the animal with one of the most incredible strikes in nature, the mantis shrimp. As it so happens, this little aquatic creature is also home to the most complicated eye in the animal kingdom (Kilday). It’s incredible. Let’s take a look. The Structure. The mantis shrimp’s eyes are mounted…
If we let our imaginations expand a little – alright, maybe a lot – it would be fun to hear what a superhero’s favorite animal would be. For Ironman, perhaps his favorite would be the peregrine falcon for its aerial speed. For Captain America, maybe he would favor the loyalty of a golden retriever or…
It only weighs about two pounds, but when its eyes lock on its prey, it can slice through the air at 242 miles per hour (Harpole). Being the fastest animal on the planet, the peregrine falcon is without a doubt one of the most awesome creatures. In order to achieve such speeds, it has to…
For thousands of years people have been charmed by the beauty and elegance of the butterfly. Even more so, cultures have been inspired by its incredible metamorphosis. There are about 20,000 different species of butterfly in the world ranging in size and color. One of the most famous is the monarch butterfly. While most butterflies…
Some of the coolest bugs are the masters of disguise, the ones with awesome camouflage. One of the best is the katydid bug. We could walk right by these bugs and never actually find them. The katydid bug’s camouflage is extremely detailed. They don’t just have the shape and color of leaves though; they grow…
If you listed off your top three favorite animals, chances are pretty good the duckbilled platypus wouldn’t make the cut. In fact, it might not even make the top fifty. Despite its lack of popularity, the duckbilled platypus is a pretty incredible animal. Here’s why: How It Eats. A duckbilled platypus enjoys tasty meals like…
The woodpecker is the perfect wood drilling machine. In the previous article, we detailed out all the parts needed to allow the woodpecker to drill holes and also to keep it from going blind and killing itself with the 1000g of force it sustains when pecking. This just touched the surface of the problems the…
Why aren’t woodpeckers extinct? This animal stands around and smashes its head against a tree all day long without ever “seeing stars.” It does this without sustaining any damage at all. The more we dig into this animal, the more amazing it proves to be. Here’s why. Most humans are able to withstand about 20…
Nearly everyone has enjoyed a yummy bowl of vanilla ice cream. It is a wonderfully delicious desert. However, vanilla ice cream wouldn’t even exist if evolution were true. Let’s start out with a little history. Until more recent times, Mexico was the only producer of vanilla. In the 1520s, a man by the name of…
Usain Bolt is unbelievably fast. In 2008, he ran the 100 meter dash in a world record 9.58 seconds. For a cheetah, that’s a light jog. At the Cincinnati Zoo, they regularly set up a test to give their cheetah’s exercise and to see how fast they can run. The slowest cheetah distractedly jogged the…
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