Like shiny things? Well put aside your love for jewelry and check out these gold (Chrysina aurigans) and silver beetles (Chrysina limbata) whose shiny metallic shells come in handy for blending into tropical rainforests of Costa Rica.
Chrysina aurigans, Chrysina limbata. Photo credit: Eduardo M Libby
Water droplets are everywhere in a tropical rainforest, reflecting light in all kinds of directions. This creates the perfect place for a shiny gold or silver beetle to blend in and appear as a flash of light, fooling potential predators. These beetles have a great disguise for the tropical rainforest, but they sure would stand out if they lived somewhere else. Can you imagine one of these guys trying to blend in on a field of grass! What helps you stay incognito in one environment might make you stand out in another, so what kind of camouflage would you use to blend into a city, park or your backyard? Green and brown splotches, black stripes or a shiny blue coat? Tell us your answer in the comments section below.
Male Hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) are inflatable! Well a sac above their nose is anyway. When this sac is blown up it covers their nose like a hood (that’s where they get their name from). This sac looks like a red balloon and it is quite an extravagant sight that males will use to attract females and possibly threaten other males. Can’t imagine what a seal would look like with a red balloon on its face? Check out this picture to see what we mean.
Hooded Seal. Photo credit: Sea Mammal Research Unit
What’s the deal with the Hooded seal?
Hooded seals hangout around Bear Island, Norway, Iceland and northeast Greenland, this map shows just where these seals call home. Hooded seals usually spend time on their own but they come together for breeding and molting. They are able to dive as deep as 100m and dives have been recorded that lasted over 30 minutes! These amazing swimming skills come in handy when they are on the move following a yearly migration that keeps them close to drifting patches of ice. Hooded seals also have the shortest nursing period of any mammal, 5-12 days. In this short amount of time pups will double in size while the mom loses 7-10kg every day! Today Hooded seals that live in the northwest Atlantic have fairly stable populations but the northeastern Atlantic seals have seen their numbers drop by 85-90% over the last 40-60 years. To help out the Hooded seal learn more about how your actions have an impact on species that live in the North or start spreading the word about protecting animals and their habitats with your Bring Back the Wild Campaign.
Fun fact: The Hooded Skullcap is part of the mint family but it doesn’t taste like mint! One of its relatives is also famous, the plant, called mad-dog weed, was used in medieval times as a remedy for rabid-dog bites.
I’m named this because… an Englishman in the early 1800s said that the tree would be a puzzle for a monkey to climb, even though there are no monkeys where this tree grows!
Fun fact: These trees can live for many years; the oldest is over 800 years old! These trees can also grow as big as 150 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 7 feet.
Fun fact: This is the most heat tolerant plant in the Dicentra family. It will continue to grow throughout the summer, as long as the soil does not dry out.
I’m named this because… I form in a large cluster (the hen) surrounded by smaller patches (the chicks)
Fun Fact: Hen and Chicks were originally planted on roofs as protection against lightning because they are linked to Thor and Zeus, the two mythical gods of lightning.
Also known as: Fat Hen, White Goosefoot, Wild Spinach
I’m named this because… the word Lambsquarters comes from lammas quarter which is a harvest festival that was held on August 1st in 9th century England where this plant was eaten. The nickname goosefoot comes from the leaves that look like a goose’s foot.
Fun fact: This plant can produce 75,000 seeds and can grow in many soil types. Lambsquarters is also very healthy for you; it contains more vitamins and essential minerals than many vegetables, especially Lettuce, Spinach and Cabbage
Some insects, lizards and spiders are amazing climbers, what gives them this super power? Well their incredible feet sure do help!
The tiny hairs (called setae) on the leaf beetle’s feet come in three different shapes; pointed, flat and disk-like each arranged in patterns across the feet. Researchers at the University of Cambridge, England believe that it is this combination of hairs and the different amount of force that is needed to peel them off of things that lets the beetle stick so well. It is hoped that by looking more closely at how these different hairs are used we can develop better nature inspired adhesives or sticky things. It may still be awhile before you can buy beetle feet tape from the store but you can go check out other amazing nature inspired designs like Velcro.
It is pretty amazing how adults and their babies can look so different from each other. Take a look at this list of top ten ugliest (but adorable) animal babies.
#1 Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Robin Chick. Photo Credit: galawebdesign
Baby name: Chick
The numbers: Baby robins weigh about 5.5 g.
Fun fact: Chicks are fed by both parents and eat 35-40 meals a day!
Growing up: Baby robins leave the nest when they are 13 days old and become fully independent at 4 weeks.
Fun fact: The father brings food for the whole family but only the mother feeds the babies.
Growing up: Owlets have their first flight 50-70 days after hatching but they will return to the nest. They will stay close to home until they are 7 to 8 weeks old.
Giant panda cubs. Photo Credit: Milgrammer Lucy Reynell Zurich, Switzerland
Baby name: Cub
The numbers: Giant panda cubs weigh 85 to 140 grams.
Fun fact: Mothers enjoy playing with their young. They have even been known to wakeup a sleeping infant so that they can play together.
Growing up: Cubs are born with their eyes closed, opening them after 3 weeks. By the time they are 3-4 months old cubs are able to move on their own but they stay with their mom for up to 18 months.
The numbers: A newborn weighs between 1.8 and 2 kg.
Fun fact: Normally only one aardvark is born at a time, but occasionally a mom will have twins.
Growing up: Baby aardvarks stay in the burrow for several weeks before heading out with mom for a nighttime food run. At 6 months the aardvark will dig its own burrow. Even though they have moved out the young cub will still stay close to mom for a few more years until they are ready to find a mate.
Fun fact: Turkey vultures will stake out a nesting site in a sheltered area like a hollow log or old building and they will use little or no nest for laying their eggs.
Growing up: The eggs hatch after 30-40 days and the young become independent after 80-90 days.
Fun fact: Baby Stump-tailed macaques live in groups with moms helping to care for each other’s young. Special attention is given to the infants of high-ranking moms. Young macaques also inherit this rank from their mothers, taking up their position in the group.
Growing up: Infants are weaned after 9 months and become independent at 1.5 years
A team at the U.S. forest services and some university scientists looked at 25 mangroves and found that these coastal forests are super important holders of carbon. Carbon emissions play a big part in global warming, by protecting trees that store it up we can help keep the planet cool!
Some species of male butterfly find a female by staking out a nice sunny spot to wait for Miss right to fly by. These sunny spots become the butterfly’s territory and they will defend it against intruders with a flying duel!!!
What’s a Flying Duel?
To defend their territory a male butterfly will have a flight contest with the intruding male. The butterflies will circle each other in flight until one eventually flies away from the area, leaving the winner to take up their spot in the sun. These battles can last up to 90 minutes, according to one study that looked at the speckled wood butterfly. So be careful where you step next time you are out in a sunny garden, you might find yourself in a butterfly’s territory and be forced to duel!
As the weather starts to get colder, you may notice that your favourite animals are missing. While some may be hibernating, many being a trip to warmer climates. This is a list of ten amazing migrations.
#1 Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
Arctic tern
Why I’m a chart topper: I have the longest migration of any animal.
How far I travel: 71,000 kilometres a year, this adds up to 2.4 million kilometres over my 30 year lifespan.
Where I go: I fly from Greenland and the Arctic to Antarctica; from one end of the world to the other!
Why I’m a chart topper: I have the longest migration of any mammal.
How far I travel: One female humpback whale travelled more than 9,800 kilometres.
Where I go: I move from the tropics and head north to my feeding grounds. Not all of us travel together; pregnant whales and those who had calves in the previous year go north first.
#5 Dragonflies mainly the Globe skimmers (Pantala flavescens)
Globe skimmer dragonfly. Photo Credit: J.M. Garg
Why I’m a chart topper: I have the longest known insect migration.
How far I travel: 14,000 – 18,000 kilometres
Where I go: I head out from India to the Maldives, Seychelles, Mozambique and Uganda, using the wind to help me along. I go through 4 generations for the complete migration cycle. Just like the monarch no one dragonfly completes the migration on their own.
Why I’m a chart topper: I swim upstream to spawn where I was born.
How far I travel: 3,000 kilometres
Where I go: After hatching I spend time in fresh water from three months to a year. I migrate to the Pacific Ocean, then head back home to the river I was born in to spawn.
Why I’m a chart topper: We fly non-stop over the Atlantic Ocean. The migration is so tough that some young don’t even migrate north until their second year.
How far I travel: 3,000 kilometres
Where I go: In mid-May I take off from South America heading north towards my breeding grounds in the sub-arctic of Canada and Alaska. In July I head back south again.
Why I’m a chart topper: I am continually on the move in search of grass and water, following the cycles of rainfall to help guide me. Migrating can be very dangerous with lots of predators, that’s why the young travel on the inside of the herd, to help protect them.
How far I travel: The Serengeti population of wildebeest is a huge nomadic group that migrates 1,600 kilometres each year.
Where I go: Beginning in January and February we move from the Serengeti plains west towards Lake Victoria.
#10 Red Crab of Christmas Island (Gecarcoidea natalis)
Red Crab. Photo Credit: Rebecca Dominguez
Why I’m a chart topper: Our trip is synchronized so all of us move across the island together. There are so many of us that sometimes sections of roads have to be closed to allow us to get through.
How far I travel: 5 kilometres, traveling up to 12 hours over 5 days.
Where I go: At the beginning of the wet season (October/November) I head out from the forest to the coast to breed. The males arrive at the sea first followed by the females who soon outnumber them. As tiny babies (only 5 mm across) we travel back from the sea to the forest, a trip that takes about nine days.
Join Earth Ranger Emma as she travels the world on a quest to solve some of nature’s greatest mysteries! With top ten countdowns, animal guessing games and epic animal showdowns, this is a journey you won’t want to miss!
Fairy-wrens aren’t just pretty; they are also seen as one of the kindest and most giving members of the animal kingdom. Fairy-wrens got this honored title because they will help care for other bird’s young. These helpful acts have lead people to believe that the fairy-wren loves to care for others. New research has shown that these birds may actually be helping care for their friends and neighbors’ babies not just to be the nice guy on the block. By helping raise other fairy-wrens’ young they improve their chances of inheriting the breeding territory, giving them a better chance of raising their own young in the future.
Can you tell which one of these two butterflies is a Monarch (Danaaus plexippus) and which one is a Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)? This is a tricky question because one of these butterflies is a mimic!
Photo credit: Noah Cole
Photo credit: Noah Cole
Mimics are creatures that copy another species, they often take on disguises as a way to hide from predators. Monarch butterflies are poisonous to many animals because of the milkweed plant that they eat, many scientists believe this is why the Viceroy copies their toxic friend’s look. By mimicking (or looking like) the Monarch the Viceroy is sending a warning sign to animals, like a hungry bird, saying ‘hey don’t eat me I may be poisonous’. With all of this confusion how do you tell these butterflies apart? If you look closely, at the photos, you will see that the Viceroy butterfly has a black horizontal bar on its hind wings while the Monarch butterfly doesn’t. (If you are still stumped the first photo is of the Monarch the second is the Viceroy). You can also tell these lookalikes apart by their flying styles; while the Viceroy holds their wings flat the Monarch keeps their wings in a V shape above their body.
Try showing these images to your friends and family and see if they can tell the difference between a Monarch and a Viceroy.
