"FREAKY PENIS SNAKE'

A group of engineers building a dam in the Amazon recently discovered an Atretochoana eiseltiis, better known as a caecilian, which some people might know as a limbless amphibian.

But let's be honest, the creature pictured above is a penis snake. The strange creature was discovered while the Madeira River was being drained as part of a damn building project in Brazil's Madeira River.

Biologist Julian Tupan said that six penis snakes were found at the bottom of the river.

*OARFISH*

1- The fish is called +Regalecus russelii+ or the +Streamer fish.+ 

2- It is a member of the Oarfish family and lives 1,000m beneath the sea and is rarely seen on the surface unless sick or dying. 

3- They also happen to look like some sort of mythical sea serpent.

4- It’s no wonder that there is a legend surrounding the fish. In Japanese folklore the Oarfish acts as a messenger of warning from the Sea God’s Palace. 

5- Whenever they appear on the beaches of Japan, an earthquake is imminent.

6- The oarfish is an extraordinary looking animal. 

7- Finding a fish that looks like a sea serpent is likely to make a strong impression on anybody’s mind. 

8- If a second extraordinary thing such as an earthquake happens later on, it is human nature to connect the two events even if there is no actual connection between them.

Weird Animal Sex Habits :: Frigatebird

★ This bird is a romantic at heart and throat.

 
★ Just take a look at their mating call: they inflate their throats into a bright red, heart-shaped balloon, like some kind of self-contained Hallmark greeting.

★ Meanwhile, the female seeks out the biggest and brightest balloon, the owner of which earns her.

★ And then while the two go at it, the male will shield her eyes with his wings so she won’t be tempted to run off with some better balloon-owner. hahahaha

★ This sort of jealousy and and competitiveness is incredibly human-like, only instead of balloons, it’s expensive cars, spiky hair and spray-tans.

Scientists create huge-headed 'supersoldier' ants

1- There are 1,100 different species of Pheidole ants worldwide having two social groups, or castes: workers and solders.

2- Some also produce "supersoldiers."

3- These large ants block their nest entrance with their extra-large heads and fight with invading ants during army ant raids.

3- Although there are 1,100 different species of Pheidole ants worldwide, only 8 of them produce supersoldiers.

4- The international team of scientists, led by Dr Ehab Abouheif of the Department of Biology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, looked at the genomes of two ant species that produce supersoldiers.

5- They identified the genetics behind the supersoldier caste and were able to activate the genes by treating ant larvae with methoprene, a growth hormone.

6- As expected, the ant larvae became supersoldiers.

7- The treated larvae grew to become large headed and jawed ants resembling supersoldiers. The same effect was produced in two other Pheilode species, which are not known to produce supersoldiers

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A Star nose mole

Scientific name: Condylura cristata

Common names: Star nosed mole

Habitat : Northeastern North America, Northern Atlantic Ocean, cold seas in southern hemisphere

Food : Insects

Class : Mammalia

Body Length : 15 to 20cm

Weight : 50 grams

Relative size of an adult star nose mole

★ This weird and wonderful creature is the star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata), a small, semi-aquatic mammal which inhabits the low wetlands of eastern North America.

Mole in its dark dwelling

★ Like its cousins it digs burrows and tunnels for foraging grubs, worms, and other foods, including mollusks too. Many times these tunnels will lead under-water, as an easy escape route. It digs two types – a shallow foraging tunnel, and a much deeper tunnel for protection.

Mole swimming with its large, scaled feet

★ Their nose is the most unique thing.

★ Its nose has 22 fleshy tentacles which are extremely sensitive to touch and to electrical impulses and allow the moles to find and identify their invertebrate prey without using sight.. 

★ This strange nose has an important job: It helps locate food.

 ★ This multifunctional 'star' is also used to keep soil and food from entering the nose.

★ The 22 tentacles on a star-nosed mole bear more than 25,000 receptive organs called Eimer's organs in a space smaller than one square centimetre making it 6 times more sensitive than a human hand.

★  This makes the star ultrasensitive - it is, in fact, the most sensitive organ in the entire animal kingdom.

★  The nose is innervated by 100,000 large diameter axons, so that tactile information from it is transmitted to the brain rapidly. Furthermore, the star-nosed mole's brain processes the information at a very high speed, which approaches the upper limit at which nervous systems are capable of functioning. 

★ The mole can therefore decide whether or not something is edible within about 25 milliseconds.  By comparison, it takes us humans approximately 600ms to press the brake pedal in response to something that steps out in front of our car. 

Close-view

★ The animal has also recently found its way into "Guinness Book of Records as the world's fastest forager" for its astonishing fast working brain and ability to decide and of course,  its special nose.

★ The star-nosed mole can touch 13 separate areas of the ground every second, and can locate and consume 8 separate prey items in under 2 seconds. 

★ Living as it does in almost complete darkness, the star-nosed mole has poorly developed eyes, and is virtually blind. Instead, it relies heavily on its remarkable star-shaped nose.

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Stegosaurus(left) & Ceratosaurus(right)

★ The "Stegosaurus dinosaur" measured up to 30 feet (9.1 meters) long but had a brain the size of —a walnut.

★ A well-preserved Stegosaurus braincase allowed researchers to obtain a cast of the brain cavity or endocast of the animal, which gave an indication of the brain size.

★ The brain cavity showed that the brain was indeed very small, maybe the smallest among the dinosaurs. Thus an animal weighing over 4.5 metric tons (5 short tons) had a brain of no more than 80 grams (2.8 oz) being size of only a walnut.


Additional Info ::
┗▶ Researches after studying the skeleton of a Stegosaurus soon found large
canal in the hip region of the spinal cord, which could have accommodated a
structure up to 20 times larger than the brain.This led to the famous idea
that some dinosaur species had a "second brain" in their tail. However others
suggest, this may have been the location of a glycogen body, though idea is
still actively argued.

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Source :: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stegosaurus

★ Flea's can jump 130 times higher than their own height (In human terms this is equal to a 6ft. person jumping 780 ft. into the air) and horizontally 200 times their own body length.

★ They have a special feature for this high jump : the "catapult" mechanism.

★ Rather than using muscle for energy, they instead have energy stored in a protein called "resilin" which make up the pad of their feet like a tensed spring, releasing the pad to catapult themselves into the air.

★ They DO NOT use knees for catapult mechanism rather the force in their pads which comes from resilin.

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★ Dolphins sleep with one eye open !

★ During the sleeping cycle, one brain hemisphere remains active, while the other hemisphere shuts down.

★ The active hemisphere handles surfacing and breathing behaviour. 

★ The daily sleeping cycle lasts for about 8 hours(1/3 per day). 

★ During the sleeping cycle, they remain near the surface, swimming slowly or "logging", and occasionally closing one eye.

★ When left hemisphere is active, right eye is open and when right hemisphere is active, left eye is open as hemispheres control opposite organs.

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Common name : Aye Aye

Scientific name : Daubentonia madagascariensis

Type : Mammal

Diet : Omnivore

Average life span in captivity : 20 years

Size(Head and body) : 14 to 17 in (36 to 43 cm)

Size(Tail) : 22 to 24 in (56 to 61 cm)

Weight ::4 lbs (2 kg)

Protection status : Threatened

★ Aye-ayes can be found only on the island of Madagascar.

★ These rare animals may not look like primates at first glance, but they are related to chimpanzees, apes, and humans.

★ Aye-ayes are the largest nocturnal primate in the world. They are also the only primate thought to use echolocation, which they use to find insect grubs hidden 2cm deep inside a tree.

★ These incredibly unique animals are severely threatened throughout much of their natural habitat and were thought to be on the brink of extinction by 1980, primarily due to them being killed instantly by local people who believe the aye-aye an omen of ill luck.

★ They have big eyes, slender fingers, and large, sensitive ears.

★ While perched aloft, the aye-aye taps on trees with its long middle finger and listens for wood-boring insect larvae moving under the bark. It employs the same middle finger to fish them out. The digit is also useful for scooping the flesh out of coconuts and other fruits that supplement the animal's insect diet.

★ During mating, aye-ayes hang upside-down on a branch, and the procedure lasts for about an hour.

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★ It was first discovered by Europeans in 1833 on the islands of Hispaniola and Cuba

★ It is only found in Cuba & the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

★ This animal has a poisonous saliva.It is venomous & nocturnal

★ It feeds on insects, small mammals and lizards.

★ One of only two solenodons in existence, it resembles a large, stocky shrew, and has a distinctive, elongated snout that extends well beyond the jaw.

★ A unique ball-and-socket joint attaches the snout to the skull allowing remarkable flexibility and mobility .

★ It has long, stout sharp claws, particularly well-developed forelimbs, and it walks with a stiff, waddling gait.

★ It is in danger of extinction.

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★ What happens when a male lion and a female tiger breed? A Liger - the largest of all felines.

★ A liger looks like a giant lion with diffused stripes and some male ligers grow sparse manes.

★ These massive creatures are 10 feet long on average and weigh about 700 lb (320kg).

★ Liger love swimming - trait common to tigers but lacking in lions.

★ Ligers have been bred in captivity, deliberately and accidentally, since shortly before World War II.

★ The largest liger alive today is appropriately named Hercules and lives in Jungle Island in Miami.

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Common name : Axolotl or Mexican Walking Fish.
Scientific name : Ambystoma mexicanum

Type : Amphibian

Size : Up to 12 in (30 cm)

Weight : 2.11 to 8 oz (60 to 227 g)

Average life span in the wild :10 to 15 years

★ Commonly known as Mexican Walking Fish, Axolotls are actually amphibians like frogs and toads.

★ Amphibians usually develop from an egg into a larval form and finally into an adult. But axolotls remain in their larval form throughout their life. If they did grow to adulthood, axolotls would look just like their closest relative, the Mexican Salamander.

★ Salamanders live on land but axolotls are completely aquatic. They do have lungs but breathe through their gills and also through their skin.

★ Axolotls only need to be fed every two or three days. They eat tadpoles, soft insects, worms and even small fish but can also be fed small pieces of raw meat.

★ Because they have the ability to regenerate lost body parts, axolotls are probably one of the most scientifically studied salamanders in the world. They can regenerate almost any injured part of their body, including the limbs, tail, skin, and even major organs like the heart, liver and kidney.

★ They are considered a critically endangered species mostly due to habitat lost and being popular in the aquarium trade.The lakes in Mexico(Xochimilco Lake) where Axolotls come from no longer exist...

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White Albino Crow !

When Pat Brand and his wife first spotted the white bird in their garden, they thought it was a pigeon or a seagull. But after having a closer look, they came to know it was something different.

This bird was pure white, real pretty, even the beak, but with peculiar pink eyes," said Brand.

Later Brand came to know from the neighbors that the white crow was one of two recently spotted on 5900 Block of Lancaster Street. Wildlife officials told him that, the crows appear to have a rare genetic mutation that makes them albino.

[Albino mean's: a person with congenital albinism: white hair and milky skin; eyes are usually pink]

At first the couple was worried that predators may attack the young white crow which was unable to fly.

But, when Brand moved close to take photos, they noticed a group crows protecting the fledgling by swooping and screaming.

Officials at a wildlife shelter told him that the birds would be safe, and were likely in the process of learning to fly under the watchful eye of the other crows.

Brand said he and his neighbours have since seen the albino crows occasionally in the area, perching happily with the other, darker crows.

Later, the two ravens were spotted in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island. Those birds have blue eyes and are not albinos.

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Size : 100-150cm (39-59in)

Weight : 500 to 800 lbs (227 to 363 kg)

Top Speed : 48km/h (30mph)

Life Span : 25 to 30 years

Lifestyle : Solitary

★ Tapirs have a short prehensile (gripping) trunk, which is really an extended nose and upper lip. They use this trunk to grab branches and clean them of leaves or to help pluck tasty fruit.

★ Tapirs look something like pigs with trunks, but they are actually related to horses and rhinoceroses.

★ They live in South and Central America and in South Asia.

★ They are excellent swimmers and can even dive to feed on aquatic plants.

★ Scientists believe that these animals have changed little over tens of millions of years.

★ There are 4 species of it and all of them are endangered.

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Body Size(Height) :1.2m - 1.5m (4ft - 5ft)
Weight : 30kg - 60kg (66lbs - 132lbs)
Top Speed : 48kph (30mph)


★ Sun bears are so named because of the bib-shaped patch on their chests, which legend says represents the rising sun.

★ The Sun Bear is smallest specie of bear in the world found inhabiting the dense, tropical forests of south-east Asia as far west as Bangladesh and India and as far east as Borneo and Sumatra.

★ It is also one of the most unique, being the only member of it's family that has not only adapted to living in the jungle but also leads an exclusively tree-dwelling life. They are proficient climbers and have strong claws and jaws that are adept at ripping apart logs.

★ Also known as the Malaysian Sun Bear and the Honey Bear, the Sun Bear has a number of distinctive features most notably the orange U-shaped marking on it's chest from which it gets it's name.

★ Because they live in tropical temperatures, sun bears do not need to hibernate and are able to mate at any time of year and are also the only bears not to hibernate !

★ Sun bears are omnivores and feed primarily on termites, ants, larvae, honey and a large variety of fruits. They are well adapted for their diet. Their long tongue is efficient in removing honey and invertebrates from tree crevices.

★ Reliable estimates of the remaining population in the wild are lacking. However it is known that numbers are rapidly falling. The IUCN classifies the sun bear as vulnerable, making it the sixth bear species threatened with extinction.

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A Tarsier

Habitat : Tarsiers live in some parts of Philippines and in Indonesia. 
Height : 10-15cm
Weight : 120-170gm
Life Span : 8-12 years
Body length : 10- 16cm.


★ Tarsiers spend there entire life on trees, even while sleeping. hunting or giving birth.

★ Its a nocturnal and carnivorous animal with large eyes, a long tail and ears which can move to determine the location of the prey.

★ Tarsiers have a maximum body length of 6⅓ inches and a 10½ inch tail.

★ Their eyes are so large that they would be equivalent to grapefruit-sized eyes in a human being.

★ Philippines' tarsiers are smallest of all tarsiers and their eyes are as big as their brain.

★ The most unusual thing about this animal is its flexible neck that it can turn up to 180 degrees.

★ Their size is same as that of squirrel.

★ Since they can't walk, they hop when they are on ground and mark their trees with their urine.

★ Interesting Tarsier fact is that Tarsier is neither a monkey nor a primate, something in between.


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