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Wolf spider babies hang on for dear life
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The wolf spider is the only species of spider that carries its offspring this way -- live, hatched and wriggling on her back! After a gestation of 9 to 27 days (dependent on temperature) during which the eggs are carried around in a silk globe attached to the mothers stomach, the offspring hatch and climb on to her back. They stay there until they're ready to hunt alone.
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2739 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
A marine animal that looks like you know what
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This is Urechis unicinctus, a species of marine spoon worm. It is also know as the fat innkeeper worm or (I bet you'll never guess why) the penis fish. They live in burrows of sand and mud and are commonly eaten raw with salt and sesame oil in Korea and parts of Japan.
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1 |
7620 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
One ugly fish
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The coelacanth is known as a “living fossil” because it looks very much like its ancestors from 300 million years ago. Its genome has been sequenced, and it, in fact, has been found to be evolving at a very slow rate. The genetic sequence also might help give some insight into the transition from fins to limbs.
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3 |
2791 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
A mammoth of a fly
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The Mydas fly ( Gauromydas heros) is the world's largest fly. It can reach body lengths of 2.8 inches (7 centimeters) and a wingspan of 4 inches (10 centimeters). Mydas fly are found in arid and semiarid regions of the world, but are infrequently encountered as the adult lifespan can be quite short.
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23183 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Intelligent animals
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Dolphins are regarded as the second smartest animal alive, and are only outwitted by humans. Compared to other animals their size, dolphin brains are five times larger. Dolphins have been shown to be self-aware, and are capable of a wide range of emotions.
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3010 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
Hydropower
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Nearly 20% of all electricity in the world comes from hydropower, and Norway has adapted to rely nearly entirely on it. They are the world leader in hydroelectricity production, generating 120 TWh annually. France and Sweden are next highest, each generating ~65 TWh per year.
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3094 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
The versatility of trees
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How this bicycle got up in the tree has been the subject of plenty of local legend around Washington’s Vashon Island. The real story involves a boy in the 1950s who left his bike in the woods while playing with friends, because he didn’t like it. The bike was placed about two meters high in the tree, which eventually grew around it.
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4914 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Do certain foods actually increase/decrease blood pH?
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Many people believe that if you eat certain foods, it can cause your blood to become more alkaline or acidic. Medical research studies have clearly shown that breathing and blood carbon dioxide and bicarbonate ions levels are more significant factors in blood-pH control. Alveolar hyperventilation that is common in the sick reduces cell oxygenation, increases resting blood lactate levels, intensifies production of free radicals due to tissue hypoxia (cells are deprived of oxygen), causes diabetic ketoacidosis in the genetically predisposed patients, and suppresses the immune system and main blood-pH buffer systems of the human organism. ...
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4197 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Feeding ducks bread could actually be harmful
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Feeding bread to wild ducks is incredibly harmful. Bread has almost no nutrients that are useful for the duck, so they become malnourished and more susceptible to disease. Compounding the problem is excessive bread in the water, which leads to high levels of E. coli and even botulism outbreaks. Wild ducks need to stay wild, and artificially feeding them causes them to lose their natural instincts for acquiring food. If you want to feed captive waterfowl, consider chopped vegetables, whole grains, or fruit instead. ...
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3021 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Don't like centipedes? They may be beneficial
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If you have a house centipede crawling around on your floors, you’re in luck! These little guys feed on pests such as termites, cockroaches, spiders, and ants to keep your home’s biodiversity to a minimum. Adult centipedes have 15 pairs of legs that help it achieve top speeds of 0.4 meters per second. To mate, centipedes become acquainted through the touching of antennae, and the male deposits sperm onto the ground, which the female then uses to fertilize her eggs.
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4196 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
What's the world's longest word?
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Titin is the largest known naturally occurring protein and is composed of 34,350 amino acids. It is also known as connectin and is abundant in striated muscle. Though it is 189,819 letters long, its status as the longest word in the English language is debatable, given that it is a technical word not found in the dictionary. ...
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7801 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
A scary looking bat
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The wrinkle-faced bat is found in some regions of Central and South America. If you’re worried about this coming after you in the night, don’t be. It feeds only on fruit, preferring juicier, overripe mangos and bananas. Actually, it’s quite helpful to humans because it pollinates crops.
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2102 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
One very massive, shell-less turtle
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The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the largest turtle in the world, weighing approximately 900 kg. Contrary to appearance, the leatherback doesn't actually have a shell. What looks like a shell is in fact a leathery skin supported by small bones. This gives it a flexibility that a solid shell would not provide, allowing it to dive to astonishing depths.
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1 |
8570 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Salt is a hot commidity in the rain forest
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In the Amazon rainforest salt is a highly sought after commodity. Tears are full of salt, so these butterflies are literally drinking the turtles tears to get the vital mineral. This is a fairly common sight in the Amazon, and it's not restricted to butterflies.
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3175 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Hair thickness between the blondes and brunettes
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Did you know -- On the average there are over one hundred thousand strands of hair on a young adult. Blondes average about 140,000 strands, brunettes average 108,000 and redheads average 90,000.
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2 |
4709 |
duddy |
10 years ago |