THE SEA ROBIN

 

This strange fish is unique in more than one way. It looks like a mutant animal, but it belongs to a large family of fish, widely present in the World’s oceans, They are called Triglidae. What makes them unique are their ‘Legs’, that are actually spines.  These spines were once a part of their fins, but have become independent through ‘Evolution’. These fish use their spines to move around the seafloor, or to poke the ground in search of food.  Another particularity is Wing like pectoral fins, which they deploy while swimming.   Some species can emit a growling sound, produced by the vibration of one of their organs , i.e. the ‘Swim- bladder’.  The sound allows them to interact with each other or to scare off predators. They are therefore one of the few fish capable of emitting a sound. They are commonly known as ‘Sea Robins’. Due to their wing like fins. These fish, which can grow upto 1 meter long,  are a key source of food for people, in many coastal areas.If you liked this post,please Comment in the COMMENT BOX below  and don't forget to hit the link below and like our facebook page -

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JOURNEY OF THE ARCTIC FOX FROM NORWAY TO CANADA

The epic journey by a female fox includes fastest movement rate for species ever recorded.

Fantastic arctic fox: The animal walks 3,500km from Norway to Canada.

the journey.

The animal, known as a coastal or blue fox, was fitted with a tracking device in July 2017. It left Spitsbergen in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago on 26 March 2018. After 21 days and 1,512 km out on the sea ice, it landed in Greenland on 16 April 2018. Its journey continued to Ellesmere Island in Canada, where it arrived on 1 July.

One female’s long run across sea ice” that the Arctic fox’s journey was among the longest ever recorded. It was so long, in fact, that researchers initially questioned whether the fox’s collar could have been removed and taken on board a boat.

“But no, there are no boats that go so far up in the ice. So we just had to keep up with what the fox did,”  the scientist said. 

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ELEPHANT SHREW CARRIES A ROAD MAP IN ITS BRAIN

The African elephant shrew memorizes every inch of its territory, so that if it senses danger it can make a quick escape. Every morning, the elephant shrew trots around its territory, removing twigs, leaves, and other debris from the paths with a neat side-kick of its forelegs. The purpose of this exercise is to refresh its mental map of its home area, including the spatial relationships of paths and bolt holes, as well as to keep the trails clear. The mental map is much bigger than the route taken on the regular morning walk and if it must, the elephant shrew will deviate from the most familiar path and take a short cut, which it has memorized at some time in the past. 

KEEPING IN STEP

An elephant shrew in Africa's Kalahari Desert knows its territory so well that it follows in its exact footsteps when on patrol. 

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THE OCTOPUS THAT WEIGHS ITS OPTIONS

One of the cleverest brains in the ocean is found in the huge head of the octopus. If presented with two different shapes, one leading to a food reward, the other to a mild shock, an octopus can learn to select only the 'right' shape. An octopus can also learn to tell objects apart just by how they feel, using the sensitive tactile receptors in its suckers to distinguish not only between a rough and smooth surface, but also between surfaces with different degrees of roughness. Behaving independently, one Octopus learned to tug the stopper out of a bottle to get at a shrimp inside, and others in laboratories have been known to wait until night to raid fish from nearby tanks and return to their own tanks by the next morning. 

BRAIN POWER 

Octopuses can  remember events for several weeks and are remarkable in their ability to solve problems using in sight. 

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PELORUS JACK

image courtesy - 

Jack was a Risso's dolphin that was famous for meeting and escorting ships through a stretch of water in Cook Strait, New Zealand, for 24 years between 1888 and 1912. 

 (uncommon in New Zealand) it  accompanied ships travelling between Wellington and Nelson,

it was so named , because he would meet boats near the entrance to Pelorus Sound, in the Marlborough Sounds. First noticed in 1888 when he joined a steamer bound for Nelson, Pelorus Jack spent the next 24 years escorting boats from Pelorus Sound to treacherous French Pass, a narrow stretch of water between D’Urville Island and the mainland, where the water surges through at up to 8 knots.

Pelorus Jack always remained within a well-defined area. He joined boats heading for Nelson at the entrance to Pelorus Sound and swam to, but never through, French Pass. On the reverse journey, he met ships as they came out of the pass, staying with them for the 8 kilometres to Pelorus Sound before going his own way. He enjoyed swimming up against the boats and riding their bow waves.

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THE ELEPHANT'S VERSATILE TRUNK

image courtesy - shutterstock

An elephant can use its trunk to carry a tree, pick up a peanut, have a drink, or take a shower. The trunk itself is the modified nose and upper lip, lined with muscles that allow it to bend and grasp like an arm and hand. Unable to reach the ground or feed high in trees with its mouth, the elephant uses its trunk to break off branches, pluck fruits, pick off leaves, and pull up tufts of grass. To drink, the elephant sucks water into its trunk then squirts it into its mouth. It uses the same technique to spray its body with water to keep cool or throw dust to keep down parasites. The African elephant has two lips at the tip of its trunk; the Asian elephant has only an upper one. Sensory hairs lining the prehensile, finger-like lips allow small objects to be picked up. 

ADAPTABLE TRUNK 

An African elephant strips bark from a tree using its trunk ike a hand to hold the food and deliver it to its mouth.

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SWALLOWED SPERM IMPROVES FERTILIZATION

image courtesy - The Online Zoo

One species of South American catfish has an unusual mating technique whereby the female drinks the male's sperm. When fish release their eggs and sperm into the water for external fertilization, they face a common problem: turbulent water washes many away. By attaching her mouth to the male's genital area, the female cattish ensures that fewer sperm are wasted. While attached, the female will simultaneously release her eggs into a pouch she forms with her ventral fins. 

The female's gill-covers remain tightly shut as though she is drinking. She Swallows the sperm, with a little water, and passes it quickly through her intestine and out with the eggs. 

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WANDERING ALBATROSSES TAKE THEIR TIME

image courtesy - peapix

PARTNERS FOR LIFE Albatrosses on South Georgia usually pair for life and 'divorce' only if they fail to breed. They can live for 80 years.

 The wandering albatross has the longest courtship ritual of all birds, sometimes lasting eight weeks. Two albatrosses, standing face- to-face with wings outstretched, bow to each other while vibrating their bills. They clap their bills in a loud rattle, throw their heads back, exposing long white necks, then rub their bills together in the equivalent of an avian kiss. With wings still outstretched, they then circle around each other to complete the courtship.

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BIG HONKERS WIN THE GAME

image courtesy - Critter Science

Female hammerhead bats are attracted by the deafening, metallic trumpeting of the males. The louder a male is, the more irresistible the females find him. This has led to the evolution of a  massive larynx, which fills most of the male hammerhead bat's chest. Air passages in his nose, which amplify the call, help him to out-honk his  neighbours  as they hang upside-down over waterways in the tropical forests of West Africa. The females fly back and forth, listening. Should one hover in front of a male honker, he ups his call rate. Finally she makes her choice of mate. 

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PLAYFUL PARROTS ARE MAMMAL BEHAVIOUR

image courtesy - Sci-News. Com

The mountain-dwelling New Zealand kea is a parrot that enjoys rolling and frolicking in the snow just like a monkey. They even turn onto their backs, primate-style,with their feet waving in the air. The kea is an exceptionally inquisitive and cheeky bird. Around ski resorts in the Southern Alps, these parrots break off car windscreen wipers, strip away rubber mouldings and tear at seats and electrical wiring. Their  behaviour is very similar to that of free-ranging monkeys in drive- through safari parks. While parrots are sometimes called honorary mammals, the kea is considered an 'honorary primate BAD BEHAVIOUR. 

The instinctively curious kea likes to explore and investigate novel objects,  whether natural or man-made. 

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HERMIT CRAB'S SEARCH FOR A VACANT HOME

Image courtesy - the Spruce Pets

With its soft body, a hermit crab needs shelter, and it finds it in the shell of another animal.

 Instead of hiding in, say, rock or coral, it slips into an abandoned whelk, winkle, or other similar shell. Unlike true crabs, the hermit's abdomen curls to one side to fit the spirals of gastropod shells. Once the creature is safely inside a shell, it seals the entrance with its claw. Some species of hermit crab will coax a sea anemone onto their shell to keep predators at bay. P As the crab grows and the fit gets tighter, it must move house. When  it

finds another empty shell of about the right size, the crab surveys it with great care. It holds the shell with its front walking legs, climbs on it, and rolls it over, running it's opened claws across the surface to check its texture and shape. Then the crab removes any debris with its claws. The next step is to see how the shell fits. The crab flexes its abdomen and reverses into the shell, going in and out several times to see how the new accommodation feels from the inside.If it is snug, the crab will move in, but

It will not always leave straightaway. If the old shell had an anemone, the crab taps and massages it until it releases its grip. Once the anemone is safely stuck to its new roof, the move is complete. 

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CHAMPION NECK - WRESTLERS RULE IN THE GIRAFFE HERD

image courtesy - youtube

Young bull giraffes in sub-Saharan Africa engage in a ritualized, brutal neck-wrestling match to establish supremacy. The two rivals stand side by side and slowly inter-twine their long necks, stretching to more than 4 m (13ft) off the ground, pushing against each other. lf neither gives in, one giraffe bends his neck outwards and swings it back, like a golfer taking a putt. Then each male takes it in turn to whack his rival on the shoulders and neck with his blunt horns. In serious bouts of 'necking, bulls end up exchanging sledge hammer blows. 

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THE BIGGEST YAWN IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

image courtesy - Youtube

The hippopotamus is one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Females are especially aggressive when they have young. As well as seeing off predators, females have to protect their young from being bullied by grumpy males. Mothers each their young to stay close, giving them head butt or a nip if they wander off track, and if a mother needs to leave the crèche for any reason she places her calf with a female baby sitter. Hippopotamuses live in groups of 15 or more females and subordinate males, overned by a dominant male. He will scare off any challengers by opening his mouth  very wide and showing his enormous 50 cmm 20 in) long canine teeth. It is an awesome sight, since the hippopotamus has by far the largest mouth of any animal outside the oceans. Hippopotamuses are highly territorial and it pays not to stray into their domain: there are many reports of small boats being capsized by hippopotamuses and their occupants being gored to death. 

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