Post by Dundee on Dec 15, 2006 0:45:55 GMT -5
You know, there are a LOT of creatures that don’t get the credit they deserve. With endearing traits like walking on walls or running on wings, they just don’t get respect. Most often, peoples’ reactions to these distinctive creatures would go something along the lines of, “AAAIIIIEEE!! SO GROSS!! KILL IT!!! Sure, some of them bite. A few are even poisonous. But is that any reason to squash that beautifully striped spider with a boot thrown across the room? Here, I’m going to see exactly how much attention we should pay to some of the most unique creatures in the world.
Naked mole rats. Not very fabulous things, even considering the popularity gained by a certain popular TV show. This might be justified by exactly how disgusting they look.
But don’t let that nude appearance turn you off-these subterranean rodents are only revolting skin deep. Underneath all that sagging bald skin and their system of caves underground lies a highly developed society, complete with couch potatoes and royalty. NMR’s are the only mammals known to have a queen, like bees, wasps, and termites. She usually has one to three boyfriends, and grows unusually longer than most of her brood. The couch potatoes only exist in one species, but they laze around enough to make up for all the others. These have an unusual job-when the ground is wet enough to dig, the lazy bums fall out and make colonies of their own in the surrounding areas. Not much of a job, but still unique, and quite similar to the role of teenagers in our society.
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061206/Feature1.asp
Meanwhile, there’s another matchless mammal running around-literally! Lots of people don’t like bats, many for misguided reasons. Far more don’t like the vampire variety, for more obvious ones.
Luckily for the bloodsuckers, some scientists have taken an interest in them and raising their reputation. They decided to see exactly how fast these bats could walk. Little did they know that they don’t just walk, they RUN. When made to crawl on treadmills, these unsuspecting scientists got the surprise of their lives when the bats ran with a curious, galloping motion of up to 4 feet per second. While some may not consider finding out that this already feared bat can have one more fearsome trait to tack onto their list of feats along with intelligence and lightening quick instincts, I’m sure that all bat lovers and even some animal enthusiasts will simply be tickled pink to hear that one of the most amazing creatures on the planet has just been found to be a little more amazing.
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20050323/Note2.asp
Spiders. Who can honestly say that they have never shuddered in disgust when one finds an unexpected guest in their
bathtub, really?
I wince in disgust myself, as I type this. But what if the way that eight-legged menace climbs up that long, slippery side with ease and agility is totally and completely different from all other unwelcome visitors in the past? True, arachnophobics may not find these buggers particularly stunning, though the same might not be said for spider enthusiasts (like my mom), but even we have the right to know exactly how these creepy crawlies are climbing around. The news is out: the zebra tarantula and a couple other unfavoured arachnids have been found to produce Itsy Bitsy threads IN THEIR FEET to help them grip the surface! That’s right, your least favorite bugger now has a new way to put gunk on your wall. The gunk doesn’t matter, but where it comes from does. Just one more reason to love spiders… from a distance, at least.
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061011/Note3.asp
Interested in even more grotesque critters? Check these ugly mugs out, and learn to love ‘em!
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060913/Note3.asp
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060222/Note2.asp
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060614/Note3.asp
Naked mole rats. Not very fabulous things, even considering the popularity gained by a certain popular TV show. This might be justified by exactly how disgusting they look.
But don’t let that nude appearance turn you off-these subterranean rodents are only revolting skin deep. Underneath all that sagging bald skin and their system of caves underground lies a highly developed society, complete with couch potatoes and royalty. NMR’s are the only mammals known to have a queen, like bees, wasps, and termites. She usually has one to three boyfriends, and grows unusually longer than most of her brood. The couch potatoes only exist in one species, but they laze around enough to make up for all the others. These have an unusual job-when the ground is wet enough to dig, the lazy bums fall out and make colonies of their own in the surrounding areas. Not much of a job, but still unique, and quite similar to the role of teenagers in our society.
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061206/Feature1.asp
Meanwhile, there’s another matchless mammal running around-literally! Lots of people don’t like bats, many for misguided reasons. Far more don’t like the vampire variety, for more obvious ones.
Luckily for the bloodsuckers, some scientists have taken an interest in them and raising their reputation. They decided to see exactly how fast these bats could walk. Little did they know that they don’t just walk, they RUN. When made to crawl on treadmills, these unsuspecting scientists got the surprise of their lives when the bats ran with a curious, galloping motion of up to 4 feet per second. While some may not consider finding out that this already feared bat can have one more fearsome trait to tack onto their list of feats along with intelligence and lightening quick instincts, I’m sure that all bat lovers and even some animal enthusiasts will simply be tickled pink to hear that one of the most amazing creatures on the planet has just been found to be a little more amazing.
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20050323/Note2.asp
Spiders. Who can honestly say that they have never shuddered in disgust when one finds an unexpected guest in their
bathtub, really?
I wince in disgust myself, as I type this. But what if the way that eight-legged menace climbs up that long, slippery side with ease and agility is totally and completely different from all other unwelcome visitors in the past? True, arachnophobics may not find these buggers particularly stunning, though the same might not be said for spider enthusiasts (like my mom), but even we have the right to know exactly how these creepy crawlies are climbing around. The news is out: the zebra tarantula and a couple other unfavoured arachnids have been found to produce Itsy Bitsy threads IN THEIR FEET to help them grip the surface! That’s right, your least favorite bugger now has a new way to put gunk on your wall. The gunk doesn’t matter, but where it comes from does. Just one more reason to love spiders… from a distance, at least.
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061011/Note3.asp
Interested in even more grotesque critters? Check these ugly mugs out, and learn to love ‘em!
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060913/Note3.asp
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060222/Note2.asp
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060614/Note3.asp
