Category: Animals
The Superb Lyrebird is a songbird found in south-east Australia which impresses females not by creating its own impressive birdsong, but by accurately mimicking the songs of other birds. It has an incredible vocal range, and can mimic the calls of over 20 other birds, which are so accurate even the birds it is impersonating cannot tell the difference. What has made this bird famous, however, is how well it can imitate other sounds it hears, such as car alarms, chainsaws, car engines starting, drills, electric motors, and sometimes human voices. The only other bird to do this is the much rarer Albert’s Lyrebird, also found in south-east Australia. Above is a famous clip of a Superb Lyrebird from the David Attenborough documentary “The Life of Birds”.
Very cool.
I’m convinced that the world would be a much better place if we all tried looking at the world the way our dogs see it; every day is a new opportunity for fun and discovery, sometimes the simple things are the best, and you can never show too much love. Thanks to the people at dogwork.com for this list of dog philosophies.
Dog Philosophy:
1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
3. When loved ones come home, always run and greet them.
4. When it’s in your best interest, always practice obedience.
5. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
6.Take naps and always stretch before rising.
7. Run, romp and play daily.
8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
13. Delight in the simple joys of a long walk.
14. Thrive on attention and let people get close to you.
15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
17. When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
18. No matter how often you are criticized, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout. Run right back and make friends.
Imagine if we all lived our lives with these in mind. How much of a difference would it make in your life?
I love reading up on random facts. There’s nothing better than pulling a random fact out of the air and having people look at you like you’re either a) crazy or b) some kinda genius. So I’ve taken it upon myself to share some of the random facts I find with all of you. Today, we’re learning about jellyfish, and I can tell you’re super-excited!
10. Jellyfish first appeared about 650 million years ago and are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea, and some are also found in fresh water.
9. Medusa (plural: medusae) is another word for jellyfish. Medusa is also the word for jellyfish in: Greek, Finnish, Portuguese, Romanian, Hebrew, Serbian, Croatian, Spanish, French, Italian, Hungarian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian and Bulgarian.
8. Since jellyfish are not actually fish, some people consider the term jellyfish a misnomer, and American public aquariums have popularized use of the terms jellies or sea jellies instead.
7. A group of jellyfish is called a bloom or swarm.
6. Jellyfish do not have a respiratory system since their skin is thin enough that the body is oxygenated by diffusion.
5. Jellyfish do not have a brain or central nervous system, but rather have a loose network of nerves, located in the epidermis, which is called a “nerve net.”
4. Jellyfish are composed of more than 90% water. Most of their umbrella mass is a gelatinous material called mesoglea, which is surrounded by two layers of cells which forms the umbrella (top surface). The sub-umbrella (bottom surface) of the body is known as the bell.
3. Jellyfish are dioecious; that is, they are either male or female. In most cases, to reproduce, both males and females release sperm and eggs into the surrounding water, where the (unprotected) eggs are fertilized and mature into new organisms.
2. Box jellyfish venom is the most deadly in the animal kingdom
and has caused at least 5,568 recorded deaths since 1954. Each tentacle has about 500,000 sindasites which are harpoon shaped needles that inject venom into the victim.
1. The lion’s mane jellyfish is the largest known species of jellyfish. The Arctic Lion’s mane jellyfish is one of the longest known animals and the largest recorded specimen had a bell with a diameter of 7 feet 6 inches and the tentacles reached 120 feet. It was found washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870.
