r/Awwducational • u/SixteenSeveredHands • Nov 06 '24
Verified Giant Emerald Pill-Millipede: when these enormous millipedes are all rolled up, their bodies can be as big as baseballs, tennis balls, or small oranges
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Nov 05 '24
Verified The black drongo keeps its neighbourhood clear of predators by fearlessly assailing them — as a result, other birds like orioles, doves, babblers, and bulbuls like to nest near the drongo. But the drongo is also a trickster, mimicking the calls of raptors to scare birds into abandoning their food.
450
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r/Awwducational • u/MistWeaver80 • Nov 02 '24
Verified Fireflies use specific flashing signals to find a mate. While in flight, the male emits, on average, a 0.3 second flash every 5.5 seconds. The female flashes a response approximately two seconds later, a specific and crucial interval for this firefly species.
483
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Nov 02 '24
Verified The ribs of Anderson's crocodile newt jut into the skin along its back, giving it an armoured appearance. When threatened, it adopts an anti-predator posture — it alternately flattens and curls up, throws up its arms and tail, and pierces the sides of its body with its sharp rib tips.
288
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Oct 30 '24
Verified With a wingspan of almost 1 metre (3.3 ft), the spectral bat is the largest bat in the Americas and the largest carnivorous bat in the world. While most bats make for neglectful fathers, the male spectral helps care for his young and, when roosting, he wraps his family in his large, leathery wings.
539
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Oct 26 '24
Verified Marine hatchetfish are creatures of the deep. They have rows of light-producing organs along their bellies which shine a pale blue — matching the light from above and making hatchetfish invisible to predators below. This fish's name comes from its body shape, which resembles the head of a hatchet.
1.0k
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Oct 23 '24
Verified Lidth's jay is endemic to a few of the Ryukyu Islands in southwestern Japan. It forages in trees, using its strong beak to climb as a parrot does, and has a fondness for acorns and chestnuts — it can carry up to six acorns at once, crammed into its throat pouch and bill.
821
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Oct 21 '24
Verified There are eight known species of pygmy seahorse. Some closely mimic corals, like Denise’s pygmy seahorse. While others look like squished versions of regular seahorses, such as the Japanese pygmy seahorse, a.k.a. the "Japan pig" — because of its piggy snout. The smallest is 1.4 cm (0.55 in) long.
1.0k
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r/Awwducational • u/Critter-Enthusiast • Oct 18 '24
Verified A rare encounter with the Sumatran striped rabbit. These elusive lagomorphs are found only in the mountain forests of Sumatra, Indonesia.
4.1k
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Oct 17 '24
Verified To attract a mate, a male copper pheasant drums loudly with his wings and flaunts his tail feathers, which can be 125 cm (4.1 ft) long. But it's the female who does the parenting. She makes a nest on the ground and stays atop her eggs throughout the night, even when other birds shelter in the trees.
538
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r/Awwducational • u/ExoticShock • Oct 14 '24
Verified The underwool of a Musk Ox is called "Qiviut" & is a very valuable fiber. It's extremely soft & 8 times warmer than wool by weight yet not itchy like wool can be as the fibers lack the hooks & barbs wool has. A 1 oz skein of Qiviut Yarn fetches close to $100.
1.3k
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r/Awwducational • u/SixteenSeveredHands • Oct 13 '24
Verified Madagascan Sunset Moth: these day-flying moths are sometimes mistaken for butterflies, because their iridescent scales give them a colorful, almost rainbow-like appearance
2.4k
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r/Awwducational • u/SixteenSeveredHands • Oct 12 '24
Verified The Common Whistling Moth: the males of this species produce a "whistling" sound to attract potential mates
340
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r/Awwducational • u/MistWeaver80 • Oct 12 '24
Verified Palm cockatoos are almost all black, and their beaks never close completely, always revealing a bit of their black-tipped red tongues. In rainy conditions they can be found hanging upside down with their wings and tails stretched out, as if taking a bath.
883
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r/Awwducational • u/Prestigious-Love-712 • Oct 12 '24
Verified Despite croc like appearance, Prionosuchus was an amphibian and one of the largest to evolve (9 m long and 1.8 tons), they would have lived in the humid and tropical environment of the early Permian Brazil (299-272 mil. years ago) with their paddle like tail, they can propel themselves in the water
233
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Oct 12 '24
Verified A male blood pheasant has splatters of "bloody" feathers across his face, breast, and tail. The plainer female is picky about her preferences in a partner; she doesn't care about colourful feathers or a large wattle (the male's bare facial skin), but she likes a lengthy tail and prominent ear tufts.
690
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r/Awwducational • u/ExoticShock • Oct 09 '24
Verified Due to a neutralizing factor in their blood, The Virginia Opossum is immune to venom from animals like Honey Bees, Scorpions & Rattlesnakes, along with being unaffected by toxins such as Botulism. They also rarely contract Rabies as their normal body temperature is too low for the virus to survive.
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r/Awwducational • u/MistWeaver80 • Oct 08 '24
Verified Serval kittens and sometimes adult African servals “play with” their food if prey are not immediately killed. Rats, mice, and birds are tossed in the air while snakes are allowed to scurry some distance away before caught again and bitten.
870
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Oct 07 '24
MOD PICK The pumpkin toadlet is one of the smallest frogs in the world — only some 18 mm (0.7 in) long. Because of its minuscule size, the organs in its ears that are responsible for balance cease to work mid-jump. As such, it cartwheels rigidly through the air before making a clumsy, floppy landing.
2.5k
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r/Awwducational • u/MistWeaver80 • Oct 05 '24
Verified Pavo cristatus (Indian peafowl) feather extract in the form of water or ash can be used to treat the poisonous bites of Russell vipers Vipera russelii, common cobras Naja naja, and Malabar pit vipers Trimeresurus malabaricus. The extract is high in iron, protein, and steroids.
692
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r/Awwducational • u/SunCloud-777 • Oct 03 '24
Mod Pick The Rove Beetle, Austrospirachtha carrijoi, is a master of disguise. It uses mimicry by enlarging and reshaping its abdomen to resemble a termite replica. This deception allows it to trick real termites into feeding it, enabling the beetle not only to infiltrate but also thrive within their colony.
640
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Oct 01 '24
Verified Skeleton shrimp are skeletally thin and often have ghostly transparent bodies. They grasp algae with their spindly rear legs, while their front legs form large "claws" used for grooming, defence, and capturing prey. Luckily, they only grow to a couple of centimetres (~1 inch) long.
780
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r/Awwducational • u/MistWeaver80 • Sep 27 '24
Verified Primatologists observed an orangutan in Sumatra using a plant with scientifically proven medicinal properties to treat a fresh wound. He chewed on them, and then repeatedly applied the resulting juice onto the facial wound. As a last step, he fully covered the wound with the chewed leaves.
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r/Awwducational • u/ExoticShock • Sep 27 '24
Verified The Platypus is one of the few Venomous Mammals on Earth, with males have half-inch spurs on each of their hind legs to use on rivals during the breeding season. While not fatal to humans, anyone who's jabbed can expect days of pain that’s resistant to Morphine and other Painkillers.
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r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • Sep 26 '24
Verified The Japanese weasel's agility and lithe body allow it to pursue its prey anywhere; down tunnels, up trees, or into water. During winter, it spends its time chasing rodents through snowy tunnels and, after catching and eating its target, it lays down to enjoy the warmth of its prey's burrow.
976
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