- Sponge snouts: “A group of dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia, were seen swimming around with what looked at first like odd appendages on their snouts. They were actually sponges, and scientists later observed the dolphins using them to scrape edible prey loose from the rough marine floor—apparently to safeguard their soft snouts. Only some of the local dolphins—mostly females—are ‘spongers.’ They learn the technique from their mothers and use it the rest of their lives.” (From Martha C. Nussbaum’s “What We Owe Our Fellow Animals”
in the March 10 New York Review of Books)
- Hazard lights: “In addition to attracting mates, their distinctive flash patterns serve to broadcast distress and even to deceive, as in the case of female Photuris, which imitate the flashes of other species’ females to lure males and devour them. Male Photuris have also been observed to mimic other males, an enigmatic behavior that may represent an attempt to trick the females they know are hunting into mating instead.” (From Vanessa Gregory’s “Bright Flight”
in the March Harper’s)
- Frozen fogs: “To survive the winter, up to 60 percent of Alaskan Wood Frogs' bodies freeze solid. They also stop breathing and their heart stops beating. This allows them to survive temperatures as low as -80 degrees Fahrenheit. And in spring, they thaw out and ‘come back to life’." (From Business Insider
)
- Octopus impersonator: “The mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) has behavioral as well as structural adaptations. This species of octopus can copy the look and movements of other animals, such as sea snakes, flatfish, jellyfish, and shrimp.” (From National Geographic
)
- Skin so soft: “Not only are [African spiny mice] able to close any wounds through a special process of contraction, but the exceptionally weak skin of these mice means it is also much easier to regenerate, allowing wounded spiny mice to heal from superficial wounds much faster than other species—a process which minimizes blood loss.” (From Mental Floss
)
