Cold Moving MossMany reptile and amphibian species have cryptic coloration that allows them to blend into their surroundings. A few species even have textured skin to help them completely disappear into their surroundings. Mossy Frogs are one of the species that combine both cryptic coloration of greens, browns, and reds, with bumpy textured skin to make them one of nature’s best camouflage artists. These semi-aquatic frogs spend the majority of their lives in flooded caves and tree hollows on the walls and in the water. They can also be found along the edges of cold mountain streams blending into the moss and vegetation. HabitatThe Vietnamese Mossy Frog comes from the…
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How Big is a Blue Whale’s Heart?
The blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived. One urban legend says that its heart is as big as a Volkswagen Beetle! For the first time, scientists have tested this claim. Is it true?No. A Volkswagen Beetle measures about 14 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 5 feet tall. It weighs about 3,000 pounds. A blue whale’s heart is about 5 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 5 feet tall. It weighs about 400 pounds.One researcher said the blue whale heart was actually the size of a small golf cart—but that’s not really true, either. It looks like most golf carts weigh at least 500-600 pounds. The…
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Ugliest Fish in the World
Blobfish This ugly fish, 30 cm long, made up of a gelatinous mass, is only found in the abyss between 600 and 1200 meters deep. Therefore, you won’t be able to meet this horrible fish while scuba diving. Its strange appearance comes from the pressure of the depths, a hundred times greater than in the surface. Its anatomy allows it to float without having to spend energy while swimming. The best known photos of blobfish are not really representative of its original form. Indeed, the fish returned from the depths to the surface, undergoes a very strong decompression which profoundly modifies its appearance giving it a crushed appearance. Wolf fish…
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The Sunken City of Heracleion in Alexandria, Egypt
lot of the ancient world has been either destroyed by mankind or buried by nature. Within the walls built by ancient civilizations exists the missing pieces within ancient history that we need to solve the puzzle about our evolution as humans. The say “History is a Mystery” is what attracts many people to believe that stories from ancient times are only legends. However, from time to time we manage to unveil objects from ancient times which prove that such stories are not legends. The ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion was believed to be the biggest legend out there, until now when archeologist Franck Goddio and his team who have been searching for…
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Preparing a woodpecker for winter.
First, he finds a dead tree and starts making holes for the acorns. Each hole is made very thoughtfully, because if the hole is large, other birds can easily steal the acorn. If the hole is narrow, the nut can break and deteriorate. By the end of summer, the woodpecker’s “jewelry” work ends, by this time the acorns ripen and take their places in the tree. The trunk of a large tree can hold about 50,000 acorns, allowing the bird a satisfying winter. In the spring and fall, hundreds of homeowners wake up to a drumming on metal outside their home or become aware of holes in their siding created…
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The 4,000-year-old Al Naslaa Rock
Theories abound about the origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation, but the genesis of this massive geological phenomenon is likely to remain a mystery. Located in Saudi Arabia’s Tayma Oasis — the site of Saudi Arabia’s oldest human settlement — Al Naslaa is comprised of twin sandstone rocks, balanced atop naturally formed pedestals — with a smooth gap running vertically between them, so precise it looks as if it was carved with a laser beam. Scientists can’t explain exactly how the 4,000-year-old geological formation was split down the middle, but the side-by-side boulders — each 20 feet (6 meters) tall — have the additional lure of visible petroglyphs that…
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Items found on the Titanic
Apair of gloves that survived the wreckage A battered pair of white cotton gloves were one of the artifacts found in the Titanic wreckage, and they have since been dubbed some of the “rarest Titanic artifacts ever recovered,” according to USA Today. The gloves have been put on display in various Titanic exhibitions since they were found, but in 2016, they were returned to a conservation facility for permanent retirement. A menu of the ship’s last meal A pocket watch stuck at the time the ship sank The pocket watch of one of the ship’s victims was another artifact found in the Titanic wreckage. As reported by The Telegraph, the rusty watch was owned by passenger John Chapman,…
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A Missing Plane From 1955 Landed After 37 Years
The Mystery Pan Am Flight 914 was a Douglas DC-4 with 57 passengers and six crew members that took off from a New York City airport headed for Miami, Florida. The date was July 2, 1955. The flight was scheduled to last a couple of hours, but it never arrived in Miami. Instead, it showed up, unannounced and invisible to Caracas radar, on March 9, 1985! Voicing his concerns to the tower, the pilot, after a textbook landing, taxied toward the gate, and ground handlers could see the faces of the screaming passengers pressed up against their windows, looking at a fantastic new world. The pilot, for his part, dropped…
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Black Bat Flower
Black Bat Flower, Tacca chantrieri, a species of flowering plant in the yam family Dioscoreaceae. Black bat flower, Tacca chantrieri, is a species of flowering plant in the yam family, Dioscoraceae. Tacca chantrieri is an unusual species with black flowers. The flowers are slightly bat-shaped, up to 12 inches, and have long ‘whiskers’ that can grow up to 28 inches. A variety of colors are available, including white and brown, which retain the mustache of the black variety. Tacca chantrierei grows wild in the tropical forest of Yunnan Province, China, where they can grow as tall as 36 inches (~0.91 m). They grow well in well-drained soil and high humidity,…
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beautiful orchid
Rhynchostylis gigantea purple with botch white color blooming in the garden. Orchid is a charming species of Orchid. It belongs to the genus Arundina. This tropical orchid flower is available in several regions such as India, Sri Lanka, China, and Singapore. The other name of the flower is Arundina Graminifolia. The Orchid flowers are light pinkish. The plants are taller. Because of this height, they got the name bamboo orchid. The flower stems will have several flowers at a time. For extended periods flowers are thus present on the stem. That is to say; the flower has a similarity with Cattleya orchid types. The beautiful flowers are available plenty in…