Topic

Zoology

6 facts

  • Biology61 views

    The Humboldt Squid Can Communicate Using Rapid Skin Colour Changes

    Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) can flash complex patterns of colour and light across their skin within milliseconds using chromatophores — pigment-filled sacs controlled by muscles. Research suggests these flashing patterns are a form of communication between individuals, potentially conveying information about prey, danger, or social status. Their skin also contains photoreceptors, meaning they may 'see' with their skin despite being colourblind in their eyes.

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  • Biology60 views

    Octopuses Have Three Hearts, Blue Blood, and Neurons Throughout Their Arms

    Octopuses have three hearts: two branchial hearts pump blood through the gills, while a third systemic heart circulates oxygenated blood to the body. Their blood is blue because it uses haemocyanin (copper-based) rather than haemoglobin (iron-based) to carry oxygen. Most remarkably, about two-thirds of their approximately 500 million neurons are located in their eight arms rather than their central brain, allowing each arm to act semi-independently.

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  • Biology51 views

    Tardigrades Can Survive in Outer Space and Withstand Near-Absolute-Zero Temperatures

    Tardigrades ('water bears') are microscopic animals about 0.5 mm long that can survive conditions lethal to virtually all other life. They can endure temperatures from -272°C (near absolute zero) to +150°C, pressures six times deeper than the ocean's deepest trench, intense radiation, and even the vacuum of outer space. They achieve this by entering cryptobiosis — a state of almost zero metabolism — and by producing special proteins that form a glassy protective matrix around their cells.

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  • Even94 views

    Many Mammals Evolved to Have an Even Number of Functional Digits.

    While humans are pentadactyl (five digits), many successful mammalian groups, like even-toed ungulates, have reduced or adapted their digits to an even count for efficient locomotion and weight distribution.

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  • Even84 views

    'Even-Toed' Ungulates Are a Diverse Group, Including Camels and Deer.

    These mammals, belonging to the order Artiodactyla, bear weight equally on two (or four) toes, unlike odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyla) which bear weight on one or three toes.

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  • Science124 views

    Tiny Tardigrades Can Survive The Vacuum of Space And Extreme Radiation

    These microscopic "water bears" can enter a state of suspended animation, shedding up to 97% of their water. This allows them to endure temperatures from -272°C to 150°C, intense pressure, and radiation doses 1,000 times higher than humans can withstand.

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