World’s Strangest Looking Animals
The world is full of strange and exotic creatures. For example, the Star-Nosed Mole in this photo lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and mollusks. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, it digs shallow surface tunnels that often exit underwater. The mole’s sensitive nasal tentacles are covered with almost one hundred thousand touch receptors for navigating and locating food.
Something Fishy
National Geographic always has terrific photography, and now it has published a new photo gallery called, “Schools of Fish.”
At left is a school of butterfly fish in the Tuamotu archipelago in French Polynesia. The vivid colors and markings make butterfly fish attractive for aquariums, but many species require special attention and maintenance.
Dancing Bears Caught on Video
If a bear dances in the woods and no one is there to see it, does the bear still get his groove on?
The U.S. Geological Survey shot hidden video of grizzly and black bears “dancing” as they rub their backs against trees. The research is part of a study to estimate the population size and distribution of bears in northwestern Montana.
Scientists believe bears rub their backs against trees to scratch hard-to-reach spots and to communicate their presence to other bears.
Bear on a Bridge
Here’s a story that will tickle your fancy and warm your heart.
A bear was walking across Rainbow Bridge in Lake Tahoe, California in September 2007. When some cars started across the bridge, the frightened bear jumped over the edge, but somehow he was able to catch the ledge and pull himself to safety. Authorities decided nothing could be done as night fell, so they returned the next morning to find the bear sound asleep on the ledge.
After securing a net under the bridge, wildlife officials tranquilized the bear, who fell into the net. Then they lowered the net to the ground. When the bear woke again, he happily walked out of the net and on his way.
The moral of this story: When confronted with a bad situation, sometimes the best solution is to simply take a nap.
