Why do geese fly in a V-formation? To aid communication and to fly more efficiently. Geese don’t always migrate, but when they do, they can fly for thousands of kilometers and Canada geese can fly 2,400 km in 24 hours! If they find a good tailwind, they can reach speeds of 110 km/h. You may […]
#761 Why do geese fly in a V-formation? Read More »
How do flies perceive time? Flies see the world in slow motion, possibly seeing things four times slower than we do. We have probably all tried to swat a fly sitting on a table. You swing your hand towards it, you impact the table and you’re sure you got it, only to see the fly
#757 How do flies perceive time? Read More »
Is a whale shark a whale or a shark? A whale shark is a shark and not a whale. The difference between whales and sharks is that whales are mammals and sharks are fish. What are the differences between mammals and fish? Mammals are “vertebrate animals in which the young are nourished with milk from
#744 Is a whale shark a whale or a shark? Read More »
What is the smallest mammal? The Etruscan shrew is the smallest mammal in the world right now. Etruscan means “of Etruria”, which was an ancient group of people that lived in central Italy from roughly 900 BC until 27 BC when it was dissolved into the Roman Empire. Rome was heavily influenced by Etruria and
#741 What is the smallest mammal? Read More »
Why does Australia have so many dangerous animals? It actually doesn’t have as many dangerous animals as people think and there are other countries that have more. However, for a single country it does have a large number of dangerous animals, partly because of its location, its size, and because of evolution. Let’s try and
#727 Why does Australia have so many dangerous animals? Read More »
How does an octopus’s suction cup work? It reduces the pressure inside the sucker to create an extremely strong seal. Incidentally, I’m going with octopuses as the plural of octopus. Octopi is equally valid, but octopuses is apparently the more common term amongst the scientific community. Octopus comes from a Latin word and when Latin
#720 How does an octopus’s suction cup work? Read More »
Why do shells form in different shapes? The environment and the biology of each living organism has caused their evolution to go in a slightly different direction. Most of the creatures that live in the sea and make shells are mollusks. They are soft-bodied creatures and use their shells as an exoskeleton. It gives them
#719 Why do shells form in different shapes? Read More »
What is the difference between a frog and a toad? There are many differences between the two, although toads are actually a type of frog, which makes it a bit like asking what the difference between a dog and a Labrador is. So, let’s start from the top. Frogs and toads belong to the order
#714 What is the difference between a frog and a toad? Read More »
Is a starfish a fish? No, starfish are not fish. Fish are vertebrate animals that live in the sea, have gills to breathe through, have a two chambered heart, are cold blooded, and have a brain and central nervous system. Starfish live in the sea, but that is where the similarity stops. These days, many
#703 Is a starfish a fish? Read More »
Are symbiotic relationships always beneficial to both parties? No, they aren’t. There are mutualistic, commensalistic, and parasitic symbiotic relationships. The word symbiosis means “a close, prolonged association between two or more different biological species”. It originates with the Greek word symbiosis and means living together. We tend to think that a symbiotic relationship is beneficial
#694 Are symbiotic relationships always beneficial to both parties? Read More »
