Buzz
Though the names of these creatures may seem simple, each one boasts a fascinating and rare characteristic that sets it apart in the animal kingdom.
10. The Majestic Great Bustard
We’ve previously discussed bustards, birds that resemble small ostriches, and how the males inflate their throats to the size of an American football while performing a dance to attract mates. However, a new study published in PLOS ONE suggests that females aren't focused on the male's inflated feathers in front. Instead, they’re actually more interested in the male’s rear end.
The researchers propose that the female is inspecting the male’s cloaca, a specialized opening surrounded by white feathers, which serves for intestinal, urinary, and reproductive functions. The female is supposedly checking for signs of bacteria-induced diarrhea, to determine whether she might contract a sexually transmitted disease. This type of bird mating is called the “cloacal kiss,” where the female repeatedly pecks at the male’s cloaca.
There’s even more to this theory. To increase his appeal, the male great bustard supposedly consumes poisonous blister beetles to rid his body of parasites that could lead to diarrhea, making him appear healthier. If the beetle toxin (cantharidin, often mistakenly thought of as an aphrodisiac for humans) doesn’t kill the parasites, it forces them to find a new host. The great bustard generally eats no more than three beetles at a time, as consuming too many could poison the bird and be fatal.
While the bustards’ behavior is certainly unusual, these researchers can't be completely sure of what the birds are thinking. Daphne Fairbairn, an evolutionary biologist not involved in the study, commented, “What they’re suggesting is a really cool idea, but that’s all it is at this point. As they admit in the article, they can’t definitively show a connection between this behavior and male mating success.”
9. The 750-Legged Millipede
No millipede truly has 1,000 legs. Most only possess 80–100. Yet, despite measuring just about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in length, these white millipedes boast up to 750 legs in females and 562 in males. They resemble threads. However, when examined under powerful microscopes, an “incredibly intricate anatomy” was uncovered. At present, the Illacme plenipes millipede holds the record for being the creature with the most legs on Earth.
Illacme plenipes lacks eyes, but its large antennae help it navigate through the darkness. It also possesses a rudimentary, fused mouth that punctures and sucks plant matter. The hairs on its back produce silk, potentially aiding in the removal of bacteria from its body. Scientists speculate that the millipede’s plentiful legs assist it in burrowing underground or clinging to sandstone boulders in its fog-covered northern California environment near San Francisco.
Before a team of scientists documented them in 2006, these millipedes had not been seen since 1928. They are so rare that they were once believed to be extinct. Their closest relatives are found in South Africa. Experts believe these millipedes might have lived on the supercontinent Pangea before it broke apart over 200 million years ago, leading to the separation of California and South Africa.
8. The Dancing Frogs
In the Western Ghats mountain range of southern India, scientists have identified 14 new species of dancing frogs, each roughly the size of a walnut. This discovery increases the total number of these unique frogs, found exclusively in the Western Ghats, to 24. Unfortunately, climate change is severely impacting their habitat, and they may soon face extinction.
“Back in 2006, we saw perhaps 400 to 500 hopping around during the egg-laying season,” says Professor Sathyabhama Das Biju from the University of Delhi. “But each year, their numbers dwindled, and by the end, it became incredibly difficult to even find 100.”
These frogs can only reproduce during a brief window between the monsoon season, when storms might sweep them away, and the dry season, when streams dry up completely. During this time, only the males perform a dance to attract females. With a 100-to-1 male-to-female ratio, the males must compete for the attention of the few females available. The bigger the male frog, the more vigorously he dances.
The males extend and whip their legs to the sides to capture the attention of females who might not hear them over the sound of the streams. They also use their dance moves to literally kick away rivals, enhancing their chances of mating.
7. The Nopili Rock-Climbing Goby
The Nopili rock-climbing goby is perfectly adapted to its challenging surroundings. These tiny 2.5-centimeter (1-inch) fish make their home in Nanue Falls along the Hamakua Coast in Hawaii. The goby’s freshwater habitat is frequently disturbed by storms and other natural events. To cope, it uses its mouth and belly suckers to scale the steep cliffs of waterfalls up to 30 meters (100 feet) high to return upstream. For the goby, this process is akin to running a marathon.
Researchers were intrigued by this behavior but couldn’t initially understand how the goby managed to do it. They decided to capture some of the fish for further study. However, these clever fish would watch as the biologists struggled in the strong current, only to dart away before they could be caught. As Richard Blob, an evolutionary biologist from Clemson University, said, “You don’t want to attribute too much personality to these creatures, but they almost seemed to have a mocking expression.”
After some effort, the researchers successfully captured the goby they needed. In a laboratory in Hawaii, these fish were first observed feeding on algae-covered glass, and then climbing the glass when a simulated waterfall was created. Blob and his team discovered that the upper part of the goby’s jaw protruded the same way whether it was eating or climbing. From an evolutionary perspective, this suggests that the goby likely co-opted one of these behaviors and adapted it to perform the other, despite the behaviors being very different. However, Blob is unsure which behavior developed first, eating or rock climbing.
6. The Koala
The koala possesses a unique, sound-producing organ located outside of the larynx (the 'voice box'), which it uses to make mating calls. This is something that has never been observed in any other land mammal. These calls are 20 times lower in pitch than what you’d expect from an animal of its size and resemble sounds you might associate with an elephant.
“We have found that koalas have an extra set of vocal folds positioned outside the larynx, where the oral and nasal cavities meet,” says Benjamin Charlton from the University of Sussex. “Our research also shows that koalas use these additional vocal folds to produce their unusually low-pitched mating calls.”
The koala’s mating calls consist of a continuous series of sounds made while inhaling and exhaling. While inhaling, the koala produces a sound similar to loud snoring. On the exhale, it sounds like loud belching. It’s believed that this mix of snoring and belching is what attracts female koalas, though it’s generally not as effective between human males and females.
5. The White-Footed Sportive Lemur
White-footed sportive lemurs make their homes in the trees of southern Madagascar. While entire families of parents and their offspring live together, these nocturnal creatures prefer to keep their distance from each other. Parents don't sleep in the same tree or forage for food together. Instead, they maintain contact by urinating and defecating at a shared latrine, a cluster of trees in the heart of their territory.
After spending over 1,000 hours observing 14 adult sportive lemurs, researchers from the German Primate Center (DPZ) concluded that the family members mark tree trunks with urine to communicate with one another. In a sense, it’s similar to humans writing messages on a bathroom wall.
“The chemical signatures in the urine are distinct for each lemur, so by leaving these scent marks, they can communicate and bond with family members without needing to meet face-to-face,” explains Iris Droscher from DPZ. “Scent markings also warn intruders that a dominant male is present and ready to defend his mate.”
4. The Blue Leopard Frog And The Blue Lobster
Leopard frogs are typically green or beige, but in the summer of 2014, conservationist Jacob Kukel spotted a vibrant blue leopard frog in Massachusetts. “This colorful little frog... it looked like it belonged in the tropics,” he remarked. As far as Kukel knows, only three other blue leopard frogs have been found in the U.S.—one in New Jersey in 2003, another in Delaware in 2007, and one in New York in 2014.
According to Kukel, the usual green and beige colors of leopard frogs are largely due to yellow pigment in their skin cells. If these yellow pigment cells are missing or positioned incorrectly, the result is a blue frog.
Later that summer, a teenager and her father discovered a rare blue lobster in one of their traps near Portland, Maine. They donated the lobster, named “Skylar,” to the Maine State Aquarium. This blue hue is seen in only one in every two million lobsters and results from a genetic mutation that causes the lobster to produce excessive amounts of a certain protein. The rarest variety of lobster, an albino or crystal lobster, lacks any color in its shell and occurs in just one out of every 100 million lobsters.
3. The Sea Slug
A particular species of sea slug, also known as a nudibranch, detaches its own penis after mating and can regenerate a new one within a day, enabling it to mate again. This process, known as autotomy, allows some sea slugs to sever parts of their bodies, such as the frilly skirt around their body, as a means of distracting and escaping predators. However, only the species Goniobranchus reticulata is known to do this with its penis.
Nearly all nudibranchs possess both male and female reproductive organs. This means that each sea slug is capable of both depositing and accepting sperm simultaneously. They can also store sperm from different mates, giving them the ability to choose which sperm will fertilize their eggs. The leftover sperm is digested.
The vibrant G. reticulata is found in the shallow coral reefs of the East China Sea. These sea slugs only sever their penises after they disengage from their mating partners. Researchers have discovered sperm trapped in the spines of the discarded penises, leading them to believe that the sea slug cuts off its penis to increase the chances that its sperm will fertilize the eggs. As Ayami Sekizawa, a researcher at Osaka City University in Japan, explains, "If the sea slug left the penis in the mating partner’s female organ, it could not remove sperm of preceding mates."
2. The Goffin’s Cockatoo
We've previously discussed how cockatoos have escaped from their human keepers and made their way into the wilds of Australia, even teaching local birds to speak, sometimes including expletives. However, Goffin’s cockatoos, a species of Indonesian parrot, have now surpassed this feat.
In 2012, a captive Goffin’s cockatoo named Figaro demonstrated an ability to craft tools from branches and the wooden beams of his aviary, using them to rake in nuts and even a pebble as a toy. Then, in a groundbreaking 2014 experiment, Figaro taught other cockatoos how to make tools, marking what is thought to be the first instance of birds learning in this way in a controlled setting.
The first group of cockatoos observed Figaro as he made wooden tools to rake in nuts. In contrast, the second group witnessed “ghost demonstrations,” where tools or nuts moved autonomously via magnets. All of the males, but none of the females, in the first group (who watched Figaro) learned how to make tools and use them to gather nuts. In the second, ghost demo group, neither the males nor the females succeeded in making tools.
What was most remarkable was that the cockatoos not only learned how to make tools, but they did so more effectively than Figaro himself. They didn’t just copy his actions; they surpassed him.
1. The Superb Fairy Wren
In 2013, the superb fairy wren was crowned Australia’s favorite bird in a national poll. This charming little bird measures just about 14 centimeters (5.5 in) long, with the males sporting striking blue feathers. The superb fairy wren has earned the nickname “the least faithful birds in the world,” as females may have up to 13 different male suitors within a 30-minute window.
Scientists also find these diminutive songbirds fascinating for their ability to recognize voices in the womb. This remarkable skill allows the mother wren to teach her unborn chicks a special tune before they hatch, which will later serve as a password between the mother and her chicks.
When the chicks hatch, their begging calls include this unique password tune, ensuring the mother knows she is feeding her own chicks and not the offspring of the Horsfield’s bronze-cuckoo, which often lays its eggs in other birds' nests. If a chick doesn’t know the password, the mother will refuse to feed it and may even abandon the nest to start a new family elsewhere.
