CatEcologist

Animal_World

Rare record of Canadian lynxes fighting for territory by screaming

Aphids are the ladybugs' French fries.

This is about that bizarre case of a young man who swallowed a slug in Australia. Apparently, he contracted a nematode called Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the causative agent of eosinophilic meningitis. The definitive host of this parasite is the rat, and intermediate hosts include mollusks.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91843)

Eosinophilic Meningitis and Slugs: What You Need to Know

I like this video that shows a butterfly caterpillar breathing.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91746)

The heart – lies in the midline of the body. Blood circulation is open – the blood vessels of the heart open into the body space, bathing the tissues and organs with blood, which then gradually circulates back to the heart.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91747)

Heartbeat of a spider.

Babies are born with a small shell that forms inside the egg, the protoconch, which is fragile but provides some initial protection. As the snail grows, the shell increases in size and becomes tough.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91555)

Many people don't know that snails lay eggs.

Look at this moth caterpillar, the Hemeroplanes, widening its false eyes to appear more menacing. It uses impressive mimicry, not only resembling a snake, but also adopting deimatic behavior: it turns itself over and inflates the front part of its body, imitating the head of a snake. A brilliant strategy to scare off predators!

![](https://m.stacker.news/91535)

The Snake Caterpillar: The Hemeroplanes' Incredible Mimicry to Fool Predators

Well, the Asian tiger snake (Rhabdophis tigrinus) has a very different trick. When it feels threatened, it raises its head and shows a gland located on the back of its neck

![](https://m.stacker.news/91483)

And the most curious thing is what is inside this gland: poison that it does not produce, but steals from the toads (Bufonidae family) that it feeds on.
These frogs produce a toxic substance called bufadienolide. The snake eats the frog and stores this poison 
and then use it, so if any predator tries to bite your head, it could end up poisoned.
But not all snakes of this species have this “superpower”, only those that have actually fed on these frogs. Females that accumulate a lot of toxin can pass some of it on to their young.

Did you know a snake steals frog venom to use it for its own defense?

You know that classic image of a red apple with a little bug coming out of a hole? It is well known in many cultures, especially in children's books and illustrations. In reality, it can be represented by a caterpillar of the apple moth, Cydia pomonella.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91438)

![](https://m.stacker.news/91439)

C. pomonella can bore into the fruit when it is a larva and make its temporary home inside the apple, feeding on the pulp. Eggs are laid on leaves or fruit. When it is mature and nourished, the larva leaves the fruit and looks for a place to weave its cocoon for metamorphosis.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91440)

![](https://m.stacker.news/91441)

Cydia pomonella: The Caterpillar That Sits in the Apple of Children's Stories

Something interesting about these little wasps going back and forth with a clay ball to build their nest is: how do they know the way back?
They make a reconnaissance flight, with their small brain, they memorize clues to know where their nest is.

Wasps rely on visual cues and memory to navigate. When they leave the nest, they perform a "reconnaissance" "voo to learn about their surroundings and find their way back. In some cases, they may also use chemical cues.

They memorize scene markers from multiple angles.
The wasps use this information to remember the features of the site and find the direction of the nest when they return. They can predict whether they need to go left or right to get to the nest.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91436)

The Intelligent Flight of Wasps

Spiders can disperse themselves over an area by ballooning. They ascend to a location and release thin silk threads. When wind or atmospheric electric fields generate enough force on these threads, the spider is lifted into the air and flies away.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91431)

Spiders can be carried by air currents and eventually reach the fixation phase, which is when they land in a new location, usually far from their birth area, reducing competition with sisters, favoring the dispersal and colonization of new environments.
Silk can become charged with static electricity, either through friction with the air or through characteristics of the secretion itself. The threads interact with the natural electric field of the atmosphere, are repelled by the ground and attracted upwards, lifting the spider, even when the wind is weak.

Spider Ballooning: How Silk Threads Carry These Arachnids to the Sky

They make what is called "bee bread", which is a mixture of pollen, honey and lactic acid bacteria, which ferment the pollen they have collected from flowers.
Pollen is a protein-rich food for the hive. Bees can collect and store pollen on their legs, which have bristles like brushes and combs. They move the pollen that sticks to their bodies to their hind legs, where they have special baskets called corbiculae.
The bee crushes the pollen into a ball, along with some nectar and saliva. Back in the hive, they prepare "bee bread." They place the pollen in a cell and let it marinate with a little honey. The bees use the "bee bread" mainly for the growth of their brood.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91344)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPT4IRrcBiw

Did you know that bees make "bread"?

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How do they do to fold.

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A beetle folds and stores its wings better than we do a fitted sheet.

Birds in Costume: Baby Birds Pretending to Be Poisonous Caterpillars

1-False coral snakes mimic the bright, warning colors of real venomous coral snakes to scare off predators—totally harmless, but convincing!

2-Owl butterflies have giant eyespots on their wings that look like the eyes of an owl, making predators think twice.

3-Leaf and stick insects blend in so well with plants, you’d probably walk right past them without noticing.

4-Frogfish (aka anglerfish of the reef) disguise themselves as rocks or sponges to sneak up on prey.

And some harmless snakes even flatten their heads to look like cobras when they feel threatened.

Baby birds of the Laniocera hypopyrra bird appear to mimic venomous caterpillars of the Megalopygidae moth family. They move their heads from side to side, mimicking the defensive behavior of these caterpillars when they sense the presence of a possible predator.

![](https://m.stacker.news/91308)