The post What’s the Deal With Hibernation? All You Need to Know appeared first on Our Funny Little Site.
]]>Nature’s Survival Strategy
In its essence, hibernation is a survival strategy where metabolism is reduced to a minimum, breathing becomes shallow, and body temperature plummets. It’s meant to allow animals to conserve energy during particularly cold periods or when food is scarce. During the hibernation period, animals survive relying solely on stored fat reserves.
Near-Death Experience
One of the most amazing aspects of hibernation is how minimal animals’ bodily functions can get without them dying as a result. The average body temperature of a hibernating animal is around 32° F, which is as close to death as it gets, and its heart rate is so slow that it’s nearly unnoticeable.
Different Hibernators
While many associate hibernation solely with mammals, a diverse array of creatures, including reptiles, insects, and even bees, partake in this seasonal dormancy. However, bears do stand out as the quintessential hibernators.
Human Intrusion
One of the key challenges faced by modern hibernators is us humans. Practices like factory farming and deforestation disrupt some hibernation habitats, jeopardizing nature’s balance.
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]]>The post African Elephants are Evolving to Not Grow Tusks appeared first on Our Funny Little Site.
]]>Unfortunately, some animals have more to worry about than being attacked by their natural predators. Among them are the elephants who are threatened by poachers for their ivory.
It can sound incredible, but at the same time it makes sense – elephants are evolving to not have tusks. It seems like natural selection is favoring the specimens born without them. The percentage of female elephants born without tusks has risen from between 2% and 4% to around 30%.
According to Joyce Poole, an elephant behavior expert and National Geographic Explorer, poaching has influenced the evolution of elephants because poachers spare those who don’t have them.
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]]>The post This is How Some Lizards Survive Hurricanes appeared first on Our Funny Little Site.
]]>A study found that a family of lizards changed some of their traits after Hurricane Irma in 2017. Ecologist named Colin Donihue studied a local anole family of lizards before and after the eradication. His initial goal was to see if the anoles who survived Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria shared some physical traits.
What he ultimately learned was unexpectedly interesting: the lizards who survived managed to do that because they had larger toe pads than average, long front legs, and short back legs. They would hang on to something with their legs so the wind couldn’t take them away, in a similar fashion as the video below shows.
AGAINST THE WIND: How do lizards survive hurricanes? Harvard scientists dialed up a leaf blower to find out (no lizards were harmed) & the video is fascinating. https://t.co/ykK8cK9cbZ pic.twitter.com/4adxH5NTXv
— seth borenstein (@borenbears) July 25, 2018
This is the direct evidence of natural selection. The lizards that didn’t survive can’t pass their traits to the offspring, so the traits of the survivors will be those that the next generations will have. Fascinating, right?
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