LITMIR.BIZ

      Porta-Umbrella

      Shower much? An alligator in British Guiana once grew a tree on its back. At least he didn’t have to look for a shady spot to rest.

      Did You Know? In the United Kingdom, skunks are occasionally domesticated (kept as house pets). Since 2006, taking out their scent glands is against the law, so think twice before bringing one home and letting him sleep in your bed. These gentle creatures, who eat seeds, berries, fruit, and insects, will issue a warning before spraying in self-defense, however. So if you see a raised tail, run the other way.

      Smell You Later

      We’ve all seen it happen. We may look away and pretend we don’t notice, just like we do when our math teacher has his fly down. But still, we have to ask the question: Why do dogs smell each other’s privates upon initial greeting? As Psychology Today points out, given that dogs can sniff out cocaine and dead bodies, “Why would a dog need to stick his nose directly into another dog’s snout, genitals, and nether regions to garner social information? Couldn’t he do that at a ‘safer’ distance?” The answer to this is inconclusive, as dog experts don’t agree on this rather boorish behavior. Some say a face-to-face greeting can be seen as confrontational, while others say canines collect more information from going where no man dares to go.

      Did You Know? Dogs are champion smellers. Compared to the measly five percent of your brain devoted to figuring out that you stepped in something other than mud, at least a third of a dog’s brain is dedicated to olfactory stuff.

       IN THE KNOW

      Olfactory: it sounds like something you’d find in an abandoned mill town, but olfactory actually means having to do with your sense of smell, from the Latin olfacere (to smell).

      Bite-Size Reptile

      A rattlesnake was no match for Rodney Fluery, who, in 1971, killed one by biting it.

      Prehistoric Horror

      The 2007 discovery of a fossilized giant scorpion claw has led scientists to believe that spiders and other objects of our disgust had been even bigger than previously believed. As Dr. Simon Braddy from the University of Bristol put it, “This is an amazing discovery. We have known for some time that the fossil record yields monster millipedes, super-sized scorpions, colossal cockroaches, and jumbo dragonflies, but we never realized, until now, just how big some of these ancient creepy-crawlies were. We think the claws on this creature would have been powerful enough to rip someone to shreds.”

      Glow in the Dark

      Scorpions can glow in the dark. If you have an ultraviolet light, you’ll be able to see them. They’re also poisonous, though—so stand at a good distance. We’d rather stand as far as possible away—maybe even light years away—by gazing safely at the Scorpio constellation in the night sky. (If you’re more adventurous, maybe you’d like to taste one. See Score for Scorpion Lovers)

      Sea Cucumber

      Such a harmless name, and some people do eat them, but it’s what they eat that’s rather disturbing: a mixture of dead animal matter and feces. They’re also called sea slugs—even less appealing, isn’t it?

      Dining in

      A hagfish eats its prey from the inside out (by slipping inside through the prey’s mouth or any other opening that’s big enough). It also has a rather interesting way of protecting itself: it produces slime that chokes its predators.

      The Big Gulp

      Have you ever used the term “big mouth” for a friend who can’t keep secrets?

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