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Every week, we share an interesting fact from the natural world on our social media. In October, we had female sea turtles hatching; hippos cannot swim at all; a small gecko could hold 150 kilograms and frigate birds who can sleep why they fly over the Atlantic.

In Warmer Weather More Female Sea Turtles are Born

Its nesting environment determines a sea turtle’s sex. If the sand temperature tops 29.5 degrees Celsius during incubation, only females will be born.

This is one of the reasons why climate change and increased temperature threatens the existence of sea turtles.

femal sea turtles born only in warmer weather conditions flatstone grove dyk
Female Sea Turtles

Hippos Cannot Swim. At All.

Hippos are adapted for life in water and are found living in slow-moving rivers and lakes in Africa. They have a set of built-in goggles: a clear membrane covers their eyes for protection. Their nostrils close, and they can hold their breath for more than 5 minutes. They can sleep underwater, using a reflex that allows them to bob up, take a breath and sink back down.
Despite all these adaptations, they didn’t learn to swim, and they can’t even float.

How amazing is that from a creature living in rivers and lakes?

hippo lays on its side
hippos cannot swim
Hippos cannot swim. At all

A gecko’s foot, stuck to a surface, could hold 150 kilograms

Geckos cling on any surface thanks to the nanoscale hairs (known as setae) that line every toe in huge numbers. Taken together, the 6.5 million setae can generate enough force to hold those 150 kilograms.

The only surface that geckos can’t cling to is Teflon.

gecko's foot
A gecko’s foot, stuck to a surface, could hold 150 kilograms.

Frigatebirds can sleep while they fly over the ocean

They fly for months and can engage in regular sleep and use half their brain at a time to sleep. They sleep only while on rising air currents, allowing them to gain altitude and keep them from falling in the water. These are short ten-second bursts of total sleep they grab during flight.
On land, they get about 12 hours of sleep a day in one-minute bursts.

frigatebird
Frigatebirds can sleep while they fly over the ocean

Flatstone Grove is an interactive storybook app for children between three and six years, running on Android and iOS devices. Our stories are designed to teach children core values such as bravery, love, and kindness. The app is free of in-app purchases and ads, and the content is suitable for small children.