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.
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?
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.
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.
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