00:00Harvard biologists have uncovered a truly bizarre frog species that sports extendable
00:05claws much like those of a cat.
00:08This hairy frog breaks its own bones to produce claws that puncture through its toe pads,
00:13likely when it feels threatened.
00:15Some salamanders push their ribs through their skin to create protective barbs, but scientists
00:20have seen nothing quite like this claw mechanism before.
00:249 out of 11 frogs in this genus have this feature, and most of them live in Cameroon.
00:31A bee's life doesn't have to end after it stings you.
00:34Some of them can carefully take out the stinger without passing away later.
00:38The bee starts circling around until it loosens and takes out the barbed stinger.
00:42After that, it just flies away without leaving any marks on your skin.
00:47Unlike wasps, which are carnivorous and can be aggressive, bees are mostly peaceful creatures.
00:53They either stay in their hive or move from flower to flower, helping to spread life on
00:57Earth because they're crucial for pollination.
01:00For bees, stinging is a last resort because it means demise for them, so they can choose
01:05not to do it to save themselves.
01:09You probably have heard that a salamander can regrow its tail if it loses it completely.
01:14Well, Mexican tetra, also known as the blind cave fish, goes further and can grow back
01:20its heart.
01:21Well, sort of.
01:22It won't get a new full heart overnight, but it can regenerate its tissues.
01:27Scientists decided it could be useful for us humans, as they're studying these fish,
01:32to see what's their secret, and why not all animals can play the same trick.
01:38Thorny devil dragon lizard surely agrees with the proverb, two heads are better than one.
01:44The knob growing from its back serves as a false head to trick whoever is after it.
01:49They also have a special camouflage coloring and a scary spiny body for extra protection.
01:55And if it doesn't sound cool enough, they also drink with their feet.
01:59Now that's a handy feature when you live in the scorching hot desert.
02:02The water goes directly from their feet to their mouths through little grooves between
02:07scales.
02:08Meanwhile, some flies have eyes on stalks.
02:12It might sound strange, but those stalks are super useful.
02:16First off, they give the fly amazing vision, so good they can even peek around corners.
02:21Secondly, these stalks can be used as tools to push away rivals.
02:25And the longer the stalks, and the wider the eyes are set, the more attractive the male
02:30fly appears to females.
02:32It's like their way of showing off that they're strong and have good genes.
02:38Spiders have some seriously awesome biological tricks up their sleeves, or legs.
02:43Spinning giant webs of incredible strong silk to catch bad guys is a real superpower.
02:49And Darwin's Bark Spider is especially good at it.
02:52This spider can weave massive webs that stretch across entire bodies of water, with anchor
02:57strands that reach up to 82 feet long.
03:00Scientists were curious about how strong this spider silk really is, so they put it to the
03:04test.
03:05They discovered that Darwin's Bark Spider's silk is twice as tough as any other silk and
03:10ten times stronger than Kevlar, which is an ideal body armor material.
03:15The web can handle insane amounts of kinetic energy before breaking, ensuring that no tiny
03:20insect or villain can escape its web.
03:25The real hulk of the animal world is the male horned dung beetle.
03:30It is the strongest animal in the world.
03:32This little powerhouse can pull 1,140 times its own body weight.
03:38Its secret to success is its desire to find a partner.
03:41Female dung beetles dig cozy tunnels under piles of dung for mating.
03:46When more than one male shows up, the competitors lock horns and wrestle each other out of the
03:51tunnel.
03:52Smaller beetles also have a chance, though, as they can move faster and slip into the
03:56tunnel more easily.
03:57Meanwhile, an alpine ibex has the superpower of defying gravity.
04:03Yep, it can scale steep rock walls just to get a lick of salt to complement its vegetarian
04:08diet.
04:09It's like when you store in the nearest grocery store for some late-night snacks.
04:13Back in the animal world, ibexes use concrete as an unconventional salt lick.
04:19Animals can't live without salt – they need it for their nerves and muscles to function
04:22properly.
04:24Wild goats have these rock-climbing skills thanks to the elastic and rubbery pads on
04:28their hooves.
04:29They help them grip the rocks, and a hard, sharper outer hoof edge hooks into the tiny
04:34rough spots on the rock's surface.
04:38The pistol shrimp is just an inch and a half long, but it can snap its claws at a speed
04:43of 60 mph.
04:45That creates a bubble in the water that forms a vacuum, and it sends a powerful water pulse
04:49that can stun prey.
04:51The snap is so intense that it generates a noise of 218 decibels – louder than a gunshot
04:57and a temperature that is as hot as the sun's surface.
05:01There's even a brief flash of light.
05:03Some scientists are thinking of creating a mechanical version of the pistol shrimp to
05:07use in medical practice or for a new type of compression engine.
05:13If you go hiking in the trails of the Pacific Northwest, keep an eye on the ground and any
05:18decaying trees for some bright yellow spots moving along.
05:22These are the keels of a dark centipede about 2 inches long.
05:26If you pick one up, it will curl into a spiral and release hydrogen cyanide, giving off a
05:32strong almond scent.
05:34This amount isn't enough to seriously mess up a human.
05:36It can just stain your skin or give you an uncomfortable feel if you're sensitive.
05:41So be sure to wash your hands after handling one.
05:44But the same amount can take down a bird or a rodent.
05:49Speaking of birds, crows can count vocally up to 4.
05:53They're a lot like human toddlers when it comes to learning to count and quickly identify
05:58the number of objects they see.
06:00Scientists trained 3 carrion crows to make a certain number of calls between 1 and 4
06:05when they showed them a specific symbol or audio cue.
06:09All 3 birds mastered the task like pros, with some minor mistakes like one call too many
06:14or too few.
06:16Crows can also plan ahead and communicate with each other in a structured way.
06:22Parasites, on the other hand, have secret passwords they use to recognize each other.
06:27They're a type of parasite bird, something like a cuckoo, and they lay their eggs in
06:31other bird species' nests.
06:33This means the little cowbirds can't learn their real parents' calls and would have trouble
06:37as adults to find a mate of their kind.
06:40That's why they have an inner mechanism where they recognize their species' singing like
06:44some sort of secret password that only they know.
06:50Meanwhile, ghost crabs growl when they're around creatures they don't like or find threatening.
06:56They first show claws to intruders in their personal space to make them feel unwelcome.
07:01If that's not enough, they'll go for fearsome growling noises, like dogs.
07:06That sound is coming from rubbing their 3 elongated hard teeth inside their stomach.
07:11Teeth in your stomach, hmm.
07:13Ghost crabs make the same noise when they're grinding up food.
07:18When a puffin feels like it could use a good scratch, nothing can stop it from solving
07:23the problem.
07:24Researchers noticed these birds pick up a small wooden stick to itch themselves.
07:28The authors think puffins might need sticks to knock off seabird ticks.
07:32Looks like it's more effective than using its own beak.
07:37There's an Indian elephant named Kaushik who lives in South Korea and can imitate words
07:42just like parrots do.
07:44Kaushik can pronounce the Korean words for yes, no, sit, lie down, and four other words.
07:50He puts his trunk inside his mouth and shakes it while exhaling to change the tone and pitch
07:55of the sounds he produces.
07:57If you can whistle with your fingers in the mouth, it's a lot like that.
08:06That's it for today!
08:07So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
08:11friends!
08:12And if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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