Fun Facts

Though the question of whether Christ walked on water is better left to another subject and article itself, this one purely focuses on the amazing abilities of the “Jesus Lizard” who also seems to share the ability to get across a certain amount of water without sinking. Though many insects also share this same ability to scurry across water, the sheer size and weight between the two organisms show an ultimately huge potential for further study.

Jesus Lizards

One of the original studies began when a couple of scientists named Hsieh and Lauder started examining a skittish tree-dwelling lizard named the Basilik Lizard (Basilicus plumifrons) which is normally indigenous to the warm climates of Central America. With an amazing ability, that when frightened or in fear of a predators approach, this awesome little lizard can drop to the waters surface and literally walk on the water itself.

Ranging in size from birth at around 2 grams or less (0.01 ounces), to more than 200 grams (7 ounces) at full maturity, this incredible little creature can run across water for more than 15 feet at a speed of 5 feet per second before it eventually drops into a quick swim mode. In Central America there are many religious cultures and because of some of the religious similarities of these creatures walking on water they earned the nickname “The Jesus Lizard” many, many years ago.

A unique study was designed to determine how this little lizard was able to walk across water without sinking right away or even tipping over. Hsieh and Lauder used a high-speed camera to film them in a water filled tank that had been sprinkled with tiny reflective beads of glass that sparkled when contact was made. Using new technology, software was designed to analyze the individual movements screen by screen to see the exact force of the lizard’s stride that was generated enabling them to do this amazing feat.

After studying the results and analyzing the data the movement was broken down into three phases, the slap, the stroke and finally the recovery.

The original phase, the slap, is where the foot moves with force, primarily in a downward movement. The second phase, being the stroke, is where the foot primarily moves in a backward motion. The recovery phase finishes off the process by moving the foot up and actually out of the water returning the foot to the original position, starting the first stage again but with an uncanny speed.

Obviously different than other surfaces, water would make it extremely difficult to stay upright for even a for seconds, but the Jesus Lizard’s force that is generated during the slap down phase of its running pattern actually is strong enough to create a pocket of air beneath its feet literally propelling them across the water. The way they are able to maintain their balance is because their hind legs actually work like pistons and the body weight is evened out to the side by a force called Lateral Reaction Force. All in an amazing creature that requires a lot more study, especially in the field of robotics and locomotion. Now you have to admit this was fun but weird, then again if you are into weird stuff then read our weird stuff category.

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Our dogs that are known as (Canis lupis familiaris) are basically a form of domesticated wolves that have not only have become a basic companion for humans throughout the generations and by some cultures viewed as gods, but are sometimes used as a working dog for people, especially in the colder elements.

Used as a guide and trail leader for sleds for rescue, for the sight impaired, drug enforcement agency’s, bomb squads and even for some sporting events this animal has a history of being mans best friend!

This animal was instrumental in the advancement across the Bering Straight acting as sled dogs and without them many of early human settlements would have never happened as the weather would not have made it possible for them to reach their new destinations and create the new settlements by walking alone.

Currently there are over 400 million dogs worldwide that are used not only as companions but also as hunters, herding protectors, guard and police duty and also for the assistance of the handicapped.

The dog has been domesticated over 15,000 years and has evolved into an animal that is grouped into a small part of landraces whose morphology and behavior has been shaped solely by environmental factors and its functional roles. With the genetic advances and understandings, soon new breeds of dogs were bred and raised for specific traits and ultimately there are hundreds of new breeds that showed morphological and behavior variations that exceeded any other land mammal.

For example look at the size of the Chihuahua which stands a few inches high compared to the Irish Wolfhound, that stands a few feet in stature. The colors in their coats can vary from white to black, brown to gold with multiple variations in patterns, and also their coats range in length from short to long, and coarse to very soft.

The intelligence level in many of these breeds is exceptionally high with a perception and ability to learn and comprehend that is normally uncommon in the animal world. Dogs are capable of learning in several ways such as by observations as well as simple reinforcement techniques (classical or operant conditioning).

A dogs early stage is when they are going through their most cognitive developments called object permanence and this usually starts occurring at approximately 8 weeks of age. Puppies that interact with other older and experienced dogs have been proven to learn many times faster than other dogs by following the traits and tasks of the more mature dog. In one study Dachshund puppies that saw an older dog receive treats by pulling on a red ribbon on a cart were 15 times faster learning the same task than a dog just left to solve the task on its own.

Many other studies have been done that show dogs have an intelligence that many times is untapped by its owners. With the right training many breeds achieve things that are truly amazing. The evolution of the canine is an interesting topic for one to study more. However, there are more amazing animals like this, so check our animal fun facts.

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Our planet has been graced with many great, unique creatures though a few have disappeared because of their inability to adapt or because of human activities. Here are a few of them that have been completely extinct but sometimes rediscovered later.

1. The Cahow, the small headed sea birds that once lived all along the coasts of Bermuda, were thought to be extinct for 330 years. But in 1951, January 8, the bird was rediscovered by an British scientist, David Wingate. Under his surveillance the Cahow population grew slowly but effectively till this day.

2.Dibbler, the marsupial mouse who was thought to be extincted since 1884 till 1967. When an Australian naturalist caught one in a trap. By luck, it was a female who then gave birth to 8 little ones. Since then they have been kept in captivity.

3.The Dwarf Lemur, the small tree dwelling primate with big watery eyes. In 1875, they were reported to be extincted. But then in 1966 they were found in Mananara, Madagascar.

4. The Ivory billed woodpecker, described by naturalists as the greatest of all the woodpeckers. It had a wingspan of 30 inches, the largest for an American woodpecker.  They were very few left for many years but in 1944 this woodpecker was official considered extinct. Until in 2004, Gene Sparkling, a kayaker, saw one in Arkansas, it was later confirmed by many other naturalists.

5. Mountain Pygmy Possum, the small marsupial was considered to be extinct for 30,000 years until a doctor caught one in his kitchen, in Australia, 1966. Three more were then discovered in 1970. Talk about a comeback from the death.

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