The 6 Funniest Things We Learned About Animals in 2024

The 6 Funniest Things We Learned About Animals in 2024

andrea thompson

Science has the power to inspire awe, improve our lives, and sometimes make us laugh. below, scientific american We’ve rounded up some of the things we learned about animals this year that made us laugh and make our days a little brighter.

double butts

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Behold, “Frankenjelly.” To researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, what initially appeared to be a single “sea walnut” comb jelly (Mnemiopsis leidii) – with two separate anuses – turned out to be two individuals who fused together after being injured.

When one side of the bond is struck, both One of the combined celestial bodies reacts, suggesting that the two nervous systems have become one. Food was shared between both digestive tracts. “The scope and speed of that integration is pretty shocking,” says Stephen Haddock, a marine biologist who studies ctenophores (gelatinous marine animals similar to jellyfish) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

goofy runners

Birds aren’t the most graceful of runners. This is because, unlike humans, birds always have one foot on the floor. This is called “running with your feet on the ground.” It may seem a bit silly, but computer modeling has shown that it’s actually the most efficient way for birds to run, given their anatomy. Birds have very elastic tendons in their legs, and their naturally squat posture keeps their hips and knees tucked into their bodies. body.

When humans try to run in a half-hip posture, we instinctively run this way (as opposed to the normal running mode where we lift our legs, a method called aerial running). Try it!

thin legs

Not only do birds look silly when they run, but many of them also look funny when they hop around on their thin little legs. Why do they have such strangely thin appendages to support their bodies?

Some of it is a matter of appearance. The legs look very thin compared to the fluffy feathers that cover the body. But evolution is also involved. As birds evolve to fly, their bone and muscle structure changes, with the leg muscles strengthening into the thighs and remaining tucked under the wings. On the other hand, their lower legs have very thin tendons. Think twice the next time a songbird lands outside your window.

loud mouse

All species in the animal kingdom use all sorts of strategies to attract mates, including attractive pheromones, flashy plumage, and fierce battles with rivals. Transparent rice grain-sized fish Danionella cerebrum I chose to scream.

But their cries are actually love songs, and while they sound like short chirps or buzzes to human ears above water, they can reach up to 140 decibels underwater. It’s as loud as a firecracker. Perhaps its extra large volume may be telling the female that the male making this noise has plenty of energy and is therefore a particularly suitable potential mate.

Float like a butterfly, swat like a bee

Do not touch Japanese honeybees. At least not if you’re an ant.

Bees typically sting, bite, or use their wings to create air currents to ward off intruders from their hive. However, Japanese honey bees have another defense strategy. They literally swat the invading ants with their wings. High-speed camera footage showed the bees leaning toward the intruder, flapping their wings and rotating as the ants approached. Then: Kapau!

Guro Amdam, a biologist at Arizona State University, says this “flapping” behavior “really reminds me of someone hitting a golf ball perfectly.” “It’s really beautiful.”