Bronze Mabuya

A few days ago, I saw what is called a bronze mabuya (I am visiting my grandparents right now). It is a skink that is often said to have a venomous bite, but actually, no skinks are poisonous. I first heard about this species, Eutropis macularia, from my mother the last time we cane to Chennai. The Tamil name for it is "aranay" and they are feared here in India. Everyone says, "If bitten by an aranay, you have half a minute till death." Here is an image I found of one:

taken from
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/
Bronze_Grass_Skink_(Mabuya_macularia)_W2_IMG_2753.jpg

Identical DNA

Humans and chimpanzees share 98.8% of their DNA. Also, humans and banana trees share 60% of their DNA.

Crocodile Genders - Not Genetic

 The gender of a baby crocodile depends on the temperature of the egg, not genetics. If the temperature is between 89.1 degrees Farenheit, or above 94.1 degrees Farenheit, the crocodile will be female. If the temperature is between these two temperatures, the crocodile will be male.

Seahorse Daddies

Did you know that male seahorses are the ones that lay the eggs? The female seahorse will transfer the eggs to a special brood pouch in her mate and he will carry the eggs until they hatch.

Snake Eyes

Did you know that snakes can see with their eyes closed?

Blue-Green Vision

Did you know that the species of penguins called Little Blue Penguins can only see in the blue-green spectrum? The reason for this is that they spend most of their time underwater, so the color they mostly see is a blue-green color. Little blue penguins are the smallest species of penguins.

Okapi

An okapi is a mammal native to the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa. They were not even known to exist until quite recently. Okapi have black and white markings on its legs like zebra's markings. The other parts of its body are brown. Okapi are related to giraffes. Okapi have long 14-18 inch long tongues and are able to clean their eyelids and ears with them. Male okapi have short horns on their heads called ossicones. Their horns are covered with skin. Okapis have 12-17 inch long tails. Okapis' predators are leopards. Okapi weigh 440-660 pounds. Okapi are herbivores, and in the wild, okapi feed on buds, grass, fungi, fruit, and tree leaves. Okapi are not on the endangered list currently. However, they are threatened by poaching and habitat destruction.