Weird Animal Report

This week I learned that not only are fish fins possibly as sensitive as human fingers, but that octopuses taste their food when they touch it! Experts say that their eight arms are like "tongues with brains," helping them "lick" food to try it before opting to eat it. That seems like a blessing and a curse, doesn't it? Who wants to just grab something and taste it?

For me it also makes the whole tentacled monster thing even creepier. The tentacles are reaching out for you--but also sampling a snack! Ew. Truly it is a helpful adaptation, though, since the creatures often hunt "blindly" in crevices they can't see.

What other cool and weird adaptations have you read about this week?

Did you know that various crustaceans have evolved into the shape of a crab multiple times over the years? It's a natural form of evolution that species sometimes use to adapt to an environment. It makes sense for multiple species to have similar adaptations when they face the same challenges and have the same needs as one another.

That said, the fact that there are so many crabs that weren't once crabs does seem a little ominous, mostly given to the fact that crabs themselves are a bit creepy, aren't they? This form of evolution is also specifically referred to as carcinisation, which sounds like something your lungs do after you smoke for decades.

What other animals have had weird adaptations? Share them in the chat!

When I was 22 years old, I gave birth three months prematurely due to preeclamsia. My 25-week-old baby only weighed 13 ounces and I could see right through that teeny, tiny micropreemie body. After that experience, you can bet that I'm not surprised by any creature being see-through.

Transparent for life, though? That's something else entirely. Several species are just that, and they are fascinating. The glass frog, sea walnut, glasswing butterfly and these other species are a few prime examples, not counting animals that are nearly see-through, like the African dwarf frogs my kiddo adopted years after being see-through.

What other cool see-through species do you know about? Share them in the chat.

While people love to complain about Covid-19 being spread potentially via bat, we should acknowledge that eating any animal holds potential risk. I'm no longer a vegetarian but I do know that much of the meat we eat is what makes us sick in the first place. 

That's why when I read about people eating guinea pigs, alligators and other forms of wildlife it gives me pause. Why tempt fate like this? And is eating any animal really so different from eating one's own dog or cat? They all have personalities and are sentient beings. Then you see people eating cobra and insects and you think... Ew. Even though insects provide a lot of nutrition at litle cost. 

What are the strangest animals you've ever heard of anyone eating? Share them in the chat.