August 31, 2015

Did you know that some people use the praying mantis as pest control? That's right! You can buy our own egg cases, hatch about 200 mantids, and unleash them upon the pests in your gardens. Although this seems like a great alternative to using pesticides, these guys aren't picky eaters. They'll eat the pests along with the other beneficial insects in your garden. Careful about the cases you buy too. Many of the mantids we see in the US are exotic species like the Chinese praying mantis. I've heard they're great pets, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to release 200 of them into the open.

August 28, 2015

Did you know that there are ants that look like pandas? Just kidding. The panda ant is actually a wingless wasp. (Technically only the females are wingless.) But don't let its cute patterns fool you. Its sting hurts! Not only that, the female lays her eggs in the nest of another insect and once her young hatch, they feed off the other insect's larvae.

August 27, 2015

Did you know that eating horse meat is pretty common outside of the United States? In fact, the Japanese serve the meat raw with ginger and onions. This is called basashi. They have even turned it into an ice cream flavor. I wonder how basashi ice cream would taste like.

August 26, 2015

Did you know that the opah or moonfish can have a body temperature above its surroundings? This little guy can warm his body by rapidly flapping his fins. The rapid flapping causes the blood returning from its extremities to remain warm and so keeping the core warm. Because of this counter current exchange, the fish is able to raise its metabolic rate and pursue prey. This is a bit usual because other deep sea fish would usually move slowly to conserve energy.