07 Sep

10 Secret Things You Didn’t Know About Nature

Mother Nature is full of surprises. She always manages to work in strange ways. It could be difficult to fathom the vastness of her creations.

To understand her, you will have to spend some time in the woods, in the mountains and on the banks of rivers. You will have to walk on a beach and watch the stars from a cliff. All this takes times and a couple of vacations.

Don’t have time to do all this? Read 10 secrets about nature that will surprise (even shock) you. Ready? Here we go.

  1. Ants don’t sleep, not like us at least

Ants do not have eyelids. Therefore, they are unable to get shut-eye time like humans. Researchers are still arguing how ants sleep. However, one thing is clear. They do take rest. Every ant will take an 8-minute resting period every 12 hour during which its brain activity lowers, signaled by 65% lower antennae. Soldier ants have higher activity in their brains during this period but black and red ants remain mostly dull.

  1. One jellyfish species can live forever

We got this secret straight out of a sci-fi movie. One species of jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula has the ability to bring its cell in their most primitive form and grow afresh. This means that its cells literally never die. It cheats death.

  1. Octopuses have three hearts

An octopus needs three hearts- two to pump blood through the gills and one to circulate blood through the organs.

  1. … and they are very old

The oldest known octopus fossil is at least 296 million years old. Though they looked quite different, they had already developed 8 arms, two eyes and an ink sack. Did you know, its 8 arms are like 8-mini minds?

  1. Planet earth has a waistline

Earth isn’t exactly a sphere. It is shaped like an orange, bulging around the equator and flatter from the poles. It is slightly squashed on the South Pole as well, thanks to gravity.

  1. Goats have accents

Yes, and young goats have a tendency to pick up accents from each other.

  1. Dolphins have names

Wild dolphins have distinct names and they prefer to call each other with these names only. The high-pitched noises these dolphins make have minute distinctions, each assigned to a different dolphin. They catch these noises and respond accordingly.

  1. Antarctica has blood falls

There is a very peculiar place in Antarctica called Blood Falls where you can see a red outflow of water from within the ice. Before you freak out, let us assure you that this isn’t blood at al. It is just the iron content in the brine saltwater that turns the color red.

  1. Antarctica is technically a desert

Home to 90 percent of the earth’s ice, Antarctica is actually classified as a desert with less than 50 millimeters of precipitation per year.

  1. Barn owls divorce

Though it is a highly monogamous species, at least 25% of barn owls divorce partners they have mated with.

Nature has some beautiful secrets hidden beneath her calm demeanor. Travel and explore all that she has to offer.