These enormous fish are found in tropical oceans around the world.
be a short trip—a whale shark needs to travel about 5,000 miles each year to find
Jellyfish have drifted along on ocean currents for millions of years, even before dinosaurs lived on the Earth. The jellylike creatures pulse along on ocean currents and are abundant in cold and warm ocean water, in deep water, and along coastlines. But despite their name, jellyfish aren’t actually fish—they’re invertebrates, or animals with no backbones. Jellyfish have tiny stinging cells in their tentacles to stun or paralyze their prey before they eat them. Inside their bell-shaped body is an opening that is its mouth. They eat and discard waste from this opening. As jellyfish squirt water from their mouths they are propelled forward. Tentacles hang down from the smooth baglike body and sting their prey. Jellyfish stings can be painful to humans and sometimes very dangerous. But jellyfish don’t purposely attack humans. Most stings occur when people accidentally touch a jellyfish, but if the sting is from a dangerous species, it can be deadly. Jellyfish digest their food very quickly. They wouldn’t be able to float if they had to carry a large, undigested meal around. They dine on fish, shrimp, crabs and tiny plants. Sea turtles relish the taste of jellyfish. Some jellyfish are clear, but others are in vibrant colors such as pink, yellow, blue, and purple, and often are luminescent. The Chinese have fished jellyfish for 1,700 years. They are considered a delicacy and are used in Chinese medicine.
Find out what else makes this jellyfish so freaky in this episode of Freaky Creatures
This 4-inch-long (10-centimeter-long) fish shares an amazing partnership with another sea creature: the anemone (pronounced: uh-NEM-uh-NEE). The partnership benefits both participants, and the close relationship led to the fish being named an anemonefish. Anemones have tentacles that sting, but the clownfish isn’t bothered by them. In fact, it lives among the tentacles. Living among the tentacles of the anemone, the clown anemonefish gains protection from predators—which don’t dare get near the stinging protector. The anemonefish also gets to eat leftovers from the anemone’s meals. The anemone benefits from having the fish around, too. The useful fish nibbles away parasites that bug the anemone. And sometimes the anemonefish brings food into the tentacles which the anemone can also eat. Generally several anemonefish make one host anemone their home.
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Co-what-i? You may not be familiar with this fur ball, which inhabits parts of South America, Central America, and North America. But you no doubt know about the mammal’s famous family. The coati is closely related to the raccoon. And like its cousin, this mammal is the size of a large house cat, has a ringed tail, and hangs out in trees. SNOOZE AND CHEWS Unlike the nocturnal raccoon, which is active at night, the coati mostly gets its z’s when it’s dark. These animals turn treetops into bedrooms, even building comfy twig-and-leaf nests in branches for their babies. As a coati sleeps, it tucks its nose into its belly. During the day, the coati is all about snacking. It uses its long, flexible nose to probe gaps between rocks and search under piles of leaves for grub. Coatis eat insects, fruit, rodents, lizards, and small snakes. MAKE SOME NOISE Female and baby coatis eat, sleep, and travel in packs of about 30. At age two, males leave to live on their own. In groups these animals are chatty—they click, grunt, whistle, and bark as they forage for food. So while it may not be as well known as its raccoon relatives, the coati definitely lets you know it’s there. Text by April Capochino Myers
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Caribou are mammals that live in the northern regions of Europe, North America, Asia, and Greenland. When snow begins to fall, caribou move south and travel to more sheltered climes where they can feed on moss or lichens. These members of the deer family dig for food using their large hooves. The underside of each hoof is hollowed out like a big scoop and allows the caribou to dig through snow in search of food. Caribou trek north in the summer in one of the largest animal migrations on Earth. They travel more than 600 miles (965 kilometers) along well-traveled routes. They spend the summer feeding on grasses, mushrooms, and plants in the tundra. They begin to move south in the winter and over one year they will have migrated over 1,600 miles (2,574 kilometers). One adult caribou eats about 12 pounds (5 kilograms) of food each day. Caribou are hunted by indigenous northern people throughout much of their range. Woodland caribou are listed as endangered, but other caribou populations are stable.
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A red-bellied piranha calmly swishes through a river. Suddenly, it spots dinner: a shrimp swimming nearby. The fish glides closer and opens its mouth to reveal rows of razor-sharp, triangular teeth. Then it snaps up its prey in its powerful jaws and swallows the shrimp whole. Finished with its first course, the fish swims off in search of more food. ON THE HUNT Red-bellied piranhas live in lakes and rivers in South America. They sometimes use their mighty mouths to gobble up other fish or animals such as shrimp, worms, and mollusks. They swim and hunt in shoals, or schools, that can include more than a hundred individuals. According to legend, the animals, which can grow about 14 inches long, have even devoured human swimmers. MISUNDERSTOOD FISH Despite their big bite, scientists believe that the animals’ fearsome reputation has been exaggerated. Researchers think that these fish swim in groups for protection, not to carry out underwater takedowns . And reports of the fish going after humans are extremely rare. When some red-bellied piranhas do get aggressive, they have an interesting way of telling others to „back off“—they make bark-like sounds! Guess these guys are all bark, and just some bite. Text by April Capochino Myers
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A 40-pound mammal creeps along a tree branch in a steamy forest. The animal looks like a cross between a cat and a bear. And its appearance isn’t even its strangest quality. What’s even weirder is the creature’s smell: It gives off the scent of buttered popcorn! This is the binturong, an animal that’s full of surprises. GET A GRIP Binturongs live in the rain forests of Southeast Asia. They belong to a family of carnivorous mammals that also includes civets. The animals spend most of their time hanging out in the treetops. When they aren’t lounging on branches, they’re looking for yummy snacks such as insects, birds, and fruit. The animal uses its tail—which is almost as long as its body—like a fifth limb as it climbs through the forest. This tail is prehensile, which means it’s capable of gripping things. The binturong is one of only two carnivores that has a prehensile tail. (The other is the kinkajou.) By grasping onto branches and trunks with the furry extension, the binturong is able to move more easily along the trees. PASS THE POPCORN As they travel, binturongs rub a pungent substance produced in their scent glands onto branches and foliage. The animals use the odor to mark territory as well as to attract mates. The substance smells like buttery popcorn. With all its cool qualities, you definitely can’t turn your nose up at this odd-smelling animal! Text by Andrea Silen, NGS Staff
Find out what else makes the binturong so freaky in this episode of Freaky Creatures
Bull sharks are among the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to many experts. This is because they’re an aggressive species of shark, and they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim: along tropical shorelines. Bull sharks live throughout the world, in shallow, warm ocean waters. They’ve been known to swim up into freshwater rivers. Humans are not part of a bull shark’s normal prey. Bull sharks will eat almost anything, but their diet consists mainly of fish. They also sometimes eat dolphins and sea turtles. Bull sharks even eat other sharks. They hunt during the day and at night. Sharks must keep salt in their bodies to survive, and most can live only in salt water. But bull sharks have developed special adaptations—the way their kidneys function and special glands near their tails—that help them keep salt in their bodies even when they’re in freshwater. Scientists are still studying these sharks to figure out why they developed this unusual ability.
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Raccoons are active-at-night, or nocturnal, mammals that live throughout much of the world, from North and South America to Asia, in wooded areas and big cities alike. During winter in cold northern climates, raccoons sleep for extended periods, although they don’t actually hibernate. To prepare for cold winters, raccoons pack on extra body fat in fall. This extra fat helps provide the raccoon with energy when it’s too cold to search for food. On land, raccoons lumber around on all four paws like a bear. Among the raccoon’s favorite foods on land are: fruits, seeds, nuts, birds‘ eggs and plants. In cities, raccoons scavenge around garbage bins and will eat scraps of food and other trash found there. Raccoons are also excellent swimmers, hunting fish, frogs, and crayfish. Raccoons live for around one to three years in the wild. In captivity, where the raccoon doesn’t need to worry about finding food or outwitting predators, some have lived as long as 20 years.
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Porcupines are lumbering, rotund rodents with needle-like spikes, called quills, covering their back, sides, and tail. A single porcupine can have more than 30,000 quills, which are actually sharp bristles of fused hair. When another animal attacks the porcupine, its quills detach, burrowing into the adversary’s flesh and inflicting painful, potentially deadly wounds. It’s easy to tell when porcupines are mad: They stomp their feet, hiss, and shake their quills, which normally lie flat against the porcupine’s body. While porcupines are rarely aggressive, they’ll defend themselves by charging or swatting their spiked tail at opponents. Porcupines are herbivores, eating leaves, plants, fruit, and the tender layer of tissue beneath the bark of trees. A porcupine can fell a whole tree if it removes too much bark. The head and body of a porcupine is between 25 to 36 inches (60 to 90 centimeters). And the tail can add another 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) to the entire length.
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