Strange but True

Long-tailed weasels are as nimble as ninjas and attack with lightning-fast ferocity. Although mice make up most of their menu, these tiny predators regularly bring down rabbits, which are nearly four times their size.

To reward insects for helping transfer pollen, flowers produce sugary nectar. But not all nectar is created equal. Biologists have discovered that when some flowers feel the buzz of an approaching bee, they make their nectar sweeter than normal.

Brown-headed cowbird moms lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving them in the care of new 
moms and pops. Cowbird chicks usually hatch earlier, grow faster, and eat more than the foster parents’ own chicks.

Raccoons, skunks, and opossums love to eat eggs for breakfast. To keep egg thieves guessing, painted turtles often dig several “test” nests before laying their eggs in a real one.

Most caterpillars have 12 eyes but couldn’t see their own face in a mirror. The eyes, called ocelli (oh-sell-eye), help a caterpillar detect shade (where it’s good to hide) and sun (where predators might spot them).

Goodness sake, that’s no snake! It’s a slender glass lizard. This lizard lacks legs, but it has eyelids and ear holes, which snakes don’t have. When attacked, a glass lizard sheds its squirmy tail. This distracts predators, letting the lizard escape.

American burying beetles bury dead animals to feed to their babies. To keep the meat “fresh,” grown-up beetles coat the corpse with goo from their mouths and backsides. Bon appétit!