With their cute faces, their silly, waddling gaits, and their awkward wings, it comes as no surprise that this small penguin, known as Rocky the Penguin, is easily able to bring a smile to two-year-old Nicola McNally’s beaming face. A moment of pure joy captured back in 1980, at the Cotswold Wildlife Park in Oxfordshire, UK, Rocky is a Humboldt penguin, a species of penguin particularly known for its friendly demeanor towards humans.
Interestingly enough, both these penguins and the current are named after 18th-century explorer Alexander von Humboldt. Specifically hailing from the coastal regions of the South American countries of Peru and Chile, here this penguin is surrounded by a natural habitat of open ocean and rocky shorelines.
The Narwhal: the ‘Unicorn of the Ocean’
The image below shows the seemingly mythological sea creature, the Narwhal. Known by its nickname, “unicorn of the sea,” the narwhal is famously known for the distinct, long helical horn (or tusk) protruding from its face. But despite its appearance, this appendage isn’t a horn at all, but a tooth. More specifically, it's an upper left canine tooth, which, as a result of natural selection, grows straight to an almost unbelievable length. Contrary to filter-feeding whales, the narwhal falls under the evolutionary family of the toothed whales.
Though throughout much of history, the reason behind the narwhal’s tusk was largely a mystery, today scientists believe it is used by the animal to measure water salinity. In some cases, experts have also reported narwhal’s using this over-sized tooth to stun their prey. Throughout history, the horn of the narwhal was often thought to be from the elusive, magical healing horn of the mystical unicorn. Over the ages, explorers, hunters, and sailors returned home with the prized, mysterious horn, as stories of the horns’ mystical healing powers led merchants to sell the rare specimens for small fortunes.
Armadillo Girdled Lizard, or Miniature Dragon?
Nope, it’s not a mini dragon! In the palm of the hand in the below photograph lays an adorably little, terrified dragon-esque looking creature given the named of an Armadillo Girdled Lizard. How do we know this animal is in distress? The signs of this animal's distress are given off through this lizard’s “signature defense mechanism”: putting its entire tail into its mouth, displaying only its spiky armor, thus protecting its incredibly soft underbelly from would-be predators.
Despite its misleading name, this little lizard gets its name from its distinct “curling-up behavior,” which reminded zoologists of the South American three-banded armadillo, who displays a similar defensive behavior. These spiky lizards are found along the west coast of South Africa, particularly from the northern region surrounding the Orange River of Northern Cape Province, to the Piketberg Mountains in the south.
The Amazing Walking Abilities of the Epaulette Shark
The below photograph displays the amazing Epaulette shark: a species able to walk between coral heads at low tide, as well as along the seafloor, and even on land! Named after the the word “epaulet,” which refers to an ornamental shoulder piece found on many uniforms—used as a means of denoting rank, originating from the French word, “epaule,” translating to “shoulder” - this species of shark was named the Epaulette shark after the animals’ large spots, located behind each of its pectoral fins.
For example, if this shark species is running low on oxygen whilst stuck in anoxic water—or water that has been depleted of all oxygen—the incredible Epaulette shark is able to shut down a few of its neural functions, so that it can simply chill along the water, until a wave containing oxygen-rich water comes along to save the day! Additionally, this kind of shark is unique in that it is actually known to walk on its fins more often than it actually swims. The Epaulette shark does this so that it may crawl over the exposed reef contained between rock pools, areas that contain the shark’s favorite prey.
Orangutan Tells Us How He Really Feels
In the below photo, this primate seems to tell us how he really feels. Indeed, give a “primate four fingers and a thumb, and eventually, he’ll flip you off.” All jokes aside, the orangutan is a truly amazing creature. Named after the Malay word for “person of the forest,” these orange-colored, long-haired primates are found only in regions of Sumatra and Borneo. Considered highly intellectual creatures, the Orangutan is known as a close relative of man.
But is this particular orangutan actually mad at the photographer taking the picture? Is he actually telling him or her to “buzz off”? Is he trying to send a message to humans on behalf of the animal kingdom, indicating to us that these animals have had enough of our mindless cruelty in wastefulness? Are they planning to pull a planet of the apes, taking the planet back for the good of their babies and all of the primates’ future generations? The world may never know.