5 Fun Facts About Ladybugs

1. Ladybugs aren’t really bugs. They’re beetles – insects that chew solid food and have hard wings. In fact, they are (correctly) called Ladybird beetles in Europe.
2. When a ladybug is under threat of danger, it releases a yellowish liquid called hemolymph from its knees. This liquid has a truly horrendous smell which deters predators from attacking.
3. Ladybug moms lay two sets of eggs – one set which is hatched and the other set which acts as food for the new borns.
4. Not all ladybugs are darlings. One species, the harlequin ladybug, indiscriminately kills all insects it comes in contact with by infecting them with a deadly parasite called  Nosema apis.
5. Ever had wine that tasted like peanuts or asparagus (shudder!)? This was probably the fault of a ladybug. Sometimes ladybugs that reside in vineyards are accidentally collected with the grapes and crushed in the machines that extract grape juice for wine. The hemolymph released by stressed-out ladybugs taints the wine and gives it a foul flavour.

 

Bonus

Legend says that ladybugs first made an appearance in farms that were plagued by plant-eating insects, after farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary (The Lady of Sorrows) to release them from their sorrows. That’s where they get their name from – The Lady’s Bug. According to stories, the red colour of the ladybug represents the Virgin’s cloak and the seven polka dots, the seven sorrows.

Ladybug

 

Ladybug caterpillar

 

Different colours/species of ladybug

 

-NISHA PRAKASH 

 

5 Fun Facts About Hippos

1. Hippos are one of the most aggressive animals on the planet and they ‘yawn’ to show their annoyance or aggression towards another animal. Hippos kill an estimated 500 people each year in Africa.  
2. The ‘red blood’ hippos sweat is actually a natural sunblock and moisturiser which hippos secrete to keep their skin hygienic and healthy.
3. Hippos rise every 3-5 minutes from underwater to take a breath of air. They do this even when they are asleep, rising automatically and submerging again despite being semi/unconscious.
4. Hippos are extremely fast and can run at speeds as high as 30 kms/hour. This is faster than the average human!
5. Hippo calves suckle from their mothers underwater by closing their nostrils and ears.

 

Bonus

Hippos are actually related to whales and porpoises and not other land-based organisms!

 

 

Hippo mother and calf pairs stay together for 8 years, until the baby enters adulthood.

 

Hippo mums gently nudge their babies to the surface for the first few days after birth, to help them swim to the top.

 

-NISHA PRAKASH 

5 Fun Facts About Plecos aka Suckerfish

1. Plecos are a type of catfish.
2. When we refer to plecos, we refer to the 138 species of fish that come under the  genus Hypostomus.
3. The plecos’ skin may look slimy, but its texture is like that of a rocky armour.
4. Plecos are gentle with most fishes except their own species, who they can be very aggressive towards.
5. Plecos never reproduce in captivity, but females can lay up to 300 eggs in the wild!

 

Bonus

Veteran aquarium keepers never write or say aloud the plecos’ full name “plecostomus” because of an old superstition that says “speaking or writing the name will cause the fish to die”.

 

 

-NISHA PRAKASH 

5 Fun Facts About Gorillas

1. They are 98% human! 98% of the Gorilla’s genes are the same as the genes found in humans.
2. They live only in Africa and no where else in the world.
3. They make up to 25 different sounds, which is the highest level of vocalization by any great ape after humans. One gorilla named Koko even knew sign language and could make 1000 different signs!
4. Want to identify a gorilla? Take its nose print. They’re unique (just like human fingerprints).
5. Homosexuality exists in gorilla families and often females pair together and engage in sexual activity.

Bonus:

When we refer to  “Silverbacks”, we mean “male gorillas who’s over the age of 12” and who are often troop leaders. “Blackbacks” are “males under the age of 11”.

 

 

 

Video: 

 

-NISHA PRAKASH