From crimson-spraying lizard eyes to pom-pom twirling crustaceans, today we look at Strange
Animal Behaviors Explained.
#10 Zebra Finch Ugly Counter Beauty may be only skin deep among the common
person, but for some species, it’s the difference between living a life in solitude and being
able to procreate.
But for the Zebra Finch, loneliness is rarely a problem as they have a back-up plan that’s
a bit different.
Females spend a lot more of their time and energy on their eggs rather than choosing
especially attractive partners.
Nearly all monogamous, zebra finches will stick with the same mate for life.
As such, not every female finch ends up with a hunk, so to speak.
To make up for a males genetic shortcomings, she will lay a larger egg than normal, more
fully packed with nutrients and hopefully ensuring a better chance at survival and procreation
for their offspring.
#9 Meerkat Practice As demonstrated from the excellent job Timon
and Pumba did with Simba in the classic Disney story of The Lion King, meerkats are great
coaches!
Practice makes perfect, and the meerkat gets it as demonstrated by its scorpion hunting
lessons.
When it’s time for young meerkats to begin learning to defend themselves against predators,
elders in their family will bring the youth a deceased scorpion to practice slaying.
As the youngster progresses, the elder will begin bringing back more and more live scorpions
until the meerkat cub is capable of defending itself against the real deal.
This highly intelligent practice helps prepare the entire population to turn what would otherwise
be a painful, venom-stinging predator into prey.
#8 Cats Kneading You might have seen this behavior on your
lap or a sofa in which a common housecat will knead its paws onto a surface as if it were
a professionally trained masseuse.
But unless your footstool has a knot it needs worked out, there’s some other purpose at
work here.
Newborn kittens will often knead at their mother when feeding to help facilitate the
flow of milk.
It is thought by some that the act of kneading sticks with the cat as a behavior they associate
with the comfort of feeding as an infant, similar to why a child may continue sucking
their thumb.
But that’s just one proposed theory as other researchers believe it may have to do with
instincts associated with living outside and needing to make a bed within tall grass or
other foliage.
Different still is the belief that the action is meant to leave their mark, as kneading
releases scents through glands on the pads of their paws.
Regardless of the theory, though, kneading is generally seen as a positive behavior and
a way for your feline friend to display contentment.
#7 Goat Fainting A viral sensation multiple times over, the
myotonic goat, or fainting goat as it’s commonly known, is one of the most popular
animals in the modern world.
Videos featuring the livestock and their humorous, yet unbalanced, conduct have received hundreds
of millions of views online.
But what causes this strange behavior that’s given so many a hearty chuckle?
The answer, contrary to what it may seem, has little to do with the goats’ bravery...or
lack thereof.
In fact the goats don’t even faint as they actually maintain consciousness the whole
time.
Instead, the genetic disorder, known as myotonia congenita [my-oh-tohn-ee-uh con-gen-eet-uh],
is really temporary seizing caused by a mutation in which certain chemicals that affect muscle
activity have been slightly altered.
This small change results in the liquids inability to pass through the muscle fibers of the goat.
This in turn causes the goats muscles to tense up for longer after making an involuntary
movement since the chemicals that would normally ease them back into place are instead incapable
of permeating the muscles.
There are no obvious long term health effects associated with this disorder, thankfully,
and goats afflicted with it go on to live out happy, normal goat lives.
#6 Bleeding Eye Lizard You may have heard of a piercing gaze, a sharp
glance, or an evil eye, but the horned lizards of North America take those metaphors to the
ridiculous next level.
Covered in prickly spines across their bodies and equipped with a quick-scurrying, camouflaged
physique, this little guy is chock full of defenses.
But even with those benefits, it still has its share of predators.
So when worst comes to worst, the horned lizard turns to plan B...for blood!
See, hidden behind the face of the lizard are a pair of constricting muscles that contract
near major veins when threatened.
This will in-turn flood the sinuses with their liquid lifeforce, swelling them and building
pressure behind the eyes.
That same pair of muscles is then used to rapidly fluctuate, causing the duress to reach
a breaking point, resulting in a projectile stream of red that can fire up to four feet
away.
And while it may sound unpleasantly painful, the horned lizard can repeat the process multiple
times in succession if it must.
In fact, it’s so comfortable with the process that it even replaces the role of tears in
being the lizards main means of removing foreign particles from their eyes.
#5 Combat Chimps Traditionally known as tranquil herbivores,
the Chimpanzee was revealed in the late 20th century to also be an adept tool user, hunter,
and carnivorous, going so far as to brutalize and eat monkeys.
Famed primatologist [pry-muh-tall-oh-jist] Jane Goodall uncovered these behaviors during
her excursion in Tanzania [tan-zuh-nee-uh].
Among her discoveries, Goodall found the chimpanzee population of the Gombe [gahm-bay] Stream
National Park kicked that predatory instinct up a notch.
She recorded battles waged between groups of chimpanzees in a fit of tribalistic primate
warfare.
An invading group would systematically plan attacks on enemy groups, taking out rivals
one at a time.
She saw these actions occurring time and time again, witnessing an entire community get
wiped out in the four-year campaign.
These were communities that only years earlier had been united, meaning the warring apes
had once shared food, shelter, and territory with one another.
Making matters even more disturbing, the chimpanzees displayed celebratory behavior by jumping
and on their deceased bodies before consuming the enemy.
The apes quickly expanded their territory, guaranteeing more food for their tribe in
addition to the other apes they’d preyed upon.
More incidents of belligerent tendencies have been documented among chimpanzees since Goodall’s
discoveries, as ape wars continue to wage on over food, glory, and territory in jungles
around the world.
#4 Crow Grudge The weight of long-term resentment can get
overwhelming and most psychologists would suggest to work towards forgiveness for one's
own health.
Don’t waste your breath telling that to crows, though, as the black-feathered bird
is known to have a tough time squashing a beef.
Researchers only recently discovered that crows can remember the faces of those who
do them wrong.
In an experiment where captured crows were tagged before being released, the captors,
who had worn masks during the confinement, would go on to be mobbed by a flock while
wearing the masks in public.
As time went on, more birds joined with their kin in aggressively pursuing the researchers,
seeking retribution and spreading their negative sentiments among the flock.
This behavior directed the scientists to begin looking at the crow’s brain.
They found that certain parts of the brain were similar to a humans, including the apparent
appearance of a portion similar to the mammalian amygdala [muh-male-ee-en ah-mihg-de-luh].
This part of the brain stores negative experiences and emotions within the memory, helping to
condition the bird to what it doesn’t like.
This discovery has gone on to inspire potential breakthroughs within the avian research community.
#3 Decorating Bowerbird A master of exterior decoration, the bowerbirds
claim to fame comes in its complex mating rituals.
The males of the species build large structures, called bowers, made of tall thickets of grass
and a variety of other objects to attract mates.
These buildings of courtship can be decorated with anything ranging from feathers, sea shells,
leaves and flowers to discarded waste like coins, plastic, firearm shells, and more.
The female bowerbirds will essentially window shop the various bowers, looking for the most
appealing decor and accompanying poses and movements of potential suitors in their combined
display of romance.
Style means everything among these birds as many males will go without a mate while others
will end up with multiples.
Some researchers hypothesize this is due to an inherent property in females to favor ornamental
decoration as an indicator of generally good health.
Other theories believe the females comfort level is essential to successfully copulate,
and the better the bower, the more comfortable and safe the female will feel.
Regardless of the exact reason behind the bowers, these mating rituals have demonstrated
an incredible level of intelligence in the species with some males going so far as to
construct optical illusions!
So before you renovate that guest house, you might want to see about picking up a few tricks
from your local expert stylist, the bowerbird.
#2 Cheerleader Crabs Everyone can use a little support from time
to time and the creatures that roam the oceans of the world are no different.
And as luck would have it, they have a cheerleader in the form of one of the planet’s most
interesting crustaceans.
Known as the pom-pom crab, this small sea-dweller has a unique relationship with another organism
in sea anemones.
The crabs wield a pair of small anemones in each claw, waving the tendrils around and
toward oncoming enemies in an apparent threat.
The ends of the anemones have the potential to sting other animals, but interestingly
enough the pom-pom crab will refrain from using them while fighting off an enemy crab,
choosing to instead use its lower legs to wrestle the enemy.
It protects the sea anemone in combat, yet if it only has one, the crab will split it
in two so it may hold one in each claw.
The anemone halves will then grow back to full size as both parties remain apparently
content with the situation.
Little is known of why these two form this semi-symbiotic relationship as neither relies
on the other to survive.
Perhaps the crab really is just trying to rally on the rest of the creatures under the
sea.
#1 Skunk Handstand Animals are equipped with a variety of awesome
defense mechanisms.
Frilled lizards extend the flaps of skin on their neck to seem 3 times their size.
Armadillos can roll into protective balls, using their rock hard back plates as a shield.
And then there’s the skunk.
Everyone knows about the skunk and its ability to spray a stinky milk into the eyes of enemies
that ambush it.
But unlike other skunks, the spotted skunk has an extra, unorthodox trick up its sleeve.
Like a dance-fighting Capoeira master, the spotted skunk launches itself into a handstand
when threatened from the front.
This critter aims its top side directly at oncoming foes giving it a larger appearance
and brandishing its back pattern like warpaint.
This display is only a precursor to the real threat, as those predators who refuse to back
down risk the 10 foot long spray of the spotted skunk.