Fauna Fact of the Day

Meet Turritopsis nutricula, the Benjamin Button of the sea or, as you probably know him, the immortal jellyfish. About as wide as a human pinky nail when fully grown, Turritopsis has quite the unique ability- although it typically reproduces and dies the old-fashioned way, when starvation, physical damage, or other crises arise, this little jellyfish has the ability to transform all of its cells back into a younger state. Turritopsis turns itself into a blob-like cyst, which then develops into a polyp colony, the first stage in jellyfish life. Through asexual reproduction, the resulting polyp colony can spawn hundreds of genetically identical jellyfish- perfect copies of the original adult.

Fauna Fact of the Day

The red panda is a small arboreal mammal found in the Himalayas throughout Nepal and southwestern China. Despite the fact that they share their name with the giant panda, the two species are only distantly related, diverging tens of millions of years ago. Red pandas are considered living fossils because, evolutionarily, they have stayed the same. The pandas you see today look exactly the way they did millions of years ago.

Fauna Fact of the Day

The Lagotto Romagnolo is a rare breed of water retriever, originating in Italy in the 15th century. Although they are technically water dogs, they are more often used to sniff out truffles, a subterranean fungus and, per ounce, the most expensive food in the world.

Fauna Fact of the Day

The White-Faced Scops Owl is actually comprised of two species of owls, the Northern and Southern White-faced Owls. These birds are native to northern and southern parts of Africa respectively, and are quite small in size. When threatened, these owls have the ability to change the shape of their bodies, making themselves look larger and more intimidating. In one of these forms, the owl flattens and elongates its body and squints its eyes, giving it a vampire effect. It’s freaky as shit. To watch these transformations, click here.

Fauna Fact of the Day

The Fennec Fox is a tiny vulpine found in the Sahara desert of Northern Africa. They are the smallest canid species in the world, but have the largest ears of any fox in relation to body size. Fennecs use their giant ears to radiate body heat and help keep themselves cool in the intense Sahara heat, and their hearing is sensitive enough to detect prey moving underground. Like most desert animals, Fennecs can survive for long periods of time without water.

Fauna Fact of the Day

The leopard seal is one of Antarctica’s top predators, second only to the Orca whale. They typically eat krill, but will eat penguins and even other seals when the opportunity presents itself. Leopard seals also have a nasty habit of “playing” with animals they have no intention of eating, and can be a little too inquisitive when it comes to humans, which scientists believe to be their way of sizing us up as possible prey. Only one human fatality has ever been reported.

Fauna Fact of the Day

The Peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on the planet, with the ability to reach speeds of over 200 mph in an aerial dive, killing its victim instantly upon impact. They are also the most widespread bird of prey- they can be found nearly everywhere on earth except for extreme polar regions and tropical rainforests.

Fauna Fact of the Day

The pangolin is a really unique animal found in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. They lack teeth as well as the ability to chew, so they have adapted extremely long, sticky tongues that extend all the way down into their abdominal cavities for easy ant catching. (Anteaters have the same adaptation.) The pangolin is the only mammal on earth that has evolved scales, which are made from keratin, the same substance that makes up human nails and hair.

Fauna Fact of the Day

The Long-Whiskered Owlet is the rarest, most elusive owl in the world. They were only just discovered back in 1976, in a remote area of Peru, and have been seen in their natural habitat only once. These tiny owls are so rare, in fact, that they were given their own genus, Xenoglaux, which means “strange owl”.

Fauna Fact of the Day

The tardigrade, better known as a water bear or moss piglet, is a microscopic animal that can be found all over the world. They get their name from the way they move- a rolling gait that resembles the movement of a bear. Water bears are able to survive in environments that would kill any other animal- temperatures as low as -459 F (close to absolute zero) and as high as 304 F, 1,000 times more radiation than other animals, and almost a decade without water. They can even withstand space travel and radiation directly from the sun! They are the ultimate survivors- and are fucking adorable.