Other Creatures

A peek at some creatures that inhabit this wonder-ful world of ours. Here are some trivia, and fun facts about plants, courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Colours of Nature’, ‘Ancestral Stories’, ‘Weird Facts’, ‘Unbelievable Facts’, ‘Today I Learned’, ‘Science and Facts’, ‘Crazy Creatures’, ‘The Knowledge Factory’, ‘The Study Secrets’ etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

Imagine lifting a rock in your garden to find a tiny "land-dwelling lobster" scurrying away! This is the woodlouse, a creature that deceives us with its appearance when it is actually not an insect at all. Biologically, it is a terrestrial crustacean, making it a closer relative to crabs and shrimp than to ants or beetles. It is one of the few members of its aquatic family to successfully venture out and colonize the land, yet it still carries the secrets of the ocean within its tiny frame.

The most fascinating secret lies in how it breathes; because of its marine ancestry, it lacks traditional lungs. Instead, it possesses modified gills called "pleopod lungs" located on its underside. These gills must remain constantly moist to absorb oxygen, which is the compelling reason why it always seeks dark, damp places. If it dries out, it doesn't just get thirsty—it tragically suffocates.

Regarding its internal chemistry, the woodlouse possesses a "royal" blue blood. Unlike humans who use iron-based hemoglobin, this creature relies on a copper-based protein called hemocyanin to transport oxygen. When this copper oxidizes, it turns a light blue color. Because copper is a precious and rare element in its diet, the woodlouse has developed a behavior that might seem strange to us coprophagy.

It consumes its own waste to recycle and recover the essential copper lost during its first digestive cycle, acting as a miniature self-recycling ecosystem.

In terms of daily survival, the woodlouse is a master of conservation. It never urinates in liquid form, which would waste precious water; instead, it excretes nitrogenous waste as ammonia gas directly through its hard exoskeleton. Even its parenting is unique—mothers carry their eggs in a water-filled pouch called a marsupium, much like a kangaroo, providing a tiny marine environment for the young to develop until they are ready for life on land.

When threatened, many species (like the Pill Bug) transform into a perfect, armored ball. This "rolling" strategy not only protects their soft underbelly from predators but also seals in moisture to prevent dehydration. Beyond these quirks, the woodlouse is an unsung environmental hero. It acts as a natural bio-filter, absorbing toxic heavy metals like lead and cadmium from the soil and storing them safely in its gut. By doing so, it cleans the earth and protects groundwater, working silently as a tiny, armored guardian of your garden. – A Facebook post by ‘Mechanics Mix’

Snails move slowly, and that slowness teaches us about healing. When we are hurt, we often want to fix things fast. A snail shows that taking small steps and giving ourselves time can help wounds close and feelings settle. Quiet, steady progress can be enough to bring us back to a safer place.

Snails also teach resilience. They carry their homes on their backs and keep going even when the ground is rough or the weather is harsh. This shows how we can protect what matters and keep moving forward, even if we have to go at a slow pace. Over time, small efforts add up and help us face hard days.

Finally, snails remind us that what is lost can come back in gentle ways. A garden can grow again, a friendship can mend, or hope can return slowly, like a snail reappearing after rain. The lesson is to be patient, to care for ourselves and others, and to trust that quiet, steady steps can bring back what seemed gone. – A Facebook post by ‘Colours of Nature’

Many lizards have a surprising trick: they can let go of their own tail on purpose. This action has a name, autotomy, but it just means the lizard drops its tail when it feels danger. If a predator grabs the tail or comes too close, the lizard releases it and runs away. Letting go of a tail is a choice the lizard makes to save its life.

After the tail is dropped, it does something strange — it keeps moving and twitching for several minutes. Those jerks and wiggles catch the predator’s attention and make it look like the tail is still a threat or food. While the predator is distracted, the lizard has time to escape to safety. The twitching is a clever distraction that helps the lizard survive.

Lizards don’t lose their tail forever in many cases; some can grow a new one over time. The new tail might look a bit different and takes energy for the lizard to make, but it is better than being eaten. This unusual ability shows how animals use simple tricks to survive in the wild. – A Facebook post by ‘Colours of Nature’

A frog hops along and swallows something that tastes bad or makes it sick. It can tell that the food is poisonous or cannot be digested. Instead of trying to chew or spit it out like we might, the frog does something surprising. It forces its whole stomach out through its mouth.

The stomach slips out like a soft bag and hangs where the frog can see and touch it. The frog uses its little front legs and mouth to wipe and clean the stomach. It gets rid of the bad bits and any poison that might still be stuck. This strange action helps the frog stop the poison from getting into its body.

When the stomach is clean, the frog slowly pulls it back inside and seals itself up. The frog then rests and recovers, ready to hop away and eat again when it feels better. This odd trick is one of nature’s ways to keep the frog alive. – A Facebook post by ‘Amazing World’

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