My Science School

The Indian red scorpion does not go after people, but it certainly needs to be feared. It is considered the most lethal scorpion in the world, and it will sting to defend itself. This can be dangerous, especially to little children.

These scorpions appear to prefer humid tropical and subtropical habitats, and are found in India, Pakistan, and Nepal etc. 2 to 3-1/2 inches long, they can be coloured from bright reddish orange to dull brown. They have small pincers, a thick tail and of course a large stinger.

The Indian red scorpion is a night hunter, which subdues prey using its chelae (claws) and stinger. It usually preys on small invertebrates like cockroaches, but sometimes will go for small vertebrates, too, like lizards and rodents.

Even though fearsome, the toxin of the Indian red scorpion has many uses in medicine.

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The coastal taipan has very powerful venom, though not quite as strong as that of its cousin, the inland taipan. Anyway, these coastal snakes are more dangerous to humans than their more toxic relatives, because they live in areas where more people live. The coastal taipan’s venom is considered as the third most toxic among all the land snakes. Effective anti-venom for this was developed in the mid-1950s, and before that a bite from the taipan meant sure death.

The coastal taipans are found along northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory, along the Queensland coast. They live in a range of green habitats from forests to open grasslands, thriving particularly well in sugarcane fields where there are lots of rodents to feed on. These snakes hunt mostly during the day, using their sharp eyesight, but when it gets too hot, they will hunt at night too.

The coastal taipan is Australia’s longest venomous snake, some of them measuring up to 3 metres.

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‘Boomslang’ literally means ‘tree snake’, in Afrikaans and Dutch. As the name suggests, the boomslang snakes prefer to live in areas with trees wooded grasslands, arid savannas, lowland forests, etc. They are found in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. They live on the trees and are active during the day. Extremely agile, they are very adept at climbing trees and gliding through the branches while hunting. The boomslang is a very dangerous, venomous snake. When the weather gets too cold, they take long, deep sleeps inside enclosed bird-nests.

The boomslangs can be of different colours, though most have a bright green colour.

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Meet someone who’s peaceful and shy – but take care, he’s considered among the most venomous snakes in the world!

The inland taipan is common to the semi-arid regions of central east Australia. Its venom is considered to be the most toxic among all snakes. In spite of the deadly weapon they carry, these snakes are usually shy and like to be left alone. But they defend themselves fiercely, when provoked or harmed. First the snake raises the front of its body in an S-shaped curve, to make a warning display. If the adversary ignores this warning, it will strike instantly and accurately.

These shy inland snakes have a relative in the coastal regions, the coastal taipans, which are aggressive.

Did you know that animal activists have categorized the Bengal tiger as an animal superstar? The tiger is listed under a special category called the ‘charismatic megafauna’ which uses the animal’s popular appeal as an instrument for environmental change.

Few animals exude power and grace like the tiger. Vividly coloured in yellow to burnished-orange with vertical black stripes and white underparts, the tiger is a solitary predator. It is the largest of the big cats and can reach a length of 10 feet and weigh as much as 260 kg. It is nocturnal and preys on buffalo, deer, wild boar and other large mammals. Tigers possess the longest canines and the strongest teeth of any big cat and usually kill with a powerful bite on the neck. They have retractable claws and can even climb trees in pursuit of their prey.

The Royal Bengal tiger is native to the Indian subcontinent with about 70 percent of the world’s population found in India. Historically this apex predator was hunted for sport and for trophies like its teeth and skin. Tiger parts are also used in traditional Chinese medicine. Rampant killing of this magnificent animal as well as habitat loss from human encroachment led to its rapid decline.

From as many as 100,000 tigers in the 1900s, the numbers reduced to 20,000 in the next 25 years. By 1965 the tiger population in India was on the brink of extinction. This led to tiger protection laws being passed in 1971 and the launch of Project Tiger in 1973. Due to persistent conservation efforts, today India’s tigers number around 3000.

However, further increase of the tiger population needs a corresponding increase in forest area. A single tiger needs a territory of around 100 sq km to operate and unless existing forest reserves are extended, an increasing tiger population cannot be contained.

This iconic and ultimate predator is the national symbol of our country. The IUCN lists the Royal Bengal tiger as ‘Endangered’ on its Red List.

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Yes, they do! In fact the rougheye rockfish are among the longest-lived marine fish species, some of them recorded as old as 205 years. They grow very slowly, and mature late in life.

Does the name of this fish strike you as strange? They really have ‘rough eyes’, because of spines along the lower rim of the eyes. They are also nicknamed ‘blacktip’ rockfish because their pectoral fins have black ends.

The rougheye rockfish live in the Pacific Ocean, from northern Japan and the Bering Sea to southern California. They usually live at depths between 170 to 660 metres, near the seafloor around caves, crevices and boulder fields. They feed mostly on shrimp, but also go for crabs, tiny crustaceans and other fish. The females usually spawn between February and June, releasing larvae from their ovaries. These fish grow to a maximum length of about 97 cm, and their record weight is 6.7 kg.

For most part of the year, the larger fish remain solitary or roam in small groups, but during some periods, the rougheye rockfish form schools.

For most part of the year, these fish remain solitary, but during some periods, the rougheye rockfish roam around in schools (group).

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Kodiak bears are the biggest brown bears in the world - almost as big as the polar bear. Adult males stand at 10 feet on their hind legs and weigh around 635 kg. The largest recorded Kodiak bear in the wild weighed 751 kg.

This bear is only found in the Kodiak archipelago of Southwestern Alaska, where it has lived in peace for thousands of years. These bears have been cut off from the mainland since the last Ice Age, and have evolved into a well knit c ommunity that is more social than other brown bears. They do not have many territorial conflicts even in smaller areas, as food is abundant and the coastal areas that they inhabit have a profusion of shellfish and salmon.

Kodiak bears build up their fat reserves by gorging on salmon before hibernating for the winter. Soon-to-be mothers will dig dens or enter caves by October. They usually give birth during the winter hibernation and emerge with their new cubs in spring. Mothers are fiercely protective of their young and look after them for around 3 years till they become mature.

The Kodiak archipelago has an abundance of fruits, berries and salmon and the Kodiak bear population has remained stable till now. Possible future threats are human encroachment and reducing food sources due to climate change.  They are listed as a species of ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN.

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If you are a fan of survival shows, the sturdy and dependable camel might interest you.  This remarkable animal has several adaptations for extreme survival that would make Bear Grylls (the famous British Adventurer) go green with envy! For instance it can go for nearly 2 weeks without food or water. It stores extra reserves of food as fat in a hump on its back. It has double eyelashes to keep dust and dirt out and a slit-like nostril which can be closed during sandstorms.

Camels are wide-hoofed with spreading toes on each foot to help them walk in the desert sand. They have the ability to regulate their body temperatures as required and the capacity to rehydrate quickly by drinking more than 100 litres of water in 15 minutes! To top it all they can walk up to 185 kms at a stretch and are able to run at a top speed of 65 km/h.

There are two varieties of camels found in the world - the dromedary or Arabian camel with one hump on its back and the Bactrian camel or the Asian camel which has 2 humps on its back. While the one-humped camel is found in hot desert regions like Africa and the Arabian peninsula, the two-humped camel is found in cold desert regions like Mongolia and Leh. The dromedary is the tallest camel in the world, growing to an average height of around 6.6 feet at its shoulder.

Camels and humans have had a long association, one that goes back nearly 4,000 years! In fact dromedaries have been domesticated for so long that they have not occurred naturally in the wild for nearly 2000 years. They were used for farming and travel and also for their milk. Did you know that camel milk is one of the most nutritious foods in the world? It is supposed to be beneficial in managing autism, preventing cancer and even good for diabetes patients. In India, camel milk is available in powdered and liquid form.

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If you like Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, you may like his bigger cousin - the Alaskan moose. The moose, or elk as it is known in Europe, is the largest member of the deer family. It stands at almost 7 feet tall and weighs close to 650 kg - almost double the size of a reindeer.

Its imposing height is accentuated by enormous, regal antlers that can span 6 feet from tip to tip. Moose shed their antlers in the winter and grow a new pair in the spring. Every year their antlers grow bigger and more impressive. For the male moose, antlers are a sign of dominance and also help protect its eyes during fights or displays.

The moose is a browser that will eat willows, aspen twigs, woody plants and bark from trees and shrubs. In fact, the name moose comes from the Algonquin (indigenous people of Canada) term meaning “eater of twigs”. Did you know that the moose can store more than 45 kgs of food in its stomach? How’s that for food hoarding?

Even though they look enormous and unwieldy, these animals are graceful on land and water. They are capable of running at 56 km/h and can swim at nearly 10 km/h. They need to be nimble on their feet, as moose hunting is a sport in Alaska. Every year nearly 7,000 moose are killed during autumn and winter with guns as well as bows by local residents. They are also hunted by wolves and bears.

Surprisingly however, the moose is listed under ‘Least Concern’ in the IUCN List. In fact, moose populations are actually increasing in many ranges. GO moose!

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No prizes for guessing the tallest animal in the world. The giraffe - with its incredible long neck - is quite literally ‘head and shoulders’ above the rest.

If you thought LeBron James, the famous basketball player was tall, think again. Male giraffes grow up to 14 feet in height. The legs of a giraffe alone are 6 feet long. This means that a basketball player would be able to walk easily under a giraffe! Additionally its neck also measures an additional 6 feet. If you can picture two LeBron James’ standing one upon the other – that’s how tall a giraffe is!

They can run at speeds of 56 km/h, but these sleepy-eyed giants are peaceful by nature. They spend their days browsing on acacia leaves, tall shrubs and hanging fruits. They use their long blue tongues to pluck off leaves and buds from trees. They do not eat short grasses. Can you guess why?                                                                  

This is because bending its head is not an easy job for the giraffe. It will only drink water once in a few days due to this. It must spread its legs and bend its long neck down to get at the water which makes it vulnerable to predators. However, it's not just being vulnerable from predator that makes drinking water a tricky business for the giraffe. Its body must also regulate its blood pressure so that the act of bending does not cause its head to explode. Why? Keep reading…

A giraffe’s heart has to pump blood so that it reaches its brain - which is very far away! For this, the giraffe's heart (which weighs about 11 kg) has to pump a powerful beat to keep sending blood into the brain. Consequently a giraffe’s blood pressure is very high - nearly twice as high as a human’s.

With such a high blood pressure when the giraffe lowers its head the sudden change in blood pressure would cause its head to explode! The giraffe prevents this by regulating the blood flow into its brain (and heart) while lowering its head and lifting it back up again with the help of ‘elastic’ veins and thick heart muscles. These unique adaptations have been studied by NASA to design space suits. Looks like science still has a long way to go to catch up with nature!

These incredible and gentle animals are threatened by poaching, climate change and habitat loss. They are listed as ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List but are already extinct in many countries in Africa.

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Did you know that the invention of the kerosene lamp may have prevented the extinction of the sperm whale? There was a time when these leviathans of the deep were hunted for the white, waxy substance found in their heads, called spermaceti.

People in the 18th century found that this substance could fuel lamps, power streetlights and even light up lighthouses! Consequently the sperm whale was nearly hunted off the face of the globe. It was only the invention of alternative fuel sources like the kerosene lamp that saved these creatures from total annihilation!

The sperm whale is easily recognizable for its prominent block-shaped forehead. It has the largest brain of any animal on earth. It can grow to a length of 60 feet and weigh around 40 metric tons. The female is smaller than the male but eats up to three times more!

Their favourite food is squid, the bigger the better! In fact the giant squid is their favourite snack. To find the giant squid though, the sperm whale has to dive deep into the ocean depths. It is one of the deepest divers of the whale world, capable of 2000-metre dives. This whale can also hold its breath longest of any mammal - 90 minutes! Some scientists think that the spermaceti in the sperm whale’s brain may help them to withstand high pressures on their dives. Their diet also consists of other deep-water prey like sharks, skates and fish.

They are the largest of the toothed whales, but have teeth only on the lower jaw. They have corresponding holes on their toothless upper jaw into which the lower jaw teeth fit into.

Although sperm whales are protected across the world today and spermaceti is no longer used as fuel, they are still hunted for ambergris. This is a substance which forms around squid beaks in a whale’s stomach. It is used in perfumes and is very valuable.

These iconic behemoths are listed under ‘Vulnerable’  in the IUCN Red List.

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The bowhead whale, just as the name suggests, has a bow-shaped head. Just like the Greenland shark, the bowhead whale also lives in the icy-cold waters within the Arctic Circle. Maybe there is a connection between swimming around in the freezing Arctic waters and living very long because both the Greenland shark and the bowhead whale live well beyond 200 years!

The bowhead whale is the fifth largest mammal on earth, growing up to 60 feet and weighing up to 100 tons! The bowhead whale’s head is one-third of its total length. It has baleen plates in its mouth instead of teeth. It eats by swimming with its mouth open and taking in huge amounts of water along with plankton and tiny crustaceans like krill. It then pushes the water out through the baleen plates which act like filters, retaining only the minute plant and animal life. It eats up to 2 tonnes of food in this fashion every day.

Apart from eating, it also uses its enormous head to break through thick layers of sea ice to create breathing holes. Despite its mighty size, this fun-loving whale loves to jump out of the water (a phenomenon called breaching), splash around and sing! It has a repertoire of more than 60 songs and vocalizations. You might say that it likes to have a ‘whale’ of a time!

It is threatened by habitat loss, water pollution and climate change and is listed under ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List.

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Did you know that the right whale is called the right whale for the wrong reasons? This whale was historically considered the ‘right whale’ to hunt as it is composed of 40 percent blubber (whale fat). This fat was traditionally used to make essential items like soap, margarine and oil for lamps.

Today it is the rarest of all large whales found in the ocean. This is so, because from as early as the 10th century onwards, it has been hunted almost to the brink of extinction. Whale hunters targeted these whales for many reasons. For one they are slow - moving at the rate of 8 km/h. They often swim close to the shore and are friendly. They are easy to spot as they have two blowholes and the blow of a right whale is V-shaped, which can be seen miles away. They float after they are killed, instead of sinking like other whales, making it easier for the whalers to harvest their bodies.

This whale grows to 55 feet and weighs as much as 70 tons! It has a very large head (almost one-quarter of its body length) and roughened patches of skin called callosities on the top of its head. It has baleen plates instead of teeth in its mouth, which it uses to filter-feed on its favourite food - zooplankton, crustaceans and krill.

Rampant and unchecked hunting through the centuries led the right whale to the verge of extinction. Fortunately international sanctions were put in place by the 1970s to protect them and this whale species was saved. However, they are still commercially hunted by Japan, Finland and Iceland.

Other than humans the right whale is also hunted by orcas. It is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List.

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If there was an award for survival of an animal in an extreme environment, it would certainly go to the emperor penguin. These birds spend their entire life in the Antarctic, facing chill winds as cold as minus 60 degree centigrade and blizzards blowing at 200 km/h!

The emperor penguin is a distinctive bird. It has a black head and back, pale yellow breast and ear patches and a white belly. Considered the tallest and heaviest of all penguin species, an adult bird is about 4 feet tall and weighs between 23 and 45 kg.

Emperor penguins are very social and live in large groups. These groups are cohesive and supportive and individuals help each other to stay warm in the brutal Antarctic winters. The whole group will huddle in a big circle, with the outer members of the circle moving inwards periodically to ensure that no penguin is exposed to the cold for too long. How’s that for teamwork?

Emperor penguins trek 50-120 km over the open ice to breeding colonies which can contain up to several thousand individuals. Penguins stay with the same partner for life. Females lay a single egg, which is handed over to the male. The mother then goes to the sea to feed. The father will incubate the egg in a special ‘brood pouch’ near his feet for 65 days. He will lose about 40 percent of his body weight during this time. The mother returns just before the chick hatches and feeds it with regurgitated fish from the sea. The father then goes to the sea to feed. In this way the parents take turns foraging at sea and caring for their chick. The lifespan of an emperor penguin is typically around 20 years in the wild.

The emperor penguin is severely affected by climate change and is listed under ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN’s Red List.

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The emu is a large, flightless bird that is native to Australia. It is the second tallest bird in the world, growing to a height of about 7 feet and weighing around 56 kg. It is grey in colour with a bluish head and gentle-looking eyes. Did you know that the emu is the only bird in the world with calf muscles in its legs? Even though it cannot fly, its sturdy legs help it run at a top speed of 48 km/h and jump 7 feet vertically up!

The emu has three toes on its feet, one of which is a long dagger like claw that is potentially dangerous. The emu however, is not known to kill humans, though it will defend itself if provoked.

The emu eats plants and insects and can store food as fat for times when supplies run low. It also has a sixth sense for finding water and travels many miles on foot to find it.

Emu fathers are very devoted. The female emu lays a clutch of eggs and then leaves the parenting to the male. The male emu bird incubates the eggs over a period of 50 days, during which it does not eat or drink! It loses up to a third of its body weight during this time and then looks after the hatched chicks for 2 years till they become independent.

Did you know that in 1932, Australia waged a war against emus? And lost? Soldiers were called in to help eradicate a group of 20,000 emus who were eating up wheat fields in Western Australia. After making several attempts to kill the emus, the soldier accepted defeat and returned home! Even machine gun fire proved ineffective against these highly intelligent and strategic birds who evaded every tactic employed against them!

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) lists the resourceful and resilient emu as a species of ‘Least Concern’, as its populations are stable across Australia.

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