Amazing animals

I've been doing some research into interesting animals. Abish, my tarantula has inspired me. She is a very interesting creature. Rosehair tarantulas are covered in iridescent fiber-glass-like hairs that shine pink in the light, hence the name rosehair. These act as a protection--they can fall out and irritate the mouth or skin or a predator that comes into contact with a tarantula. Adult Rosehair tarantulas moult every six months or so. This means they shed their exo-skeletons in order to grow. Females actually shed more than just their "skin." Additionally, when they moult, female tarantulas shed their fangs, stomach,and sex organs too! The fangs are part of the bone of the exo-skeleton so losing the stomach prevents the spider from needing to eat until its shell hardens again. Cool, huh?




Here's another really cool animal: a lyre bird. It can imitate all of the sounds it hears around it, not just other bird sounds, but cameras and chainsaws too!



The walrus is another amazing creature. First of all, it behaves like a 400 pound kitten. It loves to lay around basking in the sun, will "rub" up against you when you come close, and purrs when you blow on its face. Walrus (that is the correct plural--I checked) can also dance. Watch the video below. In addition to the already listed talents, walrus mating songs are some of the most elaborate in the world. They don't just sing, but use their amazingly muscular lips and noses to add boings, bongs, and grunts; neither are they above using other body parts like their fins and rubbery necks to make all kinds of other noises. A walrus can be taught to imitate nearly any noise from a train whistle to a rubber-band snap.
Here's an interesting NY Times article to add to your walrus knowledge:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/science/20walrus.html?_r=2&8dpc&oref=slogin