#Fun animal facts

[marlynnofmany]

Have you heard about mole genders?

I’ve heard of this concept in sci-fi, but thought it was absolutely made up. I know some fish and frogs can change genders, but not in cycles like this. Wild. If I slapped this down in some alien world without explanation, I’d laugh in my own face. But no, real biology IS that bizarre.

Image descriptions:

A series of tweets from @NaturalCalendar that say:

Hello lovely Nature Noticers. It is time for today's thread! Follow me, and we'll delve deep into the subterranean and subversive world of Talpa europaea, the common European mole. We'll begin with a bombshell - there are no female moles.

Genetic researchers have recently discovered that female moles have reproductive organs unlike any other mammal. If measured by the standards of other species, there are no fully female moles. Instead, there are males and individuals that would be considered intersex.

So, lets look at how this works. Female Moles are called Sows. Sows have both ovarian AND testicular tissue They also have vaginas that disappear between breeding seasons!

Most of the year, female moles look and behave like males. They have masculinised genitals, with no external vagina + an enlarged clitoris. When this point in the year arrives, mating season begins. At this point the Sow's testosterone levels drop + they develop a vagina.

As is typical for mammals, Sows are equipped with two X chromosomes and Boars with an X and a Y chromosome. Unlike any other mammals Sows simultaneously develop functional ovarian and testicular tissues united in one organ, the 'ovotestis'. This is unique to Moles.

This testicular tissue does not produce sperm. It does however, produce large amounts of the sex hormone testosterone, meaning that Sows have similar testosterone levels to the Boars -except during mating season.

Scientists have hypothesized that these high levels of testosterone provide an adaptive advantage for the mole's underground life - providing added muscle mass for Sows who need to dig burrows and fight for resources for their offspring.

This is a dynamic process - the ovarian tissue that makes eggs and gets larger during breeding, then regresses. Outside of breeding season the testicular tissue, expands until it’s larger than the ovarian end - flooding the Sow's system with testosterone.

This explains why female moles have male-like genitalia... But it doesn't explain how patch of testicular tissue forms in female moles even though they do not have a Y chromosome. Up until recently the Y chromosome was thought to be fundamental to male sex determination.

In 2020 a team of molecular geneticists studied the female mole's ability to produce testicular tissue without a Y chromosome. They found that changes in the structure of the Mole's genome that lead to altered control of genetic activity.

But what does this mean? In short the female mole shows us that evolution doesn't work in the way that we have assumed since Darwin - their DNA changes within the living organism.

Since Darwin, it has been generally accepted that the different appearances of living organisms are the result of gradual changes in genetic makeup that have been passed onto subsequent generations - but Moles experience changes in the regulatory regions belonging to sex genes.

The researchers found that female moles do not have a Y chromosone but they do have a triple CYP17A1 gene. CYP17A1 is involved in the formation of steroid hormones + the triplication of this gene in the mole creates a dynamic sex regulatory system.

This dynamic process appends additional regulatory sequences to the gene and leads to an increased production of male sex hormones in the ovotestes of female moles, especially more testosterone.

What the intersexual mole shows us is how important the three-dimensional organization of the genome is for evolution. Nature makes use of existing developmental genes and rearranges them to create a characteristic such as intersexuality.

We see in the mole that evolution is not a linear process, arranged around the principle of Euclidian geometry. It is rather a topological process - a structure cast in rubber that is responsive and adaptive to the environment.

The mole also reminds us of the complexity of sexual development. The shifting sexual characteristics of the mole shows how the process of sexual development can, and does result in a wide range of natural variations.

[amnhnyc]

Did you know? To beat the heat, the waxy monkey tree frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii) can produce its own sunscreen! This amphibian, which can be found in South America’s Chaco Forest, spends much of its time sunbathing in the treetops. It cares for its skin by secreting a waxy substance that acts like a self-made sunscreen. Flexible hind-legs help it to spread this “sunscreen” onto its back, ensuring its whole body is coated with a protective layer. 

Photo: Joachim S. Müller, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, flickr

[yourcrazyboyokris]

Fun Animal Facts

Japanese Spider Crabs exist and they are after your left index finger

[daily-fun-animal-facts]

Hi! Any cool facts about orcas

Hello my friend! Of course!

The name killer whale derives from their original name ‘whale killers’ given to them by sailors who saw them hunting whales. Over time, the name eventually switched around.  The name ‘orca‘ comes from their Latin species name Orcinus orca, where orcinus translates to mean ‘Kingdom of the dead’.

Since moose dive up to 6 meters (~20 ft) to find aquatic vegetation to eat, Orcas have become one of their natural predators.

While their name suggests that they come from the whale family, they are actually the largest of the dolphin family. The real question however, is do they share the same freakish behaviors some dolphins exhibit?

[martitheevans]

You reblogged a post that said we can send you random asks so here i go: opinion on turtles?

Turtles. 10/10. Wish I had a house I could carry around on my back and retract into whenever I wanted.

I kept getting turtles and tortoises mixed up and had to Google some stuff and found that all tortoises are considered turtles because they belong to the order Testudines or Chelonia. But, not all tortoises are turtles, I think that's interesting enough to share.

[kohampster]

cool snake fact: long

[pandapattycake]

Did you know that on my Etsy page all of my affirmation animals have a fun fact on the description? Just another way to learn more about these things. The best fact is actually terrifying and cool though. Go check it out!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

[thebakingbarbarian]

a group of three or more lesbians is called a snatch

[marlynnofmany]

Hey, do you think Quetzalcoatlus used to bite everything like pelicans do?

I'm picturing this one trying an exploratory nibble on the elephant beastie in the background, with a predictable lack of success.

[amnhnyc]

Did you know? The short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is a monotreme, meaning it’s one of the few mammals that lays eggs instead of bearing live young. This species lives for an average of 10 years in the wild, and up to 50 years in captivity. Weighing up to 15.4 lbs (7 kg), this spiky critter can be found in parts of Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. It feeds on invertebrates like ants and termites.

Photo: crapgame, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNautralist

[feelingautistic]

Exciting news for the cute shark lovers of the world! We finally have a recorded sighting of a baby great white shark, likely only a few hours old.

The question of where great white sharks give birth still remains a mystery to this day but this footage may suggest the coasts of California, where the footage was taken, are a site where these sharks give birth.

[daily-fun-animal-facts]

Oarfish

Oarfish lack scales. Unlike many bony fish, oarfish lack scales. Instead, they have tubercules and a silvery coat of a material called ganoine. Although they are adapted to survive under high pressure, at the surface their skin is soft and easily damaged.

[pinkapet]

Fun fact! You can just counteract any claims of "homosexuality is a sin" by listing animal species :)

Gay sex is a sin- Male lions have gay sex. Over 1,500 species have been observed to have individuals who prefer same sex relationships. If god made all these animals, and they do it, why can't we do it?

It's impossible to change your gender- Clownfish. All clownfish are born male, and the largest of the group transitions to female.

Solo fun time is a sin- Why? Animals do it all the time.

Everything is either male or female- Wrong, snails. Worms. Some fish. There are species that are all the same, and also ones who don't even need a partner to procreate.

The point is, humans are animals too. It's not unnatural because nature is doing it constantly! Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me that for some reason humans are the sole exception to this???

[yuushin7]

Back on my TwiYor brainrot shoit again .😅 We really need Yor using her stealth to spook unflappable Twilight more. I know he's stressed enough as is, but it's too funny.

[mothuum]

The Most Extreme was an episodic sci-fi drama television series on the American cable television network Animal Planet. The series follows a nameless green, computer-animated human man antagonist who appropriates various animal traits for his plans before being foiled by the titular "Most Extreme," a team of 10 animals that vary based on the episode's theme.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Kate Carin (Costume Designer): I was very adamant that I would need manufacturing on this job, because it gives you an opportunity to create things that you can't just find on the shelf and you can then really create worlds. I felt that Shax's, for me, from the outset, was always going to be red. In her final look when she comes back to lead the demons in the battle against the angels, I said to her, 'Will you wear a red leather catsuit?' And she said, 'Yes.' So we made her a red leather catsuit. And then I said to her, 'What about if we give you really, really great kind of animalistic shoulders?' So we made her huge leather, scaly shoulders, which she also donned, no problem at all. You'll see on the front of her armour is the stork, which is the Shax's demon's creature animal, so we had that embossed.

Sarah-Kate Fenelon (Producer): It's like the Neil Gaiman version of whata demon would wear when they were going, you know, she looks fabulous, but she also looks fierce.

Miranda Richardson (Shax): It's amazing. My many pointed armoured breastplate, which is very useful for anything that anybody wants to get rid of before a shot. I can just tuck up there. I've got my phone up there, I've got my script sides up there, coffee up there, you know. (video)