Wise And Wonderfull

Human beings are all the same. The same three or four colours and shades between. The same bodies and organs, the same actions and reactions. Animals on the other hand are so exciting. Hundreds of colours, so many types of bodies, so many super powers. 

Twenty five years ago I wrote a quiz book called Wise and Wonderful published by Rupa. The idea was to get people familiar with the millions of wonderful things animals could do. So many years later I continue to be fascinated by their abilities. Human beings are all the same. The same three or four colours and shades between. The same bodies and organs, the same actions and reactions. Animals on the other hand are so exciting. Hundreds of colours, so many types of bodies, so many super powers. 

Hairy frogs break their bones and push them out through their toes to make claws. The "hair"are actually external gills full of arteries. The frog can make its own retractable claws by breaking his toe-bones and jabbing them through his skin. Apparently the claws later retract passively, while the damaged tissue is regenerated. 

Pit vipers, as well as some pythons and boas, can sense the body heat of their prey from several feet away. Small pit organs on the snakes' faces detect infrared radiation. Nerves connect the pit organs to the brain's somatosensory system, which processes the sense of touch, allowing them to create a thermal profile of a nearby mouse for example.