An interesting fact regarding this insect is that, while they are mating, the female
praying mantis eats the males head. No one knows for sure why, but it could be that protein from male body helps the eggs develop. Praying mantis have excellent eye sight and they can see up to 18 meters (60 feet) away. They are not dangerous creatures (well at least not to the humans) and their average lifespan is around 12 months.
Wales:
Wales (country that is part of the United Kingdom), there is a village called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (58 letters), which in English means "Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of Saint Tysilio near the red cave." The locals call it Llanfairpwll. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.com is the longest single word .com domain name in the world.Twin Brother In His Stomach:
India resident Sanju Bhagat always had bit larger stomach, but he got extremely worried when it suddenly started growing bigger and bigger. Thirty year old Sanju Bhagat was rushed to hospital and his stomach condition was diagnosed as an stomach tumor. To a doctor's surprise it was something extremely different and very unusual. From the birth Sanju had his twin brother living inside of him like a parasite. This phenomenon is extremely rare since parasite twin brother has to survive by leaching on its brother’s blood supply. This bizarre medical conditions is called fetus in fetu and it occurs when a fetus gets trapped inside of its twin. Doctor Mehta who was operating Sanju Bhagat said: "First, one limb came out, then another limb came out. Then some part of genitalia, then some part of hair, some limbs, jaws, limbs, hair."The Pyramids Were White:
How to change your skin to blue?
If you would prefer bluish skin then your diet should include silver. An over exposure to the chemical form of silver causes an acute discoloration of the skin from normal to blue or bluish-gray in human beings or animals. This condition is called as Argyria. The word is a derivative of the Greek word 'argyros' which implies 'silver'. It is due to the deposition of the silver salts on one's eyes, skin and other internal organs. In the pre-antibiotic times, this skin disease was more prevalent due to the use of silver in the nasal drops. This disease has now been recognized as a permanent skin disease that is slowly becoming common. 58-year-old Paul Karason suffered a shocking side effect from the drug "colloidal silver," which he used to treat a skin condition; his skin turned blue. Paul Karason looked like an ordinary man until about a decade ago, when he began treating himself with silver. Patients develop argyria, which is the permanent collection of silver under the skin. Karason is blue for the rest of his life!Tooth Implanted Into His Eye
Martin Jones, an Englishman had lost his power of vision and remained blind for almost a decade. He has now regained his power of vision. This has been accomplished by implanting a piece of tooth in his eye. The tooth that was implanted was a canine tooth which is also known as the "eyetooth". A living canine was pulled out of Martin Jones' own mouth. They then placed a man-made eye lens into its base and placed it under the lid of his eye and let the tissue grow over the canine. Also a lit flap of his skin was taken from his mouth and implanted over the tooth in his eye which later had access to its own supply of blood. The doctors then cut a hole in the cornea that permitted light to enter the eye. This very procedure gave six hundred people the power of vision.Brainwashed By Fungi!
Imagine an insect that is brainwashed by parasitic fungi (genus Cordyceps). This interesting fungi manipulates insect's brain forcing him to climb the plant or tree, and upon reaching to the top grows out of his head or body! Cordyceps also called Chinese caterpillar fungus, native to the Tibetan plateau in China. In human beings, it enters through the ears, germinates in the mind, causes the host to destroy rival communities, and exits via the mouth, and infects others. A Korean study of a related species of Cordyceps indicates that it has components that may inhibit coagulation, making it potentially beneficial in stroke and heart attack prevention. A hot water extract of the fungus appeared to stimulate the immune system. In other studies, which have reported that Cordyceps may be useful in treating Hepatitis B. A study from Thailand reported that Cordyceps nipponica might be of value in the treating malaria. Another review concluded that Cordyceps might be promising as a possible support for heart & lung function. Interesting fact is that Chinese Olympic athletes use this fungi to improve their performance and stamina.Goats That Climb Trees
Goats can climb trees! In Morocco goats climb Argan trees to consume delicious berries which are similar to the olives. Local farmers follow these goats because fruit of the Argan tree has the nut inside which is used to make delicious cooking oil. Interesting fact (besides the climbing goats) is that Morocco goats spit or excrete these nuts, which then farmers use to make the Argan oil. However, Argan trees are close to extinction because of the tree wood harvesting. Some organizations are trying to promote Argan oil to became marketing success in order to preserve these weird trees. We all hope that these goats will continue their climbing adventures!Tarsier The Smallest Monkey
Do you know the smallest monkey spends its entire life on trees? Yes! It's true. Tarsier, an unusual mammal, just keeps clinging to the trunk of the trees, even while sleeping and giving birth to the young ones. Isn't it amazing? This nocturnal animal has large eyes, a long tail and ears with almost no hair. It is a carnivores animal and can move its ears to determine the location of the prey. The most unusual thing about this animal is its flexible neck that it can turn up to 360 degrees. Tarsier is about the size of squirrel but it has long tail. Since they can't walk, they hop when they on ground and mark their trees with their urine. Interesting fact is that Tarsier is neither a monkey nor a primate. It is something in between. Philippines' tarsiers are smallest of all tarsiers and their eyes are as big as their brain.
Mike: The Headless Chicken
Miracles happen. For a five and half months old rooster, there would not really be many ways to gather dust and fame in our world. But on the 10th of September 1945, destiny had a certain way with Mike. Using a sharp axe, farmer Lloyd Olsen decided on preparing Mike for the night's supper. However, bringing the tool down did chop off the rooster, but did not prepare it for Mr. Olsen's kitchen, as the rooster, did not seem to mind the incident for more than a while, and went around pecking for food headless. Most of a chicken's reflex actions are controlled by the brain stem. Purely by freakish accident of the nature Mike's half of the brain stem and one ear remained intact. Mike received food and water through a eyedropper. Hence, was born the ordeal and legend of a headless rooster. Mike not only lived on for another eighteen months, but also went on to a healthy 8lbs from an initial 2lbs. The rooster won a place in the Guinness book of records, priced itself at $10,000, insured at another $10,000 and brought himself a manager as he tagged off to a tour to New York, LA and Atlantic City. Unfortunately it was at the end of one of these tours, when Mike passed away, leaving behind a legacy of remembrance and respect for Mike's will for survival.Jesus Christ Lizard
A part of the Iguana family, the Jesus Christ lizard is known so, because of a special ability it has. Upon, seeing danger, the lizard can run on the surface of water at a break neck speed. Also, known as the basilisk, the lizard comes with well equipped with webbed hind legs. While, their tread upon water surfaces is more of an appearance, it does not usually last for more than 10-20 meters in a stretch, and in the case of older lizards, it's smaller. With very sharp toes and elongated toes, basilisks are seen scurrying around during day time. Much alike its other reptile cousins which remain active during day time. Basilisks, which grow up to a foot's length, usually do not weigh anything more than 600 hundred grams in their life span of around 8 years. The females are known to lay around 2 dozen eggs, five to eight times annually, which hatch after about three months of gestation. With an excellent camouflage to hide themselves, the new born lizards are extremely well hidden, not weighing more than 2gms.Foreign Bodies In The Rectum
Foreign bodies in the rectum are a common occurrence and most of the cases are treated with anesthesia before removing objects. Patients have usually made multiple attempts to remove the object themselves before consulting the professional. Common objects inserted are fruits, balls, bottles, vibrators, vegetables, and balls. However, interesting fact is that professors D. Busch and J. Starling; Madison, Wisconsin in 1986 did research and study report on strange rectal foreign bodies. Some of the unusual objects found in the anus and rectum include: magazine, beer glass, seven light bulbs, two flashlights, knife sharpener, frozen pigs tail, wire spring and tobacco pouch.
