Stork's tough love 🐦

Nature isn't cruel, it's practical. Feeling that she can't feed three chicks, the mother stork chooses the weakest and throws it out of the nest, so the remaining ones get more food.

The unlucky chick will likely die, but there's a chance a person will find and raise it. Then, those who now scold the stork will cry over the poor bird living with humans: "A bird should live free!" You can't please everyone 🤷‍♂️

Monarch Butterfly: A Migratory Marvel 🦋

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is one of North America's most iconic butterflies. 🌟

In the 19th century, they were introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Today, they can be found in Europe on the Canary Islands and Madeira. 🌍

Incredible Migration Journey 🗺️

Monarchs are famous for their annual migrations from southern Canada and the northern US to Florida, California, and Mexico, traveling up to 3,000 miles (4,800 km) each way! 🚀 They overwinter in Mexico's mountains and return north in the spring.

Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve 🌳

This protected area in Mexico's Michoacán state is a vital habitat for monarch butterflies. 🌟 A hummingbird robot helps monitor these magnificent creatures. 🤖

🦔 Meet the Madagascar tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) taking a dust bath and rubbing in a new scent! 🌿

Zookeepers provide tenrecs with new scented dust to stimulate their natural behavior. In the wild, tenrecs use scent as camouflage and to repel parasites. 🐜💡

Did you know? Tenrecs are one of the few mammals that use scent marking to communicate. They have scent glands near their front legs, which they use to leave chemical signals for other tenrecs. 📢👀

🦅 Crowned Crane's Mating Dance 💃

Meet the majestic Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina), a resident bird in Western and Eastern Africa. 🌟 This stunning bird has a distinctive red throat pouch under its chin, similar to a rooster's or turkey's, which can inflate. 🔥

Found in savannas south of the Sahara, and in East Africa, including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, and Ethiopia. 🌍 They inhabit open spaces, from wetlands to dry areas, but prefer freshwater marshes, floodplains, or lake shores. 🌿

You can also spot them in rice fields or other water-loving crops. 🌾 Often, their habitats feature acacia trees or other trees where they roost at night. 🌳 The Crowned Crane is fearless around humans and often settles near human settlements. 🏠

Interesting fact: The Crowned Crane is known for its impressive mating dance, which involves jumping, bowing, and spreading its colorful wings. 💃🕺

🐦 Meet the Palm Cockatoo, one of the few bird species that use tools to create sound! 🎵

Males build nests in specific tree cavities to impress picky females, then use sticks to drum and lure them in for a nest inspection. 🏠👀

This large parrot measures 70-80 cm in length and inhabits northern Australia, Cape York Peninsula, New Guinea, and nearby islands. 🌴 Did you know that the Palm Cockatoo is the oldest cockatoo species in Australia, and was the first to inhabit the continent's north? 🌟

These birds can live up to 90 years, giving them plenty of time to master complex skills! 🤓

Meet the Majestic Saturniidae Moths! 🦋

The Saturniidae family includes some of the largest moth species, characterized by heavy bodies covered in velvety hair-like scales, broad wings with two pairs of eyespots, and small heads.

Newly Emerged! 🌟 This is a freshly hatched Saturnia pavoniella (Small Emperor Moth), preparing its wings for its first flight. 🦉

🐨 Meet the Long-nosed Potoroo (Potorous tridactylus), a cute marsupial native to Eastern Australia and Tasmania.

They live on the ground, are active at night, and sometimes bask in the sun on early mornings. Their days are spent in shallow burrows, usually dug at the base of grassy tussocks. No complex tunnels for them! 🌿

Potoroos feed on grassy plants, roots, and fungi. From May to June, over 70% of their diet consists of mushrooms! 🍄 They also snack on insects, especially in summer.

Watch how they sniff the ground, moving side to side, and start digging with their front paws when they find a potential food source using their keen sense of smell! 👃

Meet the African Black-Bellied Pangolin! 🦰

This fascinating creature, Phataginus tetradactyla, feeds almost exclusively on ants, making it the only known pangolin species that doesn't rely on termites for food. 🐜

Also known as long-tailed pangolins, they inhabit the forests of western and central Africa. This pangolin has discovered a nest of tree ants! 🌳

Interestingly, the name "pangolin" comes from the Malay word "pengguling," meaning "rolling into a ball." Pangolins can be found not only in Africa but also in Asia, including China, Java, and Malaysia. 🌟

Ant hills serve as both a food source and a unique "cleaning station" for pangolins. The animal sits near a swarm of angry ants, spreading its scales, allowing the insects to crawl underneath and bite, covering its skin in ant acid. Despite the pain, the pangolin endures this process! 😳

🐹 Meet the Bushy-tailed Jird (Sekeetamys calurus) taking a sand bath - just like a chinchilla! 🌀

But unlike chinchillas, these rodents aren't found in the Andes. Instead, they inhabit Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. 🌍

They have a body length of 10-12 cm and a tail length of 11-16 cm. Their fur is yellow to red on top with dark shadows, while their belly and limbs are whitish. Their brown, fluffy tail ends with a white tuft. 🌟

These rodents dig burrows under stones or buildings. Females give birth to an average of 3 young, with a maximum of 6 in a litter. One individual lived in captivity for almost 5.5 years. 🐾

Interesting fact: Bushy-tailed Jirds are well adapted to life in the desert, with their sand baths helping to keep their fur clean and shiny! ✨

Meet the Giant Spotted-Tailed Quoll! 🐨

The Dasyurus maculatus is the second-largest marsupial predator, after the Tasmanian devil, and the largest on mainland Australia. 🌳

Physical Characteristics:

* Body length: 60-75 cm (24-30 in)
* Tail length: 50 cm (20 in)
* Weight: up to 7 kg (15 lbs)
* Dark brown fur with distinctive white spots on the tail 🌟

Habitat and Behavior:

* Found in humid rainforests and coastal thickets along the coast
* Nocturnal and solitary animals 🌃
* Dens can be found in underground burrows, caves, tree hollows, and even under houses 🏠

Diet:

* Mainly consists of rabbits and other small mammals (2/3 of their diet)
* Also eats birds, eggs, and reptiles 🥚
* Large enough to hunt bigger prey like herons, possums, and young wallabies 🦥

Interesting Fact: The Giant Spotted-Tailed Quoll is an apex predator, playing a crucial role in maintaining the balance of its ecosystem. 🌿

Meet the Sacred Langur 🐒

In India, the Hanuman Langur (Semnopithecus entellus) is revered as a sacred animal, embodying the god Hanuman. 🙏

Found in India, Nepal, South Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, these agile monkeys are excellent tree climbers and jumpers, covering 4-12 meters in a single leap! 🌳 They spend most of their day on the ground, running on all fours, but always sleep in trees at night. 🌃

Interesting fact: Langurs are primarily herbivores, feeding on fruits, flowers, tree bark, and leaves. However, they occasionally raid agricultural plantations, causing mischief! 🍃👀

🦎 Meet the Fish-Scale Gecko! 🐟

The Geckolepis megalepis, also known as the fish-scale gecko, is a species of gecko with unusually large scales. 🤯

These nocturnal, tree-dwelling, insectivorous lizards are endemic to Madagascar and the Comoros Islands. 🌴

Their most remarkable feature? They can shed their skin and scales when caught by a predator! 😲

Their species name "megalepis" means "very large scales" in Greek. The shed skin and scales regrow within weeks, leaving no scars. 💥

Meet the Nacunda Nighthawk! 🦉

Found in South America, this bird never migrates and instead, hibernates during the toughest months when food is scarce. With just 10 grams of stored fat, it can survive for up to 100 days in hibernation! 😴

What's unique about this nighthawk is its partially diurnal lifestyle. Despite being a nocturnal hunter, it spends a lot of time on the ground, with exceptionally long legs for a nighthawk. You're more likely to spot it walking on the ground than resting on its surface! 🌟

Did you know that the Nacunda Nighthawk was previously classified under the monotypic genus Podager, but was reclassified to Chordeiles in 2011? Its former genus name "Podager" comes from the Latin word for "gouty person", reflecting its awkward walking style! 😂

Meet the Whistling Duck! 🦆

The Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) is a medium-sized waterbird that inhabits tropical regions of America. 🌴

Fun Fact: Did you know that Whistling Ducklings leave their nests just 1-2 days after hatching? 🐥 In this video, a mother Whistling Duck pretends to have a broken wing to distract a young alligator and lead it away from her family! 🙌 What a clever mom! 🐥💕

🐒 Meet the stunning Javan leaf monkey (Trachypithecus auratus) that inhabits the rainforests of Indonesia, specifically on the island of Java and nearby smaller islands.

These langurs have a distinctive long tail, up to 1 meter in length, while their body length is around 55 cm. They're active during the day, spending most of their time in trees, and their diet consists mainly of leaves, fruits, flowers, and buds. Occasionally, they'll also eat insect larvae. Their digestive system is adapted to break down tough plant material.

But there's something scientists don't mention... Take one look at their serious, gloomy faces, and it's clear: you're looking at a group of philosophical misanthropes! 🤔

🐦 Meet the Kakapo (Owl Parrot) Strigops habroptila, the only living flightless parrot and the heaviest parrot species, endemic to New Zealand, with a nocturnal lifestyle.

It measures 60 cm in length and weighs 2-4 kg. Its facial feathers form a disk, similar to owls, possibly aiding in location. Its voice is a hoarse, creaking sound, turning into shrill, unpleasant noises. Interestingly, the Kakapo has a strong, yet pleasant smell, similar to flowers, honey, or beeswax.

Although flightless, Kakapos are excellent climbers and can ascend tall trees. They can then "parachute" down, jumping with open wings, gliding 20-50 meters at a 45° angle.

Their diet consists mainly of local plants (ferns), seeds, berries, pollen, and nectar. 🌿

Meet the Mountain Viscacha! 🐰🏔️

The Mountain Viscacha (Lagidium viscacia) is a rodent that inhabits the mountainous regions of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. They live in areas with sparse vegetation at high altitudes of 2400-5000m. 🏔️

Physical Characteristics 🐾

Mountain Viscachas resemble rabbits with long tails, similar to squirrels. They have a body length of 40cm and a tail length of up to 32cm, weighing between 1.5-3kg.

Behavior and Diet 🌟

These animals are diurnal, most active during sunrise and sunset. They feed on grasses, mosses, and lichens, and don't need water as they get enough moisture from the plants they eat! 💦

Conservation Status 🚨

Unfortunately, Mountain Viscachas are hunted for their fur and meat, leading to a decline in their population.

Interesting Fact 🤔

In the wild, Mountain Viscachas only live for 3 years, but in captivity, with proper care, they can live up to 19 years! 🐾💕

🕷️ Meet the Whip Spider (Amblypygi), an ancient inhabitant of our planet! Fossil records show they've been around for over 358 million years. 🌟

These tropical creatures thrive in warm and humid climates, found in Africa, Australia, India, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Haiti, Malaysia, Indonesia, and many more countries.

🔍 Whip Spiders have relatively small bodies (5mm-4.5cm) with a flattened shape. But, their long legs (up to 25cm or more) make them look intimidating! Some species have a leg span of 40-60cm. 🤯

👀 The key difference between Whip Spiders and regular spiders? No silk or venom glands! Despite their fearsome appearance, they're harmless to humans and only feed on small insects. 🐜

When you're not at the top of the food chain and can't rely on brains and brawn to avoid being eaten, you come up with other tricks 🤔. In the animal kingdom, various defense mechanisms are used, and one of the most remarkable is mimicry 🔮.

Meet the lichen katydid Markia hystrix, a master of effective camouflage 🌿. Lichen growths on trees provide the perfect cover for this insect, which blends in with its surroundings 🌟.

This katydid lives in South America, feeding on lichens and remaining a mystery 🤷‍♂️. Luckily, it was spotted and filmed, giving us a glimpse into its secret life 📹.