Mother Knows Best
Oct 01, 2020
When a predator or a rival orangutan shows up, mother orangutans scratch their leathery skin loudly to tell their infants, “Come on. It’s time to leave.” In fact, the scratching is loud enough to be heard 50 feet (15 m) away. Scientists think that perhaps the mother’s noisy scratching catches the attention of her young without alerting the predator.
Rock Eaters
Your mom would never serve a plate of rocks for dinner. But for some creatures and plants, rocks make a yummy meal.
Swallow
Crocodiles swallow stones to help digest their food. A new study also suggests that by stashing stones in their stomachs, crocodiles can stay under water longer.
Dissolve
Some Brazilian plants use acid to dissolve rock and absorb the chemical phosphorus for nutrients. Scientists hope to grow other plants with this rockeating ability to produce more food in hard soil.
Chew
The Philippine shipworm chews through limestone and poos out sand. Scientists aren’t sure how it gets nutrients. (photo by Dan Distel)
