animals – Page 9 – סלומה

National Geographic, October, 1973.

Unlaid eggs take many forms. They
might have fully formed shells, ready to be laid that day. Or hard amber
blooms about the size of a yolk, in rows like an organic assembly line
on their way through the oviduct. Or they might be tiny yellowish seeds,
like yolk buds on a stem.

Hummingbird nest on a peach.

Southern fur seal pups in Kaikoura (NZ) have figured out a way to avoid taking their first swim in predator-filled waters. By travelling up a nearby stream, they reach a secluded waterfall pool where they can learn vital swimming skills in complete safety. A pup makes this journey only once, spending 3 days in the pool before returning to the sea with its newfound skills. From Life Story (2014).

The following are examples of wildlife crossing or structures that allow animals to cross human-made barriers safely.

A marmot greets eight-year-old Matteo on the slopes of the Austrian Alps
They are notoriously shy around humans, beating their tails and chattering their teeth to try to warn us off before emitting loud whistles to tell other members of their colony to flee, but when these alpine marmots see Matteo Walch, they scuttle to his side and show him nothing but affection. He first met the clan of marmots four years ago on a family holiday and has returned every year since.

Portuguese man of war
Despite its outward appearance, the Portuguese man o’ war is not a common jellyfish but a siphonophore, which is not actually a single multicellular organism, but a colony of specialized minute individuals called zooids. These zooids are attached to one another and physiologically integrated to the extent that they are incapable of independent survival.

Bryde’s whale carcass lying in a mangrove forest carried onto shore by a large wave.