26Zombifying Mushroom: Carpenter Ants
Ophiocordycep is a species of mushroom that infects and zombifies carpenter ants. The mushroom slowly takes control of the ant's motor functions and leads them away from the colony to die in a place ideal for growing. Then the mushroom grows out of the ant's head.
27. The Welwitschia plant is a living fossil that existed before South America split from Africa 200 million years ago. It can live for more than 2000 years and maintain the same two leaves throughout its entire life.
28. An unidentified species of whale calls at the unusual frequency of 52 hertz, earning it the nickname "the 52-hertz whale." This pitch is higher than that of other whale species-blue and fin whales-that follow its migration pattern. It is known as "the world's loneliest whale."
29. Salvia divinorum is a plant in the Mint family that produces the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen by mass. Salvia produces the most intense peak in roughly a minute, which lasts for 1-5 minutes. Users usually return to a sense of the everyday and familiar, then to baseline, after about 15-20 minutes.
30. Mountain gorillas almost never drink water. They obtain hydration from their plant diet and morning dew. Despite living in rainforests, they also tend to dislike rain and try to stay dry when crossing a stream. In 2013, researchers first observed them drinking water in the wild.
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31Moth's Protective Nuptial Festooning
The males of the moth species Cosmosoma myrodora shoot layers of hair drenched in plant toxins onto the female to protect her from predators during mating, as copulation takes a significant amount of time. This practice is called protective nuptial festooning.
32. Bagheera kiplingi is the only mostly herbivorous spider that we know of. It feeds on the nectar of swollen-thorn acacias in a symbiotic relationship with Pseudomyrmex ants.
33. The tailorbird is a songbird from the Asian tropics that uses its pointed beak to sew nests with large leaves using plant fiber as thread.
34. There is a genus of plants in the pea family called Clitoria. Its name comes from its flowers, which resemble human vulvas. Some species' flowers are edible and commonly used in Southeast and South Asian cuisines and traditional medicine.
35. Kentucky Bluegrass, a common grass planted in suburban lawns in North America, does not originate from Kentucky and is not native to North America. It originates from Europe, North Asia, and Northern Africa, which was imported by the Spanish Empire to the Americas.
36Albino Redwoods: Nutrient Parasites
Albino redwood trees exist, but they cannot produce their own food, so they are considered parasites, relying on nutrients from neighboring trees.
37. The sandbox tree, also known as the 'dynamite tree,' is covered in poison-filled spikes. Its pumpkin-shaped fruits, when ripe, explode and fling seeds at 250 km/h (160 mph).
38. Strangler figs begin their life as a seed on a tree branch, typically left there by an animal. As they grow, their long roots extend down along the trunk of the host tree, eventually engulfing the host tree trunk and cutting off its nutrient and water supply.
39. Ant queens can take over other colonies by killing the reigning queen and bathing in her bodily fluids to avoid detection. Some ants may decorate their homes with the heads of other ant species to mask their own scent, speculating that this behavior is a way to parasitize specific species.
40. After the last bucardo, a wild goat species, died, scientists brought a clone to life, making the bucardo the first species to become de-extinct. The clone died after seven minutes, making it the first species to go extinct twice.
