Category: Invertebrates
“Clam” is an informal name that refers to bivalves (such as oysters, scallops, mussels, cockles, clams, and numerous other families that can live in both fresh and saltwater environments. Most are filter feeders and have a shell consisting of two calcareous halves attached via a flexible ligament along a hinge line. Most are sedentary but some bivalves, such as scallops, are able to “swim” by opening and closing their valves rapidly. There are around 9200 named species of living bivalves and accompanying such a large number is an amazing diversity of forms, behavior, and other adaptations. Bivalves have historically been a very important part of the diet of coastal human populations.
Body horror in the insect kingdom
Learning about animals, you can discover many fascinating, even beautiful facts, but there are also things that can give you nightmares! Enter the strepsiptera (“twisted-wing parasite”). The adult female has no limbs, wings, or mouth - she simply lives in and feeds off her host (typically a wasp). When it becomes time to mate, she protrudes part of her abdomen from between the plates of her host and uses mind control to get the wasp to fly off to nearby males. Sexually mature males have wings, and fly around for about five hours before dying - spending their entire short existence seeking out females to mate with. After the female is impregnated, her own young grow and consume her. And once there is nothing left to eat, they leave their host wasp, infiltrate the nursery, and latch on to a larvae to create their own “zombie wasp” host and continue the grisly cycle!
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