Nick Lee

10 Fascinating Facts About The Sea Lamprey

By Nick Lee | February 19, 2021

(photo: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory)

Known locally as the Vampire of the Great Lakes, the sea lamprey is an ancient, parasitic fish that’s lasted for hundreds of years. Commonly mistaken for a type of eel, the lamprey is a basic vertebrate. They’re a primitive fish made up of cartilage and have multiple rows of sharp little teeth in a mouth that flattens into a disc so they can to latch onto their prey and suck the life out of it – like a vampire.

Can You Legally Own A Penguin As A Pet?

By Nick Lee | February 15, 2021

(photo: Ian Parker)

For some people, cats and dogs seem overrated. There’s a reason domestic animals are domestic, though, and why wild animals should stay wild. Penguins are no exception, despite being pretty harmless.

Why Are Pandas So Clumsy?

By Nick Lee | February 12, 2021

Clowns usually have very colorful faces. Pandas are the monochromatic variant. The internet is choc full of videos of these black-and-white bears tripping and falling all over their zoo enclosures. Though majestic, they are anything but graceful.

Do Hippos Have Predators?

By Nick Lee | February 11, 2021

Hippos are potentially the most aggressive animal on land. Where sharks are known to be deadly in the sea, in 2020 there were only 129 total cases of shark attacks. Hippos on the other hand average several hundred fatal attacks on humans every year. Are these dangerous giants all-powerful?

The Golden Tiger Is The Third Rarest Animal On The Planet

By Nick Lee | February 9, 2021

Golden tigers are one of the rarest animals on the planet. These tigers’ stunning coats do not make them a separate species, though. They’re a breed of Bengal tigers. Their unique coloring is actually a genetic mutation from recessive genes.

Why Do Bees Kill The Queen Bee?

By Nick Lee | February 8, 2021

why do bees kill their queen

The natural world runs on a hierarchy of power. There is perhaps no better metaphor than that of the queen bee: an all-powerful overlord of hives teeming with thousands of workers.

But is that really the case? Colonies are “queenright” when they have a queen bee. Sometimes, though, the queen is wrong.

Do Killer Whales Eat Dolphins?

By Nick Lee | February 5, 2021

Commonly known as killer whales, are orcas really as evil as they sound?

This monochromatic marine mammal has been rumored to play with its lunch: innocent, giggling dolphins. But! Everything isn’t as it seems.

Why Do Dolphins Beach Themselves?

By Nick Lee | February 4, 2021

Cetacean stranding is the official term for ‘beaching,’ when a dolphin or a whale gets itself stuck on land. Depending on the species, stranding is explained by several different reasons.

Instances of both single strandings and multiple strandings have been recorded. The latter are instances of group beachings.

How Common Are Gay Animals?

By Nick Lee | February 2, 2021

Every single category within the animal kingdom features species who regularly exhibit homosexual behavior: vertebrates and invertebrates; amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles; even insects!

Do Animals Have Sex For Pleasure?

By Nick Lee | February 1, 2021

We do know that animals can experience pleasure. Think about stroking a cat under its chin or getting the good spot right behind a dog’s ear.

But do they experience pleasure from all interactions? Say, carnal ones? Humans are known to derive pleasure from sex, but do animals?

Are Jellyfish Immortal?

By Nick Lee | January 29, 2021

immortal jellyfish

Arguably the most well-known invertebrate in the world, jellyfish earn their renown from their ethereal presence and their massive populations. Rumors abound about this sea creature’s lifespan. Do immortal beings really populate our seas? It seems like there are hundreds of thousands in every ocean in the world, washing up on beaches from California to Namibia to Japan.

Can they live forever?

Are Tardigrades Indestructible?

By Nick Lee | January 29, 2021

Only about .02 inches big (half the size of the tip of a pencil point or ¼ the width of a nickel), the tardigrade is a microscopic invertebrate that looks like something out of a science fiction movie. Most closely related to insects and crustaceans, tardigrades have 8 legs but look more like the horizontal version of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man than any bug or crab.