Don’t end up on a crow’s bad side
As a biology student, I’ve always been fond of learning about obscure phenomena that occur in nature. Every now and again, I’ll encounter a piece of information about nature, which makes me feel ever so uneasy like I’m not fully comfortable with believing the fact that it exists on the same planet as I do. I’ve highlighted four spooky things that exist in nature that creep me out, and have investigated why they are the way that they are.
Coast-horned lizards can shoot blood from their eyes
I was given this specific reptile as a topic for one of my first-year ecology class projects, and I still think about this lizard to this day. Coast-horned lizards are from the genus Phrynosoma and live in western and central North America. Lizards in this genus have one of the most unique (and most creepy) defences ever. Along with their near-perfect camouflage and their reluctance to move, these lizards will shoot blood out of slits below their eyes when threatened from the front. This act of defence is rarely observed in the presence of humans; researchers have theorised that this only occurs in the presence of canines—such as foxes and coyotes—which would be natural predators within their environments.
Taylor Glacier in Antarctica is also known as ‘Blood Falls’
Keeping on the blood theme, there is a waterfall in Antarctica that turns blood-red when the water comes in contact with air. Nicknamed ‘Blood Falls,’ scientists have been trying to explain this creepy phenomenon for nearly a century since its discovery in 1911. Early Antarctic explorers hypothesised that red algae or iron oxides may be the cause of the colour change, but the latest study suggests that iron-rich nanospheres oxidise to turn the water the distinctive blood red. Other elements such as chlorine, magnesium, and sodium can also contribute colours to this bloody-looking masterpiece.
Crows can remember what your face looks like
Crows are objectively spooky. Every horror movie seems to have them circling a graveyard. They are commonly used as a symbol of death and they also make a distinct unsettling noise.
Yet, you might not know that crows have the ability to remember both bird and human faces. Behavioural studies have shown that crows can recognise facial characteristics of people for at least five years and are likely to attack and
act aggressively toward those who cause them stress. Note to self: whatever you do, be nice to crows because they WILL remember if you weren’t.
Zombie Fungus
Zombies are real. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, commonly known as zombie-ant fungus, uses one of the most malevolent and creepy methods of reproduction. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is a tropical parasite that manipulates and kills ants after taking over their minds and bodies. Ants pick up fungal spores from the ground, which allows the parasite to hijack the ant’s mind. The parasite causes the ant to climb up the stem of a plant and attach to a leaf, death-latching by the ant’s jaw. The fungal bodies grow and rupture from the ant’s head, killing the ant as the fungus reproduces. What a malicious—yet awesome—way to reproduce.
