The text discusses various unusual animal behaviors and facts. Dolphins are known to engage in violent and playful behaviors, such as wrapping live eels around their bodies and using decapitated fish heads as toys. They can also become jealous and aggressive towards humans.
The text also talks about underwater lakes and rivers, which are formed when seawater rises to the surface and dissolves a thick layer of salt, creating a depression. These underwater bodies of water can be several miles long and have unique properties, such as being three to eight times saltier than the surrounding seawater.
Additionally, the text mentions unusual animal specimens, such as a pink manta ray, a king penguin with leucism, a white moose, a polka-dot zebra, and a piebald python. These animals have rare genetic conditions that affect their pigmentation.
The text also warns about the dangers of certain animals, such as zebras, anteaters, and monkeys, which can be aggressive and unpredictable. Zebras, in particular, are noted for their strong kicks and sharp teeth, which can cause serious injuries.
Finally, the text discusses the coloration of zebras, arguing that they are actually black with white stripes, rather than the other way around. The author cites the fact that zebras' skin is black, even under their white fur, and that the white part of their fur is actually the result of deactivated melanocytes.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Dolphins have been observed playing with live eels and using decapitated fish heads as toys.
2. Dolphins can become jealous and have been known to attack humans in some cases.
3. In 1994, a man died after being attacked by a dolphin that became jealous of his interactions with women.
4. Dolphins have been observed engaging in violent behavior, including gang-like behavior and holding females hostage.
5. Male dolphins may engage in dominance behaviors, including violating each other.
6. Amazon dolphins have been observed participating in a behavior known as "gay bowling," where they insert objects into each other's blowholes.
7. Underwater lakes and rivers can form in certain areas, such as the Gulf of Mexico, where seawater rises to a thick layer of salt and dissolves it, creating a depression.
8. These underwater lakes and rivers can be several miles long and can have unique ecosystems.
9. Octopuses have no bones and can survive in deep water without being crushed by pressure.
10. Octopuses are highly intelligent and can escape from enclosures that are not designed with them in mind.
11. Giant Pacific octopuses can weigh up to 600 pounds and are one of the largest invertebrates in the world.
12. A pink manta ray was observed swimming in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia, and is believed to be the only one of its kind in the world.
13. The pink coloration of the manta ray is thought to be caused by a mutation that affects pigments, rather than its diet.
14. A white penguin was observed in a colony of over 100,000 other penguins in Antarctica, and is believed to have leucism, a condition that affects pigmentation.
15. A white moose was observed in Sweden and is believed to have leucism, which affects its skin pigmentation.
16. White moose are protected in some areas, and in Canada, it is illegal to hunt moose that are more than 50% white.
17. A polka-dot zebra was observed in Kenya and is believed to have pseudomelanism, a condition that causes dark spots and stripes to cover most of its body.
18. A white giraffe was observed in Kenya and is believed to have leucism, which affects its skin pigmentation.
19. A piebald python is a type of snake that has patterns of unpigmented spots on its scales, and can be kept as a pet.
20. Zebras are considered to be aggressive and unpredictable animals, and can be a threat to zookeepers.
21. Anteaters are blind and can be defensive if they feel threatened, using their hooked claws to attack.
22. Monkeys, such as tamarinds, can be aggressive and have razor-sharp teeth that can break skin.
23. Zebras are actually black with white stripes, not white with black stripes, as is commonly believed.
24. The skin of a zebra is black, even under its white fur, and the white parts of its fur are where the melanocytes are deactivated.