Today I learned:
Albatross' mate for life, in a process of ritual dances that takes years in their remote island colonies. They lay only one egg at a time, which can take a year to hatch and be a cute, awkward seabird. They don't hang out much in the Atlantic now, though fossils indicate they once did; they are much more a pacific bird, nearer to either pole than equator. Despite what Coleridge said, there is not in fact a widespread paranoia about shooting albatrosses or killing them; in fact, Sailors for some time have been doing killing and eating them. Which is actually made creepy when you realize that sailors DID seem to think they were lost souls. Mmmm, tastes like chicken and a life full of regret!
I decided take myself up on the Naked Mole Rat challenge and was very pleased with how interesting they are. They are the only animals in their genus, and are uniquely adapted to living in the underground desert conditions that they do; they have no pain nerves in their skin, and are pretty much immune to Cancer. They are more than just good at living; they are great at it, being the longest lived rodents at a possible 28 years of life. (For reference, this is the average life expectancy in Classical Rome and Greece.) This is largely because they have a physiological defense mechanism that slows down their metabolism in times of need, then speeding up in times of plenty. They also are one of two mammals to exhibit "Eusociality" similar to bees, with a single fertile queen and workers that are tunnelers, food gatherers, guards, or a mix of several. The queen jealously guards her throne until her death, at which point a chick version of Highlander breaks out and a new queen rises to power. Their colonies average 75 members, and they are dashed clever little beasts in some ways, eating from the inside of a large tuber out, to allow it to regenerate and feed them for longer. A single good tuber can feed a colony for well over a year. They dig with their teeth, since 25% of their musculature is in their jaw. At about three inches long they are rather small, and they are also more or less cold blooded; they can't control their body heat internally, so they rely on the generally well regulated climate in their tunnels to keep at the right temperature, huddling for warmth if need be. They are also impossible to keep alone in one's pocket, since they would probably die of confusion at the lack of colony, dirt, and abundance of LIIIIGHT.
--Flynn ("First, jump into the best night of your life, not onto. As jumping onto it implies you are outside your life, and that's just not good.")
You might have mentioned how HUGE albatrosses are. If you ever see one fly by a window when you're not expecting it, it's rather startling.
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