If we’re being honest, most of these questions have crossed our minds at least once in the past. Whether you’re a deep thinker or someone that’s prone to get distracted and think of anything and everything. So, will we be answering these questions or just deepening the mystery? Let’s find out!
1. Which Came First: The Chicken or the Egg?
Well, you didn’t think we were going to leave this one out, did you? It’s the OG thought-provoking question. Some say they have it all figured out, while others argue that nobody knows the real answer. To be fair, none of us were around when eggs and chickens came around. It’s actually been an issue since Plutarch brought it up in his essay, The Symposiacs, back in the 1st century CE.
If we’re looking at it logically and factually, you can’t argue that the egg would’ve been first. All chickens, even the unusual chickens, have to come from eggs, right? According to history, amniotic eggs have been around for more than 340 million years, while chickens as we know them only evolved 10,000 years ago. Plus, chickens are direct domesticated descendants of the red junglefowl, which laid eggs long before the chicken appeared. If that doesn’t close this book, I don’t know what will.
2. Are Zebras Black with White Stripes or White with Black Stripes?
Zebras are interesting animals and they’ve got a lot going for them in the style department. But something that’s sparked a lot of conversations while I was at school is their color. You think we’d be trying to figure out why zebras have stripes, but instead we were debating on whether they’re black or white.
Well, it turns out that they’re actually black because of melanin, which is the pigment that gives our skin and hair its natural color. The white stripes are the parts where they don’t have the pigment. So, if you shave a zebra, it’ll be entirely black and completely unrecognizable.
3. Do Fish Get Thirsty?
We know that fish need oxygen in water to survive, but the real question is whether they get thirsty if they literally live in water? The answer is that it depends on the type of fish, but yes, fish do get thirsty.
Freshwater fish get their daily water intake through osmosis because they’re hyperosmotic. They absorb the water through their gills since their bodies have more salt than the water, so it constantly flows into them. They urinate a lot to eliminate the excess. On the other hand, saltwater fish are hypoosmotic, so there’s less salt in their bodies than in the water. Because of this, they actually lose a lot of water, so they need to actively drink to stay hydrated.
4. Will a Tiger Still Have Stripes if You Shave It?
Tigers and stripes are synonymous with each other. If they didn’t have their iconic stripes, would we even be able to tell the difference between tigers and lions? Probably because they’re still bigger and they haven’t got manes. Nevertheless, one day I found myself wondering what was happening under their striped fur. It turns out that these stripes actually start on their skins and they’re completely unique to each tiger. So, if you ever get the opportunity to shave one of these big cats, you’ll find that they’ll still be a tiger.
5. Do Birds Get Tired of Flying?
I think flying for birds has to be the equivalent to walking for humans. But birds migrate every year, while we just get an electric blanket and fuzzy socks to get through winter. Birds are adapted for flying very long distances, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get tired at all. Their little bodies and wings can need rest, while they also need to find food on the journey to keep their energy levels stable. Plus, just like all other creatures, they also need to take breaks to sleep.
Of course, soaring would take up much less energy than flapping and some species can fly for longer periods without getting tired. Health and age also play a big role. Albatrosses can handle hours or days, while swifts can stay in the air for months on end.
6. Turtle Without a Shell: Naked or Homeless?
Would turtles and tortoises without shells be considered naked or homeless? Well, the short answer to that would be neither. In fact, turtles and tortoises without shells would be dead. These animals can’t live without their shells, which are fused with their backbones and ribs. Not only do they protect their internal organs, like clothes, but they also support their inner structure, like a house. Plus, their shells also regulate their body temperatures. Thus, you can’t remove either species’ shells without seriously harming or even killing them. But for the purpose of this list, let’s say that they would be both naked and homeless.
7. Can Chameleons Change Color in the Dark?
Chameleons are such creatures with incredible abilities. They change their color to blend in with their environment to portray their current mood and health, to show dominance, and to signal that they’re ready to mate. And when they’re sleeping, they become a lighter color because their absorbent pigment cells start to relax. In cold climates with little light, they darken their skins to absorb more heat, while they do the opposite to reflect light when it’s hot.
But can they change color in the dark? Yes, they can because they don’t always change to look the same as their environment. They can still darken and lighten their skins according to their needs and to communicate with other chameleons.
8. Do Animals Have Personalities in the Animal World?
Do you think animals have personalities? And I don’t mean that some dogs are a bit more barky, some birds a bit more chirpy, and some cats a bit more grumpy. I mean real personalities in their little animal world.
Do other animals go to the wise owl for advice? Do they see some dogs (I’m looking at you, Jack Russell terriers!) as those annoying individuals that you don’t want to invite to your parties? Are peacocks really full of themselves? Do you think vultures and hyenas are the sleazeballs of the animal kingdom? I can’t answer these questions, but it can be fun to picture the personalities of different animals based on what we know about them.
9. Do Whales Feel Small in the Ocean?
They’re so intimidating that some of them are called killer whales. So, why would the biggest whales waste their time with something as trivial as comparing themselves to the size of the ocean? Isn’t it enough to take the win of being the largest animals in the world and get on with it? To be fair, they’re considered to be really, really small in their own underwater world. The largest whale, the mighty blue whale, can reach 100 feet in length, while the ocean covers about 71% of the entire Earth’s surface.
The truth is that whales have rich emotional lives. They can feel and show joy, grief, and empathy, and even mourn the loss of other whales. So, it’s very possible that they can have more complex thoughts. On the other hand, they don’t have perfect visual distance perfection. They can see very far and use their senses in addition to the echolocation and the Earth’s magnetic field, but they struggle to judge distances.
