The human tongue is capable of distinguishing just four basic tastes. Its surface is covered by thousands of nerve endings called taste buds, which are divided into four different groups.

Thos on the tip of the tongue sense sweetness and those at the back sense bitterness.  The ones at the sides sense saltiness and sourness. There are other taste buds scattered around the inside of the mouth. The main tasters of sour and bitter are actually in the roof of the mouth.

So things like honey and sugar are tasted with the tip of the tongue. However beer, which can have a bitter taste, is best enjoyed with the back of the tongue. Specialist beer tasters will tell you to drink it by pouring it to the back of your tongue, avoiding the tip.  Salty crisps and chips are tasted by the side of the mouth and things like sour lemons, vinegar and things like that also get tasted by the taste buds at the sides.

More complex tastes are made up of combinations of the basic four flavours.  Young adults have around 8000 taste buds, but the nerve endings start to die after the age of 45, so that older people usually have only around 6500 taste buds.

Much of what we perceive as flavour in food is in fact a mixture of taste and smell, which is why food seems to lose its taste when the nose is blocked during a cold.

Damage to taste buds can be very painful and make it very difficult to taste food properly. Even those very tiny ulcers that sometimes affect the tongue can badly affect the ability to taste.

     We left the devilish exhibit, and the next stop was the mundane butterfly room.  Or at least it was mundane, until one landed on the back of my neck.  Now, I knew it was a room full of only butterflies, but I also knew with equal certainty that the foot long centipede had followed me and was now in the process of eating me.  I made a rather hasty (and apparently, humorous) exit.

     So that is what bugs and things that look like them do to me.  Allow me to share a bit of the heebie jeebies with you.

House Centipede

We’ll start with this creepy little bastard, because you might very well see this one in your home.  The first time I saw one, it was about two inches long and I thought the gates of hell had opened up.

Giant Centipede

While we’re on the subject, how would you like to wake up with one of these guys on ya?

Gaint African Millipede

And then there is the millipede.  As a pet?  Never in life.

The Roach

Normal roaches are nasty enough, but imagine a herd of these.  Whenever I see stuff like this, I flinch for hours at the slightest tickle…

Rhinocerous Beetle

I can comfortably say that if I saw one of these, I would get my gun and shoot it.  Repeatedly.

Cthulthu Larva (Abyssmal Sea Slug)

Animals like this make me glad I’m neatly tucked away in Wisconsin; no where near the damn ocean.  Doesn’t look harmful, exactly, but on the creepy scale it’s a 10.

Coffin Fish

Tell me this doesn’t remind you of the little ones in Aliens.

Giant Isopod

Yeah, they’re like 2 feet long.  The Flea from hell.

Say cheese!  In fourth place I’d put this Bruce the Shark (Finding Nemo) impersonator. 

The 14 ft long white shark was snapped in the waters off the coastal Mexican resort of Guadalupe.  The fearless photographer maintains that he wasn’t in any danger – he apparently had a “100% safety record” and went on to say that great whites aren’t as ferocious as they’re made out in the Jaws movies.  I’ll take his word for that but don’t think I’ll take up shark photography myself!

In third place is this polar bear giving his rendition of I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles.

Polar bears are found mainly in the Arctic circle and are the world’s largest carnivore species found on land. They’re also the largest of the bear species.  Unfortunately these beautiful creatures are classified as a vulnerable species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with 5 of the 19 sub populations in decline due to hunting and climate change.

In second place is this talented lion. 

The picture was taken by a tourist who was travelling in the car behind.  The victims were enjoying the view when the 300lb lion walked calmly across, firmly took the rear door handle with his teeth and pulled it open in one deft movement.

Apparently it took several seconds for the dire situation to sink into the car’s occupants but eventually they hit the accelerator and ran for the hills!  The lion followed on until the enclosure gates were reached where a warden hurled stones to encourage it to go back.  A spokesman from the Safari Park in Johannesburg said that even if the lion had got into the car, it was unlikely to attack the occupants as all the animals are well fed.  All very well for you to say mate, but think of the muddy paws and the amount of fur a thing that size would leave in your vehicle!!!  It’s bad enough with a dog; but a lion??

Now this has to be my winner. 

David Schultz, the photographer, had been taking regular visits from a helicopter base camp to the main emperor penguin rookery in Antarctica over some time to film them and had obviously piqued their curiosity.  Eventually it all became too much for them so they ventured towards David to have a closer look.  David backed away from his camera to see what they did and, to his amazement one of the three looked through the view finder while the other two posed!  Fortunately David had another camera so he was able to take this remarkable picture.

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It’s unbelievable how this Vampire phenomenon has hit our culture! On TV, in movies, in books – we just can’t seem to escape these blood sucking bachelors. And just as many vampire stories there are out there, there are even more vampire legends. What harms a vampire- Garlic? A wooden stake in the heart? How about a little flower.

Image by watchwithkristin via Flickr

In the CW hit show “Vampire Diaries” we’re seen people use something called Vervain to combat a threatening vampire. It doesn’t kill the vampire. It just sort of evens the playing field, weakening a vampire enough to get a stake through the heart or lock him away in a casket.

If you think this Vervain is something totally made up by the people at the CW, well then you’re dead wrong. Vervain, also called Verbena, is a type of flower. It’s been in use since at least the middle ages where it was often used as a type of herb.

But Vervain is no simple flower or herb. Even before people have been writing about vampires falling in love with high school girls, the flower has been associated with divine and supernatural forces. There’s a popular story about how Vervain was used to try to stop Jesus’ wounds from bleeding after he was taken down from the cross. Other ancient legends claim this flower can protect you from vampires.

Image via Wikipedia

It’s good to remember that while vampires may be the current hot thing in our culture, it’s definitely not new or original. So it’s great to see one of these vampire stories looking back into real culture and legends for elements to add to the tale.

So, here’s what you need to know to stay safe from vampires: Mix Vervain in a tea, wear it in your hair, put the oils in a bath. However you use it, just keep this stuff around and supposedly you and your neck will remain puncture-free. Unless, of course, you’ve become smitten with the likes of Edward, Damon and Stefan… then I guess Vervain is just not for you.

Like squirrels, chipmunks are frequently considered pests. Like all rodents they carry disease and in fact may be more common carriers of rabies than dogs, cats, or squirrels. If they somehow get into your home from the wild they can do a great deal of damage. 

Most of us think of chipmunks as mostly seed and grain eaters, but they are omnivorous and in addition to seed and grain will eat bird’s eggs, fungi, small frogs, worms and insects. But they are hoard animals as well, stashing grain and seed over winter months. They live in burrows that can be up to 3.5 meters in length, usually with several “secret” or hidden entrances. Interesting to note is that chipmunks also have different rooms in their burrows which have different functions. For example, their sleeping area is separate from their pantry, and their bathroom is separate from both of those. It makes one wonder if this arrangement was part of the inspiration for the cartoon chipmunks, Chip and Dale.

All mammals breathe air into their lungs and whales are no exception. These aquatic mammals are descendants of mammals that have gone back to the sea and those huge creatures were of the order artiodacyla and they had many similarities to the modern day hippopotamus.

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Molecular biology and DNA testing gives convincing evidence for this connection and verifies that whales entered the water approximately 50 million years ago. Whales are divided into two broad groups called baleen and toothed whales. There was a third group but this is now totally extinct.

The first group of whales has a sieve like mesh at the back of the mouth which strains plankton and microscopic creatures from the water. This group contains the largest species of whales which seems strange because, logically, it would be expected that the larger species would feed of the larger, more substantial food source.

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The second group is the toothed whale that preys on squid, fish or both. This is the group that has such a sensitive and accurate echo location system. This system is also known as biosonar and is also found in other mammals including dolphins, shrews and bats. Echo locating animals project sound and listen for the echo that comes back and this helps them to navigate, or hunt.

Image by natalielucier via Flickr

Changes in the environment and the increasing use of sonar equipment on board ships has affected the toothed whales very badly. It disrupts their sonar so that hunting is not as effective and it misdirects their navigational abilities. This could be a major contribution to the disturbing incidences of whales beaching themselves, or getting stuck upstream in rivers.

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Whales are warm blooded creatures and they give birth to live young, just like other mammals do.

They feed their young milk from mammary glands and even have hair on their bodies. All these things are proof of the link with land mammals.

The body of the whale is like that of a fish but remnants of forelimbs can be seen in the creature’s front flippers. The tail holds the fluke which enables propulsion. Most whales do not have hind limbs but there are a couple of exceptions to this rule. Sperm whales and baleen whales sometimes have very simple back limbs. Most whales also have a dorsal or back fin.

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Beneath the skin of the whale is a thick layer of blubber, or fat, which provides insulation and it is for this fatty layer that whales have been hunted almost to extinction in some cases.

Whales breathe through blow holes which are located at the top of their heads. This location enables the whale to breathe and still remain submerged. Baleen whales have two blow holes and baleens have one. After a dive whales blow out water spouts which vary in shape according to species. A sperm whale can stay underwater for up to two hours without having to surface for air.

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The lifespan of the whale is estimated to be somewhere between thirty and ninety years depending on their species. However evidence of whales reaching more than one hundred years of age has also been found. In one particular instance part of a lance used by whalers in the 1800’s was found embedded in a bowhead whale which was caught off the coast of Alaska.

Male whales are known as bulls, females are called cows and their offspring are called cows and they tend to live in groups. Communication between whales is based on a series of sounds called whale song. These sounds are very loud because these are such large creatures and sperm whales have also been heard emitting a series of clicks. This is how these amazing creatures operate their inbuilt sonar system. They have been known to emit 20,000 watts of sound at 163 decibels. That’s a lot of noise when you consider that a blast from a shotgun reaches 130 decibels and a rocket launch generates 180 decibels. That places whale song somewhere between these two in volume.

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Whales do not usually form lasting bonds during the mating season and a cow may have several male partners during one season. Cows usually only give birth to one calf which is born tail first and suckles milk directly from its mother. Whale milk is a very thick, pasty substance and is actively squirted into the mouth of the suckling calf by the mother so that none of it gets lost in the water.

Sonar interference and whaling are endangering many whale species but these are not the only hazards they face. Seismic testing for oil and gas is thought to disrupt whale sonar and changes in the earth’s magnetic field may also be a factor in beaching. Fishing gear and collisions with ships frequently cause injury, or death and toxins known as persistent organic pollutants cause even more serious problems, These toxins can cause hearing loss in whales and so disrupt the fine tuning needed for their sonar operation.

Culturally whales have featured in stories and legends. For example in Pinocchio where the puppet and his father are swallowed by a whale and the tale of the great white whale, Moby Dick. The whale is mentioned in the Bible, ‘And God created great whales’, (Genesis 1:21) and in the Qur’an in the story of Jonah being swallowed by a great whale.

There are fourteen known species of baleen whales and of these the best known are Bowhead, Humpback Whale, Blue Whale and Grey Whale. The toothed whales number twenty six species including the Sperm Whale, Narwhal and Beluga.

A third group of whales is now thought to be extinct. The archaeoceti group were the forerunners to the modern whale. In 2004 fossils of an unknown extinct archeoceti were discovered and the species was named Harrison’s Whale after the discoverer. Sadly, not all extinct whales come from this group.

The Blue Whale is the world’s largest mammal and reaches up to thirty-three metres long with a weight of one hundred and ninety tonnes. It is thought to be the largest animal of any kind, ever to have lived on the earth. During the twentieth century, these creatures were hunted almost to distinction. In the middle of the 1960’s the blues were protected and this has helped their numbers to recover in the southern oceans. The last count was an estimated 2,300 and growth of about 7% per year has been seen since. (Figures courtesy of the BBC News Channel) and there is also evidence of an increase in numbers in the North Atlantic region.

The Bowhead Whale which is a particularly slow moving species has been protected since 1937. It grows up to 20 metres in length and inhabits the Arctic and Sub Arctic Seas. Although these whales are protected, native peoples are still permitted to hunt them for food. The Bowhead’s numbers are recovering in the Bering Sea, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas but the process is slower around Greenland and Baffin Island. It is thought that there are just 8000 Bowhead Whales in existence at this time.

The Fin Whale grows to about eighteen metres long and is found in north and south hemispheres. These creatures swim in pods of seven or eight individuals and eat mostly krill and herring. They have been so over fished and seen as a threat to herring fisherman that their numbers are sharply declining.

These are not the only threatened whale species. There are many more including the grey whale, humpback whale, and the Sei Whale. As our seas become more polluted and climate change plays havoc with food supplies for these creatures and other marine life we are in serious danger of killing these wonderful creatures off completely.

Coral reefs, their enormous variety of marine life and the sensitive eco systems surrounding them are also subject to the same destructive elements. Small changes in these areas have huge knock on effects in all the oceans of the world. This, combined with current changes, wind direction changes above the water have a far reaching effect on climate, drought and flood and so threaten our entire existence. Saving the whales now will have real long term benefits for the human race as a species. What is good for them now will eventually be food for us too.

It would be a very sad thing indeed if generations to come never saw whales, seahorses, walruses, penguins and starfish except in picture books, because we failed to do enough to protect them and their environment.

There is more at stake than preserving marine life and protecting whales because they are part of the same finely balanced eco system in which we live. The steps we need to take to make changes for these creatures are the same steps that are needed to save the very earth we live on and secure our own future as a species.

As most kids from 3 to 103 will know, Ratty was one of the prominent characters in Kenneth Grahame’s wonderful book “The Wind in the Willows”, but early illustrations show that Ratty wasn’t a rat in the true sense of the word but was more probably a water vole.  These attractive little creatures, around 20 years ago, could be found in great abundance on almost all of Britain’s waterways but numbers have declined by 90% since the 1980s.  But, just like Ratty, he’s putting up a damned good fight and water vole numbers are slowly on the increase.

However, Ratty’s decline wasn’t due to standing his ground against the evil weasels and stoats as in the story but due mainly to us humans who have been polluting the waterways and flinging pesticides hither and thither across the land.

In order to combat the decline of this cheeky little chappy recent legislation was put in place by way of a fine of £5,000 to anyone who injured one or disturbed his habitat.  Surprisingly, this legislation seems to have had some effect and this year’s British Waterways wildlife survey has revealed that, although these voles are still extremely rare, there were 89 sightings – twice as many as last year.  Most of the sightings seem to have been along the banks of the Kennet and Avon canal in southern England.

The survey was conducted by members of the public who reported on the various creatures they saw along the 2,000 mile network of canals and waterways and not only did it reveal a considerable increase in the number of water voles but, among a total of 42,500 sightings of wildlife, 127  birds and 27 butterfly species were spotted and three times as many frogs were spotted this year compared to last.

The top three sightings will come as no surprise to UK residents – there were over 7,000 sightings of mallard ducks, around 2,500 sightings of Canada geese, and almost 2,500 sightings of swans.

Other top sightings were moorhens, starlings, bumblebees, rabbits, house sparrows, coots and sticklebacks.

It was also good to see kingfishers fairly high on the list, although unfortunately not in the Top 20.  These fussy little birds like nice clean water – not your “bog standard” muck – so it bodes well for next year’s wildlife if the waters are contaminate free.

Two of the most bizarre beasties spotted were a porpoise in the River Ouse near Selby in North Yorkshire but being ever sceptical I do wonder whether this was spotted by a Theakston’s Old Peculier imbiber (a very well known English Ale to those of you not from the UK!) and, even more “Peculier” was the sighting of a large alligator snapping turtle (US native) which was found in the Earlswood Reservoir in Solihull   Quite why he’d want to go to Solihull I have no idea, but it’s thought that he may have been a “family pet” but became a little too large to handle!!!

And now on to Mrs Tiggywinkle.  She’s been snuffling around our gardens for centuries helping us veggie growers to ward off the evil slugs and snails which creep around unseen and unheard in the twilight zone but, due to our modern gardening fads she’s finding it difficult to find her way!

Due to the latest British fad for decking, patios, secure fencing and Mediterranean style gardens with stone or slate surfaces, Mrs T and her family are unable to get into many of our gardens and, if they do manage it, they can’t find food.  So, the next time you’re doing a garden make-over please consider the Tiggywinkle family!  Thankfully my driveway isn’t gated, and access from the drive into the back garden isn’t either.  I then have grass, and flower/vegetable beds so they can happily come in for a spot of slug and chips of an evening and they have no need to take the same route home – I’ve got a natural native British hedge at the bottom of the garden which was planted two or three years ago to replace a fence, and this leads into a meadow so my conscience is totally clear!  The only drawback in having one of just a handful of gardens in the locality which is a hedgehog haven is that I do have to dodge the hedgehog poo when I walk down the garden, but it’s a small price to pay!

It is impossible to tell the different between male and female embryos until they are between eight and ten weeks old. There are no outwardly visible signs until after this time, so an ultra sound would not be able to tell.

What happens after twelve weeks will depend on the type of chromosomes which have been inherited from the parents of the embryo.  A pattern of two X chromosomes, known as XX, means that the inherited chromosomes are female.  If they are made up of one Y and one X chromosome, the scientific pattern is XY and the embryo will be male.

The embryo always inherits an X chromosome from the mother, but the father can pass on another X or a Y chromosome. So it is the father who determines the sex of the baby.  This natural selection of chromosomes appears to be random but scientists are still examining the evidence to find out exactly what determines the type of chromosome that the father passes on.  Families where there are all girls, or all boys, may eventually give the clue to how selection is made.

After twelve weeks, depending on the chromosome pattern, testes or ovaries are produced. If testes develop they make a chemical which stops the female reproductive organs from developing.  Testosterone is also produced and this stimulates the growth of male reproductive organs.

Chromosomes do not simply determine the sex of a baby. They also determine physical strength and character and if the balance between the chromosomes is abnormal the baby develops mixed characteristics. For example, tests done on some female athletes in the past showed abnormal XXY chromosome patterns.  This in effect means that they have a third male chromosome as well as their two female ones.   This gives them extra strength and men with an extra Y chromosome giving them an XYY pattern are usually bigger and more aggressive than average.  In fact there has been research in the US which suggests that men with this extra Y chromosome may be more likely to be involved in crime.

So, it seems that there may actually be four sexes instead of just the two we have been accustomed to collecting. There is XX, XY, but then there is XXY and XYY. This certainly gives a great deal of food for thought.

One interesting fact about the blue color of the Blue Jay’s feather is that the brilliant hue does not come from pigmentation, but rather the structure of the feather itself. If you were to crush the feather, the blue would disappear. Something else a lot of folks don’t realize about the Blue Jay is that they also mimic sounds, from the barks and meows of cats and dogs, to the bird calls of other species, to human speech. One of the smartest birds, they have been observed to be capable of planning ahead, watching humans plant seeds, then waiting for the humans to leave, then swooping in to dig up the seeds.

The decorative crest on top of the Blue Jays head can be a barometer for their mood. If the crest is fully raised, the bird is feeling excited or agressive, it is usuallt flat against the head when the bird is in a comfortable state, such as when eating with its mate. Blue Jays, surprisingly, mate for life. Mating season for Jays last from mid march into July and it takes 17-21 days for a brood of eggs, generally 4-5 in number, to incubate. The baby Jays stay with Mom and Dad Jay until the end of fall, when the family disperses. This is done to avoid competition over sources of food.

Crows steal from back yards, picnic areas, and even enter open windows of homes and cars when a shiny object catches their eye.  They will take glasses, watches, jewelry, spoons, loose change, and anything else that provokes curiosity.  Sometimes they hide their new found treasures in the crotch of trees, in the branches of evergreens, or they will carry them to the nest for safe keeping.

This sea gull has never been reprimanded for his insubordination in fact customers are willing to foot the bill for this sea gull’s daytime capers.

This fashion conscious monkey would rather look cool than eat peanuts with his friends.

The Ostrich is known for stealing buttons from clothing, hair barrettes, glasses, ribbons, jewelry, and just about anything they can snatch that isn’t securely nailed down.  

 The fox is a playful critter who loves toys.  He will run off with things like kid’s toys, pet toys, baby bottles, plastic dishes, shoes, gloves, and even the clothes of the line.

 Squirrels are amusing and their back yard antics never cease to amaze me.  Their lives are a constant struggle for survival which means they must get what they need by any means possible.

This magpie is living proof that you don’t have to have teeth to have a sweet tooth.

When it comes to fishing the Eagle is a master.   

This raccoon was caught in the act but made a clean getaway.  He is still at large.