Have you heard of the “African unicorn”? Okapis have tongues long enough to wash their eyelids. The 6-foot-tall, roughly 500-pound, famously shy okapi (Okapia johnstoni) can only be found in the wild in the Ituri tropical rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its biology features some amazing adaptations: A unique strip pattern on its rump helps the mammal blend in with shade cast by the rainforest canopy, and its fur is coated in a natural oil that repels moisture, something that rainforests obviously provide in abundance. What’s more, the okapi’s large ears can detect even the slightest disturbance, and okapi mothers communicate with their young in frequencies beyond human hearing. However, perhaps the okapi’s most useful evolutionary trait is its tongue. Stretching some 12 to 14 inches, it’s long enough to swat flies, clean the okapi’s ears, and even clean its eyelids. The tongue is also prehensile, meaning it can grasp and strip leaves from branches. This is immensely useful, as okapis can eat up to 60 pounds of food every day. Although okapis live an isolated existence and look like a cross between a zebra and a deer, their tongues give away their genetic lineage. Okapis are the only living relatives of the giraffe, which explains the animal’s nicknames, including forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, and zebra giraffe. Like okapis, giraffes also sport blue-hued prehensile tongues, and scientists estimate that the two species shared a common ancestry some 11 million to 12 million years ago. Today, unfortunately, okapis live under threat from deforestation, mining, armed militant groups, and hunting. Thankfully, groups like the Okapi Conservation Project are hard at work preserving the habitat of this “Congolese unicorn” for generations to come. Rough length (in inches) of the average human tongue 3 Inches. Weight (in pounds) of a blue whale’s tongue 8,000 Estimated number of okapis living in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve 3,500 Number of stomachs okapis have 4 Until 1901, Western scientists thought the okapi was a mythical creature. For a mammal that can weigh hundreds of pounds, the scientific discovery of the okapi seems startlingly late. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Western scientists heard about an “African unicorn” that some Congolese Indigenous peoples called o’api. However, because okapis live in hard-to-reach rainforests and are famously shy, experts dismissed the animal as simply a myth, a cryptid similar to the yeti of the Himalayas or the Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest. However, in 1900, British explorer Sir Harry Johnston sent the first hide samples to the Zoological Society of London, and the okapi “myth” transformed into reality. Although finally “found” (at least by Western scientists; local tribes likely knew of the animal for millennia), traces of the okapi’s once-mythical status can still be seen — the creature serves as a mascot of sorts for the International Society of Cryptozoology. Because if the “African unicorn” is real, what else might science turn up next?

Killer whales sometimes hunt moose. There’s a reason orcas are better known as killer whales. They’re fierce predators, and they don’t always keep to the water in search of prey — in fact, they’ve even been known to hunt moose. This happens when a member of the largest deer species (yes, moose are deer) wades into the water, either in search of food or to elude land-based predators, and finds itself in the unfortunate position of being near an orca, which will eat pretty much anything. Such occurrences have been known to happen in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, with one recorded incident resulting in the deaths of two moose. Orcas are thought to have received their nickname centuries ago, perhaps from a mistranslation. The theory posits that Basque fisherman observed them killing other whales and referred to them as “whale killers,” which became “killer whales” when translated to English. Their diet depends largely on where they live, but different ecotypes feed on everything from fish and seals to sharks and squid, with the occasional moose thrown in. No one knows why orcas keep attacking yachts. If you’ve read about killer whales in the last few years, it’s probably because they keep sinking yachts. There have been incidents in Cape Finisterre as well as the Strait of Gibraltar, with at least 500 orcas encountering boats since 2020. (Most of these go no further than the whales merely approaching the vessels, perhaps out of curiosity, but a number of them have resulted in sunken boats.) Scientists remain unsure about the whales’ motivations. Some think they’re merely having fun or even participating in a fad, which is apparently something killer whales do — for instance, one pod spent the summer of 1987 wearing dead salmon on their heads. Others believe it’s because they’ve had negative experiences with boats in the past, including losing members of their species to the vessels. Whatever the case, the creatures don’t seem to have personal beef with the humans onboard; there have been zero recorded cases of an orca killing a human in the wild. #Animals #KillerWhales

Marion Robert Morrison, professionally known as John Wayne and nicknamed "the Duke", was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood's Golden Age, especially in Western and war movies. His career flourished from the silent era of the 1920s through the American New Wave, as he appeared in a total of 179 film and television productions. He was among the top box-office draws for three decades and appeared with many other important Hollywood stars of his era. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Wayne as one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema. Born: May 26, 1907, Winterset, Iowa, United States Died: June 11, 1979, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Cause of Death: Respiratory arrest and gastric cancer net worth of $7 million ($25 million in today's money)

Word of the Day: Compère. Noun 1. A person who introduces the performers or contestants in a variety show; host. Verb 1. Act as a compère for (such a show). Example Sentences. 1. "Sam's bubbly personality made him a great compère for the talent show." 2. "The compère introduced all of the contestants with a nickname." 3. "I'll be compèring the charity fashion show next weekend." Word Origin. French, early 20th century "Compère" — used as either a noun or a verb — refers to hosting a show.

Word of the Day: Synecdoche. NOUN 1. A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in "Cleveland won by six runs" ("Cleveland" meaning "Cleveland's baseball team"). Example Sentences. 1. "The team's full name is the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they are often referred to by the synecdoche 'the Jaguars.'" 2. "The tourism campaign pushed for 'Maple Town' to be the synecdoche for the village best known for its maple syrup festival." 3. "'I need new wheels to get to work,' Josephine said, using a synecdoche for a car to describe her need for transportation." Word Origin. Late Middle English, 1350s “Synecdoche” appeared in Late Middle English, but it comes to us via Latin from the Greek word “sunekdokhē” — a combination of the words “sun” (“together”) and “ekdekhesthai” (“to take up”). It’s a figure of speech in which a part (perhaps a nickname) represents a whole (a more formal name), or a whole (referring to a larger body in general) represents a part (an individual). Referring to the United States as “America” or saying a statement has been put out by “the company” when it was actually shared by a single spokesperson are both everyday examples of synecdoche.

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Comet and Annual Meteor Shower Take Place This Weekend ​ Be sure to look to the sky tomorrow night: Two major celestial events are offering exciting views. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks — dubbed the “Devil Comet” — will reach its brightest state as it makes its way around the sun, an orbit that takes approximately 70 years. Also taking place Sunday is the Lyrid meteor shower, which will peak over the Northern Hemisphere. ​ Nicknamed for horn-shaped outbursts of ice and gas observed on its surface, the Devil Comet will glow against the darkness when it reaches its closest distance to our star, about 144 million miles. Getting a glimpse of the comet will best be achieved with binoculars or a telescope and a clear view of the west-north-western horizon just after sunset, per Newsweek. ​ Originating from the debris trail left behind by the comet Thatcher, the Lyrid meteor shower will peak later Sunday evening and into the early hours on Monday (Earth Day, no less!). Lucky stargazers may get to witness meteors streaking across the sky every few minutes, Mental Floss reports. These shooting stars were named after the constellation Lyra, and have been observed for centuries. ​ To catch the best glimpse of the Lyrids, seek out dark, clear skies away from city lights. Telescopes aren’t necessary, and, of course, those who miss it will have another chance to catch the show next year.

#Nick And #Nate Diaz

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