› added 1 year ago

57

TIL about the loneliest whale in the world. Dubbed "The 52-hertz whale", it appears to be the only individual emitting a whale call at this frequency in the whole world. The whale itself has never been sighted.

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mYkE TIL that polar bears are obsessive about keeping clean. Following mealtime, they will spend 15-20 minutes grooming themselves, making sure there is no dirt or residue left on them that may interfere with the insulating properties of their fur.
LkO7Q TIL Japanese Honeybees defend themselves against wasps by swarming them and "baking" them by vibrating their wings to 47 degrees Celsius. One degree above the wasp's max temperature.
6EngJ TIL Mark Lenard, best known for his role as Sarek, the father of Spock, first appeared in the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series, playing the first Romulan ever seen in the series, in the episode "Balance of Terror" (1966).
GYmwG TIL That for thousands of years the The Bajau people of Southeast Asia have engaged in breath-hold diving, causing them to evolve large spleens. The larger reservoir of oxygenated red blood cells has helped them to become some of the world’s best free divers.
X06vD TIL the US Department of Justice sometimes hires "uncompensated" federal prosecutors. According to a WAPO article, to avoid a legal prohibition on providing "voluntary services" to the government, DOJ argues the services aren't voluntary, they're "gratuitous." Most of these unpaid AUSAs are women.