Sexual Dimorphism

Sexual Dimorphism is a curious phenomenon in nature where one gender is larger than the other. Some examples are:

• Spiders (Redback spider)

Seen in this video is a male Redback spider mating with a female. The male is the far smaller spider on the females abdomen. It is common after mating has occurred that a the female will eat the male, simply because he has outlived his purpose. 

• Tarantula

Commonly with Tarantula mating, the female will come forward to strike the male with its fangs, but the male has hairs on its legs that are designed to catch the females legs as she strikes and therefore complete mating. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't always manage to catch the legs and ends up as dinner!

• Crocodilians

https://taxo4254.wikispaces.com/Crocodylus+porosus

With many crocodilians it is the opposite to spiders, and the male is indeed bigger than the female. With crocodiles this can lead to an interesting problem when mating where the male is much heavier than the female, and is in danger of crushing her. Their solution to this is to breed under the water, where the male can float.  

32nd Guessing Article

Congratulations to JP for correctly guessing the element- Cobalt

Because it takes a lot of effort to find a person or a place, and I am really not bothered here is another animal.

1. I was an animal
2. I lived in the Northern Hemisphere
3. I lived in Northern- North America
4. I am extinct
5. I lived during the Cretaceous Period
6. I lived in what is now Canada and Alaska

Shark Tracker

An interesting program run by OCEARCH is the Shark Tracker program. When OCEARCH or companies working with OCEARCH capture a shark, for scientific testing, they attach a GPS tracker to the shark's dorsal fin. When they release the sharks back into the water, they can track where the shark has been and any possible movements, without hindering the sharks swimming and attacking ability. If a shark's dorsal fin is above the water's surface for more than 90 seconds for a ping to occur.

Shark Tracker

OCEARCH tags sharks of many different species and from all over the world. See more at their Shark Tracker Page.

31st Guessing Article

Congratulations to 78TyranidMaster87 for guessing the previous animal- Cuban Crocodile.

1. I am an element
2. I am lighter than silver
3. I am heavier than Aluminium

Processed Meat Causes Cancer!? (A late to the party click bait article)

Recently news has been widespread that the WHO (world health organisation) has found that there is an indisputable link between various meats,including all processed meats, and cancer. but, like this article, this is old news going back to 2004. In many widespread surveys and studies, there was found to be a solid link between some meats and cancer But of course these studies were done by the American National Institute for health, and no localised study or findings will break into the mainstream if it threatens to part Americans and their beloved bacon. The results of these studies however are less then radical Professor Tim Key, said: "This decision doesn't mean you need to stop eating any red and processed meat, but if you eat lots of it you may want to think about cutting down." 
In conclusion bacon isn't going to kill you, unless of course you eat too much of it.

30th Guessing Article

Congratulations to Denver :D for correctly guessing the previous location. By the way Denver :D, it is unsportsmanlike to use Google Images "Search for similar images tool"

1. I am an animal
2. I I live between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn
3. I am highly endangered
4. I have lost much of my former territory
5. I am a reptile

29th Guessing Article- Thomas GeoGuy

Congratulations to Thomas GeoGuy for guessing Bill Nye.
Due to this being Thomas GeoGuy's guessing article he can state whether you are correct or incorrect.

1. I am a place
2. I am in the Western Hemisphere
3. I am an extinct volcano

Congratulations Thomas GeoGuy

Congratulations to Thomas GeoGuy, for guessing the previous person- Bill Nye. When you have chosen your guessing article email it to me at sciencehelper101@gmail.com with the clues attached.

28th Guessing Article

Congratulations to all that have guessed so far.

1. I am a person
2. I am a science educator and scientist
3. I studied at Cornwall
4. I worked at Boeing

The Pharaoh’s Serpent

Mercury(II) thiocyanate (Hg(SCN)2) is a chemical compound. It is a white powder that produces a large, winding “snake” when ignited in an effect known as the Pharaoh’s Serpent. Mercury thiocyanate was first discovered by Wöhler  in 1821, soon after the first synthesis of mercury thiocyanate he commented that: "winding out from itself at the same time worm-like processes, to many times its former bulk, a very light material the colour of Graphite." The effect is created when the compound of mercury & thiocyanate, is in the presence of a strong enough heat source. A rapid Exothermic reaction ensues. It produces a large mass of coiling serpent-like, solids. An inconspicuous flame accompanies the combustion. The resulting solid has a small range of colours, usually being tan or light grey, the inside however is much darker than the outside.

 The compound was available to the public in Germany, but was eventually banned when the toxic properties of the product were discovered through the death of several children who mistakenly ate the resulting solid.

Mercury thiocyanate, is still used however, and is quite a spectacle on the occasion someone with the materials and know-how can ignite The Pharaoh’s Serpent.

See the video bellow for an example:

Java Script

Hello All!
A quick site update, I've figured out how to get javascript to display a text bubble when you hover the mouse over an underlined word. So, from now on underlined words can be hovered over for extra information (in most cases) Example:
The Gladius was an invaluable weapon when fighting barbarians.
The hover feature takes a second to kick and I can't fix that so sorry!

27th Guessing Article

Congratulations to Denver :D, for guessing the previous animal- the Spaghetti Worm.

1. I am an element
2. I am lighter than Mercury
3. I am heavier than Zinc

10 Points on the Guessing Article

Congratulations to everyone who has successfully guessed on a guessing article. From now on, if you score 10, 20, 30, 40, etc points, you will be able to create your own guessing article. You can choose whether it is an animal, element, person or place.

26th Guessing Article

Congratulations to ThomasGeoGuy for guessing the previous place- The Kopff Crater (on the moon!) 

1. I am an animal
2. I am an aquatic animal
3. I live in the Pacific

Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power is undoubtedly the an incredible power, producing no carbon emissions whatsoever. The Nuclear Energy Institute (http://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/World-Statistics) states that there are 438 nuclear reactors in 30 different countries and 67 nuclear reactors under construction in 15 countries.
Roughly 10% of the worlds energy is generated by nuclear power, but people are terrified of the potential destruction of a meltdown in a nuclear reactor.

http://www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/World-Statistics

A uranium pellet the size of a Pencil eraser produces the same amount of energy of 738 tonnes of coal. Unfortunately, nuclear reactor disasters in the past like Chernobyl and Fukushima have created a fear in many countries that refuse to allow nuclear reactors. For example, Australia has 31% of the worlds uranium and geologically stable ground, but the country has only one nuclear reactor in Sydney that produces medicine. OPAL (or Open Pool Australia Light-Water Reactor) is Australia's only functioning nuclear reactor (http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-A-F/Appendices/Australian-Research-Reactors/) produces many medical substances along with irradiating silicon. By irradiating silicon, it changes a very small amount of the silicon into phosphorous, making it significantly more conductive.

25th Guessing article

Congratulations to Denver :D for guessing the previous person Bryan Grieg Fry. 

1. I am a place
2. I am on the moon
3. Crater was formed by an impact from a body that was still partly molten.
4. I am on the Western Limb of the Moon.

Sharks of the World and History- Bull Shark

The Bull Shark (Carchahinus Leucas) is one of the most formidable sharks in the ocean. 

http://www.sharks-world.com/wp-content/uploads/bull_shark_624.jpg

Bull Sharks are known to eat whatever they can get. This means that they eat fish, dolphins, turtles, birds, molluscs and some terrestrial animals including cattle, people, antelope and rats. They will attack almost anything in the water, but they have something most sharks don't have. They can tolerate incredible levels of freshwater, commonly swimming up rivers and tributaries. They are considered by some to be the most dangerous of all sharks due to the coupling of their habitat, diet and aggression. They are also known to be cannibals!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Cypron-Range_Carcharhinus_leucas.svg/2000px-Cypron-Range_Carcharhinus_leucas.svg.png

Bull Sharks have earned their name with a signature head but they normally perform before eating the prey to stun it. They are also extremely territorial and are known to attack many different species of intruders such as crocodiles and alligators.

https://qph.is.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-e482cb63e00d42c1388752850714a438?convert_to_webp=true

Occasionally though, the Bull Shark takes on more than it can handle and is eaten itself. This Saltwater Crocodile is called Brutus. He is 80 years old and weighs roughly 1 tonne. More than a match for many bull sharks.

When compared with a Great White Shark, a Bull Shark is small, but when comparing bite forces, that of a Bull Shark is far superior, mostly because of the diet a bull shark has, where turtles are a common meal.

The Science of Firearms

Guns are a hot topic in USA and many other places, their destructive abilities and availability means that murders are frequent in the many places.
But, many who own guns don't even know how guns work, let alone the rest of us gun free people across the world
The basic principle behind a firearm, at least a modern one, is that a bullet or projectile is loaded into a chamber, the bulled consists of a casing a projectile and gunpowder or cordite and the casing is at the base. It is filled with gunpowder and then the projectile is loaded into the casing sitting on the gunpowder. Then, when the trigger is pulled the hammer pulls back and slams forward creating a spark, that hits the primer ,which is a small explosive, that ignites the gunpowder pushing the projectile forward at incredible speeds. the casing is then ejected, this can happen by many methods and most of these mechanisms are unique to a specific weapon manufacturers. following the ejection of the casing a spring in the magazine pushes up the next bullet ready to have the process repeated. but that is only a semi automatic weapon the most common modern firearm, There are many types of guns including; manual action firearms; that can only be fired once per equipped barrel before it must be reloaded or charged via an external mechanism or series of steps. A semi-automatic, or self-loading, firearm is one that performs all steps necessary to prepare the it to discharge again after firing—assuming cartridges remain in the weapon's feed device or magazine. An automatic firearm is one that continues to load and fire cartridges from its magazine as long as the trigger is depressed (or until the magazine is depleted).

24th Guessing Article

Congratulations to lord alphabet for guessing the previous element- Einsteinium.

1. I am a person
2. I was born in America in 1970
3. I moved to Australia where I work at a university
4. I played a major role in discovering that Komodo Dragons use venom rather than bacteria

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, or more simply Leonardo da Vinci, was an Italian “polymath” meaning his expertise spanned a significant number of different subject areas including; Invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. He has been variously called the father of paleontology (Basically the study of fossils) ichnology (the examination of footprints as fossils), and architecture, and is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time. He is often credited with the inventions of the parachute, helicopter and tank, his genius epitomised the Renaissance.Born on the fifteenth of April 1452 in the Tuscan town of Vinci, little is known about Leonardo's early life. He spent his first five years in the home of his mother, then from 1457 he lived in the household of his father, grandparents and uncle. In 1466, at fourteen, Leonardo was apprenticed to the artist Verrocchio, and gained much of his artistic talent there.From 1476 to 1507 Leonardo put to use his existing talents and gained a many more, he studied at an art academy where he also learned of engineer and took classes pertaining to it. He wrote letters and gave gifts to a duke of Millan securing peace between Italy and Milan for the duration of the renaissangce. He designed a dome for a cathedral showing of his engendering talent and was commissioned to paint many of his most famous paintings, cementing his place in higher societyFollowing a French invasion of Italy, Leonardo and some of his closest friends fled to Venice where his renown as an engineer was put to use on a military council where he came up with some of his most radical ideas including the aforementioned tank. In 1500 he returned to Italy where he served the war mongering SON of the corrupt POPE Cesare Borgia (underlined because, POPES AREN’T SUPPOSED TO HAVE SONS [or a common whore for a wife]) as a military engineer and advisor, he retired from this position 3 years later. Following this he left the public eye and split up his recently deceased father’s estate among his brothers.From 1510 to 1516, Leonardo spent much of his time living in the Belvedere in the Vatican in Rome, under the newly elected Pope Leo X. In October 1514, King Francis I of France recaptured Milan. Leonardo was commissioned to make for Francis a mechanical lion which could walk forward, then open its chest to reveal a cluster of lilies. He spent the last years of his life, accompanied by his friends and apprentices, and supported by a pension totalling 10,000 scudi (a small fortune).Overall Leonardo pioneered many inventions and was an engineering and artistic figurehead for his time and will not soon be forgotten, whether from his paintings ideas or professions he pioneered. 

Halloween Decorations

Quick note to every one i'm slowly adding halloween decorations to the website so it might be a bit glitchy/ messy

23rd Guessing Article

Congratulations to Jblob, for correctly guessing the previous Animal- The Black Mamba

1. I am an element
2. I am heavier than Bromine
3. I am lighter than Seaborgium
4. I am a metal
5. I am a Lanthanoid or Actinoid

Sharks of the World and History- Great White Shark

Thanks for 3,000 page views.

The Great White Shark (Carcharodon Carcharius) is undoubtedly one of the most well known sharks. In our minds, it is the single most deadly killer there is in the ocean. Swimming in deep water is an open invitation to be eaten...

Not really. There are several more dangerous animals present in our oceans such as the box jellyfish or irukandji. Part of the fear of sharks comes from a feeling that we are not in control the moment we enter the water, stemming from the fact that we evolved to live on land, and land is where we are most at home. Film makers have tapped into this fear with movies like Jaws, Sharknado and The Reef along with the recent (Great White) Shark attack on Mick Fanning. But while the film makers are making lots of money, they are presenting an unreal interpretation of sharks.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/great-white-shark

National Geographic states that of 100 worldwide attacks, 1/3 to 1/2 are attributed to Great White Sharks. Most of these attacks are "curiosity" bites. This is because sharks have an spectacular amount of nerves in their teeth. Lacking hands, they need another way to identify if an item is prey or food. This normally entails either head-butting or as mentioned above curiosity biting.

As seen above, the top of the body is a dark grey, while the bottom is a white colour. This is effective camouflage in the ocean, where prey looking down will be unlikely to see it, as it blends into the darker water below them. Any prey looking up underneath the shark will see a white colour, just what they would expect to see, camouflaging it with the light above.

Great Whites feed on many different prey items. They are known to attack:

• Squid
• Whales (Mostly as carrion)
• Seals
• Sea lions
• And more.

They live in temperate waters all over the world, and are particularly tolerant to colder waters due to the fact that they produce heat with a muscle that runs from behind the head to partway along their body, meaning that they are a few degrees warmer than the surrounding water. But this does mean that they require more energy than most sharks.

http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/great-white-shark/

Great White Sharks are incredibly intelligent and uses problem solving to find the most effective ways of hunting. Great White Sharks in South Africa have started to jump out of the water underneath sea lions, effectively stunning the more mobile prey. 

http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/seals-balancing-act-enables-it-to-escape-great-white-sharks-jaws/#cUmsAJYsYaAwijx1.97

This seal appears to be balancing on the Great White's jaws. But, it is likely that the Great White got the unfortunate seal in the end.

The Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and most powerful particle collider. It’s the largest, arguably most complex facility ever built. Along with being the largest single machine in the world. The LHC has and will continue to challenge our (as a species) current idea of physics. The large hadron collider sits in The European Organization for Nuclear Research’s (CERN) accelerator complex. The LHC consists of a 27-kilometer ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way.  It first started up on the 10 September 2008, and after a closure and refit in 2013 it opened again in 2015 after being extensively upgraded, including a beam power enhancement of ~six times its original power.

Back in 2011 two teams at the Large Hadron Collider looking for the Higgs Boson announced that they had finally seen results which could suggest the Higgs Boson particle existed, The Higgs Boson is a particle that gives mass to other particles which, if real would lead to much more interesting discoveries including the source of the creation of the universe. Around Christmas that year the same teams, announced that they had finally seen results which could suggest the Higgs Boson particle existed; however, they did not know for certain if this was true. But on 4 July 2012, the teams at the Large Hadron Collider declared that they had discovered a particle to which most signs point to being the Higgs Boson. March the following year the teams had done much more testing, and announced that they were within acceptable error margin and that the new particle was a Higgs Boson.

This discovery is undoubtedly one of the most scientifically significant events in the history of the Earth.

Many people believe (or believed) that the Large Hadron Collider could set off a chain reaction that could lead to Earth's destruction. For more information check out the following link:

http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

22nd Guessing Article

Congratulations to Thomas GeoGuy, for correctly guessing the previous place- Lake Baikal in the Russian Federation.

1. I am an animal
2. I live in a dry climate

Sharks of the World and History

On Saturday I will be posting the first of a series of new articles titled- Sharks of the World and History. They will explore sharks, both past and present along with other shark like creatures. I will (attempt to) continue to post these articles every Saturday. Stay tuned!

As a side note we are nearing 3000 pageviews. Thank you for the support.

21st Guessing Article

Congratulations to Ryan Passout for guessing the previous person- Brian Schmidt.

1. I am a place
2. I am in the Northern Hemisphere

Poisonous vs Venomous

Many people get confused by the difference between poison and venom.

Poison is dangerous if you ingest it or get it inside the digestive system. Venom on the other hand is dangerous if you get it in your bloodstream or lymphatic system. That is why people can bath in venom or drink venom- they will be completely fine if they don't have any open sores in their mouth, skin or stomach.

20th Guessing Article

Congratulations to 78TyranidMaster87, for guessing the previous element- nickel.

1. I am a person
2. I have received a Nobel Prize
3. I spent my early life in America
4. I later moved to Australia
5. I received a Nobel Prize in Physics

Megalania

http://australianmuseum.net.au/megalania-prisca

The Megalania or Varanus Priscus was a truly horrifying creature. It grew to be roughly six metres long and had razor sharp recurved teeth. It lived in Australia at the time of the Megafauna and was a predator for many of the animals at the time. It was most likely an ambush predator and is related closely to the Komodo Dragon. Like the Komodo Dragon it has a venom, making it not only the largest venomous lizard, but the largest venomous creature known. This venom like that of the Komodo Dragon leads to an inability of blood clotting and shock in the creature. This means that the Megalania could have more safely killed its prey by biting and letting the prey weaken until unable to defend itself. It is at this point that Megalania came in and devoured its prey. No prey will have been too ferocious for this predator short of Pallimnarchus or Quinkana, and it is still likely it may have taken on those monstrosities.

19th Guessing Article

Congratulations to Ryan Passout for guessing the previous animal- Myllokunmingia.

1. I am an element
2. I am heavier than Aluminium

Nuclear Fission and Fusion

Nuclear Fission and Fusion are both forms of nuclear energy but vary on the production of such energy.

Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Fission uses either Plutonium or Uranium for fuel. Fission starts when a fast moving neutron strikes a nucleus. The whole nucleus breaks apart into two smaller nuclei. In the process of splitting several neutrons split off from the nuclei and continue the reaction. A Nuclear Reactor requires a controlled reaction. An uncontrolled reaction will lead to incredible heat being generated, and this is how a Nuclear Bomb is created. 

Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear Fusion uses Hydrogen as fuel and occurs when atoms fuse together. To start a fusion reaction, pairs of nuclei must meet so that they fuse together. When they fuse a neutron will be left over. The fused nucleus will move off at high speed producing astronomical amounts of heat. There is no radiation, but the neutrons are harmful. To make the nuclei fuse the temperature of the atoms must reach millions of degrees. 

18th Guessing Article

Congratulations to Thomas-GeoGuy for guessing the previous place- the Aral Sea near Muynak.

1. I was an animal
2. I was a species of fish
3. I had an advantage over other life when I lived
4. I was an evolutionary milestone
5. I have my own article on this blog
6. I am the first vertabrate

Blue Tongue Lizards

Located all across Australia are Blue Tongue Lizards. There are several different species but the most common are the:

1. Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard
2. Central Blue Tongue Lizard
3. Western Blue Tongue Lizard
4. Shingleback Lizard (although not a "Blue Tongue" a close relative)

If you want an article containing more detail about some of these incredible reptiles just ask!

To all the images I used in this blog post.

Image 1

http://coolcompanions.com.au/eastern-blue-tongued-skink/

Image 2

http://www.crocodilesanddragons.com.au/skinks.html

Image 3

http://www.oakvalefarm.com.au/centralian_blue-tongue_lizard.php

Image 4

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/tiliquamultifasciata/interesting/

Image 5

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Blue-tongued_lizard-dist.png

Image 6

https://www.flickr.com/photos/colonel_007/3519583355

Image 7

http://coolcompanions.com.au/shingleback-lizard/

Image 8

http://www.oakvalefarm.com.au/shingleback_lizard.php

Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard

Image 1

The Eastern Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua Scincoides) lives along most of the Eastern and Northern Coast of Australia.

Image 2

Central Blue Tongue Lizard

Image 3

The Western Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua Fasciata) lives in Central Australia and along the coast of Western Australia.

Image 4

Western Blue Tongue Lizard

Image 5

The Western Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua Occupitalus) lives along the South Western coast of Western and Southern Australia.

Image 6

Shingleback Lizard

Image 7

The Shingleback Lizard (Tiliqua Rugosa) is found in Southern Western Australia as well as most of Southern Australia and New South Wales.

Image 8

Conservation
Blue Tongues all across Australia are in decline for several reasons:

• Domesticated and feral animal attacks
• Blue Tongues have short and stumpy legs and are unable to run away
• Blue Tongues open up their mouths and show off their blue tongue to scare away predators
• Dogs are normally fooled (if only temporarily)
• Cats are not fooled and will continue to attack
• Lawn Mowing
• It is commonplace to find a blue tongue lizard in your yard when you are mowing, but the blue tongues will not run away when they hear the lawnmower- instead choosing to fight it
• Insecticides
• Blue Tongues love snails! They will not leave one alone if they see it.
• Because of snail poisons, blue tongues commonly eat poisoned snails and die. 
• Avoid using snail poison in your backyard- the snail population will recover but the blue tongue population will not!
• As well as loving snails, blue tongues also love strawberries!
• They will eat any strawberry, whether it is ripe or not!
• Because of poisons sprayed on plants, the blue tongues can also die from poisoned strawberries.

You can help save blue tongues by:

• Keeping your pets inside
• Walking pets on leashes
• Leaving blue tongues alone if you see one on the ground
• Not using insecticides! The blue tongues can keep the snail population under control just fine if you don't kill them!

17th Guessing Article

Congratulations to Thomas_GeoGuy for guessing the previous person- Ernest Lawrence.

1. I am a place
2. Cotton was the key to my demise
3. In a dead sea, but not the Dead Sea
4. Once sat in a "Red" Country
5. Now wedged between two "Stans"

Australian Megafauna

In response to Jblob.
The term "Australian Megafauna" indicates that the creatures in this category are roughly 40kg. In other countries the term "Megafauna" indicates that the creature weighed over 100kg, but because of Australia's lack of animals weighing over 100kg, the term is more lenient.

Some Australian Megafauna are:

• Diprotodon

The Diprotodon is the largest marsupial to have ever lived. Its name means two forward teeth. It is commonly known as a giant wombat. Fossils of it have been found across most of mainland Australia. It was roughly 3 metres from nose to tail and 2 metres tall. Some Indigenous Australian cave paintings depict an animal similar to the Diprotodon, indicating that Indigenous may have had contact.

• Zaglossus Hackettii

The Zaglossus Hackettii is a species of Echidna that was roughly 1 metre long and weighed 30kg. It was the largest monotreme to exist, and due to scorch marks on some bones, it is likely that it was hunted.

The cause of the Australian Megafauna's extinction is widely debated. Theories range from climate change to human (Indigenous) hunting.

16th Guessing Article

Congratulations to 78TyranidMaster87 (Me!), who guessed the previous element- Carbon.
Today I will be adding (significant) people to the guessing article.
On a side note, I will still be guessing on these articles, but obviously not the ones I've been involved in.

1. I am a person
2. I studied at Yale
3. I won a Nobel Prize
4. I was involved in Physics

Questions

If you have any questions relating to science or the website, do not hesitate to ask. Just comment your question on any article (except guessing articles) and we will do our best to answer it

Addition to Science Facts Team

Today we added another member to our team- 78TyranidMaster87. They will no longer guess on the guessing articles and may add items to the blog.

-Science Genius

Giant and Colossal Squid

http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/colossalsquid.htm

The Giant Squid is a creature straight out of mythology, but it was recently discovered that a larger squid, the Colossal Squid exists. It is likely that the myths originated from the fact that the giant and colossal squids visited the surface when the temperature was lower. the giant and colossal squids live in deep water, where little light reaches and even less heat. Therefore the giant and colossal squids have acclimatised to low temperatures. 

It is unlikely that the giant or colossal squid ever attacked ships like the Kraken of legend - it would be too little food for the amount of energy required. It is far more likely that sailors saw the colossal animals and exaggerated stories of size. It is likely that the squid would simply flee from the ship.

The Colossal Squid has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom. They need to be large to see in the depths. Both the giant squid and the colossal squids have hooks on their suckers so as to ensure that prey doesn't escape.

The Colossal Squid also has a unique beak. It can become move between solid like a bone and fluid, like the rest of the body. This allows the squid to move to deeper depths and still effectively kill animals.

Guessing Article Scoreboard

Congratulations to all who have successfully guessed a place, animal or element.
Below is the scoreboard for all guessing articles. If you notice any faults, do not hesitate to comment below.

15th Guessing Article

Congratulations to Ryan Passout who guessed the previous animal- the Antilopine Kangaroo.

1. I am an element
2. I am lighter than Barium
3. I am not a metal
4. I am the15th most abundant element in Earth's Crust

Brazilian Wandering Spider

The Brazilian Wandering Spider or the Banana Spider lives in the Amazon rainforest and has the second most dangerous venom of any spider (after Sydney Funnel Web). It likes to seek out dark places for shelter, but hunts aggressively, rather than waiting for prey to come to it. Unfortunately, it likes to hide in banana boxes and has been transported to several places outside of South America such as Northern America and the United Kingdom. It can have a 13cm leg span and has a bad attitude, much like the Sydney Funnel Web. It has an unusual way of striking- it has a shallow bite, but not because it's fangs are small, but because it means that the venom can travel faster through the prey's blood system. It's venom contains a powerful neurotoxin, and another chemical that can lead to males getting an erection lasting for hours, that can lead to impotence.
Just don't forget to check to make sure the bananas you buy aren't being used as a home...

14th Guessing Article

Congratulations to Thomas GeoGuy for correctly guessing the previous location- Lake Toba

1. I am an animal
2. I live in the Southern Hemisphere
3. I live in groups of up to 30
4. I am a mammal
5. I am a macropod
6. I live on mainland Australia
7. I do not have wallaby in my name
8. I am commonly confused with a red kangaroo
9. I live in the monsoonal areas of Australia

13th Guessing Article

Congratulations to Thomas GeoGuy for guessing the previous element- Neptunium.

1. I am a place
2. I am located between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn

Sydney Funnel Web Spider

Sydney Funnel Web spiders live in Eastern Australia. The male's venom can kill in just 15 minutes and the force of the strike can go through finger and toenails. Within minutes of the bite the victim may suffer muscle spasms, vomiting and swelling of the brain. Their lungs are located on the exterior of their body and can dehydrate quickly. They spend most of their lives in burrows and under rocks, where the air is quite humid. They spin "funnel webs" (Seen above) and when a prey item like a lizard or insect touches the web, it rushes out and quickly kills the prey. It attacks by raising its two front pairs of legs over its head and rearing up, before slamming down with enough power to crush a mouse's skull. Funnel Webs are notoriously bad tempered and will attack rather than flee. The Funnel Web also traps air bubbles on its abdomen so it can survive up to three days under water. The also like to hide in shoes...