Happy April!
As the Artemis II crew gets ready to blast off for the Moon, have you seen their plush mascot that was designed by a second-grader?
Let us know how we’re doing! Fill out our 2-minute survey and get entered to win 4 $25 Amazon gift cards! 💰
Finally, make sure to scroll to the bottom to get your free 95 Animal Facts! 🎁
Here’s what we’ve got this week:
TRIVIA
Heaviest animal? ⚖️
What's the heaviest animal on Earth?
(Explanation at the end!)
ANIMAL FOCUS
Penguins vs. Submarines? 🐧
They’re cute, but do you know how impressive penguins really are?
Penguins see better underwater than on land! Their eyes are specially adapted for seeing underwater, which is why they’re so clumsy on land. 🥽
Emperor penguins can dive over 1,800 feet deep - deeper than some submarines! They can hold their breath up to 20 minutes and even decrease their heart rate and move oxygen to other organs to stay underwater longer. 🛟
Their black-and-white coloring is the perfect camouflage! When swimming, the black makes it hard to spot them from above, and their light bellies make it difficult for predators to see them from below. 🦭
They have special glands that help them “sneeze” out tiny salt crystals to safely remove excess salt they swallow from seawater. 🧂
Penguins have knees! They’re just hidden under all the feathers and fat. 🦵
EVER WONDER?
What are goosebumps? 🪿
Every hair is surrounded by tiny muscles. Goosebumps happen when these tiny muscles contract, which make your hair stand up!
Goosebumps are automatic. They’re controlled by the same part of your brain that controls your heartbeat and breathing.
Why do we get them? 🧥
Defense. Making our hairs stand up makes us look bigger. (This works more for cats than humans.)
Warmth. When we’re cold, our hairs stand up to create a thin layer of insulating air around our body.
Strong emotions. Goosebumps can be triggered by strong emotions (like awe, fear, or nostalgia) as part of our “fight-or-flight” response.
Who else gets them? 🐻
Most mammals do (cats, dogs, monkeys, bears, etc.). Birds, reptiles, and fish don’t because they don’t have hair!
Panagiotis Xaxiris | The Nature Photography Contest 2025
Hope you learned something new. See you next week!
- Steve
P.S. The blue whale (200 tons) is the heaviest animal ever, larger than fin whales (120 tons), sperm whales (57 tons), elephants (10 tons), and giraffes (2 tons).