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Category: Size

Meet the Bug That Breathes Through Its Butt

In our last post, you were a beetle with a breathing problem. In this one, you’re underwater. And because you’re in the water, you’ve got what looks like an unsurmountable, frightening, oh-my-god-I’m-going-to-die predicament.

Published December 8, 2015
Categorized as Size Tagged aquatic insects, breathing, diffusion, dragonflies, gills, how insects breathe

Gasp! A Breathing Puzzle

Most animals not only don’t breathe like we do, they do it so differently, we still haven’t quite figured out what they’re doing. What we do know is the way these creatures take in air and get their oxygen is nothing short of astonishing. So that’s our topic: mysterious breathers.

Published November 10, 2015
Categorized as Size Tagged breathing, diffusion, giant insects, how insects breathe, respiration, spiracles, trachea

Why Elephants Don’t Explode: How Nature Solves Bigness

Shrews are very odd animals. They don’t slow down. They barely sleep. Like tightly wound springs, they unleash crazy amounts of energy, and then, out of some deep need, or some deep necessity, they release more.

Published September 2, 2015
Categorized as Size Tagged don't mess with a shrew, elephant, metabolism, shrew, why elephants don't explode

Who’ll Freeze First? A Puzzle About Size and Staying Warm

It’s 20 below freezing in a Tennessee forest, and biologist David George Haskell takes his clothes off. All of them. On purpose.

Published August 27, 2015
Categorized as Size Tagged Allen's Rule, Bergmann's Rule, chickadees, David Haskell, surface area to volume ratio

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