From Two-Headed Lizards to Chirping Crickets: Nature Surprises

Did You Know Which Reptile Has Two Heads?
The thorny devil is a special kind of reptile from Australia. It looks like a small brown lizard and blends in with its surroundings. It’s about 20 centimeters long and can live in dry desert areas. Its skin has little grooves that collect dew and send water straight to its mouth. On its neck, it has what looks like a second head, which it shows to scare away predators.

Did You Know Why Onions Make You Cry?
When you cut an onion, it releases a kind of gas made from sulfur. This gas is meant to keep animals from eating the onion. When the gas reaches your eyes, your body reacts by making tears to protect them from the sting.

Did You Know What the Strongest Organic Material Is?
It’s spider silk! Even though each strand is super thin, just a few microns wide, it’s very stretchy and much stronger than steel threads of the same size.

Did You Know Why Crickets Chirp?
Crickets are loud little insects. They chirp mostly to keep other crickets away. The sound comes from rubbing their back legs against their front wings, kind of like playing a tiny instrument with a bow and string.

Did You Know How the Microwave Heats Food?
Microwaves use strong electromagnetic waves. These waves make the water molecules in food move quickly. The movement causes friction, and that’s what creates the heat.

Did You Know Why Some Trees Keep Their Leaves?
Evergreen trees don’t lose their leaves like other trees. That’s because they keep sending food (called sap) from the ground to the leaves all year long. As long as the leaves get what they need, they stay green and don’t fall off.

Did You Know Who the Largest Night Predator Is?
The eagle owl is one of the biggest hunters of the night. The largest kind is the Eurasian eagle-owl, which can also be found in Israel. It’s powerful and silent and very good at catching its prey in the dark.