Check out
these oddities
and curiosities
from around
the world!
ICE BALLS
This phenomenon comes about
in cold climates where ice formed
on water breaks apart into small
pieces and is known as slushy ice.
Layers of this ice stick together
in the cool waters and come
ashore on waves. The waves spin
the balls of ice smoothing them
into balls—and when they land
on the beach, they look like they
make a perfect stash for a grand
snowball fight. Examples of this
have been spotted in Finland,
Sweden and Siberia.
A slightly different phenomena
is seen on the shores of Lake
Michigan in the winter, but these
balls tend to more boulder-
sized. Ice sheets in the lake
break and are churned into
the waves. As the current takes
them to the shores, they are
rolled and formed by the waves
and become ice spheres which
eventually land on the shores
looking like great white boulders.
ZEBRA-STRIPED COWS?
Why would you paint a cow to look like
a zebra?
Turns out it could save on pesticide.
Zebra stripes are considered to be great
camouflage, especially in a herd where
many animals congregate together. A group
of researchers in Japan decided to test the
theory that stripes might deter flies.
Six Japanese black cows were used in
the experiment. Two were painted with
black and white stripes to mimic zebras.
Others were painted with black stripes and
another group were left all black.
Using cameras to document the findings,
the researchers counted the number of
biting flies landing on their cows and they
also documented fly-repelling behaviors
such as head throws, leg stamps and so on.
The number of biting flies on the black
and white striped cows was considerably
less than the other two groups.
Biting flies are a serious pest affecting
livestock and most farmers will use
pesticide to reduce the number of flies.
The conclusion of the study suggests that
painting cows with zebra stripes could
reduce fly attacks on livestock and so
reduce the need for pesticides.
Source: journals.plos.org
38 • Of f icialKidsMag.com • JANUARY 2020
