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Find out what makes grizzly bears so freaky in this episode of Freaky Creatures!

You’ll want to go to bat for these awesome mammals after reading about their supercool skills.
Find out what else makes the tube-lipped nectar bat so freaky in this episode of

Crossing a beach to get to the sea, a two-foot-tall Humboldt penguin waddles over what appears to be a cluster of large boulders. Suddenly one of the rock-like objects rises up and barks! The penguin is stepping on sea lions lounging on the shore. Sea lions prey on Humboldt penguins in water but are too slow to catch them on land. The bird continues to ruffle feathers as it climbs over more annoyed sea lions. But it finally makes it to the ocean and dives in for a swim. A GOOD SPORT Humboldt penguins live along the shores of Peru and Chile, two countries in South America. Named for a chilly water current that flows through their coastal range, these birds are excellent swimmers. Their torpedo-shaped bodies can shoot through the water at speeds of 30 miles an hour. And they can dive up to 500 feet underwater in search of snacks such as fish, shrimp, and squid. When the birds need a break from swimming, they come ashore. Getting around on land isn’t always easy. Parts of their habitat feature rocky seaside cliffs. Luckily the animals have some built-in climbing gear: They use sharp claws on their webbed feet to grip onto rocks as they move across the rugged landscape. The animals also put their climbing skills to use when they have to scramble over sunbathing sea lions blocking their path to the ocean. THINK PINK During the hottest months of the year, temperatures in the Humboldt penguin’s home can reach triple digits. The animal has ways to beat the heat though. It sports patches of bare, pink skin around its eyes and at the base of its bill. The bird expels body heat through these featherless spots. This little guy’s athletic abilities and its pink patches make it one colorful penguin! Check out the book Penguins vs. Puffins for more about these amazing birds! Watch a YouTube playlist all about penguins. Text by Andrea Silen, NGS Staff
Find out what else makes the Humboldt penguin so freaky in this episode of Freaky

These seabirds are known for their wild look and sound—no wonder they’re sometimes called the rock stars of the penguin world.
With their distinctive plumage, unusual squawks, and hard-to-find cave nests, tawakis

Get penguin facts, photos, and videos!
Find out what else makes the Humboldt penguin so freaky in this episode of “Freaky

The Madagascar hissing cockroach is all hiss and no sting. Its alarm hiss, which sounds like a loud snake hiss, is the cockroach’s attempt to scare off intruders. The male cockroach also uses distinct hisses to attract a mate and to intimidate other male cockroaches. When defending their territory from other males, these cockroaches will hiss, push, and shove, and stand on their “toes” to show who’s boss. The male that is larger and hisses more usually wins. It is one of the largest species of cockroach in the world—adults grow to be between two and four inches (5.1 and 10.2 centimeters) long! With their thick and waxy exoskeletons, Madagascar hissing cockroaches may look like big pests, but they’re actually important to the health of the rain forest. They are detritivores, which means they eat decaying plant material and animal carcasses. They recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.
Find out how these insects get sweet in this "Weird But True!" video.

These frogs are considered one of Earth’s most toxic, or poisonous, species. For example, the golden poison dart frog has enough poison to kill 20,000 mice. With a range of bright colors—yellows, oranges, reds, greens, blues—they aren’t just big show-offs either. Those colorful designs tell potential predators, „I’m toxic. Don’t eat me.“ Scientists think that poison dart frogs get their toxicity from some of the insects they eat. How do poison dart frogs capture their prey? Slurp! With a long, sticky tongue that darts out and zaps the unsuspecting bug! The frogs eat many kinds of small insects, including fruit flies, ants, termites, young crickets, and tiny beetles, which are the ones scientists think may be responsible for the frogs‘ toxicity. Poison dart frogs live in the rain forests of Central and South America.
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These enormous fish are found in tropical oceans around the world.
be a short trip—a whale shark needs to travel about 5,000 miles each year to find

Harp seals spend most of their time diving and swimming in the icy waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. These sleek swimmers often hunt for fish and crustaceans at 300 feet (90 meters) and may dive to nearly 1,000 feet (300 meters). They are able to remain submerged for up to 15 minutes. During mating season, females form large colonies on floating ice and give birth to young. Older seals return annually to pack ice to molt. They lose their pelts and top layers of skin and grow a new fur coat every year. Harp seals are sometimes called saddleback seals because of the dark, saddlelike marking on the back and sides of their light yellow or gray bodies of the adults. Baby seals are born on pack ice floating in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Harp seal mothers are able to identify their babies by their smell. The pups don’t have any blubber at birth, but quickly gain weight nursing on high-fat mother’s milk. When the pups reach about 80 pounds (36 kilograms), their mothers stop nursing them. The pups go without food for about six weeks and can lose about half their body weight until they dive in and begin to hunt for themselves. The young seals are famous for their snowy white coats.
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Picture a camel. Now take away a hump (or two). Finally, shrink it down in size and place it in South America, living as far south as Tierra del Fuego. What do you end up with? A guanaco. Guanacos are related to camels, as are vicunas, llamas, and alpacas. But they live in South America, while camels are found in Africa and Asia. Guanacos and vicunas are wild animals, but llamas and alpacas have been domesticated, like cats and dogs, and were probably bred from guanacos. They’re slender animals with pale brown backs, white undersides, short tails, large heads, very long necks, and big, pointed ears. They live in groups of up to ten females, their young, and a dominant male adult. Unattached bachelor males form herds of their own—these can include as many as 50 or more animals. When a female guanaco gives birth, her newborn, known as a chulengo, is able to walk immediately. Chulengos can keep up with the herd right away. Guanacos live on land high in the Andes mountains—up to 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) above sea level—as well as on the lower plateaus, plains, and coastlines of Peru, Chile, and Argentina. Guanacos were once over hunted for their thick, warm wool. Now they thrive in areas protected by law.
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