Why would this animal disguise itself as a soccer ball?

In nature, the strong prey on the weak, and animals must have more sophisticated defenses than their natural enemies in order to survive. The magical animal we are going to introduce today has an indestructible "armor"!

The invulnerable "stunning killer" - hawksbill turtle

When talking about hawksbill turtles, the first thing that comes to mind is probably their beautiful shells - the patterns on their carapaces are interwoven with a variety of colors, colorful, like a burning fire! Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, once wrote a poem that reads "Luoqi Zhaoyang Palace, fragrant hawksbill turtle banquet", which describes the preciousness and luxury of the banquet.

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The "armor" of the hawksbill turtle is not only beautiful, but also very hard. In fact, the tortoise shell is its chest cavity, which is formed by the ribs and spine fused together to form a solid plate, which we call "bone plate". The surface of the bone plate is covered with a layer of keratin scales, which are superimposed together to form the tortoise shell. Because the joints between the bone plate and the keratin scales are staggered, the arched structure also enables it to bear greater weight. Therefore, the strength of the tortoise shell is far beyond people's imagination.

Hawksbill turtles may look very bulky with their hard shells, but they are well-deserved fierce "hunters" in the ocean! They are extremely strong and have an amazing appetite, so they are known as "sponge terminators". Therefore, hawksbill turtles are called "great heroes" in protecting coral reefs!

The Armadillo: A Football Pretender

In 2012, FIFA and the Brazil World Cup Organizing Committee announced the mascot for the Brazil World Cup. After voting, the Brazilian people named this strange little guy "Fuleco", which is a combination of "football" and "ecology" in Portuguese, and the Chinese translation is "Fulaige". The prototype of Fulaige has a magical and indissoluble bond with Brazil and football. It is the armadillo!

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Unlike hawksbill turtles, the armadillo's "armor" grows out of the skin. It is made up of countless small pieces of bone called "bone armor" that are like a puzzle, forming a large bone-like structure. The bone armor is also covered with a hard keratin layer.

The carapace of turtles is a single piece and cannot be extended, but the carapace of armadillos has several obvious scale bands that allow them to move more freely.

There are many kinds of armadillos, and each has its own way of surviving. For example, the Brazilian three-banded armadillo can roll its body into a perfect "ball", with its head and tail fitting together like a mortise and tenon joint! No wonder the football-loving Brazilian people chose it as the mascot for the Brazil World Cup!

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Delicious "Gladiator" - Procambarus clarkii

It’s hot in the summer, and it’s time to eat crayfish! The delicious crayfish, scientifically known as Procambarus clarkii, is covered with hard “armor” from head to tail, and comes with a pair of “deadly” large claws. With this equipment, it is “rampant” in ponds all over the world!

Crayfish are natural fighters. At the slightest sign of trouble, they will wave their claws and prepare for a fight. The "armor" of crayfish is actually their exoskeleton, which not only protects their soft body and organs, but also provides fixation and support for the body.

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Today, the exoskeletons of crustaceans such as crayfish provide a lot of inspiration for humans! For example, at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, an exoskeleton robot developed by Chinese scientists helped disabled torchbearers successfully complete the torch relay!

Three magical animal "armor" can not only perfectly protect the animals' bodies, but also provide great help for their hunting! Every creature in nature has its own unique way of survival. In the process of protecting and studying them, they are also bringing us more and more surprises!

Source: CCTV Science and Education

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