Ophrys orchids mimic the look, the fuzzy texture and above all the scent of female bees or wasps. Fooled, males try to mate with the flower, fly off with pollen sacs stuck to their heads, then repeat the mistake on another bloom. The plant gets pollinated without offering a single drop of nectar.
In 2022, a young tagged bar-tailed godwit flew from Alaska to Tasmania in about 11 days of nonstop flight, covering 13,560 km without eating, drinking or landing. Before departure, these birds pile on huge fat reserves and shrink their digestive organs, which are useless during the journey.
To escape rivals, a dung beetle rolls its ball of dung in a straight line. At night, it holds its course using the glowing band of the Milky Way. In a planetarium, researchers showed that beetles rolled straight under a starry sky but wandered aimlessly when the galaxy was switched off. It was the first animal known to navigate this way.