Category Ask the Psychologist

Coral reefs are often called the “rain forests of the sea,” but they’re more like undersea cities for fish, eels, lobsters, and the many other organisms that live here. The workers that build these cities are the corals themselves – minuscule creatures that create a tough limestone skeleton to live in. The structures you see are the skeletons of thousands of coral polyps piled up over the centuries. Corals invite algae roommate into their limestone homes to help them survive and produce the reef’s trademark vivid colors. The algae convert sunlight to food and oxygen for the corals, which in turn nourish the algae with their waste.

Picture Credit : Google

It’s not a teeny-weeny lightbulb or a spark that lights up a firefly’s insides. In fact, this insect’s fiery glow doesn’t produce any heat at all. It’s the product of a chemical reaction inside the bug’s body. By mixing chemicals and oxygen, the firefly switches its night-light on and off and controls its intensity, providing mood lighting for summer evenings in the backyard.

Fireflies are born with their built-in night-lights. They glow as larvae to warn predators not to eat them (firefly bodies contain yucky-fasting chemicals; one taste teaches mot predators to snack elsewhere). In their adult forms, fireflies flash to identify each other and attract mates. Female fireflies go for guy flies with the brightest, flashiest light show.

Picture Credit : Google

A male cricket’s musical instrument is his wings rather than his legs. It is a common misconception that crickets use their legs to create chirping sounds. Actually they use their wings to do so. The sides of their wings are grooved in texture. They also have a jagged edge above the grooves. When these grooved sides of the wings are rubbed against each other, chirping sounds are produced. This action is called stridulation. This music can be produced with either wing, but research shows that most males prefer to use their right wings over the left. Female crickets do not chirp, as they do not have the same anatomy. Let us now look at the purpose of such behavior.

Picture Credit : Google

Crickets were considered to be symbols of good luck and respect in ancient China and Japan. The insects were kept in cages of gold, where people could listen to their melodious chirping. The name cricket comes from the French word ‘criquer’ which means ‘small creaker’. On a calm night, the chirping of crickets in your yard or garden can be a very soothing sound. However, the same chirping can send you into a rage, if the insect has entered your home and is ruining your sleep. On the other hand, chirping is a very important activity in a cricket’s life cycle. They mainly communicate using scent, touch and sound, and sound is the most widely used method.

Picture Credit : Google

Mosquito bites in Africa and elsewhere claim the lives of millions of people each year – far more victims than those killed by sharks and crocodiles. Thee buzzing, bothersome flies spread malaria, dengue fever, and other diseases that are fatal if left untreated.

Using an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent, covering up while outdoors and keeping mosquitoes outside by using window or door screens are ways to prevent mosquito bites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Picture Credit : Google

No one knows for sure why moths (along with other winged insects) will make a beeline for lightbulbs or burn up in candle flames. The most popular theory is that moths navigate at night by flying parallel to the brightest light source, which in the time before man-made campfires and electricity was the moon or stars. The moon makes a good navigational aid because it never gets any closer, helping the moth keep a straight flight path. Trying to fly parallel to a streetlight or flame short-circuits the moth’s flight computer, causing the moth to fly in tighter and tighter circle until it eventually bounces off the light or burns up.

Picture Credit : Google