Dominik Eulberg´s 11 wonders of nature
1. Täuschungs-Blume (literal translation engl. illusion-flower)
The Bee Orchid is an exceedingly clever plant.
It's florescence has a striking resemblance to the body of a bee in colour and form.
It even imitates the very fine hair.
The flower also imitates the pheromone of the female bee.
That makes the bee orchid perfect: the male bee will fly to it and pollinate it.
2. Echomaus (literal translation engl. echomaus)
Bats are next to birds and insects the only creatures that have developed airspace for themselves.
With the help of their refined echo-positioning system they can navigate and hunt their prey in the dark.
Ejected ultrasonic waves are reflected by objects and serve as imaginary maps.
3. Das Neunauge (biological translation engl. Lamprey) (literal translation engl. nine eye)
With it's 500 million years the Lamprey is the oldest living vertebrate.
It's German name (Neunauge engl. nine eye) derives from it's seven gill openings,
plus the nostril and eye, which all together looks as if it had 9 eyes.
It spends the first fife years of it's life in the form of a wormlike larva.
Then it abruptly transforms itself with in 3 weeks into a complete fish.
4. Teddy Tausendentod (biological translation engl. Waterbear)
(literal translation engl. teddy thousand deaths)
The minuscule Waterbears look like tiny clumsy teddy bears.
If the dry out only the medically dead body remains.
But even after many years without food, only one drop of water can awaken them to life again!
5. Islandmuschel 400 (literal translation engl. Icelandic Cyperine 400)
With some luck you can find the plain shell of the Icelandic Cyperine at our beaches.
But who'd have thought that the Icelandic Cyperine could grow to be 400 years old.
Therewith it is one of the animals with the highest life-span.
6. Die 3 Millionen Musketiere (literal translation engl. the three million Musketeers)
Each for all, all for each! . One ant alone is not capable of big achievements.
But through the brilliant, self organised state formed out of millions of ants,
an collective intelligence comes into being.
Through which for instance perfect buildings are contracted.
7. H2O (biological translation engl. H20)
Water is no doubt the biggest miracle on the earth. Not only life itself originates from water,
but also the human being consist to 70% out of it.
Furthermore water has extraordinary abilities.
For instance it is the only chemical bond that appears in all three aggregate states
and according to what people say it has even got a memory.
8. Der Tanz der Glühwürmchen (literal translation engl. the dance of the fireflies)
As female fireflies don't have any wings and their shape is worm-like
the firefly is called Glühwürmchen (engl. glow-worm) in common German language.
Fireflies can produces a cold green light with their hindquarters, which is called bioluminescence.
They use this light to be able to join up to mate.
9. Aeronaut (literal translation engl. aeronaut)
The Swift resorts to the ground only to breed.
It spends the rest of it's life entirely in the air,
it eats and drinks, cleans itself and even sleeps their.
Doing so it covers four million kilometres during it's life span.
10. Wenn es Perlen regnet (literal translation engl. when it's raining pearls)
Rain drips of some leaves in a lovely way.
The reason for this is a special uneven surface structure of the leaves
which prevents that the pearl like drops get caught.
So dirt and bacteria don't get a chance to do any harm and just get washed away.
11. Metamorphose (biological translation engl. Metamorphose)
This transformation is really amazing: a slippery caterpillar pupates and a lacy butterfly emerges.
Almost all of the tissue and all the organs are dismantled and transformed during a metamorphose.
For instance out of the mouthparts of the caterpillar, which can even chew firm leaves, a nectar sucking nozzle develops.