Just because something is small doesn’t mean it isn’t strong, mighty, or determined. Animals are no different! Small animals can be just as tough as big ones! In fact, many small animals have near superpowers!
The bee hummingbird is found only in Cuba, the smallest bird in the world with a lifespan of 7 years. It isn’t only tiny, weighing less than a U.S. penny, it’s spectacular to watch. Bee hummingbirds flap their wings at a rate of 80 beats per second and can fly upside down and backwards. During a courtship flight, they beat up to 200 times per second! Even their heart rates are fascinating. Bee hummingbirds heart rates can reach 1,260 beats per minute. Bee hummingbirds are fast. They are capable of flying at 25–30 mph.
The Bee Hummingbird is an absolute miniature, even among hummingbirds. It measures a mere two and a quarter inches long. They are often mistaken for bees. It acts like one by helping plants reproduce by transferring pollen as it flits from flower-to-flower sipping nectar every 10 minutes. The female builds a nest barely an inch across with 2 eggs about the size of a coffee bean.
The male has a green pileum (the top of the head from the bill to the nape) and blazing red feathers that point like spikes down the sides of the breast. He is smaller than the female. Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tail feathers have white spots. Compared to other small hummingbirds, which often have a slender appearance, the bee hummingbird looks rounded and plump.
The brilliant, iridescent colors of the bee hummingbird’s feathers make the bird seem like a tiny jewel. The iridescence isn’t always noticeable, but depends on the viewing angle. The bird’s slender, pointed bill is adapted for probing deep into flowers and transfers pollen when flying from flower to flower. In one day, the bee hummingbird may visit 1,500 flowers, so plays an important role in plant reproduction. They occasionally eat insects and spiders. In a typical day, bee hummingbirds will consume up to half their body weight in food.
The bee hummingbird’s breeding season is March–June. Males court females with sound from tail‐feathers, which flutter during display dives. The bee hummingbird interaction with the flowers that supply nectar is a notable example of bird–plant coevolution with its primary food source.
Water bears aren’t really bears at all, but they are tough and mighty! These tiny animals are less than 1mm long and are found everywhere there is water. They can be found almost anywhere on Earth, from the top of the Himalaya Mountain range to the bottom of the sea, from icy Antarctica to bubbling hot springs. These microscopic crawlers look a bit stout, like a bear, but they have eight short little legs with little claws on each leg.
They can survive temperatures colder than -328 Fahrenheit by going dormant. They can last a century in this dormant state. On the flip side, they can survive in the desert at temperatures over 302 degrees Fahrenheit. They can go without food, air, and water and can survive radiation. Water bears have even been sent to the moon!
Sea cucumbers are small animals that live on the ocean floor. They eat algae and microscopic animals and even waste. But they have a very interesting superpower!
When a sea cucumber is threatened, it instantly tightens all its muscles and shoots some of its organs out of its body at the predator. But that’s not all – when the sea cucumber has escaped its untimely death it can quickly regenerate the missing organs and continue its peaceful existence.
They’re tiny and cute, and live in Indonesia. The Slow Loris is so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. But there is an ugly surprise if you pick one up. The Slow Loris produces a toxin near their elbow. When they lick their bodies, the toxin gets transferred to their mouths. If they bite you, you’ll experience painful swelling. In addition, people subjected to slow loris bites often experience a potentially fatal allergic reaction to the toxin. The slow loris will transfer this toxin to their babies as a means of protection so they can go and hunt.
Lest we forget. The enduring power of the Sept. 11 attacks is clear: An overwhelming share of Americans are old enough to recall the day, remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. Yet an ever-growing number of Americans have no personal memory of that day, either because they were too young or not yet born. Shock, sadness, fear, anger: The 9/11 attacks inflicted a devastating emotional toll on Americans. As horrible as the events of that day were, a 63% majority of Americans said they couldn’t stop watching news coverage of the attacks. More than two decades later, Sept. 11 remains a point for reflection on the hijacked-plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Let us not forget: Christine Lee Hanson was on her way to Disneyland when she became the youngest 9/11 victim. Betty Ong, the flight attendant who made first 9/11 alert. Richard, who worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 17 years, was on his way home from his grandmother’s 100th birthday party and was aboard United Airlines Flight 93 when it crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
343 firefighters died, lost in the collapse of buildings, from smoke inhalation that day. Since then, another 306 firefighters, emergency service technicians, officers and paramedics have died from diseases they contracted from working the smoking pile of metal, glass and rubble at the World Trade Center site, according to the Uniformed Firefighters Association. The September 11 attacks of 2001 caused the deaths of 2,977 victims. There are still more than 1,100 victims, at least 40% of those who died on 9/11, that remain unidentified.
The collapse of two 110-story buildings created piles of rubble multiple stories high and extending seven stories belowground. Nearly 100 dogs worked at the Trade Center. During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, loyal search and rescue dogs & their owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors. Bretagne remained the only living 9/11 search and rescue dog until June 6, 2016, when she was laid to rest just shy of 17 years old. They, along with human rescuers, suffered lasting health problems that were tied to their heroic efforts.
We need to remember how the country came together as one. Maybe at this time of turmoil in our country we should vividly remember. Remember the horror yes, but remember the solidarity our citizens and the world displayed to one and all. We should take a moment on the morning of 9/11 and remember.
“Where were you when the world stopped turnin’ That September day? Did you weep for the children, they lost their dear loved ones; Pray for the ones who don’t know? Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble And sob for the ones left below? Did you burst out with pride for the red, white, and blue And the heroes who died just doin’ what they do? Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer And look at yourself and what really matters? And I remember this from when I was young. Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us and the greatest is love.”
Remember you can’t enjoy the Library if you don’t remember we changed to winter hours: Monday 9-1; 2-6, Tuesday 9-1; 3-5, Wednesday – Friday 2-5. Our heroes are also readers. Stop by and pick up your solar eclipse glasses.