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A turtle with a ball is not automatically playing

When we see a puppy chasing a stick or a kitten batting at string, we immediately recognize it as play, but what about a reptile pushing a basketball around a tank? A famous study of a captive Nile soft-shelled turtle named Pigface turned that observation into a rigorous scientific puzzle: what criteria distinguish genuine play from foraging, boredom, or stress?

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • Which alternative explanations would you want to rule out?
  • What repeated behaviors would help distinguish play from feeding, exploration, or an attempt to escape?

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Nature and biology

How does a honey bee dance give directions?

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3–5 min

How does a honey bee dance give directions?

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5–7 min

How can an octopus change color so quickly?

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Nature and biology

Finding prey through returning echoes

An echolocating bat uses the delay and character of returning sound to follow a target. Its calls can change as it approaches prey, connecting the sound it sends with the information it needs next.

3–5 min

Finding prey through returning echoes

Nature and biology3–5 minAn echolocating bat uses the delay and character of returning sound to follow a target. Its calls can change as it approaches prey, connecting the sound it sends with the information it needs next.

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