I think hermit crabs are amazing creatures. Hermit crabs’ eyes are on stalks. They have six legs, two claws, and one of those claws is really big. They carry their home on their back. They can carry a shell that weighs as much as they do or more. Hermit crabs carry their shell on their back all the time to protect themselves from predators like seagulls. Whenever a hermit crab feels under attack, they withdraw into their shell and block the entrance with their big claw. Whenever they start to grow, they need to change to a bigger shell. It is interesting that sometimes hermit crabs get in line from biggest to smallest and change shells. This is called a shell exchange.  If land hermit crabs go into water, they can’t breath. Sea hermit crabs can breath underwater, and the cool thing is that they get oxygen from the water. There are 15 species of land hermit crabs, but 785 species of sea hermit crabs. Do you own a hermit crab or have you ever touched one?

 

 

When blow fish first grow up they live in plankton. When they are old enough, they leave. When they grow up, they grow spikes and they get much bigger. They have sharp teeth that are fused together to crunch up crab skeletons. Another cool thing is that they blow into the sand to find food. If a predator tries to eat a blow fish, their defense is blowing up so the predator can’t eat them. But the sad thing is that if the blow fish gets stuck in the predator’s mouth, both fish end up dying. Blow fish have stretchy, expandable skin like a balloon, so when they gulp water, the volume of their body grows bigger. Most blow fish have a toxic substance that makes them bad tasting and potentially deadly to other fish and deadly to humans. Have you ever seen a blow fish? If you have, do you think they are cool?

 

 

 

 

  

I got this information from http://abcnews.go.com/

1. Monopoly was created by Charles Darrow.
2. The first pieces were made from materials from Darrow’s home.
3. The shiny pieces were inspired by Darrow’s nieces.
4. The original game included 10 metal tokens.
5. Monopoly was not an immediate success.
6. The city of London was the setting of the first licensed Monopoly worldwide.
7. More than than one billion people have played Monopoly worldwide.
8. The game was very cheep.
9. The current classic Monopoly game includes eight tokens.
10. More than 20 different tokens have made their way into the game.
11. There are 40 spaces on the game board and 28 properties.
12. The three most-landed-on properties in the classic Monopoly game are Illinois Avenue, “GO” and B&O Railroad.
13. The total amount of money in a classic Monopoly game is $20,580.
14. There have been many adaptations of the game.
15. Monopoly Junior came in 1990.
16. The world’s most expensive Monopoly set was created in 1998.
17. The highest-rent properties vary by region.
18. Games of Monopoly have been played in peculiar places.
19. The longest Monopoly game played on record was a real marathon.
20. Monopoly was introduced on the iPhone in 2008.
21. The iron token was replaced.
22. “House rules” are now included.
23. You can now create your own personalized Monopoly game.
24. Fans gather to complete in a world championship.
25. There’s an anniversary edition out now.