did you know that hippos have red "sweat"?

alot of people's first thought is that the hippo is either bleeding or such but that's really not the case.

you see, hippos dont actually sweat. they dont have sweat glands. instead this discharge is being released from mucous glands.

this discharge acts as a kind of sunscreen for them, I mean, after all they do stand in direct sun for most of the day. the fluid is kinda like a skin moisturizer, water repellent, and antibiotic for them.

the fluid on the hippo appears red in full sunlight, but its actually a mixture of colours. the main pigments in this discharge is orange and red, and scientists actually have names for these coloured pigments.

the red pigement is called; "hipposudoric acid"

the orange pigment is called; "norhipposudoric acid"

the orange pigment will abodrb ultraviolet raditaion that is given off by the sun, while the red pigment acts as an antibody.

hippos skin is extremly sentisve to dying out and sunburn, so this oily discharges job is meant to help them with that.

my sources for this were:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-hippopotamuses-actuall/#:~:text=Hippos%20secrete%20a%20reddish%20oily,special%20glands%20in%20their%20skin.&text=Their%20skin%20is%20very%20sensitive,hippo%20is%20in%20the%20water.

https://www.thoughtco.com/do-hippos-sweat-blood-3976013

https://www.hippohaven.com/hippo-blood-sweat/

The credit for the photo is:

the outer layer of the scorpions exoskeleton is called a cuticle. on the cuticle is a thin layer called, the hyaline layer. this is the layer on the scorpions exoskeleton that reacts to the uv (ultraviolet) lights and makes it glow.

what's even cooler is that scientists figured out that this thin layer on the cuticle of the exoskeleton is really really strong. so strong in fact that if you were to shine a uv(ultraviolet) light on a dead, or fossilized scorpion, it would still glow like it does when it's alive.

also, when the scientists preserve the scorpion specimens in jars, the hyaline layer will make the liquid of the jar glow as well.

one thing to point out though is, after molting, the scorpions don't glow immediately. the cuticles would have to first completely harden in order for the hyaline layer of the cuticle to glow under the light.

scientists don't know for sure why the scorpions glow though.

hello! I wanted to start a thing where I share new facts about animals that i learn everyday. I will do lots of research on the things I share before I post them. the credit to this picture goes to Google, but specifically; https://agrilife.org/urban-ipm/2017/10/06/glowing-scorpions/

the credit of where I got the info is below (from various sights and such):

https://www.terminix.com/blog/bug-facts/why-do-scorpions-glow-under-ultraviolet-light/

https://kidsdiscover.com/quick-reads/makes-scorpions-glow-ultraviolet-light/