Countries of the World

The bananas you can buy at your local greengrocer’s are Cavendish bananas, but did you know that people preferred another variety called the Gros Michel? Unfortunately, it became extinct in the 1960s when a fungus wiped out entire harvests.

It’s fascinating that the largest animal ever to have lived on earth, the blue whale, feeds on nothing but krill, shrimp-like creatures that are among the smallest sea-dwellers. But it takes 36 metric tons of krill a day to allay an adult blue whale’s hunger. That’s the weight of 25 cars!

Jellyfish, though beautiful, can sting with their tentacles if they brush against you when you're swimming in the ocean. You can also get stung if you step on a jellyfish, even one that isn't alive anymore. Usually, jellyfish stings will hurt, and might even itch, but are not emergencies. Though some jellyfish stings can be very dangerous.