There is this type of Japanese honey bee that I find utterly fascinating. See, they're these little bees that sometimes have their nests invaded by some kind of monstrous wasp (I despise all forms of wasp). Anyway, when the bees notice a wasp coming along, they will hide in the nest, making it look nearly abandoned. The wasp will then enter, and promptly get surrounded by about 500 of these bees. The bees will start to vibrate their wing muscles and heat up the area around the wasp. The bees can take temperatures of about 2 degrees C higher than the wasp can, and therefore they heat up to 1 degree over the wasp's limit. The high heat combined with the high levels of carbon dioxide kill the wasp, preventing it from started a raid on the hive. Now see, that entire process just boggles my mind. I can't believe that insects are born with the kind of instincts that allow them to pull off such a unique and precise kill. Although I'm a fan of bees (they're so adorable), this kind of thing is almost frightening to think of.
Otters also fascinate me, although it's more a fascination with how cute they are. There is simply nothing more irresistibly adorable than otters playing around in a stream on a sunny day. Like watching a crab scuttling around on the sand, I can spend quite awhile just observing how otters play around and just generally act (although this is at the zoo, and after about 20 minutes people start staring). They're so playful and energetic, and yet graceful and lithe in the water.
That is crazy amazing. So cool.
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