Fascinating Facts About Nature

February 6, 2009
Interview with Bill McLain, author of Do Fish Drink Water?

________________

Mike Carruthers:
Do you know why grapefruit is called grapefruit?

Bill McLain:
Well grapefruit (unlike oranges or lemons) grows in cultures like grapes and that's how it got the name grapefruit.

Bill McLain, author of the book Do Fish Drink Water? Do they?

Well it depends upon if they're a salt-water or a fresh-water fish. If they're a salt-water fish the water draws fluid out of them, they have to drink water to replenish it. If they're a fresh-water fish the opposite occurs - they get their water by osmosis (the water seeps in through tiny holes in their skin.)

Is it true that Thomas Crapper invented the toilet?

No it was actually one of his employees. But he had his name on all of the toilet tanks, so during the First World War the soldiers were going to the restroom and they would see T.Crapper on the toilet tank and they started calling them crappers.

And do dolphins ever sleep?

If a dolphin were to sleep soundly he'd be exposed to great dangers. So his brain (like ours) is in two hemispheres but it works differently. The left hemisphere sleeps for eight hours and the right hemisphere stays awake and then the reverse is true for the next eight hours; for the final eight hours the total brain is awake. So when half the brain is sleeping the dolphin is somewhat lethargic but still alert enough to get out of danger.

Complete interview not available.