Sometimes I Learn Something New

Sometimes I actually learn something new. For me, that's pretty unusual. Usually, I would have to work pretty hard to come across something I had no clue at all about before. However, most of the time, when this happens, it's not because of any work of my own.

For instance, today, I was messing around online (looking for pictures of blue footed boobies) and was wandering sort of aimlessly through Wikipedia again, and in those meanderings discovered that gannets, apparently, have no external nostrils.

Cropped from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gannet4.jpg

Whoa. It's true.

I didn't even notice that before. Should I be embarrassed??

Anyway... they have no external nostrils because of their extreme adaptation to hurtling into the ocean at incredible speeds. (Also includes protective air sacs in their chest to cushion against impact.)

But it's always weird to do a double take and realize that I did not notice that at all before, ever, and it's not like I haven't spent some time staring at gannets. Or at least videos of gannets. Gannets, boobies (say what you will...), and albatross are some of my favourite animals.

Well, they say you learn something new every day. I don't, so... there you go. It's an occasion for me. "Today, I learned gannets have no external nostrils!"
I can picture the anniversary.
If only I could remember what happened last year.