· A crocodile weighing 120 pounds exerts a force of about 1,540 pounds between its jaws. A human being's jaws exert a force of only 40 to 80 pounds.

· A species of starfish known as Linckia columbiae can reproduce its entire body ÷ that is, grow back completely ÷ from a single severed piece less than a half-inch long.

· There is an organization in Berkeley, Calif., whose members gather monthly to discuss and honor the garlic plant. Called "The Lovers of the Stinky Rose," this unusual organization holds an annual garlic festival and publishes a newsletter known as Garlic Time.

· The highest number recognized by orthodox mathematics is the centillion. This is a 1 followed by 600 zeros. Any number higher than a centillion is considered an unimaginable abstraction belonging to the realm of infinity. However, attempts have been made to define these abstractions. For example, a megiston is the number 10 raised to the six-billionth power. The googolplex is even higher ÷ it is 10 raised to the googol power. A googol is 1 followed by 100 zeros.

· "Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwryrndrobwllllantsiliogogogoch" is the Welsh name of the town of Llanfair in Wales. At the Llanfair railroad station, a 20-foot long sign makes this fact clear to all arrivals. Translated, the name means "Saint Mary's Church in a hollow of white hazel, close to a whirlpool and Saint Tysilo's Church and near a red cave."

· There are parts of Europe, especially in southern France, where it has rained red rain. Known as "blood rains," such showers were for years thought to herald the apocalypse. Some scientists believe they are caused by a reddish dust that is blown all the way from the Sahara Desert. Others believe that the red color comes from microorganisms in the water.