Image: emmapatsie via Flickr Helicodiceros muscivorus |
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Wednesday 30 May 2012
Dead Horse Arum
Sunday 27 May 2012
Ocean Sunfish
Image: Dive Concepts Bali via Flickr |
It's the biggest fish head in the world!
Friday 25 May 2012
Violin Beetle
Image: Dr. Arthur Anker |
It's like tree-hugging taken to the next level. Only with more tree-corpse.
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Gorgonocephalus
Sunday 20 May 2012
Basking Shark
Friday 18 May 2012
Illacme plenipes, leggiest of them all!
Illacme plenipes has more legs than any other animal! It's a millipede, of course. What else could it possibly be?
The strange thing is how tiny it is. We're talking scarcely more than 3 cm (1.2 in) long and about half a millimetre (0.2 in) wide. In this diminutive frame they pack some 750 legs!
Isn't that amazing? You'd think they'd have legs on their back, legs on their sides and legs on their legs... just pure legs everywhere! Instead it's a skinny but otherwise perfectly normal millipede. They just happen to be unbelievably leggy.
The females are, anyway. Males are somewhat less impressive, being half the length and struggling with a mere 300 or 400 legs. I guess a gentleman should never take the limelight.
Unfortunately, they don't actually have spotlights following everywhere they go. Neither are they weighed down by a shiny, gold medal around their minute neck. There's even a distinct lack of red carpets beneath their hundreds of feet. The wear and tear would be too great.
First discovered in 1926 in central California, these record breaking celebrities immediately took to the life of a recluse. They weren't rediscovered until 2005. They refused to be interviewed but consented to a brief photo shoot. Always leave your fans wanting more, right?
Thursday 17 May 2012
The Deepstaria enigma: Addendum
The fine folks at MBARI have let us in on some more footage of that crazy Deepstaria jellyfish.
This time it looks elegant and majestic, still incredibly odd but not flailing around embarrassingly like a drunk in a really nice suit.
We also get to see our very own Big Red Jellyfish in action and another glimpse of the cascading oral arms of Stygiomedusa gigantea.
These are all big, deep sea jellyfish who lack tentacles, and so have had to find other ways of catching their food. It involves being really weird. Good!
This time it looks elegant and majestic, still incredibly odd but not flailing around embarrassingly like a drunk in a really nice suit.
We also get to see our very own Big Red Jellyfish in action and another glimpse of the cascading oral arms of Stygiomedusa gigantea.
These are all big, deep sea jellyfish who lack tentacles, and so have had to find other ways of catching their food. It involves being really weird. Good!
Wednesday 16 May 2012
Sarcastic Fringehead
Image source |
Sunday 13 May 2012
Whale Shark
Image: Rob Hughes via Flickr |
The thing with Whale Sharks is that it seems to get worse and worse the more you know.
Friday 11 May 2012
The Deepstaria enigma
Isn't it terrible? You're fast asleep on your beautiful, satin sheets, indulging in a really scary nightmare. Perhaps it involves a guy getting bitten by a radioactive spider. The horror that ensues turns out to be quite unlike your friendly, neighbourhood Spiderman. But then the nightmare pops right out of your head, bites your beautiful, satin sheets, turns them into another nightmare and off they go together and disappear into the sea!
Those were some really nice sheets.
Wednesday 9 May 2012
Red Cage Fungus
Image: key lime pie yumyum via Flickr |
Above his knees and up to his waist is a thick mass of brown fur, matted, clumped and variously tinged with red and black. Above the waist his leathery skin is a sickly, almost celebratory orange. His eyes are completely black, but surrounded by a painful red as if irritated by the acidic fumes.
"You? You wish to fight for your freedom?"
You stare up at him, unable to speak.
"Are you ready for the Red Cage?"
Sunday 6 May 2012
You Sexy Tiger! Beetle
Image: Ted C. MacRae, Beetle in the Bush |
But a lot of them are remarkably attractive.
This one is so attractive it's known as the Festive Tiger Beetle. You can see why, right? It has a vibrant, emerald green head and thorax with deep ruby wing cases. Sort of like holly. And then it tops it all off with Santa's white beard!
Like most Tiger Beetles, Cicindela scutellaris is found in dry, sandy areas where they can more easily spot prey and run after it. This one in particular is found in numerous, separate parts of eastern and central United States.
Let's make this clear, I don't think these Tigers are trying to fool anyone. We all know Festive Tiger Beetle festivities will involve the death of many insects. I think on the contrary they're so proud of their vicious escapades that they want everyone to watch admiringly. Who am I to deny them their evil intent?
Friday 4 May 2012
Pauropod
Image: David R. Maddison |
There are people out there with pet centipedes, feeding them mice and smiling fiendishly at the resulting carnage.
There are others with pet millipedes, watching them eat vegetables and giggling with delight as countless legs crawl across their quivering skin.
But no one has a pet Pauropod.