Sunday 29 April 2012

Sturgeon

Image: david.torcivia via Flickr
Sturgeon! With a T! Don't mix him up with a surgeon because this guy just isn't cut out for heart surgery; he has no proper backbone, no hands and I swear he needs glasses. Does he remind anyone else of Mole from The Wind in the Willows?

Friday 27 April 2012

Hooded Tickspider

Image: Marshal Hedin
Armed with a remarkably thick exoskeleton and a host of other protective devises, Hooded Tickspider must surely be the most paranoid of all arachnids.

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Basket Star

Image: Nick Hobgood
What on Earth is going on here? There must be a million creatures in there! Or at least one of those crazy corals that are actually composed of millions of creatures.

Nope. This is one, solitary Basket Star. She looks hungry!

Sunday 22 April 2012

Caecilian

Image: teague_o via Flickr
It's that time again, everyone! When we sit back and relax, kick off our shoes and put our feet up, only to realise we could be doing so much more.

Arms and legs... aren't they mostly just stressful? Are they not impediments to true peace of mind? Don't all relaxation techniques centre on forgetting those tyrant limbs and realising your inner snake?

That's what Caecilians seem to think!

Friday 20 April 2012

Red Paper Lantern Jellyfish


It's a beautiful red paper lantern! It comes from the sea but don't worry, it has a protective covering so it won't get wet.

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Port Jackson Shark

Image: Wikipedia
Whoa! These teeth have a lot of explaining to do! I sure hope they have a good excuse.

Sunday 15 April 2012

The Dino's Toes

Image: marttj via Flickr
It doesn't matter how pretty a bird is. how vibrant the colours, how flowing the feathers, how sweet the song. If you take a look at their feet you will see scales and claws.

Friday 13 April 2012

Garden Centipede

Image: Wikipedia
It looks like a centipede.

But softy soft names like
"Pseudocentipede",
"Garden Centipede" and
"Glasshouse Symphylan"
should give you a clue.

It eats like a millipede.

And yet it's neither.

Welcome to the secret underbelly of Myripoda!

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Peacock Flounder

Image: nashworld via Flickr
How can a fish gone so horribly wrong do so remarkably well?

Tuesday 10 April 2012

An Amazingly Hairy Velvet Mite

Image: ~Squil~ via Flickr
Whoa! Who invited Robinson Crusoe to the party? This Velvet Mite isn't velvet at all! It's more like one of those shaggy, wool rugs. Looks really difficult to keep clean, too.

It was pictured in south east Australia and that's the sum total of what I know about it. Aside from the fact that I still want to snuggle and wuggle.

Monday 9 April 2012

A Yellow Polka Dot Velvet Mite

Image: teejaybee via Flickr
It's a yellow polka dot Velvet Mite! And it has unusually chunky legs. I know absolutely nothing else about it!

I can only assume it's part of some kind of travelling circus, setting up tent with performing fleas and the Amazing Bearded Ant to bring delight and wonder among watching arthropods. You know when crickets chirp at night? It's a round of applause! Clearly.

Sunday 8 April 2012

Giant Red Velvet Mite

Image: Ted McCrae
Awwww! Look at the cuddly-wuddly little teddy bear! Don't you just want to get in there and snuggle and wuggle? I know I do!

Friday 6 April 2012

Sand Mason Worm

Image: Dan Marsh
They construct their own homes! Always nice to see a worm who's good with his... hands?

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Terrible Hairy Fly

Male. Hairy, because he's too nasty looking to be fluffy.
This little abomination is not something you'd want to see frantically trying to crawl out of your bath. Thankfully they live in a tiny habitat more terrible than even the most terrible of teenage bedrooms. I think so, anyway. Even though the Guinness Book of Records has a lot of weird stuff, it turns out they don't have a 'terrible teenage bedroom' record. So I can't be completely sure.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Pygmy Seahorse

Image: Stephen Childs via Flickr
Bargibanti's Pygmy Seahorse
Pygmy Seahorses! Not only are they tiny, they are a blessing in expert disguise.