Friday 31 January 2014

Lunar Landscape


I have to admit, this was very strange!

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Porcupine Ray

Image: Christa Rohrbach
Urogymnus asperrimus
HANDLE WITH CARE!

Sunday 26 January 2014

River Dolphin

Image: LNarimatsu
Ah, the magical dolphin! From the cheeky grin to that sensuously curved tail fin, they are truly made for the sea-faring life. We watch them with admiration and a twinge of envy as they effortlessly carve their way through the ocean and leap into the air from the wake of our bulky, steel ships.

Friday 24 January 2014

High-spined Commensal Hydroid

Image: Seascapeza
Hydractinia altispina
The hydroid that makes a monkey orangutan of a mollusc!

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Sand Bubbler Crab

Image: Donald Hobern
Sisyphus was that unfortunate Greek king noted for his cruelty and legendary deceitfulness. He was so good (at being bad) he even tricked Thanatos, or Death Himself as we may know him today, to chain himself up in the Underworld. Through such sly and wicked means did we all become immortal! For a while.

Sunday 19 January 2014

The Blues III

Image: JJ Harrison
It's the most mis'rable time of the year!
When your tears are upwelling
And everyone's telling you be of good cheer
It's the most mis'rable time of the year!

Friday 17 January 2014

Red Slate Pencil Urchin

Image: Scott Roy Atwood
Heterocentrotus mamillatus
What on Earth? Is this what passes for spines these days? Someone's really let themselves go...

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Battle of the Tiny Titans


Those famously epic battles between Sperm Whales and Giant Squid are cool and all but aren't they a little, shall we say, 20th century?

Sunday 12 January 2014

Mako Shark

Image: Patrick Doll
Ah, just what we need. Big, fast-moving sharks with big, sharp teeth and big, black eyes that are either soulless or full of other people's souls. Gaze into those orbs of darkness. Go on!

If you feel NOTHING and continue to feel NOTHING for the rest of your life (or "life"), then congratulations! You're a statistic on humanity's path to ever-increasing knowledge. If we remember your name, we'll put it on a certificate or something.

Friday 10 January 2014

Edwardsiella andrillae

Image: Daly et al
Newly discovered Sea Anemone lives in glacial ice!

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Donald Duck Shrimp

Image: Klaus Stiefel
Leander plumosus
Poor, old Donald Duck. Someone needs to tell that guy that blind rage and mean-spiritedness is not a good way of dealing with a speech impediment and an extraordinary lack of good fortune. I hope his shrimp learned that lesson because a shrimp's fury is more futile than most. Sad, but true.

Sunday 5 January 2014

Water Springtail

Image Christian Fischer
Podura aquatica
Rising from peaceful, still waters, a huge colony of living tyres placidly congregate at an undisclosed location. They are Michelin Maggots, one of the earliest and most delicate stages of the Michelin Man life cycle.

Friday 3 January 2014

Tiny, Spiny Blennies

Image: prilfish
Roughhead Blenny, Acanthemblemaria aspera
These blennies are so cute they had to grow spikes all over their face to defend themselves from all the cootchie-cootchie-coos.

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Coco Worm

Image: Bernard DUPONT
Protula bispiralis
Another year blossoms into being. Here in what we like to call Dear Old Blighty it's a reassuringly cold, grey and wet day. At least some of the old certainties still apply!