Wednesday 30 July 2014

Bubble Coral

Image: Nemo's great uncle
This coral is a big pile of living bubbles!

Sunday 27 July 2014

Birds, Bats and Watercress

Image: Barracuda1983
A Pipistrelle bat
I went to a farm so I could look at birds, listen to bats and eat entire branches of the Tree of Life! I mean watercress.

Saturday 26 July 2014

Picasso Sponge 7


A crab, presumably a King Crab because of the six walking legs, hangs out on a Yellow Picasso Sponge.

This particular specimen depicts a glass man placing an eyeball into an empty socket.

.....

Friday 25 July 2014

Jelly Horns of Acanthanura

Image: Andy Murray
Acanthanura sp.
This is what happens when you splice a hedgehog with a jelly bean.

Wednesday 23 July 2014

Pelican Flower

Image: dl7tny
Aristolochia grandiflora
It's a big flower that looks like a pelican and smells like a dead, rotting pelican!

Sunday 20 July 2014

Dancing White Lady Spider

Image: James Anderson
Leucorchestris arenicola
Arrrgh! It's a g-g-g-ghost!

Oh wait, no it isn't. It's a great, big spider. Phew!

...

Aaaaarrrggh!

Saturday 19 July 2014

Picasso Sponge 6


A crab, presumably a King Crab because of the six walking legs, hangs out on a Yellow Picasso Sponge.

This particular specimen depicts a small child weeping Coca Cola tears.

.....

Friday 18 July 2014

Bug-eyed Bug

Image: budak
It's a bug! With bugs for eyes!

Wednesday 16 July 2014

Armoured Searobin

Image: NOAA-OER/BOEM
Hey... Isn't that demonspawn? It looks like demonspawn. I could swear that's demonspawn!

Sunday 13 July 2014

Saiga Antelope

Image: Darwin Initiative
Saiga tatarica
SCHNOZ ALERT!

Saturday 12 July 2014

Picasso Sponge 5


A crab, presumably a King Crab because of the six walking legs, hangs out on a Yellow Picasso Sponge.

This particular specimen depicts the victim of a gruesome murder slumped against a wall beneath the words "IT WASN'T ME" smeared in blood.

.....

Friday 11 July 2014

Worst Necklace, Ever


Ooooooo! Is that a sparkling ruby at the end of a delicate, silver necklace?

No. No, it's not. Silly.

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Adorable Alien!


That's an alien if ever I saw one! But it's not trying to take over the world, snatch our bodies or conduct so-called "experiments" with unwholesome probes and such. It's happy just to bob around like a sweetie-pie!

Sunday 6 July 2014

Acorn Worm

Image: David Shale
It's a dangerous business trying to handle an Acorn Worm. Not because it can harm YOU in any way, but because they're so soft and fragile that they're liable to fall apart in your hands.

And yet this delicate worm is just a few wrong turnings on the evolutionary tree from having its very own backbone!

Saturday 5 July 2014

Picasso Sponge 4


A crab, presumably a King Crab because of the six walking legs, hangs out on a Yellow Picasso Sponge.

This particular specimen depicts an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman walking into a pub. The barkeep grins expectantly.

.....

Friday 4 July 2014

A Vampire Wakes From Sleep


In the darkness of the deep
A vampire wakes from sleep
And opens his vampire cape

His vampire tentacles
Hold vampire spectacles
Through which he looks all around

And oh! What a sight
Bathing in light
A monster. A terror. A creep.


What beastly shape!
I am quite agape!
What horror! What crime! says he

What bestial sound!
I am quite aground!
What manner of fiend might you be?


Video: EVNautilus

The vampire insists
Demands and persists
But the stranger affords not a peep

So he shuts his vampire eye
Sighs a vampire sigh
And escapes into the darkness of the deep

Wednesday 2 July 2014

Wolf Snail

Image: David A. Rodríguez Arias
The Wolf Snail is not covered in fur, doesn't howl at the moon and doesn't live within a fascinating social structure.

It is a vicious predator, though! So that's... good.