tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17110297472944275302024-03-19T04:37:37.578+00:00Real MonstrositiesA journey amongst the weird, the wonderful and the downright ugly of the natural world.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.comBlogger1034125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-33265134571448344452018-04-13T12:00:00.000+01:002018-04-13T12:00:22.632+01:00Spear Point Leaf Tail Gecko<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgB1BxubT5VzOQnZKYQvNkrUf98Ad7JWGXEfvTPX3wd_EN1O6mEoIepPE23MYLT-2uV8Rhmj6D1kq4-bcoPYdoqSy-Yan78oJXJr7jnhBF9f9bEYpHIrczQa0bGV9w3BRu7h8uKcznMI/s1600/spear_point_leaf_tail_gecko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgB1BxubT5VzOQnZKYQvNkrUf98Ad7JWGXEfvTPX3wd_EN1O6mEoIepPE23MYLT-2uV8Rhmj6D1kq4-bcoPYdoqSy-Yan78oJXJr7jnhBF9f9bEYpHIrczQa0bGV9w3BRu7h8uKcznMI/s400/spear_point_leaf_tail_gecko.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/1451674">Antonio Rodríguez Arduengo</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Uroplatus ebenaui</i></span></td></tr>
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Demons get such a bad rap these days. And... all other days, I suppose. But look at this cutie! Surely he wouldn't hurt a fly!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7SGYwDZqKE2sFWyv-UDj8GVpIbVFVkJOj2fpTxChZ25qQAvixIQN-ZI4KbG3l9zURACqyf2eBEqFfV8eVAUGYi8beMPGkUFM5gR29bmPLTKilR9m1lxpFGe_iNoTjklQMpFTXwjNPIs/s1600/uroplatus_ebenaui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1141" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7SGYwDZqKE2sFWyv-UDj8GVpIbVFVkJOj2fpTxChZ25qQAvixIQN-ZI4KbG3l9zURACqyf2eBEqFfV8eVAUGYi8beMPGkUFM5gR29bmPLTKilR9m1lxpFGe_iNoTjklQMpFTXwjNPIs/s640/uroplatus_ebenaui.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uroplatus_ebenaui_3.jpg" rel="nofollow">Alextelford</a></td></tr>
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Hmm? Oh. Turns out he would <i>eat</i> a fly. OK.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPfPzbtmtwBlWW4x7595-D4uRC5egV_OYlByJYRvgxgiH4S3KRE2BgeHa192PdKBt2LNqivoFeeduMq6W_u79e75JI8c7XT-ewj82KCv-4ftxFJPbgKU4pfgct2hBDlWw8NkD6GGg0PE/s1600/spearpoint_leaf_tail_gecko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1600" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPfPzbtmtwBlWW4x7595-D4uRC5egV_OYlByJYRvgxgiH4S3KRE2BgeHa192PdKBt2LNqivoFeeduMq6W_u79e75JI8c7XT-ewj82KCv-4ftxFJPbgKU4pfgct2hBDlWw8NkD6GGg0PE/s400/spearpoint_leaf_tail_gecko.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42244964@N03/3899501433/" rel="nofollow">Frank Vassen</a></td></tr>
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But I bet he does it in the cutest way possible! The flies last thoughts would be something like, "This is actually kind of adorable. It's way better than getting eaten by a spider."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYH-NI2ETPu-iKKPb7pLJwnz_I6i_2b0R5j1CME0-ogv5JMYeE-7HUBGVG39nmKzxkROO07g67W7UODlq2jDIpkYhvaNfAHGrQqgwgStBOIsXOYTtgxAUgY6Cztq_6JGL-UZWNkzgqp4/s1600/spearpoint_leaftail_gecko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="1600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYH-NI2ETPu-iKKPb7pLJwnz_I6i_2b0R5j1CME0-ogv5JMYeE-7HUBGVG39nmKzxkROO07g67W7UODlq2jDIpkYhvaNfAHGrQqgwgStBOIsXOYTtgxAUgY6Cztq_6JGL-UZWNkzgqp4/s400/spearpoint_leaftail_gecko.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42244964@N03/4026821821/" rel="nofollow">Frank Vassen</a></td></tr>
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The Spear Point Leaf Tail Gecko is a member of the genus <i>Uroplatus</i>, the same as the <a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/07/absurd-creature-of-the-week-satanic-leaf-tailed-gecko/">Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko</a> (<i>U. phantasticus</i>). While it's great that one species got the moniker, to me they're all equally and wonderfully Satanic!<br />
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This species is found only in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uroplatus_ebenaui_distribution.png">tiny patch of northern Madagascar</a>, as well as just off the coast on the even tinier and delightfully named island of <a href="http://www.leeabbamonte.com/africa/5-awesome-things-to-do-in-nosy-be-madagascar.html">Nosy Be</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnH7qpdCS8hllsYmBewduD0oWmFyt7xc09afZsccJg9ugn5yMRgYFEvxYzT1kOLFwct5LtV70wHZsKKBlb3R2XqQcEb3xg_HBObgx6Wylu0VKMzGuI1xprAE_Oy5W_vZFugZsLqmV2DA/s1600/leaf_tail_gecko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnH7qpdCS8hllsYmBewduD0oWmFyt7xc09afZsccJg9ugn5yMRgYFEvxYzT1kOLFwct5LtV70wHZsKKBlb3R2XqQcEb3xg_HBObgx6Wylu0VKMzGuI1xprAE_Oy5W_vZFugZsLqmV2DA/s400/leaf_tail_gecko.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/1451677" rel="nofollow">Antonio Rodríguez Arduengo</a></td></tr>
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They hang out in the trees, using their amazing camouflage to hide in plain sight during the day. At night, they wake up to hunt insects.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNiQLNXDmeuvmfyNB3A7DO7aI_8Kf0P1lG81zH1SC28pIB_dXcuForyM-mgWG26AJiTlIlZXtJ6kfrY3uLv-iV04rhoN01QHCcdqfxklm2kWrNgNnW-YmmMrpVMqrFu3Lo1dj8stSMRI/s1600/leaftail_gecko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNiQLNXDmeuvmfyNB3A7DO7aI_8Kf0P1lG81zH1SC28pIB_dXcuForyM-mgWG26AJiTlIlZXtJ6kfrY3uLv-iV04rhoN01QHCcdqfxklm2kWrNgNnW-YmmMrpVMqrFu3Lo1dj8stSMRI/s400/leaftail_gecko.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/1451673" rel="nofollow">Antonio Rodríguez Arduengo</a></td></tr>
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The Spear Point gets their name from their tiny little tail which looks like something someone dug up from an ancient battlefield.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8uZr5GeTTZB1c2C5lp_GnXcmUP1yXiReZo4KRHCVqYwPHxFTjAr7EOoVC4ufsTMyXcFbYGOuuqdrb5ShLryDESLdVb46KXGsKceN8gEaWfUPbJZyuQB7Y00vOsqBV_XYHA60bn1qT8Y/s1600/uroplatus_ebenaui_back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1214" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8uZr5GeTTZB1c2C5lp_GnXcmUP1yXiReZo4KRHCVqYwPHxFTjAr7EOoVC4ufsTMyXcFbYGOuuqdrb5ShLryDESLdVb46KXGsKceN8gEaWfUPbJZyuQB7Y00vOsqBV_XYHA60bn1qT8Y/s640/uroplatus_ebenaui_back.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/2296853" rel="nofollow">Rob Meades</a></td></tr>
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Despite that miniature tail, the Spear Point Leaf Tail Gecko is the biggest species in <i>Uroplatus</i>. It still only reaches about 7.5 cm (3 in) long, though. That's probably a good thing...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid928myFhkosMEtOF_awy0oBuX44te4FG1AtbfE3QUhktLB36hd_vxvGuHo6XiFuWUHYC9cF2dF2_k_vZwLyMCTNaT9i9UQPgLHgsbzj3AToUDwZyanp-ZxSH_Ejwl82YSzP9ekj57Lb8/s1600/uroplatus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid928myFhkosMEtOF_awy0oBuX44te4FG1AtbfE3QUhktLB36hd_vxvGuHo6XiFuWUHYC9cF2dF2_k_vZwLyMCTNaT9i9UQPgLHgsbzj3AToUDwZyanp-ZxSH_Ejwl82YSzP9ekj57Lb8/s400/uroplatus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/2608794" rel="nofollow">Cédric de Foucault</a></td></tr>
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You wouldn't want a face like that looming over you!Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-57305561542278507162018-04-11T12:00:00.001+01:002018-04-13T11:30:07.550+01:00Clinging Jellyfish<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDZRPt3fOArCtSOxb-e7deJt8mb9cYw02NcqKMvriBtvVX0zmM8eZzL6WBGB0qotlTkXL2heq9LTGviw5d7uUAN0WDgYFYG-n4tB94-Yn6n39rGetIxBOh8pRt509Xo4XgHG9dG8Xq4E/s1600/clinging_jellyfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDZRPt3fOArCtSOxb-e7deJt8mb9cYw02NcqKMvriBtvVX0zmM8eZzL6WBGB0qotlTkXL2heq9LTGviw5d7uUAN0WDgYFYG-n4tB94-Yn6n39rGetIxBOh8pRt509Xo4XgHG9dG8Xq4E/s400/clinging_jellyfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: WoRMS Editorial Board<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Gonionemus vertens</i></span></td></tr>
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Jellyfish are known to be inveterate drifters. They love nothing more than to hang out in the water column, the careful fluttering and pulsing of their bell all but powerless in the face of a mild current.<br />
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But what if a jellyfish doesn't want to do that? What if they find a nice plot of ocean, verdant with plant life, the water a particularly delightful shade of blue, and they just want to settle down for a while? One tiny Hydrozoan has the answer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKj4u8477kHJ2CLyTz-gqaXJsI-KfGQ4CzNr_nGC_Iem1r-BR0mJXI4brbV5ywKBQujzGOCuVwKqpbKF-wa4tJoWMmgkgXSIlWejTosFRWIm0ebhWH5FlVFkDkwLzF3MbQJnu3Hg_Mi0/s1600/gonionemus_vertens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKj4u8477kHJ2CLyTz-gqaXJsI-KfGQ4CzNr_nGC_Iem1r-BR0mJXI4brbV5ywKBQujzGOCuVwKqpbKF-wa4tJoWMmgkgXSIlWejTosFRWIm0ebhWH5FlVFkDkwLzF3MbQJnu3Hg_Mi0/s400/gonionemus_vertens.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: WoRMS Editorial Board</td></tr>
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The Clinging Jellyfish reaches a mere 2.5 cm (1 inch) across, not including the 80 or so tentacles that dangle from the edge of their bell. As usual, these tentacles are covered in stingers for catching copepods and other tiny crustaceans, or for giving unwary swimmers and waders a nasty sting.<br />
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That's all par for the course as far as jellyfish are concerned. But Clinging Jellyfish have another trick up their sleeve (not that they have sleeves. 80 tentacles? I'd love to see <i>that</i> jumper!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoYHrH5th7_6bOoKRyYDzqz8HwBmLskDEdxArpzj2aabQbogJ0t4ng9ClgGV1C62rqh3G-We3CAKTZahZzGiINBWfsGk78nFHkBSJ5ysmHuuMNsB_rIwCQqhy8FcjEh4m1vZrx62QYpE/s1600/clinging_jellyfish2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoYHrH5th7_6bOoKRyYDzqz8HwBmLskDEdxArpzj2aabQbogJ0t4ng9ClgGV1C62rqh3G-We3CAKTZahZzGiINBWfsGk78nFHkBSJ5ysmHuuMNsB_rIwCQqhy8FcjEh4m1vZrx62QYpE/s400/clinging_jellyfish2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Each tentacle bears a small adhesive pad near the tip. With these, the Clinging Jellyfish can spend their days stuck to eelgrass, kelp or seashells. They usually release themselves and go out for a swim at night when it's a little safer.<br />
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Despite their penchant for getting themselves literally stuck in place, Clinging Jellyfish are remarkably widespread in northern, temperate waters. They're thought to <a href="http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1681">originate in the western Pacific Ocean</a>, near Japan and Russia, but now they're also found on both the east and west coasts of North America. They've even made it into the Mediterranean Sea and all the way up to Norway!<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2LRGH5exVV8" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LRGH5exVV8" rel="nofollow">vichigh marine</a></span></div>
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It turns out that being a clinger is not only a good way of staying in one place, it's also a great way of travelling the world. Larval Clinging Jellyfish are even better at clinging than adults. They're called polyps and look a bit like tiny sea anemones. It's likely these polyps stuck themselves onto the hulls of boats and travelling thousands of miles across oceans and continents.<br />
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Poor jellyfish. Just when they go to all that effort to stay in one place, the currents of international trade come along to sweep them away!Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-72561275067418594332018-04-08T12:00:00.000+01:002018-04-13T11:31:06.225+01:00Striated Frogfish<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOci8a9DzW9UBI5BCoZxHboiRYed3dMxzm1w4DRZsD_gkGLaT3Zx8ZR7Xwfdz6BFfpK0hwVEKsWiFdCapDRz-OeQmfO0bdOMj16YkCbdyzjYC0qIkagNdTxwmkQacRLOV1uDhVRHuVGNI/s1600/antennarius_striatus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1600" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOci8a9DzW9UBI5BCoZxHboiRYed3dMxzm1w4DRZsD_gkGLaT3Zx8ZR7Xwfdz6BFfpK0hwVEKsWiFdCapDRz-OeQmfO0bdOMj16YkCbdyzjYC0qIkagNdTxwmkQacRLOV1uDhVRHuVGNI/s400/antennarius_striatus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hairy_Frogfish.jpg" rel="nofollow">Silke Baron</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Antennarius striatus</i></span></td></tr>
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Pac-Man was always such a harmless soul, lost in the labyrinth of his own mind, chased by ghostly memories of his past and finding succour in a trail of psychoactive dots and the occasional fruit. He always seemed so happy. Or at least preoccupied.<br />
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He was never the same after the werewolf attack. He's so grumpy now. And he's completely abandoned vegetarianism...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqihclG1G0GrkhfbpjEBuo138AOcBE4bGePosNF68mR9JqXvpgqCXoul5PG6_IAIXFQdh2aebZ25B1kvzTYehvATj-yby3XCU5EdLdLt7iX2Ixo2BAyCpWjh_f1haX3s2q3aXdE9XL_c/s1600/hairy_frogfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqihclG1G0GrkhfbpjEBuo138AOcBE4bGePosNF68mR9JqXvpgqCXoul5PG6_IAIXFQdh2aebZ25B1kvzTYehvATj-yby3XCU5EdLdLt7iX2Ixo2BAyCpWjh_f1haX3s2q3aXdE9XL_c/s400/hairy_frogfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antennarius_striatus.JPG" rel="nofollow">Jens Petersen</a></td></tr>
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Striated Frogfish, also known as Hairy Frogfish, are aptly named. They're Striated because they're stripy and they're Hairy because they go around in a yeti costume.<br />
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Oh, and they're Frogfish because they're... Frogfish. Did you guess? I was thinking of going multiple choice but I bet you guessed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNi6oNDviRarYo_-em35GubRyUOqMG5gh6iylmQ3h3dbTimH0S-A6lEktBSSDhfJD5RfSRLERNxul99pWvgVvMkkZ8EcNbQrFKvTNA4uyZRFHSM9KESp5_JxUTE6uGuoFnm3_8vikXrY/s1600/striated_frogfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNi6oNDviRarYo_-em35GubRyUOqMG5gh6iylmQ3h3dbTimH0S-A6lEktBSSDhfJD5RfSRLERNxul99pWvgVvMkkZ8EcNbQrFKvTNA4uyZRFHSM9KESp5_JxUTE6uGuoFnm3_8vikXrY/s400/striated_frogfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_gloor/8492976355/" rel="nofollow">Christian Gloor</a></td></tr>
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Having said that, some Striated Frogfish are more aptly named than others.<br />
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You see, they're incredibly widespread, ranging from Africa to Australia to Hawaii as well as the east coast of America. Basically, they live in just about all tropical and subtropical oceans and seas of the world. The only exception is the Mediterranean and the west coast of America.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEh7H5LzV54KTOyvtH9eW7l76TgY5bmcbyy7t-JMnczU4EoMgyWV524Asz4fE0n_eoz2g4e-wkThXWt6RWrqCW73inNZKoy57Xk-nMdcBNgrLan9XRcp5Pnrl4_XEvnbwR0FkR2jVwIk/s1600/hairy_angler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEh7H5LzV54KTOyvtH9eW7l76TgY5bmcbyy7t-JMnczU4EoMgyWV524Asz4fE0n_eoz2g4e-wkThXWt6RWrqCW73inNZKoy57Xk-nMdcBNgrLan9XRcp5Pnrl4_XEvnbwR0FkR2jVwIk/s400/hairy_angler.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mentalblock/7445262444/" rel="nofollow">Kevin Bryant</a></td></tr>
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Perhaps in part due to this vast range, Striated Frogfish are extremely variable. They may well be stripy, but they can also be spotted or something in between. They may well be hairy, but some appear to have got themselves a full-body haircut. It must've taken <i>days</i> to shave all that stuff off!<br />
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They're even more variable when it comes to colour. A lot of them are somewhere in the yellow to orange side of things, but they can also be white, brown, grey, green or black. They can even change colour! They can't do it with the kind of instantaneous rapidity of an octopus or chameleon—it takes them several weeks—but still, it's a nice skill to have.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchbqllmB9z89icGV4-y3zF34bWsLYDpM8Msjnse8lYFYabdnkApK3Svg5Bxx7ULjGRfG5GuQl7-wnibE3-yi8b6zJbDB9-0UxjfVuuPgS0jPOvj7fZKFLmsMZF71mcjP38rgUYh8jfNA/s1600/hairy_frogfish2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1099" data-original-width="1600" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchbqllmB9z89icGV4-y3zF34bWsLYDpM8Msjnse8lYFYabdnkApK3Svg5Bxx7ULjGRfG5GuQl7-wnibE3-yi8b6zJbDB9-0UxjfVuuPgS0jPOvj7fZKFLmsMZF71mcjP38rgUYh8jfNA/s400/hairy_frogfish2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnwturnbull/26183821608/" rel="nofollow">John Turnbull</a></td></tr>
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It's all about camouflage, of course. With a length of just 25 cm (10 in) at most and usually half that, Striated Frogfish could present a tasty meal for all sorts of sharks and other large fish. Our poor Frogfish wouldn't like that at <i>all</i>. They would much rather make a tasty meal out of <i>other</i> fish.<br />
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I can't blame them. I feel exactly the same way.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXwWmRUu14822Z0jek64gLnmAscmvwFrJk6tJz0Grv431ay1mgCl-Nh6EpTJGC0MpA77HUVTdBcEgl4EvWxheuo9z6o6IGwnKCS2DsUx02OV_PIp2DfBdnJpTXvWbChx1GXwXL4jGKHY/s1600/black_striated_frogfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="1600" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXwWmRUu14822Z0jek64gLnmAscmvwFrJk6tJz0Grv431ay1mgCl-Nh6EpTJGC0MpA77HUVTdBcEgl4EvWxheuo9z6o6IGwnKCS2DsUx02OV_PIp2DfBdnJpTXvWbChx1GXwXL4jGKHY/s400/black_striated_frogfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antennarius_striatus_C.jpg" rel="nofollow">Steve Childs</a></td></tr>
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They would also prefer to escape predators as well as prey on other fish without having to move around too much. Or at all.<br />
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Yeah... still can't blame them.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GXn-MkqWxWI" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXn-MkqWxWI" rel="nofollow">Rainer Hinck</a></span></div>
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The Striated Frogfish, just like any other Frogfish you care to mention, is about as far from athletic as it's possible to get. No cords of muscle tough as steel, here. No bundles of animal power rippling just beneath the skin, either. Striated Frogfish are practically spherical and, like our favourite <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2014/11/black-sea-devil.html">Deep Sea Anglerfish</a> (to whom they're related), Frogfish are pretty much a belly with a rapacious mouth attached.<br />
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They can barely swim at all, really. Their fins aren't built for powering them through the water, <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/wu-wei-the-action-of-non-action-3183209">Taoist in their effortlessness</a>. Instead, their fins are thick and fleshy footsies for walking across the ocean floor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQT5zukbhJdRU8kykXTXcY9V1UpGDwnIaIH0q10IffoF5zS5PNMhumrCVCulJEXM9QpvbJPXK7NaZnOcSJQVaDTToscNxh9cCrvSLJzivEMgbXj7iNrAU9CYriJk5JHbqvDXMmMw87UE/s1600/hairy_frogfish_lure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQT5zukbhJdRU8kykXTXcY9V1UpGDwnIaIH0q10IffoF5zS5PNMhumrCVCulJEXM9QpvbJPXK7NaZnOcSJQVaDTToscNxh9cCrvSLJzivEMgbXj7iNrAU9CYriJk5JHbqvDXMmMw87UE/s400/hairy_frogfish_lure.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/krokodiver/23808013573/" rel="nofollow">Rickard Zerpe</a></td></tr>
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That's not to say they can't get their skates on when they really need to. If predators get too close and don't seem to be going away, the Striated Frogfish can force water out of their tubular gill openings and blast themselves away. Yup, it's jet propulsion! Even then, they're so dumpy they end up bouncing along the seabed like some kind of marine tumbleweed. Frogfish and elegance do not mix.<br />
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So our Striated Frogfish can't chase down his prey. You'd think a wolf(Pac)man would be a little more speedy and nimble but no, he's going to have to find a way to get fish to come to <i>him</i>. Not easy with a face like that. I mean, it hardly attracts a smile and a wave and a "lovely weather we're having," does it?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPWBDjmkDZ0reNf23RaX080J3MwBF64Uh4BBVv4c-KhQPHJ8fVwdOehbHRKqBxo-9lxoVl5FeWgu3qAko2qvMoZ7Id1Q0ImDLdEpGfwGGVlVAfNVDJhZdOGGSW3fS6N-9VOCG1I1nCJc/s1600/demon_frogfish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPWBDjmkDZ0reNf23RaX080J3MwBF64Uh4BBVv4c-KhQPHJ8fVwdOehbHRKqBxo-9lxoVl5FeWgu3qAko2qvMoZ7Id1Q0ImDLdEpGfwGGVlVAfNVDJhZdOGGSW3fS6N-9VOCG1I1nCJc/s400/demon_frogfish.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antennarius_striatus_at_Lembeh_srait.JPG" rel="nofollow">Manuae</a></td></tr>
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In a certain light, Striated Frogfish look like demons slouching in a raging inferno, their devilish horns set at a rakish angle. I suppose things just look different when you're a fish. To them, it looks more like a clump of algae with a big juicy worm crawling on it.<br />
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This is how the Striated Frogfish lures prey into striking distance. And also why they're a kind of Anglerfish. Their first dorsal spine, what would normally be part of a dorsal fin, is pushed all the way forward until it almost comes out of their upper lip. It ends in a large, curly structure which would look like a hilarious moustache if the spine wasn't so long. The Striated Frogfish waggles this thing around and the lure wobbles and writhes just like a worm. Hungry fish are intrigued. "What's this?" they say. "A tasty morsel to fill my belly?"<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qk1Hv1PaJHA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk1Hv1PaJHA" rel="nofollow">Wainwrightlab</a></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
No, actually.</div>
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When they get close enough, the Striated Frogfish performs the fastest manoeuvre of his life. He opens his mouth, shoots it forward with astonishing speed and INHALES his prey. In an instant, literally faster than the blink of an eye, fish disappear entirely and are forced to make themselves comfortable in his stomach.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PdraXh9Jhwc" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdraXh9Jhwc" rel="nofollow">Willy Buser</a></span></div>
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At least it's a very spacious stomach for most fish. Striated Frogfish can eat fish as big as themselves! When their food is that big it's quite the task to cram it in and it's not as if the fish is just sitting there letting it happen. Battle ensues and you really get to see the value of, for example, snake venom. But Frogfish like their meals living and wriggling and in the end, there can be only one winner. It's still uncomfortable to watch, though. We should all be grateful for how simple the graphics were in those old PacMan games. I don't think the extra pixels would be edifying.<br />
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Perhaps this is what PacMan wanted all along? Free from his ghosts and the contorted prison of his mind, he can finally rest. He doesn't have to chase his food anymore, not now that it comes to him, damned by its own curiosity. I just wish he looked happier about it.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-16915867372859927082018-04-06T12:00:00.000+01:002018-04-08T11:48:14.181+01:00Aspidistra<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmfIQEWNBnyu7zPt-eY7mOsNW83QPVazc9Uaap6ghkThyFjQdqjgMtzOgQ2F5Dh85XPXytFuwZfJ1bBTVmNkqzh0wLKqQeoY8xO5NoH4aodKfvDUXefHX4XMLjHOHtm7VjR0O_CiKrVk/s1600/aspidistra_grandiflora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmfIQEWNBnyu7zPt-eY7mOsNW83QPVazc9Uaap6ghkThyFjQdqjgMtzOgQ2F5Dh85XPXytFuwZfJ1bBTVmNkqzh0wLKqQeoY8xO5NoH4aodKfvDUXefHX4XMLjHOHtm7VjR0O_CiKrVk/s400/aspidistra_grandiflora.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottzona/5638429053/" rel="nofollow">scott.zona</a></td></tr>
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Aspidistras are famous for their ability to withstand and even flourish under the kind of neglect that would usually end in the crinkly, brown-leafed death of most plants.<br />
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But that's no excuse for neglecting their absolutely amazing flowers!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLwaRnfZzyOIYd9vmh6gW9gPssxcRdqueJH7Fe3fmKcyv19B-MUS172Dm7wyQrz4v6hWLotMDldlGCEMxaQtKMCxlZOcXda3K2kOgoAt57h2V9kpLnoNqnob31GtQVWwhL_Lm2DAQ4rQ/s1600/aspidistra_plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLwaRnfZzyOIYd9vmh6gW9gPssxcRdqueJH7Fe3fmKcyv19B-MUS172Dm7wyQrz4v6hWLotMDldlGCEMxaQtKMCxlZOcXda3K2kOgoAt57h2V9kpLnoNqnob31GtQVWwhL_Lm2DAQ4rQ/s400/aspidistra_plant.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzyjay/4260015849/" rel="nofollow">fuzzyjay</a></td></tr>
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Aspidistras have been suffering multiple levels of neglect for centuries. The first member of the genus <i>Aspidistra</i> was named and described in 1822. After that, people seemed to lose interest for some 150 years. That's why people thought there were only about ten species.<br />
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It wasn't until the 1970s and 80s when scientists finally pulled their fingers out, pulled their socks up and finally started really <i>looking</i> for more Aspidistras. Now more than 100 species are known, most of them in southern China, though others live in India, Japan and various countries in between.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_V4u4_shx8LlQ4bBgq8bT_eCG8JpPwPjM_UnvHosc-I91jWyz3S0J6hmZ2LZ3UiiTU70MS_As_r95QkDvA7XvegM4I9JaNORZ7_0f6Ah29bwjN-AnZgEKZfwRw7HUq4dYKiiticldLY/s1600/old_aspidistra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_V4u4_shx8LlQ4bBgq8bT_eCG8JpPwPjM_UnvHosc-I91jWyz3S0J6hmZ2LZ3UiiTU70MS_As_r95QkDvA7XvegM4I9JaNORZ7_0f6Ah29bwjN-AnZgEKZfwRw7HUq4dYKiiticldLY/s400/old_aspidistra.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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Even as scientists and explorers were neglecting Aspidistras in their native habitat, the general public was importing them so they could neglect them at home.<br />
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The so-called Cast-iron Plant (<i>A. elatior</i>) was a particularly popular houseplant in Victorian England, where its luxuriously glossy green leaves and manageable 60 cm (2 foot) height added a bit of exotic colour to gloomy homes. And, despite their tropical foliage, they could actually do pretty well there, too.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bwH1VcmIRrJPR_3-K_NT-hiIiVyjZy96j5zES4Jglyh28mbYB1pCBlYmte7Af2VO-Aks69gRjwuM5rurmEeFe31zzh_R6TiXagULnei2HtrcVIEB22J-iucwSA0OKoCZDhu_8M_m5ZE/s1600/aspidistra_attenuata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bwH1VcmIRrJPR_3-K_NT-hiIiVyjZy96j5zES4Jglyh28mbYB1pCBlYmte7Af2VO-Aks69gRjwuM5rurmEeFe31zzh_R6TiXagULnei2HtrcVIEB22J-iucwSA0OKoCZDhu_8M_m5ZE/s400/aspidistra_attenuata.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bahamutzero/18304619535/" rel="nofollow">Bahamut Chao</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>A. attenuata</i></span></td></tr>
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In the wild, Aspidistras grow as thick foliage on the forest floor. Tree branches overshadow them, taking all the light, tree roots undermine them, taking all the water, so Aspidistras must be tough as <a href="http://www.argentinaindependent.com/life-style/the-gaucho-yesterday-and-today/">gauchos</a> to survive on what meagre resources are left for them.<br />
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All of which meant Aspidistras could survive in gloomy, chilly, Victorian houses. It turned out they could even shake off the ill effects of noxious oil lamp fumes that could leave lesser plants yellowed and withered.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAun-Y5rjaKm9y1g63JRiUdNeNWsxuFUWmtRF0cuFc_dvOXxN9l6OpnYJ5VdsKnhg-nGTK9njrBeJr31VP9eMHIIpbMv9OhhaEGozDXBYFp-ZTHbtycOdmKlZZIcYFDo6h-ODqriZK-Q/s1600/cast_iron_plant_flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAun-Y5rjaKm9y1g63JRiUdNeNWsxuFUWmtRF0cuFc_dvOXxN9l6OpnYJ5VdsKnhg-nGTK9njrBeJr31VP9eMHIIpbMv9OhhaEGozDXBYFp-ZTHbtycOdmKlZZIcYFDo6h-ODqriZK-Q/s400/cast_iron_plant_flowers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/15139540@N07/2396451373/" rel="nofollow">justinleif</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Cast-iron Plant (A. elatior) flowers</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And yet, all this time, people have continued to neglect the flowers!<br />
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I suppose it's not <i>that</i> surprising. While Aspidistras blossom every year, their flowers are small and bloom half-buried in the soil. These are no daffodils or bluebells where it looks like the only reason for the green bits is to get that flower up and reaching for the sky. Aspidistra flowers are overshadowed by their own verdant leaves, even smothered and covered by the leaf litter. You have to get on your hands and knees to get a good look at them and, in the wild, even brush aside several handfuls of dead leaves...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffZuxu9x62qNecjX2oo6caBTNzeKfX0vM6X8tYqlig3zKKupKTkWH1a34GUNeE6pr2CY_OMs9jEpMReJ5k8oNMdUHKsA_uDr97Gwecp4to0YZ2Wc0oI7mpVNlY6X-0Z5fsXNNk4Dbci8/s1600/aspidistra_grandiflora_flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffZuxu9x62qNecjX2oo6caBTNzeKfX0vM6X8tYqlig3zKKupKTkWH1a34GUNeE6pr2CY_OMs9jEpMReJ5k8oNMdUHKsA_uDr97Gwecp4to0YZ2Wc0oI7mpVNlY6X-0Z5fsXNNk4Dbci8/s400/aspidistra_grandiflora_flower.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottzona/5638431401/" rel="nofollow">scott.zona</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Usually.<br />
<br />
<i>A. grandiflora</i> is aptly named. It comes from Vietnam and got its name as recently as 2007! Can you believe that we've all been missing out on this thing all that time? It has<i> tentacles</i> for goodness sake! That's what neglect gets you, almost two centuries of unknown tentacles. Tragedy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4aqwsMlCeNN4G7qQlVFzbCMkBlBgT4L_SdIbzm5lFp7OPsIVx4pJvgOE7y4vtjM9STef3EEGmfpoadmmwBDmI1eDA2ZQdPhUbtyy-t4NjKW78xUi842GhPuXGOjUgRpYWbHbXn9kKpY/s1600/aspidistra_grandiflora2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4aqwsMlCeNN4G7qQlVFzbCMkBlBgT4L_SdIbzm5lFp7OPsIVx4pJvgOE7y4vtjM9STef3EEGmfpoadmmwBDmI1eDA2ZQdPhUbtyy-t4NjKW78xUi842GhPuXGOjUgRpYWbHbXn9kKpY/s400/aspidistra_grandiflora2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottzona/5638995700/" rel="nofollow">scott.zona</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It may not be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XROMw3Z4e0">The Biggest Aspidistra in the World</a> but it's probably the biggest flower. If you stepped on it, I don't know if you'd get your foot back!<br />
<br />
You know how a broken clock is right twice a day? Well, <i>A. grandiflora</i> is like a clock with twelve hands, so it's right every hour of the day. Each one of those tentacles or clock hands or lobes is some 5 to 6 cm (2-2.4 in) long. It also puts me in mind of some of the best abominations among the <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2012/09/mushrooms-from-hell-stinkhorns.html">Stinkhorn Mushrooms</a>. Which, it turns out, is the right train of thought.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfFXuU7_mxyDceTNsrgQ05xwVcQbBg4JdMUX0p_3-guJAhUltIb5IoATuAqe0F7BnFfotBV_hj8TBW5JTLUoxdV_pwmC_2_DG3-saf6a3vNvLQ6ba2HB9231k-93ZMkGviQR043zIrmo/s1600/aspidistra_attenuata_flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfFXuU7_mxyDceTNsrgQ05xwVcQbBg4JdMUX0p_3-guJAhUltIb5IoATuAqe0F7BnFfotBV_hj8TBW5JTLUoxdV_pwmC_2_DG3-saf6a3vNvLQ6ba2HB9231k-93ZMkGviQR043zIrmo/s400/aspidistra_attenuata_flower.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bahamutzero/16430593701/" rel="nofollow">Bahamut Chao</a></td></tr>
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For a long time, it was assumed Aspidistras were pollinated by <a href="http://gilwizen.com/the-land-of-amphipods/">terrestrial amphipods</a> or slugs. Slugs! No one thought that was normal, in fact, they thought Aspidistras probably had the weirdest pollination strategy of any flowering plant, but there you are. Someone saw slugs creeping over their Aspidistra blooms in the garden and assumed he was watching pollination in action.<br />
<br />
But then scientists pulled their fingers out and pulled their socks up and travelled to Japan, the native home of the Cast-iron Plant, <i>A. elatior</i> itself. They watched Cast-iron Plants in their own habitat for two years, logging all the visitors and taking note of the results.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQzUdvoKfMj9wGk8npmyt31E4jLbWzdIrDfdIMjzLzoGhknI5q_QoyYpddGrqTFyBB74T1sU-6ffvGIn4xbdiXfhl1TeHto2brQ9n7oU02oPMMxOnpCzvvk8pxfgdO6dQvEfnowZMJxY/s1600/aspidistra_elatior_flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQzUdvoKfMj9wGk8npmyt31E4jLbWzdIrDfdIMjzLzoGhknI5q_QoyYpddGrqTFyBB74T1sU-6ffvGIn4xbdiXfhl1TeHto2brQ9n7oU02oPMMxOnpCzvvk8pxfgdO6dQvEfnowZMJxY/s400/aspidistra_elatior_flower.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29310050@N04/5844640469/" rel="nofollow">yamatsu</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Cast-iron Plant (A. elatior) flowers</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It turned out that slugs and amphipods were almost entirely absent for those two years. The most frequent visitors were fungus gnats. These tiny flies are always on the lookout for damp soil and mould in which to lay their eggs. Some species are <a href="https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/fieldcropsipm/insects/hessianfly.php">serious pests of wheat</a>, their maggots scouring holes in the stem to feed on leaking sap, though most feed on fungus and rotting plant material. And yes, some of them <a href="http://www.bowerbird.org.au/observations/17079">are pollinators</a>.<br />
<br />
Fungus gnats are poor, slow fliers who spend a lot of time on their feet, scurrying over the soil. Aspidistra flowers are perfectly placed to attract them. And if you think those flowers look like mushrooms, you're completely right! Even fungus gnats think so, and surely they're the experts?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfZcZJcK1_Zok5mNFUYR5uQun-BGKAD0OIn3AauW5B4tRftkO6Hc1165rknSYXUsgAT5Z_t5KBMgHRwU-At8ivm2lpzyg4Rh1M6XSgHI8Lkq0dKiclMlTI7d2SVYFrvU3P2OO1OmVRYE/s1600/aspidistra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfZcZJcK1_Zok5mNFUYR5uQun-BGKAD0OIn3AauW5B4tRftkO6Hc1165rknSYXUsgAT5Z_t5KBMgHRwU-At8ivm2lpzyg4Rh1M6XSgHI8Lkq0dKiclMlTI7d2SVYFrvU3P2OO1OmVRYE/s400/aspidistra.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mutolisp/38208755201/" rel="nofollow">mutolisp</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It appears fungus gnats are <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-11-insects-mushroom.html">fooled into thinking</a> they've found a good place to lay their eggs, somewhere close to a nice mushroom their larvae could feed on. But the joke's on them! As they climb into the flowers, they're showered with pollen and don't even get a drop of nectar for their troubles. These aren't daffodils and bluebells who rely on trades and barters, Aspidistras use pure deception and exploitation to get their way.<br />
<br />
Good grief! It took us almost two centuries to figure this stuff out and it's not even clear that it holds true for all the other species. Who knows what crazy things could be going on out there? It's nice to Keep the Aspidistra Flying but sometimes you have to part the foliage, look down and take stock of what's going on beyond those glossy leaves.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-24964922591793206712018-04-04T12:00:00.000+01:002018-04-06T12:05:03.301+01:00Toxodera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQabZNR2KNFyKmHZmeIQTu6_Q_dHNNhYEZI4iX0bH3nAZYeFA5fkge9PlQC8-F8e62yJW6OVlDfL8CCfdgrR5qSg4kh4VOw0ZFvn4d6IULEXIe_kpxfGxAQC_OY1fQvzu_6kZXkE96dw/s1600/dragon_mantis_toxodera2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQabZNR2KNFyKmHZmeIQTu6_Q_dHNNhYEZI4iX0bH3nAZYeFA5fkge9PlQC8-F8e62yJW6OVlDfL8CCfdgrR5qSg4kh4VOw0ZFvn4d6IULEXIe_kpxfGxAQC_OY1fQvzu_6kZXkE96dw/s400/dragon_mantis_toxodera2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i> <i>Toxodera</i> are mimics of the living and the dead!<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh98QyupqY1_0ziG66q5h4Qt3A9IRPWF_h_TzoZDk87HjC7jSpKIsGPIqwKMNGwvcjR69UJtCOkNMvbqPxFcerK_wGexJO7C8A8qA8ESiU91VdyPwGjk50fUosQVzbPGMr5GXVq7U9pSA/s1600/dragon_mantis_toxodera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh98QyupqY1_0ziG66q5h4Qt3A9IRPWF_h_TzoZDk87HjC7jSpKIsGPIqwKMNGwvcjR69UJtCOkNMvbqPxFcerK_wGexJO7C8A8qA8ESiU91VdyPwGjk50fUosQVzbPGMr5GXVq7U9pSA/s400/dragon_mantis_toxodera.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Toxodera</i> is a small genus containing a handful of Southeast Asian mantids, some or all of which are sometimes called Dragon Mantises.<br />
<br />
Aaaaand that's about all I know...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ZJqR6LZMK0" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZJqR6LZMK0" rel="nofollow">Exo Factory</a></span></div>
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Except for the fact that they look truly stunning!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CzL0gPVATH4" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzL0gPVATH4" rel="nofollow">Exotic Inverts Collection</a></span></div>
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They're obviously masters of camouflage, whether they use leafy leg accessories and swaying motion to hide among the leaves, or twiggy textures and rigid stillness to hide in the branches.<br />
<br />
Leaves be green or leaves be brown<br />
<i>Toxodera</i> will not frown.<br />
Leaves be brown or leaves be green<br />
<i>Toxodera</i> goes unseen.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-26368250308083906812018-04-01T12:00:00.001+01:002018-04-01T12:00:28.263+01:00Nightmare Catcher<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn-Sig2SNvWFU5PNSB3QT5V8hL67Bw-5s89B4ldokNvcLxdQ9RMK5gjF_KXxg1XZxr_UHFwBTPgdkRckxvl7OZmd9SCXqEq11X1PPyQPubB3Kz2Z_ru49DCgidVPv3wov0-WrTSRZmSs/s1600/nightmare_catcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn-Sig2SNvWFU5PNSB3QT5V8hL67Bw-5s89B4ldokNvcLxdQ9RMK5gjF_KXxg1XZxr_UHFwBTPgdkRckxvl7OZmd9SCXqEq11X1PPyQPubB3Kz2Z_ru49DCgidVPv3wov0-WrTSRZmSs/s400/nightmare_catcher.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42244964@N03/4022348831/in/photolist-78rAaV-fG7DGP-78rywT-zXhNTY-7fKrm5-6fqGMx-6fqGMB-KVoRjP-9j4dqt-Yu87Z5-9j7n4U-zRG2q-axy1Wm-X8EvMP-h9h9su-Y1T8TB-4vmAp7-LHK96m-RVcGam-7fuMRr-9mJnam-56uhVh-4Cd6tk-9nENtZ-9JHKp3-MKdYrZ-MKdYoH-4cjDTm-4t1uBL-9GgjxC" rel="nofollow">Frank Vassen</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A Nightmare Catcher flitters through the rainforests of Bolivia, sticky net in hand.<br />
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Some say she feeds on nightmares, her gut so full of concentrated horror that the mere sight of her causes night terrors.<br />
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Others say that's silly, and she probably eats moths.<br />
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Still others say, "Yeah, that's what I meant. I actually have a terrible phobia of moths."<br />
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The IUCN's List of Threatened Species lists the Nightmare Catcher as 'Be Concerned. Be Very Concerned.'Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-48238871992033193742018-03-30T12:00:00.000+01:002018-04-01T09:46:06.878+01:00Blunt-headed Burrowing Frog<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ovUCZqAMkrBPxlyzK5v5u2_arWtnFzZCim1UQFurnBMuz9JowRkQVOadn9D5zsI8om3BaFPq6vCHOTzuF1MuRpBOFj1ntpUhxosgYsGOKjt35Mu5Nu-QmYX6NpnylEMnYDxnEnjwG_k/s1600/glyphoglossus_molossus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ovUCZqAMkrBPxlyzK5v5u2_arWtnFzZCim1UQFurnBMuz9JowRkQVOadn9D5zsI8om3BaFPq6vCHOTzuF1MuRpBOFj1ntpUhxosgYsGOKjt35Mu5Nu-QmYX6NpnylEMnYDxnEnjwG_k/s400/glyphoglossus_molossus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glyphoglossus_molossus_female.jpg" rel="nofollow">Khunpolrattachana</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Glyphoglossus molossus</i></span></td></tr>
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Now <i>that</i> is a face.<br />
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Or... most of one, at least.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKgyvjr50N9DfNXmDi5navWbGW1lwlyrnpIjLmy0BpoK_dsdysscs5C381Zq2p0bWbQfHPkv8lOU5aXuPmYmOeacs2Uo-tQUvhmO5UI_7Xoq5rggAxm0u9Nc0torjwcOOzX6Yl7lR5Qo/s1600/blunt-headed_burrowing_frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKgyvjr50N9DfNXmDi5navWbGW1lwlyrnpIjLmy0BpoK_dsdysscs5C381Zq2p0bWbQfHPkv8lOU5aXuPmYmOeacs2Uo-tQUvhmO5UI_7Xoq5rggAxm0u9Nc0torjwcOOzX6Yl7lR5Qo/s400/blunt-headed_burrowing_frog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glyphoglossus_molossus2.jpg" rel="nofollow">Khunpolrattachana</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Is it just me or is there something strangely cat-like about that profile? An excessively fat cat, granted, but still.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODySuF5JsvEaWXk5UISpTvqgKoCq3eSPb65OXSuc-pTv3fhYCdS7dUQGgQXe2Es3Ec8GECsabI00nP8KTRuDWSSFNX7KPVxZNWcLXy5P4cUYto5UlbqvmzRX16WaF9G7c0qOnKrJ14V8/s1600/truncate-snouted_burrowing_frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODySuF5JsvEaWXk5UISpTvqgKoCq3eSPb65OXSuc-pTv3fhYCdS7dUQGgQXe2Es3Ec8GECsabI00nP8KTRuDWSSFNX7KPVxZNWcLXy5P4cUYto5UlbqvmzRX16WaF9G7c0qOnKrJ14V8/s400/truncate-snouted_burrowing_frog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/63048706@N06/6725946957" rel="nofollow">Thomas Brown</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Blunt-headed Burrowing Frog, or Truncate-snouted Burrowing Frog, or Balloon Frog, belongs to the family Microhylidae, the Narrow-mouthed Frogs. Certainly, some of their relatives <a href="https://idfg.idaho.gov/species/sites/default/files/taxa/60238_orig_0.jpg" rel="nofollow">look pretty strange</a> with their pointy heads and tiny mouths but they're no Blunt-headed Burrowing Frog. This guy is one of a kind! No, really, it's the only species in their genus.<br />
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They come from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, where they spend almost all their time burrowing through the soil. They might feed on ants and the like. By the looks of things, they may also repeatedly bump into rocks.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CGS8NZWL0fs" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <span style="color: inherit;"><a class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGS8NZWL0fs" rel="nofollow">praseodymi</a></span></span></div>
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They only emerge in the rainy season, which is when males show off their impressive ballooning skills as they call out to the females.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiqQyuEbwLb3IiIQPPbYySEZXfQ4nUTNLZIYeHzwg7Pg-ZYEfVVRm75zponjVQlAY37SS6k0q9yL0g7PfYZMgGJdKhEPo1TPshtBmoijLQJ7xH-GugLv4xtke_eoq9ZXeUNTZ9ZknRfU/s1600/glyphoglossus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiqQyuEbwLb3IiIQPPbYySEZXfQ4nUTNLZIYeHzwg7Pg-ZYEfVVRm75zponjVQlAY37SS6k0q9yL0g7PfYZMgGJdKhEPo1TPshtBmoijLQJ7xH-GugLv4xtke_eoq9ZXeUNTZ9ZknRfU/s400/glyphoglossus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/63048706@N06/6725947979" rel="nofollow">Thomas Brown</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Females lay several hundred eggs in ephemeral water bodies. Once they hatch, those tadpoles had better get eating! There's not a minute to lose as the ponds and ditches begin to dry out as the rainy season ends.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nQ-fcTsTTSI6MDD6ZBcaia9DRdaTUqVQ8tLLwqlLljZoTJ_Cdi7wYQqx_quktBTBLeUE4MEhKgpGsCpyX6agsqIW114o4uZp82tW1oFplmYkaO6k24kGEfMuN4AVwLiBPIUXMxufvgI/s1600/glyphoglossus_head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1312" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nQ-fcTsTTSI6MDD6ZBcaia9DRdaTUqVQ8tLLwqlLljZoTJ_Cdi7wYQqx_quktBTBLeUE4MEhKgpGsCpyX6agsqIW114o4uZp82tW1oFplmYkaO6k24kGEfMuN4AVwLiBPIUXMxufvgI/s640/glyphoglossus_head.jpg" width="536" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flat_mouth_of_a_Glyphoglossus_frog.jpg" rel="nofollow">Khunpolrattachana</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Apparently, the tadpoles look much like those of any other Narrow-mouthed Frog.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKn-5KzniYD6fptnl8e6YzrqmJ8e-A-fEGfdeXesi71c05ChMPHSsPkZaVzwsYJsB54K38jVjli51hIz9TtMXz79L50TxxOpAKAEMgW3hNtif1VMLHWyNW1iY3ZIuBSH48-TRkPzxUaM/s1600/goomba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="677" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKn-5KzniYD6fptnl8e6YzrqmJ8e-A-fEGfdeXesi71c05ChMPHSsPkZaVzwsYJsB54K38jVjli51hIz9TtMXz79L50TxxOpAKAEMgW3hNtif1VMLHWyNW1iY3ZIuBSH48-TRkPzxUaM/s400/goomba.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The adults? Not so much.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-66347983189432499332018-03-28T12:00:00.000+01:002018-04-01T09:45:40.158+01:00Sea Spiders: Paddling and Plummeting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnv8dOgbFCHmerzP7-9WCV591BP_0nMhTIJnjD_t_BiDOKvdYI47k5K1fvVkM_Nv1gCkxj9X7uv3424thosINjRzIwkWY6jkFxfNsMMIlp73-ms0T2TFFxTahcf3P_ZnLCMm6sJiGTbw8/s1600/swimming_sea_spider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnv8dOgbFCHmerzP7-9WCV591BP_0nMhTIJnjD_t_BiDOKvdYI47k5K1fvVkM_Nv1gCkxj9X7uv3424thosINjRzIwkWY6jkFxfNsMMIlp73-ms0T2TFFxTahcf3P_ZnLCMm6sJiGTbw8/s400/swimming_sea_spider.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2011/04/sea-spiders.html">Sea Spiders</a> aren't really spiders. They aren't even arachnids. In fact, they're barely more than legs. Not even the daddiest, longleggiest of <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2011/04/daddy-longlegs.html">Daddy Longlegs</a> can out-leg a Sea Spider.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Sea Spiders are marine arthropods found all over the world where they use their toothy snouts to suck out the juices of sea anemones or else tear worms and other slow-moving, soft-bodied prey to bite-sized chunks. Shallow water species can be as small as a single millimetre (0.04 in) long. while those in the peaceful chill of the deep sea and Arctic waters can really stretch their legs and attain legspans of over 70 cm (2.3 ft).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JxX3bzYsSsU" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxX3bzYsSsU" rel="nofollow">Inner Space Center</a></span></div>
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Those legs are incredibly important to Sea Spiders, not least because of their relative lack of anything that isn't a leg. The rest of their body is so small that part of their digestive system has to extend into those stilts. Sea Spiders even <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-01431-x">breathe through their legs</a>, absorbing oxygen through them as if they were gills! Oh, and they use them to walk, too.<br />
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And swim! Sea Spiders kind of paddle through the water in just the kind of creepy, crawly way you'd hope or fear a spider would.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E9wePYzeTgQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9wePYzeTgQ" rel="nofollow">PycnoWatchThis</a></span></div>
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But what goes up must also come down, with the possible exception of plastic bags (when those things get caught on the wind they'll never touch the ground again). Some Sea Spiders refuse to be a plastic bag, they aren't willing to hang around waiting to descend to the seabed. So, they raise their legs up into a comet posture, reducing drag so that they can plummet to the ground that much more quickly.<br />
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Once they land, they extend their legs and blossom into the creepiest, crawliest flower you've ever seen. That's why I like Sea Spiders. They're always consistantly creepy no matter what they do. It's oddly comforting.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-90147504278811756522018-03-25T12:00:00.000+01:002018-03-28T12:00:31.651+01:00Fanfin Angler<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJ0iF-YP2rQL6V2IDNTN-38EK8_b-tezMTdwHu3XZAEs64idE2A5vOWJn2dR7-z2ronYZ79RRuEy48U7Bcx8dd6UsZ_ADyJbWgneYF-OQ4KzTcTq77XXqoF0a6VweDKDM3Oe-25p_khI/s1600/caulophryne_jordani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJ0iF-YP2rQL6V2IDNTN-38EK8_b-tezMTdwHu3XZAEs64idE2A5vOWJn2dR7-z2ronYZ79RRuEy48U7Bcx8dd6UsZ_ADyJbWgneYF-OQ4KzTcTq77XXqoF0a6VweDKDM3Oe-25p_khI/s400/caulophryne_jordani.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Caulophryne jordani</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
SPOTTED: Reclusive Fanfin Angler and her latest beau step out for a romantic lure-lit dinner.<br />
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She doesn't appear pleased.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Then again, Fanfin Anglers never appear pleased. That's just the nature of their face. These Deep Sea Anglerfish reside in depths of up to 1,500 metres (4,950 ft). Their tiny eyes are almost useless for spotting prey and their near spherical, 20 cm (8 in) long body is hardly built for a merry chase. But that toothy, scowling maw must be fed! Good thing the Fanfin Angler lets her prey do the work for her.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDjLE0NHu01Hlnkj0M8CnN3jA6-690SDqNysaXQRO1YLjO0UoOpXndExdJIKTL1mhBMMkYWze_ePQlWCWqZzAuWtNSqLt5Xblu9zy1VZumdvfhSdYEvrHJWTJF1uRTBVfrolMfLi8Xfc/s1600/fanfin_anglerfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="554" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDjLE0NHu01Hlnkj0M8CnN3jA6-690SDqNysaXQRO1YLjO0UoOpXndExdJIKTL1mhBMMkYWze_ePQlWCWqZzAuWtNSqLt5Xblu9zy1VZumdvfhSdYEvrHJWTJF1uRTBVfrolMfLi8Xfc/s640/fanfin_anglerfish.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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Like other Anglers, the Fanfin's snout boasts a dastardly lure that attracts inquisitive fish and crustaceans. For shallow water Anglers like the <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2011/11/monkfish.html">Monkfish</a> and the <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2010/09/frogfish.html">Frogfish</a>, this lure might <a href="http://uk.thescubanews.com/2016/11/18/frogfish-lure/">look like a worm</a> or shrimp. In the darkness of the deep sea, it hardly matters what it looks like so long as it lights up.<br />
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The Fanfin takes it to the next level with her truly fabulous fan-fins. Sure, she has some normal fins for swimming around, but they're completely overshadowed by the ones that have turned into a burst of wiry fin rays. Together with various filaments that grow from her skin like whiskers, they allow the Fanfin to feel creatures as they come within lunging distance. She's a glow-in-the-dark ambush predator!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/anDIlMVgNwk" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anDIlMVgNwk" rel="nofollow">Science Magazine</a></span></div>
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In this amazing video, it looks as if her fin rays are themselves glowing. It's not clear if that's due to bioluminescence or if they're reflecting light from the submersible but either way she looks like a sparkling firework! I never thought I would ever say that about a Deep Sea Anglerfish.<br />
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Deep Sea Anglerfish are famous for their intimate, long-term romantic relationships. While females have the lure and the teeth, males have the big nose. He uses it to sniff out a female and when he finds one, he lovingly nibbles at her side and slowly fuses with her body. He dangles there, her blood flowing through his veins. He's not too much of a burden, given that he's less than tenth her size, and he also provides sperm on demand. He is, essentially, her very own testicle.<br />
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And now we get to see it on camera at last!Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-51562066256838232992018-03-23T12:00:00.000+00:002018-03-25T08:40:23.352+01:00In the Pink<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddh6Q3UMxwEgHARhI8jCeq3hx50f2tr5vSdSn_-kf2XF846_bkYdOfWE0DR4j9gIZAA1vHkK3BW-OZMUnDvyDwdzzcIeeiOotmu4PKqHwW_SSdj9seCNldyF0ZzvMavfDeWAholijO-E/s1600/pink_coral2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1519" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddh6Q3UMxwEgHARhI8jCeq3hx50f2tr5vSdSn_-kf2XF846_bkYdOfWE0DR4j9gIZAA1vHkK3BW-OZMUnDvyDwdzzcIeeiOotmu4PKqHwW_SSdj9seCNldyF0ZzvMavfDeWAholijO-E/s400/pink_coral2.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/7970532646/in/album-72157632727238464/" rel="nofollow">Bernard DUPONT</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sometimes...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvU6MmZ-DOikh6O7N77kKzV_WFmg4ZagKFkqcIgnGHP2_rThSK8XQq4o-pxbHlImxGoncZnkFC5r6psvWKoDO19LldE_m3dqmaMHQRSYdzbJG2E2SH1ivv62Jh5OYjpER_4toK29eOpqQ/s1600/pink_coral5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvU6MmZ-DOikh6O7N77kKzV_WFmg4ZagKFkqcIgnGHP2_rThSK8XQq4o-pxbHlImxGoncZnkFC5r6psvWKoDO19LldE_m3dqmaMHQRSYdzbJG2E2SH1ivv62Jh5OYjpER_4toK29eOpqQ/s400/pink_coral5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/6072982111/in/album-72157632727238464/" rel="nofollow">Bernard DUPONT</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You get struck...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCNlY9UVwtSwFVC_f6jovoDiP6-Q_qsAdYE2rhARllT8CrOwOvpC2qNseLB6Uf-Fzej-aMPuPwFza1zQaQd1Wjmq-d8qawEgtlTPDSdAua2SjWgysnHCx5iIwUeESQJQihBnpAMrjc1M/s1600/pink_coral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1085" data-original-width="1600" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCNlY9UVwtSwFVC_f6jovoDiP6-Q_qsAdYE2rhARllT8CrOwOvpC2qNseLB6Uf-Fzej-aMPuPwFza1zQaQd1Wjmq-d8qawEgtlTPDSdAua2SjWgysnHCx5iIwUeESQJQihBnpAMrjc1M/s400/pink_coral.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/7970531550/in/album-72157632727238464/" rel="nofollow">Bernard DUPONT</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By just how pink...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wnGO3t7L-9l6eVEvli53PxQcVg21ugFkU27jlFFeg9Xr_j_Fel9W5DeCNcw3Y3xtIKtdq2q3F2YBXmZWvm4CJWrv5ShyphenhyphenkvBhqu9R4p8vQdNmJ0zSsDko1VijusMiobd2AzdTGvab0wU/s1600/pink_coral4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wnGO3t7L-9l6eVEvli53PxQcVg21ugFkU27jlFFeg9Xr_j_Fel9W5DeCNcw3Y3xtIKtdq2q3F2YBXmZWvm4CJWrv5ShyphenhyphenkvBhqu9R4p8vQdNmJ0zSsDko1VijusMiobd2AzdTGvab0wU/s400/pink_coral4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/6062188934/in/album-72157632727238464/" rel="nofollow">Bernard DUPONT</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Corals can be...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMqDYcQ_VE200WbR6RuPezWD_ct46EPq9R3sAbSSGvNP9CO2zV_f6_v85AMZEKCV8kZwr4t-_pnIW7OkVnGo9pfLlBetwM3mJRzshRnuGIB_wLZl3ghutVDcEA3Vu0OFxsTLTLFPpnRg/s1600/pink_coral6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMqDYcQ_VE200WbR6RuPezWD_ct46EPq9R3sAbSSGvNP9CO2zV_f6_v85AMZEKCV8kZwr4t-_pnIW7OkVnGo9pfLlBetwM3mJRzshRnuGIB_wLZl3ghutVDcEA3Vu0OFxsTLTLFPpnRg/s400/pink_coral6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/6093715595/in/album-72157632727238464/" rel="nofollow">Bernard DUPONT</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And all you can think...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEH3kt0_2ptAk6XD4pHswj7uYEjaChVFtZBVR1BEKK6GXUWgnO-CUYUIzkfo3-AOl3pbhWSbLzE6o69sgZjskF1lPlUskNeoQ-pUGpqkrZuLbBA49IhhhpCoxDU_DgKmpk8pF5gUKL0I/s1600/pink_coral3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1408" data-original-width="1600" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEH3kt0_2ptAk6XD4pHswj7uYEjaChVFtZBVR1BEKK6GXUWgnO-CUYUIzkfo3-AOl3pbhWSbLzE6o69sgZjskF1lPlUskNeoQ-pUGpqkrZuLbBA49IhhhpCoxDU_DgKmpk8pF5gUKL0I/s400/pink_coral3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/7944357206/in/album-72157632727238464/" rel="nofollow">Bernard DUPONT</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Is pink<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-25775542229782649972018-03-21T12:00:00.000+00:002018-03-25T08:39:24.216+01:00Bony-eared Assfish<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFIBlfMAW8Dy8dEfUy6sCIQQWstbvk0ECFXXKJEB_KQInamSImweO_ocrW6kjzcLxRiZ2MWUoYzujE36DdSoi2w_CGgfGAj-eKU0mgqkduHgAcr7z725o_Gw5-AziEV_LXHGLVpgBiBI/s1600/bony-eared_assfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFIBlfMAW8Dy8dEfUy6sCIQQWstbvk0ECFXXKJEB_KQInamSImweO_ocrW6kjzcLxRiZ2MWUoYzujE36DdSoi2w_CGgfGAj-eKU0mgqkduHgAcr7z725o_Gw5-AziEV_LXHGLVpgBiBI/s400/bony-eared_assfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Royal BC Museum<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Acanthonus armatus</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, that's just rude.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
This poor, blameless soul who never hurt anyone is a <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2016/05/cusk-eel.html">Cusk Eel</a> who lives in depths of up to 4,500 metres and reaches at least 38 cm (15 in) long.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTv7nLegOjWhE8g7y3cHSSYsDFTgFqQhpxlACJUkcloxKFC3X6hc6g_2aDpVQtU2Dvgz5S9Xai-0SjNZRd6RTSOULAo_1hfnyz3PuvYt8ZLzlpl6OY37aq0ajnwQZ9p3KTxwIKQRx1eo/s1600/acanthonus_armatus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="1600" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTv7nLegOjWhE8g7y3cHSSYsDFTgFqQhpxlACJUkcloxKFC3X6hc6g_2aDpVQtU2Dvgz5S9Xai-0SjNZRd6RTSOULAo_1hfnyz3PuvYt8ZLzlpl6OY37aq0ajnwQZ9p3KTxwIKQRx1eo/s400/acanthonus_armatus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: R. Mintern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Like many of the fish who live in Mother Nature's damp basement, he's extremely pale and flabby. Not that that's an excuse for name-calling.<br />
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The real excuse seems to come from its scientific name, <i>Acanthonus armatus</i>. The <i>Armatus</i> bit means 'armed,' not because the Assfish has actual arms or guns or whatever, but because he has spines on his gills. Those are probably the bony ears. <i>Acanthonus</i>, meanwhile, could mean 'prickly hake,'—a hake being a sleek, mean-looking relative of the cod—but it could also mean 'prickly donkey.' So it's that kind of ass.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4AdqyMEgvPw" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AdqyMEgvPw" rel="nofollow">serpentproject</a></span></div>
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Thankfully, the Bony-eared Assfish is oblivious to all of this. The fact that he has the smallest brain-to-body weight ratio of any vertebrate may or may not have something to do with this.<br />
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I'm sure he's lovely once you get to know him.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-59177378693181099842018-03-18T12:00:00.000+00:002018-03-25T08:39:02.264+01:00Trilobite Beetle<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-p4smmG5pL9WYcP0gmRveWOMDnXIVina1aVacO_-pfF_rxiLQL8_NjaHmm-iuIWUTMfGwBqqohYAhHf_WxsPUIzxXKQAYynBQAeJopK5lW6wDZQuej9_E0dNpK1W5uDXJ11b_x02e-E/s1600/trilobite_beetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-p4smmG5pL9WYcP0gmRveWOMDnXIVina1aVacO_-pfF_rxiLQL8_NjaHmm-iuIWUTMfGwBqqohYAhHf_WxsPUIzxXKQAYynBQAeJopK5lW6wDZQuej9_E0dNpK1W5uDXJ11b_x02e-E/s400/trilobite_beetle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/budak/36328896884/" rel="nofollow">budak</a></td></tr>
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Trilobite Beetles are beetles of eternal youth! Or is it eternal age? After all, it's a beetle that never quite grows up but at the same looks a lot like a 250 million-year-old trilobite.<br />
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I guess you just can't keep a good arthropod down.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJLEKgc2qyjE9SqRw4jw8CTzLq08AbhB6rpcx6aqsf_8STR6SCbbp5tBnkAQVabuFz5-HJBc6jLE-8r5rI_J84nUnw6PTQb7d86pSu267FsdGTHSnQBt6-TGfAKQCZxjD-0nyVel4m0I/s1600/duliticola.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJLEKgc2qyjE9SqRw4jw8CTzLq08AbhB6rpcx6aqsf_8STR6SCbbp5tBnkAQVabuFz5-HJBc6jLE-8r5rI_J84nUnw6PTQb7d86pSu267FsdGTHSnQBt6-TGfAKQCZxjD-0nyVel4m0I/s400/duliticola.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duliticola.JPG" rel="nofollow">Dave.Dunford</a></td></tr>
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Trilobite Beetles are more than 20 species belonging to a genus properly called <i>Platerodrilus</i>, though sometimes going by the alternative name <i>Duliticola</i>.<br />
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They're found in the rainforests of India and southeast Asia, where they enjoy the musty atmosphere in the leaf litter and near rotting logs.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9V2c-6zWxA7wBhlw3fikC_53Ph5pPfBhAZec06JP5g_DyWsyYVSO6lv-AjM0FNuHG50bNQ7sgo9uxhHD2mPE2j412ojw98nHMkqTxkDMuWlNUpsnCCGolKI8lyxkDpsiRxGmdNXSZ7A/s1600/platerodrilus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9V2c-6zWxA7wBhlw3fikC_53Ph5pPfBhAZec06JP5g_DyWsyYVSO6lv-AjM0FNuHG50bNQ7sgo9uxhHD2mPE2j412ojw98nHMkqTxkDMuWlNUpsnCCGolKI8lyxkDpsiRxGmdNXSZ7A/s400/platerodrilus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ironammonite/33379167492/" rel="nofollow">Paul Williams</a></td></tr>
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Their common name, Trilobite Beetle, obviously comes from their utterly bizarre, primordial appearance. The weird thing is that each beetle has looked like this ever since it was an ankle biting, whipper snapping, wee nipper (or 'young' for short). These are beetles who never metamorphose out of their larval form. They just get bigger.<br />
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So, even as adults their thorax is armoured with three massive slabs of exoskeleton called scutes, each one associated with one pair of mighty legs and no wings whatsoever. The abdomen is long and richly endowed with ancient spikes and archaic knobs, each one lovingly highlighted with bright orange to stand out against a black background. It's all a bit <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Ankylosauria">Ankylosaurus</a>, except that trilobites were there long before those upstart dinosaurs came along and stole all their ideas.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W0uLQiYpDLU" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0uLQiYpDLU" rel="nofollow">DarkRaptorMacro</a></span></div>
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Then there's the head... if you can find it! It's incredibly puny and bears two tiny eyes and a pair of short, knobby antennae. It's even more unreasonably small than the <i><a href="http://io9.gizmodo.com/kung-fu-stegosaurus-had-deadly-fighting-moves-1650241947">Stegosaur</a></i>'s head and, when required, can disappear entirely by retracting into that thickly armoured thorax. So that's a bit of tortoise thrown in, too. Those Ankylosaurs didn't think of <i>that</i> now, did they? They must be kicking themselves. Or swinging their bone-club tail at their shins.<br />
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Trilobite Beetles don't have a club at the end of their tail, nor any kind of weapon. Instead, they have a sort of stopper that they can press against the ground. It's useful because Trilobite Beetles can reach about 8 cm (3 in) long and lack the kind of fleshy <a href="http://www.thecaterpillarlab.org/single-post/2016/1/6/SPOTLIGHT-ON-CATERPILLAR-ANATOMY-PROLEGS">prolegs</a> we see on caterpillars.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuwxEvIzGAj2WyT__7A3_WdA-txSJEaru3TMQalt3lRBuJnpNjrC6WlWS3c-lsxT4-FxIU94t_bOU_8HphrfPPttKT2SYOSwEPTvnSLa4id5YvbPCW3Qb2cPHClyLId9BA1IqEz6DPLQ/s1600/trilobite_beetle_underside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="900" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuwxEvIzGAj2WyT__7A3_WdA-txSJEaru3TMQalt3lRBuJnpNjrC6WlWS3c-lsxT4-FxIU94t_bOU_8HphrfPPttKT2SYOSwEPTvnSLa4id5YvbPCW3Qb2cPHClyLId9BA1IqEz6DPLQ/s400/trilobite_beetle_underside.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wong_chun_xing_arthropods/5757416401/" rel="nofollow">Chun Xing Wong</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Underside</i></span></td></tr>
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With that stopper taking the rear and the big legs up front, Trilobite Beetles can walk in a slow, stately march while the abdomen wriggles behind them. That way, they don't have half their body dragging along the floor like the train of an armour-plated wedding dress.<br />
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BUT!<br />
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All of this is the female. Males are completely different. Which is to say, they're completely normal.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzlVmpzZH9OLU1cGfKzOI5aDmleNXpr245-LDTUu0yd2n6F7WjodWwGxMyE3tl0iGlykz-tTd7PaIxxInQa9p-KC6IhoWFy2Px8lMIOMDMNKsJTm60AzjMhckxiH9RTEXxxenxcflUw8/s1600/trilobite_beetle_male.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1037" data-original-width="755" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzlVmpzZH9OLU1cGfKzOI5aDmleNXpr245-LDTUu0yd2n6F7WjodWwGxMyE3tl0iGlykz-tTd7PaIxxInQa9p-KC6IhoWFy2Px8lMIOMDMNKsJTm60AzjMhckxiH9RTEXxxenxcflUw8/s400/trilobite_beetle_male.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duliticola_male_female.jpg" rel="nofollow">Tiia Monto</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Male and female</i></span></td></tr>
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Trilobite Beetles belong to a family called Lycidae, the Net-winged Beetles, and males retain the long, narrow body shape common within that family. They're also about 6 mm long, a tenth the size of their lady friends. These males have wings to fly and tough wing covers because that's what adult beetles are supposed to do.<br />
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Aside from that, there's a lot yet to be discovered about Trilobite Beetles. No one's quite sure what they even eat!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Cu4g42Oceg" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cu4g42Oceg" rel="nofollow">National Geographic</a></span></div>
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Among Net-winged Beetles, it's common for the larvae to hang out in rotten logs and leaf litter feeding on worms and snails. It's possible that Trilobite Beetles do the same, although some people think they actually eat fungi and the like. Or maybe that's wrong, too? They might feed on what I think we can reasonably call 'rot-juice,' the nasty liquids that seep out of rotting wood. And I think we reasonably call that stuff 'nasty' because it's full of all manner of tiny protozoans and mites. Of course, for a Trilobite Beetle that would be a delicious, meaty soup. I'd prefer chicken.<br />
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Adult Net-winged Beetles typically do most of their eating in their youth when they're busy growing up big and strong. As adults they feed on nectar to get the energy they need to fly about and find mates, or else they eat nothing at all. That could be the case for male Trilobite Beetles since they don't seem to live long.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MqwgXogG_ibQ3N04D3NFtj_MrupWgUDIoLkSqGM2IDia3D-8L_DccCVtx8QkltpwTja1XDXJE2M4Vbmuh3sEXxW8MKo_mhLfQU5bLG-8P5NuCG3qptSTahYK0Uo-wG97E5NfBIQXxJ8/s1600/platerodrilus_beetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MqwgXogG_ibQ3N04D3NFtj_MrupWgUDIoLkSqGM2IDia3D-8L_DccCVtx8QkltpwTja1XDXJE2M4Vbmuh3sEXxW8MKo_mhLfQU5bLG-8P5NuCG3qptSTahYK0Uo-wG97E5NfBIQXxJ8/s400/platerodrilus_beetle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/7128088355/" rel="nofollow">Bernard DUPONT</a></td></tr>
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This we know from a case when someone actually managed to watch a male and female Trilobite Beetle getting together, getting it on and getting off with each other. Lots of getting was got.<br />
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The female went out in the open and waved her hind-quarters around, possibly emitting pheromones as she did so. Eventually, a male came along, clamped himself to her gonopore (can we reasonably call that 'lady parts?') and copulated for about five hours. I don't know if he managed that on an empty stomach or if he needed a healthy supply of nectar first.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-qwIULTGN4zYS1if-DrGD4Z3-_fEv0hRus95OuECLsHw1nqviwb2zj2_ApxJjeCgxo8xFaG66X0NlYNwDoZRa30ak5SqSXz3lZNATji06AolHIPkxbu_upl6PTh1Wpxfas1aJ-1hndU/s1600/trilobite_beetle2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="900" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-qwIULTGN4zYS1if-DrGD4Z3-_fEv0hRus95OuECLsHw1nqviwb2zj2_ApxJjeCgxo8xFaG66X0NlYNwDoZRa30ak5SqSXz3lZNATji06AolHIPkxbu_upl6PTh1Wpxfas1aJ-1hndU/s400/trilobite_beetle2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wong_chun_xing_arthropods/5757416827/" rel="nofollow">Chun Xing Wong</a></td></tr>
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Once they were done, the male died some three hours later (possible evidence of the empty stomach hypothesis). The female laid a sticky mass of about 200 eggs in some leaf litter the next day. A few weeks later, she too died.<br />
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Gosh. They do say that life was nasty, brutish and short in the old days. I guess the Trilobite Beetle felt content to leave it that way.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-78285758321792672422018-03-16T12:00:00.000+00:002018-03-18T08:47:59.478+00:00Wentletrap<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCDxnIaGkWDPmoZSjlX0Q6G8iy2E0Kwpl0JLPx_rVBjzgw0834ORDaClQYQ9yKxruYNTDJRwzbBjmzmnb_Hrl2NkFC2I8J7efrjXeouD5Of-9fKWV4L1LmcUXdlrRX0qbQEPzUbodDgQ/s1600/wentletrap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1494" data-original-width="1600" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCDxnIaGkWDPmoZSjlX0Q6G8iy2E0Kwpl0JLPx_rVBjzgw0834ORDaClQYQ9yKxruYNTDJRwzbBjmzmnb_Hrl2NkFC2I8J7efrjXeouD5Of-9fKWV4L1LmcUXdlrRX0qbQEPzUbodDgQ/s400/wentletrap.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wentletrap_001.jpg" rel="nofollow">Steve Jurvetson</a></td></tr>
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Proof yet again that nature is the best sculptor!<br />
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That's what happens when you have a billion years of experience.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1h5OL0ue3Yd308oDNn-weNB1SVqtJ3-NBM48FESc35lCnEzSZcADchz1eXeuUomReN44u02mEiTmMNDbN8PL3L0ZY4mHunS-Z5exXMJF4zRxzG-aVOR_SvddnFRh2BP_y-YA1xKBhjI/s1600/tiny_wentletrap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1h5OL0ue3Yd308oDNn-weNB1SVqtJ3-NBM48FESc35lCnEzSZcADchz1eXeuUomReN44u02mEiTmMNDbN8PL3L0ZY4mHunS-Z5exXMJF4zRxzG-aVOR_SvddnFRh2BP_y-YA1xKBhjI/s400/tiny_wentletrap.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/theloushe/6007250688/" rel="nofollow">Jessica Lucia</a></td></tr>
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Wentletraps are more than 600 species of snail belonging to the family Epitoniidae. They're found in all the seas and oceans of the world, from the tropics to the Arctic.<br />
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The biggest ones are over 10 cm (4 in) long though most are much smaller, the very titchiest reaching about 5 mm (0.2 in) in length.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUgmp4OHDQKNB7RleuBDIMCZ6pAVhmpa3EwRckWV7T4J8cqUnFljrxN9RHaQVtcJ11wUI3xo_2z5GBc5BxGnjKTt6QgiyqWEggwzUl1YM8HNa2A0Jrcw8cslb5WOwNaKUcSf3eiwlHFA/s1600/epitoniidae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1238" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUgmp4OHDQKNB7RleuBDIMCZ6pAVhmpa3EwRckWV7T4J8cqUnFljrxN9RHaQVtcJ11wUI3xo_2z5GBc5BxGnjKTt6QgiyqWEggwzUl1YM8HNa2A0Jrcw8cslb5WOwNaKUcSf3eiwlHFA/s400/epitoniidae.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wildsingapore/6835713222/" rel="nofollow">Ria Tan</a></td></tr>
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A lot of them are as smooth as porcelain and white as a Greek statue though some have a <a href="https://media.eol.org/content/2014/06/01/00/58795_orig.jpg" rel="nofollow">splash of colour</a>. Also, some are more... wentletrappy... than others. Which might be a good time to say what exactly that means.<br />
<br />
'Wentletrap' is the Dutch word for <a href="https://media.architecturaldigest.com/photos/56045fbb5a2d8a2712e8a608/master/pass/dam-images-daily-2014-10-on-the-block-on-the-block-10-9-spiral-staircase.jpg" rel="nofollow">spiral staircases</a>. The most staircasey Wentletrap snails have a delicate ridge that spirals all the way up their shell. I can't imagine what <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/7916457/Pencil-sculptures-miniature-masterpieces-carved-into-graphite-by-Dalton-Ghetti.html?image=9">tiny hammers</a> and chisels a Greek sculptor would have needed to achieve the effect.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFrhNSPdS71rxPBm0VjBByP_nUbAtUrX5SjcGOVxbhW_CvFOwxGfkwFmQ6LW4tIenAYotQwpseQ3SveeLBITE43BPRemtzF7sgFHdQDAxomDONaJCLgbGBTVQmm-kfbHz4F2_5S_nLaM/s1600/wentletrap_snail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFrhNSPdS71rxPBm0VjBByP_nUbAtUrX5SjcGOVxbhW_CvFOwxGfkwFmQ6LW4tIenAYotQwpseQ3SveeLBITE43BPRemtzF7sgFHdQDAxomDONaJCLgbGBTVQmm-kfbHz4F2_5S_nLaM/s400/wentletrap_snail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/simarinegeo/35460114303/" rel="nofollow">Marine GEO</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But nature isn't just the best sculptor, it's also a BRUTAL MURDERER.<br />
<br />
At least some Wentletraps take up the red tooth and claw of nature and charge into the battle of life. In other words, they're carnivores.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEPHvbbh2IANf1tV9uWbIm6YOr9_9a4kgA4KqQPZVnC16-ofuyoJS2QDAX7aRP-5R6MtLbP3z1RS3EMUzOe36ymr5R4oVMD07OZKyPksbVMkMCOiOojeYtE0fgl2xV490NFByx5ZMiQk/s1600/hermit_crab_wentletrap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEPHvbbh2IANf1tV9uWbIm6YOr9_9a4kgA4KqQPZVnC16-ofuyoJS2QDAX7aRP-5R6MtLbP3z1RS3EMUzOe36ymr5R4oVMD07OZKyPksbVMkMCOiOojeYtE0fgl2xV490NFByx5ZMiQk/s400/hermit_crab_wentletrap.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/noaaphotolib/24856700957/" rel="nofollow">NOAA Photo Library</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hermit crab says, "finders, keepers"</i></span></td></tr>
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These Wentletraps have been seen feeding on sea anemones and corals. A purple or pink dye secreted by their salivary glands may even serve as an anaesthetic to allow the snail to peacefully feed without their dinner leaping off the dinner table.<br />
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That's nature for you; it'll stab you in the heart but at least the knife looks nice.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-15690343787300119742018-03-14T12:00:00.000+00:002018-03-16T12:01:00.348+00:00Red Cushion Sea Star<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAHDDV2idKmJ_vvgiNAMbxuOnPgBF5lk_Y4VtGpDGCfbdW5gcbPJizQ-VDwkMmKWyqVRM5GI2msymCpBfofKAbKzDXI3k8sDsGx3VN_6QY_9zhAg-bkeaSG3S-tdYkB1B1EeWOlgq0K0/s1600/oreaster_reticulatus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAHDDV2idKmJ_vvgiNAMbxuOnPgBF5lk_Y4VtGpDGCfbdW5gcbPJizQ-VDwkMmKWyqVRM5GI2msymCpBfofKAbKzDXI3k8sDsGx3VN_6QY_9zhAg-bkeaSG3S-tdYkB1B1EeWOlgq0K0/s400/oreaster_reticulatus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/15958712269/" rel="nofollow">James St. John</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Oreaster reticulatus</i></span></td></tr>
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This is quite possibly the most uncomfortable cushion I've ever seen.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Reaching up to 50 cm (20 in) across, Red Cushion Sea Stars are big starfish found in warm, shallow waters in the Caribbean and nearby western Atlantic regions.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwX3N8SchpiuHGmH69GUKINOxGGX-CgOsB3rgeMn8UGeTKOUN2FM2qSzPz9oFSMnsSZjCB8PJVnOelKEKO3USQhZobV8DNwZ4I2SQqLRbYQLCckzppAYgANt5_Cb-pQBuA2Si1KMnsYc/s1600/red_cushion_sea_stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwX3N8SchpiuHGmH69GUKINOxGGX-CgOsB3rgeMn8UGeTKOUN2FM2qSzPz9oFSMnsSZjCB8PJVnOelKEKO3USQhZobV8DNwZ4I2SQqLRbYQLCckzppAYgANt5_Cb-pQBuA2Si1KMnsYc/s400/red_cushion_sea_stars.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Ochoa, Edgardo<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Some Red Cushions are significantly more red than others</i></span></td></tr>
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They belong to Oreasteridae, the same family as the plump and way more comfortable-looking <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2016/01/cushion-star.html">Cushion Stars</a> of the Indo-Pacific.<br />
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I for one know where I'll be sitting...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhel9I_LT_K57bq1Pw5gzPzBg3a722RPVaPwVLHoXXKA4Ot2AhtVXWGkDcr48exAkrrWahtn_wPdl4Tw394k9-vyp4kaPtuPuaIlhAlghIqozMI_r8MQPVansghS7XxaqF2RJNDGs3ya8M/s1600/red_cushion_sea_star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="1377" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhel9I_LT_K57bq1Pw5gzPzBg3a722RPVaPwVLHoXXKA4Ot2AhtVXWGkDcr48exAkrrWahtn_wPdl4Tw394k9-vyp4kaPtuPuaIlhAlghIqozMI_r8MQPVansghS7XxaqF2RJNDGs3ya8M/s400/red_cushion_sea_star.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nashworld/5656071651/" rel="nofollow">Sean Nash</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Not exactly cushy, is it?</i></span></td></tr>
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The Red Cushion Sea Star's scientific name, <i>Oreaster reticulatus</i>, means something like 'reticulated mountain star,' which is a lot more accurate if you ask me.<br />
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A reticulum is a network or net-like structure. Take a look at the Red Cushion's knobbly surface and you'll see the red background set off with a network of yellow lines. I could wear it, maybe? The only thing stranger than a five-pronged red satin hat with a network of gold needlework and a sprinkling of gold beads... is to sit on it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbi4MfM3s_0I9RmwRiR8yx3SST4Arn4_3us6O82IVo_wg4pog1eH_CAssc9tjTSuv2D0ZB4ZqPfEDidam8-oVUnKKSTsrhEUeMTILNdlv1hJPyphBl7tt0lLTMi6brq5Nm4KDLz_EzMU/s1600/starfish_brittle_star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbi4MfM3s_0I9RmwRiR8yx3SST4Arn4_3us6O82IVo_wg4pog1eH_CAssc9tjTSuv2D0ZB4ZqPfEDidam8-oVUnKKSTsrhEUeMTILNdlv1hJPyphBl7tt0lLTMi6brq5Nm4KDLz_EzMU/s400/starfish_brittle_star.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mentalblock/7986595327/" rel="nofollow">Kevin Bryant</a></td></tr>
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The tiny brittle stars would have to go, though.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YKU9n7GkMas" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKU9n7GkMas" rel="nofollow">FamousHamas</a></span><br />
<i>When the mountain goes to Muhammed...</i></div>
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Speaking of which, imagine being a tiny anything when this mountain wanders by on thousands of jelly-feet!<br />
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Not that most other creatures have much to fear. Some Red Cushion Sea Stars feed on sponges if they must but most hang out in fields of eelgrass and eat whatever's beneath their tube-feet. Their diet probably includes the eelgrass itself, whatever tiny creatures couldn't get away, and the ever-present "organic detritus."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGI4J5_oS_EEAvXXcGtHZC1hFS2tTbKbjliQe3xCycILprJWZZa3XDC0z2ijgcYtOEZjMbGI1LXD9oDaCLzsIqxacDEHRxj3naJr6XOtk8LAB0g0I9bgaf3fVCUWiu-glory-67OpXpUo/s1600/starfish_spouts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGI4J5_oS_EEAvXXcGtHZC1hFS2tTbKbjliQe3xCycILprJWZZa3XDC0z2ijgcYtOEZjMbGI1LXD9oDaCLzsIqxacDEHRxj3naJr6XOtk8LAB0g0I9bgaf3fVCUWiu-glory-67OpXpUo/s400/starfish_spouts.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mentalblock/7508479952/" rel="nofollow">Kevin Bryant</a></td></tr>
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And what goes in must come out, at which point it's more of a reticulated volcano star.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-21671117677928593552018-03-11T12:00:00.000+00:002018-03-16T12:01:41.006+00:00Mud Dragon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhmcngHxV_7R0PkW2Jnp-ptdd6p2hTJ2ny-s2TiG6cVFwSBBJE4_RNMbr-IJYI5MvF3BeRTXRo7uQXbOvUq36WT55mG7f17g1lB6ascPso4C-dcR9ZHU_4kBZhPX5dUbngvedaTN1AKQ/s1600/mud_dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhmcngHxV_7R0PkW2Jnp-ptdd6p2hTJ2ny-s2TiG6cVFwSBBJE4_RNMbr-IJYI5MvF3BeRTXRo7uQXbOvUq36WT55mG7f17g1lB6ascPso4C-dcR9ZHU_4kBZhPX5dUbngvedaTN1AKQ/s400/mud_dragon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=image&pic=106063" rel="nofollow">WoRMS Editorial Board</a></td></tr>
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From the sounds of it, this must surely be the lowliest of all dragons. Fire dragons soar overhead, frost dragons slumber in beautiful ice lairs, swamp dragons brood in their stinking miasmas, even flightless flu dragons get to lie in bed all day.<br />
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What do poor old Mud Dragons get? They get to wriggle. In the mud. Hmmm... Someone drew a <i>very</i> short straw.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHj1MCNxuQjF4qqY0nqwKZ4y2e4WJEnK4fpBh_LVhcD_hjwC8aELY9VI4T3cQP_jmjNnGhsE-q7Xxvc0rWSaU3EVkbXC7UltQ3-349myc8f5k_AEHfPz42ae7FHxQbckJtR0ceGHOo5g/s1600/kinorhyncha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHj1MCNxuQjF4qqY0nqwKZ4y2e4WJEnK4fpBh_LVhcD_hjwC8aELY9VI4T3cQP_jmjNnGhsE-q7Xxvc0rWSaU3EVkbXC7UltQ3-349myc8f5k_AEHfPz42ae7FHxQbckJtR0ceGHOo5g/s400/kinorhyncha.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/node/2052" rel="nofollow">Alvaro Esteves Migotto</a></td></tr>
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Mud Dragons are some 150 species which make up their own phylum called Kinorhyncha. There are only <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20150325-all-animal-life-in-35-photos">35 animal phyla</a> in the world, maybe one or two less depending on who you ask, and they're pretty much all insects. This despite the fact insects are just one part of the arthropod phylum. Look at the other three dozen phyla and you'll find flat things called <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2014/10/strange-worm.html">Strange Worms</a>, hairy things called mammals, things found only on lobsters called <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2011/07/symbion.html">Cycliophora</a>, and dragons that seldom grow more than a millimetre in length.<br />
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Yup, Mud Dragons are <i>that</i> teeny-tiny! I wasn't joking about how short that straw was. And in contrast to other dragons— the ones with splendid wings, vicious claws, sinuous tails and lairs full of gold—your average Mud Dragon looks like a microscopic grain of rice.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvGyd8bCb2BbFSr_Ny_pETnTVyvElA9pJWD1p0xzpcw1yMNVGL_O_OzEJPDockdP1jaNSd-RRSDMNdlMxUoUduEslvwrPO1Zu_zb7Bj_uUt_Al8xtUSxcBHA0xqGq3Bnsx8XnqqFWpHM/s1600/dragon_mud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvGyd8bCb2BbFSr_Ny_pETnTVyvElA9pJWD1p0xzpcw1yMNVGL_O_OzEJPDockdP1jaNSd-RRSDMNdlMxUoUduEslvwrPO1Zu_zb7Bj_uUt_Al8xtUSxcBHA0xqGq3Bnsx8XnqqFWpHM/s400/dragon_mud.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bmcirillo/45936457/" rel="nofollow">Brandon C</a></td></tr>
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At least the Mud part is accurate. Mostly. Mud Dragons live in sand and mud, usually in the ocean, though a few species live in brackish estuaries. There are also Mud Dragons who prefer a more lively environment. 'Lively' as in alive. They're found scratching a living on algae mats, sponges or bryozoans.<br />
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When it comes to the essentials of life, Mud Dragons are easily pleased. They can be found everywhere from the intertidal zone all the way down to the most abyssal of depths, over 5,000 metres (16,500 ft) down. Don't fret if a Mud Dragon pays you a visit, they are a most undemanding guest who can do perfectly well without fine dining, pleasurable diversions or even light. I'm not saying they'd turn their nose up at a freshly oiled maiden, I'm just saying it's not a requirement.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H86xOLhFv3E" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H86xOLhFv3E" rel="nofollow">Matthew Lee</a></span></div>
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The Mud Dragon's closest relatives are our old friends the <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2017/11/penis-worm.html">Penis Worms</a>. It's important to note that even the smallest Penis Worms are considerably larger than Mud Dragons. I suspect this mostly tells us they were both named by men.<br />
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Being so closely related, Mud Dragons and Penis Worms bear various similarities. They're both simple creatures with very simple nervous systems and scant few internal or external organs. Some Mud Dragons have simple eyes to tell light from dark, other species don't even bother with that much. They learn about the outside world predominantly through touching it with the sensory bristles that cover their body. Sounds a bit like being buried alive to me but then I'm not a dragon. You can tell from all the pleasurable diversions I need.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvzb2O176ktukozmFOJvkmplq-Wfgp24Z2Q9g3gyA5xMyHPFfMSWtoBMAIfZ4oBLEf7BZSn-pBaf-Q8P0JgWl_1GnBLbIC0LdAIIEtpvNaNEtfxPHRTHkK0H-DEtdEadrzkyZse7JIzM/s1600/mud_dragon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="793" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvzb2O176ktukozmFOJvkmplq-Wfgp24Z2Q9g3gyA5xMyHPFfMSWtoBMAIfZ4oBLEf7BZSn-pBaf-Q8P0JgWl_1GnBLbIC0LdAIIEtpvNaNEtfxPHRTHkK0H-DEtdEadrzkyZse7JIzM/s400/mud_dragon2.jpg" width="377" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://eolinterns.lifedesks.org/node/542" rel="nofollow">Martin V. Sørensen</a></td></tr>
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Unlike Penis Worms, Mud Dragons are segmented. An adult's body is composed of precisely thirteen segments: one for the head, one for the neck and eleven for the rest of the body.<br />
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Those sensory bristles are cool and all but they pale into insignificance compared to the face-spines. The single most dragonish things Mud Dragons have in their possession are those spines and their importance goes beyond self-esteem, Mud Dragons also use them to move through their surroundings.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uwhqsPmnXAY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <span style="color: inherit;"><a class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwhqsPmnXAY" rel="nofollow">Interstitialanimal</a></span></span></div>
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Mud Dragons have up to seven rows of spines encircling their head. Like Penis Worms, that head is an introvert, which means it can be completely retracted into their neck. So, Mud Dragons get around by stretching out their head and using the spines as grappling hooks to gain purchase on the sand around them. Then they drag their whole body forward by retracting their head. This is where they get their scientific name from—Kinorhyncha means something like "move snout."<br />
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There's a lot yet to be learned about Mud Dragons. For a start, we don't know much about how they feed, though they probably eat single-celled algae and other microscopic specks of detritus.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4LhWAmPrjQ5EwrrIZLXvpG5dItpET3DT3O5VhfdQrQ4t_CBHTo8A0du5C9LrBYsTbwkwq5kUS17Hxpmnl5vY2056KqP7Fh0l-1RdttbD9643r4Y56JBMr7TKzdR1r_kvpoh-jGQVveE/s1600/mud_dragon3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="216" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4LhWAmPrjQ5EwrrIZLXvpG5dItpET3DT3O5VhfdQrQ4t_CBHTo8A0du5C9LrBYsTbwkwq5kUS17Hxpmnl5vY2056KqP7Fh0l-1RdttbD9643r4Y56JBMr7TKzdR1r_kvpoh-jGQVveE/s400/mud_dragon3.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/node/2050" rel="nofollow">Rick Hochberg</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Little is known about how they reproduce, either. They do lay eggs, though, which hatch into even tinier versions of the adults. Hatchlings already have eleven segments and they moult several times, eventually acquiring two new segments to add to the collection.<br />
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Dragons, eh? Always keeping their secrets close their scaly chests, and Mud Dragons are even more secretive than the others. They were first discovered as recently as 1841, so while people like St George were slaying all the charismatic megadragons, no one had any idea of the millions of microscopic ones hiding in the mud. Who drew the short straw now?Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-65848919516426412832018-02-16T12:00:00.000+00:002018-03-11T11:47:26.869+00:00Glass Finger<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fwIESCpjjbEWAFwo5yhxLnsei9t2MyPFbIKAkYg0bNv7YRSN9FoqbGWgNxDxGuUMdgPQP60rvN1ucu3P0shPmwE7zbgqT6u1yLldiy7R1nbA_HuQLyzYSHU0GR4Vwa_E4cVf1dvnUO8/s1600/walteria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fwIESCpjjbEWAFwo5yhxLnsei9t2MyPFbIKAkYg0bNv7YRSN9FoqbGWgNxDxGuUMdgPQP60rvN1ucu3P0shPmwE7zbgqT6u1yLldiy7R1nbA_HuQLyzYSHU0GR4Vwa_E4cVf1dvnUO8/s400/walteria.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Have you heard of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32625632">glass delusion</a>?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
It was a mental disorder widespread in Europe between the 15th and 17th Centuries. The sufferer believed they were made of glass and might shatter at the slightest touch. Apparently, it was most common among wealthy men, the most famous case being King Charles VI of France who wrapped himself in blankets to cushion a disastrous fall.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfeKZOK97QK5eZHc0f43wAufA3jkXZeSenb3eX7O2fcnezaRvGki5YtouE6J1AkvtseGqr2lXmVVvirIo2yLzOYODdFBqazshyphenhyphenDXKp704jEANXO7h5Yl2darDyt51HRMHD7Q1SpAWHPA/s1600/glass_finger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfeKZOK97QK5eZHc0f43wAufA3jkXZeSenb3eX7O2fcnezaRvGki5YtouE6J1AkvtseGqr2lXmVVvirIo2yLzOYODdFBqazshyphenhyphenDXKp704jEANXO7h5Yl2darDyt51HRMHD7Q1SpAWHPA/s400/glass_finger.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some say it might have been an extreme case of social anxiety. People were so terrified of tripping over and embarrassing themselves they figured the WORST would happen. It doesn't get much worse than shattering into a million pieces and having your remains swept up with a dustpan and brush.<br />
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It's rather tragic, really. If you want to avoid embarrassing yourself, insisting that you're made of glass and walking around in a suit of blanket armour is not the best way of going about it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R1FoNW9XvRdnVDPuC1aJP5_c9tW_fdw4ZVkNmCdCZjoKA8dJNh1Ftj_9Wh4jU440PCh7h75eaAC1-IcoOW-c-2ejxcKz8xDp2kDEBDMFBWeofcmVOLACZI1Jxrksd1mk3qCeGYyCbYo/s1600/glass_sponge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R1FoNW9XvRdnVDPuC1aJP5_c9tW_fdw4ZVkNmCdCZjoKA8dJNh1Ftj_9Wh4jU440PCh7h75eaAC1-IcoOW-c-2ejxcKz8xDp2kDEBDMFBWeofcmVOLACZI1Jxrksd1mk3qCeGYyCbYo/s400/glass_sponge.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana</td></tr>
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All of which is to say that the Glass Finger is not suffering from any delusion. It really is made of glass! Sort of...<br />
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The Glass Finger is just one of several species of deep sea sponge in Hexactinellida, the Glass Sponge family.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoXrx1W9nSKR-0PjTgvJMp0KaZz5brzNEEaQ2tQBe_dUuDhWcTAb7F29EV80jiqKKLr5Xg75hCbK_gl2uy7R2njXhyphenhyphenDDb6ops1bhQPe-RgmXgP9vq8IsM6NQHN1hMoibBGthugRS2roA/s1600/walteria2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoXrx1W9nSKR-0PjTgvJMp0KaZz5brzNEEaQ2tQBe_dUuDhWcTAb7F29EV80jiqKKLr5Xg75hCbK_gl2uy7R2njXhyphenhyphenDDb6ops1bhQPe-RgmXgP9vq8IsM6NQHN1hMoibBGthugRS2roA/s400/walteria2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Glass Sponges get their name from their skeleton. Other sponges use calcium carbonate to build up a tough skeleton that keeps them in shape. Without it, they'd just be fleshy puddles on the seabed.<br />
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Glass Sponges don't use calcium carbonate. They use silica, the same stuff found in quartz and a major component of most forms of glass.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXH4y_y4QEmoa56Ys566uwtOE8kUa5CPaTQWzaQxhcJVXfMWJTzu-EGq7h5h376M_OSEUV1btbxpLpd8lMC4vmSS-UKPFXI-8V_N_Cud_d9frunhnrLi2_Raw6eT6nkF1NYx7k5AOenQ/s1600/walteria3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXH4y_y4QEmoa56Ys566uwtOE8kUa5CPaTQWzaQxhcJVXfMWJTzu-EGq7h5h376M_OSEUV1btbxpLpd8lMC4vmSS-UKPFXI-8V_N_Cud_d9frunhnrLi2_Raw6eT6nkF1NYx7k5AOenQ/s400/walteria3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana</td></tr>
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Few Glass Sponges are as beautifully transparent as the Glass Finger, though!<br />
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It looks like a crystal palace...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5O68vx-csjKG9TsR_hqiXj44EV-F-wF6njoRZAIUwgm11ZpcE8J0HkPWfhk2nPvXMzqD-dhI-HxyZl__DGm3v1JffasXUQM-XK2c1PghgBHL-EfA1h99cDU7KbbsdApZEeehTjRsUuI0/s1600/walteria4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5O68vx-csjKG9TsR_hqiXj44EV-F-wF6njoRZAIUwgm11ZpcE8J0HkPWfhk2nPvXMzqD-dhI-HxyZl__DGm3v1JffasXUQM-XK2c1PghgBHL-EfA1h99cDU7KbbsdApZEeehTjRsUuI0/s400/walteria4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Or a crystal tree...<br />
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Or maybe a big, crystal stick. Even a stick is beautiful when it's made of crystal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lKQ7ByueIpjKTcE8dR7wJNlny7p9JnC3KVWeNGWeeOAzBqWdEI_hyphenhyphenICK_V0WQvmbquKapGpmA8m9u-4Fu6uDPopudlgaJ1yiMnO1bEpCP0lV29tbahBAgwpIzJG6GbgZB713uiwln70/s1600/walteria5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lKQ7ByueIpjKTcE8dR7wJNlny7p9JnC3KVWeNGWeeOAzBqWdEI_hyphenhyphenICK_V0WQvmbquKapGpmA8m9u-4Fu6uDPopudlgaJ1yiMnO1bEpCP0lV29tbahBAgwpIzJG6GbgZB713uiwln70/s400/walteria5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana</td></tr>
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By the 19th Century, the glass delusion had pretty much entirely disappeared. Today it's extraordinarily rare if not entirely extinct.<br />
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These days, now that we've discovered bacteria and the like, we're much more likely to go crazy over all the germs floating in the air and brooding on every doorknob, just waiting to infest our bodies and give us interminable flu-like symptoms and who knows what else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKFiRgQnnh8WKOdgfH8ifwDlm8hVSnO2wOAEeRthoWTepHoOVt-qJlYLxyICzP81C_zaBOcVBeB-6vbtN0FXXP7tQbw1OJefTsYFN0XNPqn4M-C6rQGestHlo5b_3wE1Pm9_76BbUoSE/s1600/walteria6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKFiRgQnnh8WKOdgfH8ifwDlm8hVSnO2wOAEeRthoWTepHoOVt-qJlYLxyICzP81C_zaBOcVBeB-6vbtN0FXXP7tQbw1OJefTsYFN0XNPqn4M-C6rQGestHlo5b_3wE1Pm9_76BbUoSE/s400/walteria6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Glass Finger doesn't suffer from that delusion, either.<br />
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I don't think putting down a little handkerchief every time it sat on a park bench would have helped.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-37604423383957815572018-02-14T12:00:00.000+00:002018-03-11T11:47:42.221+00:00Deep Sea Valentines<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjb_1DgVefbVGb_9riNEtZvIO63m2TWxjCVhK-XWhn6vJ2CUAoe9Uxq4l2XPx2RZ80FA5nCQ1y9qPCPkRgVBSnrJZ3R2TmDHOHaPKvRhlmoHASmMQYBxcz5ySbj_Y6TXxJwhD4mo_JiY/s1600/red_octocoral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjb_1DgVefbVGb_9riNEtZvIO63m2TWxjCVhK-XWhn6vJ2CUAoe9Uxq4l2XPx2RZ80FA5nCQ1y9qPCPkRgVBSnrJZ3R2TmDHOHaPKvRhlmoHASmMQYBxcz5ySbj_Y6TXxJwhD4mo_JiY/s400/red_octocoral.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010</td></tr>
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It's the perfect Valentine's gift: a beautiful bouquet of red blobs!<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Just don't get too close...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrU_56a-JrDTDZrD1-bvT_N1FqqNN7PDz3bvdTHr7aw0igV8q76wwfC7odYEoX1ud-WuamZl385AavxzQvk3jx29ra71z50LEASZqqqXewGxUXDtqaUpq-phLA_THYlDDH1NxKrSgpFVM/s1600/red_octocoral2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrU_56a-JrDTDZrD1-bvT_N1FqqNN7PDz3bvdTHr7aw0igV8q76wwfC7odYEoX1ud-WuamZl385AavxzQvk3jx29ra71z50LEASZqqqXewGxUXDtqaUpq-phLA_THYlDDH1NxKrSgpFVM/s400/red_octocoral2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Or you'll see the spiny, skeletal arms of the attendant brittle stars. Also, it's a coral, which means it's covered in stingers.<br />
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Gosh. I sure hope it isn't symbolic or anything.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-66198822258693849762018-01-15T12:00:00.000+00:002018-03-11T11:48:08.342+00:00The Blues VII<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9h9fmYQMiN0bZQPqwi3NEClWa-pOIxXts-H-ddMhRuJGyMvYCtHNFcjfa0YtU_gbHKQGqg9X70rRykxYbpJK52y1GLp8NvrtfsDJcutjXEx5KLOT9Fl3Y2zohCuruinuEqFrsi8Zw3o/s1600/porphyrospiza_caerulescens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9h9fmYQMiN0bZQPqwi3NEClWa-pOIxXts-H-ddMhRuJGyMvYCtHNFcjfa0YtU_gbHKQGqg9X70rRykxYbpJK52y1GLp8NvrtfsDJcutjXEx5KLOT9Fl3Y2zohCuruinuEqFrsi8Zw3o/s400/porphyrospiza_caerulescens.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdtimm/10463196154/" rel="nofollow">Cláudio Dias Timm</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Porphyrospiza caerulescens</i></span></td></tr>
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Uh oh! It's that time of year again when all looks lost, all looks cold, all looks... blue. Blue Monday strikes again. The attic groans under the weight of Christmas decorations already laden with a thin layer of dust. Christmas gifts have lost their lustre and joined the rest of your belongings as mere possessions cluttering your life. And if you don't follow through with your New Year's resolutions this time, you'll have to get a new Christmas jumper to ease over that ever-expanding belly.<br />
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But worry not! Or continue worrying, just be sure to do it with friends. Friends like the Blue Finch.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IilPR2J5fiM" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IilPR2J5fiM" rel="nofollow">Daniel Teixeira</a></span></div>
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Blue Finches are found in Brazil and a tiny patch of neighbouring Bolivia. They shun the Amazon rainforest that every other blessed thing seems to adore so much and reside instead in the <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/cerrado/">Cerrado</a>, a huge savannah region that takes up a good 20% of Brazilian land.<br />
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Savannahs are characterised by their trees being widely spaced enough that lots of light can reach the floor, giving rise to loads of grass and plants in between the trunks. This is useful because Blue Finches build their nests in shrubs rather than up tree branches. Females are well-camouflaged with their stripy brown colour and so are males, usually. Only in the breeding season does the male Blue Finch acquire his gorgeous, cobalt blue plumage.<br />
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The blues says: let's get it on.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenoxBlfpvOvENJd8qVpOI47gJ9BfbW5sGhEVR4Q5Ub8kf5vBltmjntLr35iOgplaMFnHjHpMKaLklSFM-Y7c1dseCFvqhCyqrXXXnqLmZTULQuLGKyWgZXkLeq8vZpSywd2nC1_J5APM/s1600/agama_mwanzae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenoxBlfpvOvENJd8qVpOI47gJ9BfbW5sGhEVR4Q5Ub8kf5vBltmjntLr35iOgplaMFnHjHpMKaLklSFM-Y7c1dseCFvqhCyqrXXXnqLmZTULQuLGKyWgZXkLeq8vZpSywd2nC1_J5APM/s400/agama_mwanzae.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tariquesani/5016477275/" rel="nofollow">Tarique Sani</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Agama mwanzae</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mwanza Flat-headed Rock Agama</b></span><br />
This poor lizard was bitten by a radioactive Spider-Man! What was Mr Parker thinking? Either that or a lizard bit a radioactive spider. It could go either way, really.<br />
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The Mwanza Flat-headed Rock Agama lives in dry, semidesert areas of Eastern Africa, specifically Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya. They spend a fair bit of time basking in the sun but are quick to hide in rocky crevices when they get too hot or if predators get their spidey sense tingling.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjjKYd128wYHjNRmF70CW9d3lnSVX_GBP9cba8qqiOhHVPWUtXJSOLj3zaLqaU2bOA5c4-OVTaN5uLbEwyUxAfRFQk1Bn4NGl30YqMLtUkCwcrOd5WmIDRYrCvlb8QWQknoHyUApvYQM/s1600/red-headed_rock_agama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjjKYd128wYHjNRmF70CW9d3lnSVX_GBP9cba8qqiOhHVPWUtXJSOLj3zaLqaU2bOA5c4-OVTaN5uLbEwyUxAfRFQk1Bn4NGl30YqMLtUkCwcrOd5WmIDRYrCvlb8QWQknoHyUApvYQM/s640/red-headed_rock_agama.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/david_o/4131705609/" rel="nofollow">David d'O / Schaapmans</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Does some of the things a spider can</i></span></td></tr>
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Unfortunately, they lack all web-slinging abilities, which isn't surprising given that even Spider-Man had to construct <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Web-Shooters">web-slinging gadgetry</a> using his brain and opposable thumbs. Which makes you wonder why no one else has made their own versions. Imagine a web-slinging Doctor Octopus! Anyway, Rock Agamas remain expert climbers, easily scrambling over rocks and boulders. They use their power to prey on spiders and insects, and their responsibility to snack on berries and seeds. It's important to eat your greens.<br />
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Only the males wear these superheroic colours, the females being a much more drab brown which helps them hide in the rocky areas they call home. What can I say? The blues like to stand out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUOENy40b3JfzPm1h-yCRrY7oVLr3vTMBzcyOW6aVw0K6qL2TYEmay1K1sPEe34RiTNICr7CVoS920cGOqMuWxQOMLSzQW_C4pVCApfy6XniOodMlZetOIXJTj5ElHnql047KCH3vGN4/s1600/decaisnea_insignis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUOENy40b3JfzPm1h-yCRrY7oVLr3vTMBzcyOW6aVw0K6qL2TYEmay1K1sPEe34RiTNICr7CVoS920cGOqMuWxQOMLSzQW_C4pVCApfy6XniOodMlZetOIXJTj5ElHnql047KCH3vGN4/s640/decaisnea_insignis.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:5206-Decaisnea_insignis-20111103-hamburg.JPG" rel="nofollow">Malte</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Decaisnea insignis</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dead Man's Fingers</b></span><br />
Oh dear. Someone got himself in trouble. From Roman crucifixion to Vlad the Impaler, from witch burnings and lynchings to guillotines and heads on spikes, gory executions and the display of corpses has always been used as a morbid warning to others. "Don't let this happen to you," says the grimacing cadaver. Or was it the crow pecking at his eyeball?<br />
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Either way, those poorly-treated corpses seldom taste of watermelon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLw7_XXomPzWst-hZGkNQTmj8l5e7NpD0oDY6xWFXOYVHIQ-mAjns06blNJhC0CnjLWQxRJeAoJFTo3WirIXyNA-HnHHfA-w8b5EtPTtZ3wRoS-7EAzBtsV0OIKmA6_qA3SI0g6a8ovY/s1600/dead_mans_fingers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLw7_XXomPzWst-hZGkNQTmj8l5e7NpD0oDY6xWFXOYVHIQ-mAjns06blNJhC0CnjLWQxRJeAoJFTo3WirIXyNA-HnHHfA-w8b5EtPTtZ3wRoS-7EAzBtsV0OIKmA6_qA3SI0g6a8ovY/s400/dead_mans_fingers.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:5210-Decaisnea_insignis-20111103-hamburg.JPG" rel="nofollow">Malte</a></td></tr>
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Dead Man's Fingers, also more pleasantly known as the Blue Bean Shrub, lives close to the Himalayas in western China, Bhutan, Nepal and northeastern India. They can reach some 8 metres (25 ft) tall with 90 cm (3 ft) long leaves split up into one or two dozen leaflets. Needless to say, they're hardy plants that can tolerate the freezing temperatures that must be endured at altitudes of over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jim-sf/5798607184" rel="nofollow">Inconspicuous flowers</a> bloom in the summer, each one looking like a little, drooping bell. Alas, they're no bluebells, more like greenbells. They make up for it when the fruits develop into misshapen, miscoloured, 10 cm (4 in) long sausages. A kind of seam runs down the entire length and can be easily unzipped to reveal jelly-like pulp and black seeds. Apparently, it tastes quite delicious, sweet and subtle with a hint of watermelon or cucumber.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzpf6WsLxK2R29P_ZSyTsMf_jIpTVWIwzzqsna9IG7FeMU-txRIaBXCn-Ycj5kaTmbI4nglplW42kTSP_oJxbVpTvBvLrC-29hewyZ3u5gx6sQzkZ4LBzh_Y4FECakRqIbK8CTepZcJo/s1600/blepharotes_splendidissimus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzpf6WsLxK2R29P_ZSyTsMf_jIpTVWIwzzqsna9IG7FeMU-txRIaBXCn-Ycj5kaTmbI4nglplW42kTSP_oJxbVpTvBvLrC-29hewyZ3u5gx6sQzkZ4LBzh_Y4FECakRqIbK8CTepZcJo/s400/blepharotes_splendidissimus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Blepharotes_splendidissimus#/media/File:Large_Robber_Fly_(6445844249).jpg" rel="nofollow">John Tann</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Blepharotes spendidissimus</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Giant Blue Robber Fly</b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2011/11/robber-fly.html">Robber Flies</a> are some of my favourite flies! Make it giant AND blue and that's multiplications of greatness.<br />
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This BEAST of the sky comes from eastern Australia where, like other Robber Flies, she uses her massive eyes to spot prey flying overhead. She gives chase, wings buzzing like an engine as she pounces on her prey. But powerful insects like dragonflies and grasshoppers don't go down without a fight. The Robber Fly grabs hold with thick, muscular legs as her prey kicks and struggles, angry mandibles flaring. A moustache of spines protects her head as she pierces exoskeleton with pointed mouth-parts and injects venom. The battle is finally over.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZijPsDgISh0" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZijPsDgISh0" rel="nofollow">Naturwunder</a></span></div>
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Then the Robberfly returns to her perch to suck out those delicious innards.<br />
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The only difference here is that these guys get up to 2.5 cm (an inch) long with a 4 cm (1.6 in) wingspan. Also, they have a golden moustache. <i>Also</i>, they have a foreboding, dark blue exoskeleton. What's not to love? Or at least respect. From far away, maybe?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcCVOYj0Wzu_X36afcDQ4t1K4fH1Yop8Ax2PFWIiIrlfF3dbFptwcfpzI9KcCKiaYsNg2FMxpX4Q8xQ34GkGIRd415CITx84TPvvdvOfLm1svG5ihdgbdzqZ5uWbI4sjm33_8vhDTsSg/s1600/herpele_squalostoma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="765" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcCVOYj0Wzu_X36afcDQ4t1K4fH1Yop8Ax2PFWIiIrlfF3dbFptwcfpzI9KcCKiaYsNg2FMxpX4Q8xQ34GkGIRd415CITx84TPvvdvOfLm1svG5ihdgbdzqZ5uWbI4sjm33_8vhDTsSg/s400/herpele_squalostoma.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://africanamphibians.myspecies.info/" rel="nofollow">Janzen, Peter</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Herpele squalostoma</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Congo Caecilian</b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2012/04/caecilian.html">Caecilians</a> are surely the weirdest of all the amphibians, although that might just be because we've all grown accustomed to frogs. I mean, frogs! Look at them, they're... OK, never mind.<br />
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The Congo Caecilian comes from western Africa where it burrows in sandy soils near to rivers. It's well adapted to life underground, with tiny eyes protected beneath translucent skin and a pair of tentacles between eyes and nose which help them sniff out earthworms and other subterranean prey.<br />
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Not much else is known about the Congo Caecilian, though it's likely—yes, likely—that the mother protects her brood of eggs and allows the hatchlings to eat her skin. Don't say the blues never makes sarifices.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAocBFraSTK20zq9VJ1wSxhzPRhI8hhSrxHGZx0z-HLTiYibxBL25SMFRibMUEmK5DMPKPx8BJWBFQKSVfN5IqgA4IfNfnPMaNvrHzWvhdGiKs9pTj53LMxv6sbWCD7Q2SWrp8h0azDM/s1600/pseudoceros_bifurcus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1145" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAocBFraSTK20zq9VJ1wSxhzPRhI8hhSrxHGZx0z-HLTiYibxBL25SMFRibMUEmK5DMPKPx8BJWBFQKSVfN5IqgA4IfNfnPMaNvrHzWvhdGiKs9pTj53LMxv6sbWCD7Q2SWrp8h0azDM/s400/pseudoceros_bifurcus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_childs/233603352/" rel="nofollow">Stephen Childs</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Pseudoceros bifurcus</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Racing Stripe Flatworm</b></span><br />
You can see it's racing because of that cool go-faster stripe.<br />
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This beautiful, sky blue creature is a flatworm. And that means it's Flat. Extremely flat. I guess that's obvious but I think it bears emphasising. Nothing is allowed to get in the way of this uncompromising flatness, least of all things like bones or internal organs. They don't even have tentacles. Instead, they have pointed folds on one end known as pseudotentacles. It's basically origami.<br />
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The Racing Stripe Flatworm glides over coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, seeking out sea squirts to feast upon. They do so without fear, their bright colours serving to warn predators of their toxic unpalatability. No one messes with the blues.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYb37hz8E_verWwi1z_2Z6fLpb-LkAo8E2qeDcPi5UdmygP_C3eC_aWAmKqYhWsNotNATVFHblAFBxoOFX94prmWSDh9Apv1mvVDEtgRDlkXJNm9-AJmSWf-dNryyGBj_fQ-JToIspIJQ/s1600/cortinarius_violaceus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1044" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYb37hz8E_verWwi1z_2Z6fLpb-LkAo8E2qeDcPi5UdmygP_C3eC_aWAmKqYhWsNotNATVFHblAFBxoOFX94prmWSDh9Apv1mvVDEtgRDlkXJNm9-AJmSWf-dNryyGBj_fQ-JToIspIJQ/s400/cortinarius_violaceus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/yewenyi/496591667/" rel="nofollow">Brian Yap (葉)</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Cortinarius violaceus</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Violet Webcap</b></span><br />
This handsome mushroom grows in hardwood and conifer forests across the northern hemisphere. They can grow to a height of 15 cm (6 in) with a cap up to 12 cm (5 in) across and every inch is blue, blue-grey or violet, becoming dark brown and almost black over time.<br />
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The Violet Webcap is one of those mushrooms that live in symbiosis with trees. The actual mushroom is just a fruiting body, a means for the fungus to shed its spores into the wind, hoping that some will fall on fertile soil and thrive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVn-XunM6zBA40tU3vev4X0JUZI1vziZ3VW4fV1wZJTUwhvCoCnxnN_z1fBbnUznjacL1qoOkvKkKhVmIWhyphenhyphenLUX2mmkYXIWMbfCGuDwdpYJph4jbmucXxsjvEyhu4YMIiiYqE36NizQDQ/s1600/violet_webcap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1317" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVn-XunM6zBA40tU3vev4X0JUZI1vziZ3VW4fV1wZJTUwhvCoCnxnN_z1fBbnUznjacL1qoOkvKkKhVmIWhyphenhyphenLUX2mmkYXIWMbfCGuDwdpYJph4jbmucXxsjvEyhu4YMIiiYqE36NizQDQ/s640/violet_webcap.jpg" width="526" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cortinarius_violaceus_02.jpg" rel="nofollow">Borch3kawki</a></td></tr>
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The rest of the fungus is called the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29798416@N08/3200721844" rel="nofollow">mycelium</a> and lives underground, looking like a web of fine roots. This mycelium grows all over the roots of nearby trees and, in return for sugars derived from the sun, the fungus provides the tree valuable nutrients.<br />
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Mighty oaks are dependant on this secret barter system. When you speak of the potential of acorns and the gnarled majesty of their elders, don't forget to peer into the shadows for their humble trading partners. Maybe one of them is blue?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXXwWcWYg4xCmMisWJxGJCEA-_3QcYeXYmdn1JVmMbU5vd-oQiMzGkec22WcLYm0JqfmSYYucP73YjBXSVT2uDiCGR5UhwPn0LpD9vHyua-ueeFU_zFjwx5NNFRrh6_Ssvo7DW_yv1No/s1600/paraplesiops_meleagris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXXwWcWYg4xCmMisWJxGJCEA-_3QcYeXYmdn1JVmMbU5vd-oQiMzGkec22WcLYm0JqfmSYYucP73YjBXSVT2uDiCGR5UhwPn0LpD9vHyua-ueeFU_zFjwx5NNFRrh6_Ssvo7DW_yv1No/s400/paraplesiops_meleagris.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/saspotato/3280417003/" rel="nofollow">Saspotato</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Paraplesiops meleagris</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Southern Blue Devil</b></span><br />
Do you dare gaze upon the Blue Devil of the South, cloaked in night skies woven into the form of a fish, speckled by the stars, glorious fins billowing in the currents of time like shreds of a lost universe?<br />
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You should because he looks lovely.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQEa_6u7Mth_JSwbOxCn0UZJIOkoEEc_g7vEuPbhhvZXOsI6vZe3cz5wmx4lGadIRtUlerk_e8S3YqdyeVesdWh5pZLUTl5PjcJK8r8rGeMF4Z7C4O23GTcqc-69LEFLVb5c8mcfxpQc/s1600/southern_blue_devil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQEa_6u7Mth_JSwbOxCn0UZJIOkoEEc_g7vEuPbhhvZXOsI6vZe3cz5wmx4lGadIRtUlerk_e8S3YqdyeVesdWh5pZLUTl5PjcJK8r8rGeMF4Z7C4O23GTcqc-69LEFLVb5c8mcfxpQc/s400/southern_blue_devil.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/saspotato/6535351363/" rel="nofollow">Saspotato</a></td></tr>
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The Southern Blue Devil resides in the dark reefs and caves that cling to the southern shore of a distant land known as Australia. A blighted land, this Australia, each cardinal direction ruled by a brother demon—the Western Blue Devil, almost identical to his Southern twin; the <a href="http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3244">Eastern Blue Devil</a> clad in white stripes and sunray fins; the Northern Blue Devil, mostly brown. If a hero can fell the Four Cardinals, <a href="http://portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/6438">Alison's Blue Devil</a> awaits, her face poxed with blue. Only then may a mighty adventurer gain an audience with Alison herself, and plead the case of all creation.<br />
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Having said all that, the Southern Blue Devil is only about 35 cm (14 in) long and males are known to guard the eggs laid by his mate. Even the most devilish of blues are all about family.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsFRPJO8MGky7g3IuWpajFTOc2PmkgOX1Y8-3cwA86feMzOM05ILqzI1H-xrZTijiHN0wbiCHVtHiYjmw0qh-xSQ4vp-UJTq5p15791YVb8xP0Cpa-nbR6ew3kJMsOnh7hrfUYUcx53c/s1600/blue_comb_jelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsFRPJO8MGky7g3IuWpajFTOc2PmkgOX1Y8-3cwA86feMzOM05ILqzI1H-xrZTijiHN0wbiCHVtHiYjmw0qh-xSQ4vp-UJTq5p15791YVb8xP0Cpa-nbR6ew3kJMsOnh7hrfUYUcx53c/s400/blue_comb_jelly.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/expn5779.htm" rel="nofollow">NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2015 Hohonu Moana</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Blue Comb Jelly</b></span><br />
This beauty was discovered in deep waters off the coast of Hawaii. It's undescribed—scientifically I mean. We can all describe it as vibrantly blue, a sapphire of the deeps, a living jewel hidden in Earth's rudely water-filled chasms, and so on, but scientists save that kind of language for their poetry sessions.<br />
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It's a Comb Jelly, which means it swims through the sea using eight rows of cilia. And it's a cydippid Comb Jelly, which means it catches prey using a pair of sticky, branching tentacles. Aside from that, little is known about this species. Sometimes the blues likes to keep its secrets close to its sparkling chest. Even when it doesn't have a chest.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-85707658362573162742018-01-12T12:00:00.000+00:002018-01-15T07:53:23.029+00:00Wild Olive Tortoise Beetle<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2rZiHlCdwD1uppzfuUoSinxZ61EQLVZT5i-oKi29jij0lVH1ESC2pL0KxBLY4psc2X1xnO34WH_c02MNBCNg0xMt8whWPfCW_AezKle2kgXqRCRbG_OiUDM4lsS3Labe3ZJFOb1LAbQ/s1600/wild_olive_tortoise_beetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2rZiHlCdwD1uppzfuUoSinxZ61EQLVZT5i-oKi29jij0lVH1ESC2pL0KxBLY4psc2X1xnO34WH_c02MNBCNg0xMt8whWPfCW_AezKle2kgXqRCRbG_OiUDM4lsS3Labe3ZJFOb1LAbQ/s400/wild_olive_tortoise_beetle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andreaskay/8819433674/" rel="nofollow">Andreas Kay</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Physonota alutacea</i></span></td></tr>
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I love it when insects go all prehistoric!<br />
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Turns out I love it even more when they go all prehistoric, spiky, twin-stinger wasp. Who knew?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0lwR-c4UmMfCERKjzdRWziNA760IV2ovLWv-nylpt2t7vx3MFBIuR9xbow1TmJjzFn633Q-z6m2wwhd20UAyKDyo1UzTIqA7lx5IE_xXh3vEjNrk0pJcEjWUdXMybMbPXm5RO4cyScQ/s1600/wild_olive_tortoise_beetle_larva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0lwR-c4UmMfCERKjzdRWziNA760IV2ovLWv-nylpt2t7vx3MFBIuR9xbow1TmJjzFn633Q-z6m2wwhd20UAyKDyo1UzTIqA7lx5IE_xXh3vEjNrk0pJcEjWUdXMybMbPXm5RO4cyScQ/s400/wild_olive_tortoise_beetle_larva.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andreaskay/8819435728/" rel="nofollow">Andreas Kay</a></td></tr>
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This is the larva of the Wild Olive Tortoise Beetle. There's very little information available about it but it certainly feeds on the <a href="https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=cobo2">Mexican Olive</a> and is found in Texas through to Colombia.<br />
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To be clear, those snazzy tails aren't actually stingers. Many other Tortoise Beetle larvae use tails like that to carry around a <a href="http://www.macrophotobug.com/portfolio/tortoise-beetle-larvae-insect-macro-photography/">little dollop of faeces</a> as protection from predators. Thank goodness this one doesn't do that! They need to enjoy that splendid shade of yellow while they still can...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzzyC35rZwC_t4ckKN3K8RcMfa-I0Yc7UZPdLBqd8FGg9nDgF8YOjbh30onwOjHok83dAVKNZltfGcAAcOuLlQe8fgX9IghZd-bK5N7QdTJI5xetgzzfWYNfsJHON_iGq8b-8i292JvA/s1600/physonota_alutacea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzzyC35rZwC_t4ckKN3K8RcMfa-I0Yc7UZPdLBqd8FGg9nDgF8YOjbh30onwOjHok83dAVKNZltfGcAAcOuLlQe8fgX9IghZd-bK5N7QdTJI5xetgzzfWYNfsJHON_iGq8b-8i292JvA/s400/physonota_alutacea.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/1335930" rel="nofollow">Liam O'Brien</a></td></tr>
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Adults are much more drab in colour and completly lacking in cool spikes. I guess it suits them just fine since Tortoise Beetles are rather shy and like to hide under their shells. That armour is spacious enough to completely cover their head and legs, leaving nothing for a gang of hungry ants to grab onto.<br />
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The larvae, on the other hand...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcx-h6QkowOvQdBOXxOSSrxgRxgriWmZ8ae7NujjWMszokar9qifAK9kawu9QQJMj2e7U6JC9IK1Pk236dL89O9Q-zDmQGOFGyRf5qKy4BYvTSFys348gAiMjiL5uVoYIKoPGqvVWZl0/s1600/wild_olive_tortoise_beeltes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcx-h6QkowOvQdBOXxOSSrxgRxgriWmZ8ae7NujjWMszokar9qifAK9kawu9QQJMj2e7U6JC9IK1Pk236dL89O9Q-zDmQGOFGyRf5qKy4BYvTSFys348gAiMjiL5uVoYIKoPGqvVWZl0/s640/wild_olive_tortoise_beeltes.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8736009" rel="nofollow">kyukich</a></td></tr>
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They like to party!Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-30603891299320676442018-01-10T12:00:00.000+00:002018-01-15T07:53:51.162+00:00Ocellate Phyllidia<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtJrPvXHR52X-YVSOfMduShCrzElKd5jKz9dG3tIRygM0p8QOr0gwLMXmrTFurZ1eEuCN2QBFzS-JhZ_NYIzxi8xKZCRu31Q0ZoDX9RJKHpslUEtLL3MwruOhEN4VfdwhdMtoqRsKn6Q/s1600/phyllidia_ocellata.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtJrPvXHR52X-YVSOfMduShCrzElKd5jKz9dG3tIRygM0p8QOr0gwLMXmrTFurZ1eEuCN2QBFzS-JhZ_NYIzxi8xKZCRu31Q0ZoDX9RJKHpslUEtLL3MwruOhEN4VfdwhdMtoqRsKn6Q/s400/phyllidia_ocellata.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/8471557480/" rel="nofollow">Bernard DUPONT</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Phyllidia ocellata</i></span></td></tr>
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Oooh, ouch!<br />
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I've heard of rashes and boils, spots and pimples, warts and buboes... but clouds? Who comes up in clouds?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW17qunn6jgOl4uE6JO1I2x4ik4HtZFEsfKIxnpO8573njsBGE1_t-xuxE0xGb71nGy4q4s7ptD4GLHSzBQ27-xZBpKvyqUZPuZMe6XLE8Te-jCl8QpBMU7dUQQMHjoqwEIMqJb8TlAqY/s1600/ocellate_phyllidia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="1600" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW17qunn6jgOl4uE6JO1I2x4ik4HtZFEsfKIxnpO8573njsBGE1_t-xuxE0xGb71nGy4q4s7ptD4GLHSzBQ27-xZBpKvyqUZPuZMe6XLE8Te-jCl8QpBMU7dUQQMHjoqwEIMqJb8TlAqY/s400/ocellate_phyllidia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/87895263@N06/33304409611/" rel="nofollow">Sylke Rohrlach</a></td></tr>
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<i>Phyllidia ocellata</i>, that's who.<br />
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So sad. I bet it's always a rainy day when you have clouds attached directly to your back. All those useless umbrellas...<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BjctbczASgk" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjctbczASgk" rel="nofollow">Walter Rubén Robledo</a></span></div>
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The Ocellate Phyllidia is a nudibranch which reaches about 5 cm (2 in) long and is found in Indonesia, Malaysia and other parts of the West Indo-Pacific.<br />
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Your standard Ocellate Phyllidia is orange with maybe five or six black rings. These are the ocelli, or eye-like spots, and each one has one of those fluffy-looking warts at its centre.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Dr-Q87cIeSrEGBg59Bmg3WS1el6Ob5kqZAD74H0fLtuartN4TPVRII76syWoykb9JKzwiItFBjpmfQx9yZ4oZl53KRourSLcJFy5TeqxJbBfaAUiW7-7aO8TSwfSaGYQ-LnrosJUcTQ/s1600/warty_sea_slug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Dr-Q87cIeSrEGBg59Bmg3WS1el6Ob5kqZAD74H0fLtuartN4TPVRII76syWoykb9JKzwiItFBjpmfQx9yZ4oZl53KRourSLcJFy5TeqxJbBfaAUiW7-7aO8TSwfSaGYQ-LnrosJUcTQ/s400/warty_sea_slug.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://www.chaloklum-diving.com/marine-life-guide-koh-phangan/molluscs-mollusca/sea-slugs-opisthobranchia/true-nudibranch-nudibranchia/doridina/phyllidiidae/phyllidia-ocellata/" rel="nofollow">Chaloklum Diving</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Maximum suds</i></span></td></tr>
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There are WAY more warts than spots but either way, it's quite the skin condition when you have a huge wart right in the middle of an even bigger spot!<br />
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Thing is, not all Ocellate Phyllidia actually have the ocelli they're named after. Sometimes the black rings turn into solid wavy lines and sometimes there's no black colour at all.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfXxry35LDFOm5Dv4PdJQUAH3DI5Q2LM0fTayqF_AQwBBaa7CWnqhWImh7_LUYJB_3ZveFkiLMhFibAXZxObYg-kna56k00MSPvEPXPXD3gTb826tMR3jSwsxWfdSxG6-ofPwy7s3wOA/s1600/ocellata_sea_slug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfXxry35LDFOm5Dv4PdJQUAH3DI5Q2LM0fTayqF_AQwBBaa7CWnqhWImh7_LUYJB_3ZveFkiLMhFibAXZxObYg-kna56k00MSPvEPXPXD3gTb826tMR3jSwsxWfdSxG6-ofPwy7s3wOA/s400/ocellata_sea_slug.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wislonhk/16132006880/" rel="nofollow">Keith Wilson</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Minimum suds</i></span></td></tr>
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Sometimes the warts are orange instead of that strange, fluffy white that looks like something between a snow-capped mountain and a bubble-bath.<br />
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That variability means this one nudibranch has been given at least five other names by scientists who didn't realise they weren't looking at an unknown species. And just to add to the confusion, there are several other very similar nudibranchs around who, at least for now, are still thought to be separate species.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYTcXeZav9MOcBnCPWM4DDk1SQ_8jv-yzrT5Pp3JyDfBvTa8JcXSAC8HESuZMu9iL7_jIwjoD6wZznF2jHc5lg_xReUgpfaBrzLl_EJDZW5zcZTag6I93aavYDapiOW0OfeWqze2dd0w/s1600/phyllidia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYTcXeZav9MOcBnCPWM4DDk1SQ_8jv-yzrT5Pp3JyDfBvTa8JcXSAC8HESuZMu9iL7_jIwjoD6wZznF2jHc5lg_xReUgpfaBrzLl_EJDZW5zcZTag6I93aavYDapiOW0OfeWqze2dd0w/s400/phyllidia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/claidermongler/24309965519/" rel="nofollow">Raul -</a></td></tr>
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None of which is of much interest to the Ocellate Phyllidia. They just hang out in coral reefs, eating their favourite sponges while being extremely conspicuous to all onlookers.<br />
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They remain unconcerned because, apparently, those warts secrete a noxious substance when disturbed. It's the nudibranch way! And if the Ocellate Phyllidia obtains those noxious substances from its sponge meal, then that would also be the nudibranch way.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRl9Dt8g3WTka9fo7QRWS9F9QRgSl1VUbfp2OInNiH9VMcG5YeXUIoi2Sg3pCMqa1dPO9JXOzzAc1OMjefdIvXF2IoQg4un2raOVZKUIoY-463mkMKIqLqs4TKuYDQAN-24_j1MAAd4kA/s1600/varicose_wart_slug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRl9Dt8g3WTka9fo7QRWS9F9QRgSl1VUbfp2OInNiH9VMcG5YeXUIoi2Sg3pCMqa1dPO9JXOzzAc1OMjefdIvXF2IoQg4un2raOVZKUIoY-463mkMKIqLqs4TKuYDQAN-24_j1MAAd4kA/s400/varicose_wart_slug.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/5300432468/" rel="nofollow">Joi Ito</a></td></tr>
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So if you ever find yourself stuck on a deserted, Southeast Asian island, be sure to add this guy to your Do Not Eat list.<br />
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You don't want those clouds to rain on <i>your</i> parade.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-47767889256571687402018-01-07T12:00:00.000+00:002018-01-10T12:02:10.116+00:00Cornetfish<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJncC_REB6zEofygJF66rAG36dFt_NiXtZ3NARHi652MHOpV9rW8SY4Ga0fORe_6Li1Cpk4ylRzVGbopzbicle3ryPsc4yAB3LdaIJM9ruHRsvK54QHp3N8Cl2QIYLSmQr_Rep1pps86g/s1600/bluespotted_cornetfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="1600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJncC_REB6zEofygJF66rAG36dFt_NiXtZ3NARHi652MHOpV9rW8SY4Ga0fORe_6Li1Cpk4ylRzVGbopzbicle3ryPsc4yAB3LdaIJM9ruHRsvK54QHp3N8Cl2QIYLSmQr_Rep1pps86g/s400/bluespotted_cornetfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bbmexplorer/26868027841/" rel="nofollow">Rob</a></td></tr>
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A sliver of fish cuts through the tropical darkness like a silver blade, a defiant icicle, or a really long pencil sharpened at both ends.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I'd have thought it was an innovation in mermaid warfare: a javelin drone. Throw it and it swims into enemy territory under its own steam, using those massive eyes to seek out ne'er do wells where'er he dwells. But no, turns out it's a musical-instrumentfish sharpened at both ends. Don't mess with mermaids, man, even their orchestras are ready for battle.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZxKzLVMWZfB5dUIYTDuVDKz3hTTeYxxT5XjxAof9w4_kw_yU-th1hi6ILt0L1WAxkLnL7C8My48wDYifmTs7ERCrD4ZM8psEry53hdLz0A4q-ckHmM0Wc5nD6r-K4_xGJEEt6K-Fdhk/s1600/fistularia_commersonii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZxKzLVMWZfB5dUIYTDuVDKz3hTTeYxxT5XjxAof9w4_kw_yU-th1hi6ILt0L1WAxkLnL7C8My48wDYifmTs7ERCrD4ZM8psEry53hdLz0A4q-ckHmM0Wc5nD6r-K4_xGJEEt6K-Fdhk/s400/fistularia_commersonii.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jomejome/5982295674/" rel="nofollow">jome jome</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Bluespotted Cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii)</i></span></td></tr>
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Whether you're a music lover, a mighty warrior or something in between, it's important to note one thing: Syngnathiformes are weird. They're the "fused-jaw" fish like the <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2013/05/seahorse.html">Seahorse</a>, with its horribly twisted body kept in mangled shape by bony plates of unyielding armour. Or the <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2013/07/pipefish.html">Pipefish</a>, which is basically a Seahorse stretched out into a more reasonable shape.<br />
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Now it's time to take a look at the Pipefish's big brother, the Cornetfish.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc2iN_G7s22-_X_mMEfhVUt8ee3jHgMOMzEJgN5hSsy_7zuMmLKQ6iClTlPxBrOVyt64vokkM9MDaAkluqU9RhC-oqb4Cx38OKqCEMcygx-MvXJH8fY1eQGzEvrLOwO911GAb35u-b0c/s1600/fistularia_tabacaria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="640" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc2iN_G7s22-_X_mMEfhVUt8ee3jHgMOMzEJgN5hSsy_7zuMmLKQ6iClTlPxBrOVyt64vokkM9MDaAkluqU9RhC-oqb4Cx38OKqCEMcygx-MvXJH8fY1eQGzEvrLOwO911GAb35u-b0c/s400/fistularia_tabacaria.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/pages/random/3312" rel="nofollow">Bryant Kevin</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fistularia tabacaria, even more blue-spotted than the Bluespotted Cornetfish</i></span></td></tr>
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A <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Yamaha_Flugelhorn_YFH-8310Z.jpg" rel="nofollow">cornet</a> is a kind of brass instrument, like a trumpet but more bunched up and compact. It's basically a pipe, twisted and bent into something that would make even a Seahorse wince. Which is odd because Cornetfish aren't twisted or bent out of shape at all. Maybe Oboefish would have been more accurate?<br />
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There are only four species of Cornetfish, together found all over the world in tropical and subtropical waters. They all belong to the genus <i>Fistularia</i> which is the only genus in the family Fistuliidae. <i>Fistularia</i> means 'flute' and indeed Cornetfish are also known as Flutemouths. I guess they do look like they're about to play the flute, just remember that the woodwind section is also ready for battle.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSzEEoLMiTXYqTgeAvwrT3rfz1DXKiuc8tHeBBhmmIkPI6IiGorQeLUV4p40u7cKsDQ9_6t9rHEr-cNRRfeiRgIAvC63Ej2ljh71MIx0ZFJsrMN_EwuUmpNCiPjrCMl55UpZDew499IM/s1600/red_cornetfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSzEEoLMiTXYqTgeAvwrT3rfz1DXKiuc8tHeBBhmmIkPI6IiGorQeLUV4p40u7cKsDQ9_6t9rHEr-cNRRfeiRgIAvC63Ej2ljh71MIx0ZFJsrMN_EwuUmpNCiPjrCMl55UpZDew499IM/s400/red_cornetfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/maynard/5334745028/" rel="nofollow">Nemo's great uncle</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Red Cornetfish (F. petimba). Not always red</i></span></td></tr>
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The biggest of all the Cornetfish is also probably the most widespread. The Red Cornetfish can be found from Japan to Australia, East Africa and the Red Sea to Hawaii, the Mediterranean and even Florida down to Brazil.<br />
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A really big individual can reach up to 2 metres (6.5 feet) long, though a more typical length is more like 180 cm (6 ft). Either way, that's getting into <a href="https://www.quotemaster.org/images/96/96df0ab1bb9af5bcc12bafb75608b65a.jpg" rel="nofollow">Bassoonfish territory</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPNADURwwArZvSfIbMgIIgXeUWd0hkc4hCguaFYNAduxTBmCQ05QyjwgqU_EGQlt_AI-cNu1Y2vA_3zTBi_8PPxN3CMoZgr1-gncwo6dA-6pDty78T30X1qt_n6P9w5cyEauCStgm_l4/s1600/fistularia_corneta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPNADURwwArZvSfIbMgIIgXeUWd0hkc4hCguaFYNAduxTBmCQ05QyjwgqU_EGQlt_AI-cNu1Y2vA_3zTBi_8PPxN3CMoZgr1-gncwo6dA-6pDty78T30X1qt_n6P9w5cyEauCStgm_l4/s400/fistularia_corneta.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kahunapulej/25506963788/" rel="nofollow">Kahunapule Michael Johnson</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Pacific Cornetfish (F. corneta)</i></span></td></tr>
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On the other side of the scale, the smallest is definitely the least widespread. Almost as if it lost the fight when the Cornetfish were carving up the world between them. The Pacific Cornetfish attains a mere 20 cm (7.8 in) on average, though apparently, some individuals can reach a metre (40 in) long (I don't know what kind of growth pills that guy was taking!).<br />
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They live in the areas the Red Cornetfish left over, the other side of the Americas, from California down to Peru.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPcHfngMopsqa9CIcPWHuBswwbrErtYWhwJH1wgSVRTHxsZ4o4jBGSpHm18_GROLATAvKI1Wf8m6OyJLfVXPxOPheMhbNsUrTFslhZiJ25k5rBUsfmbbqZxqSJliBUtpwOi8wD_KMyzs/s1600/blue_spotted_cornetfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="1024" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPcHfngMopsqa9CIcPWHuBswwbrErtYWhwJH1wgSVRTHxsZ4o4jBGSpHm18_GROLATAvKI1Wf8m6OyJLfVXPxOPheMhbNsUrTFslhZiJ25k5rBUsfmbbqZxqSJliBUtpwOi8wD_KMyzs/s400/blue_spotted_cornetfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dkeats/6185562295/" rel="nofollow">Derek Keats</a></td></tr>
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So it looks like size matters when it comes to Cornetfish. Length, to be more specific. They're very one dimensional that way. Or... two dimensional.<br />
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They clearly have a long and slender body, but their head is so long it takes up almost a quarter of their total length! Then, just to eke out a few more inches, their tail ends in a long filament.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aEsBj86burk" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEsBj86burk" rel="nofollow">Germano NZ</a></span></div>
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They can really enjoy that length, too. Unlike Seahorses and Pipefish, Cornetfish are mostly liberated from the tough, bony armour common among the Syngnathiformes order. The Bluespotted Cornetfish has a row of bony plates running along its back but it's not enough to stop it flexing and curving when it wants to. What, after all, is the point in being that long if you can't see your own tail?<br />
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Cornetfish spend most of their time swimming slowly in shallow waters, over coral reefs, sandy plains or rocky rubble. They're surprisingly smart about hiding. The Red Cornetfish can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNq0P3Sr8fc" rel="nofollow">hide behind fatter-bodied fish</a> or swim vertically among plants.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WzLWxnGLNlU" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzLWxnGLNlU" rel="nofollow">DiveNowGuru</a></span></div>
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They can even change colour! Acquiring some dark stripes lets them hide among rocks and seaweed.<br />
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They also have a very well-developed lateral line. Do you remember the <a href="http://www.extrememarine.org.uk/old/2015/megafish/mechanoreception/index.html">lateral line</a>? It's like an ear stretched out over the entire length of a fish's body, with lots of tiny hairs for sensing (hearing) vibrations in the water. In Cornetfish, this lateral line extends all the way down into that long tail filament. It's almost like an antenna!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzl9d764Y8I5OgWPn-78IzbLuvnbNkbzA6aKfvQm4fQRMTwjZVJJYoW5U9ZI66TwIFnasvb22sMtmds1EzN5I3ANjsUGMBlR4hDJQuDL1o4azsDv9ikaqqDUJRq7mGB1GRBmVtzGpg4M/s1600/cornetfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="1600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzl9d764Y8I5OgWPn-78IzbLuvnbNkbzA6aKfvQm4fQRMTwjZVJJYoW5U9ZI66TwIFnasvb22sMtmds1EzN5I3ANjsUGMBlR4hDJQuDL1o4azsDv9ikaqqDUJRq7mGB1GRBmVtzGpg4M/s400/cornetfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnwturnbull/25150271881/" rel="nofollow">John Turnbull</a></td></tr>
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And don't go thinking Cornetfish are some kind of shrinking violet or limping posy or generally fearful flower. These guys are predators. A thrash of the tail and they jump into action or burst out of their hiding place to chase down small fish, squid or shrimp. Then they open that tiny mouth at the end of their long tube-snout and hoover up their dinner.<br />
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To be honest, the more I learn about Cornetfish the more it sounds like an amazing innovation in mermaid warfare. It's a ninja javelin drone that can hide behind local fauna or disappear in the bushes. It can covertly listen in on conversations and if it gets caught, it can pretend to be an itinerant flautist. Genius!Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-68121647743492008422018-01-05T12:00:00.000+00:002018-01-07T11:01:11.197+00:00Orange Pore Fungus<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNDS9oisLapJFPvDyitfpCmrORuDxCNW_SDBeweqBIYO-b17sWi7_KrWmSLIPiDjxYnUEcqHWkK_4RDh7lVPPVS9KGaXVFeEpkeMCU5bmm-Yq2L537nQ1f4HNhucb-FEesfoqULb-kNo/s1600/favolaschia_calocera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTNDS9oisLapJFPvDyitfpCmrORuDxCNW_SDBeweqBIYO-b17sWi7_KrWmSLIPiDjxYnUEcqHWkK_4RDh7lVPPVS9KGaXVFeEpkeMCU5bmm-Yq2L537nQ1f4HNhucb-FEesfoqULb-kNo/s400/favolaschia_calocera.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a class="" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/63394592@N08/26725315220/" rel="nofollow">epitree</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Favolaschia calocera</i></span></td></tr>
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They call it the Orange Pore Fungus but in my heart, it will always be the Waffle on a Stick.<br />
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Doesn't it look like the perfect breakfast snack?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaBHpgUubg4hY90X38RqCSs0mv8SBMUDszZ-NSQM8uc_I6u2NyTrPArf3L2oUdH5xQeg7KEJ6Z5f28McvxTtgOy5JKCJVnoK0tzyGChILjfgrjawjuwFoKPUGGjioXcsdJhBQoRwBFHg/s1600/orange_pore_fungus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaBHpgUubg4hY90X38RqCSs0mv8SBMUDszZ-NSQM8uc_I6u2NyTrPArf3L2oUdH5xQeg7KEJ6Z5f28McvxTtgOy5JKCJVnoK0tzyGChILjfgrjawjuwFoKPUGGjioXcsdJhBQoRwBFHg/s400/orange_pore_fungus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/13756172685/" rel="nofollow">Jon Sullivan</a></td></tr>
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A little dollop of carefully sculpted, fried sunshine.<br />
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I bet a single bite provides the recommended calorie intake of an average <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/eat-win-ryan-lochte-8-000-calorie-olympic-training-diet-article-1.2739833">Olympic swimmer</a>, but who can have just one...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllJEEHKTvMs8J0qK_H0eBgqYhAP4pBXa0sPIgSVzJeoAUaklEvFrptxzOgLi_8K67oTuc2q8AjYP4I9sEMv193_5F5IjkUrsErb2MoNHiUfS9KBlTy4mOGJrw3gBdCSuFRRybfYIZgVs/s1600/favolaschia_calocera3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllJEEHKTvMs8J0qK_H0eBgqYhAP4pBXa0sPIgSVzJeoAUaklEvFrptxzOgLi_8K67oTuc2q8AjYP4I9sEMv193_5F5IjkUrsErb2MoNHiUfS9KBlTy4mOGJrw3gBdCSuFRRybfYIZgVs/s400/favolaschia_calocera3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/63394592@N08/26457922954/" rel="nofollow">epitree</a></td></tr>
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When you can have dozens!<br />
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This perky little mushroom reaches about 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter and grows on logs.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0n5Wa0_Wp1cGmR8aXdvK3zap7fT8egEs8HBwJzpPbKRBGWaVUwOcS9AxzOAEN9nw1B6k58wKX8-EMq40zoO3bmbVjDVNLc94n9LIzkCycZ2HpUxN1xx_UVRpOYXaSZCBsYwHRU_pnho/s1600/favolaschia_calocera2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0n5Wa0_Wp1cGmR8aXdvK3zap7fT8egEs8HBwJzpPbKRBGWaVUwOcS9AxzOAEN9nw1B6k58wKX8-EMq40zoO3bmbVjDVNLc94n9LIzkCycZ2HpUxN1xx_UVRpOYXaSZCBsYwHRU_pnho/s400/favolaschia_calocera2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Favolaschia_calocera_38203.jpg" rel="nofollow">Michael (inski)</a></td></tr>
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The waffle texture is only on the underside. Where many other <a href="https://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/02/Avoid-Gilled-Mushrooms-1020x610.jpg" rel="nofollow">mushrooms have gills</a>, the Orange Pore Fungus releases its spores through those pores instead.<br />
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An Orange Pore Fungus is seldom found alone.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4JFe8_4TbMWRA4aMdqTiEWjSwffiK9wGkTIr8tS7madgluZJ9EWanjoxuqS60cs6-uU4xVG87Eb9dkbWEbvRXjT5OLrMMJyiZUiVA8IO0LcXhDFZNr5UEKYCKZyFjdmfo_0SX68aztw/s1600/favolaschia_calocera4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4JFe8_4TbMWRA4aMdqTiEWjSwffiK9wGkTIr8tS7madgluZJ9EWanjoxuqS60cs6-uU4xVG87Eb9dkbWEbvRXjT5OLrMMJyiZUiVA8IO0LcXhDFZNr5UEKYCKZyFjdmfo_0SX68aztw/s400/favolaschia_calocera4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/8692712010/" rel="nofollow">Jon Sullivan</a></td></tr>
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Usually, you can see entire parades of them <a href="https://www.royal.uk/trooping-colour">trooping their colour</a>, that colour being a shade of orange usually associated with only the most plasticy and chemically enhanced of cheeses.<br />
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The Orange Pore Fungus was first discovered in Madagascar in 1945, hot on the heels of other plasticy creations like nylon, Teflon and styrofoam.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyI9zSzHASMhyphenhyphenF6yP_G0cO4TVfwNYVSB_uLl2PakAjmivc0K35N9j4S5tC3gGn6PR0F4d0rRJOIqn0-H9DoTB3M2nkWKyEK-dA6kWnjmxVrZd1eSJ84IvNR8Q_vDF7b8e_dGBFN2ywNMw/s1600/favolaschia_calocera5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1600" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyI9zSzHASMhyphenhyphenF6yP_G0cO4TVfwNYVSB_uLl2PakAjmivc0K35N9j4S5tC3gGn6PR0F4d0rRJOIqn0-H9DoTB3M2nkWKyEK-dA6kWnjmxVrZd1eSJ84IvNR8Q_vDF7b8e_dGBFN2ywNMw/s400/favolaschia_calocera5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/volvob12b/8724355239/" rel="nofollow">Bernard Spragg. NZ</a></td></tr>
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Since it's discovery, the Orange Pore Fungus has really taken the world by storm. These days they can be found in Italy and China, Hawaii and Kenya, Australia and New Zealand. And they do well, too. Some people call it a 'fungal weed'. It isn't even clear whether they were native to Madagascar in the first place.<br />
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Were these mushrooms really just lying about somewhere and no one noticed until the mid-20th century? How could anyone seriously miss these things? They're not little brown mushrooms, they're WAFFLES!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWjvy0iw0hbQb81w-eKMboA_qK6M3EOOmHAiSWZ5KNdDrop9kq3k5Z73VQj4EqS2D99jYisGE74GJenliNJWwd08VTq5grFPyazq3YYqJk74MAIm7biWSv36kvzDoN_KltwCFnhyphenhyphenNh1I/s1600/favolaschia_calocera6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWjvy0iw0hbQb81w-eKMboA_qK6M3EOOmHAiSWZ5KNdDrop9kq3k5Z73VQj4EqS2D99jYisGE74GJenliNJWwd08VTq5grFPyazq3YYqJk74MAIm7biWSv36kvzDoN_KltwCFnhyphenhyphenNh1I/s400/favolaschia_calocera6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/63394592@N08/17034377192/" rel="nofollow">epitree</a></td></tr>
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Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that the Orange Pore Fungus <i>is</i> a living, plastic entity created in a lab during World War II before it escaped its confines and now government agencies across the world are scrambling to confine its spread before it wreaks the kind of havoc it was designed for.<br />
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I'm just saying... Put it this way: I'm just saying.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-5268759390630138072018-01-03T12:00:00.000+00:002018-01-05T11:43:49.333+00:00Hanging Stomach Jellyfish<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lxYPRO6tFO3UR4vDB6Y3bI_TXUHnin_K51ZE0SKaz8UutLD00R1F7n1ufNLPwwU2Ul-6tpDIbWWINWwws1S9bX-k-nvmCAWCHbR_D7uluj-_lGg5FysFu4h7KSNS12V36EOXsWHBs30/s1600/stomotoca_atra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lxYPRO6tFO3UR4vDB6Y3bI_TXUHnin_K51ZE0SKaz8UutLD00R1F7n1ufNLPwwU2Ul-6tpDIbWWINWwws1S9bX-k-nvmCAWCHbR_D7uluj-_lGg5FysFu4h7KSNS12V36EOXsWHBs30/s400/stomotoca_atra.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Stomotoca atra</i></span></td></tr>
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I'm sure you've heard of beer-bellied men and pot-bellied pigs...<br />
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But what about Hanging Stomach Jellyfish?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgov8hUBCLkAz69PZ_B2XCYeS5_FwCP80-XPVRQr6_iNS3FDYcF2ui9qBEI0fhE342c4tR4-nBqJDtWnoa2K5fL6awVIb3hGcWqbZWW-AsHh9ZMfWxwXH-KRO-G3AIOOeVFeO5Wn3Ea_YU/s1600/hanging_stomach_jellyfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="636" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgov8hUBCLkAz69PZ_B2XCYeS5_FwCP80-XPVRQr6_iNS3FDYcF2ui9qBEI0fhE342c4tR4-nBqJDtWnoa2K5fL6awVIb3hGcWqbZWW-AsHh9ZMfWxwXH-KRO-G3AIOOeVFeO5Wn3Ea_YU/s400/hanging_stomach_jellyfish.jpg" width="362" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=image&pic=70806" rel="nofollow">WoRMS Editorial Board</a></td></tr>
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These cute, little jellyfish come from the Pacific side of North America, from Alaska all the way down to California.<br />
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Their cone-shaped bell is about 2.5 cm (an inch) across and just as tall, with around eighty tiny tentacles and two large ones dangling from the edge. The bell is completely transparent, which gives us a good view of just about <i>everything</i>. Not that there's much to see. This is a jellyfish (a hydromedusa to be exact), which means they have fewer organs than the average face.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zW_5OWmHPRU" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW_5OWmHPRU" rel="nofollow">vichigh marine</a></span></div>
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Hanging Stomach Jellyfish look like umbrellas. The handle part that runs down from the middle of the bell is called the manubrium.<br />
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Unfortunately, it doesn't end with an <a href="http://www.ohgizmo.com/2013/01/24/brolly-umbrella-frees-up-a-thumb-so-you-can-text-in-the-rain/">ergonomic, non-slip grip</a> for maximum stability in the windiest of conditions...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iLlIjtWWSWAWv-F68pOhSBJySESZPLJqmv9fSJvQdH7usSKPoURPaU4dPzwFCvhjI9jrPLlPndbLXSgayQ9W5LKWcMGmA1F1FTMMopQF4FjbfguH7h8p0STrO9FBJ6uMYapdliuqUAw/s1600/hanging_stomach_hydromedusa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="680" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iLlIjtWWSWAWv-F68pOhSBJySESZPLJqmv9fSJvQdH7usSKPoURPaU4dPzwFCvhjI9jrPLlPndbLXSgayQ9W5LKWcMGmA1F1FTMMopQF4FjbfguH7h8p0STrO9FBJ6uMYapdliuqUAw/s400/hanging_stomach_hydromedusa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Susan Middleton</td></tr>
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It ends in four, puckered lips, instead. Now the jellyfish can fill that hanging stomach with other smaller jellyfish. And what look like umbrella spokes extending into the bell are actually four radial canals which allow digested food to slosh their way into those all-important swimming muscles.<br />
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Did I miss something? Ah, yes. You see that folded up stuff wrapped around the manubrium like some kind of cloth? It would be cool if it was something you could pull down over the handle to keep your brolly-hand warm but no, they're gonads. Yup. Not only does this jellyfish have a hanging stomach, it has hangin gonads, too.<br />
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They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Jellyfish, by contrast, don't do hearts.Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-66052092830509744382017-12-25T00:01:00.000+00:002017-12-25T00:01:35.328+00:00Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyRFxpbKvkq8ZByi-qNRclHKa4uhPO1uWwiukLum6B_A3GXtYEdE5RmWckp7bWNuoqA0FD7eueNwwPMsbGSfpdH3YdyQ484oYLjCFsA2sId9gdQNtAiU1S6GfXWZ4FgtDD3QjCnc1cmc/s1600/santa_squid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyRFxpbKvkq8ZByi-qNRclHKa4uhPO1uWwiukLum6B_A3GXtYEdE5RmWckp7bWNuoqA0FD7eueNwwPMsbGSfpdH3YdyQ484oYLjCFsA2sId9gdQNtAiU1S6GfXWZ4FgtDD3QjCnc1cmc/s400/santa_squid.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Life is tough in the deep sea. Even Santa has to economise. There's not enough food to keep reindeer well fed, let alone towels to keep their fur dry. Sleighs have a habit of shattering under the pressure and poor old Santa has a tough time retaining his jolly, rotund figure.<br />
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And so, here's Santa the <a href="https://www.azula.com/whip-lash-squid-2476339776.html">Whip-lash Squid</a> dragging a sack of gifts in his own tentacle. Look closely and you can see a toy <a href="https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Happy-Birthday-Alvin-50-Years-of-Discovery-2014-06-04">Alvin submersible</a> and a whole lot of tuna. Thank goodness they don't ask for much, these denizens of the deep!<br />
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rrzn7O3Jp4I" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrzn7O3Jp4I" rel="nofollow">Visual Art and Production</a></span></div>
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Mery Christmas everyone!Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711029747294427530.post-74661712658059814802017-12-10T12:00:00.000+00:002017-12-24T23:50:43.062+00:00Iridescent Bark Mantis<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPK54cYZr-GA9FdxB_jhimax5uTtUnRAm2dpyLb8ybbFPTs_Efljz4Ktt2YNM0AjdpvJdGv-n7n8NhYWpBnu2S3W_7jaUfyyMfA4ZaJXuNgIrieyUw5Cqj0sGSARq3fc7ZTrAYDpKB4kk/s1600/metallyticus_splendidus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1600" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPK54cYZr-GA9FdxB_jhimax5uTtUnRAm2dpyLb8ybbFPTs_Efljz4Ktt2YNM0AjdpvJdGv-n7n8NhYWpBnu2S3W_7jaUfyyMfA4ZaJXuNgIrieyUw5Cqj0sGSARq3fc7ZTrAYDpKB4kk/s400/metallyticus_splendidus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/frupus/34713096520/" rel="nofollow">Frupus</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Metallyticus splendidus</i></span></td></tr>
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Iridescent Bark Mantis?<br />
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Or a cockroach dressed up for disco night?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Did you know that mantids are basically <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20150502-ancient-predatory-cockroach-found">cockroaches who turned predatory</a> and became extremely good at catching prey?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgPRmOri3wsDiDijHsSDlqhB0DdTVckGRV7aloM23pp3u7OOfoYaZgfTAHoJTRpAo1WGULkafYkSLgt5eqc5KznDp56PERkQ6M7loDB9IjqB3sIX7ECxlNA7Os0q5Hdi6RWlRPE5CFA4/s1600/iridescent_bark_mantis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgPRmOri3wsDiDijHsSDlqhB0DdTVckGRV7aloM23pp3u7OOfoYaZgfTAHoJTRpAo1WGULkafYkSLgt5eqc5KznDp56PERkQ6M7loDB9IjqB3sIX7ECxlNA7Os0q5Hdi6RWlRPE5CFA4/s400/iridescent_bark_mantis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zleng/30165897452/" rel="nofollow">Frupus</a></td></tr>
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The cockroach's weapon of choice was a series of sturdy spikes on its forelegs, which gradually evolved into a set of <a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/aquarius/raps.html">raptorial appendages</a>. Quite a few insects opted for the same weaponry, one of my favourites being the <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2014/04/ochtheran-mantis-fly.html">Ochtheran Mantis Fly</a>. Cockroaches just happen to be among the most successful wielders of the raptorial blade.<br />
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Most mantids don't look all that much like roaches, what with their dignified poise and their head perched atop an elegant neck (which must work great for prey-spotting because it's something they share with <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2014/09/mantisfly.html">Mantisflies</a>. Great minds, dear boy. Great minds!). But there are some mantids that prefer to keep their nose to the ground or, in this case, the bark.<br />
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Several different species and genera are referred to as Bark Mantids because they scamper about on trees, hunting prey. Most of them rely on <a href="http://drkrishi.com/bark-mantis/">brown colours and barky patterns</a> for camouflage...<br />
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<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TQOCjOyIjBI" width="560"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQOCjOyIjBI" rel="nofollow">Fruchtpudding</a></span></div>
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The Iridescent Bark Mantis... not so much.<br />
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These guys strut their stuff in Southeast Asia, looking as bright and beautiful as a <a href="http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2012/01/tiger-beetle.html">Tiger Beetle</a>. But while Tiger Beetles put all their killing prowess into their formidable mandibles, Iridescent Bark Mantids put it all into their equally formidable forelegs.<br />
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It's all good! So long as there are some sharpened points with a bit of muscle behind them, those prey items will drop like flies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMn1Yxf_86QGyUcTtX8KyqE9YaJKgAm-0POQBF9nLzNdO8uhp4LLRtD05_NoWoK_UvSJf9NO4ZwTAHHYCtpPIIRpiPLqw_QwgIIFmX05Q1jmog-ZZlmKYQlzlm68VtEybJxa1Aeftb2Y/s1600/metallyticus_splendidus_nymph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMn1Yxf_86QGyUcTtX8KyqE9YaJKgAm-0POQBF9nLzNdO8uhp4LLRtD05_NoWoK_UvSJf9NO4ZwTAHHYCtpPIIRpiPLqw_QwgIIFmX05Q1jmog-ZZlmKYQlzlm68VtEybJxa1Aeftb2Y/s400/metallyticus_splendidus_nymph.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/frupus/34029649661/" rel="nofollow">Frupus</a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Wingless nymph</i></span></td></tr>
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Mantids are one of those insects that don't go through an enormous metamorphosis during their lifetime. No maggot or caterpillar stage for them, young mantids look almost exactly like wingless versions of their parents.<br />
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In Iridescent Bark Mantids, it turns out adults are relatively demure. Without wings to cover themselves up, nymphs are even more colourful with their red legs, yellow wingcases and a pair of spots near their tail.<br />
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You can almost imagine the arguments: "Where do you think you're going dressed like that?"<br />
"But mum, it's disco night!"Joseph JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623613806055217490noreply@blogger.com5