Wonder_Creatures

10bullets: Goshawk Glance by *Shadow-and-Flame-86

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:03:11 -0400

Goshawk Glance by *Shadow-and-Flame-86

astronomy-to-zoology: Silvery Mole Rat (Heliophobius...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:01:10 -0400

Silvery Mole Rat (Heliophobius argenteocinereus)

…also known as the silvery blesmol or the silky mole rat, the silvery mole rat is a species of mole rat native to the savannas of southeastern Africa. Like other mole rats the silvery mole rat spends most of its life underground in extensive tunnel systems. This species is poorly studied and not much is known about its biology or reproductive habits, however they are known to be aggressive and change their burrow patterns seasonally.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Mammalia-Rodentia-Bathyergidae-Bathyerginae-Heliophobius-argenteocinereus

Image Source(s)

Photo

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:01:37 -0400

awkwardsituationist: gentoo penguins on the sea lion island in...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:02:55 -0400

awkwardsituationist:

gentoo penguins on the sea lion island in the falklands. photo michael lohmann

rhamphotheca: Another Look at the Newly Discovered Hot Pink...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:02:16 -0400

rhamphotheca:

Another Look at the Newly Discovered Hot Pink Slug form Australia

by Carrie Arnold

He’s big. He’s slimy. And he’s … neon pink?! Meet Triboniophorus aff. graeffei, a new species of 8-inch-long (20-cm-long) slug that’s found only on one Australian mountain.

Scientists already knew that a bright-pink slug lived on Mount Kaputar (map), thinking it was a variety of the red triangle slug, a species common along the east coast of Australia. But new research shows that the colorful critter is actually its own species, said Australia’s National Parks and Wildlife Service ranger Michael Murphy.

“Recent morphological and genetics work by a researcher working on this slug family—the Athorcophoridae—has indicated the Kaputar slugs are a unique species endemic to Mount Kaputar and the only representative of this family in inland Australia,” said Murphy, who’s been stationed on Mount Kaputar for 20 years…

(read more: National Geo) (photo: Michael Murphy/NPWS)

rhamphotheca: acryptozoo: Terrestrial Nemertean “ribbon worm”,...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:01:22 -0400

rhamphotheca:

acryptozoo:

Terrestrial Nemertean “ribbon worm”, Malaysia

(photos: Nicky Bay)

* probably Geonemertes sp.

rhamphotheca: The full-grown bumble-bee bat (Craseonycteris...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:01:38 -0400

rhamphotheca:

The full-grown bumble-bee bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), at about the size of a bumble bee,is considered one of the smallest mammals on the planet. But its comparatively wide wingspan enables the animal to hover and cover long distances, which it navigates, like other bats, with echolocation. The bumble-bee bat inhabits only a certain area of Thailand and Myanmar and is listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List, because the population of less than 10,000 has been disturbed by human activity in the limestone caves and bamboo deforests where they reside.

Source: University of Michigan and IUCN Red List

(via: TakePart.org)

Photo

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:02:45 -0400

astronomy-to-zoology: Thick-billed Raven (Corvus...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:02:26 -0400

astronomy-to-zoology:

Thick-billed Raven (Corvus crassirostris)

Is one of the larger Passeriformes (or songbirds) weighing in at 3 lb and 25 in long. it has a distinctively large bill (thus the name thick-billed) that is slightly curved. it can be found in and around the horn of Africa (Somalia and Ethiopia). they feed like common ravens on insects and grubs and human scraps where available.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Aves-Passeriformes-Corvidae-Corvus

rhamphotheca: Beautiful Schaus Swallowtail found in Biscayne...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:01:25 -0400

rhamphotheca:

Beautiful Schaus Swallowtail found in Biscayne Bay!

The Schaus Swallowtail (Papilio aristodemus) has been in decline for decades. It was first listed as “threatened” in 1976 then elevated to the most serious “endangered’’ category in 1984 as the population plummeted, largely as a result of pesticide spraying for mosquito control and development destroying the coastal forests they call home.

Read more here: Miami Herald

rhamphotheca: The Waxy Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii) is a...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:01:29 -0400

rhamphotheca:

The Waxy Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii) is a stout built tree frog from the chaco dry prairie region of central South America. They secrete a waxy substance that they spread over their skin, to keep from drying out. Eggs are laid in a folded leaf over water, and the tadpoles drop from the egg mass, when hatching, and fall into the water below to develop. Also, they are scientifically proven to be fucking awesome. Science.

(photos: T - Brian Gratwicke; B - Joachim S. Müller)

rhamphotheca: The Bahia Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa bahiana)...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:02:57 -0400

rhamphotheca:

The Bahia Monkey Frog (Phyllomedusa bahiana) endemic to the state of Bahia, in NE Brazil, can be found in trees of semi-arid forests, near seasonal ponds. As with most of the members of this genus, eggs are laid in folded leaves above ponds, and the tadpoles drop into the water after hatching from the moist egg mass.

(photo: Alex Popovkin)

Photo

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:02:40 -0400

rhamphotheca: The lanternfly (Phrictus quinqueparitus), family...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:01:05 -0400

rhamphotheca:

The lanternfly (Phrictus quinqueparitus), family Fulgoridae, Puerto Viejo, Heredia, Costa Rica

(photo: Geoff Gallice)

rhamphotheca: Pretty in Pink Extending its arms 8 inches...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:02:07 -0400

rhamphotheca:

Pretty in Pink

Extending its arms 8 inches (20 cm) across, a pink crab perches on a bed of soft coral 2,310 feet (740 meters) deep in the Sangihe Talaud region off of Indonesia. The Little Hercules ROV captured this image of the colorful critter during a 2010 ocean expedition. Crabs like these are only found living on soft coral.

Credit: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010

(via: Live Science)

sagittariidae: Eastern hog-nose snake (Heterodon...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:02:46 -0400

sagittariidae:

Eastern hog-nose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) in northern Michigan

(taken by me)

rhamphotheca: The Amazing Athletic Flea Where do fleas get...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:36:50 -0400

rhamphotheca:

The Amazing Athletic Flea

Where do fleas get their incredible jumping abilities? Look no further than these massive hind legs. Although fleas only get about 1/8 of an inch (3 millimeters) long, they have a horizontal jump range of up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) — that’s more than 1,000 times their body length.

Credit: Janice Haney Carr/CDC

(via: Live Science)

scienceyoucanlove: This sweet little guy is the newly...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:01:38 -0400

scienceyoucanlove:

This sweet little guy is the newly discovered ‘Chewbacca bat’ from Mozambique. Scientists have come out of a month-long survey of the Gorongosa National Park in Central Mozambique having discovered hundreds of new species including a cave-dwelling frog, farting bombardier beetles, and a tiny elephant shrew.

Read more: http://bit.ly/18LMOSS

Image credit: Piotr Naskrecki

source

sinobug: Stinging Nettle Slug Caterpillar (Cup Moth, family...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 12:02:49 -0400

sinobug:

Stinging Nettle Slug Caterpillar

(Cup Moth, family Limacodidae)

by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr.
Pu’er, Yunnan, China

See more Chinese caterpillars on my Flickr site HERE…

rhamphotheca: Spiders: Capturing Prey in Silken Netting and...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 04:01:06 -0400

rhamphotheca:

Spiders: Capturing Prey in Silken Netting and Sticky Hairs

by Science Daily staff

The great ecological success of spiders is often substantiated by the evolution of silk and webs. Biologists of the Kiel University and the University of Bern now found an alternative adaptation to hunting prey: hairy adhesive pads, so called scopulae.

The scientists published their results in the May issue of the scientific journal PLoS One.

“More than half of all described spider species have abandoned building webs. They seize their prey directly and have to be able to hold and control the struggling prey without getting hurt themselves,” explains Jonas Wolff, PhD student in the working group…

(read more: Science Daily) (image: Jonas Wolff)