Nuestra Senhora de las Iguanas

Graciela Iturbide is a celebrated and influential Latin American photographer, whose work has promoted feminism and cultural awareness. So why on earth would any of her work condescend to appear here? In a word: iguanas.

One of her most famous photos is of Nuestra Senhora de las Iguanas, or Our Lady of the Iguanas. Yes, she's wearing a head dress of living iguanas. This is one of the few extant photos of Nuestra Senhora; the iguanas wouldn't cooperate by posing properly, so most of the other photos were scrapped.

What's fascinating about this photo (as if an iguana hat weren't enough) is that it highlights a throwback to pre-Columbian Mexico and Zapotec life. I'm very curious to know what's keeping all those iguanas in place. But maybe I'm better off knowing.

Thanks for the story, Niner.

Alone

Wolf fish are known to be inquisitive, even friendly fish. But this one's giving off the same vibe I give when I've just woken up, my wife's opened the blinds, and I really, really need just a little bit more sleep. Or, it could be the same look my dog used to give when he knew he had just been naughty.

Either way, I think he wants to be left alone. Alone with his favorite little plume of invertebrate marine life. So cute, just like my daughter with her favorite blankies...

Photo source: Alexander Semenov

Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

Some days you just don't want to be bothered. You've had enough. You want to sun your scaly hide on the bank of a palm-lined swamp and not be bothered by humans swimming nearby, or having those same humans molest you. Where's an alligator to go to find such a sanctuary?

Why, beneath a sign just like this one. Such a smart gator.

Christie (who has a fantastic blog named Observations of a Nerd, devoted to all things biological), found this guy in the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St Petersburg, FL. I imagine he wouldn't mind being fed, but that's the price he's willing to pay for some peace and quiet.

In the second shot you can see just how at peace he is. Don't worry, little gator, I won't molest you. And I'll take my swim trunks and find another, less fangy hole in which to get swim.

Thanks for the photos, Christie.

Star Light, Star Bright

Wait, what's this? Cute little seastars? Wombat, I've bought pillow versions of these and slept on them. If anything, this photo makes me want to eat some lemon meringue pie.




















I know, the cushion star isn't ugly by any means. It's almost adorable, with its poofy nubs for arms and radial symmetry. At worst it deserves a starring role in Sponge Bob Square Pants.

























I'ts not until you hold Pteraster tesselatus, aka cushion star or slime star, or see it threatened that, its true nature is revealed. That's right. That's slime. Oodles and oodles of it.

Native to the Pacific coastline from the Bering Sea to Carmel Bay, California, this seastar secretes a copious amount of slime as a defense mechanism. Predatory fish and mollusks have been known to suffocate after being smothered with seastar slime.

It may not be pretty, but if it works, it works. I'm wondering if you can use seastar slime in place of egg whites, just like with hagfish slime. Anyone care to find out?

Thanks, Jelo.

Pink Menace

Alexander Semenov is a Russian diver and scientist. He's also a masterful photographer. He's pointed me in the direction of his Flickr sets, and I'm eager to share. I'll be doing several posts on Alexander's work. He took these photos this past Summer while diving at the White Sea Biological Station of Moscow State University. Enjoy this first, very diminutive creature.

You're looking at a skeleton shrimp (Caprella linearis), most likely of the male persuasion, given its elongated head. They're too small to batter and fry, or to serve with cocktail sauce, so you'll only be able to take it in through your optic nerves. I doubt the shrimp minds.




































































In case you're wondering how he took these photos in the murky depths of the White Sea, here's how. Look at that setup! I need to go apply some rouge to my face to counterbalance the envy-green tinge it has just assumed.

Lying in a Nest of Scorpions

A lot of us are looking to carve out a little niche for ourselves on the stage of life. Maybe find a little fame, perhaps a little fortune. It's hard though. You've got to find something you're decent at doing, maybe find something no one else is willing to do, and try to be the first one to do it. Novelty can take you places.

Kanchana Kaetkaew has done just that...

Thailand's 'Scorpion Queen' Kanchana Kaetkaew, 38, poses with scorpions inside a glass room at the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum in Pattaya, January 24, 2009. Kanchana set a new 33 day record for the longest stay with 5,000 live adult scorpions from December 22, 2008 to January 24, 2009. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

So to you, Ms. Scorpion Queen, I tip my hat. Hey, your gig beats blogging any day.

Aussie Spider ID Needed

Bonni needs your help. She encountered this spider (see the lower picture for scale) above her toilet in Australia. Do you know what kind of spider it is? She says the abdomen is the size of a large grape, which is enough to make me swear off grapes until they get below $1.99 a pound again.

The grape growers of the world don't thank you for that reference, Bonni. But I hope someone can figure this one out for you. For myself, I'll retreat to my own bathroom where spiders never get big enough to leave too much of a smear on the wall.

Of Leg Brandishing and Courtship

This might be an ambassador from the spider federation, gesticulating in an effort to get our attention. Or maybe he'st brandishing those legs to scare us off. But most likely, this male Saitis barbipes, endemic to the Mediterranean and the most colorful of the European jumping spiders, is trying to court a female.

Photo source: Wikipedia
























The third set of legs on the males of these diminutive (less than a centimeter) spiders is used to wave and audibly vibrate when trying to court a female. If the female is sufficiently wooed, she'll collapse on her legs and turn her abdomen up. Barry White is played, the hearth is lit, and another batch of spiderlings is conceived.

Thanks for the new Salticid, Angela. Your spider federation still might come to pass.

Insect Eyes

It turns out that Opo Terser was the photographer who captured those amazing jumping spider faces. Opo's been gracious enough to let me use some more photos, so I went digging and discovered that Opo has looked more than spiders in the eyes. Enjoy this montage.

Caterpillar head (the stuff of nightmares)




















Large fly head. Looks like a baseball whose seams are coming undone.

























Walking Stick Head - (Phasmatodea)























Male Praying Mantis Head - (Stagmomantis carolina?)



















Black Soldier Fly Head - (Hermetia illucens)




















Compound Eyes of a Robber Fly - (Holcocephala fusca)



















Pink Grasshopper (species unknown). My girls want one for a pet.

Owl Posturing

Continuing with the owl theme, here's a little African owl (species?) squaring off with a barn owl. No owls or handlers get hurt, but the owl looks like he's either about to throw his back out or pass a large stool (the eyes, THE EYES!). The barn owl seems unimpressed. Enjoy.

UPDATE: Looking like its a White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis) probably Ptilopsis leucotis. Thanks, Neil and Leslie.

Thanks, omgwtf.

Bifocal Fish

Jelo has introduced yet another new critter to Ugly Overload. Everyone say hello to anableps (Anableps anableps), the bifocal fish.

This fish would do Benjamin Franklin proud. Some of you bespectacled readers might wear bifocal lenses so that you can with a flicker of your eye see something up close and then far away (something we non-spectacle-wearers take for granted). These fish have taken that idea and modified it for their own uses. Their pupils are divided horizontally, allowing them to at once see both above the surface of the water, and below it. Since they spend most of their lives swimming in schools skimming the water's surface, this is a handy trait to have.

My, what divided eyes you have.
All the better to see both prey and predator, my dear.

But more than just those eyes, check out that grimace. Why so sad, bifocal fish?

Thanks, Jelo.

What's in a Name

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is one of the most widely distributed owls on the planet. Chances are, if you are reading this blog, you've got barn owls nearby. I've encountered them many times, and can often hear them screeching when they fly over head (they are known for their frequent calls). I've also stepped in freshly regurgitated owl balls. That is a wonderful experience, what with the crunching of mouse bones and the gooey strands of squirrel hair on your shoes.

Their worldly status that has garnered them a long list of also-known-as's. Here are but a few:

Monkey-faced Owl, Ghost Owl, Church Owl, Death Owl, Hissing Owl, Hobgoblin or Hobby Owl, Golden Owl, Silver Owl, White Owl, Night Owl, Rat Owl, Scritch Owl, Screech Owl, Straw Owl, Barnyard Owl and Delicate Owl.

Baby birds always look awkward, but this little brood of barn owlets can take solace in the fact that they aren't a threatened species, relocating isn't a problem, they can hunt in complete darkness, they fly silently, and they'll soon be the stuff of nightmares to rodents the world over.

Photos courtesy Jack G

Mantis Mania!

I don't know who took these photos (though I have my suspicions). Can anyone claim them? I must know! I want to shake his/her hand and post more of their photos.

Enjoy.

UPDATE: I must be tired. Tragerstreit pointed out that the first photo has the illustrious Igor Siwanowicz's watermark on it. I still can't speak of the rest.

Mudskippers

Jelo pointed out that I've been remiss in posting on the comely mudskipper (only one post in over three years). So here goes.

They're found in intertidal regions and in areas such as tropical mangrove swamps where fresh water meets salt water (I sense a folk song in there somewhere...). Think of them as the amphibious form of gobies--because that's pretty much exactly what they are.

Amphibious fish? Yes, ma'am. As long as they stay wet, they can aspirate through their skin, throat, and mouth lining (mudskippers are the anti-mogwai, they must get wet). These fish are also equipped with large gill chambers that allow them to retain water, like a fish variant of the scuba tank. Redundancy. These are very prepared fish.

That last shot isn't one of a singing duet. It's two rivals males in combat. They are territorial little fish.

Thanks, Jelo.

Floridan Sea Hare

The Aplysiomorpha family of sea slugs is a large one. It includes, arguably, the largest gastropods on the earth (a coveted title). They are called sea hares. Here is one such creature.

Herbie took these photos in Key West, Florida, US. His hand is in no jeopardy, since the sea hare only puts its rasper to use on sea weed. And neither is the sea hare in any danger. That last shot isn't a gory one. The sea hare squirts dark ink ("You made me ink.") It just happens to look like blood. Not a bad choice of color, really.

All we need now is a sea tortoise, and we've got a marine fable to tell. Anyone got one?

Thanks Herbie.

Cozumel Monster Spider

I've always wanted to go to Cozumel for the drift diving and the Mayan ruins. Andrew may have ruined that dream of mine.

While exploring one such Mayan ruin, he came across this monster devouring its winged prey. He would like some help in identifying it. My best guess is that it is a descendant of the spider god recently revealed in the Mayan ruins at Collud. Any other thoughts?

Thanks for the spider, Andrew.

Frogfish Galore

Dark Roasted Blend has done a fantastic spread on the many varieties of frogfish found the world over. All photos, in turn, come from Teresa Zuberbühler. This article was, in turn (x2), brought to us by Kat.

Frogfish are anglerfish, as indicated by the dangly lures they employ to bring their prey in close. They are ambush predators, as shown by their amazing camouflage and propensity to sit in place as long as needed.

When they do move, it looks like this (a bit like my toddler son):









Now, enjoy the frogfish, and be grateful they aren't terrestrial and about 20 times larger.

Horror Frog

I've posted on the horror frog, Trichobatrachus robustus, before, but Rachel pointed me towards a fairly in depth article about them. And a new photo. So much to share.

In their native Cameroon, people who eat the horror frog have to hunt them with spears and machetes, as opposed to the usual nets, because these frogs can defend themselves. They do so with the Wolverine-style mechanism seen below.

Photo source: NewScientist.com














When provoked, these frogs flex muscles in their toes that cause a bony spur in the tips of their digits to break away from the collagen that bonds them to a bony chip in the tip of the toe. The spur then pierces the flesh of the toe pad, resulting in instant claws.

These insta-claws are unique in the animal world to the Astylosternus genus of frogs. Unlike other claws, these spurs are pure bone, without the keratin sheath you've seen on cat and dog claws (and every other vertebrate claw). And those claws can do damage (hence the spears and machetes). The Harvard University researchers who brought the findings to light have only ever worked with dead specimens, so they don't know how the claws are retracted. Most likely, given the absence of a retractor muscle, the claws retract passively once the toes relax. And, given that they are amphibians, most likely the torn flesh and ruptured collagen regenerates, at least to some extent.

















"Hey, horror frog, does that hurt?"
"Every time."

Here's what an adult looks like. As if the claws weren't enough, it's also hairy. A hairy frog. It looks like it has just donned a grass hula skirt and is off to terrorize a luau. But, of course, those aren't real hairs. They are hair-like strands of skin that males grow when tending to their brood. The researchers' best guess is that the extra surface area of the strands allow the male frog to take in more oxygen while being a daddy. Fine. All right, frog. You've redeemed yourself...a bit. I'll forgive you the skirt.




















Thanks for the horror frog, Rachel.

Beloved Dairy Goat

Photo source: Ram Krishnan
Rahat Basit has delivered to us the Jamunapari goat, and the world is a brighter place for it. The jamunapari is one of the most beloved and tall of the Indian dairy goats. And how can you not adore it? Look at that stubby snout and those dangly, beveined ears. The droopy eyes and the prominent forehead!

I've got a hankering for goat cheese now. Maybe some cheese rolled with cranberries and walnuts...I shouldn't be posting on my lunch break. Must go eat. Leftovers.

Thanks, Rahat. The Pari is amazing.

Spidey and Me

The Alberta Jewel Spider is one of 25 orb-weaving spiders in Alberta, Canada. I think I've had run ins with this spider, or its cousins, while backpacking through Waterton park. One morning, every dozen or so yards the trail was draped with fresh webs. It was a testimony to my exhaustion that I couldn't summon up enough energy to turn back to base camp. Instead, I batted the webs aside and saved my arachnophobia-induced trembling for the next packs-off break.

Bone Artist has one living in her house. That's right. IN her house. The spider, which shouldn't typically be active during the winter, now has a custom enclosure in a warm corner in Bone Artist's bedroom. She feeds the spider young crickets and is enjoying watching it grow up. It's one thing to take in a rescue puppy or kitten. At least they return the affection. But to take in a rescue orb weaver? Now that's devotion. I see a movie deal in the future: "Spidey and Me."

Photo source: JMR64

It's Monsoon Time

For most creatures, people included, monsoon season is a time to head for high ground or at least for shelter. Not so for the purple frog. Monsoons equal mating time for the purple frog.

Native to India, the purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) is a relatively recent discovery. They spend nearly their time entire underground, where they eat and sleep and play chess. But come the monsoons, with their temporary rain pools, these anurans mate by amplexus (frog hugs) while floating on the water's surface (romance!). The sight of storm ravaged soil must be to this frog what soft candle light and turned-down silk sheets are to most of you.

Thanks for the article, Leigh.

Photo source: BBC

Four Eyes

I've posted on the spookfish before, but never from this angle, in this lighting, and with this new little tidbit. It's been recently discovered that this fish is the first vertebrate known to use powerful mirrors for eyes, instead of lenses.

Photo source: Julian Partridge/University of Bristol/PA via Guardian.co.uk




















The spookfish appears to have four eyes. But in reality, they have two eyes, both of which are diverticular (new vocab alert!). One half of the eye points upward (toward food), and the other half looks down into the abyss (toward danger).

Photo source: ScienceDaily.com
Finding out how to use mirrors instead of lenses to see seems a bit like a solution searching for a problem, but it works for the spookfish. We only learned of this factoid recently because a live specimen had never been captured before. But when Professor Hans-Joachim Wagner from Tuebingen University got his hands on one, he was able to determine the diverticularishness (new fake vocab alert!) by using a series of camera flashes.

I'm sure the fish enjoyed being flashed at. I hate it, and I only have two lenses to worry about, and I have fancy eyelids to cover them. The little spookfish has four mirrors to shield, and no lids or hands to help.

Thanks for the article, dourocouli.

Jumping Spider Eyes

Jumping spiders comprise the famliy Salticidae, the largest and most diverse of spider families (ah, a melting pot), with between 4,000 and 5,000 species described. I love these little creatures. I find them all over my house. They aren't leggy enough to trigger my arachnophobia, their turret heads remind me of tanks (always an endearing image), and those eyes look alien and intelligent. And they eat bugs (and sometimes web-weaving spiders).

Salticids are small (most are less than one inch long), and they can jump 10 - 40 times their body length to pounce on prey or to avoid becoming prey. They accomplish this using good ol' fashioned hydraulics: they pump fluid into their legs quick enough to allow them to spring at lighting speed. Enjoy these photos. Click on some of them and you'll almost be able to see the reflection of the camera in their central eyes. My favorite is the last one. He looks like he's been naughty and is hiding from his parents. Who could chastise the little guy, with his liquid eyes and furry pedipalps?

Thanks for the photos, Tracy.

UPDATE: 'nonspecific' has discovered that Opo Terser is to thank for these photos. Thank you, Opo! Also, that second photo, it turns out, is photoshopped.

Photos via: PopGive.com

Mystery Holes

Ever wander the beach, find the perfect shell, and flip it over only to find that there is a perfect little hole drilled into it? I've had it happen dozens of times. I always wondered what caused it, but for some reason assumed that the mystery holes formed postmortem.

Thanks to Jelo, the mystery of the shell holes is solved.

Enter the moon snail. These large snails cruise the sandy foam of the shoreline and tidal pools in search of their prey: clams, mussels, etc. If it's got a shell, it's food. They're like gastropod bulldozers with one mission in mind: a seafood dinner.

They look too big for their shells, don't they? That's because when they come across a less mobile clam, they envelop it with their over-sized mantle and go to work drilling their way through the shell while the clam lies there helpless.


















They do so with a raspy tongue (radula) that scrapes a perfect hole in the shell (aided by secreted chemicals). Once they've made their way through the shell, they proceed to dine. It's a slow process, but snails are patient (more snail wisdom to come in future posts). There are lots of ways to die in the ocean. This one seems like one of the less pleasant ones.

Think the snail won't fit inside the shell? Just pick one up and start poking it. It will shed water like a little sprinkler system until it fits inside. Go on. I dare you. Be sure to video it.























Thanks, Jelo. Now I know who the culprits are.

Falling Ticks

David Pearson removed this from a patient's ear. It's most likely Dermacentor variabilis, an American dog tick. You can even see a scrap of the ear canal that got removed along with the tick.

Ticks are very common disease vectors, meaning that, like the mosquito, they are responsible for carrying a variety of illnesses from host to host. If you end up with a dog tick in your ear, perhaps you'll be relieved to know that while you might contract Rocky Mountain spotted fever, you won't get Lyme disease. That's carried by the deer tick. I imagine in such a situation, you'd scramble for any form of solace.

It's also a relief to know that ticks don't fly or jump. They usually just fall. Sounds a lot like my son, who's just learned how to walk. No one tell him that I compared him to a tick.

Photo source: David Pearson

Monkey Chimera

Chimeras of Greek lore didn't come in monkey varieties as far as I know, but there's a first time for everything.

This fellow looks like an amalgam of several creatures: brown-coated rodent for hindquarters, a yeti upper half, and a bat-eared face of evil. Can it fly? Does it shoot iron spikes out of its tail?

Anyone know what kind of monkey it is? I imagine that with a simple peeling back of its lips it could flash some hefty canines.

UPDATE: Christopher Taylor has identified this monkey as a bare-faced tamarin (Saguinus bicolor).

Photo source: Richard Lowkes

Species Divergence and Pink Iguanas

Charles Darwin gave the Galapagos fame, but the gave the pink iguana the shaft. In his defense, Darwin couldn't have possibly cataloged every species in the Galapagos (it's hard to visit more than 100 islands), but that's of little consolation to this lizard, who is only found on one of the islands, on the shoulders of a volcano. He's only recently received his fifteen minutes of fame. But maybe he'll be assuaged with the knowledge that my daughters are thrilled at the discovery of pink iguanas (pink anything evokes squeals).

Maybe you scientists and evolutionists can weigh in on this one. Genetic analysis of the pink iguana supposedly hints at species divergence far earlier than Darwin's famous finches. How does that impact the conclusions Darwin arrived at? The article gives some good cursory information, but doesn't bring it home. So what? What does that mean? Why? Why not? Who am I? What's for dinner? Where was I? Australia...no the Galapagos.

Anyone?

UPDATE: Lab Boy points out that Greg Laden has a good post on this creature (it's also a much better post than mine, since Greg actually knows what he's talking about, and he addresses the evolution angle head on).

Thanks for the article, Ida.

Photo source: Michael Kahn via Reuters via Yahoo!

Cnidarians Beware

A little while ago I posted on a sea spider, which National Geographic had described as an actual arachnid. They were wrong, as many of you pointed out. But in the end, I'm responsible for passing along misinformation. Consider yourself now re-informed (overwrite old data with new). They are pycnogonids (thanks, Epicanus).

I was also remiss in not mentioning, as Christopher Taylor pointed out, that they are equipped with a tubular proboscis that allows them to siphon out the insides of their cnidarian prey.

And Morgan wanted to show off this pycnogonid's egg sac. Looks like she carries it in a similar fashion to the wolf spider. Cnidarians beware! The pycnogonids, which are little more than spider-shaped jelly-sucking vampires, are reproducing, and your jelly-filled selves are in danger.

Thanks for the photo, Morgan.

Photo source: AWI.de

Dangling Sloth

Rebecca sent me this link from listverse.com, in which they layout what they believe to be the ten ugliest animals on the planet. I'm happy to report that each and every one of them has appeared here, along with a couple of the exact photos they used.

But I was charmed by this sloth photo, and had to share. These creatures are omnivores, and are known to dine on small lizards. How embarrassing would it be to be a small lizard and be caught by a sloth? My dying efforts would be spent hoping that none of my friends watched me get nabbed. That's not how I would want to be remembered.

An interesting side note: a sloth's fur lays in an opposite direction from most mammals. Most mammals have hair that grows toward the extremities. Not so with Mr. Sloth. His hair grows towards his torso, since he spends to much time dangling.

Thanks, Rebecca.

That's Some Prolific Pig

I know, I'm posting on something that's already been covered by Cute Overload. But bear in mind I'm looking at the adult, not the adorable piglets.

Anyways...



















China knows how to do pigs right. Well, wrinkly at least. Just like so many of their other animals (think shar pei and pug). You're looking at the meishan pig, which is a domesticated breed known for being slow growing and delicious. They are also one of the most prolific pigs. They reach puberty by the time they're three months old, and can have two litters a year. Add to that a high embryo survival rate, and you've got yourself a pig that can take over the world. I'm thinking Animal Farm here, only with a Chinese flavor to it. Not terribly inappropriate.

Thanks for the meishan, Laura.

Only Four Inches Across

Poor Lauren is having to contend with some very large orb weavers on her property. This is what awaits her in her eaves every day. The big one is six inches across. What isn't shown is another pair, where there is a smaller spider around four inches across. I truly don't know if I could live in a place where the smaller spider is only four inches across.

Can anyone help with a more specific ID? Are we looking at pairs that are about to mate? We need to allay Lauren's fears and to instruct her as to what sort of body armor and weaponry she needs to carry when she goes gardening.

UPDATE: Looks like we've got an ID for you, Lauren. Deborah pegs it as a Golden Silk Orbweaver (Nephila clavipes), and I tend to agree. An alternative would be something from the Argiope genus (thanks Lindsay). Amanda thinks, like I do, that you're dealing females and males, not youngins. You're in for a large brood coming hatchling season.