Weta Write a Post

Sarah asked that I do a post on the weta. I've done one before, but this beast requires more attention. Sarah made this post easy. Her email was so discriptive, I'm just going to cut and paste...

The weta is ... "a wonderfully unattractive relative of crickets and grasshoppers from New Zealand in the South Pacific. Its full name in the native language, Maori, is Wetapunga, which means 'the god of ugly things.' Its Latin name means 'demon grasshopper.' The New Zealand visual effects and creature construction company which created monsters for the Hercules and Xena TV series, not to mention the Lord of the Rings movies and King Kong, is named Weta in its honour. The largest species can grow to the size of a mouse, an unsettling trait in any insect. Some species have tusks."

I just might make Wetapunga the mascot for this sight. I wouldn't want to offend the god of ugly things. Not little old me.

Thanks for the write up, Sarah!

Photo source: Brenda Anderson

Cephalopod-ilicious

We've had a streak of cephalopods here, haven't we? That just speaks very well of our head-foot friends.

Abigail sent me this article from Pharyngula. It speaks of the tremoctopus. The tremoctopus, also known as the blanket octopus, has an amazing defense mechanism. If attacked, the octopus spreads its webbing behind it. This webbing breaks apart rather easily, which then gets entangled with the would-be predator. The webbing grows back much like some lizards' tails.

I could use some webbing like that myself. Then I could be a blanket wombat. All muggers, pickpockets, and bullies would end up with a faceful of my webbing instead.

Thanks for the link, Abigail. I would never have known of this beastie if it weren't for you!

Photo source: ToLWeb.org














Or watch this video to see the defense mechanism in action.

Viva Las Llamas!

Ivy sent me this lovely beast. My only notable encounter with a llama was on a backpacking expedition (well, a seven day trip at least). I was heading down some switchbacks in the Trinity Alps (N. Cal.) when I turned a bend in the trail and saw one of these standing in front of me. He was alone, though he still carried gear strapped to his back.

I assumed he was lost so I tried to grab his lead line to take him to his owners. He no likey. I almost got trampled. They have spookey eyes, especially when you know they don't like you.

Thanks for the photo, Ivy

Proud Cat Owners

I normally make it a point not to post on deformed animals. However, the two kitties below are beloved pets, and it was their owners who shared the photos with me, so enjoy.




















First, meet Sticky, owned by Pol. This feline with born with a hare lip. Above is him as an adult, with his tongue proudly highlighting his uniqueness. Below is him as a kitten. The close-up of his nose gives you some insight as to what a hairlip is.



















And last we have Sebastian. Ricardo found him already blind in both eyes - he was apparently born that way. When Ricardo first laid eyes on him, Sebastien was trying to scavenge food from his trash bin. Ricardo took him to the vet, who determined that the right eye was permanently blind, while the left eye could regain some vision.

You'll be happy to know that after two surgeries and five months, Sebastian can now see out of his left eye, even if only in blurs and shadows.

I've got to hand it to you, Pol and Ricardo. Your cats won't win any beauty competitions, and you're just fine with that. I respect you for being such good, and proud, pet owners. The world needs more people like you.

Vamp Squid

Are you prepared for one of the coolest creatures ever? You know of my love for the name idolomantis diabolica. Well, Heather supplied me with a wealth of information on yet another perfectly named creature: vampyroteuthis infernalis, which literally means 'vampire squid from hell.' How about them beans?

The vampire squid is a small, deep-sea cephalopod with a variety of adaptations that have allowed it to survive in pitch blackness and in low oxygen zones. To pick just a few: instead of spraying ink, it sprays globs of glowing goo (sounds like a band name...), instead of changing colors, it can light up its entire body, in place of strength, it moves with amazing speed. Ah, so much to share about this monster. Read up on them! You'll be treated with such vocabulary as hemocyanin, photophores, stratocysts, and bioluminescence.

Also, watch this video of one in action.

Thanks for the new monster, Heather. You're performing a great service for 'head-foot' mollusks the world over!

Photo source: Brad Seibel, via TolWeb.org

Gratuitous Ugly

Here is a bonus post of simply gratuitous ugly, via Knuttz.net. Nothing terribly enlightening here.

None of these photos are fair. Take any critter, soak it in water and they aren't going to look too nice. Take this penguin, for instance. Normally cute, but this one's got his bedraggle on.











Same goes for this kitten. If you want to see even more soaked kitties, check out this link. There are quite a few good ones.



















And last but not least, we have something abominable under a microscope. I'll admit that I, too, would look awful under a microscope, but I hope not this bad. But...only one way to find out...

Colossal VS. Giant

I've done a few posts on squids. Occasionally, I am afraid to say, I have misidentified a colossal squid as a giant squid. I apologize to all cephalopods and their friends. I shall refrain from eating calamari for a month as penance.

Heather was the one to bring this matter up. She forwarded to me a couple of links to help us all know the difference:

Tonmo.com

Tolweb.org

Below is a picture of a colossal squid being caught (I got it right this time) and brought on board. Not the most pleasant of images (Ugly Overload), but we really don't have many photos of these leviathans in the wild. They are rather elusive.

Photo source: Zapato Productions

Serenity NOW!

Jeff sent me this photo of a spider he found in Kumano Hongu. Kumano Hongu is the sight of several shrines in Japan, but I can't imagine finding any tranquility there with these creepy crawlies cruising around.

However, some entertainment is to be had with these spiders, even if serenity is sacrificed. The local kids like to catch them and make them fight. Are children the same everywhere? I've tried the same thing, but, alas, pill bugs don't fight.

BTW, is there an arachnophile (ahem...) who can identify this? And no, it isn't called a Japanese Fighting Spider.

Thanks for the photo, Jeff. May all of your travels bring you such lovely encounters.