Equity in the Wild Kingdom

Every so often, mother nature allows for a bit of fair play and turn about.

Here's a photo of a fringe-lipped bat (Trachops cirrhosus) dining on a tungara frog in Panama (not an uncommon occurrence). The bat looks overwhelmed by the meal awaiting it. The frog looks put out.

Photo source: National Geographic


















Not to be out done, the amphibians even the score. Large green tree frogs (Litoria cerulea) like to lurk outside the lairs of little bent-wing bats (Miniopterus australis) and nab one for dinner.

Photo credit: D. Bruce Means










Though I would never suggest that there is a natural law of parity or equity in the wild kingdom, I think my kids can learn a good lesson from this, perhaps in a Brothers Grimm-style dark fable. A children's book about bats eating frogs and frogs eating bats is in order. I'm sure they'll be charmed.

Blowfish

This is a puffer/blow fish that I believe belongs to the family of Tetraodontidae. And, unless I am wrong (and I am never wrong), they are headed for the Fire Swamp this fish belongs to a family of fish that are the second-most poisonous vertebrate in the world. Don't eat the skin or internal organs of one if you don't know what you're doing. Aren't these creatures used in the creation of zombies in the Caribbean?

This reminds me of a story I heard from my dive master down in Mexico. We had just come up from a dive in which I got to handle a fully-inflated porcupine fish. He told me how the previous summer he had a student who had swum up to him, clutching a finger that was oozing a cloud of blood into the water around his hand. The dive master took the student to the surface and asked what happened as he examined a finger that was missing its last half inch. The student, amid shocked sobs, explained that he was playing with a porcupine fish, and the thing looked so cute that he stuck his finger into the fish's beak. Bye-bye fingertip.

Seems like some people need a thick layer of civilization to protect them from their own stupidity.

Thanks for the photo, Marie.

Without a Proper Macro Lens

This is what linty was able to pull off even without what he calls a 'proper macro lens'. You photographers and your uppitiness (new word alert). I couldn't take these kind of photos even with a proper macro lens.

While I sit here and get over my bitterness, enjoy these photos of a fly, grub, spider, and ambush bug.

Thanks, linty. My feeling of inadequacy just grew a bit.

Vietnamese Mossy Frog

Photo source: Adam Fagen

One frog that is gaining in popularity as a pet is the Vietnamese Mossy Frog (Theloderma corticale). These frogs (native to north Vietnam at around the 3,000 foot elevation) have among the best camouflage going; they're incredibly difficult to spot in the wild. They've only been in the market for a few years now, but they're turning out to be relatively easy to keep in vivariums. They're classified as 'beginner' frogs on most pet sites. They're even easy to breed, and can be kept in groups (preferred). 

This frog is protected by the Vietnamese government (where they're probably under threat because of use in 'traditional medicines'). An interesting note: the eggs are laid on rocks and vegetation just above the water's edge. When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles drop to the water, where they'll spend the next year until they metamorphose into adults. 

Also, if you kiss one, you're likely to contract horrible warts--but that danger is offset by the fact that one in ten of them is a cursed prince in disguise. But don't tell my impressionable young daughters that.

Thanks for the frog, Erik.

Photo source: Saurian.net

Cuterebras

Those of you who enjoyed my previous bot fly posts will love this next one. Megan is a biology student who is earning her keep at a veterinary clinic. About a month ago she had to deal with a rash of cuterebra cases in dogs.

Cuterebras are but one iteration of the bot fly. What's a bot fly?

Photo source: Brittanica
Well, the fly itself is harmless. They don't bite or sting. They do vaguely resemble bees, but they have nothing, ecologically speaking, in common with them. You see, a bot fly (a cuterebra in this case), lays its eggs along the paths or around the dens frequented by small mammals (dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits, etc.). The hapless animals then either rub up against or ingest the eggs, which then hatch. The newly spawned bot fly larvae travel to a spot just beneath the skin and form a 'nodule'.

These nodules can be sizeable, since the larvae which inhabit them can get upwards of two-inches long. The larvae have cutting teeth that they use to cut a little hole on the outside so they can breathe. Look up 'bot fly' on YouTube for videos of them in people's backs. You won't be the same afterwards.

Photo source: unknown




















If you find a squirrel with cuterebra nodules, don't worry. The larvae will drop out within 30 days and pupate on the ground. The nodule will heal up. You might not be so cavalier, though, if you get infected. If you do, you'll want to cover the hole with petroleum jelly, which will cause the larvae to emerge for fresh air. Then you can grab it with tweezers. But don't squeeze too hard. If it pops or crumbles inside your skin, it can trigger an infection or even anaphylactic shock.

Ugly, people. Ugly. Thanks, Megan.

Mantis at Midday

Vincent encountered this Chinese praying mantis in Lexington, Kentucky, US, out of season, at midday, and out in the open. Vincent, I can only assume that this 'insect' was accidentally left behind by the mothership, and you interrupted its attempt to be reunited with its starshipmates (a la E.T.).

The Chinese praying mantis (Tenodera aridifolia sinensi) is one of the largest of the mantids. They have unusually large thoracic segments, which allows them to rotate to follow its prey without actually having to move its whole body. In fact, praying mantises are the only insects that can turn 180 degrees at the 'waist.' They are also the only insects that can read minds and travel through astral wormholes.

Thanks, Vincent.

Shark Legs

Jade sent this one along. This is a picture (and a close up) of a shark caught in Malaysian waters with what appears to be a pair of webbed feet.

The woman in the photo, Looi, wanted to cook some fish for lunch and bought this shark with that end in mind. It wasn't until she got the shark home that she discovered the feet. She posed for the photo, then called her husband, unsure what to do next. They agreed that she should return the shark, since, according to Chinese belief, it is bad luck to eat fish with any unusual characteristics. She returned it to the fisherman who had caught it, who then promptly returned to the sea.

I'm no ichthyologist, but don't male sharks have pronged genitals in the same region as these 'feet'?

The article doesn't say if the shark survived this ordeal. I assume not. But I want to know if Malaysia can expect any more legged fish in its waters. Also, why give up the chance to be the first human to dine on shark legs? I imagine they'd be tasty if rolled in batter, fried, and slathered with sauce.

I'm eating a tuna sandwich as I write this post, and I'm quickly losing my appetite. Thanks, Jade.

Photo source: UnderwaterTimes.com

Empty Nesting

Jon took this photo of another mommy wolf spider in Kansas. When he counted the babies on her back, he came up with a count of roughly a zillion. Oh, and after my most recent post on a wolfspidermum, Jade informed me that the babies leave sometime around their first molt. Given the weight of all those spiderlings on her back, I'll bet empty nesting never felt so good.






















This photo was taken by John. He would like some assistance in identifying the species. Any takers out there?























Last but not least, we have this hapless spider. Wendy stumbled into the bathroom in the middle of the night only to find it trapped in her bathtub. This spider (another wolf spider?) trying to climb the water spout wasn't so itsby bitsy. She took a picture and then let it be. Her husband had to scoop it out the following day and release it into the wild. The one good thing about finding a hairy spider in your tub: they help sweep up any stray lint.