Real Charmer

Photo source: digitalia
The red uakari is just asking to be misunderstood. They've got hardly any tail to speak of, so one might assume them to be ungainly in their arboreal homes. But that's not so; their long arms and legs make them as dexterous as any other monkey.

And what about that red face? No, he isn't angry. Quite the opposite: he's healthy and happy. Healthy, because it is presumed that the bright red face is meant to display health, as opposed to those afflicted with malaria, who tend to take on a pale countenance. Happy because this particular monkey is the nicest monkey in Peru. A real charmer, despite looking very much like a zit I had when I was fourteen.

Tonic Immobility

The old joke goes something like this: Two hikers encounter a hostile bear in the woods. One immediately kneels to tie his shoe laces. His companion says, "What are you doing? Do you honestly think you can outrun a bear?"
The first hiker says, "Nope. All I have to do is outrun you."

The same situation applies here, only opposite. When Adanson's house jumping spider seeks out its preferred prey, the red flour beetle (such domestic names...), it prefers living beetles over those which are dead...or which feign death. So in this instance, the first beetle doesn't need to be faster than the second beetle; he needs to look deader.

Photo source: LiveScience.com
















Takahisa Miyatake of Okayama University in Japan has been studying the red flour beetle for years. He has developed two strains of them: one that will feign death for 20 minutes, and one that won't feign death at all. So, what happens when Adanson's house jumper goes on the prowl among these two groups? Well, that spider is only 38% likely to eat a 'dead' beetle if there isn't a living, non-feigning one around. But if there is a living, wriggling one nearby, that same spider will go for it nearly every single time.

Feigning death (technically called 'tonic immobility'--great name for a rock band) seems to work like a charm among these beetles, especially if the beetle next to you is a chump that doesn't know when to lie low.

Thanks for the article, Ida.

Slugs Galore

I've been remiss in getting my posts out on time. I've been a busy little monkey, and the uglies have been neglected. But you'll be seeing catch-up posts rolling out very soon (like today). To compensate for my tardiness, here's a smorgasbord of slugs, myriad mollusks of the land-dwelling, shell-less variety.

Slugs come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors, and this post is a tribute to them. The whole shell-less thing has developed independently at a variety of times and in a variety of locations. So, though these slugs all look very similar in shape, they are not nearly as related as you might think.

First we have a Carpathian blue slug (Bielzia coerulans). You'll also see some banana slugs, and in the end, two photos of hermaphroditic slugs who should have had the decency to find a room.

Photo source: Gábor Kovács





















Photo source: Andy Hay





















Photo source: Jim Whitehead






















Photo source: Per Ola




















Photo source: S. Shepherd



















Photo source: David J.






















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Photo source: Christopher, Tania, and Isabelle

Return of the Monster Squid

Photo via The Orlando Sentinel
They're back. Time for the invasion of the Humboldt squid off the southern coast of California.

These normally deep-sea dwelling cephalopods have come to the surface to...well, we don't know why. But they're causing quite a stir among even veteran scuba divers. Some are staying out of the water, some are going in. Here's an experience Shandra Magill had recently:

On a recent night, Magill watched in awe as a dozen squid with expressive eyes circled her group, tapping and patting the divers and gently bumping them before dashing away.
One especially large squid suspended itself motionless in the water about a yard away and peered at her closely, its eyes rolling, before it vanished into the black. A shimmering incandescence rippled along its body, almost as if it were communicating through its skin.
But the next night, things were different: A large squid surprised Magill by hitting her from behind and grabbing at her, pulling her sideways in the water. The powerful creature ripped her buoyancy hose away from her chest and knocked away her light.
When Magill recovered, she didn't know which direction was up and at first couldn't find the hose to help her rise to the surface. The squid was gone.
“I just kicked like crazy. The first thing you think of is, 'Oh my gosh, I don't know if I'm going to survive this. If that squid wanted to hurt me, it would have,” she said.

As a scuba diver myself, I can understand wanting to jump in and get a good look. As an animal with a self-preservation instinct, I also understand wanting to stay home with a bag of Cheetohs, with the comforting knowledge that I won't be eaten by a mollusk.

Thanks for the article, Ida.

Caninophobe

I'm a sucker for rescue dogs (having been raised with a few), and for the owners who take them in.

Scooby here is normally a sweet dog. He just gets fangy when in the presence of other canines. He's something of a caninophobe, but we can forgive him that. Especially with his stylish bandana.

Thanks for Scooby, Elizabeth.

Poor Little Iguanalings

Photo source: Tim Eastgate
This is a Galapagos land iguana, and I'm wondering if it is an albino. Lots of pale, pinkish scales there, and even the eyes look pink.

These reptiles vary in size from 3 to 5 feet in length, and can weigh upwards of 25 lbs, depending on which island you find them on.

On South Plaza island, where the populations of land and marine iguanas overlap, you even have cross breeding. This results in viable, though most-likely sterile, offspring. Poor little crossbred, sterile iguanalings, torn between land and sea. There's a tale to be told in there, maybe a children's book, maybe a coming of age Young Adult novella. Query your literary agent and see what they say.

Scapegoat

Goats are some of my favorite creatures. They've got such varied personalities, and there are so many varieties. Each breed is a walking, chomping, head-butting history lesson.

Anyone know what breed this is? Is it some sort of pygmy?

I've often thought that if I owned a goat, I'd name him Azazel (the original, literal scapegoat). But then I'd be inviting all sorts of trouble on myself.

Photo source: Brian Bradley

Aphid Killer

Moneca sent us a video to follow up on our fire ant killing phorid fly.

Here's a black wasp, who turns out to be quite adept at controlling aphid colonies. Watch her as she injects eggs into as many as 200 individual aphids with surgical precision. Watch the waspling grow, kill the aphid, and emerge.

Thanks, Moneca.