World's Longest Insect

I want to offer my thanks to Laura for pointing me in the direction of the world's longest insect. This is a distinction I had not thought to research. But now, that defficiency has been remedied.

Check out Phobaeticus serratipes (formerly known as Pharnacia serratipes) . These walking sticks are denizens of Malaysia. And as you can see, they have earned their title. This particular specimen is a 17 inch female. They like to dine on bramble, oak, and Photinia. They are winged, though they can't fly.

That's got to be frustrating: being given useless wings. Such a cruel taunt.

BTW, check out the links below. There are some really cool photos and great info and supplies (and pets) for petkeepers.

Photo source: Bugs In Cyperspace

Trade Offs

Here is another classic example of sexual dimorphism. In this case, the male half of the Brazillian Pink Tarantula (Pamphoboteus plattyomma) gets painted in a purply magenta (or pink if you want to go with the spider's common name). That's not fair, is it ladies?

But, nature abhors imbalances almost as much as it does vacuums and idiots. So, the male forgoes the longer life span of the female in return for being fancy. Isn't that a trade-off we see so much in Hollywood?

Thanks for the spider, Jade.

For Lunch

I'm just now eating my lunch, and I thought it only appropriate that I post on this video Lydia sent along (thanks Lydia!). No, it isn't about hamburgers or pizza or ice cream or Santa Fe shrimp pasta...

It's of a spider, a huge spider, snaring a scorpion and dining on it. Hmm. There's nothing like watching an arachnid eating an arachnid to keep my diet in check.

And I love the music...

Spider Eats Scorpion

Cold-blooded and Pain Free

As if we didn't already have plenty of reasons to admire the naked mole-rat (unique in so many ways among mammals), we have a few more.

As revealed in an article in Live Science, researchers have determined that naked mole-rats, though very sensitive to touch, are impervious to pain caused by acid or burning. They performed a test, consisting of injecting one paw with what equates to lemon juice and a bit of chili pepper extract (mmm, lemon and pepper...). But the creatures show no response, which makes them unique among mammals. This has significance to us humans, who may benefit from the findings in aiding us in treating chronic pain.

Also, did you know that naked mole-rats are the only cold-blooded mammal (aside from some people I know) on the planet? There is so much more to this little beast than meets the eye (which is quite a jarring experience the first time around).

Thanks for the link, Martha. I love it when uglies (not of the celebrity ilk) make headlines.

Crustacean Life

Ida sent me this video of one of my favorite crustaceans: the Christmas Island Red Crab. Though these terrestrial crabs live on only two islands in the Indian Ocean, there are estimated to be around 120 million of them. This video is proof.

They are famous for their annual migration, when they emerge from their lairs to head towards the sea to breed. What's interesting is that the early records from the human inhabitants on this island hardly ever mention these crabs. It's quite possible that the extinction of the native Maclear's rat (around 1903), which would have dined on the crabs, caused their population boom.

But don't worry. A new predator has emerged to contend with the crab. The yellow crazy ant is believed to have killed more than 15 million of them in recent years. Such are the vagaries and vicissitudes of crustacean life.





Christmas Island Red Crabs - Funny video clips are a click away

Brandishing Colors

I hesitate to post on this...dare I say, pretty...mantis. But mantids have a home here, and all are welcome, even if they decide to show off their wings and dilute the ugly pool.

Jade sent this photo, taken by the illustrious Igor Siwanowicz. I assume the bug is brandishing his colors in an effort to frighten Igor away.

I want to make a kite out of that pattern. In part to entertain my kids, but also to frighten off any aliens that might be planning an invasion near my house (the LGMs would see those eyes staring back at them through their telescopes and choose another neighborhood). I assume that if it works for bugs, it works for people.

So Tired

I thought I'd end the work week with some photos of how I feel. My wife has strep throat, influenza, and laryngitis. She's been down for the count, so daddy (and hubby) has had to step up to the plate. But one of my daughters also has the flu, and another one broke out in hives last night, for no good reason.

I'm tired. Gorilla tired. I just hope I haven't had the disposition of our hairier cousin during this ordeal.

Speaking of which, I think we humans give ourselves too much credit when we lump ourselves in with the great apes. I know that doing so is taxonomically correct, but look at those teeth, look at those arms and those pecs. This ape might have nothing on me when it comes to frontal lobes, vocal folds, and accounting knowledge, but I wouldn't want to meet up with it in a dark alley. Any familial affinity it might feel for me as its 'hairless' relative wouldn't count for much.

Photo source: Knuttz.net

Inverted Hair Styles

Following up on my post from yesterday, today is supposedly the most depressing day of the year (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, at least).

In light of these dour times, I thought we could all use a few llama shots (alpaca?).

Note their similar crooked smiles, but their inverted hair styles (cranial pompom versus bushy neck). There doesn't appear to be much of a trend toward conformity among camelids. They are too cranky.

Hope you all feel better.

Photo courtesy (above photo): Mark McLaughlin


















Photo source (above photo): Kool SkatKat