Sporting Horns

The horned viper is a bitty little (one to two feet) African venomous viper, but he packs a wallop when it comes to the 'if looks could kill category'. Still, they are fairly docile, as far as vipers go. And they give you the courtesy of coiling into a C shape and rubbing their coils together when aggravated. Such visual and audible warnings are Mother Nature's gift to heavy-footed people like me who are prone to close encounters with rattlesnakes, feral cats, etc.




















As a sidenote: not all horned vipers are horned. Some, inexplicably, don't sport horns. How disappointing would that be as a horned viper? The one thing your species is known for, and you don't have it. I guess that would make you a plain ol' viper. You'd probably have to compensate elsewhere, just to distinguish yourself. Get belligerant, go vegan, something. But then you wouldn't be known as simply the 'hornless guy', but now as the 'cranky hornless guy' or 'vegan hornless guy'. You just can't win.

Thanks for the photos, Jelo.

Columbian Discoveries

A recent foray into the hinterlands of Columbia has turned up oodles of new critters. About 60 species of amphibians, 20 reptiles, and almost 120 birds were recorded, many of which are brand new species. And guess what, no where is there any mention of a new spider species. That might be a first.

Amphibians are considered to be leading indicators for environmental problems, and the fact that so many were found is a good sign, says Conservation International, who spearheaded the project. Columbia is considered to be one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world for amphibians, with 754 species recorded. It's a veritable Noah's Ark (if a moist, slimy, and slippery one).

So, enjoy this salamander (Bolitogloss taylori) and glass frog (Nymphargus sp.). It's nice to bring some good news.

Thanks for the article, Betsy.

Photo source: Telegraph.co.uk

King Ragworm

Isn't that a fantastic name for a novel or a children's story? You're looking King Ragworm in the face. Also known as Nereis virens, or a sandworm, this particular specimen was photographed by Alexander Semenov. Sandworms can get to be as large as four feet long, and are the prey of fishermen, who use them as bait.

The wikipedia article on the King Ragworm is suspect, but supposedly those feet are better referred to as vascularized parapodia, which aid in locomotion, are the principle organs for respiration, and are involved with sexual arousal. Read the article and you'll see why I suspect the author's professionalism and truthfulness. It's hard for a non-biologist like myself to find a site that will describe this creature in layman's terms. Woe is me.

Thanks, Alexander.

Photos by Alexander Semenov

Deep Sea Mystery Solved

Another mystery of the deep sea has been solved. Up until recently, three different forms of deep sea fish were thought to be three different species. But research has found out otherwise. To quote:

Male (lower image, top) and female (lower image, bottom) whalefish look so different that researchers have only now recognized that the two belong in the same family. The larval whalefish are even stranger (upper image with inset of body in close-up).

Photo credits: Male image, Dave Johnson; Female, Bruce Robison/MBARI; Larva: Don Hughes

I can't blame you for this mistake, fish identifiers of the world. I would assume they were three different fishies as well. I'm sure the whalefish is relieved to have this cleared up.

The whalefish is a rare fish. And here is rare footage of one.

Thanks, Morgan.

Box Jellies

Most jellyfish are considered plankton -- that great amalgam of free-floating flora and fauna that is the foundation of the oceanic ecosystem. But not so with the box jellyfish. These jellies are hunters. They are active swimmers, are able to negotiate obstacles, and can make a rapid 180-degree turn. How do brainless creatures hunt and avoid obstacles? With 24 eyes that give them a view in literally every direction (not just 360, but up and down as well).

Photo credit: Anders Garm
It's one particular set of eyes that are so fish-like in their lens composition that they can discern shapes and color. It's that pair of eyes that you see to the left. Imagine swimming up behind one, only to have it spin around and stare you down. And stare you down is right, because you'd be best served by fleeing.

Box jellyfish are counted among the most lethal of animals to humans, as thousands of Australians have been killed over the past 50 years after encountering the jellies' stingers. And if the sting doesn't kill you, you're still left with excruciating pain. Lovely. Most of the jellyfish I encounter come in the form of lifeless gelatinous lumps in the sand. If I ever get to live out my dream of diving in Australia, I'll need to keep these monsters in mind.

Thanks for the box jellyfish, Rebecca.

New Frugivore

Morgan is studying the behavioral neurosciences, which includes learning the incredibly complex ins and outs of bat echolocation and fish electrolocation (that's a fun word to say out loud). Morgan took time out from the coursework to send us a new bat: Sphaeronycteris toxophyllum, the visored bat.

Photo source: Guaquira.com





















The visored bat, so named for the growth over its nose, is a rare bat endemic to northern South America (throughout the Amazon basin and part way up with bordering mountains). It's a frugivore. Frugivore is of Latin derivation and, as everyone knows, means 'one who feasts on human souls.'

...wait...um, Google is telling me something different. Evidently, a frugivore is one whose diet consists mainly of fruit. Still, you need to be afraid. Just stare into those bulging eyes and peek beneath that fleshy flap, and you'll know why. In this second photo the female looks like she's smirking, like she knows something I don't. I hate that.

Photo by Lizette Siles





















Photo by R. M. Barquez
Click on this last photo for a larger view. The side view of the skull looks disturbingly human, if more fangy than normal. It looks a lot like the ultrasounds taken of one of my daughters while in utero... that's more than a little freaky.

Thanks, Morgan. The Amazon just got a bit less hospitable.

Of Sexual Dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism is an interesting thing. Thanks to it, as a card-carrying male Homo sapiens sapiens, I'm possessed of physical prowess, tremendous hunting skills, the ability to fend off rival males, the intellect needed to understand spacial relationships and perceive potential threats...(...um, er, not really, but I make a meager salary in accounting...).

Among celebes crested macaques, sexual dimorphism bestows upon the females a large, pink, pillowy buttocks. I'll keep my salary, and you macaque ladies keep your bottoms. I think we'll be happier that way. I wouldn't know how to sit down, and you wouldn't be able to keep up with the mortgage payments (a task I have yet to master).

Photo source: Yahoo!

SF Seeking SM with Long Eye Stalks

Martina was watching Animal Planet's "Most Extreme" a few days ago and was presented with this gem. Everyone say hello to the several hundred species strong family of stalk-eyed flies: Diopsidae.

You can find these insects in Old World tropics for the most part. This first one is of Achias rothschildi.




















Yes, those are eyes at the end of the stalks. That's also where the antennae are. I'm not sure what benefit the eye stalks offer this fly. But if the male wants to find a lady, he had better be sporting some impressively long eye stalks.

How many animal characteristics are there that serve no function but to find a mate? Why did these females decide that the length of eye stalk is the most important factor? What about earning potential, sense of humor, paternal devotion? I wouldn't fair well among the lady stalk-eyed flies, not with my hominid binocular vision.

Thanks for the stalk-eyed fly, Martina.

Photo source: Harold Schillhammer