Parental Empathy

Photo source: Damselfly
What more could you ask for than an up-close-and-personal photo of a huntsman (huntswoman?) spider carrying about her egg sac. As a parent, it's hard for me not to give some grudging respect to this creepy-crawly with her parental devotion.

The spiderlings will go through several molts while still with their mother, giving them a few precious weeks of having her attention while their exoskeletons harden. Once again, as a parent, I can empathize with her. I'm not looking forward to the day when my own kids' exoskeletons sufficiently harden and they scatter to make their own way in life.

Sheepish Fly

Photo source: Tony

The fly below was spotted in Tasmania. It's a sheep nasal bot fly, which was introduced (much to the joy of the sheep) into Australia. Though they prefer sheep, there are many cases where they've infected humans. Infected, you ask? Here's what I mean:

The adult female fly is active during summer and early fall. Eggs are retained in the body until they hatch. Flies deposit as many as 500 larvae in the nostrils of sheep. The larvae then move up the nasal passages to the nasal and frontal sinuses. The larvae remain in the sinuses for 8 to 10 months and then are sneezed out of the nostrils. The larvae pupate in the soil with the pupal period lasting 3 or more weeks, depending on temperature. Adults then emerge from the pupae and may live as long as 28 days.

Isn't nature lovely sometimes?

Commiserate

Anyone know what kind of bird this is? I want to ID it so I can commiserate with it. I know exactly how it feels. I think the two of us would have a lot in common.

Photo source

Silky Face

What does this face have to do with sericulture? Everything. Sericulture is the art/industry of raising silkworms for the purpose of harvesting their silk. Bombyx mori is the most common of the silkworm species. It is totally dependent of humans for reproduction and no longer occurs naturally in the wild.

So the next time you put on your silk jammies or boxers, think of this face. That's what you get for being so fancy.

Photo source: Stephen Begin

Slime Eel

Moneca reminded me of the hagfish, (aka slime eel), and it's high-time I posted on it again. This moderate-sized monster (ranging from a foot and a half to almost a meter) is famous for two things: its feeding habits and its slime.

They aren't rightly called fish, since they have no vertebrae. They have no bones at all, and are more closely related to lampreys, which should give you some insight into their character. First the slime: they produce it from glads embedded in their skin, and can fill a milk jug with it in a single sitting. They produce it to ward off predators or to encase themselves if needed. It's so viscous and fibrous that it can suffocate would-be predators by coating their gills. And how does the hagfish rid itself of its own slime? It can tie itself into a knot and slide the knot down its body. That's a trick my son once tried, to escape a particularly inconvenient diaper change.

As for feeding, well, it's the stuff of nightmares. They swim up behind unsuspecting fish, latch on to the fish's skin with their barbs, then proceed to burrow their way in. Once safely ensconced inside the fish, they begin eating from the inside out. Not a pleasant way to go. But honestly, if it were socially acceptable, this is almost exactly how I'd eat my pizza.

Photo source: NOAA public domain photo

Crocodilian Contempt

I've long thought that if I died and came back as an animal, I'd want to be a crocodile. Not only have they survived several mass extinctions as a species, but they've also managed to survive humans, even becoming menaces and nuisances to them. And doing all that while spending most of your time floating or basking with no natural predators? That's a good life.

Photo source: Ramon

















A few factoids: the word crocodile comes from the Ancient Greek word: κροκόδιλος (crocodilos). Also, unlike other reptiles, they have a cerebral cortex and a four-chambered heart. Unfortunately, they are unable to stick out their tongues, since said tongue is kept in place by a thin membrane. They have to rely exclusively on their glare to convey the contempt they feel for you.

Aggressivity in Brazil

The Bug Lady is running a great blog for all of you who like creepy, crawly things. She's invited me to partake of her many photos, and I was more than happy to dig around. I bring to you her Brazilian Wandering Spider.

As she discusses in her post regarding Phoneutria Nigriventer, most spiders don't have very toxic venom, they don't inject much in terms of volume, they aren't aggressive (note how most scamper away at any sign of danger), and most have fangs that are too small to propertly pierce the human hide.

The Brazilian wandering spider defies all of that.





















These beasts are large and aggressive, with masssive fangs. Also, they have some of the most toxic venom of all spiders (though it's rarely fatal to humans). When threatened, they go on the attack and bite repeatedly. And since they don't spin webs, they wander...often times into your shoes. Nearly half of all medically significant spider bites in Brazil are attributable to this single speces.

So, next time you're in Brazil, take that extra moment to check your shoes and your underpants. It just might save you a trip to the doctors.

Thanks, Bug Lady.

TP

Most of us will reach for toilet paper today. This is just to keep you alert. And afraid.