Under Foot

Behold the common adder, the common viper, the European adder, Vipera berus, whatever you want to call it. They range from Western Europe all the way to the Far East. They aren't particularly dangerous or large. But what they lack in impressive stats, they make up for in shear frequency (many, many thousands of bites are recorded each year).

This reminds me of all the hysteria that gets whooped up whenever a new dread disease is discovered. It's not the exotic thing that'll get you. It's the thing under foot that will.

Photo source: Buster Lung

Grousy

Not ugly. How about intimidating? If those tail feathers were truly sharp and if those bare patches on his chest were cannon muzzles, well, maybe this sage grouse wouldn't be making its way onto the endangered species list. Or at least it would be going down with more of a fight.

Photo source: LA Times
But not all is lost for this once abundant grouse. Federal wildlife officials and the State of Idaho have signed a first-of-its-kind accord designed to incentivize land owners to take their own steps in protecting sage grouse habitat. We'll see how it plays out.

In the mean time, I'll stand down in this confrontation. Even if those feathers aren't sharp, those talons will be.

Thanks for the article, Ida.

Taken in by Green

This photo has been featured all over the place, like the Encyclopedia of Life and Science Daily. It's a cropped image that Matt took of his European green toad (Bufo viridis).

I never understood what Ms. Piggy saw in Kermit the Frog. But maybe it was his eyes that took her in. I can also understand now why toads have featured so prominently in witchcraft (at least, the witchcraft in my storybooks).

Photo source: Matt Reinbold

Bat Face

Ever wondered what a bat looks like under a microscope? Me neither. Here's one anyway.

This photo won the Visions of Science and Technology Photographic Awards in 2007. It's actually groundbreaking, and has given bat-o-philes (chiropterophiles?) a good glimpse of this living bat's face.

Are we sure they aren't flying rodents? This looks an awful like a guinea pig. An evil guinea pig at least.

Photo source: Steve Gschmeissner via Metro.co.uk

Draco Volans

Photo source: GearFuse.com
Prepare for one of the coolest names you'll ever find in biology: Draco volans. This means flying dragon in Latin, and the gliding lizards of Southeast Asia are the happy recipient of such an august name.

These lizards can't fly, but they come close. They come equipped with skin flaps attached to moveable ribs. These flaps are colorful, provide camouflage when closed, and allow them to glide from tree to tree (with the average male having a territory of one to three trees). Instead of ravaging castles and stealing away with the maiden fair, the Flying Dragon is the doom of ant and termite colonies. It's all about scale (pun intended).

Mermaid Origins

Behold the dugong (Dugong dugon). It's the only strictly marine herbivorous mammal. They feast primarily on sea grass and are particular about what fields they feed upon. Related to both the manatee and elephants, they have forsaken their hind limbs in favor of a whale-like tail and forepaws in favor of paddles. They've also forsaken comeliness in favor of a vacuum-style mouth.

They are supposedly the source of many mermaid myths. I imagine those confused sailors either need to have their eyes checked, or maybe they just spent too much time at sea.

Photo source: Webecoist.com

Much in Common

Chimpanzees are supposed to have upwards of 99.4 of their DNA in common with us humans. But in looking at this guy, I think I've got more in common with chimps than the average human, maybe pushing 99.9. If I had lips like that, that's how my face would look almost all day long in the office.

Come to think of it, I might be doing that anyway. That'd explain some of my coworkers' reactions to me of late.

Photo source: Arlene Biane

Orange Mystery Blob

Photo source: PIERRE94
Look closely and try to determine what manner of creature that orange blob is. Is it a soft coral? Perhaps a misshapen echinoderm? Is it some weird growth?

Look again and make a guess.

Now, do you see the tail fin sticking up? How about the pectoral fin planted on the rock like a foot? Getting a sense of it now? It's an anglerfish in all its camouflaged glory.

Have fun staring at it for a while longer. In the mean time, be grateful that this fish doesn't have any man-sized terrestrial equivalent.